Having A Fun Time In July

Just because we had nothing better to do (ha!ha!) Sister Jarvis and Sister Brown came over and helped me fill 180 bags of chocolate chip cookie dough mix for the missionaries. Just add butter and an egg, that is what the label says. This is the missionaries reward for deep cleaning their pensiones. We have been having great success with our Mendoza Mission cook book. Missionaries are reporting actually cooking. Yes, the oven is for doing other things besides cooking pizza. It is so fun to hear the reports of how well their recipes are turning out.

We went down town and walked through a beautiful building that was by the walking mall area. These old buildings must have been something in the glory days of Mendoza. No one builds anything as beautiful these days in the city. Everything now is modern architecture. The stainglass in this building is gorgeous.

Yes, it is winter in July in Argentina. The day our new missionaries arrived from Utah we had snow. We told them it was our way of welcoming them and making them feel right at home.

My pansies didn't mind the snow, but the palms didn't like it. This is our balcony from the front of the building. Being up on the 6th floor gives us beautiful views of the Andes Mountain range.

July Zone Leader Conference

We are grateful to our Zone Leaders for their growth in leadership and enthusiasm for the work. They keep the mission growing and moving forward. They learn to care for others not just themselves. Without them President would go crazy. Our hat is off to them all. Thank you.

(Left back) Elders Squires, Rossi, Miles, Lema, Malaiki, Jesperson, Armstrong, McNees, Manqui, Wells, Knight (left middle) Elders Clayson, Contreras, York, Berezay, Whiteford, Workman, President, Mayta, Phippen, Fuentes, Slater (left floor) Elders Castellon, Mendoza, Martin, Cardus, Sargent. (Asistants in bold)

Helpers in the kitchen. Can you believe they actually offered? Or were they really there to help themselves to the left over cake? Elders Workman, Wells, Miles, Manqui, Martin.

Elder Castellon (Columbia) Elder Malakai (Tonga, Oakland) Elder Rossi (Paraguay)

Elder Malakai's goal is to be in all the mission photos. Elders Clayson and York.

Just relaxing on the sofa after a long day. Elders Armstrong, Berezay, Whiteford, Mendoza, Malakai, Mayta, Phippen with Elder Manqui sideways.

Three rubios Elder Slater, Squires and McNees.

Zone Conference Keeps Everyone Busy

Nothing better for President and I than to see the happy faces of our missionaries

The family that cooks for us in San Juan

The Rastelli family has been so helpful to us since we arrived. Sister Adriana Rastelli is the famous cook of the mission, and at zone conference time the whole family comes to help. Yemina (right) is home from Idaho for the month and will be helping me with my language skills. Jonathan is planning on a mission in a few months, and President Rastelli serves as counselor in the Mission Presidency.

The flu has hit the mission. Here we see Dr. Petersen checking out Elder Knight. We have many missionaries down with flu and cold symptoms.

Elder Rojas is having a cyst injected. As you can tell he is really loving it.

Here Elder Lambert is having an ingrown toenail removed. He was quite brave. He is checking out his photos on his camera of the surgery. I am sure the photo will be used for future generations, bragging rights about having his toenail ripped from his foot in Argentina.

But not everything at zone conference is hard work. Here Elder Sargent and Elder Fuentes are coloring the front of their Mission Cookbook. The book is the culmination of 4 months of work. It finally hit the press and will be a prized possession for years to come. The favorite Argentine recipes would be Dulce le leche, Alfahors, milanesa, Hermana Rastelli's Pastel de Papas.