It's spring here, but the temperature hasn't changed all that much from the winter. This week has been a bit grey, and we have actually had rain a couple of evenings. Today the sun is shining, and it will probably get into the 70's. Tomorrow it actually supposed to get to 87! This morning on the way home from church, I was impressed by how nice the flowers look. We have had flowers blooming all winter, but there are others that have or are just making their appearance. I grabbed my camera and walked around the temple grounds for about 20 minutes taking photos. I posted them on Facebook, and you can see them there, but I am including a couple here also.
We are teaching a temple preparation class in Sunday School for four people. It seems as though we don't get a chance to give regular lessons because there is always another meeting that comes up. Three weeks ago it was Stake Conference, next week it is General Conference. One week three of the members of the class were home ill. Nevertheless, they are excited to have the chance to go to the temple for the first time. They are excited about the blessings they will receive, and being sealed for eternity.
Last week and this week I am also teaching a class in the temple on Sunday night. The topic is performing the temple ordinances correctly. I believe those who were there last week were a bit surprised at some of the details, and the simple yet layered teachings in the temple. This week is a second set of ordinance workers. The training is a bit long, but no one seems to complain. In fact, although some have come wondering why they were coming, they have left with a great sense of gratitude and an increased understanding. Many have commented that they are very happy they were able to come to the training.
Two weeks ago we took a tour on our P-day. We went to a couple of towns here in the province of Cordoba that were settled by the Germans. The first was called La Cumbrecita.La Cumbrecita is a small town in a beautiful canyon with a very distinct Alpine flavor. It is advertised as a pedestrian town only, but there is really only one street where vehicles are not allowed, and it is only about a block long. Residents only are allowed to drive their vehicles in the rest of the town, and none of the streets are paved. It is a very nice change from the noise of the city.
The second town we visited was Villa General Belgrano. This town was settled in the early thirties, like La Cumbrecita, by the Germans. The Germans there wanted independence in their area, and burned the Argentine flag. The Argentine government put down this mini rebellion and changed the name of the town to Villa General Belgrano. General Belgrano is the person who designed the Argentine flag, the equivalent of our Betsy Ross. Today it is known as the center of the Oktoberfest celebrations here in Argentina. This is a photo of four sisters you may have seen on Facebook. The survivors of the Graf Spee came to Villa General Belgrano at the start of the second world war. The Graf Spee was a German pocket battleship that was scuttled in the river between Argentina and Uruguay after a battle with three British ships at the start of the World War I. You can look it up on Wikipedia for more information. Many Europeans fled to these towns after the second world war, although almost no descendants remain.
Last Monday we went to immigration and got our permanent visa for Argentina. We are now legal to stay here for two years. Afterwards we just roamed around town. I bought a soldering iron and got a connector, solder, and wire. Claudia found a street vendor that sells french fries that are actually very good. Wee did go back on Friday night for dinner. I also got a "hot dog". Hot dogs here are large vienna sausages called salchichas. They taste almost like a vienna sausage, and the bun is like a loaf of bread.When we came home I used my soldering iron and other acutriments to repair the piano we have in our apartment. I found a piano on the stage of one of the chapels that was not being used. I convinced the stake presidency to let us keep it in our apartment. It is an electronic piano, but it plays pretty well and sounds pretty good. Unfortunately the pedals didn't work. My repair job was to get the pedals in working order again.
Tomorrow evening it is our turn to do Family Home Evening for the missionaries. I plan on talking a bit about the Drake Equation and the Book of Moses and Abraham. When I scheduled the Lunar Eclipse, I missed getting it on the right day by one day. (The eclipse is tonight.) I guess in the future I'll have to pay closer attention to the calendar and the difference in Coordinated Universal Time and Local Time.
BTW, this photo is of the sister missionaries in Villa General Belgrano, with a mannequin advertising a beer parlor for Oktoberfest. Left to right are sister NeVille, sister May, sister Unknown, and sister Watson.
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