Two full days

Though Monday and Tuesday were the only days of school this week, those days were packed...literally!

We had 4 adults and 5 children sardine-ed into the truck. Nine is an unusually high number to fit in our five passenger cab, but it's not the first time and probably not the last.

On Tuesday after delivering all the adults and kids to their appropriate houses, we headed to Federal to get the 4-wheel drive repaired. We greatly hesitated to go because it was five in the afternoon before we could leave, our appointment was suppose to be at four, and there was an 80% rain prediction at 6 or 7 PM. However, neither Yuca nor the moms thought it looked like rain to them, and it was suppose to rain for the next six days leaving this tiny window so we left the ranch with a prayer in our hearts, and a suitcase in the truck just in case we couldn't get back. (We've learned to have faith that it wouldn't rain, but if it does, we have faith that we'll bring the right things to be comfortable.)

Fortunately, the weather stayed until Wednesday morning, and we were glad to have the repair started. (The electrician needed us to bring it back since there was something else wrong that couldn't be fixed quickly.)

We were rained in the rest of the week, but remember being rained in is better than being rained out. Yuca was able to take our truck out Friday afternoon to finish the repair so by the time the roads are passable, we should have 4-wheel drive again.

In the meantime, we have had time to read, practice the piano, and Amy convalesced for having strained her shoulder in Federal retrieving an empty 20 gallon water bottle from the back seat. Note to self: even with threatening rain, don't be in such a hurry that you hurt yourself.

Old Vehicles:

We think it's awesome that people can keep these running.

The one below is one of our favorites. We have seen it being driven around town from time to time and finally saw it parked where we could get a picture. I hope when I'm as old and dilapidated as this, I'll still be getting around town. :)


Construction:
We also saw a different type of house construction. Contractors, Engineers, and Architects, what do you think of the foundation?

Below is an example of the typical new construction that we see.


Cows in the road:
We have to tell you about an evening a few weeks ago when we were taking the Galeano family home after a trip to Los Perales. It was dark and the ranch was getting ready to ship cattle off the next day so there were literally hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand cows on the road. We honked the whole evening away and finally got home a good 30 minutes later than normal. We often question why so many cows hang out in the road when there is plenty of space on the side. Moms have told us that it's because there are fewer mosquitoes on the road, but the mosquitoes are not fully out yet so it doesn't make sense. Anyone know the answer to that?

General Conference:
By Saturday, we were a bit bored and very ready for General conference (a bi-annual event of feasting on words from the  General Authorities of the LDS church.)

If you ever find yourself thinking that you wish you had a bigger TV screen, just think of us watching conference from our tiny phone set upright by a napkin holder.

When we kept loosing the internet in the kitchen, we transferred the phone to another room closer to the router but kept the napkin holder of course.


Either location, we were strengthened and uplifted by all that we heard. Hope you all took the opportunity to listen intently, examine who you are, and make goals for self improvement.

Thoughts from Gregg quoting much of Elder Uchdorf.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk in the Women General Conference Session of October, 2017 entitled “Three Sisters”. He said, basically...

A long time ago in a distant land lived a family of three sisters. The first sister was sad. 

Everything seemed not quite good enough to her. When she spoke, her words sometimes came out awkwardly, and people laughed. When someone criticized her she would blush, walk away, and find a secret spot where she would let out a sad sigh and wonder why life had turned out to be so bleak and cheerless.

The second sister was mad. She thought of herself as smart, but there was always someone else who scored higher on tests at school. She considered herself funny, fair, fashionable, or more fascinating.

She was never first at anything, and this she could not endure. Life was not supposed to be this way!

Then there was the third sister. Unlike her sad and mad sisters, she was-well, glad. And it wasn’t because she was smarter or more beautiful or more capable than her sisters. No, people sometimes avoided or ignored her too. They sometimes made fun of what she was wearing or the things she was saying. But she did not allow any of that to bother her too much.

This sister loved to sing. She didn’t have great pitch, and people laughed about it, but that didn’t stop her. She would say, “I am not going to let other people and their opinions stop me from singing!”

The very fact that she kept singing made her first sister sad and her second sister mad.

Many years passed, and eventually each sister reached the end of her time on earth.

The first sister, who discovered again and again that there was no shortage of disappointments in life, eventually died sad.

The second, who every day found something new to dislike, died mad.

And the third sister, who spent her life singing her song with all her might and a confident smile on her face, died glad.

Of course, life is never so simple, and people are never so one-dimensional as the three sisters in this story. But even extreme examples like these can teach us something about ourselves. If you are in throughout the universe like most of us, you may have recognized part of yourself in one, two, or perhaps all three of these sisters. Let us take a closer look at each one.

The first sister saw herself as a victim-as someone who was acted upon. It seemed like one thing after another kept happening to her that made her miserable. With this approach to life, she was giving others control over how she felt and behaved. When we do this, we are driven about by every wind of opinion-and in this day of ever-present social media, those winds blow at hurricane intensity.

Why should you surrender your happiness to someone, or a group of someones, who cares very little about you or your happiness?

If you find yourself worrying about what other people say about you, may I suggest this antidote: remember who you are: Remember that you are of the royal house of the kingdom of God, sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents, who reign throughout the universe.

Nothing anyone ever says about you can change this-that you are in His hands, very good hands, loving hands and caring hands. You are his precious child. He loves you.

Even when you stumble, even when you turn away from Him, God loves you. If you are feeling lost, abandoned, or forgotten-fear not. The Good Shepherd will find you. He will lift you upon His shoulders. And He will carry you home.

The second sister was angry at the world. Like her sad sister, she felt that the problems in her life were all caused by someone else. She blamed her family, her friends, her boss and anyone around.

She didn’t think of herself as a mean person. To the contrary, she felt that she was only sticking up for herself. Everyone else, she believed, was motivated by selfishness, pettiness, and hate. She, on the other hand, was motivated by good intentions-justice, integrity, and love.

Unfortunately, the mad sister’s line of thinking is all too common. This was noted in a recent study that explored conflict between rival groups. As part of the study, researchers interviewed Palestinians, and Israelis in the Middle East, and Republicans and Democrats in the United States. They discovered that “each side felt their own group was motivated by love more than hate, but when asked why their rival group was involved in the conflict, they pointed to hate as the other group’s motivating factor.

In other words, each group thought of themselves as the “good guys”, and the opposing group as uninformed, dishonest, and even evil.

When someone opposes or disagrees with us, it’s tempting to assume that there must be something wrong with them. And from there, it’s a small step to attach the worst of motives to their words and actions.

Of course, we must always stand for what is right, and there are times when we must raise our voices for that cause. However, when we do so with anger or hate in our hearts-when we lash out at others to hurt, shame, or silence them-chances are we are not doing so in righteousness.

What did the Savior teach? “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”

This is the Savior’s way. It is the first step in breaking down the barriers that create so much anger, hatred, division, and violence in the world.

“Yes, you might say, “I would be willing to love my enemies-if only they were willing to do the same.”

But that really doesn’t matter, does it? We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has little-if anything-to do with the way others treat us. We obviously hope that they will be understanding and charitable in return, but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us.

Perhaps our effort to love our enemies will soften heir hearts and influence them for good. Perhaps it will not. But that does not change our commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

So, as members of the Church, we will love our enemies.

We will fill our hearts with love for all of God’s children.

We will reach out to bless others and minister to them-even those who might “despitefully use us and persecute us.”

The third sister represents the authentic disciple of Jesus Christ. She did something that can be extremely hard to do: she trusted God even in the face of ridicule and hardship. Somehow, she maintained her faith and hope, despite the scorn and cynicism around her. She lived joyfully not because she was joyful.

None of us makes it through life’s journey unopposed. With so many forces trying to draw us away, how do we keep our vision fixed on the glorious happiness promised to the faithful?

I believe the answer can be found in a dream that a prophet named Lehi recorded in the Book O Mormon,

In his dream, Lehi saw a vast field, and in it was a wondrous tree, beautiful beyond description. He also saw large groups of people making their way toward the tree. They wanted to taste its glorious fruit. They felt and trusted that it would give them great happiness and abiding peace.

There was a narrow path that led to the tree, and alongside was an iron rod that helped them stay on the path. But there was also a mist of darkness that obscured their vision of both the path and the tree. And perhaps even more dangerous was the sound of loud laughter and ridicule coming from a large and spacious building nearby. Shockingly, the mocking even convinced some people who had reached the tree and tasted the wondrous fruit to begin to feel ashamed and wander away.

Perhaps they began to doubt that the tree was really as beautiful as they had once thought. Perhaps they began to question the reality of what they had experienced.

Maybe they thought if they turned away from the tree, life would be easier. Maybe they would not be ridiculed or laughed at anymore.

Actually the people who were scoffing at them looked like people who were quite happy and having a good time. So perhaps if they abandoned the tree, they would be welcomed into the congregation of the great and spacious building and be applauded for their judgment, intelligence, and sophistication.

If you find it difficult to hold fast to the iron rod and walk steadfastly toward salvation; if the laughter and ridicule of others who seem so confident cause you to waiver; if you are troubled by unanswered questions or doctrines, I urge you to remember Lehi’s dream. Stay on the path! Never let go of the iron rod-the word of God! And when anyone tries to make you feel ashamed for partaking of the love of God, ignore them.

Never forget you are a child of God; rich blessings are in store; if you can learn to do His will, you’ll live with Him once more!

The promises of praise and acceptance by the world are unreliable, untrue, and unsatisfying. God’s promises are sure, true, and joyful-now and forever.

Indeed, “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I have learned for myself that the path of discipleship in the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to joy. It is the way to safety and peace. It is the way to truth.

If the path becomes difficult, I hope you will find refuge and strength in the organizations of the Church.

It will not be easy. It will require the very best that you have-all your intelligence, creativity, faith, integrity, strength, determination, and love. But one day you will look back upon your efforts and will be grateful that you remained strong, that you believed, and that you did not depart from the path.

There may be many things about life that are beyond your control. But in the end, you have the power to choose both your destination and many of your experiences along the way. It is not so much your abilities but your choices that make the difference in life.

You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad.

You cannot allow them to make you mad.

You can be glad.

You can make the choice to press on toward the tree of life.  You can choose to lift up your voice and make your life a glorious symphony of praise, rejoicing in what the love of God, the wonders of His Church, and the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to the world.

The song of true discipleship may sound off-key or even a little loud to some. But to our Heavenly Father and to those who love and honor Him, it is a most precious and beautiful song-the sublime and sanctifying song of redeeming love and service to God and fellowmen.

Foreign Countries are....well, foreign!

We had a full week of school this week! Well, a full week except for Thursday which was Kid's Day again, so public school was cancelled, but we talked the kids into having English and computer classes with us anyway.  (Truthfully, if we hadn't included computer class in the mix, we may have lost the battle. However, either way, it was a good week.)

We also made a trip back to Concordia so Omar could have his urine analysis analyzed. (I'm tempted to say something negative about socialized medicine... so I won't say anything at all). While waiting, we walked to our favorite park and the men were still painting polls from the prior week when we were here. They were even more daring this week in their attempt to get the high parts.

What would OSHA say?


We wanted to buy some groceries, but all the stores were closed during siesta. However, this lady was willing to "keep her store closed" and help us out all at the same time. We simply passed our purchases back and forth through her locked door.





However, just as we finished and headed back to the hospital, we saw another tienda that was open for real. We bought a few more items just because we could.



Another bizarre thing we saw were these cars boxed in so tightly as to prevent any comings or goings.

There was a whole string of them thus there must be a story behind it. We'll keep you posted if we ever learn the reason for this strange activity.


Los Perales:
Vanessa finished her husband's vest and is now working on a cute jean shirt without sleeves that she could wear in the summer.

With summer just around the corner, Amy helped her make the pattern.

The kids are still diligently involved in whatever activity Gregg can come up with.

On the way to and from Los Perales, we dropped off Vale and her family in Federal. Vale's new doll reminds us of the dolls our mother's used to carry. Does the dolly bring back memories anyone?


Later in the week, the cows were let loose to find whatever clippings the lawn men missed. We'd never seen the calves quite this close to our front door before. Perhaps, we are now part of their world rather than the feared new comers.


Tiago's grandpa was visiting the family when we dropped Tiago off at his home. Horses are used for getting around the ranch more than vehicles. The horse below is grandpa's horse thus cluing Tiago into his fun filled afternoon with his jovial relative.

Below is a chunk of meat curing. The kids noticed it and nonchalantly said, "Oh look, meat." Can't say that it is what we're accustomed to spotting on a trip around the block.


The bridge by the school is falling apart again, only this time we have to cross over the gaps.


Vale is scared of crossing the bridge in the truck, so, she and Amy walk across together. Vale's teacher learned of how we were dealing with the problem and asked us to treat Vale like a big girl and not let her get her way. She doesn't look that big to me, and we think it was a very clever way of Vale to deal with a scary bad road. What do you think? However, Vale respects her teacher's advise, so we do too.

Nothing is done small scale around here. These rigs were too big for us to go around so we had to take a different route to our ranch house. With 12-15 thousand cows to feed, there's no dinking around with small stuff.

We had to take a few pictures of these beautiful creatures that grace the landscape.



Spring is here and trees are blooming everywhere.


Happy Birthday, Gregg!
For his Birthday, Gregg received his favorite cookies: Oatmeal Krispies with the added ingredients of raisins, coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips.



Food for thought from Amy:
At times, as a foreigner, there comes a deep sense of loneliness. This week as I was studying the lesson for Sunday School (in Spanish so the process was very slow giving time for deep pondering), I had a strong impression that without the sealing keys that Elijah brought back to earth of which I was studying about, the terrible loneliness that I was then feeling would extend into the eternities.

Christ says that without Elijah's keys of turning the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers and binding us together, the coming of the Savior would be wasted. I imagined a loving Savior having gone into the depths of despair for us and bringing about the resurrection only to have us then be miserable--alone and loveless. Wouldn't want to live forever in loneliness, would you?

I also imagined the living with a parade of ancestors watching us struggle, cheering us on, and caring deeply for whatever pain we were experiencing. I imagined a reunion with these great people (that would inevitably come one day) connected to peace and deep abiding love. With that understanding, breaking the bands of death can be a joyous event indeed.

I invite you to learn about your ancestors. Let them into your heart and thus allow the spirit of Elijah to add dimension to your otherwise empty future.

Being rained out is worse than being rained in!

During computer time this week, the kids were watching Youtube of different ways of getting out of the mud. Below is a new perspective of what it means to be stuck in the mud. We plan to remember this picture when we are tempted to feel sorry for ourselves for having mud troubles.


Friday, we were instructed to go to Concordia which is two hours away and purchase four new tires. We are sad because the tires were less than a year old, but since one tire was ruined from last week's flat tire experience, we had no choice.

The roads were pretty bad from a rain storm on Thursday, but using the 4-wheel drive, we made it the twenty miles from the ranch to pavement. However, as we turned onto Highway 127, a terrible noise brought us to a stop. Gregg stood on the truck to get a signal and called Ruben at the ranch. Ruben's truck has been in the repair shop for several months waiting for a part, and Yuca was not available so Ruben had to get creative to get us some help.

After about an hour and a half wait, four strange Argentine's pulled up claiming that they were here to help. We were hesitant at first until they used words like Yuca, Ruben, and El Quebracho. They went to work assessing the problem and soon recognized the signs of a faulty 4-wheel drive. After removing the troubled piece of equipment, we were told to drive to Federal and ask our hero, Walter, if he had a replacement.

Sadly, Walter did not have our needed 4-wheel drive unit, and it will be at least a week before he can get it. We called Ruben again to get our next assignment and was told that it had rained again at the ranch and there was no way for us to return especially without 4-wheel drive. So we continued our trip to Concordia for the new tires.

We arrived in Concordia during siesta and had to wait a couple of hours, but in our attempt to find a bathroom, we also found a truck wash. The vehicle was a mess having been on muddy roads, and to balance the tires and check the alignment, a clean vehicle was required. The timing was great and just as the car wash was completed (by an Argentine who was not happy and clearly not accustomed to El Quebracho mud), Firestone tire store workers woke from their nap and opened their doors. An hour later the tires were beautifully placed and  we started our hunt for a decent hotel.

The first two recommendations were full, but number three was the charm, and charming it was... and clean, and not far away. Below is a picture of the not-so-wide twin bed. We figured it was only about two and a half feet wide.


We had thrown a few supplies into the truck before we left the ranch in case we got stranded, but we didn't have much. However, we were indeed grateful for what we had and was able to survive the night.

Saturday morning we learned that the roads around El Quebracho were still impassable and would be for several more days so we would be wearing our same clothes for another few days. Fortunately, among the few supplies, we had a change of underclothes and the necessities for staying clean and tidy. To pass the time, we headed back to Federal in search of needed parts to repair our bathrooms (another unending project). That event took most of the morning so our next stop was Feliciano where we would stay two more nights and attend church on Sunday.

(Actually, don't tell anyone, but we tried to drive the gravel road back to the ranch with the expectations of hiking the last six miles of pure mud. However, we only got about 1 1/2 miles before we got stuck and realized it wasn't going to work. It was another missionary miracle that we were able to get out of the mud and then get turned around.)

On the way to Feliciano, we saw wild burros or donkeys on the side of the road. We see many different animals from time to time but only an occasional donkey.







We had dinner in Feliciano along with bugs on the walls for conversation. That's one thing we can't seem to be happy about... eating with bugs that don't even bother to hide out of sight.


Below is a close up of the bug in the picture above. We're pretty sure it's harmless. However, being "pretty sure" wasn't good enough to keep much of an appetite?

Other than bugs, it wasn't so bad, and the food was okay even without our appetite. Actually, it was our only choice during siesta.


After siesta in Feliciano, we looked for a skirt for Amy to wear to church. The norm for the young adults is to wear new jeans to church or actually anywhere dressy. The first store we went to brought out nice pants when we asked for a skirt. When we asked again for a "falda" or skirt, the clerk brought out jeans. Oh heavens!

Even worse, the second store had little mini skirts but that was all. Wouldn't that have made a scene...a senior missionary in a mini skirt? So finally, we found a store with faldas for mujeres (women). Argentine's are typically shorter than we are so by buying a bigger size skirt and adding long underwear (previously used for jamies) that resembled tights and masqueraded as nylons, we had a winner.

When we were shopping for a skirt, we spotted the antique car below for our collection. The owners were getting ready to drive away so we added Gregg to the photo so as to avoid any questions. This oldie but goody was one of our favorites and we are happy to share it with you. Note the unique way the owner is opening the side door.



Gregg showed up at church with his jeans and a dress shirt which is not unusual for ward members, but the branch president immediately pulled Gregg aside and lent him a white shirt and tie. Now he looks like everyone else. Gregg played the piano for sacrament meeting as usual and then taught Sunday school gospel doctrine class. He didn't have his notes since they were back at the ranch, but had studied well enough that his lesson came off without a hitch.


Monday morning with nothing better to do, we took the Espinoza's all the way back to Concordia for a urine test. Yes, you read right. In order to have a urine test, one needs an appointment and an hour wait. Yikes! Apparently, the doctors get paid for all visits so why not stretch out the process as long as possible? Note to self: Do not vote for socialized medicine!!!

While waiting for Senor Espinoza to do his thing, we were entertained on the streets of Concordia.

How do you like the trash collector below? Dad controls the horse while the kids take turns getting the garbage out of the trash holders.

Big brother (who is circled below) is running to the next stop while little brother hangs on for a ride.

The two trash collectors below don't have a youngster to run around for them, but the concept is the same.

We walked this park a few times for exercise. Pueblos in Argentina are so quaint and tranquil. Don't you think?


However, poverty is rampant. This is actually a nice house below in comparison to some of what we saw. It breaks your heart to see the living conditions. But the truth is, the kids are still kids...always happy... always playing wherever they can...not knowing that their situation could be much better. It's the weary look in the eyes of the adults, and the sorry condition of housing that alerts us to their dire situation.


More antique cars:




So far, the one below wins the prize. What do you think?


This bus skeleton is pretty creepy looking, but doesn't count in our antique vehicle collection since it's obviously not running. The others are all being used. In fact, some of the best antiques are moving on the road, and we aren't quick enough to get a picture for you. It's incredible what Argentine's can keep running.


Spiritual Thought:
Well, we've entertained you a bit with tidbits of life on a ranch when it rains in a foreign country so let me (Amy) tie it together with a spiritual thought. I just finished the series Prelude to Glory. Remember the 9 book series on the American Revolution? If I didn't know the series was historically accurate, I would say that it was bad fiction where the author set up impossible situations over and over and then just before the ending, came up with some miracle or impossible happening just so the words, "The End" could put the reader out of his/her misery.

Do you remember the events that took place in and around that war? Crazy! Impossible that we won! Unimaginable how it all came together for our benefit! If I didn't believe in a Father in Heaven who played a part in our lives before reading this series, I would do so after. There is simply no other logical explanation.

Time after time, battles were lost and all seemed doomed for an American victory. But it didn't matter how many battles were lost as long as we won the war--right! So it is in life I think. We have set backs, losses, and challenges mixed with some wins and successes. Sometimes big set backs are simply part of the process that flings us forward and prepares us for success with another challenge. We loose lots of battles like with our boss, our unfriendly neighbor, our health, a natural disaster, a rebellious child, and the list goes on and on. But none of it matters as long as we win the war.

To win the war we simply don't give up. Stay the fight. Get back up when you fall. Keep repenting when you blow it. Remember trying counts so try again and again, and then ask in prayer for help. Do what you can and rely on the Almighty to know when to intervene. It may not make sense all the time (maybe even most of the time). The Lord's timing most often will not be according to our desires, but none of it matters as long as we win the war.