Saying Good-bye to Caleta Olivia

I love Caleta Olivia and it is not going to be in our mission after this week!  Because it is a district and President Lovell is the Priesthood Leader for districts, we try to visit it every time we travel the mission.  When ever we have meetings with them they arrange for food for all of us.  It is so fun to be with them and their families!

 

As we met with the missionaries in Caleta Olivia this last time the sisters from the branch  fixed a very nice meal for us to enjoy with the missionaries.  The zone leaders arranged for it with the sisters in the district and then they did everything they could to make it special!

 

 

Even though these women are the District Young Women's President, The Branch Relief Society President and the District President's wife they are always willing to serve!

 

This young lady speaks English very well.  She translated for me the very first time I spoke in the district!

 

After church the Maldonado Family invited us to their home for lunch. 

 

 

It was Father's Day and their cute daughter is showing off the special cake they made for her Dad and President Lovell to celebrate!

This is the last family we visited in the part of the mission that will now be the Comodoro Rivadavia Mission.  We love them and so many other people we have met. They are faithful saints and are blessed because of their desires to live the gospel.  They have all been a great blessing to us and we love them very much! 

The first Leadership Council in the Argentina Neuquén Mission and a new missionary

 Earlier in the month we held the first leadership council for the Argentina Neuquén Mission.  The Zone Leaders, the Assistants, the Sister Leader Trainers and President and I were there.

 

 

There were many new zone leaders two new assistants and of course the new sister leader trainers to introduce. 

 

 

It was my first time to be there too!

 

 

After the meeting there were lots of pictures because there were many that didn't know if they would see each other again! 

 

Our sister leader trainers are excited to learn their responsibilities.  They will be busy doing intercombios (divisions) and supporting the sisters in the mission.

 

 

After the meeting we brought the Hermanas to the mission home to do some training.  The finance secretaries were there to teach them some things they needed to know.

 

President and I had to leave a little early to pick up a new missionary from Mexico.

 

  I just can't resist sharing pictures of the beautiful sky here in Argentina!

 

On the way home from the airport we found out that our new missionary had gone to school and had served as they waited for their visas in the same mission with one of our zone leaders who had been here in Neuquén for Leadership Council just earlier that day.  He was so disappointed that he had just missed seeing him and that they would now be in different missions.  When we arrived at the mission home I found out that the zone leader was still in the office because the bus to Caleta Olivia didn't leave until later that night. What a fun surprise is was to bring these two great missionaries together! 

 

 

It was so fun to hear them tell their missionary stories and feel their love for the gospel!

The Comodoro Rivadavia Office Elders

The Mission Office here in Neuquén has been a very busy place.  All of the Comodoro Rivadavia Office Elders have been here for the last three weeks learning all about their responsibilities.  Those working in the office do so much to make the mission run smoothly.  They take care of housing, finances, visas, records and so much more! The missionaries could not do what they do without the office doing what they do!

 

 

 

Everyone has made adjustments.  Sometimes our assistants would find that the only place for them to work was in the office kitchen! 

 

 

It has been amazing to see how everyone has worked together and how lasting friendships have been made!

 

 

Last night we had met together to say good-bye to these wonderful Elders.  These pictures are of each position from the Neuquén Mission and the Comodoro Rivadavia Mission.

 

The Gerentes and Historiadors

 

 

The  Secretarios

 

The Financieros

 

The Asistentes 

 

This entire group of missionaries have been living together at the Casa Grande!  It has been a full house!

 

 

 

We had a few special things to share with them. 

 

 

You can tell how much they have all learned to love each other by the looks on the Ehmkes faces!

 

 

They left last night for an all night ride on the colectivo.  We talked to them today and they are doing great!  We will go to Comodoro tomorrow to meet with the office Elders and pick up President and Sister Rogers on Friday.

 

The missionaries in the new Comodoro Rivadavia Mission will be well taken care of!

 

Marta and Visas!

I want you to meet Marta from the Area Offices here in Argentina.  She is working so hard to help all of our missionaries get their visas and get here to the mission as soon as possible!  She is going to every mission she is responsible for to do training. She was here for the entire day training the office, the Assistants and President Lovell. 

 

She works hand in hand with our mission secretary.  They have spoken many many times to each other on the phone but she is very excited to meet him!

 

 

She is also glad to meet the new secretary for the Comodoro Rivadavia Mission.  She is coming while he is still here with us so that she can train both of these fabulous secretaries at the same time.  She wants every mission to know exactly what to do about keeping the visas and the DNEs current.

We had a few little gifts to show our appreciation for all she does for us!

 

She loves all the missionaries and does everything she can to help everyone feel special!

 

Thank you Marta!

 

Puerto Madryn

Since I only have a few more days until Puerto Madryn is not part of our mission I want to share this post with you! 

 

Puerto Madryn is right on the Ocean.  It is in the Trelew Norte Zone of the mission.

 

It is a great place for families and friends to gather. 

 

 

There are two chapels and three companionships of missionaries in Puerto Madryn.

 

One thing that is unique about Puerto Madryn is that the ocean creates a little inlet there.  Because of that the water is more shallow and it creates a protected place for whales to come to have their babies.

 

 

We have gone several times but we have never seen the whales.  We have heard that it is best to be there in the mornings and we have always been there in the afternoon.  It is still a very beautiful place to visit.

 

I do have some fun pictures from some of our missionaries that have been there at the right time that I can share with you.

 

Amazing!