3/9/15 Day 117



Today Nathan went to Juan's house to work in the morning however no one was around so he worked for a little while and then came home.  Natalia came over to visit this morning for a little while and we were all so excited to see her.  Her and I are due with baby girls about the same time in June!  Then in the afternoon we went to the river to play.

3/10/15 Day 118
This morning I went looking in different shops and read a book in a coffee shop for awhile while Nathan watched the kids.  It was really fun and relaxing to have so time by myself.  We also bought our bus tickets today to be able to get from here to Buenos Aires when we leave here on the 24th of March to go back to the States

3/11/15 Day 119
Nathan and Jayvin went to Juan's house this morning to work.  They worked awhile at Juan's house and then made it to Chito's house to visit for awhile.  This evening Nathan was able to give the devotions for the prayer meeting at the North zone church while Delbert interpreted.  It was a wonderful opportunity for Nathan. 

3/12/15 Day 120
This morning there was a drizzly rain which in Illinois would be a blah, gloomy day, but here it was a welcomed relief from so many hot days.  We all worked on cleaning the house really well.  In the afternoon Lydia and I rode the bike to the North zone church building where they were having a garage sale to raise money for the daycare.  The daycare meets at the north zone church building and is an extension ministry of the church there.  This evening Pablo and Viviana along with their children Juan and Mateo came over for supper.  We all had a good time visiting.

3/13/15 Day 121
Nathan and Jayvin went to Juan's house this morning to clean the bathrooms at the retreat center and get things ready for a birthday party that will happen in the retreat center tomorrow.  Lydia, Liam and I did some errands around town and visited with Frieda for awhile.  This evening we went to the circus that had come to town.  The kids really enjoyed this.

3/14/15 Day 122
Today Nathan worked out at Juan's house from 9am-2pm doing weed wacking and helping the people get some supplies that they needed for the birthday party.  He then came home ate some lunch and was gone again by 5pm.  The men from the church were meeting together for games and supper tonight so Nathan went to that as well.

3/15/15 Day 123
Today we had a relaxing morning and cooked asado on the open fire for lunch.  This evening at 7pm all church zones met in the central church for worship together.

Happy birthday Lydia

3/2/15 Day 110 thru 3/6/15 Day 114
This whole week Nathan has been getting up early and going to Juan's house for prayer and devotions with him and then working on the pool, mowing grass, and cutting down a tree for the rest of the time of being there each day.  On Tuesday Rafa and Nata came over for supper and we all had a really good time together.  On Wednesday Juan picked us up about lunch time and we met Nathan out at his house to have asado with Raymond for lunch.  Then in the afternoon we visited with Claudia.  Nathan and Lydia went to the North zone for their prayer meeting this evening as well.  On Friday Juan picked us up again about lunch time and we met Nathan at his house to have asado together and then in the afternoon we swam in the pool as a family.

3/7/15 Day 115
Today we spent celebrating Lydia's 5th birthday.  In the evening we went to Chito and Mary's house and they had a birthday party for Lydia with Valentine and Pedro as well.  She made a beautiful looking birthday cake for Lydia and even had a balloon pinata.  Then some friends came over for supper to celebrate Lydia's birthday.  We didn't get home until about midnight.  Lydia was very happy for such a fun day.

3/8/15 Day 116
This morning we relaxed and worked on making a larger meal for lunch and then in the evening we went to the South zone church for their worship service at 7pm.

traveling to the mission sites in Sierra Grande and Las Grutas, AR

 

2/21/15 Day 101We arrived in Sierra Grande late last night and ate supper with Miguel and Angela (missionaries on sight) and Rafael and Natalia (who brought us there) and then went to bed.  This morning we played at Miguel and Angela’s house in Sierra Grande and talked to one another.  Last time we were here we spent more than a week with Miguel and Angela so it was very nice to be with them again and catch up on things.  They have been living in Sierra Grande at the mission sight for 8 years now since they left their home in Choele Choel to be the full time missionaries here in Sierra Grande.  This afternoon they took us to a community garage sale.  Nathan found a t-shirt and an ostrich egg he bought.  I guess you’ll never know what you’ll find at a garage sale.  This evening Miguel and Angela had an Esquilita (Kid’s club) and three middle school aged girls showed up.  Lydia loved playing with them and we had a good time of Bible study and getting to know them.

2/22/15 Day 102

This morning we went to the sierra’s (hills) in Sierra Grande.  We climbed some of the hills for awhile and toured the museum that was there.  This evening we had a church meeting at 8pm and Miguel preached about Jesus being #1 in our hearts not #2.  It was challenging and convicting and hard to do without the Holy Spirit’s help.

2/23/15 Day 103

This morning Nathan cooked up the ostrich egg for breakfast.  It tasted much different that a chicken egg--- it had more of a fishy taste.  This morning we said our goodbye’s to Miguel and Angela and then at 9am we caught a bus going to Las Grutas where the ILPA team has been working this weekend. We met up with the ILPA team and talked with them for ~ 2 hours before they left to go back to Choele Choel.  We said our good bye’s to Jacob and Elizabeth as they are heading back to Illinois.  This evening after the ILPA team had left Las Grutas our family walked to the center of town in Las Grutas to see what was going on and we had an icecream treat together.

2/24/15 Day 104

This morning we walked the beach and looked for shells and pretty rocks.  This kids loved this and then in the afternoon we spent the afternoon playing in the sand at the beach and splashing in the ocean.  Later this evening we talked to an older couple that runs a small grocery store up the way from the mission site we stayed at here and who also takes part in the church services that they have at the mission site.  It was good to get to know them.  Then after talking to then for about an hour we walked to the center of town again to have supper and to see what was going on.

2/25/15 Day 105

This morning we walked again on the beach looking for shells and pretty rocks.   This afternoon we made a sand castle on the beach and played in the ocean.  Late in the afternoon Juan and Floyd came to pick us up  and we headed back to Choele Choel.

2/26/15 Day 106

This morning Nathan and Jayvin went to Juan’s house to work on the pool and cut down more of the fallen tree.   While they were gone Lydia, Liam and I went to Delbert and Frieda’s house to talk with them.  Frieda wasn’t able to get her chemotherapy that she was supposed to this week because of no medicine available and she needs to schedule for another blood transfusion soon but Delbert wasn’t able to get her a doctors appointment today.  Please remember them in your prayers as this is a very trying time for them as they work through Frieda’s cancer treatments.  Nathan and Jayvin then came home for lunch and Nathan went back this afternoon to Juan’s house to work on the pool again.

2/27/15 Day 107

Today Nathan and Lydia went to Juan’s house to work on the pool and cut down more of the fallen tree and then this afternoon we all ended up taking a very long nap.  It sure felt good after so many wonderful activities that we have been a part of in recent days.

2/28/15 Day 108

Early this morning Nathan mowed Delbert and Frieda’s lawn and then he took Lydia and Jayvin to work at Juan’s house for the morning.  Liam and I had a wonderful morning of playing together one on one.  In the afternoon we went to Chito and Mary’s house to talk and drink mate.  We ended up staying there for supper as well.  They have been really hospitable to us while we’ve been here and they are some of the first people who have started the mission site in Las Grutas.  They along with a team from Choele Choel go there once a month to have service there in Las Grutas at the mission site we stayed at for two days.

3/1/15 Day 109

This morning we rested and enjoyed playing together as a family.  For lunch Nathan cooked some meat on the asado.  Then we took a rest in the afternoon and at 7pm this evening we had church in the central zone.  All church zones met in the central zone for the worship service.  Lydia went to Sunday School as well and really enjoyed that.  She is very social and isn’t afraid to make new friends which is why I think she is picking up on the Spanish language so quickly.