I just can't quite shake the thought, though, that with winter just around the bend, I need to start getting ready for Christmas. Someone gave us fresh brevas, aka figs, which I have enjoyed with blue cheese for a number of meals, but they were starting to spoil, so we made them into fig cookies with walnuts (which they call mariposas--butterflies--here, appropriate if you consider their shape) and it's hard not to eat them all at a sitting. Fresh figs are nothing like the dried variety--they are so delicate and mild. I love both kinds, but these were a first for us despite decades of enjoying fig newtons. Figgy pudding has to be just around the corner!
We gave a presentation Wednesday on "Why Learn English?" to a group of English students at a high school in town. It was so much fun. As we researched the topic, we became more aware of just how lucky we are to have grown up with English, and how universal it really is. It's the language that technology, medicine, science, international business, the media, news, politics and so many other fields depend on. I guess we can thank the British Empire for taking the language to places as far-flung as Australia, India and Africa; but we Americans have done our part to ensure that it's the agreed-upon language when people of the world need to communicate. When we first received this call I was afraid that people would think we were pushing our language on the unwilling. That is far from the truth. People realize that knowing English opens doors that they want to enter--career, travel, advancement in almost any field..... The students were eager to hang around and visit with us after, begging us to come again. A couple of the boys said Jay was their hero because he was a pilot--their dream. Of course pilots communicate in English, so they are especially motivated. One of the things I jokingly told them that knowing English would do for them is allow them to know what the words on their T-shirts mean. They are almost all in English.
For my birthday, Jay took me out to eat at an Argentinian restaurant. Here's a picture of the carne platter that fed us for three delicious days: beef, pork, chicken, sausage and roasted potatoes over a charcoal fire on the table. Que rico!
Some church-y mission things:
- Outfitted the young Elders (oxymoron? Oxymormon?) with reflective vests and then busted them when we came upon them not wearing them while riding their bikes on a dark, dangerous road a few days later. We feed these yay-hoos every Tuesday and want to protect them like our own sons.
- Cleaned the church for a few hours--first time it had been cleaned since we arrived, I think--on a couple of Saturdays. Discouraging.
- Provided pocket-sized hymnals to the missionaries so that investigators and new members can sing along with those who know the words or have their own hymn books. We have ordered 100 of the bigger ones for the chapel and have determined ahead of time that if they walk off, that's okay. People need to be able to sing.
- Had several groups of our students attend church two weeks ago to a special meeting where the Mission President and his wife were featured speakers. (They looked down at the congregation and saw us and wondered how the heck they didn't know about this never-before seen senior couple. Were were really missionaries? We don't belong to the Mission, but to the Presiding Bishop's Office and Farmland Reserve. Yes, we have the name-tag and everything.) Some of these not-yet-members also watched or listened to conference. Yay! It was such a good conference and the feedback has been very positive. We were glad the chapel was relatively clean.
- Between sessions of conference, we took home-made cinnamon and orange rolls around to most of the families we visit and teach. We first were just going to take them to the ones "on base" --the farm-- but kept extending our route. I think they now have a greater understanding of why Americans tend to be fatter than Chileans ; )
- I'm teaching a couple of our students to knit--well, helping them make baby blankets. They really knew how to knit but just hadn't done it since they were 12. It is a good chance for communication in both English and Spanish. We also have a Wednesday "craft" session with wives of some of the farm supervisors. They are some of our English students, too.
