the incredible missionaries

It is transfer week aka "red eye" week. We plan for it every six weeks and have everything in order and ALL of the things that can be done ahead ARE done ahead. And then we start fielding the curve balls.
This transfer we had hopes for 37 missionaries. Based on our past experience with US visas, we could have thought that those missionaries wouldn’t make it…except for the fact that SOME missionaries have come straight out of the MTC recently and made it to Argentina within 7 weeks.
Last year at this time when we were missing A TON of missionaries, it seemed like all of the other missions in Argentina were just missing a few. This year, it seems as if everyone is missing missionaries, but we do have real hope on the horizon that it will get sorted out. The important thing that I keep telling myself is that in any scenario, the missionaries eventually make it. We have only ever had 1 that was reassigned to another mission.
So, we found out, that of the 37 only 3 would be coming. We will also get 2 Argentine missionaries that are waiting for their visas to another country. You can see the side bar for the visa update. We again have many closed areas, but we keep the pensions up and running and hope for arrivals at any minute.
IN ADDITION,
to keep the transfer interesting, the church is changing banks and phone service. All of the missionaries will be getting new credit cards and telephones. Apparently, the cell phones are stuck in the Customs Office at the moment, but the credit cards are here!
We thought we would do a little skit at the transfer meeting to reinforce the information that we want the missionaries to remember. Then we realized with all the missionaries coming in for the transfer, that they might not be able to see or hear well, so the skit turned into a short video/infomercial.
Many thanks to those that worked with me on their P-Day to make it happen! The hermanas are super creative and did a wonderful job directing, filming and stuck with me all the way through the editing until super late in the day. The actors…well, they were incredible!
It is a cheezy little video, as these kind of things often are, but I have to say that I laughed all the way through filming the video and all 427 times, more or less, that I watched the various video parts while putting it together!

Presidente posted the following in his message to the missionaries yesterday:
“A few words of what you should expect to see at this transfer meeting. Certain zone and district leaders will be asked to take on special assignments in support of real and constant growth of the mission and the Church. Expect to see many junior companions that have the ability to be senior companions or have been senior companions in the past. Much of this is to position certain missionaries in places where they can be trainers and so others can leave to open up to 25 new areas in the mission at the next transfer. Let us not be concerned about who the senior is, or who the junior is. The best companionship is the one where no one can tell the difference between the junior and the senior. Let’s work together in unity to accomplish our purpose in the most effective way possible.”
So…stay tuned for the transfer video the end of the week!

Es la semana de los traslados conocido como la semana de ojos rojos. Planeamos esto cada seis semanas y tenemos todo en orden y todas las cosas que pueden ser hechas antes están hechas antes. Y después empezamos con sorpresas.
Este traslado esperamos por 37 misioneros. Por medio de nuestras experiencias pasadas con visas de EE.UU., pudieron pensar que esos misioneros no van a llegar...menos que el hecho que algunos misioneros han venido directamente del CCM recientemente y llegaron a Argentina en 7 semanas.
El ano pasado en este momento cuando estábamos esperando un montón de misioneros, parece que a todos las otras misiones en Argentina les faltaban pocos. Este ano, parece que todas les faltan misioneros, pero tenemos la esperanza real muy pronto que va a cambiar. La cosa importante que me digo a mi misma es que en cada escenario, los misioneros por fin llegaron. Solamente uno recibió otra asignación.
Entonces, aprendimos que de los 37 solamente 3 van a llegar. Vamos a recibir 2 misioneros Argentinos que están esperando sus visas a otros países también. Pueden ver al lado del blog para ver que están pasando con las visas. Otra vez tenemos muchas áreas cerradas, pero mantenemos las pensiones y esperamos para llegadas en cualquier momento.
y mas,
mantener un traslado interesante, la iglesia esta cambiando sus bancos y servicios de celulares. Todos los misioneros van a recibir tarjetas nuevas y celulares también. Aparentemente, los celulares están en la Aduana en este momento, pero las tarjetas están aquí.
Pensábamos que nos gustaría hacer una pequeña obra de teatro en la reunión de los trasladaos para reforzar la información que queremos que los misioneros recuerden. Después, nos dimos cuenta con todos los misioneros, tal vez ellos no vayan a ver o eschucar bien, entonces la obra cambio a un corto video ósea infomercial.
Gracias a ellos que trabajaron conmigo en su P Day para hacerlo. Las hermanas son súper creativas y hacen una obra buenísima dirijiendo, filmando y quedandose conmigo todo el día editando hasta súper tarde en el día. Los actores...bueno, ellos estuvieron increíbles.
Es un divertido video corto, pero tengo que decir rei todo el día y cada vez que miraba las partes mientras lo hacia.