vamos argentina

One of the questions that I often get asked by the missionaries is, What is a normal day like? I can honestly say that we have no normal days. The last few days have been the least normal of all. We are packing. I am going through the emotional roller coaster that I have watched missionaries deal with every six weeks for the past 35 months. It's hard! Really, really hard!

The practical side of me has been wondering if we are going to get our "stuff" out of the country. It is so difficult to get anything into the country. How does that work in reverse? We brought waaaay more things with us that the regular missionaries are allotted in their two suitcases and a carryon. They tell me it will take 45 days for our things to clear customs and get back to the United States. That is why the shipment has to go out on Monday.

We currently have missionaries with missing packages, and we know they are in the Customs House, aka Aduana, but we can't get them out. Which begs the question, what do I have among my stuff that I would be really sad if I never ever saw it again. I had a look around, and it was all pretty much replaceable. Except for my temple clothes that I have worn since my wedding day. Even those are replaceable, of course, but for sentimental reasons, I pulled them out of the shipment and put them with the things that we will carry back ourselves when we leave the end of next month.

It is good to remember that all the truly important things, we carry with us in our hearts, minds and souls.

Wow! It is so scary to think about going back to the "real world." Tonight I saw this cute commercial from an Argentine cell phone carrier. I thought I would share it on the blog, but there was a word in the commercial that I didn't understand. And...I came to realize that it is a good thing that I didn't know that word. It is a worldly word. However, I will share the "edited" version. It pretty much captures the essence and tone of the country right now, as well as the spirit of my heart.

All of the love and joy I feel for this experience will pretty much always be synonymous with Argentina. Even though our missionaries come from All Over The World,

We are ONE in Argentina.