Anna's Baptism Day, Will's Blessing Day

David and Julie met during their study-abroad semester at the BYU Jerusalem Center. They are raising a righteous family in Zion. Since this photo when all our family gathered for the November 2007 Thanksgiving, they have welcomed a new son to their family. We know there is a happy family gathering today for this special day. We love you and miss you but know Heavenly Father is taking better care of you all than we could if we were there. Love, Grampa 'n Grama Mission - Argentina

Baptism Day for Anna, Blessing Day for William

This is a milestone day for our family to gather for the Baptism of Anna, and for the Blessing of William Joseph. We are so happy for Anna and welcome William Joseph with open arms into our family. We miss being there with you all...please know our heart and spirit are there although we're 7,000 miles away in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a medical mission.

One of about 20 phone calls today...

No matter where the Area Medical Advisor is, he can be reached on his cell phone. Keeping 2,300 missionaries in 14 missions healthy is a full-time job. We love the missionaries! They are working so hard to help everyone know about Heavenly Father's Eternal, Merciful Plan of Happiness/Salvation.

Dr. Petersen giving some medical advice...

LaPlata, Argentina Cathedral...

Started in 1884, finished in 1950.

We visited the LaPlata cathedral...

Between the two hospital appointments, we had time for lunch and a tour of the city's famous cathedral. Took from 1884 to 1950 to finish it.

Another phone call for Elder Petersen...

He can't even eat his ice cream cone without a phone call...

Hmmm, a phone call for Elder Petersen

Aimee, here's what sister missionaries wear...

Not a good photo of Grampa at the hospital talking with the administrator, but I think it shows what the sister missioanry nurses are wearing...

Aimee, here's sister missionary shoes...

Aimee, I knew you'd be so excited to see what you get to wear for 18 months.

We hope Oklahoma members will feed Aimee well.

"Yes, Hermana Petersen, I'll have a second piece of your delicious apple pie with ice cream." It doesn't look too wonderful but the pie has: B.A.N. for Buenos Aires North Mission, and the heart is because we love missionaries.

We love to feed missionaries...

The Elder from Bountiful said he hadn't had meatloaf since he left home a year ago. The Elder from Uruguay had never had it. They must have liked it since there was none left. "I love these, what do you call them?" "Parker House rolls." "Are they also called Sunday dinner rolls?" "Yes."

A new generation of Missonaries has begun...

Called to serve. The first grandchild to become a missionary - Aimee, we send congratulations on your call received yesterday for the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission,
18March2009 to 18September2010. OKLAHOMA...here comes Sister Fisher.

Fun photo...

The missionary asked his companion to get a photo of the Area Medical Advisor--Dr. Petersen--excising a very, very painful ingrown toenail. Then we'll record it in e-med. Walt told me today that since we arrived Oct. 15 we (mostly he) has typed in 600of his phone calls or zone conference visits with missionaries with health concerns. Wow, it adds up. The next two photos show us what we do most of the day, at our computers typing and answering phone calls. The Gospel is true and we're thankful to be missionaries in this part of the Lord's Vinyard.

Explanation for photo below this photo...

In my preview box it's just showing the href="http:.....etc,etc. so I thought the photo wasn't printing. Then when I "viewed the blog" there was the photo. Go figure? It's all Spanish to me.

What's with this...?

I've tried to put 3 photos in and I get this. What's up? Can you expert bloggers help me out? Thanks.

Walt and Eileen Family and Friends 2008-2009

Verna...An Idaho Girl - 1920 to 2009 = 89 years

Muchisimas gracias...to the 35 who were
able to attend Grama A's 89th birthday
celebration, Saturday, January 17.

We have reverence for life on our precious earth...

In catching up on blogs, this caught my eye this morning on the Segullah.org link from Becky’s The VIP Family of Three.

“I cradle you, my hatchling child, and ponder what your birth reveals about origins; how water is our first world, then air, then earth,”
from Holding My Grandson, Come to Land This Morning by Judith Curtis

And Walt and I are so touched by our 11-year-old grandson Joshua's feelings about his 2 1/2 month old baby brother. Beauty and the Jogus

I've tried since yesterday to get a photo in of Mom,
but can't get it figured out.
Love, Eileen

Wish we could be with you today...

Happy Birthday to my Mother,

Verna Beth Huffaker Albertson

"89" years old. Born Jan. 14, 1920

Family Birthday Party on

Sat., Jan. 17, 2009

I've already had my little crying spell this morning

for not being able to be there with my mother

and our children and grandchildren who

are gathering at 2:00 for a lunch

of homemade bread and soup

and birthday cake.

We thank my sister, Janice, and

her daughter, Vickie for planning this

wonderful celebration day for

Grama A.

Verna Beth Huffaker Albertson

Matriarch of

2 daughters

11 grandchildren

40 great-grandchildren

We love you.

We honor you.

We thank you.

We wish to emulate you.

We miss you.

Love, Eileen and Walt

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Phyllis and Dale, Dale and Connie...

Last year for Christmas we decided the brother-sister gift exchange would be taking each other to lunch. Here are Walt's two living siblings with their spouses, who got together last Sat, Jan. 10. We'll be back for the 2010 season.

Phyllis and brother Dale, Walt's only living siblings

Phyllis & Dale Bunn, Walt's sister and husband

Some cook whole pigs at Asados...

Chorizos, steak, chicken on camp grill

Cooking the asada...

Hope you've had nice Sabbath, and have good week

Isn't it exciting to start studying the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price this year. How blessed we are to be able to learn the truths directly from the revelations of Elohim and Jehovah for our day...
We love you and miss you. xoxoxox
Hope you have good travel weather for Grama A's 89th birthday party Sat., Jan. 17.
Love always, Grampa 'n Grama Mission - Argentina 7000 miles away in person but always close to you in spirit and heart.

Tradition: Guys do the dishes after Sun dinner...

Gals talk while guys do dishes...

Sat pm this is who cleaned church...

Church Camp dedicated Jan. 10, 2009

We senior couples were invited to the new Church camp dedication, Sat., Jan 10. It's an old many acre plantation/hacienda, which has been in the construction stage for the past 3 years since the Church bought it. It's about an hour out of the city, and Pres. Bowen told us it's worth 10 times it was 3 years ago because a main road has been built near it since they purchased it in 2006. Each of the 14 stake presidents, their families, and we were served a grandiose asado--many kinds of meat. We tried everything except the blood sausage.
In his dedication prayer, Walt told me (it was all in Spanish, of course) that the camp was dedicated to be a place of refuge for the youth and for families--both member and non-member and that the youth would have their testimonies strengthened from their activities together there.
Another Sr. couple told us to dress for camping, but most everyone else was in very nice clothes. We felt somewhat out of place.

Elder y Hna Bowen sat by us at the Asado.

Dr. Petersen telling area pres about missionary

Have a nice, peaceful Sabbath...

Elder Petersen's had 3 emergency surgeries to arrange in the past 29 hours, plus today we drove out to the dedication of the Argentine Church 14-stake campsite, then helped clean the church building for our Palermo Ward's turn.
The Gospel is true, we have a Prophet to guide us, A Savior who has Redeemed us, and a Heavenly Father who loves us.
My sweetheart just said: "Scrumptious, please come to bed." It is past our missionary bedtime. So goodnight dear ones. xoxoxoxox

Time out for McD's cones...

We thank the Savior for His Love, Atonement...

Dr. saw 60 missionares in 3 zone confs...

Bentons,Hendersons,Rawsons,Petersens...

Pork chop dinner is served...

Pres y Hna Benton served dinner to 3 couples...

Hors 'deouvrs with delich fruit punch...

Entry way of B.A. West Mission Home...

Love from way down south...

We love you and miss you. We will be at the final zone conference for the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission on Wed., Jan. 7, then the Mission President and his wife are having us go to dinner with them and the only two senior couples they have in their mission.
Love, Grampa 'n Grama Mission - xoxoxoxoxo

Grampa Mission at Zone Conf's Jan 5 and 7...

Hope 2009-ly is going divinely...

Goodbye Christmas tree for another year...

Back to real mission life - Happy New 2009

Hi...I agree with Josh...tomorrow it is back to real life. But, Josh, real life is good, too. If we didn't have it why would holiday breaks be so wonderful! Remember "opposition in all things"...think that's a scripture somewhere. We had a hamburger-break-the-fast dinner with 2 other couples, then a nap, then I put up the family photos I found in my 2009 Franklin planner binder. Tried to confirm friends on Facebook, which I kept calling facelift, then baked some chocolate chip cookies which is rare here to have homemade because there are hardly ever choc chips in the stores. I had bought 4 pkgs when they came in, but each pkg is just 1 cup, so half our U.S. size. And there was real brown sugar left from the Robinsons they'd brought in from the states, so I hope the 12 Sr. missionaries like them tomorrow night for FHE at our home, along with missionary punch which I got made.
Grampa Mission is doing the FHE on strokes at everyone's request, and I'm trying to think of some spiritual handout to add. The mission pres and wife will pick us up at 7am for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the zone conference....so YES, it is back to REAL MISSION LIFE FOR US.

Grampa Mission survived standing on train...

We had fruit at "Port of Fruits"

Grampa Mission chose to stand on the train...

and the Happy New Year of 2009 continues...

Our P-day Jan 2 was a trip with 6 couples of Sr. Missionary Couples...on two separate trains going then a train and bus coming back. We took the "coastal train" out for 12 pesos each, which we saw the coast about 5 minute of the 30-minute ride. On the way back we took the 4 pesos train.
When the train filled up on the way out, Walt was up out of his seat insisting this lady have a seat (see photo below).
"Oh, no, that's your seat," she said.
But he prevailed by saying: "My mother taught me to never sit if a lady was standing."
She is a publisher who has published all kinds of books--novels, children's, poetry, biographies, fiction, etc...for 26 years. She and her husband were on holiday from Portugal. So Walt stood by him as they talked for the next 30 minutes till we arrived at El Tigre...a tourist place at the harbor where fruit comes in called "Port of the Fruits."
There are lots of little shops, where we found a wooden, carved guacho for 40 pesos. We all shopped for an hour, had a typica lunch, then an hour boat ride. We're seeing more of Argentina all the time. It was a fun 9-hour excursion from start to finish.

The gentleman gave up his seat...

Sitting on the train together...

JANUARY 1, 2009 - a new year

HAPPY NEW YEAR... 2009
We have had a wonderful January 1, 2009.
We were reunited at 10:30 this morning when Walt's plane landed after his long flights to and from Washington D.C. to take the sick missionary home.
Then we had a fun New Year's Day indoor picnic and games at President Shane and Hna. Lynette Bowen's condo.
And now we're home finishing watching a DVD we started watching before Walt left....Chariot's of Fire.
xoxoxoxox from Grampa 'n Grama Mission - Argentina

It is a HAPPY NEW YEAR with us together again.

Elder Allred drove me to airport to pick up Walt

Fireworks for the New Year...loud but hard to see