Happy Thanksgiving...

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracias gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."

--Abraham Lincoln, on making 'thanksgiving a national holiday in the middle of the Civil War, 1863.
Sent to us by our friends, Ruth & Gerald Budge.

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We send you Thanksgiving greetings from the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission where we are on the second half of our mission health visit here: Nov 9-15, and Nov 23-27.

Walt said we will probably be having empanadas and media lunas for our Thanksgiving Dinner this November 26.

We give thanks for each of you and what you mean in our lives.

We love you and miss you and pray for your happiness.

We pray your Thanksgiving Day with family and friends will be wonderful.

Love, Mom & Dad/Grama 'n Grama Mission/Elder y Hna. Petersen/Uncle Walt & Aunt Eileen/Walt & Eileen - Argentina

Happy Thanksgiving Week...

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G W E E K

Becky, here is the turkey I mentioned.

It's really better on a pineapple but...

I cut the pineapple for our Sunday dinner,

so used a kind of squash they have here.

You can get the idea with the "pineapple tail feathers".

Here is the turkey face I made from the pattern on Google search.

In Relief Society, years ago, we sewed it from red felt,

with the eyes...etc., but this one works okay.

I cut up an orange file folder.

And that's about the extent of my "craftiness."

Good luck, Mr. Turkey...

Primary Program in Argentina - Families are Eternal

I'm adding a third photo so I can see which one is best to e-mail these sweet leaders.

I'll print a copy for the ones who don't have computers.

These 13 children sang with as much gusto as a 50-children primary group.

Little children are precious no matter where in the world they are.

Those boys had been still for 1 hour and 5 minutes, and they had many wiggles.

It will take all three photos to see the faces of the 13 sweet primary children did their primary program today in our Palmero Ward, Belgrano Argentina Stake today.

The fourth child from the left stole the show when she gave her sweet testimony from her heart. Her family was just reactivated in May.

Blanca, left is the president, with Naty, Vanessa, Juliana, and Danielle. We couldn't find Magdelena, another teacher, for the photo. She is the grandmother of two of the primary children. The rest of the primary leaders are young single adults.

Mission Health Visit to the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission

Here Elder Petersen, the area medical advisor, is summing up his 45-minute "Missionary Health & Safety" presentation with the 4 main points that will secure maximum health for missionaries (or anyone) anywhere in the world. 1.Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day of only purified water. 2. Eat a balanced diet of well-prepared, non-contaminated food; only well-done meat. 3. Wash hands often -- for 30 seconds of vigorous scrubbing with soap.. 4. Exercise - 30 minutes for 6 days a week: 20 min cardiovascular; 10 min flexibility one day, then alternate with 10 min of strength training.

Unlike the big multi-zone conferences with 50-75 missionaries, this mission president is doing single zone conferences. This zone conference on Nov. 11 had 21 missionaries. The zone conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10 had 24 missionaries.

After the health presentation, Elder Petersen sees each missionary one on one who has a health concern. It's pretty hard to stump this old-time family physician. He reassures many missionaries by telling them the diagnosis of what they have, and 99.9% of the time it is nothing dangerous. They can go do as President Hinckley's father counseled him when he was a missionary in England: "Forget yourself and go to work."

In addition to keeping the medical records of the heath concern of each missionary and what Dr. Petersen diagnoses and prescribes...I take photos of the mission president's wife and her Sister missionaries to share with our missionary granddaughter--Sister Aimee Fisher in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission.

Presidente Jorge y Hna. Adriana Detlefsen, Mission President and Wife

and three of their six children with us in front of the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission home. We are on a mission health visit to the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission November 9-15.

We love to be with each Mission President and Wife.

President y Hna. Detlefsen are from Cordoba, Argentina.

They have two married daughters, 1 son on a mission in Colombia,

and 3 daughters here with them--

Areana 17, Carolina 13, y April 8.

They have two granddaughters.

We have had two zone conferences and

today will drive 5 hours to the Mar del Plata

for the zone conferences Friday and Saturday.

Missionaries are miracles!

They work very hard every day in the hot sun

to bring the truths of the Gospel to many of Heavenly Father´s children.

We hope you will all have a great November weekend coming up.

Two new grandbabies in one week...blessings galore...with Grandbaby #31 and Grandbaby #32

I had this blog originally typed in this pink -- but it's too hard to read on the lavendar background.

Before we could post a blog about our 31st grandchild, grandchild #32 has been born 5 days later. These cousins must be kindred spirits!

Michelle and Brian have a new Baby Girl born November 7, 2009, in Evanston, Wyoming. She joins 3 sisters: Emma, age 9; Taylor, age 6; and Avery, age 4. Since she came 4 weeks early, her name is being decided on. Brian W. Petersen, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon, did not do the delivery. Watch for photos on their blog "Liviin' in the D" (they've just moved from Detroit) of each of the sisters holding this precious new baby. It would be fun if they would post Brian's fun announcement e-mail on their blog, too.

We are thankful Michelle and new baby daughter are doing well.* * * * * * *

Elizabeth Jane Brewer joins 3 brothers and 1 sister: Seth & Sarah, twins age 7; Benjamin, age 4, and Joshua, age 2. Her father, Jerry Brewer, M.D., Dermatologist, delivered her at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, November 2, 2009. For fun photos of each of the kids holding this new sister, you can go to their blog from our blog list.

We are thankful Jen and new baby daughter - Elizabeth Jane - are doing well.