Hi loved ones, This month is flying by with very full days and lots to do. We just finished our last trek of the season with 180 from Chacabucco stake. It was a marvelous adventure with wonderful youth and leaders. Lots of mosquito bites, blisters and sun. One family closed their bakery business and came and cooked and made bread, pizzas, breakfast rolls(facturas) and Easter breads for 180 for three days and two days of driving makes 5 days closed. I asked him how he could lose that much money, and he said the blessings are far greater than the money. He was baking trays and trays at four in the morning till late at night in that big ranch kitchen. It was amazing to watch his work ethic, all for the love of the Lord. We are learning much from this lovely culture and language and the saints here are so dedicated and faithful.

One of our mission presidents sons in Rosario Argentina that we love, just returned from his mission in Brazil two months ago. He needed a sponser to get a student visa to come to Salt lake business college, so Don signed for him. Like Jorge and Oyuki and Ya ya from Mexico. He came by the office today to say goodby and he is flying to salt lake this afternoon. He speaks spanish, english and portugese. A wonderful young man that will work hard in school.

We have just been asked to help a group of church employees by being pathway missionaries so they can have a gathering each week. We have been learning so much about how it all works and learning to navigate the computer system so we can do the gatherings each week. It is an amazing program. I want to go through the program when I get home, maybe my girls will do it with me. I could finally get my degree.without costing an arm and a leg. The classes are awesome and lots of degrees. We certainly belong to the true church and are so blessed to have all the oportunities it offers us.

We are in the middle of getting all the reports back from all our Open chapels for the Easter season. Lots of work and very rerwarding seeing all the results. Over 9,000 visitors to our chapels and nearly 6,000 references in the South America South 28 missions. Our efforts to organize and train and motivate are yielding fruits. Thanks to the missionaries and members who work hard to put on the events and invite.

We are moving all the area offices in the next three weeks to our big new building that has been under contruction for two years and has been finished for several months just sitting empty because of government red tape. Just before Elder Rasband left last month he gave an apostalic blessing on this area and the very next day the government people came to see our old offices and decided they wanted to move government people in here and pulled all the strings to get us ocupancy permits for our new offices. It was quite a miracle as the church attorneys had told us it would probably be next year before we could move in. God has a plan and it always works the way He plans it.Especially when an apostle of the Lord gives a blessing.

This week the Buenos Aires Temple was closed for maintenance. Elder Russel M Nelson and Wendy are here for a visit and asked for a special session and we senior missionaries were invited. It was wonderful to be with them. Wendy lived in our ward in Provo and Don called her to be the stake Relief Society President in the Stake at BYU he was serving iin the presidency of. He also gave Wendy and Sherri Dew a loan for their first house. When she saw Don she said to President Nelson," he was my banker."

Last night we went to the Lincoln International school to watch Sound of Music. One of our mission presidents (we have four here in Buenos Aires) son was in the musical and we wanted to support him.It was great. It reminded me when the Stevens girls went to the Singapore American School, only here they are learning spanish instead of Mandarin Chinese. also Marcus Bragg one of our Area Presidencys son (he is friends with Cayden from California) also sat by us with his girlfriend that I bet his mom doesn't  know he has. I surely wont be the one to tell her. 

We are finishing up our open chapel event tonight and they have had more than 50 non members come. It was wonderful watching the youth in the streets inviting everyone in, and the sweet missionaries sharing testimony. In the baptism font room , the elders recieved 10 committments for baptism. so now they have some teaching to do. This is a very inspired program and during the Easter two months we have had more than 190 open chapel events. in 28 missions.

Tonight we are having our fleet manager with his four daughters over for dinner. His wife left over 10 months ago and now has a child by her high school boyfriend and doesnt even call or contact her four sweet daughters. Its heartbreaking. His mom usualyy helps out with the girls but has gone to visit her family in Peru for a month. I decided a home cooked meal might be nice for them even if they dont really eat American food and probably will only like the deserrt. I thought I might be safe with spagetti, but I know our sauce isnt like theirs. Wish me luck, I have the missionaries over a lot but they are always so hungry they like anything. Then I send them home with a PB and J.  Love to each of You, Elder y Hermana Norton or Nan and Pop

6 Attachments All the Trek youth under the Umbo Tree  Preparing the handcarts for winter after trek, Birthday with Bianca turning 18; Pop greasing all the wheels; our baker at Trek