In the Missionary Training Center, there was a fair amount of playful banter about which country, or mission, was “the best.” I carried “I (heart) Argentina” stickers, and stood ready to defend that the Buenos Aires North Mission was indeed the best. Never mind that I had nothing to upon which to base this claim, it was clearly “the best” because it was mine. Of course these feelings were only superficial, even then.
Having served in Argentina two years, I found a country and a people rich in heritage, culture, faith, and goodness. I loved my mission, which was really defined by the people I served and served with. I am not naive enough to believe that my mission in any way stood above other missions. It isn’t a contest.
I did learn while there that the Argentine people feel a rivalry with Chile and especially Brazil, and not just on the soccer field. Especially Brazil. My good pal Dave Tout served in São Paulo when I was in Buenos Aires, and following our missions we had some fun with the rivalry. But I’m over it now. I have met too many wonderful Brazilians and Chileans to worry about geopolitical rivalries.
Yesterday I had lunch with my good friend Chris who served with me in Buenos Aires and was in Dallas on business. It was so fun. I’m sure he is “over” these rivalries too, but you wouldn’t know listening to him. He said that his son is serving “a JV mission” because he is in Chile and when another friend we were with mentioned “Brazilian Gauchos” the gloves came off. He protested, “Gauchos are from Argentina; Brazil is just a bunch of migrants and dock workers!” I’m still laughing at this. 190 million people and he boils it down to two categories with one phrase. I thought I was good at hyperbole.
20+ years and the rivalry is alive and well here.
4 comments:
You went to Argentina? As a proud Chilean missionary, I just want to say: I'm sorry...
As I said, alive and well!
I thought Uruguayan jokes were alive in Argentina as well. I was made to believe that they take the place of then US's Pollock jokes. I had forgotten that you went to Argentina. Missy spent 4 months in Buenos Aires and Victoria in the fall of 2005 with her dad's family and loved it. I seem to remember now that you met her dad's aunt
Tita? Missy was hoping to go on a mission there (like you can pick), but her missionary proposed before she could get her papers in. There was quite a few weeks of fasting and prayer before she accepted his proposal. I told her that she can still be a missionary to her family down there. That seemed to help.
I did not meet her. I spoke to her on the phone breifly and she told me that she had brought a package from my parents and that it was at the hotel front desk. (I think she had sone to the US for your wedding.)
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