Still Stuck…but Changing Gears

Warm greetings from cold Argentina! The snows are finally melting and the temperature is rising…slowly. The novelty of the cold climate hasn’t worn off completely for us. Having lived in Florida, coastal California and Honduras, we have never experienced a traditional winter before! The cold weather also encourages us to stay inside in observance of the government-mandated lockdown measures (only one hour outside per day). For those with inquiring minds; we have been stuck here for 160 days thus far. There are still zero cases of CoVid in Gobernador Gregores, for which we are thankful. The numbers have gone up in the state, but the majority of cases are located in the capital.

We have really enjoyed exploring town on our daily walks. The sparkling snow on the surrounding hills and piled high on every flat surface create a beautiful white landscape. The river that winds through town is transformed into an icy playground for children and families alike. Knowing when and where the ice is thick enough to hold your weight is a tricky calculation. A calculation I got wrong on more than one equation and ended up with a cold, wet foot! All part of the fun. We were particularly fascinated with the myriad of icy designs and fractal patterns that formed along the water’s edge. Some of the most delicate formations were as thin as a sheet of paper and appeared to have been created by the strong Patagonian winds. So incredibly beautiful! We were not the only ones enjoying the winter weather. During our walks we observed large jack rabbits, flocks of geese (and other birds that I can’t identify…well, except the pigeons), sheep, lots of snowmen, and one minion!

We were also invited over for a BBQ get-together with a local family. This may not sound that exciting; however, since this was our first social interaction in five months, we were genuinely thrilled! Jorge and his family treated us to a traditional Argentinian Parilla (BBQ) with all the delicious accompaniments. Exceeding the pleasure of the meal was the many hours we spent in conversation! We learned much more about the history of the town, as well as, their families’ story. We shared an abbreviated history of our motorcycle trip and some of the adventures we encountered. We also expressed how much we have enjoyed exploring Argentina and the incredible hospitality of its citizens. Speaking of hospitality, we have to say again how grateful we are to Oscar and Magui, our very generous and accommodating hosts. They have made our pandemic lockdown as comfortable as possible and far better than we ever expected.

Now for the change of gears…we are starting to make preparations for our move back to Honduras this year (when CoVid permits) to renew our work as foreign missionaries. Originally, we were not planning to do this until we returned to the US; however, since that is taking much longer than expected, we decided to get started. What that means is that we will start focusing on communicating more about our future Honduras plans and less on our current travel (or lack thereof:).

We’ll be talking a lot more about our plans in the future, but here is a quick overview…Sharon will be working as a Nurse Practitioner at the Jungle Hospital and Chris will be working at Give Hope 2 Kids orphanage in an educational capacity. We plan to remain there indefinitely. We are excited about this next phase of life and hope you will continue to travel with us on the journey. We have appreciated all of your thoughts and prayers on our behalf and know that we will need them more than ever as we make this major transition.

Chris & Sharon