La Banda del Río Salí
La Banda del Río Salí was my second and only area in
the province of Tucumán.
I consider this area to be the pivotal area of my mission. It was
the most instructive, most faith-promoting, and most productive areas of
my mission. As a result, you'll notice that I've included more photos
on this page than any other mission page.
 In
1990, Italy was host to the largest sporting event for the world's most
popular sport--soccer, or fútbol, in Spanish. That year, Argentina
overcame a first-game loss to first-time World Cup participant, Cameroon
in a most humiliating defeat. Down, but not out, Argentina would
stage a comeback that would propel them into the final match with another
two-time World Cup winner, Germany. This picture demonstrates the
enthusiasm of the Argentine people just moments after Argentina eliminated
host Italy in a dramatic, penalty-kick overtime, semi-final match.
To this day, I enjoy watching the four-year tournament more than any other
sporting event. |
 La
Banda del Río Salí was one of the most memorable areas of
my mission. One reason was because I was there longer than any other
area--6 months to be precise. Another reason is because my companions
and I had great success teaching the gospel to the people of La Banda.
The main reason, however, were the great members of the branch in that
area, some of which are pictured here. |
 Characterisitic
of the third-world economy that is Argentina, this shack is one of many
in a "barrio" that align the polluted Salí River. This was
the home of a very humble family of four. Working in the barrios
was a very common part of my mission in nearly every area I served in. |
 The
main economic driver of Northwest Argentina is sugar. During the
sugar harvest, these ingenios, or sugar cane factories, spewed out
smoke and ash in amazing quantities. We missionaries always kept
eye drops on hand to rinse out the black ash that would gather in our eyelids
while riding our bicycles around the area. Sometimes, to appear presentable,
we would change our ash-soiled white shirts twice a day. |
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