Trip to Carmen de Patagones/Viedma

Yanina is a lady who first started to listen to the gospel about 8 years ago.  The two workers were Ben McMaine and Walter Goodridge, who met her husband, a wildlife officer, when they took some visitors to see a seal colony.  He went home and told his wife he'd met these people and they were going to visit them the following day.  She later told that as a child she suffered a lot, and would cry out to God that he would show her his way.  When Ben and Walter went to their house that first time, she felt it was the answer to her prayer.  Well, it's been 8 years, and she has had some rough times.  Last year noone visited her, but when we got in touch with her this year, she was really eager for a visit.  It's 300 kms away from Bahia Blanca, so not easy for her to get to meetings.  She asked if she could come to a fellowship meeting at some stage, so it was nice that she has that desire.  She would have to get the bus Sat night and stay with friends in Bahia Blanca.  She and her husband parted company, two children, so not so easy for her. 

Raul and Carina kindly took us down in their car - a six hour round trip.  Nice to travel in a car for a change!!

Leaving

The 'stunning' countryside on the way!

Yanina lives in a city called Carmen de Patagones, which is really half a city.  The other half is on the other side of the river (Rio Negro), and is called Viedma.  It was originally one city, founded in the late 1700s, but then when they began to divide the country into provinces, the natural division was the river.  So the cities have different names because they are now in different provinces.  Carmen de Patagones is the final city of the province of Buenos Aires, and Viedma is the capital of the Rio Negro province.  In the beginning of the colonisation of Argentina, the idea was put forward to have Viedma as the capital city of the country, so was built as quite an important city...but then they discarded that idea, and made Buenos Aires the capital.  The area that these cities are in is known as Patagonia, which includes the whole southern area of Argentina and Chile.  This is the view of the cities looking down from Carmen de Patagones side.   

Leaving Carmen de Patagones to cross the bridge over to Viedma

Eating delicious 'paella' made with seafood fresh from the nearby sea.  Paella is a traditional dish from Spain made with saffron rice and all kinds of seafood.

Going back to Bahia Blanca

Not sure how often we'll be able to get to visit Yanina... She chose the hymn "There is a Saviour whose love is unchanging".  So she hasn't forgotten, inspire of her isolation!