Second Week in Bolivia

Second Week in Bolivia:

Monday Dec. 26^th: All of the temple missionaries visited an orphanage for disabled children. We took toys and strollers and hats and treats. The children were very happy to see and receive a little attention. Many of these children were just abandoned by their parents. So they are really not orphans. The women who take care of them are saints. Many of us got more out of the visit than the children, although they responded to being held and cuddled. Mom open your eyes. It really made us grateful for all of our blessings. The rest of the day was spent on normal P-Day activities, washing clothes, shopping for groceries, and such.

Tuesday Dec. 27^th through Friday Dec. 30^th: The mornings were spent working in the temple and the afternoons studying Spanish and trying to get the apartment arranged. We did go to the US consulate and try and get a notary of mom’s signature. The first day we went it was closed. The next day they told us we would have to make an appointment online and that we could not do it there even though we were already at the office. So we went home and got online and found that the next available day for an appointment was Jan. 9^th almost 2 weeks away and that the notary would cost $50.00 US. We were not very happy campers. Friday night found us going to a ward party. We had been informed that it would start at 7:00pm in the evening. Mom had asked the Sunday before what she could bring. They had wanted her to bring papas (potatoes), she had thought this would be too hard so she told them we would bring fruit. She had spent much of the afternoon cutting up fruit and we had a nice big bowl of fruit. We arrive at about 10 minutes to 7:00 and the church is locked up and no one is there. So we wait. About 7:30pm one of the sisters and her daughter and one brother drive up in a taxi and start unloading a propane stove and lots of pots full of food. Still no key, so they start calling every one they can think of who would have a key and about 8:00pm a guy shows up and opens the church up. Remember this party was to start at 7:00pm. We carry everything in and mom and the sister start organizing the kitchen. The brother who opened up the church takes off. The other brother and I start setting up plastic tables and the chairs. All of the seating and rostrum have already been removed from the chapel and that’s where we set up the tables. As time goes on a few more sisters start arriving and one other brother brings in a computer and sets it up so they can play CDs and they take a microphone and place it in front of the speaker and play music over the sound system. It really worked quite well. By 8:30pm maybe 20 people have arrived. Me waiting for things to get started. The sisters in the kitchen have decided that all of the plates and silverware should be washed in cold tap water, with a sponge that looks like it has been in the kitchen since the chapel was built 20 years ago. The two missionaries assigned to the ward show up and through the one North American we figure out that the food is ready but they are waiting for the Bishop to start the party. At 8:45pm mom tells the Elders to get the party started because they are supposed to be in at 9:00pm. They finally agree and welcome everyone and get someone to say the opening pray and bless the food. They start serving at about 10 minutes to 9:00pm. The bishop arrives about 9:15pm. By this time there are about 40 to 50 members there. People continue to arrive, by 10:30pm there are about 80 to 90 people who have all been fed. The dinner consisted of cold cooked beans and carrots served with sliced white onions (mom and an 80 year old sister sliced all the onions) and sliced tomatoes, a baked potato, a cob of choclo (corn, very big kernels) and a big piece of chicken. Notice no fruit. At the end of the meal mom went around the room and offered everyone fruit. We just spooned it into their plastic glasses. Mom was a little irritated that they hadn’t put some on each plate. But what we found out is that they won’t eat fruit with a meal it is more of a desert. Oh well it got eaten. At about 10:00pm they moved all the tables and had just chairs round the outside of the room and started to dance. The 80 year old bishop and his wife along with teenagers dancing away to Latin music, it was quite lovely. About 10:30pm, I’m fading and we say our goodbyes and someone calls us a taxi and we head for home. All in all an interesting evening, but I will never be early for a ward party again.

Sat. Dec 31^st: The temple was only open in the morning. During the preparation meeting they have a short movie on the ordinances and at the end the Temple President asked different people what their impressions had been during the video. He asked one of the Sister missionaries, Sister Cardon, (who doesn’t speak very much Spanish) sitting next to me what her feelings were. The video was on the marriage of parents and sealing of children. Then he said Brother Norman will translate for you. I gulped and said I would try my best. She said that her impression was that the words that they were hearing were the most important words that they would ever hear. Well I get about half way through and you all can guess what happened. I started getting all choked up and the tears are rolling down my cheeks. It was truly the Spirit telling me that what she had said and what I was saying in Spanish was true. It’s moments like that, that make every other thing that is not so fun or even hard worth it. Half way through the shift it was announced that the last session of the day would be in English and all of the English missionaries were to go on that session. Mom and I were asked to be the witness couple. Again I’m sitting listening to the introduction to the endowment and I just start sobbing. Physically shaking as I listened to what the endowment is. Wow it was so powerful. Because we are all at different levels of understanding and I don’t think it is possible to explain in words what the Spirit teaches, I won’t share my exact feelings and thoughts. But I will trust that He will teach you the same things as you ponder and are open to His influence. Needless to say it was by far the sweetest session I have been on, as a patron, in a very long time. Saturday evening 14 of us met and went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I talked to the owner in Chinese and ordered 2 dishes that were not on the menu. They were by far the best dishes. They were of course Gong1 Bao1 Ji3 Ding1 and Yu3 Xiong1 Rou2 Si4 (kung pao chicken and fish flavored meat strips). We all came backed to the guest house and played cards until about 10:30pm. We came back to the apartment and found a movie just starting about the life of JK Rowling. It was interesting but not worth staying up till 1:00am. Yes I stayed up on New Years past midnight. I know it is shocking.

Sun. Jan 1^st. President Jackman (1^st counselor in the Temple Presidency) said he and his wife wanted to go with us to our Tiquipaya Ward. So the 4 of us get a taxi at 8:30am and head to church. Again it started about 9:15am and people straggled in all through the morning. The same man taught the Sunday school lesson and the Priesthood lesson and he talked so fast it was really hard to understand everything he said. But he was a good teacher. We came home and cooked spaghetti, it tasted really good. Ragu sauce and hamburger how can you go wrong. We spent the afternoon writing and studying. I can’t believe it has already been 2 weeks here. The time goes by really fast and there is not much that I don’t love. Mom would not go that far in her endorsement, but she too is enjoying life here. Mom still hasn’t written about our time in the MTC and our adventure getting here. Pray for her to do her part.