Sept. 17th

September 17^th: Our monthly outing was today.  Mom decided that Tarata was such a cute town (we had visited this town with the Dyers a couple of months ago) that we should take all the missionaries there for our paseo.  So we loaded up at 8:00am.  We had a senior couple, the Dibbs, from La Paz here visiting the temple for a couple of days, Elder and sister Cabrera and then most of the missionaries.  Pres. Crayk had to drive his car and Elder Cabrera also drove and the bus had 27 people in it.  So we were a group of 34.  On the way to Tarata, we stopped at Las Carmalitas, a restaurant that make empanadas and Pres. Caryk bought a cheese empanada for everyone.  They use an old oven left over from a Carmalite convent. 

Sister Vallenas and the oven.

Some tag along couple.

The Franciscan Monastery in Tarata

At the Monastery.

Cactus growing on the roof.

Town Square Tarata

After visiting Tarata we stopped at a restaurant and had lunch.  We got home about 2:30pm. 

Where we had lunch.

Fun times on the bus.

September 20^th:  Last night Pres. Crayk called and said the group from Chile would like to have someone talk to them in the morning.  We got the assignment to talk to them, since he and Sister Crayk are leaving in the morning early with Pres. and Sister Dyer to go to a District Conference in Tarija.  The Chilean saints that come to the temple always come with a large group and most of them have family names.  Earlier this month we had another group from Chile and one man had over 3000 family cards.  He kept the baptistery and initiatory busy all week.  I had asked him how long he had spent on getting his family cards.  He told me he had been working on them for 8 years.  On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we completed over 2000 ordinances each day because of this group from Chile.  We agreed to meet with them in the cafeteria of the patron housing building at 8:30am.  We arrived a few minutes early and every seat was taken and still there were more than 40 people standing waiting to listen to what we had to say to them.  Mom and I were to be the only speakers.  As the opening song began, both mom and I began to weep.  The Spirit was so powerful.  You know it is going to be a good meeting when it starts out like that.  Here was a group of faithful saints who had ridden a bus for 24 hours and had come to the temple for 4 days.  Most of them were in the temple all day long.  I felt overwhelmed with the responsibility to say something worthy of their faith and sacrifice.  We did our best and thanks to our Father in Heaven we were able to bear testimony of the importance of temple work and of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  When you finish with a meeting like that, you feel like you have been so blessed and that you have made a small difference in trying to perfect the saints.  You are on a high the rest of the day and you forget that some days are pretty routine.  We were on the afternoon shift and spent the rest of the day with these wonderful members from Chile.

September 21^st:  We were supposed to have today off, but with Pres. Crayk and his wife out of town we took the morning shift and Pres. Diaz will take his normal shift in the afternoon.  It is much more tiring to get off late and then get up early and do a shift than to have a break in between shifts like we normally do.  But in the afternoon I was able to take a nice long nap.  We also spent a number of hours preparing for a talk we are going to give tomorrow night to the married couples of the Los Alamos ward.  They have a fair number of couples with problems.  We spent last Wed. night with the Stake Relief Society President and the Ward Relief Society President planning the program.

September 22^nd:  We were at the temple at 6:15am today to get things ready for the early 7:00am session.  What a morning we had 5 couples to be sealed on the 10:30 session all, Brides and Grooms, but one of the sisters were there also to receive their endowments.  Plus there was a  new missionary on that session. I ended up sealing 2 of the couples and the assigned sealer sealed the other 3.  One of the couples had 2 teenage daughters who I also sealed to their parents.  We were on our normal shift today and so when we were done we spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for our talks tonight.  The husband of the Stake RS Pres. picked us up at 6:15pm and we were off for an adventure.  We arrived at 6:45pm and they had 21 individual tables set up in the cultural hall with tablecloths.  I found a room and went and practiced my part of our talk.  We had decided to give it with both of us standing at the podium and taking turns talking.  It was supposed to start at 7:00pm.  At 8:00pm, with 11 couples we started.  Mom and I were the only speakers.  It is so hard to tell if we made any difference, but we had prepared well.  After our talks, the Stake RS Pres. had all the couples spread out and they had to answer 10 questions on a piece of paper.  For example, “do you always say good bye to each other with a kiss?”  The last one was what are you willing to do to have a better marriage.  Then they got back together and shared what they had written.  We then went in to the cultural hall and waited for dinner.  They served Japanese teriyaki kabobs and rice.  It was really tasty.  I had seconds. 

Mom waiting for her dinner.

The cooks.

Our own little table and candle and flower!

Dinner got over about 10:00pm and they started to dance.  Mom finally talked me into dancing Bolivian style, in a line and you just have to move your feet.  In the end we said good-bye and danced down the center of the line of dancers and they all thought that was great.  Home at 10:30pm and in bed at 10:35pm.

Couples dancing at Couples Party

September 23^rd:  Yesterday two people from the temple department arrived for the inspection the church does every 3 years.  They will be with us till next Thursday the 27^th.  I had left instructions that I would take them to church with us at 9:30am.   Brother Bawden and Sister Lewis are delightful and it turns out Brother Bawden’s father was a missionary in Ecuador when mom and I were there.  He was just completing when I arrived.  We took the Cardons with us and went to the Via Moscu ward.  I drove Pres. Crayk’s car.  The counselor made the announcements, including that the ward is going to have a temple night this coming Tuesday.  Well, after the sacrament, he announces that the other counselor with be the first speaker and that Pres. Norman will be the second speaker.  I immediately grab my I-Pad and started looking at quotes and scriptures.  Brother Bawden leans over and says, “ you weren’t expecting that were you?”  I had about 10 minutes to collect my thoughts and then it was my turn.  Mom is always so sweet; she said I did a good job.  I had just spoken last weekend in their stake conference and so I had to get creative.  But I pulled off a 15 minute talk on two unrelated quotes and one scripture.  That kind of thing still throws me for a little bit of a loop.  We had the Cardons and our two guests for dinner after church.  The Cardons had fed them yesterday and Bob had made enchiladas.  I had gotten up at 6:00am and made two trays of burritos.  When I called Bob to tell him we would give them a ride to church I found out Bob had fed them Mexican the day before.  So we put the burritos in the fridge and I found a crock pot recipe for chicken.  Mom put some potatoes in the oven and after church mom made a salad.  It turned out a great dinner and we will have burritos for the next week.  We had a great time hearing about what they are working on and how the temple department works.  After dinner sister Lewis who is an interior designer wanted to see some of Cochabamba so she could take some pictures.  She has to put together a design criteria book for each temple so that all future changes will take into account the local flavor of the city where the temple is.  So I drove them around Cochabamba.  In the evening we had a very informal fireside with Brother Bawden and Sister Lewis with all the North Americans missionaries where they showed us some pictures of some of the temples they are working on.  Brother Bawden has 38 temples he is assigned to.  It was a very interesting and an uplifting evening.

Sept. 6th and Stake Conferences

September 6^th:  Rudy and Dayana, a young couple from the Tiquipaya ward came to the temple today.  We started teaching them the temple preparation classes when we were attending there.  I will have the opportunity to seal them on Saturday.  We were on shift in the morning, so we were able to attend the session in the afternoon with them.

September 8^th: We started the day by officiating the 7:00am session.  Then we went back to the temple at about noon to get ready for Rudy and Diana’s sealing.  This will be my first live sealing and I want to make sure I have the language down.  Everything went pretty well except their 18 month old son was not a very happy camper and cried during his sealing to his parents.  I will surely always remember this day.  After the sealing, Dayana wanted to put on her wedding dress (from several years before) to have some photos taken outside the temple.  Chris helped her into her dress, but almost immediately the zipper broke.  Not to be denied the photos, her mom and Chris sewed her into her dress so she could wear it outside.  She looked lovely. 

Rudy, Dayana and son Johan

We hurried to the apartment after the sealing and I got a quick bite to eat.  I went off to the Jaihuayco Stake for their stake conference.  During the priesthood leadership meeting at 4:00pm, we separated into 2 groups and I was told to take as much time as I wanted and we would get back together in an hour.  Well, I was able to talk for 45 minutes and then the counselor in the stake presidency took the rest of the time.  When we got back together, the stake president said that not everyone had had the opportunity to hear Pres. Dyer and myself so we would take a few minutes and bear our testimonies.  After the meeting, we were fed pizza as we waited for the 7:00pm adult session.  Mom and Sister Dyer arrived and all four of us spoke in the adult session.  After the adult session, we were picked up by one of the temple employees and he took us to the party to celebrate Rudy and Diana’s sealing.  Mom danced and we had a good time.  Got home about 10:30pm.

Mom dancing at Rudy and Dayana's party (Bull Dance)

 Mom dancing up a storm.

September 9^th:  We attended the general session of the stake conference where we both spoke again.  So that made 4 talks in 2 days for me and 2 for mom.  I wrote a new talk for Sunday morning about vicarious work for our ancestors.  The Dyers also spoke and they had given us a ride, so we invited them to dinner. 

Mom and Pres. and Sister Dyer at Stake Conference (Jaihuayco)

Jaihuayco Stake Conference

Part of the Institute Choir at St. Conference

Kids and Flowers at Jaihuayco

had marinated some stakes on Saturday and I had put them in a crock pot before we left for stake conference.   They turned out pretty tender and tasted good.  It was fun to hear about some of the things that are going on in the mission.

September 10^th:  We were in charge of FHE and I taught a lesson on all the church web sites and what is going on with technology.  People seemed to enjoy it.  Mom made an apple and a rhubarb crisp.  That was also a hit.

September 14^th:  We were on the morning shift today and the assigned sealer did not show up.  So I was the sealer.  I sealed for 2 hours and then did 6 part-live and part-deceased sealings.  One older woman came for her own endowment and after the session wanted to be sealed to her deceased husband.  She had a son who was 46 years old and an endowed member who had gotten all the work done for his dad and grandparents and 2 uncles and a sister.  So after the sealing of the mother and her deceased husband, we sealed her son and deceased daughter to their parents. Then we sealed the mother’s parents together and then the mother and her 2 deceased brothers to the parents. This was a first for me again in sealing part-live and part-deceased couples and children.  Great Spirit in the room and it was the highlight of the week.

A temple visitor heading back home.

 September 16^th:  Mom and I spoke in 2 sessions of the University stake conference today.  I drove President Crayk to the airport before 6:00am and then had the car for the day to get to the stake conferences that were held in different buildings.  I think all turned out well.  After stake conference I cooked Chinese for Christina and Lillian the other couple that we taught from Tiquipaya who I will be able to seal on the 28th.

                      

   First Session University Stake

       

First Session University Stake

Second Session University Stake

Aug. 27th and more fun times

August 27^th:  We went shopping because we had invited a young couple with a 2 ½ year old son to dinner and I had to find some things in order to be able to cook Chinese tonight.  Brother and Sister Flores used to live in Ticquipaya but we saw them at the Cobica ward where I had spoken the 19^th.  We are so impressed with them and they are so sweet we invited them to dinner for the 27^th:  I spent the afternoon cooking and mom prepared the Family Home Evening lesson.  Things went very well and they really appreciated being with us.

August 29^th:  President Crayk showed me a letter he had received from the First Presidency authorizing him to confer the sealing power upon me.  The letter was signed by all three of the First Presidency and these were not stamps.  The exact words that Pres. Crayk is to use were spelled out in the letter.  He said he would come up to the Temple tomorrow and we would take care of this.  He called latter in the day and said that Elder Cabrera would like to be present and could we postpone till Friday morning.

August 31^st: We are off today but went up to the temple at 10:30am in order for Pres. Crayk to make me a sealer.  Words can’t describe what a Spiritual experience this was and it is too sacred to share what was said in the blessing that followed Pres. Crayk’s conferral of this sacred power.  But I am honored and blessed way beyond what I deserve.  Yesterday, Pres. Crayk asked if we would talk this afternoon to a group of young people from Juliaca, Peru.  We are off today and we said it would not be a problem.  On Tuesday, during Pres. Meeting, Pres. Crayk also asked us to represent the Presidency at an Institute activity that would be held in the Los Alamos stake center.  We found out on one of our morning walks from Pres. Dyer and his wife that they had been asked to be judges at the same activity.  We asked if they would mind giving us a ride.  So we spoke to this group from Juliaca for over an hour.  Mom is getting so much better.  She talked for 30 minutes without reading.  I spoke for about the same amount of time.  This was a great meeting.  Most of the young men were returned missionaries and I had them laughing about their next mission (finding a wife) and the importance of coming back to the temple to be sealed, that the goal can’t be reached without an eternal companion.  I then had them crying as I talked about Crystal and her conversion story and how the Lord is mindful of each one of us.  It is so much fun to know that your audience is feeling the Spirit and is right with you. 

The group from Juliaca

We were told that we would be sampling food from all over Bolivia so we didn’t eat before we left.  Dyer’s picked us up and we were on time, 7:30pm, but things usually start late and they did tonight as well.  About 8:30pm things got underway, we were asked to also be judges and we sat at the front table. 

The Esteemed Judges

As the night progressed we realized that this was an activity to celebrate Bolivia’s Independence.  We started by singing the national anthem all 4 verses. 

National Anthem

There were tables set up all around the cultural hall.  Each stake and the Leaders of the Institute had been assigned 2 departments (states) from Bolivia to represent with pictures food and whatever else they wanted.  We walked around with a judging sheet and sampled all the food and evaluated the decorations and listened to explanations. 

Mikey will eat it.

Potosi

Some of he Jaihuayco Group.  (They won)

After about 45 min. we were asked to sit down and we then had to judge the dances that each group had to demonstrate from their respective departments.  So much fun.  

Everyone waiting for the dances.

The group from Pando

Universidad Stake

The Institute Directors

This was the Potosi Dance

Watch the dance video, what a treat to see all the different cultures and practices from around Bolivia.  We ducked out about 10:00pm as they were moving everything out of the way for a dance.

September 1^st:  Brother Ayaviri, one of the sealers, is in the states for his daughter’s wedding.  His assigned day to be the sealer is Saturday mornings.  So we had a replacement, Brother Garcia, for our morning shift.  During the shift I was helping as a witness for sealings.  Brother Garcia, on finding out that I had been made a sealer the day before, offered to change places with me and let me do the sealings.  Luckily I have been trying to memorize the ceremony since we got here.  What a blessing to seal couples together and then seal their children to them.  This was the highlight of my day.

September 2^nd:  Today in Bolivia is  Dia de Peaton.  You can’t drive a car and if you go anywhere you have to walk or ride a bike.  Since all the missionaries are assigned to Wards all over Cochabamba, Pres. Crayk assigned me to organize a testimony meeting here in the auditorium at the guest house.  Mom thought it would be a good idea to have a pot luck dinner after our meeting with all of the missionaries.  When he assigned me to do this he was going to be in La Paz for a stake conference, but upon realizing he would not be able to get home he decided to go to the stake conference and talk in the 2 Saturday meetings and come home Saturday night.  Elder Cabrera on hearing that we would have our own testimony meeting said he wanted to come (he lives a few blocks above the temple) and Pres. Dyer and his wife said they wanted to come, they live across the street from the temple.  I conducted and Elder Cabrera presided and Pres. Crayk and Pres. Dyer were on the stand.  I had assigned different Elders to do the Sacrament.  What a special meeting this was.  You could say it was a Spiritual feast and it was.  Only about two thirds of the missionaries bore their testimonies but they were all powerful and to listen in person to a seventy bear his special witness of the Savior is something I will always remember.  It was the best 2 hour testimony meeting I have been in since I was a missionary at zone conference.  The pot luck dinner was fabulous.  I had a number of people suggest we have one every fast day.

September 3^rd:  We started the day with a session.  It’s the first Monday of the month and we always have a special session for the temple workers (gardeners, security, laundry, kitchen, guest house, maintenance, ect.)  We had a combined FHE with Latin Missionaries and it is always fun to hear them.  The lesson was on testimony and many of the Latins shared how they got a testimony and how they knew they had one.  James mentioned that he thought we are not on a mission, but that we are on a spiritual vacation.  I have to agree with him this is a good gig.