Thanksgiving

[November 17-23, 20115]

Tuesday 17 November 2015
At the temple this afternoon, a family had come from Santa Cruz. Their oldest son is going on a mission to Columbia in December, and they brought him to receive his endowments and get sealed to them. They had been sealed in the temple to their two younger children, but this older son had not been baptized at the time. Since then, he accepted the missionary lessons, was baptized, and chose to serve a mission. So, before he left, his parents wanted him to be sealed to them as well.His younger sister is leaving on a mission, too, in March, so we'll see them again!

These are the sweet kinds of things that we experience all the time.

Wednesday 18 November 2015
This afternoon, I officiated at one of the endowment sessions, and there was a blind man in the session. Hno. Calder helped him, and after the session we talked a little bit. He indicated that it had caused him to think about the endowment session and how it would be if you couldn't see - if all you had to go on were the voices and sounds. Certainly, this brother has a challenge in all areas of his life, but it was instructive to think about this particular circumstance, where communications from the Spirit could possibly be enhanced by not having the visual senses, which we so often allow to distract us.

Friday 20 November 2015
We got a coconut to try and see if extracting the water/milk was a possibility. And a thermometer to see how hot it gets in our apartment. We're thinking it runs about 80 to 85 in the daytime.

Coconut split open - glass holds about 12 oz. of the water from the coconut.

The coconut held about 12 oz. of "water", which didn't taste bad, nor particularly good. It had a very slight flavor to it, but mostly not anything very sweet. The flesh of the coconut was very pliable and easy to extract. We're thinking this was a fairly green coconut after we husked it, drained it, and opened it up. We'll shred and toast the meat to see how that goes.

As for the thermometer, it was reading 88 degrees F. inside, which I thought was a bit high. So, in trying to calibrate it to 32 degrees F. in an ice-water bath, and move the glass tube to correlate (it was reading 3-4 degrees high in an ice bath), I managed to break it. So, back to the drawing board.

Monday 23 November 2015
We celebrated Thanksgiving as a missionary group, since the Temple is open on Thursday, and Bolivia doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving.

Everyone contributed - we had turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy, corn, beans, salad, cranberry salad (Molly made that), rolls, mango and plum drinks, coconut and lemon cream pies, pumpkin and apple pies, ice cream and whipped cream. Quite the feast. It was fun to be all together with the Temple Presidency (Presidente/Hna. Jensen, Pres./Hna. Garcia, Pres./Hna. Mogrovejo), the temple recorder, Hno. Cabrera (his wife was in the EEUU/USA with a daughter and her new twins), the Cochabamba Mission President and his wife, the Hansens, and all the missionaries. The Runquists leave in a few weeks for home. Hna. Runquist did the bulk of planning and decorating - all very, very beautiful and well-coordinated. We'll miss them.

Hno. Calder took the following pictures:

Table decorations, thanks to Hna. Runquist.

Yum!

Our Missionary Family:

Front, from left: the Garcias, the Jensens, the Mogrovejos.

Back, from left: the Paredes, Hno. Cabrera, the Parkers, the Lyons, Hna. Butler, the Runquists, Hna. Valdizán, the Hansens, the Leckies, the Thomases, the Chalmers, the Calders.

What are we thankful for?

• A Heavenly Father who loves us and watches over our family while we are here.
• The gospel and the saving ordinances of the temple that seal us together as a family.
• Each other - we are a better team now than ever, and we have always been a pretty good team.
• A family who loves each other and watches out for each other.
• The opportunity to serve in Bolivia, with these sweet, humble, giving people.

And much, much more...

Molly and I at our Thanksgiving Dinner.

The Temple - getting ready for Christmas. The manger is being built.

Grateful to be here

We get together as temple missionaries on Monday nights for Family Home Evening. This week was in the home of the Parkers. Their lesson was based on the talk by President Eyring "Oh Remember". It set the tone for my week. I have been working on seeing The Lord's Hand in my life everyday and writing down what I have been grateful for.  

Some of  the things I am grateful for this week are:

On Tuesday I was so grateful to start another week serving in the Temple. No matter what I do there, I love it. Charlie made another connection with a couple who know people he knew from his mission. I love these connections. I know they are not mere coincidences.

The best news of the day Wednesday was when we got home from the Temple and read that Sawyer is home. Hopefully he will be able to stay home for a while.


On Thursday I felt The Lord's hand in my life as I was given the opportunity to participate in a session. I felt that was where I needed to be and I was grateful to be there and to have time to sit and ponder before the session and remember the things I am learning here and that I need to write them down. One of those things that I will share is that I am grateful for a good husband and father of our children, who is consistent and strong, and an anchor in our lives. What a source of security and strength he has always been and continues to be in my life and our children's lives as well.

On Friday I  heard from Becky. They brought Sam and Sawyer dinner of home made chicken noodle soup, homemade rolls, ice cream and lots of fruit. Paul told Sawyer he was their hero. Becky said the condo looked and smelled really clean. I'm so happy to hear all of that. I'm so grateful for children who take care of each other.  

This week in the Temple has been slow, as far as participantes go, but even when The Temple is slow, The Spirit is there as well as the feeling of love, peace and inspiration.

The week in the Temple ended in a sweet way. It was not as slow on Saturday. Charlie and I got to officiate the last session. A girl was receiving her endowments and many of her family were there to support her. I loved watching this family interact with so much love. There was a darling grandma (who reminded me of my mother) a couple of aunts and an uncle that I could tell were related, and her parents of course. They really enjoyed each other. I felt like they were my own family. They made me feel a part of their family as they expressed their appreciation for my small part in their experience.

On Sunday I was grateful for the good Wards we attend, the strong leadership and the faithful members. I got to visit with a sweet, young, recently returned sister missionary while Charlie played prelude for Sacrament Meeting. We talked for at least 10 minutes and understood each other. I was also given the opportunity to answer a question in Sunday School. Though I'm not sure if I answered it the way the teacher wanted or if anyone understood what I was trying to say, I'm grateful that I didn't shake my head and not try and I'm thankful that he would ask me.

I'm also thankful for good friends. A couple from the Temple invited 4 of us missionary couples to their home for dinner. It was fun to be with them and the food was very yummy too.

I'm thankful for another great week in Cochabamba.

Elder Knowlton, Lunch With the Salazars

Tuesday 10 November 2015
This afternoon in the temple, I met Juan Carlos Escobar and his wife Romy. In the course of a conversation with him, he mentioned David Knowlton. Elder Knowlton was my second companion, and what he taught me really changed the course of my mission, I believe.

My first companion was a hard worker, but we seldom agreed on the best way to accomplish the work. I was green, and didn’t have enough experience to know how to best influence our working relationship, and got discouraged with some of his ideas and methods of doing the work. When he left, I was discouraged, since I really did want to love these people, and find the ones who were honestly seeking the gospel, but hadn’t felt like I had accomplished much, yet.

Then Elder Knowlton came. He loved the Bolivian people without condition. And, they could feel it. I'd heard the saying, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care", and Elder Knowlton demonstrated the wisdom of that in his every action. He didn't try to prove anything to them, he just loved them, and they knew it. They invited us into their homes, and we had success. It was as if the direction, feel, etc. of my mission changed 180 degrees.

Elder Salisbury (left) and Elder Knowlton in Santa Cruz, 1975.

Later, especially when I served in Punata, I saw the effects in my life and in the lives of others exactly what it meant to love people unconditionally. And I've been blessed throughout my life because of that few months with Elder Knowlton.

So, the Escobars know Dave, and he visits them whenever he comes to Bolivia. They are like family to him. They live in La Paz. I'm still not sure how they came to know him - we'll figure that out over time, I suspect, but here, again, I have been given a sweet experience connecting me with important people from my past.

Thursday 12 November 2015
President Jensen challenged us to meditate and think about what it means to "Come unto Christ", and how the temple and the work done here contributes to that. Molly and I stayed after and visited in the Celestial Room for a few minutes and talked about it.

When I think of "coming" to something, I always think about how sweet it is to come home to my family. I also remember clearly, that the most memorable feeling I had when I received my endowments was one of coming home. Everything felt natural, and I felt like I had been there and heard those things before. Some of that could be attributed to good training in my home, but the overall feeling was so sweet and natural that I've never forgotten it.

So, coming to Christ and coming to the temple, which is His home, and coming home to family and loved ones all have common feelings for me. The ordinances and covenants of the temple are all necessary for us to fully benefit from the Atonement, through the salvation and exaltation that that provides us. Coming to Christ, then, involves learning of Him, sometimes requiring the changing of our hearts, and of our making sacred covenants to bring to pass His work. If we have truly done that, then “Coming to Him” will feel as sweet as any “coming home” has ever felt.

Sunday 15 November 2015

We went to the home of Hno. Reynaldo and Hna. Yolanda Salazar for lunch with three of the other missionary couples here. Both of them work at the temple - he is a sealer.

Hna. Salazar had prepared a very nice lunch of papas rellenas, rice with corn and gravy, chicken, and llajua - a Bolivian salsa that is very good. For drinks, she had prepared maracuya (passionfruit?), and mocochinchi - a drink with a dried peach in the bottom of your glass. It was really nice.

Front Row: Alan and Sally Chalmers, Reynaldo and Yolanda Salazar, Sherry and Tim Parker.
Back Row: Molly and Charles Lyon, Karen and Don Runquist.

After we ate, Hno. Salazar asked me to look for the missionaries that baptized their family - David Farnsworth, and Ernest Richter. It’s difficult, after 40 years, to locate many of these former missionaries, but the families they taught and whose lives they touched are eternally grateful. The Salazars have four children whose lives and families have also been influenced for the good by their membership in the church with missions and service in their wards.

Just for added flavor, here's a picture Brother Jim Calder took of some local Bolivians. This is the more native dress style we frequently see.:

Grateful for 36 years together

 [November 11, 2015] Wednesday

Charlie and I celebrated our 36th anniversary on the 2nd.We had a good day being together. Thirty six years ago we talked about the kind of family we wanted to have and set goals for our life together. Our family has surpassed our hopes and dreams.

We have seven wonderful children with four amazing sons and daughters in law that we claim as our own. We are so grateful for the people they are and the way they live their lives. We appreciate how  they love and care for each other, especially while we are so far away. They are good friends and seem to really enjoy each others company. They are raising our 13 amazing grandchildren with love and hope and joy in their homes. This was the family we dreamed of 36 years ago.

Our dreams, though wonderful in themselves, could never come close to the real joy, intensity, deep love, and indescribable and overwhelmingly wonderful emotion that our family is to us. We are so grateful for them as well as our dear parents and siblings. We are grateful that families can be Eternal through the blessings of the Temple. We can't imagine Eternity without any one of them.

Thirty six years ago we also talked about serving missions together when the time was right. And here we are in Cochabamba, Bolivia serving in the Temple and helping these sweet people become Eternal Families. We are so grateful for Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness for His children. He really loves us and wants us to be happy and wants our families to be together forever.

This week we started working on the afternoon shift again. It's sweet to be with these sisters again. I have missed them. I also realized that some of them who I loved dearly but had a hard time understanding are much easier to understand, so I guess I am learning and improving my Spanish.

It's always sweet to work in the Temple no matter what our assignment is. Every day it changes and I love finding out what I get to do each day. This week I was able to care for two brothers while they waited to be sealed to their parents. The older one was 12 and his little brother was 6 months old. It was so good to hold this sweet little chubby baby and get him dressed in white clothing. The older brother Carlos was so sweet with little Lucas and would sing to him, and Lucas would smile and laugh at his big brother. I got to hold Lucas at the altar while the family was sealed. A very touching experience for me.

I served in the Baptistry twice this week. I love working with the youth. One of those times Charlie was also serving in the Baptistry. It is always fun seeing him in the Temple and especially serving with him. I love serving in the Temple.
  

Did I See His Hand in My Life Today?

[November 3-9, 2015]

We had a missionary Family Home Evening this week, and the topic dealt with this video clip of a Conference talk by Elder Eyring. The talk was in the October, 2007 conference:

O Remember Remember

The gist of the clip, and the talk, is that we need to find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness in our lives. He relates how he would write in his journal each night, and ask himself the question, "Did I see His hand in my life?"

In my personal journal, I'm going to try and be diligent about doing that as well. We have had so many experiences here just four months that I have tried to document, and truly want to remember. Some of those may influence this more public history of our mission as well.

For instance, I was at the front desk of the temple last week, and a gentleman asked if anyone knew Elder Lyon. Hmmm.... Coincidence?

I reported that I thought I knew him, and asked the gentleman's name. He told me he was Cecil Mendez, and that his father, who is now 85 and lives in Santa Cruz, was Alvaroa Mendez (I'm taking a shot with the first name spelling - I never recorded his name in my journal), who lived in Pocoata (9 miles outside of Punata) when I was there.

Cecil was only two years old at the time, so he didn't remember me, but his father had heard that I was here and sent him asking. We used to walk the 9 miles or so to their home every couple of weeks to visit them. He came to church nearly every Sunday - I don't remember much about his family, though.

After moving to Santa Cruz, he was called as a Stake President, and his family are all still active and faithful. Here's a picture of him at their home in Pocoata, I think, along with Hna. Lopez, her daughter, Hna. Sanchez, Elder Tapia, and (I'm assuming), some of Hno. Mendez's children.

Hno. Mendez, Hna. Lopez and Claudia Ivana (Bebita), one of the Mendez children,
Elder Tapia, another Mendez child.

The road leading to the Mendez home in Pocoata, 1975.

I sent my regards to his father. Hopefully we can cross paths and share remembrances sometime in the future.

Later in the week, Molly and I were assigned to work in the Baptistry. An older gentleman and his wife came, each with the name of a family member they had come to do the work for. From what I gathered, it was his father and mother. He was quite feeble, but was determined to do this work. Neither he nor his wife had received their endowments, yet, so I'm assuming they were new members - baptized themselves within the last few months.

It is such a testimony to me to see the faithfulness, desire, and diligence of these good members to do the work for their families so they can be sealed together forever.

I don't know how much I am necessarily contributing to these good people by being here and serving, but they certainly strengthen me and increase my faith and testimony. Molly and I are both so grateful to be here serving in the temple at this time.

As for the more mundane details of the week to note:

Tuesday 3 November 2015

We heard today that Sawyer's ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) had risen from zero to 500, with normal being greater than 1500. We hope this is an indication that his bone marrow is responding.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

We went to a place called "Sole Mio" (yes, that is spelled correctly) for pizza for lunch today. It was pretty good - not perfectly like back Stateside, but adequate. We really don't mind the lack of availability of stateside food, for the most part. It is "just food" after all.

Friday 6 November 2015
Since Molly and I are both using Personal Historian for our journaling, it became apparent that having a second laptop for Mom to use would be a good thing. So, we bought another Lenovo - a cheaper model - for her to use. I'll upgrade it to Windows 10 before we load much of anything on it.

Saturday 7 November 2015
At the temple, Mom and I got to both work in the baptistry. There were over 30 youth, with about 10 endowed adult men to help. That made it go very smoothly.
Sunday 8 November 2015
Both the Rosedal and Linde wards had their Primary programs today. It was fun to see all these cute children singing and performing (literally) for their parents. It's cute to see how similar the Primary children are to the children back home. It was fun for us to see both of these wards' children, and the sweetness and love that they exude.

We got more news about Sawyer - he was having stomach pains on Friday, so they were doing an abdominal ultrasound. The doctors think they may have to remove his gall bladder. His Grandma Wiggins indicated that if they did that, it was likely that he wouldn't go home until after the end of the year. She said he wasn't in pain today, and that his spirits were good today. We know that the best that can be done for him is being done, and that there is a plan in all of this.

More from Molly

[November 4, 2015]

Our month of turno de la mañana is over.  We will be serving in the afternoon for the month of November.

I have learned a lot working in the morning. As we mentioned before, we were the only English speakers on the morning shift. I learned to listen better and think harder before speaking. I also gained a greater appreciation for these dear native sisters that I have been blessed to serve with. They have given me their patience, love, appreciation and friendship. They have shared their testimonies and their stories of faith with me. They have demonstrated their confidence in me as I have been given assignments of responsibility and at times great intensity.

 I love when the temple is so full of participantes (patrons) and we are all working together to make sure these dear faithful sisters (some who spend many hours on a bus to get here and are here for only a few days) are able to get the work done for their ancestors. Some are able to come every year, others don't know when they might return.

I was able to welcome a young woman from La Paz who was  receiving her own endowments in preparation for her mission. She was accompanied by her parents. Later that morning I was asked to help a family who was being sealed for time and all Eternity. As I read the name in their folder I recognized the daughter. She was the one receiving her own endowments and she was being sealed to her parents as well. So sweet to share that whole experience with them. They made me feel welcomed into their family and were so grateful for my help. I felt honored to share in their special day.

My assignment that day was sealing coordinator. I had been a bit intimidated as I watched very capable native sisters carry out this assignment, knowing that one of these days I would be given the opportunity. The day I got that assignment I prayed in my heart that I would love those I served and that the Lord would bless me to know how to help them and give me the words of comfort and help and answers that they would need. When I went to receive the family and welcome them, my heart was full of love and I knew the Lord had already answered my prayer.

One day before our shift began, I was putting some names of my loved ones on the temple prayer roll. An obrera (sister worker) asked me if I would write some of her loved one's names on the prayer roll for her. This sister does not read or write, yet she is willing and through great effort on her part and help from the Lord is able to serve in the temple. A very humbling moment for me to ponder.

I had a unique experience one day. In my first assignment, a woman from La Paz introduced herself as Saul Montano's sister. We had a lovely visit. Later that day as I was helping a sister, she said something in English. I love to find out where these sisters learn English and I asked her. She said in Missouri. Who would have guessed it, she knows our Holly. Her daughter in law especially loves Holly and talks about her all the time. They all lived in the Lee's Summit Ward. Holly's influence is felt clear in Bolivia. Way to go Holly!

One more story. My dear mother, over the past few years or so has felt very close to some of her ancestors. When we both lived in American Fork we would try to do Family History work for some of these people that keep coming to her mind. We had a few successes, mostly because she was with me and could verify their time of death because she knew them.

One day last week, we were talking on the phone and she mentioned Uncle Gus. She hadn't thought of Uncle Gus in many years, but for some reason she couldn't stop thinking of him. She didn't know his last name but knew that his daughter Florence married Hoot Henderson and Hoot was "Mama's" Ollie's cousin. What she remembers of Uncle Gus was that he always wanted the Holy Ghost. In their religion, to receive the Holy Ghost you had to "go down" and repeat over and over the word "Glory" and you needed to do it faster than Uncle Gus could speak. He was from Sweden and had a hard time saying that word over and over quickly. He never felt like he got the Holy Ghost. Mother wanted to make sure Uncle Gus got the opportunity.

So I went in search of Uncle Gus. I really did find him! However, I could not figure out how to tie him into our family tree and until I could do that I couldn't help Uncle Gus receive the Holy Ghost. Charlie had an assignment in the temple while I was searching for Uncle Gus, so when he came home I asked for his help. Being the "questioning" person that he is, he is also a much better detective and he figured out where Uncle Gus tied into our line. I'm so grateful we could help Uncle Gus, who is really Nils Gustaf Nelson, from Sweden, and Hoot Henderson is really Samuel H. Henderson, the son of Ernest Henderson and Nora Bell (Mama's cousin). We've added these connections in FamilySearch, and have found some more research that needs to be done to fill out all the families involved.

What was really fun to see through all this was that his ordinance work had already been done! We don't know exactly how, but we're imagining that his righteous desires had been accomplished through one of his direct descendants who had found the gospel, joined the church, and researched and done his work in the temple for him.

Tin Palace, Parque Botanico, Halloween?

[October 27 to 2 November, 2015]

Since I’m now keeping my real journal in Personal Historian, I’m going to try to just put the things here that might be interesting for others to read, and less of the mundane, daily details.

Tuesday 27 October 2015
After our temple shift this morning, we decided we'd like to go see the Simón I. Patiño center. He was reportedly, the fifth richest man in the world during the 20th Century, with his wealth having come from tin mining ventures that started here in Bolivia. It's a pretty interesting story.

He started a home here, really a palace, modeled around European palaces. It took twelve years to build, and due to health issues that caused him to move to Europe, and later to New York, and later Buenos Aires, he never lived in it. The house is very fancy. I'll look for some inside pictures on the web, since we couldn't take any ourselves inside.

Molly in front of the Simon I. Patiño Palace.

Gardens around the Simon I. Patiño Center.

Gardens around the Simon I. Patiño Center.

Here's a link to some additional info and pictures that might be interesting to some:
Simon I. Patiño Center

Thursday 29 October 2015
While I was at the desk today at the temple, a couple named Pozo came to the desk. Strangely, they asked if I knew Saul Montaño. When I told them that I did, the wife told me she was Saul's sister, and that they had been told to look for us. For those who don’t know, Saul is a native of La Paz, Bolivia, and we served our missions here in Bolivia together. We were never companions, but we served in Santa Cruz in the same branch, and lived in the same house, eating breakfast and lunch together, attending the branch together, etc.

When we moved to American Fork, we found that he and his family lived just across the street. So, for 25 years, our families were very close – he’d teach some of the kids in Sunday School or Primary, I worked with his kids when I was the Bishop, our kids went to school together, etc. Small world.

After we ate lunch, Molly and I walked to the Parque Botanico. Very pretty. I took lots of pictures. On the way back, we met a couple of sister missionaries. One, Sister Hermanson, is from Spanish Fork, and has relatives in American Fork. Small world twice in the same day.

Here are some pictures of the Parque Botanico:

Path lined with palm trees.

Vinca - for Stacy's benefit!

Saturday 31 October 2015
Today is Halloween back in the States! Halloween really isn’t practiced here, traditionally, but it looks like there is an attempt to integrate it. We saw lots of street vendors selling masks, spiders, costumes, etc. I don’t think they really do much trick or treating. Tomorrow and Monday are their big holidays – Día de los Muertos, and Todos Santos. The upshot of these holidays consists of putting out a feast of pastries, candies, etc., for their relatives who have passed on to come and eat during the night. From the comments of members, though, it’s mostly an occasion to have parties.

Monday, though, is a “Feriada” day – businesses are closed, buses and trufis are limited, and so on. Reportedly, the cemeteries are decked out, so maybe Molly and I can make our way down to the cemetery just southwest of La Cancha.

Sunday 1 November 2015
In the Rosedal ward, today was the “farewell” for the oldest son of the counselor in the Bishopric who always greets us before the meeting, Hno. Delgadillo. The son is leaving tomorrow for his mission in Peru. Hno. Delgadillo was quite emotional as his son bore his very strong testimony. I had had the opportunity to help the son with his initiatory and endowments a couple of weeks ago, which made this a sweet experience for me to see him so prepared to go.

After the meeting, we visited with his mother. She has such an interesting story. She was sent, at age 13, for reasons she doesn't really understand even now, to live in Utah with a family who, at the time, couldn't have children. She lived with them for 9 years, during which, the mother gave birth to eight children. This sister was treated very well, just like their own children, but as you can imagine, she had quite the adjustment to make. She spoke no English at the time, and learned it by going to the Spanish class at the High School. She said that the teachers and friends were so helpful to her.

Over the past few years, she has had a number of health problems - seizures leading to falling and breaking bones, etc., and she told us that she hadn't been to church in a number of months because she was bedridden with a severely broken leg.

But, with her son leaving on his mission, she is determined to come to church each week to support her husband. They are a sweet family - one other daughter - and they exemplify the fact that even faithful families have struggles and trials to overcome. But, the happiness in their faces, and in their lives, shows their faithfulness and diligence in living the gospel. This sister speaks pretty good English, and offered to help Molly any time she needed help. Very kind.

Monday 2 November 2015
Today is our 36th Anniversary. I bought Molly some flowers at the Feria on Saturday, but, sadly, I think they are already wilting. One thing is for sure, though, our relationship is better than ever. We enjoy spending time together, and especially enjoy seeing each other as we serve in the temple.

We're going to try out a Pizza place that was recommended for dinner, and Molly is fixing the treats for the Missionary Couple FHE tonight. Not necessarily the most exciting Anniversary ever, but still fun because we are doing it together.

36 years, and still enjoying every minute of it.

Lastly, some random pictures, just to liven things up:

A Flota parked in the Temple parking lot.

An aguayo (blanket) we bought at La Cancha last week.

Selling a few bananas in La Cancha

The temple at dusk