Christmas Week

[December 15-23, 2015]

What a difference a year makes! Here we are in Bolivia - 80 degree weather (in the daytime), no snow in sight, no kids to wake us up at 6:00 am, no real tree (we do have a small, make-believe one we found in a closet down the hall - it's festive enough, I suppose), and the family is all 4500 to 5000 miles away.

But, it's still Christmas, and working here at the temple added a wonderful dimension to it.

The temple was open on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was pretty slow. But, just to show the dedication of the members here, a couple from Tarija (18 hours away by bus) came with their children to receive their own endowments and be sealed as a family. I was blessed to be able to help them, and it was obvious that they were very well prepared, and eager to have these sacred ordinances done for them and their family. They were really cute together.

On Thursday, we had lunch with the missionaries, and spent a quiet Christmas Eve together, just Molly and I. She has really worked hard to keep the family involved through the distance with her idea of an Advent Chain with memories from everyone in the family. We hung each memory over a picture on the wall in the "dining room" in the shape of a Christmas Tree (more or less):

It was fun to be reminded of what everyone thought was memorable from Christmas in the past. It was sweet that so many of those memories were so closely tied to simple family interactions.

So, on Christmas morning, to continue one of the traditions - the 6:00 am "wake Dad up to go turn on the Christmas tree so we could open presents" part - I texted all the kids at 6:00 am asking them why they hadn't come and jumped in bed with Dad and Mom this year? Yes, I realize that they would have received it at 3:00 or 4:00 am, and interestingly enough, one of them responded immediately. Becky was still up wrapping presents! Quite fun.

We got a very nice, well-crafted video from Seth and his family. It was about an hour long, and highlighted each family member. They told us stories, sang songs, showed clips from their school program, and just made our day that much better. They seem to be enjoying living in Wisconsin.

We talked to all of the other kids as well. They seem to be doing well, supporting each other, helping in every way they can to be a wonderful support to us and to each other. It was a very enjoyable Christmas day for us.

So, we found that we can still enjoy Christmas, and family, from so far away. And, with the added dimension of the temple, of the work done there to unite families, and provide the blessings of the gospel to ancestors long since passed away, it just makes it that much sweeter. The focus of every day at the temple is on Jesus Christ and The Father, and the magnificent plan of happiness that encompasses Jesus' birth and life. We're grateful to be here.

Cochabamba Temple - Dec 26, 2015

Nearly Christmas Eve

[December 14-23, 2015]

As Christmas approaches, I look back at what the last year has brought. We've been here in Bolivia for six months now, following the whirlwind of selling the house and condo, moving Grandma Mary to California, moving us to West Valley (along with the broken pipe and flood, of course), getting everything ready to go, and traveling for what seemed like forever before arriving here to find sweet people and lots of love and support.

Our first few days were filled with some sweet, joyous reunions with dear members, learning how to find things, getting used to a wholly different lifestyle and schedule, and figuring out how to stay in touch with family back home. Everything we were used to changed very quickly.

Then, with Sawyer getting sick, we had to address lots of emotions and concerns - how to support and help him and Sam from such a distance. It would have been so nice to have been able to hug them, and hold them, and let them know we were there to help, but being so far away left us to rely completely on the promises and blessings of the gospel, and on our faith and knowledge that God is in charge, knows us, loves us, knows our needs, and knows best how to help us become our best selves. Which brings us to the real message of Christmas, and the lessons we have learned by serving in the temple.

I have come to know even more than before, how important He is to us. Through the ordinances and covenants we make in the temple, through the instruction we receive there, through the peace and love present there, I have a stronger sense and testimony of how important His life and mission were to me personally and to our family. The fact that we are sealed together for eternity gives a perspective to life that can't be obtained otherwise. And if it weren't for His Atonement, His life, His example, His love and teachings, we would be left on our own.

So, as you celebrate Christmas this week, among the food and treats, gifts and gift-giving, family and friends, ponder for a few moments what life would be like without Him, and share your love and gratitude for the blessings you have with your closest loved ones - your children and your family.

We are so glad to be here. I am learning more every day. This is such a tender, enjoyable, sacred experience.

As for the rest of the week....

Monday 14 December 2015
Molly and I did the FHE for the missionaries tonight. She put together the Christmas story from the scriptures with the hymns, and we had the missionaries read all the parts while I played and she directed the hymns. She made wassail, hot cocoa, and truffles (Oreo cookies crumbled up, mixed with cream cheese, and dipped in chocolate.) It was as close as we could get to our normal Christmas tradition with our children at home.

Wednesday 16 December 2015
Rene Tapia came to visit us today. He was one of my companions in Punata. He has seven children and 20 grandchildren. Two of his children live in Spain, and two live in Argentina. He comes here frequently - he has a sister that lives in the Sarco ward, so we might get to visit some more in the future. Sweet memories.

Friday 18 December 2015
Molly and I were in charge of the Baptistry today. We had two groups who came with their youth. The last one was from Santa Cruz, and they were so very reverent and respectful. One funny thing happened - when the first girl was baptized, her long hair floated on the water, so she had to be baptized again. When I looked over at the other girls, they were all putting their hair up in buns and laughing. Cute.

Molly:
I couldn't have said it better. I am so grateful for my companion, family, dear friends who have blessed and continue to bless our lives and especially my Savior Jesus Christ. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
 

Loving Our Mission

[December 13, 2015]

This week in the Temple has been a little different for me. Saturday I served in the Guardaria (nursery in the Temple for the children while their parents are receiving their endowments).

The first family had 3 children. I had about 15 minutes with them before we were called to go upstairs to be sealed. I felt very blessed to get to be in the sealing room with them.

The children were a boy Jaido (14), Camila (7),  and Isaac (2). What sweet kids. They were already dressed and looked beautiful in their white clothes. I have been practicing the song Sonrisas - "Smiles", or "If You Chance to Meet a Frown" - for such an occasion. However, when I sang it, Isaac cried and didn't want a thing to do with me for a good while. I guess my frowny face is a scary one. He did warm up to me eventually. After we got back I read some books with Camila while Jaido helped Isaac. Then I visited with Jaido. I loved talking with him. He said his mother had been an inactive member for a long time and one day the missionaries knocked on their door. They had the lessons and his dad accepted the gospel. He and Jaido got baptized on the same day (like me and my Dad). Now their family was being sealed. What a sweet story. A very sweet handsome young man.

The second family had three boys, Jose (10), Mateo (8), Tiago (6). They were all dressed in matching suits. They were so smart and taught so well in their home. I had a lot of fun with these boys. We read books and played I spy with my little eye (yo veo con mis pequeńos ojos alguna cosa qué es ____?). They love to sing and we got the Children's Song book out. They took turns choosing songs which we all sang. They all told me stories, and they even played the "Hand" game with me. We also talked about being a forever family.

What a sweet experience for me to be with these sweet children. I miss playing with my own grandchildren so I enjoy being the "White Grandma".

Three days this week I was assigned to the baptisty, twice with my own companion. I always love serving with him. The youth are so fun. There is a room that they all wait in for the Temple President to speak to them and for me to give them instructions. I like to visit with them before the President comes.

One group was from Tarija, which is very far away. I was asking them what it was like to take a flota "bus" all this way. They said it was like a party without food. They wanted to know what State I was from. When I told them Utah, one girl gasped and said "Where the Prophet lives?" They asked if I ever get to see him. I told them I hadn't met him but I did get to meet President Uchtdorf at Deseret Book with my mother. They are so enthusiastic about everything and I love working with them.

I got to be in charge of the Roperia (clothing rental) one day. It was my first time (in charge). The most challenging part for me in the Roperia was putting the person's ID number in the computer. I don't hear numbers very often and when they are said fast it is a bit tricky. I really enjoyed it. There was really only one brother that was hard for me to understand.

Yesterday, December 12 is my father's birthday. He was born in 1908 and passed away July 3, 1993. I think of him a lot here in Bolivia. He would have loved these good, hard working, humble, soft spoken, gentle, loving people. He was like that himself. He was one of the most Christ-like people you could ever meet. He truly loved all people and never judged them. He was always helping someone. He was genuine. He was honest and kind and very hard working. You could always count on him. He lived what he believed. He loved the Lord and he loved his fellow-man. He was a fun Daddy, who taught by example, usually while he was working the horses or mucking out the stalls or while he was driving us somewhere. He knew and loved the Bible. I loved to hear him tell the stories in the Old Testament in chronological order. They were his Heroes. He loved his daughters and most of all he loved our mother. To him, she was the most beautiful, charming, witty, intelligent, most perfect woman on earth. I'm grateful for the example of their good marriage.

There is so much more I could say about this great man. But if I only had one word to describe him it would be "love", which in his words is the greatest thing in the world and without love there is nothing. His love is forever. 

The Cochabamba Temple in December - Summer. 

The Cochabamaba Temple in July - Winter.

[This is Charles]
René Tapia called me today. He was my first companion in Punata. I learned a lot from him about the Bolivian culture, the people, and how to work hard and enjoy life at the same time. He lives in Montero, now, and says he has white hair! That's pretty unusual for a Bolivian. He's coming to Cochabamba in January - I look forward to meeting him.

I inserted the pictures above to give you a feel for how different everything is between winter and summer here. I the first picture, the lawn looks worse because they ripped it out and it's just growing back. But the flowers and everything else around the temple is so beautiful at this time of the year. The weather is a bit warmer - it actually gets up into the high 80's on some days, but the nights cool off into the 60's, so it allows us to cool off the apartment and makes it very pleasant.

Our service in the temple is so sweet. Not a week goes by without our meeting and assisting members in doing the work for their families. This week, we both worked with a young man and his mother who had come from Sucre to do the work for and seal his great-grandparents on his father's side. They finished everything just before the temple closed on Saturday afternoon. It was so sweet to see him and his mother working together on this.

Preparations for Christmas

[December 1-7, 2015]

Wednesday 2 December 2015
On my way up to the temple this afternoon I got caught in a downpour. Fortunately 1) I had an umbrella, and 2), it's only about 100 yards from the Hospedaje to the Temple. We're approaching the rainy season here, and Cochabamba needs it. It's been pretty dry.

Friday 4 December 2015
We got a strand of Christmas lights to decorate the apartment. We hung them up - quite festive. Christmas here will be quite different - summertime, 80 degree days, no snow, etc., but I'm sure we'll enjoy it.

Adding some Holiday cheer to our apartment.

Sunday 6 December 2015
Today was a "Día de Peaton y Bicicleta en Defensa de la Madre Tierra", so we had Fast and Testimony meeting and Sunday School here at the Hospedaje since no taxis, trufis, or buses are running.

Monday 7 December 2015
We went on an adventure today - took Trufi 207 out to Av. Blanco Galindo past where Heroinas ends. There's a Hipermaxi out there I wanted to check out, and this was a good excuse for an adventure. We walked back to IC Norte to get some groceries, and took Bus 3 home from there.
It was a beautiful day - maybe in the 80's, but with enough of a breeze to make it very lovely.

Bridge over Av. Blanco Galindo, which leads to Quillacollo.

View back towards downtown Cochabamba from the bridge above. You can see the Cristo statue in the distance.

As we were walking, we saw this park:

Cochabamba has many parks, but due to the dryness of the climate, the grass is almost always brown. There are many trees, though, as you can see, and playground toys in many of the parks. If the water situation was a bit better, these would all be lovely.

For FHE tonight, President Jensen gave the lesson, and focused on three messages:

1) December is special for many reasons. In addition to Christmas and the commemoration of the Savior's birth, we focus on family, on reviewing the past year, on celebrating with others. He also indicated how much he appreciated Tithing Settlement, and having had parents who always paid their tithing, even in hard times.

2) He talked about Symbols and Types, and reviewed a document that he had obtained some time ago:
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Symbols and Types Associated with the Birth of Jesus Christ

• He who was called "the life" (John 14:26) was born inthe springtime (see D&C 20:1) when life was renewed.
• He who was called the "new David" (see Jeremiah 23:4) and the "root of David" (Revelation 22:16) was born in Bethlehem, the city of David (Luke 2:11).
• He who was called "the bread of life" (John 6:48) was born in Bethlehem (Hebrew: the house of bread).
• He who was called the "Lamb of God" (John l:29) was born in a stable and laid in a manger (Luke 2:7,12) where lambs gathered.
• He who taught that whosoever humbleth himself should be exalted (see Matthew 23:12) came into the world in the humblest of circumstances (see Luke 2:7).
• At the birth of Him who is called the "light of the world" (John 8:12), darkness was banished as a sign of His Birth (see 3 Nephi 1 :15, 18).
• At the birth of Him who is called the "bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16), a new star appeared in the heavens (see Matthew 2:2, 7 ,9; 3 Nephi 1 :21).
• At the birth of Him who is called the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:14), shepherds were the first to receive the announcement of His birth (see Luke 2:18-16).
• Both Mary and Joseph were commanded by revelation to name the child Jesus (see Matthew 1:23;Luke 1:31.) Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew Joshua (savior, deliverer).
• At the birth of Him who is called "Savior" (Luke 2:11) and the "Prince of Life" (Acts 3:15), the lives of those who were facing death for their belief in Him were saved by His birth (see 3 Nephi 1 :4- 19)

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3) He then read Isaiah 53:4-5, and referred to a talk by President Hinckley, found in the December 2000 Ensign:

"The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas"

"This is the wondrous and true story of Christmas. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea is preface. The three-year ministry of the Master is prologue. The magnificent substance of the story is His sacrifice, the totally selfless act of dying in pain on the cross of Calvary to atone for the sins of all of us.

"The epilogue is the miracle of the Resurrection, bringing the assurance that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection."

He then had us review all of the Christmas Hymns (201-214) in the hymnbook for references to the Atonement. It puts a bit of a different emphasis on Christmas, and was a very good reminder for all of us of the importance of the Atonement, and how we can celebrate His birth even more by remembering His complete mission here on the earth and how important that was for all humanity.

The flowers and shrubs around the temple are all in full bloom:

Thanksgiving in Bolivia

[December 3, 2015] Thursday

As I was looking over my journal to write this blog I noticed several times having the opportunity to comfort someone. I don't usually know why they are crying or look like they need a hug, but when I feel moved to open my arms to them, they fall in and grab hold often times with tears. I hope by following these promptings that I might be an instrument in The Lord's Hands to share His Love with His daughters.

As I was serving at Silla Uno I was visiting with Brother Huanca (he calls himself Willie) who was serving at the mesa. He lives in La Paz with his wife and four children. He leaves his family, making the 8-10 hour flota ride, to serve in the Temple one week out of every month. His wife is a lawyer and he is a music producer, so his hours are fairly flexible. He's a real "hands on" Dad. His youngest is a real Daddy's boy and likes to be wherever his Daddy is. He cries when his dad leaves. But when Hno. Huanca leaves to go to the Temple, his little boy doesn't make a fuss at all. Hno Huanca feels his service in the Temple is a real blessing to his family. Just a side note, I was able to understand all that he said and made understandable comments. My Spanish is improving, thanks to these sweet patient people that will converse with me.

Hno. Huanca's mother in her beautiful Cholita dress at the temple.

Hermano Huanca is just one of many that sacrifice so much to serve in the Temple on a regular basis. Hermana Umei also comes from La Paz every month for a week. I have talked about Hermana Flores before, she is my "gemela" or twin. All of her children live in Tarija (about 20 hours away).  When her husband retired, five years ago, they moved to Cochabamba to serve in the Temple. It's hard for these good brothers and sisters to serve missions for economical reasons, so this is the Flores' way of serving a mission. So many faithful saints willing to sacrifice so much for this great work.

Thanksgiving Day was different for me as you can imagine. Years ago Becky came home from Institute and said her teacher challenged them to pray in thanks for 30 minutes. At first it seemed long but over the years, especially this one I feel like I could go on and on. I was able to offer my Thanksgiving Prayer from 5:40 am to 7:00 am, all in Spanish. It was the best one ever. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father understands my Spanish and I'm also grateful that I had an hour and twenty minutes worth of Spanish words to say.

After spending a wonderful relaxed morning together, we went on an adventure. We were looking for the right trufi to take to Stake Conference on Sunday. Hno Flores said to take the 107 or 207. We ended up walking all the way and taking the 207 home. Since it was Thanksgiving I had fixings to make a lovely dinner, but with the choice of an adventure and possible dinner out with my husband or staying at home cooking, well of course I chose the adventure. It was fun, but we took too long to stop for dinner so I just made cup of noodle soup, crackers, cantaloupe and cookies. A perfect Thanksgiving feast.

From the moment we decided to put in our mission papers and sell the house last year, I have felt a lot of emotions, but the over-riding emotion that continues with me daily is gratitude. Gratitude for everything in my life right now. For this amazing opportunity to serve. It is the perfect first mission for me in every way. I love being with my companion 24/7.  I love spending everyday in the Temple. The words of the ordinances are in my head and my heart, I want to use this time to glean all I can from them, to understand them more and to appreciate and utilize them more in my life.

I'm so thankful for these people. I love their simple, humble, gentle, patient ways. They have accepted me with open arms, hugs, smiles and kisses. I love there soft-spokeness. I want to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I strive and pray that I will know when He needs me and that I will be ready. I love my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the assurance that they are taking care of my family while we are away. I feel it, even with all that is going on with Sawyer I feel His Hand in our lives. I'm also so grateful that my mother is happy and in a good place for her. Nancy and her family are so good to her and they have such a sweet spirit in their home. I'm also grateful that my sister Lyndie lives fairly close and visits mother often. Our children are all in a good place, progressing in their lives, and they love and care for each other. I can't ask for more than that.

Stake Conference, Villamontes Members

[November 24-30, 2015]

Nativity at the Temple at night.

Tuesday 24 November 2015
There was a good sized group of men from Villamontes at the temple today. Villamontes is at least 18 hours away, southeast of Santa Cruz, past Camiri. It was clear that, for some of these brethren, it has been a while since they were last here From what I can determine, they try and have a temple trip for their stake once a year. It's really a sacrifice for them, and shows their faithfulness and determination.

Saturday 28 November 2015
At the temple, the sessions were pretty slow, but I officiated at the first one, with only three brothers. The couple that I invited to help in the session was so cute. They are from Oruro, and she looked like she didn't understand Spanish very well. It was cute to watch her husband whisper to her so she would feel comfortable helping. She was so humble. She hardly ever looked up when I looked at her, and she was so respectful throughout the session. She was 100% attentive, though, trying to learn and understand everything she needed to know. It was sweet to be there with them.

Sunday 29 November 2015
We went to the Cobija Stake Conference this morning. We took the Rojo B Bus downtown, planning to just walk the extra six blocks or so. As we walked, we met Hno. Salazar, who lives downtown, and walked the rest of the way with him.

When we got to the Stake Center, there weren't many there, yet, but it filled to capacity by 9:00 when it started. We saw so many people that we knew - it was fun to greet them.

The Stake President, President Arias, spoke first. He was a bit harder to understand, but he is such a good Stake President. It is clear he loves the people, and knows how to communicate with them.

The second speaker was a young mother, and she talked about the Proclamation on the Family, and how it was such a good guide for her, for women, and for her family.

The next speaker was a member of the High Council, and he talked about his family.

President Mogrovejo from the Temple Presidency spoke about the temple and how important it is. He told the members that he really would like it if each of them came to the temple just once a week. He mentioned that if they did, the workers wouldn't have time to eat lunch (we don't eat lunch on our shifts now, anyway), but that would be a good problem to have.

Elder Moscoso, our Area Seventy, spoke last. His message was very good, about the temple, family, FHE, finding our direction (like GPS, or the Liahona in the Book of Mormon) through the scriptures and the gospel. He told about his family, and how, when their fourth child was born, that he realized how much work his wife was doing to keep everything juggled. So, he encouraged fathers to help more, and recognize how critical their wives were. His message was very good and timely.
All in all, there was lots of counsel about the importance of wives and mothers.

This is Molly. I just wanted to mention the wonderful choir that sang in Stake Conference. They were from JAS (Jovenes Adultos Solteros or Young Single Adults). There were about twenty of them and they sang out with feeling. The songs were all Primary songs including the medly of "Army of Helaman and Sisters in Zion." They added another song to the medley which I cannot remember at this time. They also sang one of my favorites, "I Know That My Savior Loves Me." The director was a girl that comes to the temple to do baptisms regularly. Sister Copa, the new obrera (mentioned previously), and her younger sister also sang in the choir. The accompanist was Michael Salazar, the son of the couple that had us over for dinner a couple weeks ago. He is so talented. I think he arranged the accompaniment for most of the songs. I love to hear the Primary songs sung in Spanish. It really added to the spirit of the meeting.  

Here are some pictures for the week:

The "Pesebre", or Manger on the Temple grounds.

December in Cochabamba!

Hno. Paredes buying Pineapple at La Cancha.

Don and Karren Runquist - leaving next Monday. We'll miss them.

Native attire here in Cochabamba. (Picture by Jim Calder)