A Wonderful Day! and Feliz Día de las Madres

[27 May 2017]

Today was one of the sweetest missionary days we have had.

We started out checking the hermanas' apartments. We’ve done this once before, when Sister Hansen asked us to see how livable all the missionary apartments were. This time we were asked to just check on the sister’s apartments, again, as a more routine check of cleanliness, etc. None of the sisters that are here now were here when we did the previous check. The apartment that was not as clean last time was the cleanest this time. It’s interesting to remember how young the missionaries are, and that they really aren’t that different from our own children at these ages. Some of them were tidy, some weren’t.

Right after that, at about 10:30, we took a rapidito to Charaja. We needed a signature from Patrona to complete the process to get her son, Willian, on the records of the church. As we noted earlier, he was baptized back in November of 2012, but his record got lost somewhere. After receiving instructions from the mission, we just needed one of his parents’ signatures to finalize the paperwork.

When we got there, the whole Martinez family of Adrian and Gladys were out in the yard working. So, we said “Hi”, and they got chairs out for us to sit on. We visited a while and then went and got the signature from Patrona. I held her little one while she signed.

Then we went back to visit with Adrian and Gladys. He and two of their sons were doing the laundry. They had 5 plastic wash tubs with increasingly cleaner water in each one. Adrian did the scrubbing with his hands and a brush and put the clothes in the next one where the son was rinsing. Then, after wringing the clothes he put them in the next basin for another rinse and wringing. The second son would get water from a source that I didn't actually see, on the edge of the yard, to fill up the next basin with clean water. Such a process, especially with 6 children.

Charlie was visiting with Luis, a nephew who actually lives with his Uncle and Aunt, Eleuterio and Patrona, next door. He had some great questions for Charlie. He got baptized about the same time Eleuterio and Patrona did about 5 years ago, and has been to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. He will graduate next year and then go on to serve his year of armed service. It isn’t exactly mandatory, but without it, it is nearly impossible to get into a good university and program leading to a profession. He wants to become a mechanical engineer, so Charlie told him our Matt is a mechanical engineer and enjoys it. Luis clearly wants a better life/job than what he sees from his uncles. Adrian told us that he leaves for the mine he works in at about 4:00 pm Sunday, and comes back home at about the same time the following Saturday. To get to church in Tupiza, they have to leave at about 8:00 am on Sunday, and would get back home at about 1:00 or 2:00 pm, not leaving a lot of time for other things. For Mother’s Day, he got to be home on Saturday, and it was impressive to see that he spent the extra time off working so hard to help his wife and family.

While Charlie and Luis visited, I offered my services to Adrian. It was fun to help him do the laundry. We had a good conversation. He told me a little about working in the mines. It is dangerous and the roof has caved in on him before, but he is tranquilo about it because he knows he has to feed and clothe and keep a roof over his family, and he trusts that God will protect him.

I asked him if we were on the last rinse, and he said the mother of the house would have to decide that. They needed another rinse according to Gladys, so the son brought another bucket of fresh water. The boy that had been helping rinse was hanging up the clothes on the bushes and the line. We didn't hang all of the clothes out because the wind had picked up and would make them dirty. Charaja, like Tupiza is very dusty. So they took the wet clothes in the house to hang and maybe bring them outside later. Adrian is a happy person, as is Gladys. What delightful people!

While I was helping Adrian, Gladys was off doing things, cooking, etc. We had been there quite a while and we knew they had lots to do, so we told them we needed to go. They had already brought us some purple jello, but she said, "Won't you share our meal with us?" So we stayed.

She cooked it in a big, round top, outdoor, oven that they built. The door was the right height to open when standing. It had storage spaces underneath. It was made of adobe, as are their homes, fences etc. She and the other children had been cleaning, sweeping, etc., getting ready for us to eat with them as well as preparing the food.

The food was very delicious, very traditional Bolivian. She brought us a big bowl of soup of clear broth with vegetables (squash, peas, potatoes, onions and lima beans) and noodles, with perijil (parsley) on the top. Oh,  and a good sized piece of meat. It was good and plenty filling for us, but we knew more was coming. Adrian brought us a big plate heaped with a steak sized piece of meat (probably beef), and a piece of chicken, with three kinds of potatoes (sweet potato, regular and the finger ones), choclo (their corn), and a big helping of salad (lettuce, shredded carrots, and slices of tomato) that she served with salt and oil that you could put on yourself. We opted to share the plate. They seemed ok with that. It was way too much food for just one of us.

"Finger Potatoes" - we don't really know what
they are called, but they look like "fingers"
(or big grubs).

We ate at a card table size plastic table in the room where mom and dad sleep. The boys sat on the bed. She has a lot of crocheted things in the room that she has made – very beautiful – such as lace edges on table cloths, and lace doilies and a blanket that I helped rinse earlier, to name a few.
Adrian asked Charlie a lot of questions about going to the temple and about coca leaves and the Bolivian practice of chewing them, etc. His dream is to take his family to the temple. Their family is a bit complicated, because out of the 6 children that they are raising, only two of them are their biological children. The others are from previous relationships. They would need to be adopted legally to be sealed to them.

We caught a rapidito back and got to the church about 3:30 (I needed to use the baño, no surprise, we were in Charaja for over 3 1/2 hours). We helped Noellia Duran, Nicole Rivas and Isela Vargas blow up balloons for the fiesta for el Día de las Madres that was scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm.
We ran home, and came back between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, knowing that it would not have started, yet. But, there were quite a few people there. The balloons looked beautiful on the walls and curtains. They were also strategically placed on the floor like a runway. We watched as Luis, the Branch Secretary, and Presidente James, the first counselor in the Mission Presidency who spends a significant amount of time here, related to his work, got the music and food ready. It finally got started about 6:30.

Hna. Rosa Martinez (she really does smile) with Molly

 It was such a sweet tribute to us mothers. The men went in the kitchen and prepared the plates with food that members of the branch had made, and then served us. It was yummy – chicken, rice and a very yummy potato salad with cooked carrots and mayonnaise and (surprisingly) no egg. They also had llajua (Bolivian salsa)  that Pte. James passed around. It was all very good and very traditional Bolivian.
Everyone who comes into a room hugs and kisses everyone. I love that custom. I sat by Hna Rosa. She is 64 and is a happy, smiley, tough cholita. She raised 3 girls and 3 boys on her own after her husband got sick and died. She worked in the campo growing vegetables and selling them. Her children helped her when they weren't in school. All of her children are active in the church. She has 9 grandchildren. One of her daughters, Hna. Roxane, lives in our Rama. I love her. We laughed and talked a lot.
 

The Día de las Madres card

Molly with her “children”

The program was emceed by Pte. Gutierrez, the Elders’ Quorum president. Pte. James gave a brief talk about mothers and then invited all of us mothers one at a time to take our walk of fame on the runway, after which one of our children or one of the children in the branch, or our spouse, as in my case, gave us our memento. It was an artificial rose and a home-made card with a sweet quote from Pres. Faust. "No existe un bien mayor en la tierra que el que proviene de la maternidad. La influencia de una madre en la vida de sus hijos es incalculable". There were 3D flowers on the front, with the quote inside and a picture of the mother with her children and some stickers of hearts and flowers, and “Feliz Día de la Madre.” My picture was with my missionary children, the missionaries here in the branch.

Hna. Patrona Martinez on the “Walk of Fame”

It was very sweet and very well planned. Every mother was recognized and took their walk. There were about 15-20 mothers there with their children. The Martinez family from Charaja were on their way and got there just in time to take their walk. It was so sweet. They brought an investigator with them that they have brought to church a couple of times with her children. Tonight, her husband was with her as well.  She and another investigator were honored after their walk with a crown and a bouquet, and Noellia, the sister in charge, bore testimony to them of the friendship and love in the church, because it is Jesus Christ's church. She said many other good things about mothers, as well. It was so sweet and made us all feel very special.

After all that, we played a musical chairs game with some of the mothers and a dance with all of us mothers –  “The Macarena”. By this time it was almost 9. I don't know how much longer everyone stayed, but we went around hugging and kissing everyone to say our good-byes and walked home.
 

Some of our young friends in the branch

A cute little elephant

One thing you can say about these dear people is that they know how to love and give and serve. What little they have, they will share with you. They work hard. They make an effort to make everyone feel welcome. What a sweet day! I love these people and I love being here with my husband and I love being a madre.

Adrián and Gladys Martinez with four of their children.

The investigator family from Charaja.

One last picture. Remember (or not) that we told you about the barbershop that was really small? Here's the proof:

The tiny barbershop (Peluqueria). Just big enough for the client and the barber.

Villazón, Potosí, Connections and Miracles

[11 May 2017]

Our view of Elephant Mountain just after moonrise.

We are really loving our mission here in Tupiza. We are now into Autumn. It is getting colder at night, but the days are still lovely and warm, usually in the upper 60's to low 70's. We bought a heater to keep the edge off at night. It has gotten as low as 50 degrees outside and will get colder we're told. We also found a lovely, heavy wool blanket to add to our other heavy blanket, so we stay cozy.

We enjoy teaching the Temple Prep Class in both branches. Charlie is such a good teacher. He loves our students and he loves the Lord and His gospel and they can feel it. I love to hear him teach. I always bear my testimony as well. We are getting close to these good people.

Last Friday the Vicente family were baptized in Rama América. They are a beautiful family with 4 children. The parents and two oldest children, an 11 year old girl, and a 9 year old boy were baptized. Charlie talked to them about going to the temple with the District in July and doing baptisms for the dead for their own ancestors. They came to our Temple prep class the very next Sunday. They are so happy to have the gospel in their lives and want to participate in everything.

Along with the Vicente family was a young man, Pablo Calla, who is about 18 years old. His parents are both members but have not been to church for many years. He remembers going to church with them when he was very little. He specifically remembered the bread and water of the Sacrament being passed. His father was at the baptism and seemed very proud of his son. There were a lot of members from Rama América there to support these new members. The chapel was full.

Pablo with us after his baptism.

Pablo and his father.

The room where you watched the baptism was over full, with people standing all around the back and sides.  The branch choir as well as the Young Single Adult choir sang. Food is a big part of every activity and after the baptism, we were brought red jello with slices of banana in it and a piece of cake and a fruit drink.

Two weeks ago, we were invited to speak about Temple and Celestial Marriage at a YSA-Young Single Adult (JAS-Jovenes Adultos Solteros) fireside. We enjoyed a more relaxed presentation with them and shared our experiences as we prepared for and followed promptings and sought answers about getting married. We enjoyed it and we made them laugh and hopefully gave them some ideas of things they can do now to prepare.

Last Sunday we traveled to Villazón with President and Sister Hansen to their Branch Conference. We will get to work with them as well and had not yet had the opportunity to go there, so we were grateful to be able to go with President and Sister Hansen. Villazón is about an hour away to the South, right on the border of Argentina. The city is bigger than Tupiza. It is about 1500 feet higher in elevation and about 10 degrees F colder. The chapel was very cold. They don't have central heating. They do have little heaters, but I think they were not functioning that day. It was very good to be with them. We were asked to bear our testimonies in Sunday School and we attended their branch council, which was very well attended.

After the block of meetings the Relief Society served everyone a hot drink. It is made from boiling cut up fruit like apples, pears, and raisins, and cinnamon sticks in water, then adding coarsely ground corn meal (semolina) and stirring until it thickens. It was served hot and it was very yummy and warmed us right up.

We love the people. One of our favorites is Jeannette, the young mother that sells us produce and almost whatever other thing we ask about at the Mercado La Paz. She is always so helpful, smiley and friendly. We always go to her first when looking for something. She just had a baby a week or so ago and is back at work. Her mother, as well as her father, go with her to work sometimes and hold the baby or man the business while she takes care of him. We have met her husband and children. They are such a happy sweet family. This baby makes the fourth son and his name is the same as his dad's, Oscar. We have talked to her a little about the church and have given her a pass-a-long card with our name and phone number on it. We hope to visit with their family sometime.

There are many other people that we look forward to seeing as we do our shopping down town. I hope they look forward to seeing us too and that somehow we can have a positive influence here. Charlie always leaves everyone smiling or laughing.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the children. Sometimes, when the parents bring their children to our temple prep class and the children are needing some attention, I get to take them out and play with them. We have done a lot of hide and seek, origami, singing, and even soccer. I love it when they come up and give me hugs. One night while I was waiting for Charlie, an 8 year old boy, Lucas, talked to me for about 45 minutes. Once a grandma, always a grandma.

We enjoy our time with the young missionaries. We have District meeting once a week and Zone Conference every 6 weeks. Our last Zone Conference was this week. It was with two other zones and it was held in Potosí. Our zone leaders arranged for a bus to take all 16 of us, ten missionaries from Tupiza, two from Quiriza, and four from Villazón. We met at the church at 4:50 am. The Villazón elders had a problem getting here on time so we left at 5:30 am. We made the trip in 6 hours, averaging 25 miles an hour. It only takes 4 hours to get to Potosí from Tupiza in the smaller rapiditos, but we would have needed three of them.

Here's a graph of the bus speed vs. altitude as we went from Tupiza at about 9700 ft, to Potosí, with the pass just before getting there being 14,300 ft. in elevation. Gasp.

We got in to Potosí about 11:30. Zone Conference started at 11. We had the bus go a more direct route to the chapel. However, the very narrow streets of the neighborhoods we were in could not accommodate such a big bus. At one point, I could almost touch the door of the house through the bus window and the other side of the bus was almost as close. We ended up backing out of that street. It was crazy. We eventually, left the bus and walked the 10 or so blocks to the chapel. We were an hour late. The streets in Potosí are sometimes very narrow, often with very narrow to non-existent sidewalks. The one-way streets are sometimes only wide enough for a car or truck, so you have to be ready to step into a store or doorway to avoid problems. Ahhh, Bolivia.

Zone Conference was amazing! We learned a lot of good things and heard wonderful testimonies from missionaries and the Hansens. I am so impressed with these young missionaries, their dedicated service, enthusiasm and love for this work is inspiring. My favorite part was singing with all those missionaries in that big beautiful chapel. The Spirit was powerful and it sounded good too.

The return trip took longer than the trip there by 30 minutes or so, so we made it home at about 1:30 am. Luckily, a taxi came by the chapel just as we got out of the bus, and we didn't have to walk the mile home.

[Elder Lyon's turn, now]
Just two things to add. We went to visit a couple who have been here in the branch for a very long time, Adolfo and Clementina Tejerina. He was baptized in 1970, when there was only a branch out in Quiriza (about 15 miles away, over very rough terrain.) Back then, all he had was a bicycle, and he negotiated the bike path to get to church each week. He was the only one of his family to join the church. Given that it takes an hour to negotiate the 15 miles now, I can just imagine how long it took him.

As we were visiting, he indicated that he had served his mission here in Bolivia, and served first in Santa Cruz. This would have been a couple of years before I got there. So I asked him about Ruben Peña, one of the very strong members there at the time. He frequently fed us lunch, and told us about his missionary efforts on his trips to Argentina. He couldn't wait until the temple in Sao Paulo, Brazil was finished (still three years away when I was there.)

As we talked, and I expressed how much I appreciated Hno. Peña, Adolfo told me that he had baptized him while there as a missionary. Small world. It made me very happy to make another connection with one of the sweet, humble, faithful members here in Bolivia.

Hno. Peña feeding the missionaries lunch. 

Hna. Clementina Tejerina. She's a bit shorter than the normal Bolivians.

And lastly,  here's one of the incongruities that you see pretty regularly in Bolivia. Here is a picture of a dentist's office:

Note the name. Here's a blown up version so you can see it a bit better:

Consultorio Dental - Señor de los Milagros

I'm sure some dental work here requires miracles, but I'm not sure I want to go to a dentist who advertises that it'll be a miracle if he figures out what to do with your teeth.

'Til next time....