Cambios - transfers - changes

Cambios! Missionaries count their time in cambios, Our lives are structures and revolve around them. Cambios are an incredible time of excitement and sorrow. Every six weeks we say goodbye to our missionaries. We go to the temple, have a special noche de hogar,  and then they are off. The same day that they are leaving we are greeting the newbies. Our new missionaries come in tired but with wide exited eyes. They usually have traveled for a long time arriving from the Provo, Mexico City, Lima or Bogata MTCs. In the midst of the comings and goings President needs to call new trainers, match new companions, move missionaries into and out of leadership positions as he feels inspired to. We have seen miracles in the process, and he has felt guided by the Lord. Although he stands alone it is wonderful to know he does not make the changes alone.

Christmas 2015, Photo Road trip through the Cochabamba Mission

Christmas in Bolivia 2014

Our first Christmas in Bolivia. We decided to spend it with the missionaries - traveling through out the mission and also mixing in a little family time with our daughter who came to visit for 10 days. 

In Bolivia, as well as in many South American countries, gifts are
not the priority for Christmas. In fact most of our Latino
missionaries did not receive gifts or cards for Christmas.
We kept track and made sure each missionary received
something! (we wrapped over 100 small packages)

Sonya keeps me sane. Here she is helping me bake cookies which we packaged and handed out to all our missionaries. We baked over 1000 cookies.

All 180 missionaries serving in Cochabamba gathered for a
Sunday night Christmas fireside. 

They loved being together.

On Monday we got to spend family time. We traveled to
Villa Tunari enjoying the green trees, rain and
waterfalls

Sara got to play with a monkey - he grabbed her hat, her earrings,
and climbed down to reach in her pants pocket and remove a coin.

Best of all was quiet time with our daughter who recently returned from her mission in Guatemala. It was a blessing for all of us!

On the 24th of December we flew to Sucre for another Christmas fireside, then quickly drove up to Potosi for a fireside Christmas eve

Potosi missionaries and President Hansen

Our awesome Potosi Missionaries

Christmas Eve, at midnight, fireworks woke me from a sound sleep, and Christmas morning
we woke to the sound of bells ringing from the Church. The city was quiet as we left early for
our next stop.

Driving in Bolivia is always fun, these llamas greated us right
outside Potosi

1

President hit the brakes as this herd of goats bolted across the road right in front of us

They safey crossed as the cholita/goat herder ran down the hill after them.

Our smallest and farthest area, Tupiza. The missionaries were waiting and even
decorated the church for our meeting.

On the 26th we were off again. We decided to try to save a few hours so we took the back road, the dirt road, to Uyuni. It worked and only took us 4 and a half hours. The drive was beautiful with the high altiplano Andes mountains, (you can see the ribbon of road along the tops of the mountains). 

Of course, we were entertained by the animals, 

We were excited to see quite a few vicuna. They are related to llamas but are much smaller. They have extremely soft fur and are not domesticated. They are very skittish little guys. 

This is a photo taken from the window looking down at a farm. I love the way adobe homes blend in with their surroundings. Corrals and fences are made with rock. In the small corral on the left a woman is caring for her animals.

I was very suprised when Sara asked if there were ostriches in Bolivia. I just laughed. But when she said she just saw a bush with two stumps we started looking for her strange animal. We found them! It was a Rhea, (an ostrich like bird). It is a near threatened species and lives in Bolivia, and other South American countries!

We arrived at Uyuni, where President had been asked to give a  Friday night Fireside to the small branch there. We took advantage of our location and spent a famiy day enjoying the worlds largest salt flats at Salar de Uyuni.

Isla de Pescado (fish island) right in the middle of the salt flats.

We had a GREAT time at the salt flats, 

Visiting a little Amarya town on the ourskirts

finding wild flamingos and viewing a volcano on the edge of the salt flats.

There a few llamas that wanted to say hi.

Sunday was Branch Conference. This is the entire Relief Society (including two Stake leaders from Tupiza and Sara and I) 

The children love to have their photos taken. The especially love to see themselves on the camera afterwards.

The end of our Christmas travels. We headed back to Cochabamba, Sara left for school and we started our first FULL year in Bolivia. 2015! 

Reposting facebook post from Elder Scott

Elder Richard G Scott posted this story on his facebook page. Quiriza is a beautiful, beloved small pueblo in the southern part of Bolivia. It is struggling, but progressing slowly. I included a few photos we took of Quiriza, at the end of Elder Scotts story.

Richard G Scott

10 hours ago

On Christmas Eve 37 years ago, in the light of a full moon, I climbed a small hill in the isolated village of Quiriza, Bolivia. Four young elders and I had spent the day crossing over a mountain pass on a treacherous road. Then we struggled up a riverbed to see if the teachings of the Savior would help a destitute people. What we saw that day was discouraging—undernourished children, adults subsisting on meager crops, some with eyes glazed from seeking refuge with alcohol and drugs. I looked at the tiny, barren village below: a cluster of adobe thatched-roof houses beaten by the harsh environment. The only evidence of life was barking dogs searching for food. There was no electricity, telephone, running water, roads, proper sanitation, nor doctors there. It seemed so hopeless. Yet a solemn prayer confirmed that we should be there. We found a humble people who embraced the restored gospel with determination to live it. They did that under harsh conditions where severe poverty, alcohol, drugs, witchcraft, and immorality were in plentiful supply.

Under the guidance of exceptional missionaries, the people learned to work hard to cultivate the fields. They produced a harvest of nutritious vegetables and raised rabbits for better protein. But the best lessons came from beloved missionaries who taught them of a God who loved them, of a Savior who gave His life that they might succeed. Their physical appearance began to change. The light of truth radiated from their happy faces. As devoted, loving emissaries of the Lord, missionaries patiently taught truth to a willing people. Wives and husbands learned how to live in harmony, teach truth to their children, pray, and sense guidance of the Spirit.

I watched a six-year-old boy who had carefully observed our first baptismal service act out with his younger sister what he had seen. He carefully arranged her hands, raised his tiny arm to the square, mumbled words, gently lowered her into a depression in the sun-baked earth, led her to a rock where he confirmed her, then shook her hand. The youth learned most quickly. They became obedient to the light of truth taught by the missionaries and in time by their own parents. Through their faith and obedience, I have seen how in one generation youth baptized in that village have overcome a seemingly hopeless future. Some have been missionaries, graduated from universities, and been sealed in the temple. Through their diligence and obedience, they have found purpose and success in life despite an early harsh physical and evil-saturated environment. If it can be done in Quiriza, Bolivia, it can be done anywhere.

The drive to Quiriza is stunning with red rock mountains.

Few things have changed 

The chapel in Quiriza

 Beautiful faces of a beautiful people.
The people of Quiriza, Bolivia (and 2 nortes:) 

White Christmas

We will miss celebrating Christmas in the United States with our children and grandchildren.  But we rejoice in the blessing of serving in Bolivia and having a "white Christmas" Bolivian style--not with snow flakes and frosted trees, but with valiant missionaries and beautiful people dressed in white, entering into the waters of baptism to make a sacred covenant to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ and be numbered among His sheep.
 

The young man on the left was recently baptized by his friend (on the right).
His friend leaves to serve a two-year mission in Peru in 10 days.
He's going to be a great missionary. 

Here are three of our happy missionaries who taught the young man in preparation for his baptism.  Baptisms for missionaries are a very special kind of pay day. 

Here is another picture of the young convert, with his sweet mother, who is not a member of our Church.  I admire her faith and confidence in her son, for giving permission for him
to be baptized into a religion different than her own.  I promised her that the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will make her son an even better man than he
already is if he remains true to his covenants.

  

Here I am after the baptism of this 12-year old young man.  I interviewed his father for baptism a few months ago, and formed a friendship.  His father, who was not able to perform the baptism, asked me to baptize his son.  What an honor.  Right after this photo, when I learned he didn't own a tie, I gave him mine.

 

This is what it's all about--an entire family being baptized and progressing towards the blessing of being sealed together for time and all eternity in one of the Lord's holy Temples.

And then occasionally there's time to unwind and relax.  Kathy and I felt
so honored when these amazing missionaries invited us, the night after the sixth and
final zone conference, to join them on the rooftop of their apartment in Tupiza,
where they barbequed some delicious Argentine steaks for all of us.  It brought
back memories of the delicious asadas I enjoyed as a young missionary in
Argentina back in 1974-76.  Just for fun, I am posting my pre-missionary picture
1974 below.  (Upon arriving in the Salt Lake City Mission home, they invited me
to get a new, shorter haircut.)