A visit from Elder Waddell

We were blessed with a visit from Elder Waddell. We picked him up Tuesday night, Sept 9. One of my favorite parts of the experience was sitting at the kitchen table and just talking with him. He said one main purpose of his trip was to check on and help us. We felt loved and strengthened and lifted. (This calling is a challenge!) We flew with him to Sucre for a 5 hour mission zone conference and a stake training meeting that evening, then back here for another zone conferene and multi stake meeting. The third day (Friday) we held the last zone meeting and sent him to La Paz to reorganize a stake. We were exhausted after all the training and conferences, and worried about him. He told us that as soon as the conferences are over exhaustion hits, but when it is time to serve again he is lifted and able to do what the Lord needs of him. What a great man. I loved how every zone conference was slightly different. One of them he really came down on obedience, another he spent a bit more time  telling the missionaries that they were called to this mission because of the mission president! (well, that is a little humbling!) the third conference was a bit more doctrinal. It was so interesting how he adapted to the spirit/mood in each meeting and what the missionaries needed and were ready for. Here are a few photos of our 264 missionaries.

Traveling the Mission, A photo journey

We took 6 days to visit the southern parts of the mission. This involves a plane flight to Sucre where we picked up the mission vehicle that stays in Sucre. Luckily is it a 4 wheel drive car - we drove and drove through the altipano of Bolivia, It is beautiful. (sorry I am still figuring out how to post the photos, they move around between my uploading them and the final 'publish page' . . . I will learn)

Bolivian traffic cones --- gotta pay attention because . . .

road construction has little warning!

Seat belts???? Not a law in Bolivia

First stop Betanzos, We found a quaint little
chapel on Calle Mormones

 On to Potosi . . . . You can almost touch the sky.
One of the highest cities in the world at 13,400 feet

Then the fun started. LLAMAS, everywhere, on the roads, in the
fields, wandering free on being herded. Although we disagreed
on how to pronouce the name (llamas, yamas, jamas depending
on where you learned spanish) we LOVED watching them

I really took this photo . . . From the window of the car!

Llamas everywhere

and goats . . . .

and burros. It made the drive exciting.

We stopped for a little fun at the Salt Flats
in Uyuni . . . 

Our super human assistants . . .

The drive to Queriza is beautiful with the red rock mountains

Sheep and goat herders are usually young boys or women

 and the green fields by the river are beautiful.

Queriza!

Our missionaries are helping to build the roof on the house in
the center. It will be used for tourists.

I just had to get  photo of this electric meter in an adobe 

The first chapel in Bolivia, was built inQueriza, a very special place.
 It was dedicated by Spencer W Kimball and there are many stories about this special
place. The piano was fun to play . . . a little out of tune but the people of Queriza did not care. They just SANG.

The chapel and the beam.

Missionaries are the best! 

A great place to interview the elders

This picture tells the real story. These are the incredible children of Queriza, many of them are non-members who came to hear us speak. My favorite part of the evening was when President Hansen had 6 young boys up in front and was using them to help tell a story. He then opened his scriptures to read what Jesus had to say about children. I loved watching how those 6 boys crowded to be able to see in the scriptures what the Savior had to say about children. These are beautiful, loving, faithfilled people.

Missionary stories - tender mercies

We returned on Monday from touring our mission. This is a HUGE mission and we took plane flights and drove and drove and drove. We saw beautiful open spaces, and met the most loving and open people I have ever been privileged to know. We gave 3 firesides, spoke in Sunday meetings, President interviewed over 50 missionaries and many members of the district for whom he functions as a quasi-stake president.  I will post photos to share that experience within a few days. Tonight I wanted to share stories. Just a few ways we see the hand of the Lord in this work.

President Hansen reads MANY letters each week. We have 264 missionaries in our mission, and they are all supposed to write each week. He often shares little snippets of stories from the letters in his talks, I wanted to post a few here.

One pair of elders were weary after a long day with no lessons. They prayed silently to find someone to teach. Soon a young child came up to them and asked "do you know how to pray?" "Yes", the elders replied."Could you come to my house and teach my family how to pray?"  The elders were welcomed into the home by the parents and were able to teach this family how to pray.

Two sisters were visiting with a family and asked the family how they were doing with the challenge by the area presidency to read the Book of Mormon before years end. The father of the family replied that they were doing great. When he told the sisters where they were in their reading the sisters were surprised. This family was doing really well. The sisters asked if they could read with the family and asked if the father would like to start. A little embarrassed the father admitted that neither he nor his wife could read. But their children had read to them every day. It was the children who accepted the challenge and were helping the family meet their goals.

We have seen that it is often the children and the youth who are stepping forward here in Bolivia. We have many missionaries who are the only member in their family. They serve missions because they have testimonies. They often serve without the support of their family. They are strong, and valiant. President often tells a story of one of our elders who was invited to play soccer with the church youth. He came, played, learned, and joined the church at age 17. He then invited his friends to come play with the church youth. Six of his friends came, played, learned and joined the church. Currently all 7 of these youth are serving missions.

One last story. We had our first 'cambios' (changes) a few weeks ago. It is a daunting task to assign missionaries to the areas that the Lord would have them serve, and to break apart and make new companionships. President Hansen fasted, prayed and stood before the transfer board with photos of our 264 missionaries for hours and hours. And he made the changes. In the missionary letters the next week he read a letter of a sister missionary who was very unhappy about having to leave her companion, and area she had grown to love. . . but she was faithful and did it anyway. The next week President received another letter from this same sister. She was from Brazil and spoke Portuguese. She excitedly wrote to the president and thanked him for placing her in her new area. She loved her new companion, AND they had just found 3 new investigators from Brazil who spoke Portuguese. She was excited to be able to teach the gospel in her native language to these new investigators.  President Hansen did not know there were people waiting to hear the gospel in Portuguese in this area . . . but the Lord did. And the Lord sent a sister who could teach them.

What a joy it is to see the Lords hand in His work.  We are blessed to be here.

Our New Companion

POST BY SARA :)

We have had a wonderful two weeks here. We have enjoyed spontaneous speaking assignments and the testimonies of the Bolivian people. We have taught with the missionaries and have been in the homes of people learning about the gospel. We have loved seeing the random jobs people find...and are tempted to try them out in the states (ex: the "care takers" and "protectors" of our car who wait outside of our car until we get back...who would've known what would've happened if that 5 year old wasn't there to watch the car? Also, teens randomly splashing water on the front window during red lights then quickly washing it, the jugglers who stop traffic, etc.) We have spoken at stake activities and enjoyed the privilege of living across the street from the temple. We have wandered through the marketplace and found souvenirs sold by the crowds of "cholitas". We have gotten to know the familiar dogs always roaming outside of the temple gates. We have gotten haircuts (however, I sure lucked out and got a native haircut. She put it in a ponytail in front and said, "Now don't be startled at the amount I cut off..." Hmmmm...) We have started to drive like Bolivians and learned how to follow the optional red and green stop lights. We have learned how to follow Sonia's directions and obey her commands. We have felt the special spirit of the missionaries and talked with them and laughed with them. We have sent off the first group of missionaries returning to their home after 2 years of service and received the very first group of missionaries starting their service. We have laughed, we have cried, we have finally been able to spend time together after 18 months.

The first hugs at the airport

view of Cochabamba from the Cristo de la Concordia

Three Hansen missionaries

Teaching with the sister missionaries

note:  I have not posted photos of our wonderful missionaries because of church policy that I need to follow . . . (I need to have permission before I post and I cannot list names). The church wants to protect its missionaries. So I will not post the names of these wonderful sisters on this site. We had a wonderful experience with these missionaries (and yes - I have permission :)  kh

Morning Walks and shopping - a Photo Journal

Our beautiful morning walks 

      

We have the PERFECT morning walk. This is the street right outside our home. You can see the cobblestone street and the walls that surround each block of homes. In this neighborhood you have to knock on the outside door to gain entrance to the front yard and the front door.

This is the block we walk around! It is a little less that a half a mile. One of our first mornings we meet President Jensen, the temple president walking around the temple with a big trash bag in his hand. People love to sit on the lawns outside the temple, and we are also right by a school. Trash accumulates on our beautiful temple landscape, and most mornings President Jensen arises early to clean the temple grounds. But we have also found a joy in picking up the trash BEFORE he gets there. Our help Sonya told us she saw President Jensen wandering around with a confused look one morning - - - we beat him to trash pick up! :)

Saturday morning we were surprised at the SNOW that was left in  the mountains behind our home after a night of rain.

Adventures in shopping.  Finding new things is really a lot of fun!

Grocery shopping has been a fun adventure. Milk comes in bags.

Yogurt comes in bags AND 2 liter bottles! It is delicious

You do not pay extra for brown eggs - they all are brown.

Except for these LITTLE quail eggs.

No, I am not sure WHO would want to eat cold cereal called choko snails,

and I do not know WHY they have canned boiled peanuts.

On Saturdays there is an outdoor market. This Saturday I picked up some fruit that I have no idea what it is - but I know Sonya will know how to fix it for us.  There are lots of strange new things to try.

This boy is pushing our shopping cart! We could not carry it all by hand.

,

Just a few more fun Bolivian discoveries -

They DO have carne asada fries here . . .Bolivian style

This is Pike Macho - it is fried potatoes
seasoned spicy meat, and then they add peppers, carrots, HOT DOGS slices, onions tomatoes and of course . . the boiled egg.

And the last discovery - - - a restaurant named Tuesdays  (a lot like Fridays!)

A final story. Friday night we were asked to go to a hospital to visit a teenage boy who was in intensive care.    

A storm had come up that evening, and we struggled a bit finding the hospital in the dark wet weather without a good map. We arrived and the missionaries met us. We were introduced to the mother of the sick boy and President Hansen told her I could not speak Spanish. She looked at me and said (in spanish) she does not need to speak with words, she understands with her spirit. She proceeded to explain all that had happened to her son and I did understand the gist of the story. We then walked into the intensive care unit. A sweet cholita woman (native Bolivian, native dress, black hair in braids down to her waist, scarf in her hair - beautiful woman) came up to the missionaries and asked them if they could do something for HER son. They explained the blessing of the sick and annointing with oil. She asked if they would bless her son. And so President Hansen and the missionaries annointed and blessed this unconscious boy. As they began to pray she looked over at me with huge tears rolling down her cheeks. She edged over and laid her head on my arm (she was too short to reach my shoulder). and she began silently mouthing her prayer along with theirs.  Following the blessing Pres. Hansen invited her to pray for her boy. What a heartful, tearful, loving, faithfilled prayer! After she had finished she looked at me again  and just reached and held on to me.  We left to visit the boy we had come to see. I learned a lot that night. The mother of the boy we had originally come to see was right. Words are not always necessary or even needed.  Sometimes they just get in the way.

AH Bolivia!

Our first guests from Tupiza

We arrived last Friday to our new home. The airport in Cochabamba has two stories, and people wait to see the new arrivals from the second floor balcony. We walked off the plane, down the stairs and across the tarmack. As we drew closer to the ´terminal´we heard "PRESIDENT HANSEN!" and we glanced up for our first look at OUR MISSIONARIES smiling and waving wildly! After gathering our luggage we were able to walk into the lobby to see an large banner welcoming us to the Cochabamba mission. It was surrounded by our assistants and office Elders and President and Sister Dyer. Let me just share a few of our first impressions of this remarkable place. Cochabamba is a big city with old and new all mixed together. For example, there is a nice, modern Mercedes Benz dealership sharing a wall with a small little tienda (I do not even know if the tienda has a door). Downtown has high rise buildings, and there are tree lined streets and parks and plazas with statues and water fountains. The traffic is interesting. I believe there ARE traffic laws, (I see stop signs and speed limits) but I do not think ANYONE follows any laws. There are many ´rotundas´(circular intersections)but I have NO IDEA if anyone has a right of way. It is a bit stressful being the passenger in the car but I think Mark is enjoying driving like a Bolivian. It will be a VERY long time before I drive here. (if ever!) The temple is absolutely beautiful. It is on a slight hill surrounded by lush green lawns and large trees. But the most beautiful thing about the temple are the people who come here. Many people and many cultures come here. I love to drive by and see the families and youth groups sitting on the lawns inside and outside the temple grounds. i love to see clothing. There are many different styles of hats that are worn depending on where you are from in Bolivia. As well as many different styles of clothing. People travel here from parts of Peru and Chili. On Tuesday morning we were to greet a group that were coming from Tupiza (southern Bolivia). But their bus met with blockades and they did not arrive until Tuesday night. (for political reasons there are blockades where the streets and roads are closed . . . it sounds like a common occurance :) ). Anyway these people had traveled for 25 hours before coming to the mission home so they could get their temple recommends renewed. One couple was also being sealed. These people came here tired and (I found out) hungry. They were small in stature but their spirit filled the whole room. It was tangible. And the love for us, whom they had never met, (but we represented the church to them) was also very real. It was almost indescribable. The mission home is directly behind the temple (across the street). There are two bay windows upstairs from which I have the best view of the temple! And across the valley and on top of another small hill is one of the worlds largest statues of Christ. I love to look out this window at night and see the temple lite up in front of me and the statue of Christ glowing on a hill not far away. Our home is beautiful, with large pictures of Christ hanging on the walls from a remodel of the temple. It has the most welcoming spirit here. I have felt at home since I got here and I think it is just because it is the mission home. It is a special place. We have many people looking out for us. Just like the elders have a pensionista who cooks for them twice a day, we have our ayudar (help) named Sonya. She is an angel. She cooks for us twice a day on week days - and cares for the house but she also is helping us know what and how to do things. The elders, (our assistants, secretary, and office staff) look after us and tell us where to go and when and what to do! We would be lost with out all these people helping and guiding us. We are doing well, and we are watched over and cared for as we learn our duty. Tomorrow we travel to Sucre to continue interviewing all 270 of our missionaries in the first few weeks. I will write about Sucre next. It is supposed to be a wonderful and beautiful city. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. We feel them. I have shared my testimony 3 times in SPANISH! (yes I did ask for a little help when I got stuck) but I am learning. President Hansen is just that - PRESIDENT HANSEN. (Whom the Lord calls he qualifies!) with love, Kathy