November 3, 2010

Hi everybody!

It's Saturday afternoon and I have an hour before we catch a cab to the Stake Super Saturday. I'll let you know how it compares. Yesterday when we went out it was clear and cold and the snow on the Andes was all the way down the mountains, but not into the city. GORGEOUS!!!! You haven't seen mountains unless you've seen these. There are none others like them even though there are others that are also spectacular. These are like the Wasatch Front doubled in height (because the valley floor is closer to sea level, and they are simply higher) and would stretch from Arcata, California to Hattiesburg, Mississippi like a humungous spine. One of the highest peaks is rounded on top like it was a huge bubble of something that just kept growing and growing and never flowed out. I need to find out its name. I've never seen a mountain peak like it. It had rained the night before and the air was as clean as creation. You could see forever. This experience bore witness to me of the great creator. His might and power are great; He all things did create. Muchas Gracias, Padre Celestial.

We have had a very busy and tiring week. Three all-day zone conferences in Spanish. We actually came late to one and cut out in the middle of another. BJ has rehearsed about 100 missionaries to sing Christmas music for the all-mission Christmas celebration. I think it's the only time when all the missionaries are together in one place. They sang their lungs out. It was amazingly beautiful. Some, especially Latinos (who comprise close to half the mission), have never sung in a group like this. Everyone who watches her do this wonders and asks where she got this talent. Yes, it's a gift, but she works hard at it and is exhausted after doing it three days in a row. This is what she was doing when I came into Jacksonville 3rd Ward and sat down in Sacrament Meeting in January of 1963. I had never (have never) seen anyone like her. She never ceases to amaze me. She is AMAZING!!

Week after next is Change Day (transfers) and we are getting more incoming greenies than go-homers, so the mission will be about 180. Getting ready and doing all the changes is a three week process and we have some new responsibilities. One of them is to weigh the luggage of the go-homers. If they are overweight they have to pay through the nose or leave stuff behind. Last change one sister was about 50# overweight (I mean her luggage was, I’m not sure about her) and wouldn't/couldn't let go of anything. I don't know how much she had to pay. Some of the South American airlines only allow one piece of luggage, so some Latino missionaries travel light.

After every go-home week we have a ton of newly donated (but not new by any means) clothes and shoes to sort through, saving what may useful and giving away the rest. I'm in charge of that. I still have six garbage bags of stuff to dispose of from last change. I was under the misimpression that there was a Bishop's storehouse which took it. Turns out it was one bishop and he doesn't want any more. I will offer it to our Las Lomas Branch or a family who is out of work and might be able to sell it for a few pesos. What we have to give away isn't much good, but what a thrill to outfit a poor missionary whose clothes have worn out with a “new” outfit. One this week needed a white shirt. When he saw how many we had he sheepishly asked if he could have two or three. Then he found a pair of tennyrunners that fit his long feet and was as thrilled as a 4 year old on Christmas. No shoes his size. The one pair I had were as bad as the ones he had. No deal.

We order and distribute all the supplies. This week a shipment of El Libro de Mormon arrived. Twenty nine cases, about 1025 copies, about two months supply. But, some pamphlets we haven't been able to get for months. Don't know why. Some things we copy in the office, but the copier is broke and beyond repair, so we walk a couple of blocks to a tiny copy store and get them for 10 pesos each, about 2 cents—not bad; cheaper than a new copier and paper. You pay for convenience, right? We try to save the widow's mite, but we are glad to also have Brother Huntsman's tithing. Do you think he would spring for a new copier? We need things copied all day long.

Each returning missionary gets a GoHomer Book, with copies of all his weekly letters to the President, photos, events, successes, converts, companions, areas, leadership assignments, release papers, etc. It is a really nice spiral bound volume, a nice souvenir for Mom and Dad.

Sunday 9:30 pm. A quick report on the weekend's activities. After spending all morning Saturday preparing our lessons, neither of us got to teach after all. Fifth Sunday. The Super Saturday was Super. They take their activities seriously. Two hours of the CES guy doing power point stuff about the Book of Mormon, Scripture Chase—sort of, with chocolate of course, then a year-end written test, then the fun began. Another dance festival, not a ballroom dance, but a staged event like the Bicentennial gala, only this time the dances were from all over Latin America with power point geography lessons taped or narrated by students. The two hours of non-stop dancing was exhausting for us. I can't imagine how tired they were. Of course our branch did the best, grand finale, from Mexico, with our seven youth, three sisters and four brothers from two families and the Branch Pres belting out live singing. His lack of talent was compensated by an abundance of volume and enthusiasm. Cab rides there and back: about $8 US. Costumes and electronics and surround sound : perfecto. As high tech as any of your events.

Today has been exhausting, even though we didn't get to teach. Branch council after the block; my first time to do the tithing in nearly 30 years; BJ played for a baptism without her glasses, sacrament meeting too. She was fit to be tied. I called it a miracle. She called it something less complementary. Hurry home for a quick spaghetti and salad, then I'm off to a “Bishopric Meeting” in another stake. Two cab rides and an hour later I arrive at the biggest LDS church I've ever seen. No wonder all the cab drivers know it as the Templo de los Mormones. Turns out it was three missions and all their stakes, at least a thousand people. Only bishoprics, stake presidency and relief society presidency. Elder David McConkie, the grandson of BRMcC, of the General SS Pres spoke. It was called a teaching meeting and that's what he talked about for 15 minutes then he had to go. He spoke English with a translator. I enjoyed it. The next three hours were Spanish: the temple pres, the entire area presidency and a wife or two, a young adult choir, hard seats, hot and sweaty in the middle of the gym, no visibility. They have looooonnnnngggg events. Sacrament meeting runs over every week. When it's about time to close they announce another speaker. BJ on her way to the organ has to be waved off. Cab fare today: over $20 with a free ride home with Andres and Sandra Toledo, bless their hearts.

Now I am at the little window watching the condominio's Halloween party. Decorations, refreshments, music, costumes. I don't know how trick or treat works, but we donated a bag of chewing gum, a very popular item among the elders. Hope the parents let the kids have some. Looks like the kids each got a bag of treats, some of them have plastic pumpkins. Their costumes are cute, mostly preschoolers. They are laughing and screaming and having a ball. Tomorrow is All Saints Day, hence tonight is a hallowed evening. They have celebrated All Saints for centuries, but only recently adopted some of our Halloween traditions. Why not”:L}{PO somewhere here in the dark is a question mark key. I just can't find it. I love Halloween. Have since I was a kid and filled three pillow cases. Didn’t you hate when people gave you an apple instead of something good? There's the key. I like to dress up and pretend and fool people and eat lots of candy. In Mississippi the only trick or treaters we get are our grandchildren. I'm enjoying this. An adult bumble bee just walked by the window. I see an adult witch handing out goodies. I wish I could go out and participate, but it is bed time and my PJs wouldn't make a very good costume.

Missionary blessing: we were having trouble hailing a cab Saturday. Turned down several times. A non cab stopped and a woman got out and said “Hermana. . . . . “ That was a clue she was LDS. They gave us a free ride to our stake center, far from theirs and their home. Very friendly, but none of us knew where we were going and couldn't speak each other's language. We agreed to let the spirit guide us. When we stopped to ask directions miles from where we started we were at the very intersection we needed and the four street vendors all knew where the church was and pointed us in the right direction. As we got out of the car they gave us each a popsicle. Yummy. We had them write their names and address, but getting out of the car I dropped the paper along with my invaluable hand drawn map and all our names, numbers, addresses, and cab driver instructions. I guess we'll rely on the spirit from now on. Our memories aren't all that good.

Is this hilarious or what? Now they want us to teach Seminary four nights a week. I don't see how we possibly can. No time—no lingua—no approval from the mission pres. Hope he says no or I may lose my testimony of being called by revelation. Looks like desperation hard at work in our struggling little branch. As we've visited other wards and stakes we see that we are indeed the least among them. Today at the region meeting there was a huge parking lot filled with hundreds of cars. We have two, sometimes. The branch Pres asked me in council meeting if we were getting our car this week. A little old abeula can't walk to the bus stop to get to church. She needs (our) help. Gladly. But the car is still very iffy. I learned today that we need to buy it in someone else's name, just like internet, which we still haven't been able to arrange. We hear rumors that they also want BJ to do a stake Christmas Choir. She will love it.

The party goes on till eleven. No school tomorrow. We're going to bed. It's not a holiday for missionaries. Good night, moon.

Monday at 11 :30 pm. Blair's Beauty Parlor is closed. The only patron is drying her newly colored hair and heading to bed. This gives the hairdresser a few minutes to relax and tell you we had a nice day. We had the office to ourselves till mid afternoon. The Post Office was closed for All Saints Day, but I didn't see people lining up for worship. In fact I don't see many churches at all, at least none in our neighborhood. A few little home churches in someone's house. Elsewhere we have seen some nice looking churches. Ours are the best/ SHE LIKES IT! \ We have green, watered, mowed lawns. Things are kept in good repair and painted, Red, pink, brown, white, orange—yes they are different than yours. The Mormons and the Latter-day Saints really know how to do things. The First Evangelical Baptist Church next door to ours is.. .well, I really shouldn't run them down for the way their building and gravel yard look. I understand that they don't believe in the law of tithing. I've never seen anyone there, but we go to another building on Sunday when they have church.

Tues. , 10:00 pm

We left the office early (6pm), came home and took a nap, supper, and a few minutes to finish this. Another nice day. We drove the pouch to the coast, always a relaxing treat. It was very foggy. On the way back the tops of the Andes poked above the fog as if they were just floating in mid air. A shipload of new cars had arrived in San Antionio, Chile's main port, and the highway was loaded with car transport trucks—empty ones headed to the coast, full ones headed inland. I didn't recognize the brand name. This is the first time we have done it all by ourselves and we didn't make one wrong turn!! Tomorrow we do the city route all by ourselves. Two months ago I doubted if we would ever be able to do this. This is a real metropolitan, 6 million plus city, but we have learned a lot of the major streets and freeways. We stopped at the street market (feria) in Penaflor for fruits and veggies and got the sweetest strawberries as big as a child's fist for $1/lb and cherries for a whole lot more than that. They are just coming on somewhere to the north, but the strawberries are local.

We love what we are doing, even though it is different than we thought. Our branch people have taken us in and loved us. We have met a lot of our stake people, several of whom speak good English. One Chilean couple we've become friends with both served missions English speaking, married (childhood sweethearts), went to BYU, taught at the Provo MTC, had three kids in the USA (citizens), graduated, returned home and started a business teaching English to businesses on contract. They are using the situational practice techniques they learned at the MTC and we think they will be successful.. They have been so kind and helpful to us. True friends, Vilma and Sergio Aguilef.

My best friends in the branch are Pablo, the EQ Pres who speaks a good bit of English, and the first counselor in the branch, Erasmo, both single RMs in their mid twenties with novios (girlfriends) trying to finish their educations and get married in a few years. Our daily friends are the missionaries. We get an email from each district leader each week requesting supplies. We have started replying to each one with a couple of encouraging sentences. Then we deliver their stuff during the week and see them face to face. They don't see the email until the next Monday on p-day when they get to go online again. They are so nice to us. The office elders and APs are our buds. They each separately commented on Mom's new hair color. Today, on election day we all wore red ties. Mom said red is for republicans. The democrats will have to use another color. We don't know how the election went, but will sneak a peak at CNN.com tomorrow to find out.

Of course, Mom is beloved in the office, the branch, the stake, and the whole mission. I heard a rumor that the stake wants her to do a Christmas choir for them, too. She hopes so. By the way, the mission pres said no way to the seminary idea. (Whew!) He says we are already overworked. We have to break the news to the branch pres. The current teacher, another RM, now has to work nights. Seminary at 8 pm seems to work well here. People tend to stay up later and there isn't much to do. Walking home tonight at six we were overwhelmed by a mob of students getting out of the colegio (high school level) on our street and heading for home and bus stops, etc. Didn't see any parents picking up kids or kids driving to/from school. The school parking lot holds about six cars but is never full. It is some kind of industrial arts school, boys and girls. Don't know the curriculum or what time school starts; they aren't there when we pass about 8:30 am. Uniforms of course with too-short plaid skirts and knee socks.

Made an offer on a car today. Haven't heard from the owner, but we will have to have a cosigner—actually he will own the car until we get status. The pres and family go tomorrow to stand in line all day to get their visas and ID numbers. They have been here over 4 months. You also pay your bills by standing in long lines, at the utility companies or the bank where you deposit your payment directly into the account of your landlord, etc. It's not real handy, but if you pay on time and in cash there are Serivpag contracts with some stores where you can pay some bills at a little booth with a shorter line. Handier. The line at the Maipu water company (I forget its name) is literally blocks long as the deadline for payment nears. Go at 7am and be out by 9 if you are lucky. There is a Servipag at a closet size liquor and tobacco store near the office where we paid two bills today with NO LINE AT ALL. It still takes a while for all the paperwork. As we waited a man came up to buy one cigarette, and an old woman bought an ice cream bar on a stick. Elder Barlow says the owner makes a killing. I am fascinated by the different ways of doing things here. Some better; some not.

We are well, happy, working hard (harder than we have for many years), tired at night but sleeping well, in good health, and getting into the groove. We're more brave about speaking Spanglish, learning slowly, and not discouraged, just surprised how incredibly hard it is. One brother said Spanish is easy, right? Sure, if you grew up with it. We laughed together. We get to laugh a lot. Our waitress yesterday corrected my request for pepper and we laughed. Keep laughing. Keep sane. The grocery clerk said (I think) that my Spanish was very good for only being here two months.

We love you all and your letters, photos and emails. Sorry we haven't been able to Skype lately. We hope to get internet a week from Friday, in someone else's name, of course. Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bad bugs bite. ByeBye. Chiaochiao.

MOM AND DAD, etc.

Wednesday afternoon:

Just checked the Hattiesburg American site. Yea!! Republicans in, Gene Taylor out. Prince Harry and Princess Nancy crippled. I am running on battery and will have to send this quickly. Brought the wrong power cord. Looks like no skyping today. Sorry. Hot today. LUV LUV LUV