Journal snippits

The Primary President and another gentleman and a small child came into the room where I was at the church and I spent time showing the child photos of our grandchildren. The little girl had fun looking at pictures of Sarah who is not much older than she is. We ended up talking about missionaries and how hard a mission can be. Sister Ango's daughter has her papers in. She said she has told her, "Do not go just because you want to see a new place, or just to leave home or to try something different. Only go if you want to sacrifice and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ". So true. 

The council meeting went pretty well. I thought it bogged down a bit here and there but they are telling all the leaders that they will begin a monthly interview. The leaders did not previously know which counselor had responsibility for their organization. It will be a big step forward if they talk individually and each organization can discuss their challenges and concerns with a member of the presidency. They each received another list of all of the people who have been baptized in the last 2 years. There are five pages and only 10 are active. That needs to be improved! They need to call more people - a regular calling or at least have a specific assignment. We need lots more fellow shipping.  This branch is still mostly worrying about the next scheduled meeting and what do we need to do for that. They are beginning to lift their sights and see a broader perspective.

District meeting at 9:30. We expected Thomas to come at 8:00 to our apartment to get copies of the BofM reading chart to add to the material he is sending to San Cristobal. He did not come but he attended the district meeting so we were able to give him the copies then. It is great that he was at the meeting because he is the ward mission leader. Marcello was there also. We met Elder Castenada for the first time. He is our new district leader and a great guy. He is from Otavalo and has is hair in a braid as is their tradition. Each of the missionaries shared what they remembered best from the Mission Conference with Elder and Sister Uceda. He emphasized that we are looking for people not only to be baptized but to endure to the end, go to the temple and prepare to live again with Heavenly Father. He said everyone needs to be taught and supported so that they pray, read the scriptures and attend the meetings of the church. This needs to be the pattern of their lives in order to endure to the end. They were encouraged to involve the members in every lesson. They talked about rescuing the less actives and supporting the recently converted in addition to finding new converts. This is so important. I am glad it is being taught to the missionaries and they are encouraged to use their time for these purposes as well as finding new individuals. We have so many recent converts who are not attending church. The members must know the new people and include them and support them as they learn to be members of the church. It is a big change for most people.

Lewis spent a lot of time today fixing membership records and making a some charts and forms for the presidency. We made more copies of parts of the handbook for Pres Tite so he could counsel his auxiliary leaders. I joined a lesson with Gustavo Ortiz. He is very interested in religion and spends a lot of time praying. He is reading the BofM. I can't understand much of what he says. The sisters are great teachers. Hopefully they are understanding everything. In my uninformed opinion he wants to get baptized as soon as possible and that is a bit of a red flag. Went home and had dinner and returned for our appointment with Yuliana. Her class begins next Sunday and she wants us to attend and contribute a bit. We were not able to figure out how to recover a lost email address. Every time you click on a page it is at least a full minute to change pages so we cannot try things to see what might work. We will have to experiment someplace else and get back to her.  She is very sweet and anxious to do a good job in her calling. Elder Castenada interviewed another baptism candidate tonight and Lewis was the "companion". It made Elder Castenada very nervous when he keeps leaving the room. Joana is scheduled to be baptized on Saturday but there were some things that have to be cleared with the mission president. Hope that all went well. Her daughter, Precila, came in with us and looked at photos of Ella and Evan and Emmett. She loved the one of "Papa Noel".  She was interested in the nativity scene at the temple also. Very cute little girl. President Banchon was there for a meeting with the EQ president. Elder Espinoza went out with a new member Abaniz  Beltran while Elder Castenada did his interviews. This chapel is a busy place. Good things are happening.

Our taxi driver, Segundo, was very interested in Lewis' description of Mormon and the record of Jesus Christ visiting in the Americas. He said there were only primitive people who didn't even know how to write. Lewis explained that some of the indigenous people descended from a family from the tribe of Joseph who came with scriptures and an understanding of God and Abraham and the house of Israel.  He was very surprised and wanted to know more. Lewis went into the chapel and found a Book of Mormon for him. He is a neighbor of Jorge Whitley who is a fairly new member and very faithful.  

Lewis participated with the sisters in another lesson with Gustavo. Gustavo finally did get some of his pay from his former employer and will be returning to Columbia. He wanted to be baptized immediately but it doesn't work that way. The sisters will get his information to the appropriate mission in Columbia and they can finish the lessons and he can begin attending church there. I'm happy that he was able to get enough money to get home. His experience here was not what he anticipated but he is happy he found the Gospel. 

We made copies for more tithing receipts and helped the sisters get ready for the evening activity. Jorge came to the activity and Lewis talked with him about our taxi driver, Segundo, along with the elders because they all live in Bella Vista. Maybe something will come of it. The activity revolved around an iron rod experience for the members and friends and investigators. The turnout was good, the activity went very well except for the bad example of me (I followed the Branch President's voice and he led me astray!). Medardo (investigator)was there with his cousin. Daniel (most recent convert) and his family came. Gladys was not able to come because of a conflict with another commitment. People had fun and heard a brief discussion of faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation and enduring to the end from the missionaries and the young adults preparing to go on missions. It was a very good activity. 

I didn't sleep well with my infection problem so was late getting up. We forgot about our regularly scheduled Compromiso meeting on Saturday mornings. The missionaries were disappointed because they had a cake for Lewis. We went to the church and Lewis worked on the church computer. He is making little forms for the auxiliary leaders to submit names for callings and forms for activities and budgets and reimbursement and all that good stuff. I got my backup down to 18 files but it still hasn't completed. 

The YW came to make flowers for Mother's Day. We cleaned the church. I set up for the baptism. The elders couldn't find a taxi in Bella Vista and were about an hour late. Fortunately everyone else was there by then. Isabella was baptized and Joanna. Daniel was there and Gustavo and Medardo. Raul Acosta's daughter is back and she gave the closing prayer. Flor came, Sister Pallacio, Sister Ango, Sister Becerro, the Calapuchas, and Pte Banchon conducted. Fabian also came and several young adults. We sat there a long time but it was a good service. 

The sisters brought over Joana, Victor, Ariel and Pricila for FHE. We talked about the plan of salvation and watched the DVD For This End Was I Born. I think it is a bit graphic but the FHE was a good experience. Pricila didn't watch it anyway. She is a busy little girl but was just fine. Her brother was fascinated by the magnifying glass we had out. We had crackers and cheese and watermelon. They liked it all and gobbled it up. I hope their little family becomes completely active in the church and becomes an eternal family like we all aspire to. The dad is not yet convinced but he is open and beginning to seek. He says that he has friends who like to go out and drink once in a while and he would have to give that up.He does need to decide what is most important to him.

We went to the church in the morning to meet the missionaries. They brought the white pants from their apartment. Neither one will fit Lewis. He went to talk to Luzmilla and ordered a pair of white pants. She will make them for $25 and says they will be ready by 5:00 on Saturday. The sisters came with lots of new information for the membership records. They have been gathering more poste numbers and determining the street names for the members. Yea for the sisters. 

The sisters invited me to come with them so I went and we didn't get back until 5:30 or so. My infection is set back a couple of days but I enjoyed my time with them. The people they wanted to visit were not at home but they talked to everyone we passed. They encountered a man they had taught in the past. His 8 year old son came and joined the conversation and answered all the questions correctly. His dad was a little reluctant but they went through a whole lesson. Sister Schiller is wonderfully good. She is charming and lovely but doesn't let up. He agreed to come on Sunday with his family. He might just do it. He also admitted that he needs to get married to the woman he is living with. We stopped and spoke with everyone the sisters knew and found a woman who had been to church a couple of months ago but only once. She agreed to come to the activity on Saturday night for Mother's Day. We also saw a cat with a big chunk out of its haunch. Poor thing, but we were not able to do anything to help.  It was amazing to see the sisters work together and share the joy they feel in having the Gospel in their lives. Great examples. 

Lewis had Branch Presidency meeting. He ended up in the Clerk's office training Brother Herrera. I like Brother Herrera. I asked him afterward if Lewis was behaving himself and he said "No." with a big smile. Sister Elena Ango and Sister Angela Calapucha had a Primary presidency meeting. They have the sheet music for this year's Primary theme but not the music. It took an hour and a half but I was able to get it downloaded on Lewis' memory stick. She will ask Marcello (the younger) to burn it to a CD so they can learn the song. Sister Ango also asked us to come and visit with her daughter in law. She and her son and their two little girls live at the back of their house and are having difficulties and are discouraged and not attending church. Don't know that we can be of help but we can certainly visit and invite. 

The sisters called and asked me to do splits with them again. It is hard on my infection problem but I like to do it. I was with Sister Navarro. We first went to see Rosa Pisco. After some conversation she broke down crying and explained a problem I did not understand but I think she felt a bit comforted by Sister Navarro's words. Her son in law came in and ended that discussion but we ended up getting the information to correct his records and his wife, her daughter and the rest of the family. We even got the number on their electrical pole outside their home.

Next we were looking for someone on the new converts list. We ended up talking outside with a man who lived in the house about another lady with a similar name. Sister Navarro tried to invite him to church, his wife to the RS Mother's Day activity and his son and grandson to church as well. She is very determined. I was a bit out of my comfort zone because she was pressing him and he was saying that he didn't want to lie to her. He has listened to all the missionaries (Evangelistas, JWs, Adventists and the Catholics) and doesn't feel like there is any true religion. He thinks the only true Gospel is in the Bible as taught by John the Baptist. He thinks John the Baptist was the last person who had it right. I felt sorry for him but couldn't follow the conversation well enough to participate well. I said that is why we need a restoration of the gospel and authority of JC but he was losing patience. His very cute grandson was jumping to pull flowers from a tree growing in an empty basement and sliding on the loose stones and leaves. I was afraid he would fall into the basement excavation. He was pulling out the horn shaped parts of the flower and sticking them on his nose like a rhinoceros. He was adorable. A daughter, who is mentally handicapped was very entertained by having new people to look at and smile at. Their house looks like a cement cave with one saggy couch and a hanging lamp made out of an inflated blow fish. Very interesting experience.

Next we went to visit a lady who sells meat. She has a big band saw and a bunch of chest freezers. Sister Navarro invited her to the Mother's Day activity and to come to church. She was also reluctant to agree but Sister Navarro was dogged. I am certainly grateful to have been born in the Gospel. I am not sure I would have responded enthusiastically to the missionaries either. What a challenge to teach people who have heard the bubbly enthusiasm of young missionaries many times but have not done the work to study for themselves to see if there is merit in their message.

We went back to the church and added lots of good info to the records. Lewis appreciates their willingness to gather the additional information that is needed to have records that are complete and helpful. There was a beautiful canary in the women's bathroom. The poor thing was distressed and tired of flying about. We opened the windows all the way and finally he flew out.