Fray Bentos, Memories of the Wheat Grinder

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Capilla Abierta in Mike's "ol' stoppin' grounds".

YouTube: Colonia Capilla Abierta

This little branch did a fantastic capilla abierta. Their presentations were wonderful. The neighbor boys that usually just come and play on the outside basketball court, willingly came inside and discovered that we believe in Christ and have other activities that they could participate in. They each gave a referral!  All the members that participated were pleased with this activity. President Crockett said that on Sunday, the spirit was still very strong during their meetings.

This is the first quilting frame with a batted quilt that I have seen.

President (Elder) Crockett and his wife, along with their special needs
daughter are serving as a family in the Colonia Branch.

Hermana Crockett

The great missionaries serving in the Oeste Uruguay Mission.

Sunday, August 16, 2015
We arrived in Fray Bentos around midnight.  We had to take sister missionaries to their apartments and then Fray Bentos is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Colonia.  It is another area that Mike served in for quite some time.  Since this is Mike's story, he will comment on our day.

Fray Bentos Chapel 

From the front, the chapel in Fray Bentos hasn't changed a lot in the last 43 years.  I arrived there just after they finished the chapel in 1972. I had my first significant revelation on church government here.  The next week we organized home teaching in the ward and called 15 pairs of home teachers.  We created 3 groups, Teancum, Moroni and Helaman. We went to battle for the souls of men.  

They were great home teachers! 

These were some of the old timers that still remembered me.  Silly things like the wheat grinder that I bought and used to grind our own wheat.  I donated it to the ward when I went home.  Several people brought that up.  Well I guess not many missionaries do stuff like that.  They all rememered and loved Daniel Montaldo whom we activated. He went with us everywhere.  He became their first stake president and everyone loved him!  He died 5 years ago, but his married children and grandkids were there and it was wonderful talking with them.

 Mirta Diaz was our house keeper.  She came about 7am 5 days a week, washed and ironed our clothes, cooked our meals and did the shopping.  She even found us investigators to teach and loved and cared for us.  Her husband Jose was a fisherman.  I remember one day coming back late one night from visiting other missionaries in my zone and found Mirta waiting at the bus station.  When I asked her why she was there that late, she told me that she had baked a cake but had hidden it in the oven so that Elder Thomas wouldn't eat it all before I got home. (He would have!)  She wanted me to know it was there.  One of the young men that she introduced to us, we taught and baptized, He went on to serve a mission and was just called to be a sealer in the newly opened Cordoba Argentina Temple.  She has been a great blessing to the ward in Fray Bentos.  Blessed be her name forever!

Though Mirta and Jose hobbled from chair to chair with age taking a heavy tole on their agility, they insisted on feeding us a delicious meal.  

Mirta had kept track of Sister Alba for me these many years after her baptism.  She called her when we got into town and what a wonderful reunion.  The skinny, little shy girl who, with her mother, was baptized so long ago, has stayed true to the faith and was so happy to see us. Everyone loves Debbie.  They would all adopt her if they could and Alba was no exception.  Still shy and always kind and full of love for everyone, Alba has a wonderful family, but always reminds the sister missionaries to find and marry a member of the church and their lives will be so much easier and happier.  

I lost contact with Sister Alba for so many years.. I won't let that happen again!

What a great opportunity we had this weekend.

On our way out of town, we saw these solar panels.  Mike liked the
idea of making them look like trees. Anyone could put those in their yards.