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.

In Memory of President Lobos

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Late this evening we heard about the passing of President Lobos who was serving in the Uruguay Temple presidency.  He had an unexpected stroke on Monday and never recovered.  It was such a shock to the temple group, to his wife and family and actually the whole church community.  President and Sister Lobos were getting ready to fly to SLC for temple president's training because he was supposed to be the next temple president in November.  Our love and prayers are with his family and friends.

Monday, August 10, 2015

It is always fun to be invited to the Este Zone activities.  

LtoR: Hna Burnett, Bertuoli, Thorne, Arenas, Stewart

YouTube:  Este Zone Activity

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

We were able to blend some house repairs in Minas with a surprise birthday party for Hermano Casas, a recent temple worker.  We brought the Ness' and Anderson's with us.  The Casa's really enjoyed entertaining us with lots of food and stories.  

It is nice to have a fire. It was a cold night. This is their only source of heat.

This is their summer kitchen. Huge brick parilla/oven.

L to R: Casa's, Hna Anderson, Ness', Us, Hno Anderson

 Love notes that we have collected recently.

Now we all know how to write Thank You
in Taiwanese.
Their written language is amazing!

I teach family history whenever I can!

Cerrajero..Smaller than Valley Locksmith!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

We thought Valley Locksmith was small business!

We had the opportunity to visit Aida and Miguel

It was Aida's birthday.

We haven't seen them for a while and Miguel has grown

alot of hair since last time.  We told him he could get a job

as Santa Claus.

Friday, August 7, 2015

We got a ton of rain early this morning!

We are starting to collect an extra set of keys for every apartment/house in the mission for two reasons.
First reason is because it is expensive to have a locksmith come out and make a new key or replace the lock when the missionaries lose their keys.
Second reason is that it makes it easier for Elder Burnett to fix and repair on his time schedule instead of the missionaries' time schedule.  He can access their house at anytime.
The keys are being kept at the mission office.

There are some interesting locksmiths out in the campo though!

Not open today. They open whenever they choose.
He was the only one in town!
Cerrejero = Locksmith

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Rocha Capilla Abierta
YouTube:  Rocha Capilla Abierta

Rocha has small numbers but those who did participate gave good references. The missionaries were able to bring some good people from off the streets who were interested in the capilla abierta.  One man was looking for a Bible and had asked 2 other churches for a copy he could keep.  He was very interested in the Book of Mormon, as he had never heard of it before.  He took a copy and said he would read it. Three young women also came in because of the missionaries out in the street and they all had recently lost someone in death.  This was a successful event.

I love it when the children engage.

These young women had all lost someone recently in death.
They were very interested and are at the reference table
giving their information so that the missionaries can teach them.

We had to take everything down early, because of a satellite broadcast
that was supposed to happen at 7pm.
No one told us!

So we took pictures with Christ a little differently.

We Found a Twin to Somebody We Know in Utah

Saturday and Sunday, August 1 & 2, 2015

We had the opportunity to travel to Colonia, an area where Mike served and was the branch president.  We are going to do a Capilla Abierta there in two weeks so this was our Sunday to do the capacitacion.  We left  to give us some time to see the sites.  Colonia is a tourist town, probably because it is closer to Argentina by boat that from Montevideo.
It sprinkled rain a bit but not enough to dampen our adventure.
Oh, and the only way to enjoy our trip is to watch the video and we made a great discovery which is at the end of the video.

Video:  Colonia

"The Great and Terrible" Change Week

On their way to the temple.
LtoR: Hermana Hickman, Gonzalez, Eddington, King, Chen, Talbot

Week of Changes  July 26-31, 2015

Hermana Cook used a phrase from the scriptures that applies to change week. "The great and terrible day of the Lord."  It is great to receive the new missionaries and terrible to lose the missionaries that have served so faithfully as they return to their homes.
Anyways, the video says it all.

Video:  Change Week, Valientes Depart

Hermana King

Hermana Mendoza front left. Hermana Recinos very back right.

Elder Huaira middle on the right.

LtoR: Hermana Leiva, Eddington, Hickman, Miller, Talbot, Sanhueza, Gonzalez

Some of these are office staff. O=Office
LtoR: Cruz(O), Posada, Smart, Petersen, Ence, Lawson(O), Rogers(O),
Martinez(O), Oliver, Pres Cook, Sunday, Torres(O), Gallagher(O)

Hermana Hoobler last on the right.

You really have no idea how hard these wonderful sisters work
until you serve with them. It is hard for them to leave
because they truly love.

After our big week, the Anderson's treated us to a lunch buffet at the top of the Radisson Hotel.
We asked for butter and this is what was brought to us.  It was more of a herb spread than butter.

Fancy, though. 

Canelones Ward Shines Forth

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Mike got hold of the camera!

We spotted helicopters this morning. 

Maybe they are partof their air force.

Capilla Abierta today with Canelones and another no rain day!
Canelones was an excellent example of being well prepared. Their presentations were wonderful. Their personal participation was also superb.  We noticed several Books of Mormon were in the hands of the friends that they had personally invited and brought.  One youth, got on his moto when his friend didn't show up and went and picked him up and brought him to the capilla abierta. When they left, his friend had a Book of Mormon in his hand.  The spirit of love was evident all night.
YouTube: Canelones Capilla Abierta

When a ward has youth, they always are a much stronger ward spiritually.

Full armor of God in Spanish.

Great hermanas!

Members love to take pictures with the missionaries.

Simply being a grandpa.

A great ward!