Lost Bag and Rainstorm

Good Morning,

Well, I hope Niels enjoyed that family history presentation. If I was only there we could have done some replay/rehearsal/reenactment on how we use to wrestle together or something.

This week we had to go to Villamontes for the zone conference with President Willard and that turned out to be quite the adventure. First of all, they told us that we had to buy the tickets and go the day before so that we could get there in time. So we left at 10 in the night in a minivan thing and come to find out  that the elders house in Villamontes didn't have any room for us. So when we arrived there at 12:30 am we went to a hotel and stayed there. But as we were getting out (I was the last one out and I was in my state of tired, booting up mode) I thought that the driver took everything out of the back and that the other elders had my bag, but when we walked into the hotel no one had my bag and it was still in the car that was now heading back to Camiri. We had no phone number, no name nothing. So that night I slept in my church clothes on a what felt like a straw bed. And the next day in the conference I had nothing, no scriptures, no Preach My Gospel. Only the stuff I had in my pockets (my camera and wallet thank goodness). So when we got back to Camiri that night we went to the offices and asked them if perhaps they had my bag. They told "no" and that it was probably in Villamontes. So that begins the big investigation. We call Villiamontes and it is not there. We try finding out who the guy was who took us there and no one knew his name (turned out he'd been recently hired). After awhile we were able to get a number and called it and it was him (apparently he lives in Villamontes). Thank goodness he was honest and sent it to Camiri. After a couple days of crisis, I was reunited with my scriptures and everything else in the bag.

Thursday, as you saw, it rained pretty hard. We were in the church when it started and when we walked out after about 40 minutes it looked like what you see in the picture. The streets turn into rivers. Even the sidewalks are like that. We had to walk two blocks and when we got to the house we were soaking wet and another elder was sad to find out that he left the window open and his bed was soaking wet.

Sunday, a less active family attended for the first time in years (Inactivate because other members offended them). After years of visits with elders and church leaders, they finally came. That was pretty neat.

Anyway, till the next week comes around,

Elder Gilbert

 A recent convert family that lived in the country as Guranai (native culture). 
Behind us is their house made of mud and sticks. Pretty neat.

 It rained pretty hard Thursday night. 

This is the street perpendicular to where we live

  In the car heading back to Camiri with the sunset.

 Selfie with the storm in the background

Fluffy Dog

Good Morning,

Looking good Karen there on the side-by-side. I remember we went to the motor cross thing last year and I remembered that race with side by sides and thought of you guys. I don´t remember what happened but I
think they tipped over or something funny, right?

Anyway, last week we made cuñape with a sister in the ward. It is like a cheese bread thing. The first batch turned out like pancakes and the later batches turned our good. The dog is the sisters dog it was soo fluffy. And the other one is my current companion.

This week we did some service hualing around wood. We loaded up burlap sacks full of wood and then carried them about 6-7 blocks. My shoulders were a little sore afterwards.

I can´t remember what else we did this week. It seemed like I just wrote yesterday.

By the way, with the Christmas Package one thing that comes to my mind is perhaps some of those doodads that you buy in Deseret Book. I don´t know specifically but something that is kind of cool. And also the new Mormon Messages and videos that came out.

Anyway, until next week, My time is about up.

Elder Gilbert

Home Repairs

Good Morning,

The weeks seem to be flying by at an increasing exponential rate. It feels like yesterday that I just wrote you guys.  I can't wait to see the house, sounds like it has really been getting the remodel job. I too had some home repair jobs this week. First, the bed of my companion broke and so we had to take the boards to the carpenter to fix them. And then we also replaced a faucet and I took it out using my own hands.

Recently, it has been doing some cold weather. My temperature thing tells me it is 66 degrees and oh how cold that is.

This week we have been teaching new families that are really good. In fact, one of them came to church this week (attached below is their photo) It is really exciting when a whole family goes to church together or keeps the commitments together because that is the focus of the gospel--the families.

Today for p-day we are going to play soccer and make cuñape.

Attached I have a picture a service we did, a photo with me and the parrots, and a family that went to church for the first time.

So I got the photos uploaded and I'm going to send before something blows up.

General Conference Bolivian Style

Good Morning

Wow, it sounds like the house is really falling apart. The more work you put into it, the more things seem to break.

To answer some questions.

Weather and Seasons: There are only two types of weather here. The first is rainy and about 60-65 degrees. The other is hot and sunny about 95-112 degrees. Winter is from May to July/August and the rest is just summer. Right now I feel like it is June weather and as we move into December and such we get 100 plus weather. The leaves never loose their color and the days seem about the same.

General Conference: I watched the whole thing in Spanish with the Branch. What happened is that they get on the internet (laptop) and then put it on a big monitor and then put the microphone to the speakers and then listen to General Conference. It was somewhat live because we watched it at the same time as in Utah (12-2pm, 4-6pm, 8-10pm Priesthood). But you guys know how the internet works down here and so we had to pause, wait, buffer , and watch many times.

It is also different to watch general conference in Spanish although I understand it all, it loses the voice of the prophet and in the way they say things. Although the translators try to imitate their voice, it is just not the same. Sometimes the translator would finish before the speaker and sometimes the translator was finishing as the speaker sat down. When President Monson spoke I only noticed that he was slumping down, but his translator voice was calm as a whistle.Interesting that many spoke about Sabbath Day and sacrament.

This weekend the city is celebrating their Saint patron day (San Francisco de Asis) and during General Conference the street where the church is all the kids and students dress yup and dance through the streets with their music and drums. You can probably look it up on youtube (traditional Bolivian dance, where they parade trough the
streets with bright costumes dancing.) So that was also playing during General Conference.

So I was hoping you guys can do me a big favor and look for recipes that I can cook super easily (american products like Ranch, tomato sauce, peanut butter, etc do not exist here. Also no oven, just stove top and blender). I was hoping things like pancakes or french toast or smoothies. I really want to impress my companion with some American cooking.

 Till next week comes round,

Elder Gilbert

A double banana

A family we are teaching 

Driving Tactics

Dear Family:

I am glad that you enjoyed the fotos.

This week we have been finding lots of new families and they are really good.

Monday and Tuesday I was with Elder Smith while waiting for my
companion to arrive. Monday I got a little sick in the stomach. I am
not sure what it was that I ate, but lets just say that everything
that I eat that day for lunch just came right back out the same end
when we got home.

I also saw some funny things. There was a car entering the round
about and was going really fast and so to insure himself the
right-away in the round about he put out his arm and waved the other
cars back like, ¨get out of the way¨. So that is a new driving tatic
you can try to get the right of way.

We were also passing a house and there was a guy sitting in his
doorway fiddling around and when we said, "buenas tardes" he look at us
and hurriedly got up and went inside and shut the door. I suppose he
didn´t want to talk with us.

And finally we were passing a house and the cops were outside
investigating and talking with some people and this guy with a 12 pack
of beer walks up and kind of sneaks in the house and continues to
party with his friends.

This week the owner of our house went to La Paz and left us in charge
of her house, which means to put the lock on the door and put the
blanket on her parrot´s cage in the night. She is a really funny lady;
kind of like a Grandma Miller. To give you an idea of what she is
like she left us with her bank account number in case of an emergency
and told us that she trusted us more than he own son (in the presence
of her son). And everyone in town knows her.

To tell you about my companion he is from Lo Alto (the alittude is
like 13,000 feet) and his parents are not members of the Church. His
parents are from the country where they speak Amyara and so he knows a
little bit of Amyara. He is very nice and humble.

I hope that you are all excited for General Conference. I think I will be
watching the whole thing in Spanish (it's a little different to have a
translator rather than their own voice) I have some names to throw into the
betting pool of the next apostles. 1. Ronald Rasband. 2. Whitney Clayton.
3. Tad Callister. 4. Perhaps somebody who is not a general authority or is
a foreigner.  5. Cecil O Samuelson (Go BYU). And the next one to die
will be Robert D Hales or perhaps even President Monson.

Anyway, till next week,
Elder Gilbert

Lots of Pictures!

Good Morning,

As you saw in the photos we went to the chorro and it was quite lovely. It was the first time that our activity wasn´t playing soccer. We paid a taxi to drive us up as far as possible and then we made about an hour hike. There were tunnels, brigdes and beautiful nature.

As mom as noted, cambios were last night. My campanion went to Santa Cruz in Plan 3000. My new companion will be Elder Apaza from La Paz. He will finish his mission in December. He will arrive here tomorrow night.

 And it sounds like Justin is being kept busy these days (enjoying the privilegde of being the only child in the home.) Today is Stephanie´s half birthday and I am shocked that no one is celebrating. I suppose it is just a Curt kind of trademark. And mom is also adventuring to try something new. 

This week we helped a a man (who only has one leg) pick up firewood and take it to his house in a baby stroller. Something different.

Well, I hope you are all well, I sent many photos so that you can see more than read.

Elder Gilbert

 Looks like some nature out today.

 This is a field where they play soccer in 100 degree weather.

 It is also sort of desserty in Bolivia.

 A traditional and very common Bolivian house. 

San Francisco de Asis 

 Enjoy some Celine Dion photo shoot at the Chorro 

Lessons from Elder Uceda

Good Morning,

I forgot that peach days was this week, I´ll have to buy a peach (but
then ones in cans because the peaches here are the size of a small
plum or something). And yes when there is a sort of festivity here,
the missionaries stay away especially in the night because that is
when they all get drunk. The last time there was a festival there
where drunks running around throwing bottles and yelling at each other
in the wee hours of the morning. That is one thing you don´t see much
of in Utah. Here I have learned how to identify drunks, the smell of
alcohol, and all that. Bolivia has a serious drinking problema, they
can buy the cheap stuff but it destroys their body. I think all of the
investigators we have ever had have drank before.

This week we had the conference with Elder Uceda. We arrived in Santa
Cruz at 6 in the morning and then went to the church and studied until
Elder Uceda arrived at 2 in the afternoon. First sister Willard spoke,
then President Willard, then we did the practices (in every missionary
meeting we do practices with other missionaries to improve our skills
in things like teaching, obtaining referrals, etc), and then the wife
of Elder Uceda spoke and all that lasted abour an hour and a half.
Then Elder Uceda gets up takes off his suit coat and says ¨Let´s get to
work.¨  That statement was followed by a 3 and a half hour lecture.

Some of the things that he spoke about was (1) learning english or
spanish: we cannot always see the future and how learning a language
can bless our lives in the future. Face your fears. He has not opened
his Spanish scriptures for 30 years (2) Obedience: Sometimes we
justify breaking the small rules thinking that ¨nothing will happen¨.
Satan will do everything to make sure that ¨nothing does happen¨
until we believe our own lie and then something serious happens. (3)
Persuasive Teachers: Our investigators do not progress because we
don´t know how to help them progress. We often learn by doing and need
to talk with the heart, because talking is not always teaching.  (4)
Scriptures. It is like the square that is divided into 16 squares and
at first we superficially only see 16 squares but as we look there are
more. Same thing with the scriptures, we sometimes ready superficially
and read the same scriptures over and over and get the same meaning,
not searching for hidden treasures from the spirit.

And by the way, we were in the back of a taxi and I look at the
driver´s shirt and it says Ogden Clinic, Golden Spike Reality, Jamba
Juice, etc. His shirt was a race shirt that they give out to the
participants. Apparently the clothes we donate to DI or Charities make
it here to Bolivia.

Today we are going to go to the Chorro, a waterfall thing.
Anyway, have a nice week and enjoy!

Elder Gilbert

Photo with Elder Uceda