Listening to the Servants of the Lord

November 20, 2016

This was “Elder Rasband “ week.  He came to the mission on Thursday with Elder Craig C. Christensen and Elder Alan Packer and their wives.  But first we had to do a little work.  We started off Monday by trading in the mission van.  It only had 290,000 kilometers.  I was grateful that it lasted as well as it did.  The mission provided us with a Nissan Versa.  Much smaller but good enough for what we need.  We won’t be pulling the trailer anymore and will have to be a little more creative with the moving of missionaries and furniture but it should be good.

One of our first trips with the new car was a trip to “Ciudad Vieja” (Old Town) to renew a contract.  It was a fun day and we got some good shots of the Plaza.  I love these Plazas.  It is kind of interesting that we are sitting in the middle of one of the oldest parts of Montevideo and there is a McDonalds.  The ice cream is good there, too.  We and the Elders have perfect knowledge of this.
We also got a good look at the Uruguayan Navy as there were about 8 ships anchored by our apartment for a couple of days.  It was fun to look at them through the field glasses. I also got a shot of the big moon one night when it was not too cloudy.  It looked pretty cool.

The combined mission conference with the other mission was on Thursday.  We spent quite a bit of time getting ready as did the area, preparing the building.  We were not disappointed.  First up were Elder and Sister Packer.   Elder Packer is the first counselor in the Area Presidency in Buenos Aires.  They gave real good messages to motivate and strengthen our testimonies.  Elder Christensen played football at BYU and was real good also.  He told about how his father-in-law was one of the first three missionaries to arrive in Uruguay in 1947.  He said that the Church went from nothing to about 11 branches when he went home.  In about 1966 he returned as the mission president and they created the first stake in Uruguay.  This made Sister Christensen’s talk real special.  She expressed the love that she had for Uruguay from being here when she was only 10 years old until now.  I really enjoyed that part.

That led up to Elder Rasband.  It is quite a blessing to hear an Apostle speak to missionaries.  His message was very simple, humble and powerful.  Our mission calls are inspired.  We are here for a special reason.  It inspired me and really helped me feel good about our mission.  They made a point to shake everyone’s hand.  It was really neat.  It was impressive to see how powerful he is in the Gospel but yet so humble and grateful.

After the conference we had a mini-conference where we went over some issues like budgeting and keeping the houses clean.  Renee and I both spoke.  Renee did her talk in Spanish.  She is really trying to get better and it is coming slowly.  For lunch, I was in charge of ordering 200 subway sandwiches.  Ham and cheese if you need to ask.  How could it be anything else?

Thursday night there was a special meeting for the Este and Maronas Stake by Elder Rasband.  We stopped by Tuesday night to invite our friends Humberto and Cristina to attend. You may recall that Humberto has been a member for 60 years and Cristina is not a member.  She makes the best empanadas and really whatever other Uruguayan food you can think of.  A few months ago she had a stroke and is on the way to recovery.   Cristina was not feeling well Tuesday night, but they both said that they would like to come.  And they did!  WOW!  We had investigators in Church!  Nothing can compare to that feeling.  They also came to Church today.  We are going to visit them tomorrow night.  It is exciting!

When Hermana Vieira arrived she was singing beautifully with a big smile.  I walked around the corner and found Snow White.  Every time I see her I think of Snow White.  She is a beautiful sister in every way.

Saturday we helped the Colon and Ferrocarril wards do a Capilla Abierta.  They held it at 10:00 A. M. in the morning to coincide with the street fair or “feria”.  There were a lot of people in the street and the missionaries and members were able to invite many people to come in.  I really had a good time helping the Elders invite people to come into the Chapel.  They are fearless and were really impressive how they were able to get so many people to come in.  One of the Elders stopped a young couple and invited them to come in.  They agreed and turns out that she was an inactive member.  She was welcomed by members that she knew and they had a good time going to the various stations.  I consider that a miracle.  They had over ten non-members and several less actives attend.  We were able to do one of the tours as the sisters were busy.  It is really a privilege to be able to bear your testimony.

Saturday afternoon we took the Capilla Abierta kit to Florida for them to use this week.  We had a good visit with Elder and Sister Wall and split a great milanesa sandwich at the plaza.  It was a pleasant drive home afterward.

Today in Church we really enjoyed attending with Humberto and Cristina.  We are hoping and praying for them to continue to progress.  Renee cooked a big roast for Sunday dinner.  It was more than we could eat so we invited the Temple missionaries.  We had a great time and the food was especially good.

So we had a full busy week, helped the mission progress and had the privilege of hearing an Apostle.  All in all it was a pretty good week.  We are so grateful for all of you.  We love hearing from you.  Thanks so much for what you do.

Love,
Gordon and Renee

The Things My Father Taught Me

November 13, 2016

The past week has been quite average which means we were able to get a lot accomplished but have to look to find something interesting for this blog.  I’ll get to the title a little bit later but first a recap.
Monday and Wednesday we spent the day in the office.  Besides doing utility bills we worked to make journal entries into the budget to make sure the budget was correct.  This was quite important but not the kind of stuff you put in a blog to make it interesting.  On Tuesday we had to go to Florida to take the Capilla Abierta and buy a new fridge for the Zone Leaders.  This was a fun day as we enjoyed carrot cake with the Wall family and had a good time with the Elders.

On Thursday we had several projects up Rita 8 (Route 8).  First, we had to take a bed to Lascano.  This ended up being a real project.  First, Lascano is about three hours away and the last half hour is on a terrible road.   The first time we tried to take up the bed we had to drive through the water.  You may remember this from the blog on September 5th.  When we got there it was the wrong bed.  About this time they took missionaries out of the house so we did not need to be in too big of a hurry.  Last month we sent someone to fix the lock on the door in Lascano and also take some stuff to fix the bed.  Turns out the bed was not worth fixing.  So here we are about two months later without a bed in Lascano.  This time we arranged to take an extra bed from the apartment in Los Ceibos.  The missionaries had it all broken down and ready to go.  Trouble was, when we arrived to pick up the bed, the Elders were gone to a zone conference.  The frame was outside so we could get to it, but the special screws were inside with the door locked.  That was when I remembered what my dad taught me.  “You can fix about anything with grabber screws.”  So Uruguay being the great country that it is, I stopped at the first hardware store and bought some grabber screws.  When we got there we fixed the bed good as new in short order. Thanks, Dad.

Mega Milla Pizza.  It looks great and tastes even better.

Our next stop was at the Zone Leader house in 33.  We dropped off a new fan and picked up some more Lemons.  Looks like we are having lemon bars and lemon pie again.  Our last stop was in Vergara where we renewed the contract with the dueno.  He was very friendly and signed the docs without any problem.  The missionaries needed a new fan too so we ended up buying a new fan for them from the dueno’s variety store.  It was a win-win situation.  An interesting thing about the dueno.  As we were visiting he told us that his jewish grandparents fled Poland in 1934 to escape persecution.  He showed us a picture of his father as he landed in Montevideo and also citizenship papers from his grandfather.  It was quite interesting.  They raise a lot of rice near Vergara, and he offered to take me to see the fields the next time we are up there.  It should be fun.

We have passed by the “ant hill” fields a bunch of times but this time we had time to stop.  I think these are kind of neat.  Also as we entered Treinte Tres or 33 we saw this Rotary sign and it reminded us of home.  We are not getting trunky or anything.

Friday we were back in the office doing office work and seem to be catching up.  We do have to move Elders into a new apartment in Pando in the next week or two and we have some contracts to renew but for the most part we are caught up.

Saturday was a much needed day of rest.  Between visits to Castillo and Capilla Abiertas we have not had a free day for over a month.  Our apartment needed a good cleaning and we needed a day to relax.  Right after lunch we received a call from the Zone Leaders in Norte.  They needed a fan.  We had the house cleaned and it looked like a fun trip so we took one up to them.  It has been getting hot lately and the missionaries are having a hard time sleeping without a fan to help them.  You can see that they were happy to get it.

Elder Molina and Elder Vanderlinden loved the new fan!

Their smiles sum up our week.   We expect more this week.  We are just hitting our 11 month mark and so will be going home a year from now.  The only thing that keeps us from missing home too much is the many tasks we need to do each day.   We appreciate all the support we get from home.  We love all of you and are grateful the Gospel in our lives.  If you will excuse me, I have some lemon cake to go eat.

Love
Gordon and Renee

Did I Really Just Type November

November 6, 2016

Picture of the Montevideo Temple taken by Melissa Eddy

taking Elder Johanson and Elder Hemeyer to Tres Cruzes
You can't have more fun than this!

I can’t believe it is November.  First off, we have had some really hot days this week that are not November weather.  Second, time does fly.  We had a real fun and busy week.  On Monday we had to drop some stuff off in Los Ceibos first thing.  This was good because that gave us the chance to drive Elder Johansen and Elder Hemeyer to Tres Cruzes to get their residency papers signed.  They are such a happy couple of Elders.  They spent the whole time talking about the neat experiences they are having as missionaries.  The car was full of a fun and happy Spirit.  Oh, and to Elder Hemeyer’s mom, the dog bite is getting better; he hardly walks with a limp anymore.  No really.

Monday afternoon we killed two birds with one stone as we took some Elders back to their area and also dropped off a washing machine at the Sister’s apartment in Pan de Azucar.  We were met by a bunch of “spooks” that demanded that we say “trick or treat” before they would let us in.  It was fun.  And the treats were good.  Their happy spirits show from the smiles on their faces.  I might add that these sisters are real all stars in missionary work.  They are great examples.

Tuesday and Wednesday Renee kept busy cooking for Zone Leader Conference on Tuesday and then District Leader training on Wednesday.  I know we show a lot of pictures of Missionaries eating.  They do more than this but they do know how to eat very well and seem to enjoy the food coming out of the mission home kitchen.  I wonder why?

Elder Caudle tried to cheer me up.  It worked

Thursday and Friday we spent time in the office doing “real interesting stuff”.  It amazes me how much work it takes to keep the mission operating.  There are a lot of details.  We learned how to pay the rent on the missionary apartments on Friday so that was a new thing that should help with the mission operations.  Friday afternoon we took off for La Paloma so we could be ready for the activity in Castillos on Saturday.   We arrived in La Paloma about 7:00 P. M. and went to dinner at “La Bellena” or “the whale”.  Dinner was really good.  I had noochis and Renee had chicken and salad.
Saturday we jumped up early and headed to Castillos.  I dropped off the food and Renee at Hermana Narda’s house and went with her husband, “Pocho”, to get the bread.  I love that nick name.  I think I’ll get a dog and name him that.  For some reason, Renee doesn’t want me to start calling her “Pocha”.  What’s with that?

When we told the bread lady we wanted 4 kilos, she did the double take.  That is a lot of bread.  Narda and Renee made sandwiches out of tuna fish and chicken pate. We arrived at the park at 10:00 A. M. ready for the party to start.  Trouble was only the missionaries were there.  About 10:30 some of the members started to arrive and by 11:00 we had a crowd. This is standard operating procedure for Uruguay.  I know it gets us gringos real up tight but the natives don’t seem to mind and they really do have a fun time together.

While we waited for the crowd to arrive, Johnny Lopez did some paintings on our arms.  We were really impressed.  He is a great artist.  In fact, he is doing a painting for us of Castillos.  I can’t wait to see it.

 I hope you can see from the faces, how much fun it was.  The kids had a great time doing the sack and three legged race.  Even the adults got into it.  As a second thought, we decided to pull sticks.  Everyone got into this, especially the ladies.  We laughed and giggled and had a great time.  Besides the sandwiches we had some cookies and other treats including, Renee’s lemon bars.  No wonder it was a success.

Well, about 12:30 we had to leave the party and high tail it for Toledo which was about 2 1/2 hours away so we could pick up the sisters and take them to the Capilla Abierta on Saturday night in Toledo.  We were really impressed with this branch when we did the presentation a couple of weeks ago and we were not disappointed.  They were very prepared.  The Spirit in this branch is one of the strongest that I have seen.  We really had a great time.  Attendance was not the best because the Chapel is kind of in a remote area, but we still had some investigators and they were very welcome.  The picture with us and the Branch President and his family is a treasure.  I love his spirit and desire to help the work move forward.

Branch President Acosta and his family.
They don't come better than him

After arriving at home about 10:00 P. M. we were tired and got ready for bed.  Good thing as we had to be up and at ‘em at 6:30 A. M. to take off by 8:00 to get to the Colon and Ferrocarril Chapel for the presentation to these two wards.  We did back to back presentations which went quite well.  We are going to try something new on these two wards.  They have a street fair or “Feria” right by their chapel on Saturday morning.  We are going to hold the Capilla Abierta in the morning to try to attract more people.  They have a baptism planned for right after the activity so it should be a real fun day.
We finished off Sunday with the monthly “break the fast” with the temple missionaries.  It is always fun to spend time with the senior couples.  So that’s the week.  Another busy one with a lot of time spent with the missionaries.  Every week we come to know more that this is a special opportunity that we have.  We love the people and the food.  It is really great to get to know all the wonderful people.

We love you all.
Gordon and Renee

They Call the Wind Mariah

October 30, 2016

This past week was change week.  It was real busy and made even busier by the fact that we had 60 mile per hour winds for Wednesday and Thursday.  It was so bad that the North American Missionaries could not leave on Thursday and had to wait until Friday.  It was a big hassle but they finally did get to go home.  I hope you can see the before and after pictures.

Butcher shop and Veterinary office next to each other.
One of the locals said "you better be careful with the "chorizos"

I love this picture of the Carniceria or “butcher shop” next to a vet clinic.  I guess either way you get your dog back.  Yewwwww.  We don’t buy chorizos from this carniceria; in fact, we don’t buy them from anywhere.

I want to do things a little different this week and share some neat experiences that we have had.  First, on Monday night we had family night with the Temple missionaries.  Several of them shared their testimonies and they were really good.  One I especially liked was from Hermano Reyes.  He spoke about how he and his wife joined the church and a couple of years later went inactive.  About six years after that, they received a knock at the door and it was the primary president.  She wanted to take their daughter to primary.  By this time they had three children and he told her it was all or nothing.  So she agreed to take all of them even though one was only in nursery.  The kids got up early on Sunday and got ready themselves to go because they were so excited.  This went along for a while until one Saturday the good sister said she could not take them.  Brother and Sister Reyes decided they would take them and leave them at the door.  Well, as they arrived there were a few people at the door and they were very friendly and invited them in.  After a little coaxing they decided to go to Church.  Now after 40 plus years of activity and service as a Bishop, President of the Relief Society, Temple Wedding and a family serving in the Church, the oldest daughter is now the Primary President and this good Sister is the Nursery leader.  What a great lesson of faith and service.

Next, on Wednesday night during the testimonies Elder Solano shared a real neat story.  He said that one day he and his companion worked all afternoon and evening and were not able to find anyone to teach or talk to even though they tried really hard.  That night while he said his prayers he pleaded to know why he wasn’t successful.  A feeling came to him that he had done exactly what the Lord wanted that day and that he should feel good about his efforts.  This story made me feel real good.

Also during the testimonies Elder Stewart gave a very special Testimony.  He has spent the last three months in Castillos where he served as the Branch President.  They had the first two baptisms in almost two years while he was there.  His hard work has really paid off as several inactive members have started to come back.  In his testimony you could feel the love that he has for Castillos and the blessings that he has received through his service.  There is no question that the Lord is pleased with his efforts.

A tree that blew down in Castillos

Friday, Saturday and Sunday we visited Castillos.  We were able to make several good visits on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.  Some of the people that we visited actually came to Church for the first time in months.  But on Saturday afternoon we had a day like Elder Solano where we looked for several people with no luck.  It was kind of like Elder Solano’s experience.  One of these was named Irma.  Her address was “Gonzales Street almost to route 9”.  That should be easy to find.  At the end of Gonzales we asked someone.  They told us to go to a house around the corner. Around the corner we found an old man that reluctantly admitted to being Irma’s dad.  He told us she lived on the other end of town and gave us a vague idea of where she lived.  I told Renee that if we find her with that address, it would be a miracle.  We went to the area where we thought she should live and stopped at the house we guessed would be hers.  The lady told us she lived next door.  So we went next door and knocked with no luck.  As we turned around we decided to ask another guy that was outside.  He said that she did live where the last lady said but that she was in the hospital with her son.

So off to the hospital we went.  We picked up the Elders on the way in case we needed to give a blessing.  At the hospital the nurses told us that no one was there by that name.  We decided to show the Elders where she was supposed to live.  As we drove to the house, Renee remarked that we just passed a lady that was at the hospital.  She was heading in the direction of the house.  So we turned the car around and asked her if she knew Irma.  She said that was her.  We were invited into her house and had a good visit.  The Elders have a charla scheduled for next week.  Now we know that the blessings come after the trial of our faith.

Today was branch conference in Castillos.  There were 24 people in Church.  That is a record.  This was due to the hard work of Elder Stewart and Castillo.  Thank you Elders.

Instead of coming straight home this afternoon from Castillos, we stopped in Maldonado to talk to the Stake President about doing a special Capilla Abierta.  The Stake President was very helpful and it was even more fun because we were able to see Elder Rodriguez again.  We also were able to meet Elder Bailey and Rios on the way home and go to a Charla with someone that we know.  It was real fun visiting with one of our friends.   There was a real special spirit of love and friendship.  Going to discussions is certainly on the top of our list of wonderful things to do.

It is a priviledge to be able to serve on a mission.  We love the chance to teach and to testify.  We know more than ever that this is His Gospel and that He lives.

We love you all.
Gordon and Renee

Called to Serve

October 23, 2016

Our mission has a lot of different facets but the real neat part of our mission is that we are called to serve.  We do a lot of different things but the thing we like the most is when we are with the missionaries.  This was one of those weeks.  On Monday, we needed to deliver a mattress and other stuff to Durazno so we took advantage of this and inspected all of the houses.  We were impressed with the cleanliness of the houses.  They have really been working.

Taking Elders Guerra and Holland to Oro Conference

The new missionaries were coming back in for training on Tuesday so we were able to bring Elder Guerra and Holland back from Durazno.  This saved them a 4:00 A. M. appointment with a bus.  We also stopped off and picked up Elder Peterson and Batte.  It was too late to get a picture of them, but we all enjoyed a big hamburger in San Ramon.   The hamburgers or milanesas here include assorted vegetables and meat that have different seasonings from mild to real hot.  It is an adventure every time we eat.  Tuesday we spent most of the day helping with the conference.  It was another good chance to be around the missionaries.

Nothing like ice cream on a cold, rainy day 

Wednesday was another eventful day.  It rained all day which always makes things more fun.  When it rains it is cold even though the temperature may be in the 60’s.  We had to go to Los Ceibos to buy some supplies to fix a house.  We ended up putting bags of sand, cement and other stuff in the back of the van.  On the way home we dropped off a new cell phone to the sisters.  They were right by a shopping mall so we took advantage of it and went to McDonalds for ice cream.  I think you need to be from Utah or Idaho to eat ice cream when it is cold.  The Uruguayos look at us like we are crazy, and we probably are.

Visiting the Zone Leaders in Melo.  Elder Padilla goes home this week and Elder Montiel is coming to work in the office

Thursday was a big day.  We had to go to Melo which is about 400 kilometers away to look at a new house to rent.  The Zone Leaders from Melo were in Montevideo for training so we took them home with us.  Again, this saved them quite a bus ride.  I think they especially liked the fact that Renee packed a lunch for them.  It was fun to talk to Elder Montiel and Padilla.  Elder Padilla goes home from a successful mission this week and Elder Montiel is being transferred to be a finance clerk in the office.  You may remember that Elder Montiel was one of the missionaries in Castillos when we first arrived so we know him real well.  We are looking forward to the next six months.  On the way home we also needed to stop in Lescano to check on a house.  This is about 30 minutes off the main route which adds some extra time.  But the road is terrible.  Remember the pictures of us driving through the river?  Well this is the road.  It was not flooded this time but the potholes are terrible.  As we were bumping along, hoping not to have the car fall apart, Renee remarked that we might find a car or two in the holes.  I think we actually drove over a couple of them and that made the road a little smoother.  I don’t care if I don’t ever go over that road again.

Friday we did a lot of office work and got ready for Saturday.  Saturday was a big day.  First, we had to do our weekly cleaning of the apartment.  This doesn’t take too long but when you add my haircut and a few shirts to iron in the mix it is a busy morning.  Renee spent the morning getting ready to feed Elder Rodriguez and Caudle as Elder Rodriguez leaves the office this change.  I hope you can see just how much fun the missionaries are.  They make us feel young and part of the group.  Elder Rodriguez came into the office a little apprehensive about his assignment.  He soon settled in and made his mark in the office, just like the others.  We are going to miss him.

After lunch we had to go to the Capilla Abierta in Belloni.  It was the best one yet.  The members were really involved as were the missionaries.  Elder Parmenter and Elder Johanson, along with Brother Garasa stayed in the street all night and invited people to come into the open house.  In total, 24 non-members attended and had the opportunity to learn more about the Church.  It was exciting!  The Chapel was full all night with people that had come to learn about the Savior.  We can’t wait to hear how they have progressed.

Today we went to Toledo to do the presentation for the Capilla Abierta for them in two weeks.  What a warm and friendly branch.  They have a beautiful chapel and the members are exceptionally warm and friendly.  We had a good time and can’t wait for the open house.  We finished off the day with lunch with the sisters.  Sister Gambarte goes home this week.  She is from the Guaymallen ward in Mendoza, Argentina.  I served in this ward for five months on my mission 42years ago.  She is a special sister and has served well.

One of the things we have learned while we have been in Uruguay is just how difficult it is to serve.  Too often there are missionaries with health problems that are unable to stay even though they really want to.  The physical challenges of a mission are great and too often the missionaries are not able to keep up with the strain.  One of our favorite missionaries had to go home last week as the challenges to their health were too great.  They left with a resolve to get well and return.  We have had some that are able to come back and that makes us really happy.  One of the things I have learned is how hard it is to go on a mission.  But, it is many times more difficult to come back after going home for health reasons.  Those that are able to return seem to be some of the very best.  Passing the test twice makes them much stronger and able to serve.  Of course any time we are able to see the missionaries succeed it makes us real happy.

Another week has gone by with the opportunity to grow and learn.  We are learning so much.  Just like the young missionaries the work does take its toll.  So far we are holding up pretty well and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.  We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Gordon and Renee

Living in the World but not of the World

October 16, 2016

I’m sure we have all heard this statement many times.  Well this week we have a real good example.  Monday was the 10th and we needed to pay the rent on some of the houses.  The banks don’t open until 1:00 P.M. so shortly after 1:00 P. M. we took off for the bank.  The first bank was closed and we could not figure out why.  Then one of the Elders remembered that it was “Feriado” a federal holiday.  Not being plugged into the real world does have its draw backs.  So on Tuesday we did the trip over again and made all of the payments.  We even got a neat picture with Elder Rodriguez and Caudle at the Montevideo sign.

Elder Wankier, Elder Rodriguez and Elder Caudle

Tuesday we were able to catch up on some more office stuff so that was good.  On Wednesday we met the Elders in Los Ceibos and cleaned up the old apartment.  I expected to have to do a lot of work on the walls but they weren’t too bad so mostly we just cleaned up the floor.  We still have to do some more work on the house to turn it back but we should be able to get it done this month.  While we were in Los Ceibos we needed to get some parts for a water heater.  As I was trying to make a turn on the main road we had an accident and were hit by another vehicle.  We were not hurt and there was not much damage to the mission car but it was not pleasant.  I felt real bad because I could have done several things differently to prevent it.  Initially the guy we had the accident with was not very happy.  I totally understand this.  As we were waiting for the police and the insurance companies, we had a chance to visit and he became more friendly.  Turns out he has an appliance store near where we had the accident.  After we took care of business we purchased a water heater from him for the Elder’s apartment.  He even gave us a discount.  I will probably shop there again.

After we cleaned the Sister’s apartment last week we were not real happy with how the walls looked even though they were clean.  So we decided to paint the apartment on Thursday.  We showed up at 9:00 A. M. ready to paint it ourselves but the sisters would have none of that.  The four sisters pitched in and really made things go faster.  We had to move all of the beds, tables, etc. to get it done but it really went well. We were so impressed with how the sisters dug in and made the job go real smooth. I hope you can see the difference in these pictures and the ones from last week.

Elder Sarkady and Elder Brasil

Friday we were off to Castillos.  On the way we dropped off a microwave to Elder Cary and Ontiveros in Maldonado.  When we arrived we were very pleased that their apartment was clean and neat.  We were so grateful.  They told us of some people that they are teaching and seemed real excited about their area.  Good for them.  After that we dropped off new bikes to Elder Brasil and Sarkady.  They were happy to get them.  They have a huge area in La Paloma and the bikes will really help.  The first time we ran into Elder Brasil in the field it was a cold rainy night and he was very cold and hungry.  He told us how much he wanted rice and black beans.  Well guess what they were eating when we arrived?  You guessed it.  They were full and happy.  We were also real impressed with the cleanliness of their apartment.  They were also happy to tell us about some people that they were teaching.

Friday afternoon we met the Elders at the chapel in Castillos for a “ward correlation meeting”.  When you have a small branch this includes the Elders Quorum President, the new Primary President and the missionaries.  These are the only callings in the branch right now.  They spent most of two hours planning an activity for the branch.  They ended up making plans to involve several of the people in the branch to make it work.  It should be fun.  We hope to have some good pictures and stories in a few weeks.  After that we tried to visit a few members but did not have much luck.

Saturday morning we met the Elders at the Church at 10:00 A.M. to plan our activities and to start filling the font for a baptism.  The first thing we found out was that the valve on the font did not close so we had to do a little plumbing to get it fixed.  What a wonderful blessing that we fixed it and it didn’t leak.  Wooohoo!  This took most of the morning as we stayed to watch the font fill while the Elders went on a charla.  We did the usual lunch date at Hermana Nardas and guess what, we had Canelones again.  Double Wooooohoo!  They are so good.  We had a good visit and a great meal.
For the Siesta we took off for Chuy about a 45 minute drive to deliver a box of Book of Mormons.  It was hard to just drop off the box and not talk to the Elders.  Elder Anderson, Newman, Fonseca and Saeteros were in great spirits.  They were excited to tell us about the people they are teaching.  We expect baptisms from them.  As we left it started to rain real hard.  We had to drive a lot slower because of all of the water on the road.  We got back to the Chapel just in time to go get people for the baptism.

Sister Sonya was so excited to get baptized.  Even though it is difficult to get in and out of the font she was eager to become a member of the Church.  What a special experience!  After the baptism she commented several times that she felt so warm inside.  She bore a real special testimony afterwards.  It was so good to be a part of it.  Today they confirmed her in Sacrament meeting and welcomed her into the ward.  It was one of our most treasured memories to share this with the Elders.  Elder Stewart and Elder Castillo have been working so hard to make things work in Castillos.  One of the highlights of the baptism was the fact the Nalia, another investigator who is going to be baptized next week attended with her friend Zulma.  When Nalia found out that her good friend Zulma had been a member for two years she exclaimed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”  That’s a good lesson for a lot of us.
So we had a busy week, did several things that we had not planned but still feel good that we were doing what the Lord wanted us to do.  We do receive many rewards each day and look forward to serving the mission the best we can.  We love you all and appreciate all the support you give us.

Here is a picture of our fishing trip.  Never underestimate teenagers with photoshop

Love,
Gordon and Renee

Things Are Cooking Now

October 9, 2016

It’s always nice to have a secret weapon.  Our secret weapon is Renee’s cooking.  We have used it to our advantage several times.  Last Monday we scheduled inspections in one of the zones.  We had heard that one of the houses was a real mess.  No actually we had pictures emailed to us to show us it was a real mess.  We called the zone leaders to let them know we were coming.  We were so grateful that all of the houses were for the most part clean and tidy.  For this the missionaries were rewarded with cookies.  This week, Renee made peanut butter bars with chocolate topping.  I am not as big a fan of peanut butter as some others, but they were real good.  Also, the Latinos are not real familiar with peanut butter so sometimes they don’t look too enthused to eat them.  But after Renee gave them to one of the Latino sisters I asked if she liked it.  She gushed, “It’s the best thing I have ever eaten!”  What made it more special to us is the fact that this sister probably needed a little pick me up, so we kinda killed two birds with one stone.

Tuesday and Wednesday we spent time in the office getting the utilities paid and helping with some of the filing.  One of the desserts that we really like is called pasta flora.  Renee describes it as more of less sugar cookie dough covered with dulce de leche and then criss crossed with more cookie dough.  It was good but not quite what the Uruguayos make.  No problem, we took it to the office and the missionaries gobbled it up.  They appeared not to notice that it was different.  What makes that even better is that Renee will have to make another one.  The job that I have with the office elders to be taste testers.  It is really a pretty good gig.

I don’t remember if I have mentioned that there is a major mold problem Uruguay.  With the humidity and the colder winters it really sets in. We have harped about it a lot and are working to get some of the homes cleaned up.  One that is particularly bad is the sister apartment in San Jose de Carasco.  It is right on the coast and doesn’t have good ventilation.  The walls and ceilings were black from several years of neglect.  Even though it is every missionary’s responsibility we didn’t think that the four sisters that are there right now should have to clean up years of neglect.

So we volunteered to help them cleaned it up on Thursday.  Wednesday night we got a call about 9:00 P. M. from one of the sisters that we know real well.  She asked, “Are you still coming tomorrow?”  I told her we were.  She then said, “You know we don’t have any lunch planned for tomorrow.”  I said, “Are you begging?”  She sheepishly said yes.  I handed the phone to Renee and the wheels started to turn.  They requested an American meal.  Before Renee was through she had whipped up a meal consisting of hamburgers in mushroom gravy with boiled potatoes, mixed vegetables and homemade rolls.  Dessert was lemon pie.  The sisters seemed to eat it just fine.  I included a before and after picture to show you the change in the mold on the walls.  To finish this off we need to paint the apartment with some better paint and then they can keep it up better.

The Sisters running late for the Capilla Abierta

Friday we did more office stuff and got ready for the Capilla Abierta in La Paz.  This is a real strong ward in the Norte Stake.  We had high hopes and were not disappointed.  There were nine investigators that came with a willing heart.  The missionaries did a great job explaining the principals of the Gospel to them.  Elder Guanuna and Manzanares were responsible for dressing in white and explaining Baptism and Receiving the Holy Ghost in front of the font.  They are both gringos.  Elder Guanuna has three and a half months in Uruguay and Elder Manzaneres has three weeks.  They worked real hard to put together a strong presentation and it was a great success.  It is so wonderful to spend time with the missionaries and take advantage of their testimonies.  I really like the group photo in front of Christ.  What a great group.


Today we had another presentation to do a Capilla Abierta in Belloni.  Renee is getting more comfortable with her part of the presentation and we both could feel the Spirit.  Renee has a few slides that shows our family and tells a little bit about us.  I then take over with some slides that explain the Capilla Abierta and everyone’s role.  I had a real hard time today after Renee got through.  I started out by saying that there are three reasons we are here.  First Dulce de Leche and explain that this means we love to learn and take part in all of the customs of Uruguay.  Second, because we want to serve and third because we want to bear testimony.  Today, after seeing all of the pictures of our family I also stated that it is very difficult to leave a wonderful family like ours and that we could only do it because we have a testimony of the truth.

 And that pretty much sums it up.  We are both happy and busy but also missing our home, family and friends.  It is a little harder this time of year as the hunts are starting tomorrow and I really miss doing this with my family.  We do appreciate all of the support from our family.  We face time one of our daughters every Sunday.  What started out as a 20 minute visit has now stretched into more than an hour.  The only way we could do this mission is because we do have a great love for our Savior and want to serve him.  Actually, I have probably shot my share of deer and pheasants and caught my share of fish.  That being said I wouldn’t mind going with my family and share those great experiences a little more. But that time will come again.

We love you all.
Gordon and Renee