A time of Thanksgiving

I was excited to see what the super moon looked like in Cochabamba. It was so "unsuper", that I won't even post a picture of it rising. The street light was bigger than the moon. But, I waited for a few hours and got a couple pictures of it rising above the temple. So here are my attempts. Not much compared to many pictures posted online. The weather here is fantastic. But, there is hardly any color. The sun rises and the sun sets, and there are no beautiful colors in the sky. We guess it is because of the high altitude. Not as much atmosphere? Maybe some of our scientific grandchildren can check into it. We still huff and puff up and down the stairs. That will probably not change the whole time we are here. Don't want to complain though, because every day here is another day in Paradise.

Hats and full skirts are very common here

Our good friends, the Angles right before they returned home to Arizona

They don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Bolivia. I looked it up, and  outside the United States and Canada, there were about 3 other places that have a similar celebration. But, they do have a name for Thanksgiving, and many of the workers wished us a Happy Thanksgiving. Turkey is very expensive here, (one of the reasons we ate chicken) but one of the temple workers went to the store and bought some turkey legs and turkey steaks and brought to some of us. It was very kind of him.  They call Thanksgiving here "dia de Accion de Gracias".  I like the idea that Thanksgiving is more than just saying you are thankful, it takes some action. Which will bring us to December, the month of service, a good way to show thankfulness.

Thanksgiving day at the chicken place

Thanksgiving dinner before our shift at the temple. Chicken, noodles, and french fries.

Did Sister Angle  eat all of that chicken herself?

If you are willing to eat at a "whole in the wall", you can get a pretty cheap meal.

7 B's (Bolivianos) equals a dollar. So our meal was either 10 B's, or 18 B's (Sister Angle got the 18 B's meal, so did Martin). Sister Butler eats here all the time, so we chanced it, but most of the time if we eat out, we try to go to the nicer restaurants. There are little stands, kiosks, wheel barrows, small tables, etc. selling food almost on every street, but we don't dare try any of them, even though much of the food looks interesting. We have been to some pretty good restaurants, and the are much less expensive than in Uruguay.

November 6, 2016

Bolivia doesn't go on daylight savings time. So, this morning we are now 3 hours different than Boise, instead of 2. In Uruguay we would be either 3 or 5 hours different depending on the time of year. At least we don't have to adjust to the time change. Some of you will be suffering for awhile.

Street beggar

There are many poor people in Bolivia. There is a huge contrast in the way many of them dress.  My dad used to get the National Geographic magazine when I was a kid. I was amazed to see the pictures of people all over the world, and how much different they were from us. Some days here, I feel like I'm looking at National Geographic. I have had trouble getting pictures so far, most people don't want their picture taken. In the following picture, a Boliviano had to talk the Sisters into the picture. I hope to get more to share with you in the future. 

The sister in middle is wearing the bolero hat which is common with the indigenous 

Cholas. These sisters were shy, but friendly if you spoke to them. The sister in the pink shawl has her teeth partially capped with silver with a design to it. I am told that those that have money like to wear lots of jewelry, put gold pins on their hats and shawls, and have their teeth capped with silver. You can tell if they are Quechua or Aymara by the length of their skirts, which are layered and full, and have a tie in the front with an opening that usually shows in the front. The women are mostly short and stocky and have small hands. Many of them have bright colored blankets that they carry their stuff, or children on their backs. 

The Cholas almost all have very long braids that they tie together in the back with dark colored tassels. This old man went down the stairs pretty quickly for being old and bent over. He had a pretty cute toothless smile. Don't you love this woman's smile. I wish you could see all the silver on her teeth. 

Sister Farnsworth with another Sister we met in the hospedaje. (where we live, and people can stay while they attend the temple)

Sister Farnsworth has bought some really cute dolls. My first ever photo bomb.

President Jay Jensen and Sister Lona Jensen left a week ago. The Paredes are full time Boliviano workers who live just below us. I will miss the Jensens. They are wonderful people, helped us a lot, and they spoke English.

Transportation is fun. It looks like the picture of the bus is of people getting on. No, this bus is moving. It didn't seem to bother the guy at all that he was mostly outside the bus. 

Many of the taxis are falling apart. The handle on the side where I got in was broken off. It is hard to see, but his broken front windshield is taped together with clear tape, and he has a box and piece of cardboard on his dashboard to help hold the window. They like to put little covers over their dashboards. I don't know if this is supposed to be in place of airbags?  I think they are either for decoration, or to cover what is broken. The seat belts either don't work or are too dirty to use. Martin put one on coming home from church, and his shirt had black marks on it. Half the time we wonder how the cars even keep running. They drive fast, honk a lot, and scare me to death. Today the driver drove between two cars on a two lane road. We made it to church. (I pray a lot) It's an experience!

Tags on clothes can say some pretty interesting things. That's not why I posted this picture. A few years ago, I became allergic to metals. I can't wear any jewelry with metal except for titanium.The only thing in titanium I have seen are watches and rings. My skin either gets a rash, turns red, or actually feels like it has a burn on it. I have to cut the tags off of clothes because they irritate my skin. Last weekend I wore a jacket I have worn many times. When I got home my skin felt burned. I figured out the tag has gold thread. It seems I get more sensitive all the time. I hope I never get arrested, I think that handcuffs would bother my skin.

Our total celebration of Halloween consisted of looking at pictures of some of our grandchildren in Halloween costumes, and eating the popcorn that Sister Angle brought to us. Thank you Sister Angle. We do have pretty cute grandkids. Costumes or no costumes. Miss them all.

Sept 26

Local carwash

We went grocery shopping today and saw a couple of interesting sites we though others might enjoy.

Just drive your car up on the ramp and you will get a hand-washed car.

Local laundromat

Not just the delicates are hand washed at this local laundry facility.
No need for artificial fresheners to give that sunny day smell to your laundry. And drying is free.










Sept 27

View of Cristo de la Concordia from the temple.

Elder and Sister Angle took us to see the Cristo de la Concordia today.  It is on a hill a little ways from the temple and Sister Jensen told us that his right hand points toward the temple. 
It is similar to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, but they built it to be slightly higher by an inch or so. 

We walked and took a bus and walked some more. This is one of the streets near the temple. It hasn't been paved over yet. We caught a bus from this corner.

We could have climbed these stairs to the Christus statue, but we decided not to get in the way of the soldiers doing their physical exercise training. 

Actually, it was the 2,000 steps climbing 839 feet above the city that dissuaded us from making the climb. The statue is 9,317 feet above see level. 

Instead, we took a tram to the top. 

While waiting for the gondolas we saw these cute pre-school kids whom had come on a field trip to see the statue.

Surprisingly, once you are at the top, it doesn't seem as big as what you see in the pictures of the Christus in Rio. Once again, a reminder of what you can do with photography. 

That is not to say it isn't big -- it is. The statue alone is 112.2 feet tall. The pedestal is 20.5 feet high. The head is 15.2 feet tall and the arm span is 107.8 feet. It is the second largest statue of Christ in the world. One in Poland is 2 meters taller.
You can go inside and climb to a viewing area in the arms, but only on Sunday. There are 1,399 stairs to the viewing area. Martin looked at the stairs and decided it wasn't worth breaking the sabbath to do it. The stairway is circular and very narrow. It could cause the onset of claustrophobia.

I just had to do one artistic shot. So here it is.


















There is a beautiful view of Cochabamba and the surrounding area.

There are over a million residents in the area.

A view of the area surrounding the Temple.

Cochabamba comes from the compound Quechua "q'ucha" meaning lake, and "panpa" meaning open plain. Here is a view of the lake from which the city gets its name. There is currently a drought so there isn't as much water in the lake.







We had a wonderful time, but even with a hat on Sylvia got sunburned. We ate at a little Tex-Mex restaurant owned by a member of the church. So far we have enjoyed the food here. You do have to be really careful what and where you eat, and you have to wash all fruits and vegetables you buy, and not drink the water outside of the temple grounds.

Oct 1

We all went to the Jensen's house to watch General Conference. We had a new perspective after listening to President Jensen tell us some more about how they prepare talks for Conference.  He knows and loves the Prophet and Apostles.

We love to read the scriptures which teach us so much about these modern days. Twice a year we get to hear a Prophet, Apostles, and other leaders talk about what is happening right now, and what we can and should be doing. We know they get inspiration from God, and that we can get inspiration both directly from God, and from the words they speak to us. It gives us peace to hear their words as they talk about how to survive and progress both temporally and spiritually in the last days. We know, through the Holy Ghost, what they say is true.

After the two sessions of Conference we had a potluck dinner at the Angles apartment. 












We got to sit by President and Sister Hansen of the Cochabamba mission and get to know them a little better. They have been here over two years. Sister Hansen doesn't speak much Spanish either. Luckily, the people here are kind about that. The first three days we were in the temple, they brought missionaries to the temple. We got to work extra hours because they had a special session for them. We loved it though, because that is one of our favorite things, to get to spend time in the temple with the young missionaries.

After dinner we got everyone together for a group shot with the temple in the background.














In the last 2 weeks, we have discovered the secret of Cochabamba. Every day has been similar. The weather is lovely-"another day in Paradise", as the missionaries love to say here. In fact, Cochabamba is know as "The City of Eternal Spring". We keep our windows open most of the time. The sun shines, and the birds sing. Some dark clouds will gather at the mountains, but will go away or pass quickly. The late spring and summer should be the rainy season, and they are all praying for rain because some areas of the country have little or no water right now. The country side is brown. They say in the summer, with rain, it turns green.  It did rain a little yesterday, and there was some thunder, but nothing like the downpours we experienced in Uruguay. We are blessed here on the temple site. There is an underground spring, so we can drink the water safely. The average high temperature only varies by about 5 degrees from winter to summer, and the average daily temperature varies by 10 degrees. There is no air conditioning and there is no heat in the apartments. We have a large fan, and a very small space heater. Sister Butler told me she did get cold at church a couple times during the winter, but that was about it. We are told the natives think it is cold in the winter and wear coats, gloves, and scarves, just like they did in Uruguay. It did get cooler in Uruguay, but not cold like we know in Idaho. We hope the light jackets we brought will be enough.

We have enjoyed our first 2 weeks here. Thanks to all of you back home for your support. We love you and miss you.

Sept 19

Traffic in open market area.

We needed a router to use the internet, so Martin and Elder Glaettli went to the big shopping area know as "La Cancha" -- an interesting name since, in English, it means court or field and is used to identify a football (soccer) field. It may have recieved its name from orginally being in a large field or because it is divided into smaller courts, depending on the merchandise being sold. It is really interesting. 

Open market on the way to La Cancha

We had a family home evening with the missionaries. The Jensens will only be here for another month. We wish we would get to spend more time with them. It was interesting to be taught by a emeritus member of the Presidents of the Seventy. He talked about what it was like to give a talk in General Conference. What an amazing assignment that is. He has talked a little about meeting with the Prophet. What wonderful experiences he has had.

Sept 20

President Jensen set us apart as temple missionaries. Unlike the blessing in Uruguay, Sylvia understood what was said because it was in English. We received some very special blessings which will help us greatly during the coming year.

Side view of the Cochabamba Temple

Cochabamba Temple from the back

We have begun our adventure in the temple. What a choice opportunity to get to serve in a beautiful temple of our Lord 5 days a week. We are asked to leave the cares of the world outside the temple. This can be hard to do, but the peace and comfort we can feel in the temple helps us.  There are many ways we can help other people to receive the marvelous blessings that are given in the temple. They come eager and excited to receive their own blessings, and then to serve those who have passed on to receive those same blessings. It sometimes can be tiring because of the long hours, but never boring to be in the temple daily. There is always more to learn. The temple is not only a place to receive all the blessings that will help us to return as families to our Father, but a place of learning and personal revelation. We receive this revelation as we become ready for it. We feel so blessed to be asked to help with this great work of the Lord. The ultimate blessings in this life occur in the temple. Even though we miss our family, we are reminded each day in the temple of "God's plan of happiness." We are meant to come to this earth to learn how to become like God, and to learn how to become forever families.

Sept 25

Jaihuayco Stake Center and Ward building

President Jensen drove us to the ward that we will attend while we are here. The ward is the Jaihuayco Ward which is probably a Quechua word, not a Spanish word. I wrote it down as "hi-y-co" so I could say it. This will be a new experience for us because all the missionaries went to the building by the temple in Uruguay. We will have to take a taxi to and from church because it is close to the airport. The people were kind to us. It will give Sylvia a chance to practice more Spanish.

Sept 11, 2016

We were set apart as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by President Maybon. We also gave talks in Sacrament Meeting. Sylvia's mom and brother Brad came from Idaho Falls, and our children Kevin and Shannon, along with her daughter Maya came from Utah to spend some time with the rest of the family here. With Cherie, Alesha, and Ryan living here, we enjoyed having five of our six children at home. We were sad that Kaylynn couldn't be with us. It was our last day with our family for a year. We will miss our children and grandchildren, and our friends in the United States. Shannon took two of our suitcases to Utah with her and Miguel brought them to the Raddison.

Sept 12

On Monday we were stuffing the last few things off dresser tops, etc into boxes. We will have fun sorting through the mixture of last minute items when we get home. Our daughter Cherie, her husband Jason, and 14 year old Kael will live in our house for the next year. Chris Allen took us to the airport, and we were off for three days at the Salt Lake Temple for training.

Sept 13-15

We went to the temple Tues, Wed, and Thurs, for training. The past President of the Salt Lake Temple and his wife, President and Sister Alldridge did our training.  We had some special experiences while we were there. The outside of the Salt Lake Temple is so magnificent. It is hard to believe we got to spend three days inside of it. This was our second time to get to do this, but it was just as exciting as the first. We went to the Joseph Smith building and watched all of the new "Meet the Mormon" segments. They show a new one every 30 minutes.

On Wednesday in  the temple, we found an old friend that we hadn't seen for a long time. We love Larry and Joyce Stay. Our friendship began many years ago when we both lived in Puerto Rico. They had been the mission president in Guatemala for three years, and we hadn't talked to them for a long time.  On Thursday, they took us out to dinner and we had a wonderful time catching up. It helped take our minds off the fact that our paper work for our visa didn't make it by Thursday, and we were going to have to stay in Salt Lake longer.



Sept 16

During the night, Martin felt like we should get packed up anyway, even though it didn't seem possible that we could get our passports and paper work back in time for our flight. About an hour before we should have been leaving for the airport, we got a call from the travel office. Terry had been coordinating with the Post Office and the Church Office Building mailroom. Lo and behold, a small miracle happened and our paperwork arrived far earlier than expected. She was going to meet us at the airport with it. We just barely got the rest of our stuff packed and our 6 suitcases and other carry on things down stairs in time to catch our ride to the airport. We were both sweating by then. We got our paperwork and were off to Miami.

On flight from Dallas to Miami

Waiting in Miami for our flight to La Paz and Santa Cruz

The flight from Miami left two hours late. We first landed in the capital of Bolivia, La Paz, (11,942 feet above sea level) on Saturday, and then  arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia about 2 hours late. We couldn't get through customs in time to catch our flight to Cochabamba. They checked all the luggage by hand, so it was pretty slow.

Luckily for us, President Jensen had a nice man named Walter meet us at the airport. He rebooked a new flight for us and got everything situated for us. We only had to wait 5 hours in a very hot airport. There were no seats to sit in except at the restaurants, so it took us 4 hours to eat a sandwich at the Subway restaurant. They kept saying over the intercom that they were sorry that their air conditioning wasn't working. We wondered if it ever did work. Then we were off to find out what the missionaries from Cochabamba meant by "another day in Paradise"



Sept 17

We arrived in Cochabamba! We got here a little after 4:00 pm. We were supposed to have arrived around 10:30 am. President Jay and Sister Lona Jensen picked us up at the airport, along with one of the tempe staff. So nice to finally meet them. They took us to our apartment.

This is our living room

Our kitchen

Our bedroom (forgive the mess on the bed)

They gave us some time to freshen up and then took us shopping to get some food we might need until Monday. Of course, they asked first if we wanted to do it or just rest up. We went to a store called IC Norte -- somewhat like an Albertsons. After that we had our first experience of going out to eat with all the temple missionaries at a nice restaurant. The meal cost us about $25 for both of us. That same meal would have been about $60 in Uruguay.
There are only 2 American couples, and two Sister Missionaries here now. (We make three, but the Angles are going home soon) There used to be about 8 couples. That is why President Jensen sent us an email and asked us if we could come. They had all contributed some food for our apartment, and had put some lovely lilies on our table. Sylvia got sick during the night and couldn't go to church the next day.

It takes awhile to get used to this high of an altitude (8,392 feet above sea level, although the altitude reading in our apartment is about 8,700). You feel light headed, or have a headache. Even walking a little makes you feel exhausted. Climbing stairs makes you feel like you are going to die. We wonder how Sylvia's nephew, Gabe survived in Cusco, Peru. We are getting a little more used to it, but climbing stairs still make us feel like we are having a heart attack, and there are a lot of stairs around here.

 We live on the third floor of the Hospedaje, it is uphill to the temple, and there are stairs in the temple. The temple is on a steep hill. It is lovely, but you get your exercise getting there.







Luckily, buses and taxis are less expensive here than they were in Uruguay. The temple missionaries will walk to the store, and then take a taxi back to the temple with their groceries. It costs about $1.50, about a fourth of what it would in Uruguay.