trabajo para La Obra

16 December 2014

 Dear Family,

So, yesterday may have been the most unfunnest day in the mission.  We were in Chile; and Bryant was being baptized in Arizona!!  You know of course where we wanted to be!!! 

We did our weekly shop on that Saturday, and came home to prepare for giving talks on Sunday.  I was practicing “reading” my talk in español and trying to get the “i” to sound like an “e” and the “a” to be an “ah” and the “e” to be a “eh/long a”

…and to speak as rapidly and correctly as posible (possible).  Geff helped me translate my talk earlier in the week.  And guess what my first sentence was?  “Yesterday, in the state of Arizona in the United States, one of our grandchildren was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints….Bryant es un chico amable, que tiene amor por todos.  Fue super animado ser bautizado…. And I talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost… using Sister Beck’s quotes in her talk from 2010:  “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life… “Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things.”  

So, this week is another birthday.  Brady will be 10. 

I mostly think of Brady all involved in Cub Scouts, loving to read, taking piano lessons from Stacy and playing sports.  And now I hear he sings in choir at school.  How cool is that?  What a busy fun time is going on in his home these days!!  Have a great one Brady!!  Just want you to know that we are working hard out here in the mission.  We work every day to take pictures of records – we call it trabajo para la Obra!  (Missionary work for Jesus Christ is called La Obra). 

Here is some trabajo and some trabajo para La Obra going on:  Grandpa with the Bishop and with Juanita, a sister in the ward.  Also Elder Smith and the young Elders came to help the Bishop build a place for water storage so there could be running water in her humble home.  What a sweet helpful to all sister she is!!

  Thought you would enjoy the following pics too:

When we go to work capturing images, we wear FamilySearch badges, but other times we wear our missionary tags.  We love to represent Jesus Christ!

  At the MTC we were taught to live a life of service (to remember that missionary work is not about you).  I still remember this quote from President Uchtdorf when I think things are hard:  “It is often in adversity that we learn those most important lessons that form our character and shape our destiny.  Nov 2009, 55-59 President Uchtdorf,  Ensign “Two Principles for Any Economy”.

Here is some trabajo going on:  the buses have a fun time maneuvering through the construction on our street up to our hill.  It is almost finished.

Since you like to draw, here is some wall art where we catch the bus to go down the hill.

Last week, our week was different because on Monday the cemetery was closed for the Immaculate Conception holiday, and we had a different day on Thursday as we had a Christmas 2- Zone Conference with Presidente and Hermana Kahnlein providing mucho energia y inspiración.

  Each Zone sang a Christmas hymn, those Elders and Hermanas learning English performed The Nativity skit in English, we were given Emergency Kits in case of Earthquake or Tsunami,

We prepared for the Christmas Initiative with the “El es la Dádiva” (He is the Gift).  We were taught that “If we are not animated in our service, what will we gain?”  We must be sumiso (submissive), sanador (healer), bondadoso (kindly) maestro (teacher), altruistic (altruistic), siervo (servant), lleno de amor (full of love) humilde (humble), obediente (obedient), valiente (valiant)….

Our reading challenge for the next quarter is to read the BoM and the LdM side by side - to note the differences, and to record what page we first hear of a person and what/when commands were given to that person and what we have learned about diligence and humility from our reading. So we have until 31 March. 

So, Summer is coming on the 21^st of December.  The flowers are out and birds are singing.

  The water goes down the drain clockwise; and summer vacation begins next week.

So, what advice would we have for all you nietos?  …Practice your piano and learn the hymns…. (…and practice your chess during your vacation.  Grandpa is not getting any chess playing done, and you might just catch him a little rusty when he comes home!).  Love to all from your missionary Grandpa and Grandma!!!