November 22, 2010
These last couple weeks in the Zona Sur it has been raining, and the rivers over flooding, and we had been complaining about having too much water. This last week the rains stopped, and we got what we asked for, but not exactly the way we were thinking. All of this last week the whole city of Rio Claro was without water. I don’t just mean without rainwater, I mean without water in the pipes. It was a pretty tough week because of it. There were some problems with the tubing that takes the water into the town, and they actually told us, we could be without water for a whole month. During the week, trucks with tanks of water drove around passing out water to the people. Everyone had to fill up buckets and bottles they had, with water, to use for washing, bathing, and drinking. Unfortunately for us missionaries, the times that those trucks passed by our house during the week, were times that we weren’t home, so we only got to fill up bottles once. But we were greatly blessed with a little miracle. After Timoteos baptism, the day before the water went out, we pulled the plug to drain the baptismal font, but for some reason, when we went back the next day, the pila was still full of water. During the week we were able to go to the church to use that water. We would go to use the bathroom, and we also filled up our bottles with the baptismal water, and took them home to use for washing, bathing, and flushing the toilet. After a full week without water, we actually got kind of used to it. In the end it was a great experience because, although the people were kind of sweaty and stinky, the fact that no one had water brought everyone closer together.
We ended p'day early this week, because we had some important citas (appointments). We started teaching Esteban, and he told us he wants to be baptized, so he has a fecha (date) for the 27th of November.
This week we visited Jesus in Puerto Jimenez, and he is looking really good for his baptism next week. We had to do the usual hitch hiking to get to and from his house, which is always interesting, because you meet some good people. After the lesson with Jesus and his friend Belizario (20 year old Panamanian who lives with Jesus), we took pictures of the toucans’, and even saw some monkeys. It was fun. We visited Ronald and Lilibeth at night.
Also this last week, we went to the Charpantierre house. A year ago in Heredia, I dedicated the grave of an old man who passed away, and the grave of his wife. He was a Charpantierre, and I knew he was from the Zona Sur. Turns out that his family is from Rio Claro. Sadly the only active member of the Charpantierre family here in Rio Claro, is Don Charpantierre's granddaughter Carolina. She is about 20 years old. Right now she lives with her mother and two brothers. They live in km 31, but about 2km into the jungle. The trail to their house is the muddiest hill, I have ever seen. The trail is literally a foot or more deep of mud. No cars can make it up this trail, but obviously we had to. Carolina asked us to show up by surprise and visit her mother and brothers, who have been inactive for a long time now, because of some offense against them I think, partly I think because the father of the family left them, and they were sealed and everything, so it was really hard on them. Carolina was supposedly going to leave us boots, so we could climb the muddy hill, but we never found the boots. My comp tied some white plastic bags around his shoes, and they looked really funny, kind of like we were on the moon, except for in mud. Unfortunately, I was forced to just get muddy. We were miraculously able to make it up the trail, without drowning in mud, and we got to the Charpantierre house. Carolina wasn’t home, but immediately her mother, welcomed us in, and she gave us food, and we just talked with her and her sons for a long time. They are a really nice family, but they have something holding them back from coming to church, but we don’t know what it is. After awhile we told the hermana that we had to go take a bus, because there was an activity at the church but they keep talking and in the end we missed the bus and had to run down the muddy mountain. When we got to the main road, I desperately flagged down a car, which luckily stopped, even though we were muddy, and drove us to Rio Claro. After changing quickly we went to the church to prepare for the activity.
For the activity we showed the Jose Smith Profeta de La Restauracion (Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration) movie. There was good attendance again, about 25, and the Relief Society even prepared un Gallito (a little plate with a tortilla, rice, and chicken) for everyone to eat after the movie. That’s awesome because we didn’t even ask them to do it, but I guess they have seen our efforts in helping the branch, and now the people are starting to help us on there own accounts. It was great activity, and Mainor and his daughters came and liked it a lot as well.
Elder Tobler
P.S. Feliz Cumpleaños Mama! I wish you the happiest birthday you could ever imagine!
I love you and I hope you have many birthdays more.
