Latter-day Pioneers

I have been reading a book every evening called The History of the Latter-day Saints in Uruguay , Stories of the Pioneers (Historia de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias en Uruguay, Relatos de pioneros.)  Of course it is in Spanish, which is good practice for me.  It has pictures of Jerry's mission president and some of the chapels.  It relates events such as Presidents David O. McKay and Gordon B. Hinkley visiting the mission and meeting with the president of the country. 

It also tells the story of how the church got started in different cities in the country.  When we went to Salto, we met Nélida Sosa.  She is 92 years old now, and was one of the first people baptized in Salto.  She was in Sacrament Meeting the week we were there.   As she bore her testimony, she told of the joy the gospel has brought into her life through the years.  What an amazing sister and a wonderful example of enduring to the end.  After the meeting, she thanked us for coming and serving.  We thanked her for all the work she has done in Salto.  Think of the service she has done over the years.  She has bright, beautiful eyes and a light in her countenance.  She has such a positive attitude.  She reminded me of my mom.  What a privilege it was to meet her! 

Here is a picture of her with us in the chapel.

Today, we met a sister who has been a member for 40 years.  That is very rare for Uruguay.   She talked to us after Sacrament Meeting.  She has been faithful all these years.  She lives in the Montevideo North Stake, Conciliation Ward.   (That's a funny name for a ward.)

Last week, we met a stalwart sister who told us that her whole family is in the ward.  Her son is the bishop, her son-in-law and daughter are there, and her grandchildren.  She pointed to all sorts of people who were getting ready to leave after the meeting was over.  Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews....all were active members of the ward.  What a heritage!  Here is her picture.  Isn't she cute?  She is really short, less than 5 feet, I think.

 

These sisters have seen many changes over the years.  The gospel has been an anchor in their lives.  They have been faithful through many trials  and found joy through the gospel.  What a legacy they have made for their families and for the church.  They are an inspiration to us.  We are blessed to have been able to meet them.

Just for Kids

This post is for the grandchildren.   We have been thinking of our wonderful grandchildren when we saw these interesting things...

There are lots of parks here in Uruguay.  This one is in front of our house, and it has 8 swings!  Almost all the cousins could swing at the same time.  It also has a fun slide. 


The parents are always with their children.  Children are very important to their parents and grandparents.  You are important to Grandpa and Grandma.  We love you.

Lots of people have dogs.  This boy is walking his dog.  The dogs always have to be on a leash. 


Grandpa and I saw these little 3 and 4 year olds playing soccer.  They were learning how to kick the ball. 

One time, we saw them trying to walk with a soccer ball in between their feet.  That would be hard. 

When we saw these children, we thought of you and your basketball games.  We know you try very hard to do what your coach wants you to do.  What wonderful grandchildren we have!

One Saturday, Grandpa and I went for a walk.  We saw a carnival set up.  This was the slide.  I know we have things like this is the United States, but the kids here like to play on them too.

This looks like fun.  It is an octopus slide!!

Can you see the horn on the brown bull? That bull would be hard to ride.  He is so big!

Yes, that's Grandpa. 
He is big, but the slide is REALLY big!!  I think I would be scared to go down it.  How about you?  You are probably braver than I am.  Maybe if we went together, I wouldn't be scared.

This is a big pirate!  It would be fun to play inside there.  In the front of the picture is a track for go-carts. 

I would love to play with those big balloons in the water.  They were just setting the carnival up when we were there, so we didn't get to see anyone having fun in the water.  I bet you would have fun playing it that pool.

Don't you think it would be fun to ride on one of these?  What if they tipped over?







We went to a mall, and this carousel was there.  It was very pretty.  Later, we saw lots of children in line and kids on the ride.  All the kids speak Spanish here, but they had big smiles on their faces, just like you would if you were riding one of these horses!

I thought of all my grandsons when I saw this truck.  I think the girls would like it too.

This is the kind of ride that just shakes around like the ones at WalMart.  It doesn't really ride  around anywhere.  It would still be awesome to sit in it! 

At Christmas, there was a big display called Santa at the Zoo.   They pretended that Santa was a zookeeper.  It was different, and there were lots of stuffed animals.  The panda bears were very cuddly. 

The giraffe was cute.  There were camels, a lion, and an elephant too.  We thought about you when we saw the animals. 




Grandpa and Grandma Heath love you so much.  We miss you.  When we see things like this, we miss you even more.  We think about how much fun you would have. 


We pray for you.  We know you are praying for us.  We know Heavenly Father is hearing your prayers.  He is blessing us.  He is helping us learn Spanish better.  He is helping us love the people. 

The children here are not always quiet in church.  We are glad your parents are teaching you to be quiet in church.      You are a good example to other children when you are quiet.  You are also being obedient to your parents. 


We love you. 


Love,


Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jerry

La Paz

We spoke in La Paz Ward today.  Jerry said I gave my talk the best today.  That is a high compliment, coming from the master speaker in the family.  I read most of it, but I tried to add expression and look up as much as I could. 

They didn't have a pianist, so I offered to play the piano right before the meeting.  The bishopric was very excited about the idea.  The music director had a gorgeous soprano voice.  It was a great experience.  Jerry's talk was amazing, as usual.  He had every eye on him the whole time. 

After the meeting, there was such a great spirit!!  People came up to us and thanked us.  One young woman volunteered to help us, which is an answer to prayers.  The spirit was strong and we didn't want to leave.   We are very blessed to be able to know these wonderful people.

This week, I read a synopsis of David A. Bednar's talk at BYU Women's Conference.  The title of the conference was "By Small and Simple Things are Great Things Brought to Pass."  Elder Bednar gave the closing talk.  Here's the link.

http://lds.org/church/news/elder-david-a-bednar-teaches-about-the-spiritual-pattern-of-small-and-simple-things?lang=eng

At times, I think what we are doing is not really missionary work.  It's different than what traditional missionary work is.  We are not out teaching the gospel and making contacts all day, but what we are doing is helping people in their hour of need and desperation.  A smile, some help with a resume, some words of support and some ideas of how to proceed,  go a long way in calming their hearts at a difficult time.   I was feeling like this wasn't enough.  There are so many problems here.  What could I do to make a big difference?  This talk was what I needed.  I hope it helps you also.