Trip to Tuiza Jan 2012 #3

This is the home where the missionaries lived in Chifloca.  Many of the missionaire stayed there while helping to  building the chapel.  President and Sister Kimball slept there when they visited Bolivia.  He was the apostle over South America at that time.  That was before the chapel was built.

Driving outside  of Qurisa we found a 100 year old cactus.  They only bloom like this every hundred years.  The main plant is at the bottom and it grows this tall tree  w/ blooms.  The sky was really that blue the day we were there. 

This is a home in Quirisa.

This a field of corn in Qurisa.  A young couple were bringing in some fresh alfalfa from the field.  Their main cash crop is garlic

We found a few horses in the corral.  They make fences from the thorn bushes.

Just another look at the horses.

These two little girls are the Martinez's grandchildren.  I would guess they are about 5 and 18 months.

This is Sister Flores.  She is in her 80's.  She lives by herself and was bringing in food for her animals.  Lloyd and Elder Cardon baptized her. She still attends church.

We saw this lady along the road as we were leaving Quirisa.  We stopped and asked if she wanted a cookie.   She said she did, but didn't have any money.  She was happy to take one when we told her she didn't have to pay.  She is carrying some small branches for fire wood.

This is for Jack Ballard Bowman our grandson.  We ate at this small cafe in Tupiza.  Just had to take a picture of the sign for him.

This special little girl was at the fireside we had in Tupiza.  She was just learning to walk.  I've never seen so much hair on a child her age.

Lloyd got to ring the bell for church on Sunday at Quirisa.   Maybe the only LDS chapel that has a bell.

A wonderful family that came to church at Quirisa.  The Catcat Family.

This is the group that attended church Sunday in Quirisa.  Lloyd got to speak at Sacrament in that special chapel.  It was a very special experience.  President Dyer and the District President Urache set apart a new Branch President for the Quirsa branch, Rolly Flores.  He is the grandson of Sister Flores and the Martinez, 

As we all drove away on Sunday, there was the new branch president. Rolly Flores standing at the gate with the keys in his hands.  He wasn't smiling too much.

This is the hotel we stayed in at Tupiza.  It was ok and had a good breakfast.

Back on the Road to Repentance.  We found many rock slides from all the rain.  We tried to leave early so we did not meet many buses and trucks that travel this road at night.  This is the way the missionaries in Tupiza travel to get to Zone meetings and come to Cochabamba.  They tell us it is not so bad beacuse it is night and they cannot see the scary road.

Another picture of the Road to Repentance.  This does not make it look as high as it really is.

We got high enough on the road to be in the clouds.  You can see a fence built from rocks.  People do live high up along this road.

Wedding Reception and Orphanage

                          Some flowers in front of the temple steps.

This looks down from the front of the temple.  The white building is the Hospedaje.  The left half of the building is where the temple missionaries live.  Our apartment is on the third floor, on the back side of the building facing the road. It is behind the trees. The right half is where people come from a long distance to stay and go to the temple.  They bring all their families.  Their youth does baptisms.  The adults come to attend the temple and do all the ordinances. They sometimes arrive in large buses. They have ridden on these buses for many hours.  They are usually excited and very happy to be here. 

We went to a sealing at the temple on December 23.  The groom is Joshua Owen from Missouri.  The bride is Luisa Quispe Cajan from Santiago, Chile.  They met on line about four years ago.  Joshua served a mission in Puerto Rico.  They plan on living in Chile. His parents could not afford to come to Bolivia, so his brother-in-law, Bishop Davila,  asked us to be his stand in parents for the evening.  We were glad to be invited.

This is the beautiful place they had the wedding reception.  We danced, had a large buffet dinner about 10 o'clock that night.  We left  early and they said the dancing and fiesta would go on until about 4 a.m.  It was fun and a very interesting evening.

A bouquet of beautiful red roses given to me by the Rivera's family.  They have about 4 large greenhouses where they grow roses and lilies in Bella Vista.  This is what they do for a living. 

On December 26th we visited an orphanage in Cochabamba.  These children have disabilities and handicaps, which will make it difficult for them to ever be adopted.  All the North American Temple Missionaries donated money to help buy them a pair of new pajamas, strollers, toys and books.  The church had also given these special children four wheelchairs. 

Some children are not able to walk or talk.  They did respond to our touch and talking to them.

Their favorite toys were some small rubber balls. They brought smiles to most of their faces.

  Sister and Elder Ahlstrom enjoyed reading to the children.  Thank you to those who helped these children have some special books.

The good people that help these children daily are angels.

This little boys was blind.  He was interested in Lloyd's missionary name tag.

They liked the suffed animals and each child received a knitted stocking hat.

The wheelchairs needed new tires.  Lloyd helped President Jackman put the new tires on. They have a special helper watching.

This is a group of women that work along the streets here.  They are chopping weeds and cleaning up the garbage.  It looks like hard work. 

The chapel in Bella Vista.  All the chapels have locked gates and fences around them.

While walking along the road in Bella Vista we saw this lady weaving a blanket.  She is sitting on the dirt roadside.  She has her small dog to keep her company.  Everyone here has a dog or two.

The blanket she was weaving.  The stick on the left held the strands of yarn up so she can weave the other yarn through.  A lot of time and patience to do.

The temple and nativity on a rainy December evening.

Tupiza Trip Jan 2012 #2

 

It rained each night we were there.  That made the San Juan de Oro river run high and muddy.  The bridge in the distance takes you to Quirisa and Chacopampa.

 

They have several tourist guides who take people for horse rides out of Tupiza. 




These two young boys are on their way to irrigate crops out of Chifloca.  They are members of the Flores Family.

This women was going to get food for the burros.  They haul fresh picked alfalfa on the burros back to their houses.

 

Awomen resting along side the road on our way to Chifloca.  We offered her a cookie.  She took two.

 

The old chapel in Chifloca.  The missionaries fixed it up many years ago.  They got to use it for church because they put windows and doors in it.

 

This man was working on this building.  He was shoveling dirt and shod off the roof.  When he saw us he pointed to Lloyd's old house where they lived as young missionaries and said "that is the house of the missionaries, Elder Cardon and Bradshaw."  Lloyd got so excited and called out " I'm  Elder Bradshaw."  He quickly came down off the roof and they had a good visit. We found out hisn last name was Flores.

 

This is his wife and young son.  They have nine children.  They were a little shy about having their picture taken.  We didn't get all their first names.  We really hope we can visit again.  They enjoyed the cookies we brought.  As they visited with Lloyd and Pres. Dyer they recalled the missionaries living in Chifloca and riding horses.  Lloyd and his companion baptised her parents and her husbands mother.  They have since passed away. 

 

This is one of the Flores sons milking a goat.  He has just a tin cup.  I guess he wanted just a drink.  They had quite a large goat her.  Notice the throny fence.

 

This is their home in Chifloca.  They do have electricity now and a spicket outside outside their front door with running water.

 

We really enjoyed our visit with them.  Lloyd could not believe there was someone still living in Chifloca that would remember the missionaries.

On our way to Quirisa the next day we passed these children sitting on the hillside hearding goats. 

 

This area is down by the San Juan de Oro river.  The mountains across the river are called the Catridal (Cathedral)  There was a family having a picnic and playing along sandy shore.

 Another picture of the Cathedral.  The river is flowing along the bottom of the picture.

More rock formations by the River. 

 

This is the chapel in Quirisa.  Lloyd and about ten other missionaries and members of the town built this 42 years ago.  They still have church their every sunday.  Lloyd had many wonderful experiences here.  He was so happy to come back and see it again.

 

We found Diogenes Martinez and his wife still living in Chifloca.  He was the first Branch President there.  Here is wife is explaining to Lloyd and Pres. Dyer about her heart surgery.  They are both in their 80's.  They of course remember the missionaries that lived there years ago,

 

Sister Martinez does not have many teeth but she loved to visit with us.  We are standing in her back yard.  She had corn, grapes, and a few flowers growing.  They don't invite you into their homes too often anywhere in Bolivia.  You usually sit outside and visit. 

 

This is the inside of the chapel.  Same benches from 42 years ago.  The chapel was is pretty good condition.  There were a few minor repairs that needed done. 

Here Lloyd is visiting in the chapel doorway with Diogenes Martinez,