Bolivians, Babies and Brisa!

This has been an exceptionally crazy last couple of weeks what with the all the Bolivian missionaries coming to Peru and being reassigned to the 4 Lima missions. The funny thing was that President had just been complaining the day before that we needed more missionaries and, viola, the next day his prayers are answered! Talk about powerful prayers! About 100 north american missionaries had to leave Bolivia on an emergency transfer so to speak and we received about 24 of those into our mission in the middle of our normal change period which caused just alittle stress! The problem was that they could only be placed in Lima as many did not have any visas etc. so that meant that a several of our missionaries had to be sent out to the provinces upsetting areas and companionships etc. But the really wonderful thing that happened in the midst of all of this turmoil was a meeting that was called by the area presidency in the CCM for all the mission presidents and their wives and all the recently escaped Bolivian missionaries before they were divided and placed into the different missions. We walked into the auditorium where all 100 missionaries were sitting and the feeling there was like a funeral. You can imagine how many of them felt to have to leave their beloved mission and come to a strange new land full of rice and chicken (JK!) Anyway, all of the area presidency spoke and tried to bouy them up and last of all President Nash got up and spoke and he said he felt impressed to speak in english and that they could respond in english. He basically asked them one question: "What have you learned from this experience?" Well, after a few moments of silence one by one the missionaries began to share the feelings of their hearts and it was powerful. After 3 or 4 comments President Nash said someone needs to write this down as something special is happening here! So we all began to take notes! What we heard was amazing as missionary after missionary stood and expressed their testimony of the miracles they had witnessed, of the confidence that they had gained in the Lord and in his inspired leaders and in the knowledge that the Lord loves his missionaries and there is no reason to doubt that He will protect them and that this is the Lord's work and He is in charge! Nothing can stop the work of the Lord not even a military uprising! One Elder, Elder Peterson, that came to our mission shared an experience that when he was set apart by his stake president he was told to serve faithfully in Bolivia and anywhere else the Lord called him to go! He thought that was an odd thing to say until this happened. Another told of how their little zone of 10 elders found themselves in the city of Trinidad surrounded by the military with all the roads blocked when they were told by the mission president that they had to get to Santa Cruz which was several hours away by bus in order to leave for Peru. The airport in their city was also blockaded and so they did not know how they were going to escape and get to Santa Cruz. Someone (probably the mission president) told them of an airport 3 hours north of the city that was open and that the church would have two small airplanes waiting there for them if they could get there. They found a small dirt road leaving the city that was not under military guard and made their escape. When they arrived at the airport the 2 planes were waiting for them and so they loaded in. Not 30 minutes after their takeoff the military came in and closed the airport! They were so grateful that they followed the spirit and found that the Lord truly was watching over them. It reminded me of the people of Alma and how they escaped from the armies of Lamanites in Mosiah. It was a marvelous experience and a priviledge to be able to be in that meeting and to have the spirit bear witness that this work is real, that God is real and that miracles are happening daily.

On a lighter note another miracle is happening in our family--Rob is getting married! It is testimony that a mother's prayers are heard and answered! While in the midst of all the bolivian crisis Rob called to let us know that he had gotten engaged to a young lady from Alabama named Brisa Archibald. It was an answer to my prayers and even though we don't know this young lady at all we feel really good about it. Everyone in the family who has met her loves her and so we are anxious to meet her too.

We also have been fasting and praying as a family for Dan and Angie to be able to have another baby and I feel like soon we will know. So keep them in your prayers and we will combine our faith to get yet another Elmer baby here soon! I consider all these experiences tender mercies from the Lord as we serve this mission and strive to bring our misionaries and our family closer to the Lord. I am secretly thrilled that this also means that I will be able to come to the wedding and finally meet the grandbabies that I have not seen in person yet--how blessed can I be!!