Visiting Bolivia

Now to report on our visits to Bolivia.  We flew to Santa Cruz, via La Paz on Mon 25th July.  We’d spent 3 hours on the Saturday helping prepare the paper work for our visas, getting photos taken etc.  However, because we are British, we did not need any of it, we weren´t charged $135 visa tax.  We since learnt that the charge is only imposed on Americans!    We were grateful to be met by Roberto Morantes who works in our Area Office, and that our Hotel was in a safe place in Santa Cruz.  

Our Hotel in Santa Cruz

We helped give the Presentation about Health Insurance Cards, & then gave a presentation to the missionaries about 5 health issues - insect and animal bites, treating and avoiding diarrhoea and vomiting, dental hygiene, treating and avoiding toenail infections, and finally reducing stress.  Brian was later able to do a ´Sick Parade¨ We were very grateful President & Hermana Calderon spoke slowly so we could understand what they said, AND they could understand what I said!!

A Gum Tree

Repairing a Roof

Whilst waiting for our flight back to Lima, we had a Subway sandwich, Brians was beef & mine was chicken, It was probably that which gave me the Ïnca Trots´which lasted Thursday – Monday, but I didn´t feel ill with it.

On Tue 2nd August, we flew to La  Paz via Santa Cruz.  (I never did find out why we couldn't fly direct to Santa Cruz & La Paz, maybe it was cheaper!)  As we descended we could see snow on the mountains in the background, & La Paz was in a valley surrounded by mountains.  

La Paz, Bolivia

We had only been in our hotel ½ hr when my Inca Trots started, & I watched Brian enjoy a lovely meal in the Dining room, while  I sipped camomile or manzanilla tea with honey.  I continued to go to the loo all night, lost count after 15 times, & felt ghastly.  So, poor Brian had to give the presentations on his own, AND in Spanish.  We extended our time in our room so I could rest, & the only time I met  President Quintanilla was when he took us to the airport to catch our flight to Cochabamba.   You may think I´ve given you too much information, but it is just one of the hazards of living here.  We don´t want you to think our Mission is all a bed of roses!!! 

Stopping for a chat

As we drove to the airport, at the top of the mountains in El Alto, we couldn´t understand why there were so many queues of traffic, at every junction,  The problem was the city layout, about 20 blocks or so, with hardly any traffic lights.  At each junction, it was everyman for himself, nobody would give an inch, so it took forever to cross the city.  At home, we would just get out of the car & walk, but in El Alto it wasn´t safe.  Due to the fact that it was rush hour, the journey took 1 ½ hrs instead of 35 mins.  If the plane to Cochabamba hadn´t been delayed 2 hrs, we´d have missed it.

We loved Cochabamba with pretty green mountains all around, instead of the brown dusty hills of Lima, whose only saving grace is that they can´t be seen during the winter due to the low lying clouds.   We enjoyed a session in the Cochabamba Temple which is right by the Mission Home. 

The Cochabamba Temple

 We helped again with the Health Insurance Card Presentation, & found it hard  to understand all the questions, in Spanish, but somehow managed to answer them.  Brian did two ´Sick Parades', totalling twenty missionrararies, but most of them were quick, & we love to be able to help the Mission Presidents & their wives.  When we gave the Health Presentation, the missionaries all laughed to see Brian acting & clowning around.  We like that because we hope it will make our message more memorable.

President & Sister Dyer, Cochabamba Mission

I told President Dyer that during my first Mission I taught all the missionaries about Emergency Childbirth because a missionary in Bolivia had delivered a baby.  Imagine my surprise when he said  Ï know, that missionary was my companion!!¨


A Puerto Rican, he was a pre-med student from California, who delivered three babies in total, & helped many more, all born at home.  He helped with many minor surgical proceedures, & was considered the best doctor in the area in 1968.

A Typical Bolivian Street

In the July Blog, I reported that our nurse in Arequipa is the daughter of a missionary I knew in 1975.  She & her family returned to Lima to meet Church members & travel around a bit.  We were able to be with them on the first day of their holiday to go to the Lima Temple, & on the last day to have a meal with them before they flew back to Utah.  She was able to meet Elder Uceda, now on the Area Presidency, who she had known in 1975.

President Uceda, the Stoddards & Us

Can You See the Ovens Behind Us?

On 23rd August, we were able to give our Health Presentation to the entire 200 missionaries of the Lima Central Mission.  It´s the only Mission that can all meet together easily due to its area of about 10 miles x 12 miles.   They meet together every six weeks to welcome the new missionaries who are led in while everyone sings ¨Called to Serve¨.  President Tyler introduced each missionary, telling us about them, & then they were introduced to their Trainer.  Changes were announced, & missionaries moved to meet their new companions.  They also announced the birthdays in the coming month, & Hermana Tyler gave each person a loaf of banana bread.  Brian & I both received a loaf too, & gave one to Graciela our driver who was watching it all.  They sang Happy Birthday in Quechua, Spanish & then English.  Finally the missionaries going home before the next  meeting spoke about their treasured experiences.  It was wonderful to be a part of it all, & then we gave our presentation.

On 17th & 18th September I sang in the Choir at Stake Conference.  We had practiced for 2 months, with only 6 of us at first, & people gradually joining us, though often not till half way through the practice.  There was no real co-ordination about what we wore, resulting in about six of us wearing tops the shades of the chosen color on the Saturday, & two of us on the Sunday!!!  I can see why the other gringos don´t participate, but I do enjoy singing, so will continue for the next Conference.

On 23rd September the Peruvians celebrate the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.  We saw a procession of many floats that day.

A Typical Parade at the Start of Spring

Early in September, a missionary in Arequipa fell down some stairs, cutting his head, & fracturing his shoulder blade & a vertebra.  His head was stitched up & healed, no treatment was needed for his shoulder blade, but his vertebrae was dangerously unstable.  The MRI scans & XRays were flown to Lima & delivered to our apartment (there was no name & address on the envelope, so we don't know how the driver knew where we lived??)  After much trial & error, Brian was able to load them onto a program so they could be viewed by Doctors in Salt Lake.  They agreed with the Doctor in Arequipa that the missionary should not be flown to the States, because if the fracture had slipped he could have become parallelised from the waist down. He need surgery. It was felt that the doctors in Lima would be much more capable of performing the operation than their counterparts in Arequipa.  So Brian & I visited an Orthopaedic Surgeon, who is a Church member, recommended by Elder Uceda with the XRays & scans.  He agreed to do the operation, accompanied by a neurosurgeon.  Ater a few hiccups Brian left home at 3am on Sat 24th September & flew to Arequipa.  He accompanied the missionary in an air ambulance to Lima.  It was a normal aeroplane, with nine seats removed to make room for the stretcher, which was then curtained off.  Brian had a normal seat beside him.  

Inside the Aeroplane

Leaving the Aeroplane

After visiting the missionary the next Monday, in the Clinica Good Hope, I took a photo to send his Mum, along with those Brian took in the plane.  His Dad had been given our number, & rang to see what was happening - you can imagine how worried they had been!!  After Brian spoke to him, I told him about the photos & then he asked me where we lived in England.  He asked if we'd ever lived in Hayes, Middlesex, & said that he'd been a missionary in the London Mission & lived in Hayes.  He remembers visiting our home in Ickenham, & that Brian was serving as a Doctor in the RAF.  That was in 1979 when Simon was a baby.  He & his wife felt reassured now they knew who Brian was, & that he had a say in the care of their son.  One of God's tender mercies is the phrase I've heard used to describe this sort of 'coincidence'.  Elder Brinkerhoff had his operation to insert screws above & below the fracture with two metal rods to stabilise it.  His Dad is flying down to escort him home in a week or so, by which time he will be able to sit up & walk.  We'll ensure we see them both before they leave for Salt Lake.

Birds Outside Our Apartment

As we approached our apartment tonight, we saw lots of people walking along in twos & threes, all carrying luggage of some kind, either in a carry-on case, a large zipped bag, plastic bag or a bundle on their backs.  A couple of girls said hello to us, recognising Brian's name badge.  They had come from Tacna, the Southern most part of Peru, twenty hours on the bus, & were going to rest in a Hostel before going to the Temple tomorrow.  Then they would have the twenty hours bus ride back.  I felt very humbled that they would go to all this effort to attend the Temple.  What a blessing for us at home, that the London Temple is only just over an hour away (out of rush hour).

A Colourful Bird in the Road Next to Ours

We are thoroughly enjoying our Mission, it's not a holiday & we work most of the time.  Some of that time is spent with a frustrating computer program.  However, on Wednesday I forwarded twenty missionary applications to Salt Lake which was very rewarding, usually I send about six or so.  Another frustration is being late because of traffic problems.  Brian and I are together almost all the time, which we love, and we work with, & meet some wonderful people.  We are fortunate to have at least weekly contact with our kids, & I love surprising my friends when I phone them using our Vonnage phone.  We hope all seventy five of our friends and relatives who may read this are well & enjoying life!!