Another of the blessings we receive by having them here comes every three weeks. The CCM (MTC) president holds a fireside with the elders and sisters in the chapel in the complex. Here he introduces the latino elders and sisters to the principle that they are expected to learn English while they are on their mission. But the best part of the meeting is when he passes a slip of paper to each missionary and asks them to write his or her last name and their favorite hymn. These papers are then gathered in a basket.
One by one, slips of paper are drawn from the basket and the missionary comes to the pulpit and tells why that particular hymn is their favorite. There are some really touching reasons these missionaries choose their favorite hymns. We then sing two verses of that hymn - the first in Spanish and the second in English. The Spirit in these firesides is tremendous. We are included because sister Watson plays the piano accompanying everyone as they sing. This happens every three weeks on Sunday night. Tonight the spirit was so strong I could hardly sing the hymns. One of the hymns always present is "I Am a Child of God". As we sang it tonight, one particular phrase struck me. "He has sent me here." He has sent me to Argentina, and now here to Santiago, Chile. Many more hymns of Zion we sang tonight conveyed the spirit strongly to my heart. What a great opportunity!
Another interesting "coincidence" occurred this week. We regularly get missionaries coming to the temple. They come if they are in missions that are close by, or when they are in the CCM. They also get a chance to come to the temple as they are leaving their missions to return home. Such was the case this week. We had a group come to the temple from the Concepción South mission.
A small detour follows. When I was a missionary in Argentina as a 19 year old elder, I was assigned to be Branch President in a small town in the north of the country - Presidencia Roque Sáens Peña. It is in the province of Chaco, and is near the capital of Chaco, Resistencia. When I served there, the branch was very small. Although there were over 100 members of the church there, only between 8 and 10 attended meetings each week. There were only two priesthood bearers who attended the meetings, brother Ovando, and elder, and his son who was a teacher.
When we were in Cordoba, we wanted to go to Chaco, but it was out of the temple district and Salt Lake would not allow us to go. But every once in a while some members would come to the Cordoba temple from Roque Sáenz Peña. I had the chance to meet a sister Ovando from Roque. It turned out that she was married to the son who attended church when I was there. I was able to talk to her and find out about each of the members I remembered.
Back to the original story. As the missionaries from Concepción South mission came into the temple, I was at the recommend desk. One of the sisters that came in had the last name of Ovando. I asked her where she was from, and she said Argentina. What part, I asked. Her response was the north. I asked her to be more specific, and she said her home was near Resistencia. I told her I served in Roque Sáenz Peña as a missionary, and she lit up. That's where I am from, she said.
I told her that I knew her grandfather, and she said that indeed he was one of the first members in that town. I mentioned also that I knew her father when I was a missionary there, and that I had met her mother in Cordoba at the temple. I asked her to give a big abrazo to her family for me. I also asked if her father had email, and she said that he didn't, but that she did and I could write to them using her email.
I'll end with this photo I took of the sky over the temple. It was raining cats and dogs, and I went to the window to watch. I saw this above me and snapped a photo.
Chau.
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