Whenever someone gets a job, he gets to ring the bell in the office.
Ponciano is a young side of middle age man who has been coming into our office for as long as we have been here. He has been looking for a job all that time. He came in at least three times a week.
Ponciano is a Mapucho Indian. The Mapucho are an ancient tribe that lives mostly in the south of Chile. They are fierce. They have never been conquered. They still dress in the old tradition. Ponciano is "citified" and looks just like us, dresses like us, had a family and wants a good job, just like us.
For some reason, I dont know the history, one of the ladies in our office does not like Ponciano and was rather hostile toward him. Now, that gets my dander up, and I wont let her opinions sway mine. She said he was thief, not to be trusted. I didnt think so, and he never tried anything when I was there.
I decided that I would go out of my way to be nice to him, maybe to compensate for the other person's behavior. When he came to the office, I would greet him with a great big smile, and say, "Ponciano" in a way that it sounded like I was so excited that he was here. I frequently shared treats with him, little hard candies and he was very appreciative. I think he was hungry.
It was fun to see the change come over him. In the initial weeks, Ponciano came to the office looking down at the floor, not well groomed, hardly spoke to anyone, and appeared angry. He has lately changed to an eager, friendly, well groomed man who spends a little time sharing with me about his family.
On Monday he came in again, made some phone calls, spoke to the director and manager of the office, then left. Tuesday night I got sick and didnt go to the office for the rest of the week. Jay, however, did go and did my usual assignment at the reception desk. He came home Friday with the news that Ponciano has a JOB!!!!!!!!!
I am so happy for him.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Salome
No, that is not salami, which is a sandwich meat.
Salome, with the accent on the "e". is the name of a brand new convert here in the Pocuro Ward where we go to church. I want to record her conversion story for the message it has.
Salome is a woman, about 40ish, who came to church with the two young sister missionaries one Sunday. She was wearing pants. You can always tell the investigators because they are wearing pants instead of a skirt. I greeted her with the latina abrazo, which is a hug and a kiss in the air as we touch right cheeks. She came the next Sunday, still wearing pants. Pants has nothing to do with her conversion story, but is just to paint a little picture of her.
Sister Memmott, the mental health advisor missionary, seemed to be friendly with her even though she doesnt speak much Spanish. Her calling is to assist the young missionaries in the Santiago Chile East Mission, and she also attends the Pocuro Ward. One Family Home Evening she shared the following story with us about Salome, which I will now share.
Sister M. was walking back to her apartment after getting her hair cut one afternoon. She was feeling a little "not ready to meet the public because my hair isnt fixed, just cut." She kept getting the impression she needed to go to her office in the administration building. She argued with herself, but found herself headed for her office. As she approached the building she saw a woman there and said hello. The woman seemed to be troubled or anxious about something. Sister M greeted her and asked if she could help her. The reply was that she really wanted to talk to the pastor of this church. M said, Let's go into the building and get you some help. The woman replied that she had already been inside and the man told her that there was no one there who could help her. He is a member of the Church, employed BY the Church to greet the public. Sister M then said, "Let's go over to the temple. We can find help there." The lady said she had already been over there and nobody would open the gate to let her in. Sister M. said she knew how to open the gate, and they would go together to get her some help. They went through the gate, went into the foyer of the temple where a member of the Church sat at his assigned seat, prepared to greet members as they entered. He asked what did they need, and Sister M. started to explain that this woman was not a member but needed to talk to someone about the Church. He told them that the woman couldnt come in there, and that she would have to leave. He asked Sister M if she was a member, which she admitted to. He then told the two women that one could come in, but the other (and pointing at her) couldnt and she would have to leave. Now this is true, but it also is very harsh the way he put it.
Back they went to the administration building where Sister M was able to help this woman make an appointment with the missionaries. And that is where we go back to the beginning of this story.
Salome thought she was ready for baptism. She had friends somewhere who were members and admired the way they lived their lives. When she returned home from visiting them, she wanted to tell the pastor she wanted to be a part of his church. At her first missionary discussion, she told them she wanted to be baptised. They taught her the discussions, and she accepted eagerly. But......somebody forgot to tell her about coffee! In a little over a week, she had lost the desire for it, and the Bishop called her every morning to see how she was coming along. Finally! After three weeks this woman who was clamoring to join us finally was baptised. I was honored to be the organist (on the electronic keyboard) for the service.
P.S. She wears a skirt to church now. Sister Memmott, in her calling, does not have opportunity to preach or teach investigators. Her clients are missionaries whom she helps. She thought one day how nice it would be to somehow have the experience, just once, of being a part of a conversion. She didnt think it would be possible. The Lord, in his tender mercies, blessed her with the righteous desire of her heart. This all happened within the last month of her mission. Today she is flying home.
Salome, with the accent on the "e". is the name of a brand new convert here in the Pocuro Ward where we go to church. I want to record her conversion story for the message it has.
Salome is a woman, about 40ish, who came to church with the two young sister missionaries one Sunday. She was wearing pants. You can always tell the investigators because they are wearing pants instead of a skirt. I greeted her with the latina abrazo, which is a hug and a kiss in the air as we touch right cheeks. She came the next Sunday, still wearing pants. Pants has nothing to do with her conversion story, but is just to paint a little picture of her.
Sister Memmott, the mental health advisor missionary, seemed to be friendly with her even though she doesnt speak much Spanish. Her calling is to assist the young missionaries in the Santiago Chile East Mission, and she also attends the Pocuro Ward. One Family Home Evening she shared the following story with us about Salome, which I will now share.
Sister M. was walking back to her apartment after getting her hair cut one afternoon. She was feeling a little "not ready to meet the public because my hair isnt fixed, just cut." She kept getting the impression she needed to go to her office in the administration building. She argued with herself, but found herself headed for her office. As she approached the building she saw a woman there and said hello. The woman seemed to be troubled or anxious about something. Sister M greeted her and asked if she could help her. The reply was that she really wanted to talk to the pastor of this church. M said, Let's go into the building and get you some help. The woman replied that she had already been inside and the man told her that there was no one there who could help her. He is a member of the Church, employed BY the Church to greet the public. Sister M then said, "Let's go over to the temple. We can find help there." The lady said she had already been over there and nobody would open the gate to let her in. Sister M. said she knew how to open the gate, and they would go together to get her some help. They went through the gate, went into the foyer of the temple where a member of the Church sat at his assigned seat, prepared to greet members as they entered. He asked what did they need, and Sister M. started to explain that this woman was not a member but needed to talk to someone about the Church. He told them that the woman couldnt come in there, and that she would have to leave. He asked Sister M if she was a member, which she admitted to. He then told the two women that one could come in, but the other (and pointing at her) couldnt and she would have to leave. Now this is true, but it also is very harsh the way he put it.
Back they went to the administration building where Sister M was able to help this woman make an appointment with the missionaries. And that is where we go back to the beginning of this story.
Salome thought she was ready for baptism. She had friends somewhere who were members and admired the way they lived their lives. When she returned home from visiting them, she wanted to tell the pastor she wanted to be a part of his church. At her first missionary discussion, she told them she wanted to be baptised. They taught her the discussions, and she accepted eagerly. But......somebody forgot to tell her about coffee! In a little over a week, she had lost the desire for it, and the Bishop called her every morning to see how she was coming along. Finally! After three weeks this woman who was clamoring to join us finally was baptised. I was honored to be the organist (on the electronic keyboard) for the service.
P.S. She wears a skirt to church now. Sister Memmott, in her calling, does not have opportunity to preach or teach investigators. Her clients are missionaries whom she helps. She thought one day how nice it would be to somehow have the experience, just once, of being a part of a conversion. She didnt think it would be possible. The Lord, in his tender mercies, blessed her with the righteous desire of her heart. This all happened within the last month of her mission. Today she is flying home.
Salome
No, that's not salami, which is a sandwich meat.
Salome, with the accent on the "e" is a brand new convert here in the Pocuro Ward. Her journey to the Church is a little unusual and I want to record it for the message there is in her story.
Salome is a woman, about 40
Salome, with the accent on the "e" is a brand new convert here in the Pocuro Ward. Her journey to the Church is a little unusual and I want to record it for the message there is in her story.
Salome is a woman, about 40
Portable Phone
Jay and I were walking between bus stops one sunny afternoon this week when I noticed a man carrying a heavy plastic bag in on hand. He was obviously not very comfortable with the weight of it, and I felt sorry that he had such a load and had to walk with it. I looked down to see what was so heavy. I saw something bulky, about 12 inches cubic, bright red, plastic and when I saw the ear piece, I realized he was carrying a huge telephone! I immediately started smiling, then a giggle, then a downright laugh. I had been thinking earlier about the evolution of the cell phone, and how Jay's first one is now called The Brick. Well, that was nothing compared to the portable phone this guy had to lug around! And just think how inconvenient it is to have to carry it around in a plastic bag, not in a tidy little case in your shirt pocket, and how he must have to find a place to set down the bag, fish out the phone, have his call, then have to put it all away again. Haha ha. I know, it wasnt a cell phone, but it did give us a little laugh. I laughed about the mental image for two more blocks.
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