A Smokey City on a Chilean Mission

I was in Mellipilla as the second city on my mission probably in early 1973. I remember arriving in Mellipilla in the only taxi that would take me because of the smoke, nails on the road, and general chaos. Tires were burning on many corners of the local streets and this

black soot was thick in the air.

Many cars were off the road because people were bending nails and placing them on the roads so that cars would get flats. Somehow we made it fine that night.

My new companion told me that I was the counselor in the branch. I had the assignment to teach priesthood meeting but not to worry about it because

no one ever came to priesthood meeting.

He was right. No one arrived for priesthood meeting and there was a big hole in the church wall. Only one family arrived for sacrament meeting. The branch president without his family.

So I remember thinking that I had the lesson so I would at least teach someone. I took the rolls of the church and visited all the boys that were priesthood age. I asked everyone to be ready next Sunday as we would be by to bring them to church. Now that seemed funny because we walked everywhere! So

we formed this line of boys early in the morning

and one by one had them all at the church.

I remember the branch president arriving that morning and asking me as he came into the room, what are you doing? I replied, "I'm teaching the priesthood lesson." He sat down and said to me that

he would never be late to priesthood again.

And he was never late again. Other missionaries would call me as each of the boys that came to that class went on missions. And the craziest thing happened. When the boys came to church, suddenly

as if by magic all the girls came too.

It was fun seeing the church too full to handle all the members in the sacrament hall.

And we mixed mud and straw and patched that church wall ourselves. The members helped us wax the floors, white wash the newly repaired wall, and re-commit to a wonderful branch of Mellipilla. Some of my best memories are back there still, my heart is still with them.