Finding Ernesto

 

Two ugly Cholitas; Maceda & Hoopes.  Notice  the Gringa's left breast is sagging to look authentic. They have a hard life..........so do the Cholitas  In the firesides I've talked about the beauty of the Bolivian women, but state on my first mission I ran into two ugly ones, the members get a kick out of the picture

 Several weeks ago, we arrived home one night and as we were getting out of the pickup our friends Lynn and Diana Crayk were leaving from their shift at the temple. Lynn came up to the window and said that he had with him, one of my old missionary companions. When giving Firesides down here I've had said some members come up and say the knew someone that served the same time, but normally their timing was off or we didn't know each other. 

Left to right: Elder Cranney, Hma Douglas, Elder Pierce  ELDER MACEDA, ELDER HOOPES  Hma Dallas

 However, there was Ernesto Maceda and his wife. Ernesto was the only native companion I had on my mission, there were very few back then.  It's amazing we found each other again.  He is a civil engineer, and does some work for the church. Several months ago he was in Betanzos, a small town outside of Potosi, doing some work on a chapel.  He ran onto one of our missionaries, who was asking him how long he had been a member.  He said he had served a mission about 40 years ago.  The Elder said we have an OLD missionary couple here, the Hoopes, and he served about that time.  Maceda said yes I know him he was my companion.  He took my phone number, however the number he got was from a cell phone I had left in a taxi, so he wasn't able to get a hold of me, we were over to his house last night,  He has a great wife and five children.

  All who have professional careers a nice house He has been very successful and has a great family.  We spent the evening discussing politics, business, and laughing over old times in Oruro.



One story was this old taxi.  We lived in the house behind the car in the picture, but our area was several miles, on the other side of the tracks.  This taxi would wait for us every night to take us home.  Notice the suicide doors, and his wife in the front seat.  She was of average Bolivian Height  4'5".  The car didn't have a starter on it, just a hand crank.  He would crank it while  his wife would grab the bottom of the steering wheel and try to reach the gas pedal.  The car would die several times on the way home.  We rode in so often we would climb into the back and say "Home James"

OK Lorna talked me into putting in the whole picture,  This picture is shown in the firesides,  The members get a big kick out of the suit. To my defense, Elder Maceda had one just like it, it was the 70's

In my firesides, I've also talked about the family in the  picture below with Ernesto. As you can tell, they are black. We baptized the grandma (sitting on the steps in the pic). They were the strongest family in our tiny branch. This was pre-1978, and teenage boy couldn't hold the priesthood.  The branch needed a Young Men's president.  Although they were suppose to be active priesthood holders, we put him in anyway.  I tell this story about how strong this family's faith was and how necessary they were to the branch.

Juan and Ernesto

 

Ernesto, said that Juan immediately received the priesthood after the ban was lifted and served a mission.