Elder Andersen, President's Assistant, told us about a shortcut we could
take to Cartavio because we were heading there
for some baptisms.
Well, why not... let's try it.
Whoa... It was way off the beaten path
Spooky... deserted
It took us right into the heart of the Cane Country.
Sugar cane is produced heavily here in this valley.
The sugar factories are pumping out steam around the clock.
Everyone in Cartavio is somehow connected with the sugar cane production.
Cartavio is best known for the rum that was started here.
They have moved the rum production to Aruba and now
they are doing a lot of ethanol production along with the sugar.
Sugar Cane grows fast and you can turn right around after harvesting it
and start growing another crop immediatley.
and start growing another crop immediatley.
It is always a little eerie when the workers are coming out of the fields
Part of the process of the harvest is burning the fields
so the workers come out pretty filthy and black from the ashes.
There is always smoke in the air.. this adds to the dramatic scene when they come up out of the fields.
It feels like they are war torn Soldiers walking home after battle.
Cartavio is very rural.
The Church is on this dirt street.
It is a cute little church.
Here are Elders Velez and Contreras
and the Assistants Elder Vera and Andersen
and the President.
I love the Red Arch.
The Elders that were baptizing were coming in from Chiclin
so they hopped in a mototaxi...
Elder Sandoval and Elder Lorenzo are always smiling.
And those being baptized were coming from Chicama
another one of the small farming towns around Cartavio.
Here are the sweet grandfather and grandson that were getting baptized.
The grandfather told how the missionaries first contacted
him when he was 22 years old.
He wasn't ready for them then.
Some more contacted him later on in his life.
He still didn't listen to them.
He told how the Book of Mormon use to get moved from
this shelf ...to that table... to the bedroom...
but never read.
And then these missionaries contacted him.
When he picked up the Book of Mormon and actually read it,
there were powerful passages that spoke
right to him.
He knew that this was a Book from God.
He read it, prayed about it and loved it.
He received a witness of the truthfulness of this Book
and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He was sad that he didn't read it the first time missionaries
introduced him to it at age 22. He would have had a whole different life.
Now he said he has a lot of making up to do
to teach his family and friends about the truth he has found.
This was a perfect afternoon!
Thanks to all the Elders that were involved.
