Fleeing The Country!

Yes, you read that right! On Saturday, September 13, 2008 around 11:00 a.m. I received a call from the church mission department in Salt Lake City from Brother Rick Call. He called to tell me that the missionaries in Bolivia are all fine, but they (the North Americans only) will be evacuated from the country within 72 hours. He said he didn't know when Justin would be leaving, but they will all be going to Peru, Argentina or Brazil. He said Justin would call us when he got to his new area. Wow, big news!
For those of you who aren't aware, there is a lot of civil unrest in the country since the re-election of their president, President Evo Morales. It is not safe for North Americans to be in Bolivia right now.
Well, this morning Justin sent us this email:

Hey everyone
Well you will probably all be happy to hear that i am still alive, but just fleeing the country tonight! But in all seriousness don't worry too much about me, things really are not too bad at all in Cochabamaba right now, the problems are more in Santa Cruz. I really don't know how much you have Heard but the president who got reelected, Evo, kicked the United States ambassabor out of the country, so it is really not too safe for Americans here right now. And he also let the military out loose on a couple cities up near Santa Cruz and they were allowed to shoot anyone who was trying to riot, protest or anything. And when that happens the violence can spread pretty easily from city to city here. President told us this morning in a meeting we had with him in the temple that the CIA notified the church and suggested that they pull out all the north Americans in Bolivia too, so that’s what they are doing. We really only found out most of this in the past couple of days. On Tuesday my leaders called me and said to go through my emergency food and medicine to make sure I had everything, but nothing else. On Tuesday my companion elder Brinton also left to go be a zone leader in a different area in Cochabamba (still hasn’t left the city), so I was with a missionary, elder Sanchez, who went home yesterday, he was really great, the kind of missionary I would like to be. Then I went to be with elder west, he has six months, bc his comp went home too. Then on Saturday morning the zone leaders walked into elder wests and mine room (they live in the same house) one of them was crying and said he got a call from president. At first I thought someone in his family died, then someone in mine, but he said all the north Americans had to leave and that we had to pack our bags and be ready to leave as soon as that afternoon but they knew nothing more. Elder west packed his bags, we went to my house packed mine, then went out to work as normal. We had a baptism in my area, that 21 year old Pablo, so we went to the chapel to fill up the font. The water was completely brown! It was gross. I put some bleach in it though to kill anything that might have been in it. We kept working the rest of the day normally, it was a little crazy though bc of all the commotion in the country they were not able to get gas down here so there were only half the buses, all of which were full, and the taxis were charging insane amounts. All the gas stations had hugeeee lines and people we blockading roads with rocks (that’s what they do when they are angry here). So it was a little hard to get around that day. The baptism went really well though, he was way happy which was good. Afterwards we heard gunshots going off and gas bombs, so we had to get back to the house real quick. We went to my house grabbed all my bags, cleaned out the fridge and food, gave the keys to the owners, and then went to elder Wests place with all my stuff, still not knowing exactly when we were going to leave. Yesterday Sunday, we went to my ward in the morning for the confirmation of Pablo. But when we got there the door was open and there was water flowing out of the chapel! i felt horrible, bc I accidentally flooded the church. 2 inches of water in the entire first floor. Sometimes the water here stops working, like at the baptism the night before, so when I tried to turn on the sink and no watter came out I forgot to turn it off. Well it turned on at sometime during the night and flooded the whole place. I was just standing there in shock, didn’t know what to do. We all got mops and stuff and starts shoveling all the water out of the chapel. after about an hour we got it all out, the bishop was really nice about it though kept telling me not to worry about it. I couldn’t believe I flooded a chapel. but we had sacrament still, the stake president ended up coming, and the bishop announced that the missionaries were going to be taken out of the country, and we each had a chance to speak. I actually got pretty sad, realized I don’t want to leave. Especially to go to Lima. I cant stand that city. But anyway the members were all pretty sad. After church I gave our binder about all the information of the area to the bishop and explained it to him so they can keep working with the investigators. We went to lunch, had a couple appointments then went to elder west´s pension for diner in his area on top of this mountain. When we got there they asked us what we were doing there, that we were supposed to be at the temple at 8, in 15 minutes, with all our stuff. We sprinted down he hill, found a taxi, had them wait at the house, packed our bags in 5 minutes, and got in the taxi to go to the the temple to stay in the hotel thing. It was pretty hectic, luckily the member we live with had a truck to drive all the bags. When we got there all the north American missionaries from the entire mission, 49, were there to spend the night. A lot of the from the far areas had taken a 24 hour or more bus ride the day before bc many of the other airports were closed. So we spent the night all together there, went to the temple this morning, and in our meeting this morning president explained what was going to happen. We have the entire day to go out into Cochabamba today until 630 pm to eat, shop, whatever, in street clothes too! Then the church is sending down a private jet to get us all out of Bolivia. First they are stopping in Santa Cruz to pick up all the north Americans there, then coming here to get us, then we are flying to Lima. In the morning we have a meeting with the 4 mission presidents there and the area presidency. We will be split up between the missions there for one change (6 weeks) and if things are better by then we are coming back, if not we may be going to the states, but I am not sure on that point. So hopefully it all gets better, bc I don’t want to have to stay in Lima or go back to the us after all the work I have put into learning this language. I never thought id be one of those missionaries that would have to flee from the country because of problems. I really hope everything all gets better. So yeahh wish me luck. Don’t worry too much though, I am going to be just fine. Things really aren’t bad here in coch, especially now that they have gas again. We will see how it all goes! Pretty eventful week huh?
love Justin

My oh my! Are mom and dad worried? No. We know he is in good hands, the Lord's hands. He will be taken care of. The spirit has sent peace to our hearts and minds and we are grateful for that.

Well.... the pictures have arrived! Here are some from his last days in Bolivia.


This is Pablo ( The 21 year old Justin says was a druggy and has a lot of tattooes). Looks like the first Justin has baptized himself.

Here Justin is with his first companion Elder Brinton. His trainer.


What's with the cow's Justin???



Lovely picture. Apparently this stuff is everywhere and Justin is always stepping in it!



Very funny.... not! Ewwwwww!! ( Justin hasn't lost his sense of humor!)


Justin with the biggest Jesus statue in the world. In Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Justin with Elder Carpenter. ( One of his companions in the CCM)





Views of Cochabamba.



The Cochabamba temple

Justin is always carrying this pouch. Must be his scripture holder/backpack thingy. SO Bolivian I guess.

The Bolivia, Cochabamba mission is number one!



A road in Bolivia.



These pictures were taken on his very last day in Cochabamba. Things he wanted to see, do and remember. ( The missionaries were allowed to go about the city and see the sights and what not on their last day there. They were even allowed to wear street clothes.)




The best meal he had in Bolivia in a restaurant called Dumbos. Justin's giving it a thumbs up!



Justin went to a national favorite .......... a soccer game!




All the North American missionaries were to meet at the temple that night before leaving for the airport. Despite the smiles in the picture, they were very sad to leave Bolivia.



At the airport in Bolivia before their departure.



Justin's dinner pension (cook) and her family came to say "goodbye." Justin was so happy to see them as he did not get a chance to say goodbye to anyone.


A sad "adios" Bolivia.