La Papa Se Quema

You might assume that all we do at zone conferences is play games with the missionaries. Actually that's one of the few activities that I can photograph given that most of the training takes place in the chapel. But the games are the most visual anyway.

This round we are playing Hot Potato, or, as it's known here La Papa Se Quema. Missionaries pass a yarn ball around a circle while the caller repeats over and over "La papa se quema" until the caller says, "La papa se quemO" and whoever ends up with the yarn ball has to answer a question from the Missionary Manual, the booklet of missionary rules. They have to find the page number and read the paragraph. You may notice that the missionaries are handling the yarn ball gingerly. That's because Hermana Sloan told them the yarn was wrapped around a raw egg in the middle, and they believed it. [Actually, so did I.]

I chose this clip because it features Hermana Blakley (in the light jacket and dark skirt) and her companion, Hermana Hooker (in the black suit). What an amazing pair of missionaries! Hermana Blakely is a proselyting senior missionary in a third-world country. Like the rest of us senior missionaries, she was given several HOURS of Spanish language training and then sent out to the field. She will complete her mission in April, having walked the mountains of Ecuador, having lived in very basic surroundings, having learned how to speak Spanish sufficiently to teach the gospel, and having had a variety of companions.

I've written about Hermana Hooker before. She has the perfect personality for a missionary--9/10 compassionate and 1/10 in-your-face. She and Hermana Blakley are successfully teaching and baptizing in their sector. Well done, ladies!



In the previous round, we played Red Light Green Light. Here's two shots of another of our super-dynamic sister missionaries, Sister Hernandez. She's also got a perfect missionary personality--about 5/10 in-your-face and a ready smile and willingness to serve. Naturally, she was made team captain, and these shots show her in full Hermana Hernandez form.




And the winner is. . . our very charming Elder Green (on the right, with Elder Katzenbach)!