Church has solid start, thanks to family's efforts
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A year ago, Roberto and Maria Martinez were the only members of the Church in this small town of 600 people, located in extreme southern Bolivia near the Argentine border.
Now, due almost entirely to this one family's efforts, 50 people have joined the Church, and a branch was recently organized.The Martinez family moved a year ago to Arenales from the nearby town of Villazon. He had been a member of the Church for five years, and she for eight years. But they found no other LDS members in their new area.
With permission from the mission president, Martinez began holding Church meetings in his home and invited friends and niehgbors to join them. A hand-lettered sign in front of the home identified it as the local LDS meetingplace.
Many of these people attending became interested in the Church, and full-time missionaries made frequent trips from Tupiza to teach missionary discussions. When no convenient place was found in Arenales to baptize converts, Martinez built a baptismal font in his back yard. Nearly all of the town's baptisms in the following months took place there.
Martinez also constructed a room next to his home, hoping that a pair of missionaries would one day be working in Arenales full time. (That wish came true March 15.)
Efforts of the Martinez family culminated Feb. 28, when Pres. Steven Wright of the Bolivia La Paz Mission organized a branch in Arenales. Martinez was called as branch president. The branch has outgrown his home, so a building across the street has been rented and converted into a chapel.
