A Light in the Jungle: A True Story of Modern-Day Pioneers

By B. K. Clark

This is the true story of a young Mormon family who left their comfortable home in California to work in the oil industry of South America from 1948 to 1963. This family of eight lived in the jungles of Colombia, the deserts of Northern Peru, and the Amazon rain forests of Brazil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780999487723

Book preview

Clark

Chapter One

Parents don’t need to raise their children within the shadows of a temple to be successful in raising a righteous family; children need to be raised in a home where the principles of the gospel are taught and lived.

With that counsel from their LDS stake president in the fall of 1948, and with a promise to his wife that they would hold their church meetings in their home every Sunday, Jim and Glenna Clark of Santa Monica, California made the decision to leave the comforts they took for granted in the United States and prepared to begin a new life in the jungles of Colombia, South America.

Jim, who had recently been hired by Shell Oil Company to work in their South American oil fields, was required to go to Colombia ahead of his family and to spend six months working there prior to the company’s paying for his family to join him.

Late at night on October 9, 1948, Jim hugged and kissed Glenna good-bye and walked aboard the plane that was to carry him thousands of miles away from his five children and his sweetheart. He wrote: 

I never dreaded a moment so much in my life, yet I couldn’t wait ‘till it came. I hurried onto the plane and cried like a baby. I shall never realize more fully again how much my darling wife and children meant to me. It was a stark realization that I shall suffer such pangs of loneliness until my family and I are together. I love them so much! The plane left at 12 midnight and I tried to sleep, but couldn’t. I was deep in the midst of sorrow and could only see a lonely wife and five lonely children.

Jim’s first flight was from Los Angeles to Mexico City. The planes flying to South America in the 1940’s were generally four-engine propeller planes, like the DC-4 Jim was on, which often provided a bouncy ride and air sickness. Jim’s two-day trip to Bogota, Colombia turned into a six-day adventure. During the second leg of the trip, on the flight from Mexico to Guatemala City, he began to reflect on how he had reached this point in his life.

* * *

James Richard Clark was a native-born Californian. His parents were from western Pennsylvania, and some of his ancestors were prominent in the settling of Pittsburgh. Still other ancestors were among the first settlers in America. That was his heritage, and originally his name was James Lorenzo Moore.

Jim’s biological parents, Charlie Moore, a construction worker, and Georgine Miller, who was descended from a prominent family of doctors, had fallen in love and eloped. Not long after their marriage, the young couple traveled by train from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California to escape the pressures of Charlie’s intrusive mother-in-law, who was extremely unhappy about their marriage. After arriving in California, the newlyweds moved in temporarily with Georgine’s Aunt, Cynthia Temple, who would later become the grandmother of Shirley Temple.1

Unfortunately, Georgine’s mother followed the young couple to California. After eight years of harassing Charlie, she finally convinced her daughter to divorce him, even though they had three sons by that time; Jimmy was the middle child. After several years of trying to reconcile with his wife, but finally realizing his efforts were in vain, Charlie left Los Angeles and was never heard from again.2

Five years later, Georgine married Otto Clark, a plumber, and a few years after that—when Charlie Moore was declared legally dead—her three boys were adopted by Otto and their last names were changed to Clark. Jimmy had never liked his middle name of Lorenzo, so at the time of his adoption he changed that name, too, and replaced it with Richard, the name of the judge who presided at their adoption. From then on, James Lorenzo Moore became James Richard Clark, but he was always called Jimmy by his family.

Five-foot, ten-inch Jimmy Clark was a trim, personable young man with a myriad of talents and interests, including writing and photography, which he used when he was on the newspaper staff in high school. He was also an athlete who participated in a variety of sports, including football, basketball, and tennis. A graduate of Venice High School, he appeared to be a confident young man about town, but he carried with him disturbing memories of being put in a Catholic School for three years with his two brothers, where tuition was provided by the state because they were listed as orphans. At a young age, he became determined to make his own way in the world, to be successful, and to have exciting adventures, like those in his favorite book The Arabian Nights. Though his mother and step-father created a caring and comfortable home for him and his brothers later on, he never forgot that his real father had not been there for him, and he wanted to do better when he had a family of his own.

* * *

Jim was jolted back to reality when one of the plane’s engines stopped. As he was seated near the failed engine, he kept his eyes on both sides of the plane to make sure the remaining motors kept running. By then, Jim was beginning to wonder if he would ever arrive safely in Colombia, and he worried about his wife and children making a similar journey the following year.

To keep his mind off the laboring engine, he thought of Glenna and pondered about their unlikely meeting nearly fifteen years before. He remembered that day distinctly:

Jimmy and a few of his buddies had gone to the city tennis courts near the Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica. Tennis was one of Jimmy’s favorite sports, and he often went there with his friends. On that day, there were some sports-minded young ladies already at the courts, and they challenged Jimmy and one of his friends to a game of doubles. Winifred Farley, one of their opponents, was from Ogden, Utah, and she was visiting her aunt and uncle who lived nearby. After their match, Jimmy learned that Winifred was a Mormon. He offered to give her a ride home, and she invited him to meet her relatives. Eighteen-year-old Jimmy knew nothing about Mormons, but he had been impressed with the vivacious Winifred and was anxious to see what a Mormon family looked like. When Winifred returned to her relatives’ home that afternoon, she brought with her a handsome, dapper young man.

What Jimmy found in the home of Glenn and Gladys Farley Leavitt that day was a special spirit and a warm and loving family who obviously enjoyed being together. Both Glenn and Gladys were descended from Mormon Pioneers; grandparents from all sides of their ancestral lines were pioneers who had crossed the plains to Utah. Their ancestors included the prolific Leavitt family from Canada and the Malan family from the Piedmont area of Italy. Many of their family lines came from England, including the Farleys, the Middletons, the Barkers, and the Horrocks. Mary Horrocks, a member of the ill-fated Martin-Willie Handcart Company, was Glenn’s grandmother.

In the early 1920’s, a few years after their marriage, Glenn and Gladys had moved their young family from Ogden, Utah to Los Angeles, California—the sunny and promising land of opportunity. Glenn had been trained by his Grandpa Middleton in the fine skills of interior house painting, and it wasn’t long before his painting talents were recognized in California. He was hired regularly by wealthy homeowners in the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills areas and by several Hollywood celebrities. The Leavitts prospered during those years in California, and their family of three daughters increased in size with the arrival of two sons.

When Jimmy arrived at the Leavitt home that first day, one of Winifred’s cousins—eleven-year-old Glenna—was playing marbles with her brother on the floor of their family home and barely looked up from their game when Jimmy entered the room; but he noticed her.

Glenna, a sensitive and tender-hearted young girl, loved her family, her Mormon faith—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and almost every kind of animal. If she had any major concerns thus far in her young life it was the very dark complexion she had inherited from her equally dark-skinned mother. Glenna was often taunted at school and went home crying more than once.

Glenna’s mother wrote: 

Glenna was especially sensitive about it as she was the darkest in our family. She was often teased at school for her dark skin. Glenna asked me what nationality she was. When I told her, she went back to school the next day and told them, ‘I am not a Mexican – I’m a Mormon!’ 

In later years, when she was taken for a native Latino, she felt honored in that distinction, but as a child her dark complexion caused her to be shy and somewhat inhibited.

From that first day in the Leavitt home, Jimmy had been drawn to their family, and when he first saw Glenna, with her dark skin and beautiful eyes, he said to himself, There’s the girl for me!  The problem was that he was eighteen and she was eleven; he would have to bide his time.

The Leavitts had liked Jimmy right from the start, and he was always welcome in their home. After their cousin Winifred returned to Utah at the end of the summer, he continued to stop by the Leavitt home. He usually asked to borrow one of their numerous books, but he later confessed that this was just an excuse to keep returning. Whenever he visited, he always brought something to entertain the kids, such as a magic trick or sometimes even a new pet. After a few years, it became obvious that while he enjoyed being with all of the family his main interest was their middle daughter, Glenna. The two officially began dating when she turned fifteen. Jimmy always knew, however, that Glenna would never marry outside of her faith.

Two years later, after many years of associating with the Leavitt family and learning of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James Richard Clark was baptized. Though he had been raised a Catholic, he was never comfortable in that religion. But, as he learned about the Mormon faith, his feelings and personal beliefs began to fit into place. Three weeks after his baptism, Jimmy and Glenna were married.

* * *

The present returned to Jim suddenly when the plane had to make an emergency landing near Vera Cruz, Mexico. After a sleepless overnight stay in a large room at the airport, where many cots had hastily been set up, another plane was eventually sent to take the fifty-two stranded travelers on to Guatemala City. From there they had intermediate stops in San Salvador, El Salvador, and Managua, Nicaragua before heading to Balboa, Panama. As he tried to relax and rest on the flight to Panama, Jimmy’s mind was once again filled with memories.

Those early years of marriage had been wonderful but challenging for the young couple as their two very different worlds blended to become one family. They moved several times in those early months as they followed suggestions made by extended family members, and as jobs presented themselves. The oil industry seemed to be a good opportunity for them as they had strong family connections there. Jimmy’s Aunt Mary had married into the Spellacy family, who were well-known both in the oil fields of Northwestern Pennsylvania—the birthplace of the oil industry—as well as the rapidly growing oil business in California.

When Jimmy was looking for work in the oil industry, his uncle, Joe Spellacy, received strong encouragement from his wife Mary to get Jimmy a job interview. Joe expressed his equally strong feelings against hiring relatives and stated very clearly that he thought Jimmy did not have any mechanical talents.3 Despite his uncle’s feelings, Jimmy got the interview and the job. They moved north to Marysville, California, where he worked for Butte Oil Fields and received his first training in the oil industry as a rough neck. His duties included anything involved with connecting pipe down the well bore as well as any of the manual labor tasks around an oil rig.

They first moved to a small apartment in Marysville and later to a small home in Yuba City, which was closer to his work. Glenna had two special companions while Jim was working: one was their beautiful, towheaded son, Ronnie, and the other was her favorite horse, Skeeter. Jim could not say no to Glenna, so they had hauled the blazed-faced horse behind them when they moved north with Jim’s new job.

In some families, nepotism means giving family members the best jobs. In the Spellacy family, however, they did not want anyone to think they were playing favorites, so Jim got the hardest jobs and the worst hours. He worked midnight to 8 a.m., with only an occasional day off, though he received continual promises that he would soon work daylight hours and have Sundays off.

While this career path looked good for Jim, the location was not good for Glenna; she was hundreds of miles away from her family, and with a new baby and war threatening, it was important to Jim that he provide his wife with more security.

At that time, there were several ways for citizens of the United States of America to demonstrate their patriotic support: one was to volunteer or be drafted to serve in the military, and another was to work for one of the many companies that had converted their production facilities to produce goods and services in support of the war effort. Jim felt the best way he could serve his country and his family was to seek employment in one of those companies. He was successful in getting a job with ALCOA (the Aluminum Company of America) in El Monte, just east of Los Angeles. Alcoa was a major supplier of essential war products; the company’s aluminum became the strategic material critical to winning the war.

The area surrounding El Monte was also a vital site in the New Deal’s Subsistence Homestead Project, which was developing a community there. Jim and Glenna bought their first home in El Monte for a down payment of $10, for a one-acre site on Humbert Street; the property included thirteen walnut trees and two orange trees. The Homestead project required a family to settle on a plot of land and grow most of their own food as well as have an outside source of income. With Jim’s job at nearby ALCOA, they were perfect candidates.

While they lived in El Monte, two more sons were born:  Stephen and Timothy. Each one was a welcome addition, as Jim and Glenna were hoping to have a large family. And, as Glenna had always loved animals of every kind, she thoroughly enjoyed their family farm, where they lived happily for five years.

Practicality became important during those years, and Glenna’s beloved horse Skeeter no longer was practical. With three little boys and myriads of farm animals to care for, Glenna had plenty of companionship but no time to ride, so her favorite horse was sold.  By this time, their animal inventory had grown: they had three pigs, two calves, their cow Hilda, twenty-three chickens, three ducks, two sheep, and several rather aggressive geese. One year they also raised eight turkeys, which slept in the walnut trees at the back of their property. They bought a Great Dane and a cocker spaniel with the intent of selling the puppies; but that idea didn’t work out as well as they had hoped.

In addition to their animals, they also had a large garden which provided food for their family and livestock. To supplement the food needed for their animals—especially the pigs—they bought fifty-gallon drums of unborn chicken eggs from the local chicken farm. When they dumped the eggs into the pig pen, they would often hear chirping. Glenna would retrieve the scraggly little chicks and put them in a wool sack in a small box on top of the water heater until they were strong enough to join the rest of their chickens. 

During the War years, there was rationing throughout the nation. The theme of use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without was necessary for all, including the Clarks. Glenna learned to milk the cow and earned spending money selling the extra milk, and their many laying hens provided abundant eggs for themselves and others.  Their farm in El Monte proved to be a great blessing and a distinct advantage for them, as they could also trade the butter and cream they got from their cow for other supplies they needed, many of which were limited because of rationing. With their plentiful dairy products, they also enjoyed making ice cream every weekend.

In late spring of 1945, with the War in Europe coming to a close, thousands of men in the armed forces began returning home looking for work.  Many of those at home became concerned about job security, including Jim.  He worried that with less aluminum being produced for the war effort, his job at Alcoa might not be needed much longer. He thought he might have better long-term job opportunities working in the oil fields again, so they put their farm in El Monte up for sale.

* * *

As the plane landed in Panama, Jim’s remembrances came to a halt once more. It was midnight and raining by the time he had collected his luggage, passed through Customs, and arrived at his hotel. With the rain and the hot Central American temperatures, it was muggy and uncomfortable. He tried to sleep, but the thoughts of his family, the sultry weather conditions, and knowing that he would be picked up at 5 a.m. by the airline’s van made sleeping impossible.  But, while he rested, his thoughts returned to the more recent events that had led him and his family to their present circumstances.

After they put their farm in El Monte up for sale, they packed up their family and moved to Huntington Beach, where they were closer to the burgeoning oil industry, and much closer to both of their families. Jim went to work for Signal Oil Company on a drilling rig in Huntington Beach. Once that well was completed, the crew moved to a new location in Seal Beach. In those days, as oil was found, the crews moved from drill site to drill site, and the derrick stayed in place to service the producing well. Later, pumpjacks replaced the derricks. During this oil boom along the Southern California coast, and for many years afterwards, forests of oil derricks could be seen as far as the eye could see.

It was during this period of time that things began to look better for the Clarks: the War in the Pacific ended, their farm in El Monte sold, and they were able to buy a brand-new home in Seal Beach for $600 down and $60 a month.

Even though Jim often had to work Sundays, he was called to be a counselor in the bishopric of the ward in Seal Beach. As with anything else he did, he put his heart and soul into his church calling, and the members of the ward admired him for his testimony, dedication, and service.

Those were happy times in Seal Beach for Jim and Glenna, though their debts continued to mount up as their family grew. Even with their financial worries, their fourth child and first daughter, Diane, was joyfully welcomed to the family during the time they lived on the coast of Southern California.

As Jim was always looking for better employment opportunities, in the summer of 1947 he moved his family once again. This time it was to McKittrick in Kern County, California where he worked at the Victory Oil Company, which was located five miles north of town. Later, he worked for the Century Oil Company, also in McKittrick. It was while they lived in McKittrick that their fifth child, Jack, was born.

As McKittrick was located on the crossroads of one large east-west highway and another vital north-south route, there were frequent, unplanned visitors who came to their home. In those days, they were called tramps or hobos; they were homeless men who wandered about from door to door seeking food. Glenna’s patriarchal blessing said that if she was faithful, she would be privileged to feel the influence of John the Beloved and the Three Nephites. She always felt she might meet one of them during her lifetime and not recognize them, so she never turned a tramp or a beggar away. 

Glenna related one experience with one of these homeless men in 1947, just after her youngest son was born: 

I heard a rap on the back porch door and looked up to see the face of a bearded man through the glass window. My heart came into my throat. I approached the door with apprehension. There standing before me was an old gentleman, shabby in dress, with a full head of grey hair and a full grey beard. He asked me for a cup of coffee. I told him we didn’t drink coffee but my two neighbors did and I was sure they would give him a cup. He replied that he had already been to those houses and neither of them would give him a cup of coffee. I told him I had Postum and asked if that would be all right and he said, ‘yes’. So I invited him in and uttered a silent quick prayer; I was frightened for myself and children but I had been taught to never turn anyone away.

I went about preparing breakfast for him, as I realized he must have been hungry; I prepared oatmeal, hot toast and jam and Postum. As he ate I prepared a lunch for him to take with him. After he had finished eating and thanked me, he left by the same door. As I stood watching him it began to sprinkle and I quickly went to look for something of Jim’s that he could wear. As I returned to the doorway and looked out over the barren fields and the path that led to the highway off in the distance, I saw no trace of him and wondered where he had disappeared to.

When my husband came home for lunch that day I told him of my strange visitor. He said he and the other workmen [from the top of the oil derrick] had watched him enter the camp and be turned away door after door. Jim told the fellows, ‘Wait until he gets to my house. He will not only get in, but he will come out with my pants.’

Wherever they lived, they faithfully attended the nearest LDS church, and during the time they lived in McKittrick the closest branch was located in Taft, fourteen miles away. The Sunday drive to Taft was always interesting for the children as they would count the tarantulas they saw crawling across the road. Those big, ugly, hairy spiders were also frequent visitors around their home, as were lizards, horned toads, and occasional scorpions.

Even though their early years of marriage and family life were happy ones, they were financially difficult; they always lived from pay check to pay check and still had debts from the births of all of their children. Jim worried about this constantly, but he felt that working in the oil industry was where he could best support his family, get out of debt, and also make his fortune.

Glenna did not share his feelings. Throughout their many moves, Glenna had observed first-hand that the living conditions, in or near oil camps, were not desirable for raising a family. Personally, she hated oil.  It was grimy and smelly, and it required great effort to get Jim’s work clothes clean, which usually included steaming them to purge the oil out before washing them. She often wished she could steam Jim. Even after his efforts to clean up before returning home, oil still invaded their house, furniture and bedding.

Despite her feelings about oil, however, Glenna trusted Jimmy’s decisions, and she knew he enjoyed his work. Even though there was never a harsh word between them on this subject, Glenna kept hoping they could move back to Santa Monica, where she could be close to her family and the Church, and they could live a more normal life.

In mid-1948, Jim learned about overseas employment opportunities in the oil industry working as a tool pusher—the man in charge of the drilling rig. The main reason Jim was so interested was that the pay was so much better. Jim applied with Shell Oil Company, and in September—with a recommendation from his friend, Byron Cunningham who worked for Shell in Venezuela—Jim received a job offer; it was a three-year contract to drill oil wells in the jungles of Colombia. After counseling with Glenna about this opportunity in South America, and after receiving a lot of helpful advice and counsel from others as well, Jim accepted the offer and preparations for their move began.

Lacking some of the technical skills the new job required, Jim spent many hours at the local library studying and learning more about the work assignments he had been hired to do in Colombia. As was typical of Jim, he was not concerned; he had great confidence in his abilities to accomplish whatever was required.

Jim and Glenna probably didn’t realize the many ways this move would impact their current lifestyle: they would encounter a new language, tropical weather, new habits, and different customs. But none of this seemed to deter Jim from pursuing this new opportunity. And Glenna was so anxious to move from McKittrick that other considerations were initially not a major concern for her. She was especially intrigued when she learned that most American families in Colombia had maids. 

Even the myriad of technicalities required to move overseas did not dampen either Jim or Glenna’s enthusiasm:  letters to Sacramento to get copies of birth certificates, trips to Los Angeles to get photos and passports, several visits to the large Shell Oil Company building in downtown Los Angeles, and several appointments for Jim to get the required physical exams and injections. Then there was the shopping to get the right kind of clothing for a totally different climate—enough to last Jim for three years.

As the days went quickly by, the reality of what was going to take place began to weigh heavily on Glenna’s mind, and she became apprehensive about their move to South America, especially in regard to the Church. Colombia did not have freedom of religion in 1948; the Catholic Church was the only authorized religion. There would be no LDS Church to attend, there were no missionaries in the country, and they definitely didn’t have any temples.4

Glenna wrote about her feelings: 

I must admit I fought against this move and against my husband’s desire to change our lives so drastically. I had never in my mind contemplated a situation such as this, as the gospel was my life and without it I would be lost. This did not shake my husband’s firm decision. I remember telling my husband that ‘if we go to live in this strange, foreign land we will hold our own church meetings in our own home,’ and he quickly agreed.

And she held him to that promise.

Jim’s feelings about going to South America were somewhat different than Glenna’s: he felt that going overseas for three years to save enough money to get out of debt was worth the sacrifices they would make. But Jim also respected Glenna’s feelings and concerns. They went together to visit their stake patriarch, Earl N. White, a man they both had come to love and respect. Patriarch White gave them each a comfort blessing, and he reassured them that Heavenly Father would bless them while they were separated from their family and the Church.

They also met with their stake president, Edward G. Barlow. It was President Barlow who had performed their marriage. At this visit, he assured them, Parents don’t need to raise their children within the shadows of a temple to be successful in raising a righteous family; children need to be raised in a home where the principles of the gospel are taught and lived.

At that same time, President Barlow authorized Jim to perform the ordinances of the sacrament—in their home.  Any baptisms and priesthood ordinations for their family would have to be done in a regular ward or branch of the Church.

The blessings and the counsel they received from both Patriarch White and President Barlow, with whom they had special bonds, were very comforting to both Jim and Glenna, and she received a peaceful feeling that the Lord would protect and watch over them while they lived in South America.

Jim concluded his work in McKittrick with Century Oil Company, he and Glenna said farewell to their friends, and he moved his family into a leased home in Venice, California—near both their families. It was there Glenna and the children would live for five months, while Jim went on alone to Colombia. Shell Oil Company would not allow their new employees to bring their families with them—at first—as it was an expensive move and they wanted the men to be sure they could do the work and were willing to stay and fulfill their contracts.

The enormity of the decision Jim had made to work in a foreign country became very clear the evening before he left. He took Glenna to dinner—just the two of them—to talk and share their thoughts and feelings about what life would be like for each of them in the coming months, while they would be separated by so many miles.

The day of Jim’s departure finally arrived. Glenna had neatly and methodically packed Jim’s trunks, and before he left Jim tearfully hugged and kissed his little family who would be left behind. At the airport on that darkened night in October, Jim embraced Glenna for a long time, and then he kissed her good-bye and walked aboard the plane. Only he and his wife knew that she was expecting their sixth child, which made leaving her all the more difficult.

* * *

At the memory of his recent departure from his family, Jim rose from his bed in Balboa, Panama and was immediately engulfed in loneliness. After a short and almost sleepless night, it was time to board the plane destined for Medellin, Colombia. It turned out to be an awful flight, as the plane wasn’t pressurized; his ears were popping like popcorn!

The pain and discomfort of that flight quickly faded when they landed in Medellin. As the taxi approached the hotel where Jim was to spend the night, he saw that it was the most famous hotel in all of Colombia—the high-style Nutibara, with its deco entrance and the lobby’s unique portico designs. From Jim’s room on the 7th floor, he could see Medellin’s stately buildings and beautiful homes with pretty red tile roofs. In his quiet hotel room, he was finally able to sleep. 

Chapter Two

On October 15, 1948, nearly a week after leaving the United States, Jim arrived at the Shell Oil Company office in Bogota, Colombia ready to go to work. That evening, he took a taxi tour of Bogota, a city of over 400,000 inhabitants. What he saw in the downtown area, however, took him by surprise; building after building had been burnt to the ground. Everywhere he looked he saw vacant lots and remnants of ruined structures.

The destruction he saw in downtown Bogota had occurred during the Pan American Conference that was held some months prior, when the leader of the Liberal Party was murdered in the streets of Bogota. Jim learned that Colombia experienced frequent revolutions, and that it was a land of civil conflict and rebellions, which raised concerns in Jim’s mind about the safety of his family. His concern was later validated when he was told that it was not uncommon to have the oil camps remain under lock down, with soldiers patrolling the streets for days at a time until the government could regain control.

On his journey to Colombia, Jim had enjoyed seeing many unique and interesting places, but even those events could not diminish his feelings of dreadful loneliness. He was beginning to think that the pain he felt was not worth the extra money he would earn; he hoped he would never do something this foolish again. But as the decision had been made, he moved forward to prepare himself and his family for their new experiences.

During his first few weeks in Colombia, Jim attended a daily Spanish class taught in the Shell Oil office, and he spent additional time studying and practicing his newly acquired language skills whenever and wherever possible. He found Spanish easy to learn, but difficult to speak. He often said he had the tongue of a tortuga,—turtle—as he never quite mastered the ability to roll his R’s or give just the right accent to the double L’s. But over time, he could understand what was being said in Spanish, and he became reasonably fluent when speaking the language.

He had many opportunities to talk with his co-workers, and he wanted to share the gospel with them. But the Catholic Church was the State