I spend about half of my life at this table preparing lessons, reading scriptures, working on the computer, etc.
Thursday, April 30
A real life picture of missionary work!
I spend about half of my life at this table preparing lessons, reading scriptures, working on the computer, etc.
Sisters Rock!
We always enjoy have Sisters in the district. Sister Alvarez is a tiny sister from El Salvador--but she is fireball--and very,very knowledgable.
Feeding the Missionaries
Our District of Chiquimula and Esquipulas got together for lunch at our house. They are all good missionaries. We love their enthusiasm.
Tuesday, April 28
April 25, 2009 - Volume II from Spencer
Dear Fam-damily,
This is Volume II of my missionary reports. Volume III is not due until around Christmas time, so pay attention to what I have to say!
Chiquimula is a “departmento” in Guatemala—something like a small state. We are in the city of Chiquimula—which is the government seat of the departmento. Surrounding areas make up the rest of the departmento with all of the “aldeas” (small rural villages). Most of the aldeas have electricity, but little else of the services that we have come to know and take for granted. There are schools. The ones that are public in the outlying areas are not much more than a structure to protect students from the rain. The kids come and work out of books and the teacher is a facilitator and a referee. The schools in bigger communities are a step up and the private schools are well organized and demanding. The public schools are considered “free”, but the students provide every sheet of paper and pencil and must have uniforms. These costs are prohibitive and many children are unable to attend even the free, public schools. Some schools turn out very educated youngsters. We teach the brightest and most educated in our college classes at CUNORI.
There are professionals in town who are very capable and provide excellent services. But their offices/facilities are much less than the nice offices we have come to know/expect in the US. Make no mistake, this is Guatemala. They have their own culture and ways of doing things. You could say that it is a step back in time of 50-80 years. If you disagree with how they think and what they do, it would be best to go home. The only thing that will change them (the culture) is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the truth, the light and the way and it will change lives.
Most people are very friendly/loving people. A cheerful greeting will stimulate warm responses. Most of them admire people like us and respond to kindness. However, if you were to mouth off, it wouldn’t be wise. Every business has a security guard with a shot gun and they could use it. I would guess that 10% of the population is employed to stand and protect every business where money is used. The security is remarkable.
The opposite is the lack of rules and enforcement on the streets and highways. There are none. Most of the drivers drive like “animals”. The risks that are taken by local buses, motorcycles (“motos”) pedestrians and highway transportation are frightening. The streets in town are narrow with blind intersections. There are 1000 people always moving and no rules or supervision. One-way streets mean nothing. Motos pass and go anywhere they want. Small buses race past one another to get to the next available passengers first. Shoppers wander in the streets at the street markets.
There is an element of organized crime. Police turn their heads to many criminal activities. No one wants to mess with them. But we haven’t been personally impacted in anyway by this element of life.
With all the dangers and poverty and crime, they are wonderful people. We feel safe and we wear our missionary name tags everywhere we go. I believe that we are protected and are blessed in the work. I, for one, am honored and grateful for this privilege of serving here. This is a life’s dream. With the exception of couples in the Area Office and the temple missionaries, I only know of one other couple from the US who are proselyting in Guatemala. They are in the north mission. There are four missions in this country. This is a unique experience.
Our teaching English classes at CUNORI (a local university) is a great experience. We work with such a nice faculty and such bright medical students. Some don’t appreciate the obligation of being in an English class (just as one would expect), but most are very appreciative that we are here to provide this service.
Our English classes at the church are also rewarding. We work with the general public (the great majority of our students are non-members). We interact with people who could not be influenced in any other way. It is generally known that these classes are available and most people in Guatemala want to learn to speak English. The students know we are here at our own expense and they are very appreciative of our presence.
Our association with ward members is wonderful. A theme I always try to communicate is that “they” are as valuable as member of the church. Anglo Saxon members are not any better. The center of the church gets some attention, but the members here are the pioneers for this country. I always play down the idea that going to the US is a better way and it isn’t even desirable. There are far too many children whose family has been severed because of the “attraction” of the US. Everybody has a relative in the US, and it is “so wonderful.” On the other hand, I have worked in four Spanish Branches in the US and I know of the suffering and the hard lives of those immigrants—legal and otherwise.
Our experiences of seeking out the less active members have been a rewarding experience. Everyone gets their feelings hurt at sometime and many can’t deal with it. Some less actives just get trapped in life’s situations with work. Some just love Sunday fútbol (soccer). Some don’t know the value of making a living and have broken homes as a result. Some find “love” in other places or start drinking for “x” reasons. All are lost and all need help. The Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching is too weak in these countries. The young missionaries do what they are expected to do and then move on. Adult/seasoned members are of infinite worth in bridging the retention problem. Many new members do not have roots into the Book of Mormon. For the seniors in the church, the sin of “No mission” is a serious one. We are a blessed people and have a moral obligation to share these blessings with others.
We have been asked to visit and work with a little branch in Esquipulas, Guatemala. It is about 1¼ hour buss ride away (if we are lucky). It is a smaller city at a higher elevation (not quite as hot as it is here). It is one the major tourist locations in Guatemala because the Basilica has a “black Christ” (because of the darkening of the wood used). It is the central place for Catholics in Central America to visit. There is a little Guatemalan LDS Chapel in the town. The branch has dwindled in priesthood to almost suffocation. They are only connected to the South mission and are very isolated. The mission president is four hours away. There isn’t even a district organized to support them. They feel (and are) very isolated. We travel there every other weekend. The purpose of our visits is to visit and reactivate the priesthood members. If over the course of our mission, we can get 14 Melchizedek priesthood members paying a full tithing, then they can become part of our Stake and have some Stake support. We are anxiously anticipating our work there.
We find great satisfaction in teaching non members the missionary lessons. What a blessing it is to enter a home and teach the principles of the gospel. If they don’t appreciate it, the Lord does. There’s always a spiritual feast to partake of.
The Lord has blessed us in some very tense situations. There have been a number of occasions when I wasn’t sure we were going to get a ride home from an outlying town. The alternative choices weren’t “pretty”. Something has always come along or we have been able to find the transportation we needed.
One evening about two weeks ago we finished a teaching appointment about 8:50 PM. By the time we walked up the hill to the bus route, the buses had stopped running. Jeanine had been seriously ill a few weeks before and was just getting her strength back. Just a few days before that she had been exhausted just walking up out of the draw where we had made a visit. That evening we realized that no buses were coming and we had to walk home. We had two weak flash lights and we had to walk through some impoverished neighborhoods. We were about two miles from our apartment and we had to drop down to a low bridge across a river and climb back up on the other side. It was the Friday night at the beginning of Holy Week and we encountered massive numbers of people returning from festivities. What was remarkable to me was that Jeanine just walked up to the road without resting and then just kept walking on home. The Lord’s tender mercies were with us that night.
We have done a considerable amount of walking since we have been here. We have held up well. This mission thing is a wonderful experience. We have one more year to go. It is my faith that we can accomplish what we were called here to do. I’m so naïve as to truly think that family members are being blessed in our absence and because of it.
We love all of you.
Dad/Spencer
This is Volume II of my missionary reports. Volume III is not due until around Christmas time, so pay attention to what I have to say!
Chiquimula is a “departmento” in Guatemala—something like a small state. We are in the city of Chiquimula—which is the government seat of the departmento. Surrounding areas make up the rest of the departmento with all of the “aldeas” (small rural villages). Most of the aldeas have electricity, but little else of the services that we have come to know and take for granted. There are schools. The ones that are public in the outlying areas are not much more than a structure to protect students from the rain. The kids come and work out of books and the teacher is a facilitator and a referee. The schools in bigger communities are a step up and the private schools are well organized and demanding. The public schools are considered “free”, but the students provide every sheet of paper and pencil and must have uniforms. These costs are prohibitive and many children are unable to attend even the free, public schools. Some schools turn out very educated youngsters. We teach the brightest and most educated in our college classes at CUNORI.
There are professionals in town who are very capable and provide excellent services. But their offices/facilities are much less than the nice offices we have come to know/expect in the US. Make no mistake, this is Guatemala. They have their own culture and ways of doing things. You could say that it is a step back in time of 50-80 years. If you disagree with how they think and what they do, it would be best to go home. The only thing that will change them (the culture) is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the truth, the light and the way and it will change lives.
Most people are very friendly/loving people. A cheerful greeting will stimulate warm responses. Most of them admire people like us and respond to kindness. However, if you were to mouth off, it wouldn’t be wise. Every business has a security guard with a shot gun and they could use it. I would guess that 10% of the population is employed to stand and protect every business where money is used. The security is remarkable.
The opposite is the lack of rules and enforcement on the streets and highways. There are none. Most of the drivers drive like “animals”. The risks that are taken by local buses, motorcycles (“motos”) pedestrians and highway transportation are frightening. The streets in town are narrow with blind intersections. There are 1000 people always moving and no rules or supervision. One-way streets mean nothing. Motos pass and go anywhere they want. Small buses race past one another to get to the next available passengers first. Shoppers wander in the streets at the street markets.
There is an element of organized crime. Police turn their heads to many criminal activities. No one wants to mess with them. But we haven’t been personally impacted in anyway by this element of life.
With all the dangers and poverty and crime, they are wonderful people. We feel safe and we wear our missionary name tags everywhere we go. I believe that we are protected and are blessed in the work. I, for one, am honored and grateful for this privilege of serving here. This is a life’s dream. With the exception of couples in the Area Office and the temple missionaries, I only know of one other couple from the US who are proselyting in Guatemala. They are in the north mission. There are four missions in this country. This is a unique experience.
Our teaching English classes at CUNORI (a local university) is a great experience. We work with such a nice faculty and such bright medical students. Some don’t appreciate the obligation of being in an English class (just as one would expect), but most are very appreciative that we are here to provide this service.
Our English classes at the church are also rewarding. We work with the general public (the great majority of our students are non-members). We interact with people who could not be influenced in any other way. It is generally known that these classes are available and most people in Guatemala want to learn to speak English. The students know we are here at our own expense and they are very appreciative of our presence.
Our association with ward members is wonderful. A theme I always try to communicate is that “they” are as valuable as member of the church. Anglo Saxon members are not any better. The center of the church gets some attention, but the members here are the pioneers for this country. I always play down the idea that going to the US is a better way and it isn’t even desirable. There are far too many children whose family has been severed because of the “attraction” of the US. Everybody has a relative in the US, and it is “so wonderful.” On the other hand, I have worked in four Spanish Branches in the US and I know of the suffering and the hard lives of those immigrants—legal and otherwise.
Our experiences of seeking out the less active members have been a rewarding experience. Everyone gets their feelings hurt at sometime and many can’t deal with it. Some less actives just get trapped in life’s situations with work. Some just love Sunday fútbol (soccer). Some don’t know the value of making a living and have broken homes as a result. Some find “love” in other places or start drinking for “x” reasons. All are lost and all need help. The Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching is too weak in these countries. The young missionaries do what they are expected to do and then move on. Adult/seasoned members are of infinite worth in bridging the retention problem. Many new members do not have roots into the Book of Mormon. For the seniors in the church, the sin of “No mission” is a serious one. We are a blessed people and have a moral obligation to share these blessings with others.
We have been asked to visit and work with a little branch in Esquipulas, Guatemala. It is about 1¼ hour buss ride away (if we are lucky). It is a smaller city at a higher elevation (not quite as hot as it is here). It is one the major tourist locations in Guatemala because the Basilica has a “black Christ” (because of the darkening of the wood used). It is the central place for Catholics in Central America to visit. There is a little Guatemalan LDS Chapel in the town. The branch has dwindled in priesthood to almost suffocation. They are only connected to the South mission and are very isolated. The mission president is four hours away. There isn’t even a district organized to support them. They feel (and are) very isolated. We travel there every other weekend. The purpose of our visits is to visit and reactivate the priesthood members. If over the course of our mission, we can get 14 Melchizedek priesthood members paying a full tithing, then they can become part of our Stake and have some Stake support. We are anxiously anticipating our work there.
We find great satisfaction in teaching non members the missionary lessons. What a blessing it is to enter a home and teach the principles of the gospel. If they don’t appreciate it, the Lord does. There’s always a spiritual feast to partake of.
The Lord has blessed us in some very tense situations. There have been a number of occasions when I wasn’t sure we were going to get a ride home from an outlying town. The alternative choices weren’t “pretty”. Something has always come along or we have been able to find the transportation we needed.
One evening about two weeks ago we finished a teaching appointment about 8:50 PM. By the time we walked up the hill to the bus route, the buses had stopped running. Jeanine had been seriously ill a few weeks before and was just getting her strength back. Just a few days before that she had been exhausted just walking up out of the draw where we had made a visit. That evening we realized that no buses were coming and we had to walk home. We had two weak flash lights and we had to walk through some impoverished neighborhoods. We were about two miles from our apartment and we had to drop down to a low bridge across a river and climb back up on the other side. It was the Friday night at the beginning of Holy Week and we encountered massive numbers of people returning from festivities. What was remarkable to me was that Jeanine just walked up to the road without resting and then just kept walking on home. The Lord’s tender mercies were with us that night.
We have done a considerable amount of walking since we have been here. We have held up well. This mission thing is a wonderful experience. We have one more year to go. It is my faith that we can accomplish what we were called here to do. I’m so naïve as to truly think that family members are being blessed in our absence and because of it.
We love all of you.
Dad/Spencer
Tuesday, April 21
April 20, 2009
It is really time for Spencer to write a letter—but I’m afraid I will have to use a little coercion before that will happen!
We are back to work. We have been very busy since Easter. The school classes are busy, busy. We need to come up with a plan for a new unit in the Medical English class and that is always a challenge.
I just finished writing a new unit for the kids’ English class, but I need to incorporate a few more activities into the learning. That class is now up to 17 kids—all from word of mouth. We didn’t include it on any posters or anything—but the class is about as full as I want it to be—I hope everyone stops talking to their friends about it.
Last week was a tough week for me emotionally. It was so hard to be so far away when Shannon (my niece, for those who don’t know her) finally lost her battle with breast cancer. I’d been in touch with Diane frequently by phone and we knew it was coming—but it still comes as a shock and hit me really hard. I only missed one class (and it was Medical English, so Spencer taught in place of me). But tears were close on so many other occasions. I wish I could be there for the services this Saturday. But even businesses don’t give you bereavement for nieces and nephews. I just didn’t think I should ask permission from the Area Authority—but my heart is definitely in Arizona right now.
I’m so thankful for the many family memories we have established over the years. Memories are one of our greatest blessings in life. I am thankful for my extended family and the love and support everyone shares. I am also thankful for my new extended family and the love that is always forthcoming from the Browns and Vances. I am richly blessed.
This past weekend we began making our home visits in Esquipulas. It was pretty amazing. The elders took us to many different homes. We saw as much or more poverty among the branch members than we saw in the aldeas. One sister makes and sells tortillas. Her home is a shaky wooden frame building with corrugated tin for the outside walls and one wall dividing the “kitchen” from the bedroom. The floor was dirt—and wasn’t even really leveled out much. There was a blanket for the bedroom door. She cooks on a raised adobe area where she can build two fires—one for pans with a grill over it and one for a tortilla pan. There were chickens and a cute puppy wandering freely inside. Her furniture consisted of a homemade wooden bench. She is an absolutely great lady. She has been a member for almost 20 years and was in the previous RS presidency. We also visited her sister in another home. Three generations live there, the main room had a concrete floor. There was a bare light bulb in the ceiling. The wall to the sleeping area was a sheet of plastic. The door was open to the inner part of the house and the floor was dirt and sort of leveled in places as it went up the hill. They had put little shelves up where the rocks were too heavy to dig out (I guess) and just sort of worked it into the décor. Another older sister (same family) actually lived in a house with regular walls and stuff. She has three adult children living there and the sleeping area had blankets hanging around each bed for some semblance of privacy. Even that home was really very poor. Americans have no comprehension of how most of the rest of the world lives.
It was really nice to meet members in their own homes and start to put names with the faces. On Sunday lots of little kids came running to greet us because now we are their friends. We had three different less actives attend church that we had visited the day before, so that was nice. The chapel in Esquipulas is very nice. The grounds always look nice too. There is a big difference in economic circumstances, literacy (reading ability), and testimony in the branch. I hope we can fulfill our stewardship and make a difference. The elders, who serve as counselors in the branch presidency were very appreciative of our visit and made us feel very welcome and needed.
We have mentioned before how crazy the drivers are in Guatemala. So are the pedestrians. We saw the deadly outcome of that combination on our way to Esquipulas. A bus (the ones made for 20 passengers that carry about 35 here) had hit a pedestrian crossing the highway. It must have happened right before we arrived (going the other way). His crumpled body was lying in the highway like a rag doll had been tossed from a distance away. He may have been drinking or been impaired in some way. I will never know for sure, but it certainly makes you realize how very fragile life is. We need to value every moment. And value all of the important people in our lives. So once again I want to say how much I love each and everyone of you.
Our trip home was interesting. We got on the bus and could see that there really weren’t any more seats—but they had already put our suitcase on top, so we were committed. The “ayudante” (helper) said that there was room for one more (me) on a seat already containing two young women. They obligingly scrunched and I could get one “cheek” on the seat—and rode that way for 1½ hours! Then they put down a jumper seat between me and the guy across the aisle. Now, you need to know, the jumper seats are about 14-15 inches wide. The seats slant because they are only attached on one side. My “other cheek” was sort of stuck between my bench seat that this tiny jumper seat and that is where Spencer had to sit. Now, Spencer’s bum is actually pretty small—but that is the only small area on his body, his shoulders and torso need more than 14” to fit. Everyone behind us laughed when they realized he was supposed to squeeze into that little space. But he did it—and we were so packed that we didn’t bounce around too much. At one town about four people sitting behind us got off. I looked to see if there was someplace better to sit and you literally couldn’t see a single spot where their bodies could have been before. On the back sit—made for four adults—at least in my American way of thinking, there were five adults and five children. Children who sit on laps apparently don’t have to pay a fare. It was unbelievable. At the next town the ayudante tried to convince five adults who were waiting to go to Chiquimula that there was plenty of room for them in our bus—but they didn’t buy it (thank goodness!) They told him they weren’t that desperate and knew there would be another bus in just a little while—smart people. We picked up three women who were just going about ten miles. But one of them was holding a flat of eggs tied with string. I offered to put it on my lap, but she turned me down. Then an older woman with her took the eggs and ended up letting an Indian man put them on his lap—guess I just didn’t look trust worthy. Either that or where I was sitting looked so crowded that she feared for the safety of the eggs.
We are supposed to be teaching a FHE evening tonight. But I think the family stood us up. They aren’t here yet anyway. Such is the life of a missionary. But one really nice thing is that we are teaching the husband of Marta Folgar, who Dave Limburg baptized right before going home. He seems to be really interested. They are wonderful people. It is their daughter that went to the USA to work—she finally made it safely and is working in Florida. The family is completely fragmented. The dad and three kids are in Puerto Barrios and the oldest daughter, Kimberly, who is in a wheel chair, is living with her grandparents. What a sad situation—mostly due to the economics. Life is hard for so many people. But Marta and Kimberly are faithful members and if Kimberly’s grandpa can give up his cigarettes, there is real hope for him.
This is once again long—but that is because I don’t have pictures to take the place of 1000 words like I did for the week Nate and Christena were here. That was such a great highlight. I am so glad they came. I love all of you. Keep in touch.
Love,
Mom/Jeanine
Hi everybody. I endorse most of this letter. That’s because we worked on most of it together. Someday you’ll be getting volume two of my letters, any day now. We’re having the time of my life.
Spencer
We are back to work. We have been very busy since Easter. The school classes are busy, busy. We need to come up with a plan for a new unit in the Medical English class and that is always a challenge.
I just finished writing a new unit for the kids’ English class, but I need to incorporate a few more activities into the learning. That class is now up to 17 kids—all from word of mouth. We didn’t include it on any posters or anything—but the class is about as full as I want it to be—I hope everyone stops talking to their friends about it.
Last week was a tough week for me emotionally. It was so hard to be so far away when Shannon (my niece, for those who don’t know her) finally lost her battle with breast cancer. I’d been in touch with Diane frequently by phone and we knew it was coming—but it still comes as a shock and hit me really hard. I only missed one class (and it was Medical English, so Spencer taught in place of me). But tears were close on so many other occasions. I wish I could be there for the services this Saturday. But even businesses don’t give you bereavement for nieces and nephews. I just didn’t think I should ask permission from the Area Authority—but my heart is definitely in Arizona right now.
I’m so thankful for the many family memories we have established over the years. Memories are one of our greatest blessings in life. I am thankful for my extended family and the love and support everyone shares. I am also thankful for my new extended family and the love that is always forthcoming from the Browns and Vances. I am richly blessed.
This past weekend we began making our home visits in Esquipulas. It was pretty amazing. The elders took us to many different homes. We saw as much or more poverty among the branch members than we saw in the aldeas. One sister makes and sells tortillas. Her home is a shaky wooden frame building with corrugated tin for the outside walls and one wall dividing the “kitchen” from the bedroom. The floor was dirt—and wasn’t even really leveled out much. There was a blanket for the bedroom door. She cooks on a raised adobe area where she can build two fires—one for pans with a grill over it and one for a tortilla pan. There were chickens and a cute puppy wandering freely inside. Her furniture consisted of a homemade wooden bench. She is an absolutely great lady. She has been a member for almost 20 years and was in the previous RS presidency. We also visited her sister in another home. Three generations live there, the main room had a concrete floor. There was a bare light bulb in the ceiling. The wall to the sleeping area was a sheet of plastic. The door was open to the inner part of the house and the floor was dirt and sort of leveled in places as it went up the hill. They had put little shelves up where the rocks were too heavy to dig out (I guess) and just sort of worked it into the décor. Another older sister (same family) actually lived in a house with regular walls and stuff. She has three adult children living there and the sleeping area had blankets hanging around each bed for some semblance of privacy. Even that home was really very poor. Americans have no comprehension of how most of the rest of the world lives.
It was really nice to meet members in their own homes and start to put names with the faces. On Sunday lots of little kids came running to greet us because now we are their friends. We had three different less actives attend church that we had visited the day before, so that was nice. The chapel in Esquipulas is very nice. The grounds always look nice too. There is a big difference in economic circumstances, literacy (reading ability), and testimony in the branch. I hope we can fulfill our stewardship and make a difference. The elders, who serve as counselors in the branch presidency were very appreciative of our visit and made us feel very welcome and needed.
We have mentioned before how crazy the drivers are in Guatemala. So are the pedestrians. We saw the deadly outcome of that combination on our way to Esquipulas. A bus (the ones made for 20 passengers that carry about 35 here) had hit a pedestrian crossing the highway. It must have happened right before we arrived (going the other way). His crumpled body was lying in the highway like a rag doll had been tossed from a distance away. He may have been drinking or been impaired in some way. I will never know for sure, but it certainly makes you realize how very fragile life is. We need to value every moment. And value all of the important people in our lives. So once again I want to say how much I love each and everyone of you.
Our trip home was interesting. We got on the bus and could see that there really weren’t any more seats—but they had already put our suitcase on top, so we were committed. The “ayudante” (helper) said that there was room for one more (me) on a seat already containing two young women. They obligingly scrunched and I could get one “cheek” on the seat—and rode that way for 1½ hours! Then they put down a jumper seat between me and the guy across the aisle. Now, you need to know, the jumper seats are about 14-15 inches wide. The seats slant because they are only attached on one side. My “other cheek” was sort of stuck between my bench seat that this tiny jumper seat and that is where Spencer had to sit. Now, Spencer’s bum is actually pretty small—but that is the only small area on his body, his shoulders and torso need more than 14” to fit. Everyone behind us laughed when they realized he was supposed to squeeze into that little space. But he did it—and we were so packed that we didn’t bounce around too much. At one town about four people sitting behind us got off. I looked to see if there was someplace better to sit and you literally couldn’t see a single spot where their bodies could have been before. On the back sit—made for four adults—at least in my American way of thinking, there were five adults and five children. Children who sit on laps apparently don’t have to pay a fare. It was unbelievable. At the next town the ayudante tried to convince five adults who were waiting to go to Chiquimula that there was plenty of room for them in our bus—but they didn’t buy it (thank goodness!) They told him they weren’t that desperate and knew there would be another bus in just a little while—smart people. We picked up three women who were just going about ten miles. But one of them was holding a flat of eggs tied with string. I offered to put it on my lap, but she turned me down. Then an older woman with her took the eggs and ended up letting an Indian man put them on his lap—guess I just didn’t look trust worthy. Either that or where I was sitting looked so crowded that she feared for the safety of the eggs.
We are supposed to be teaching a FHE evening tonight. But I think the family stood us up. They aren’t here yet anyway. Such is the life of a missionary. But one really nice thing is that we are teaching the husband of Marta Folgar, who Dave Limburg baptized right before going home. He seems to be really interested. They are wonderful people. It is their daughter that went to the USA to work—she finally made it safely and is working in Florida. The family is completely fragmented. The dad and three kids are in Puerto Barrios and the oldest daughter, Kimberly, who is in a wheel chair, is living with her grandparents. What a sad situation—mostly due to the economics. Life is hard for so many people. But Marta and Kimberly are faithful members and if Kimberly’s grandpa can give up his cigarettes, there is real hope for him.
This is once again long—but that is because I don’t have pictures to take the place of 1000 words like I did for the week Nate and Christena were here. That was such a great highlight. I am so glad they came. I love all of you. Keep in touch.
Love,
Mom/Jeanine
Hi everybody. I endorse most of this letter. That’s because we worked on most of it together. Someday you’ll be getting volume two of my letters, any day now. We’re having the time of my life.
Spencer
April 5, 2009 Conference Review
It is Sunday afternoon and we just finished watching conference. What a glorious time we live in that we can be thousands of miles away from Salt Lake City and hear the words of the prophet(s) as they are spoken. And we have the option of hearing them in a multitude of languages. Because of that option, Spencer went to the church for all of the sessions, so that he could hear them in Spanish and I watched on the internet here at home. Actually, on Saturday afternoon about 10 minutes before the session was supposed to start, we lost our power. So I went to the church in hopes that the chapel had power. They didn’t have power either (it was an outage throughout the city), but they were working on getting a generator going. The electrical box was locked so they couldn’t get to a switch they needed for a long time. But finally, (the last 45 minutes) they were able to use the generator to channel electricity into the building. We had Spanish in the chapel and English in the RS room. When we returned home, we had our power back, so we were able to go onto the internet and watch the part of the session we missed. As I said, technology is amazing and a great blessing in our lives.
I was impressed with a couple of themes in conference.
I want to review the 2nd one first, because it touched my heart to the core. Temple worship. On Saturday afternoon, Elder Richard G. Scott was the first to focus on it. He counseled us to take advantage to having temples closer. Don’t take them for granted. Don’t let the small things interrupt your plan to attend. He performs an ordinance every week and makes up for the weeks when he is traveling and there isn’t a temple close by. He recommended we participate in all of the different ordinances. [I agree. It is in the initiatory and sealing ordinances that we receive the incredible promises. In the endowment we receive knowledge and make covenants. It is awesome to hear the blessings pronounced sometimes.] He suggested that when we are in the temple, we focus on what our relationship is with the Savior as compared to His relationship to the Father. I loved his suggestion that we be unhurried and remove our watch. He also suggested that we pray for the person whose name we have that they will recognize the truthfulness of the ordinances. I was touched by his visualization of the inverted cone going from the temple up to the heavens—representing spirits waiting for their work to be done. But I felt a personal connection as he talked about his wife’s death 14 years ago and how he has been allowed to feel her influence through the veil.
Sunday afternoon was my favorite session. I loved Elder David Bednar’s talk about temples. At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith prayed that the saints shall go forward with power from the temple. [When I leave the temple, so I stop to reflect of the power of the covenant and what it means in my life and how it can help me to better serve the Lord?] The part that I thought was the most important of his talk was when he talked about the temple presidents who learned about the protecting power of the temple—they understood it better than they had as General Authorities. [These made me reflect on the protecting power of wearing temple garments. We are serving in a very hot, humid place and it isn’t always comfortable to have lots of clothes on. But there is no way in the world that I would not wear my garments. When we were first washed and anointed we covenanted to wear them day and night. And when we renew our recommends, we assure the bishop and stake president that we are wearing them 24/7. Obviously we remove them at times—but those are essentially brief moments. If we have exercise clothes on, we should not stop at the store and shop, we need to go home and dress properly—starting with temple garments before we do anything else. I love my garments. I love what they symbolize and I love the protecting power that comes from wearing them. I love the fact that by wearing them, I am saying to the Lord, that I remember the instructions and covenants I made in the temple.]
Immediately following Elder Bednar’s talk, Elder Gary Stevenson picked up the same theme and continued. He shared a neat story—“You are never lost when you can see the temple.” Wow. Profound. Like King Benjamin said, our tents (homes, hearts, lives) should face the temple. But he went on to compare our homes to the temple. It should also be a sacred place. Evidence of how the temple touches our lives should be apparent in our homes—the art work on the walls, the spirit when you enter, the way we dress, the activities we have there [scriptures, FHE, etc.,
the way it would welcome the Lord if He came to visit]. Holy Temple and Home together describes the House of the Lord.
As President Monson closed conference, he stated that Satan is trying to snare us and lead us to destruction. Among other things, he counseled us, “Go often to the temple. You can find peace, strength and resolve to keep the commandments when you are there.” He reminded us that as we perform temple ordinances we become “Saviors on Mt. Zion”. [It is a blessing, a privilege and a responsibility to attend the temple.]
That was my favorite theme of conference. But there was definitely another theme throughout.
The first one was introduced by the very first speaker on Saturday morning, Elder Robert D. Hales. He talked about the economic adversity. He really hammered home differentiating between our wants and our needs [my words, not his, but that was the basic idea]. We must also stay focused on the spiritual law of paying tithing. I liked his idea of having the family involved in the budget so that there is a conscious decision made, “Do you want this (instant gratification) more than you want (future family goal—trip or whatever). [I didn’t do that perfectly, but I do remember having a discussion about the rides at the carnival part of the county fair and showing how much that money would go towards entrance into Disneyland and how much more we would get out of that later, bigger expenditure. Even the little kids could understand it. When kids were earning money, a lot of times we had two savings accounts—one for long term savings (college and missions) and one for short term savings (EFY, Disneyland, etc.]
President Henry B. Eyring also talked about dealing with adversity—it is part of being human. Adversity is an invitation to grow and is an example of how much Heavenly Father and the Savior trust us. But in all of this, we need to examine our lives to become worthy of the Lord’s help. We need to prepare our heart. Relief might come in inspiration to do something that is especially hard. Help others who have even less. Fight the good fight, keep the faith.
Saturday afternoon, Elder Pino also talked about adversity. The storms, rain and winds come to the houses built on both the sand and the rock. We don’t have promises of being protected from adversity. When tragedy strikes, it is the time to show that we rely on the Lord. Nothing can go permanently wrong when we rely on the Savior. The Savior understands our suffering.
Elder Nelson counseled us to pray for help while we try to live righteously and avoid temptation.
President Monson also mentioned this theme Sunday morning when he acknowledged that these are difficult economic times. But there is more to life than money. God gave us the spirit of love and faith, not fear. The gospel of Christ should be the center of our lives. Put your hand in the hand of God.
Sunday afternoon Elder Dallin H. Oaks touched on the same idea. The Savior said, “Deny yourselves and follow Him.” Greed and feelings of entitlement caused much of our economic crisis. Some set their standards [on what they need/want] based on the standards of the world, rather than service. Serving others brings happiness in this life and in eternity.
I was touched by Elder Oaks comments about parents. “Being a righteous parent is the greatest priority in life.” It is a sacrifice to be a parent. But we have made covenants to be willing to sacrifice. Powerful thought. Great reminder.
I was impressed with a couple of themes in conference.
I want to review the 2nd one first, because it touched my heart to the core. Temple worship. On Saturday afternoon, Elder Richard G. Scott was the first to focus on it. He counseled us to take advantage to having temples closer. Don’t take them for granted. Don’t let the small things interrupt your plan to attend. He performs an ordinance every week and makes up for the weeks when he is traveling and there isn’t a temple close by. He recommended we participate in all of the different ordinances. [I agree. It is in the initiatory and sealing ordinances that we receive the incredible promises. In the endowment we receive knowledge and make covenants. It is awesome to hear the blessings pronounced sometimes.] He suggested that when we are in the temple, we focus on what our relationship is with the Savior as compared to His relationship to the Father. I loved his suggestion that we be unhurried and remove our watch. He also suggested that we pray for the person whose name we have that they will recognize the truthfulness of the ordinances. I was touched by his visualization of the inverted cone going from the temple up to the heavens—representing spirits waiting for their work to be done. But I felt a personal connection as he talked about his wife’s death 14 years ago and how he has been allowed to feel her influence through the veil.
Sunday afternoon was my favorite session. I loved Elder David Bednar’s talk about temples. At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith prayed that the saints shall go forward with power from the temple. [When I leave the temple, so I stop to reflect of the power of the covenant and what it means in my life and how it can help me to better serve the Lord?] The part that I thought was the most important of his talk was when he talked about the temple presidents who learned about the protecting power of the temple—they understood it better than they had as General Authorities. [These made me reflect on the protecting power of wearing temple garments. We are serving in a very hot, humid place and it isn’t always comfortable to have lots of clothes on. But there is no way in the world that I would not wear my garments. When we were first washed and anointed we covenanted to wear them day and night. And when we renew our recommends, we assure the bishop and stake president that we are wearing them 24/7. Obviously we remove them at times—but those are essentially brief moments. If we have exercise clothes on, we should not stop at the store and shop, we need to go home and dress properly—starting with temple garments before we do anything else. I love my garments. I love what they symbolize and I love the protecting power that comes from wearing them. I love the fact that by wearing them, I am saying to the Lord, that I remember the instructions and covenants I made in the temple.]
Immediately following Elder Bednar’s talk, Elder Gary Stevenson picked up the same theme and continued. He shared a neat story—“You are never lost when you can see the temple.” Wow. Profound. Like King Benjamin said, our tents (homes, hearts, lives) should face the temple. But he went on to compare our homes to the temple. It should also be a sacred place. Evidence of how the temple touches our lives should be apparent in our homes—the art work on the walls, the spirit when you enter, the way we dress, the activities we have there [scriptures, FHE, etc.,
the way it would welcome the Lord if He came to visit]. Holy Temple and Home together describes the House of the Lord.
As President Monson closed conference, he stated that Satan is trying to snare us and lead us to destruction. Among other things, he counseled us, “Go often to the temple. You can find peace, strength and resolve to keep the commandments when you are there.” He reminded us that as we perform temple ordinances we become “Saviors on Mt. Zion”. [It is a blessing, a privilege and a responsibility to attend the temple.]
That was my favorite theme of conference. But there was definitely another theme throughout.
The first one was introduced by the very first speaker on Saturday morning, Elder Robert D. Hales. He talked about the economic adversity. He really hammered home differentiating between our wants and our needs [my words, not his, but that was the basic idea]. We must also stay focused on the spiritual law of paying tithing. I liked his idea of having the family involved in the budget so that there is a conscious decision made, “Do you want this (instant gratification) more than you want (future family goal—trip or whatever). [I didn’t do that perfectly, but I do remember having a discussion about the rides at the carnival part of the county fair and showing how much that money would go towards entrance into Disneyland and how much more we would get out of that later, bigger expenditure. Even the little kids could understand it. When kids were earning money, a lot of times we had two savings accounts—one for long term savings (college and missions) and one for short term savings (EFY, Disneyland, etc.]
President Henry B. Eyring also talked about dealing with adversity—it is part of being human. Adversity is an invitation to grow and is an example of how much Heavenly Father and the Savior trust us. But in all of this, we need to examine our lives to become worthy of the Lord’s help. We need to prepare our heart. Relief might come in inspiration to do something that is especially hard. Help others who have even less. Fight the good fight, keep the faith.
Saturday afternoon, Elder Pino also talked about adversity. The storms, rain and winds come to the houses built on both the sand and the rock. We don’t have promises of being protected from adversity. When tragedy strikes, it is the time to show that we rely on the Lord. Nothing can go permanently wrong when we rely on the Savior. The Savior understands our suffering.
Elder Nelson counseled us to pray for help while we try to live righteously and avoid temptation.
President Monson also mentioned this theme Sunday morning when he acknowledged that these are difficult economic times. But there is more to life than money. God gave us the spirit of love and faith, not fear. The gospel of Christ should be the center of our lives. Put your hand in the hand of God.
Sunday afternoon Elder Dallin H. Oaks touched on the same idea. The Savior said, “Deny yourselves and follow Him.” Greed and feelings of entitlement caused much of our economic crisis. Some set their standards [on what they need/want] based on the standards of the world, rather than service. Serving others brings happiness in this life and in eternity.
I was touched by Elder Oaks comments about parents. “Being a righteous parent is the greatest priority in life.” It is a sacrifice to be a parent. But we have made covenants to be willing to sacrifice. Powerful thought. Great reminder.
Saturday, April 11
More time w/Tennys...and Tuli!
Christena and Nate arrived on Monday afternoon and we spent the day showing them the sites of our daily lives. The pictures with families are when we visited families we have been working with--the Garcia and Ramirez families. Notice that even when Nathan knelt down, Sister Garcia is wa-a-a-y shorter than him! Christena was chillin in the apartment--pretty necessary in the heat of Chiquimula. We visitied CUNORI and showed them my classroom. Nathan was full of answers for all of my questions. :) The campus is deserted for Semana Santa.
Tuesday we went to Quirigua and say ruins and stelae. It rained as we arrived and was cool for our visit. It was way cool and fascinating. The trees there are huge--Spencer couldn't compete! Quirigua dates to about 400 AD and is located in a proposed site for the Land of Nephi (occupied by Lamanites).
We stayed on the shores of Lake Itzabal--the largest lake in Guatemala. Denny's Beach Resort is only available by boat. It was a great place--but it was hard to get straight answers to some of our question/requests. For instance we asked for cards and we received a candle--but it was all good because it was our light on our outdoor picnic table.
Wednesday we took a launcha (boat) down the lake to the Rio Dulce--which drains the lake into the Atlantic Ocean. We toured the Castle of San Felipe--it was a fascinating place. It didn't look very big as the boat arrived--but the inside was filled with labryinths and was much larger than we thought. We really enjoyed it. Rio Dulce was a bustling town with a great (modern) swimming beach on one side of the castle and rocks where the native women were doing their laundry in the river on the other side of the castle. This country is one filled with contrasts. Later that day we hiked up the hill trying to get a panoramic view--but we gave up. Foilage was thick, the mountain was steep and I was tired!
We stayed on the shores of Lake Itzabal--the largest lake in Guatemala. Denny's Beach Resort is only available by boat. It was a great place--but it was hard to get straight answers to some of our question/requests. For instance we asked for cards and we received a candle--but it was all good because it was our light on our outdoor picnic table.
Wednesday we took a launcha (boat) down the lake to the Rio Dulce--which drains the lake into the Atlantic Ocean. We toured the Castle of San Felipe--it was a fascinating place. It didn't look very big as the boat arrived--but the inside was filled with labryinths and was much larger than we thought. We really enjoyed it. Rio Dulce was a bustling town with a great (modern) swimming beach on one side of the castle and rocks where the native women were doing their laundry in the river on the other side of the castle. This country is one filled with contrasts. Later that day we hiked up the hill trying to get a panoramic view--but we gave up. Foilage was thick, the mountain was steep and I was tired!
Thursday we returned to Chiquimula and loafed (and took care of exchanging money. Friday we went to Guatemala City. We went to the temple and hung out in that area. In the afternoon, Tuli took us as close as they could to the old parts of the city so we could see historical sites, but the many processions for Good Friday kept us from getting too close. We had dinner at her home and met all of her family. It was such a fun evening. We then shared a room at the Hotel Princess and parted company at 5:00 AM. Now we have to get back to being missionaries.
Semana Santa "Holy Week"
Semana Santa ends tomorrow with Easter. The week has been wonderful because Nathan and Christena have been here to visit. They are in Tikal today and tomorrow, before flying home--and we are back in Chiquimula in our apartment that feels incredibly empty without them. I'm feeling sad that the visit has ended. It was a great week! Here are some great pictures so you can enjoy some of the things we saw/did. Just click on each collage and it will enlarge the pictures so that you can see them better and check out the ones that aren't on the screen.
Friday, April 10
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