October 7, 2009
Dear President Campbell and Bishop Evans,
This has been a hot and busy summer in Chiquimula, Guatemala. There has been very little rain, however humidity is suffocating in the air. The drought conditions have been severe and the first crop of corn and beans did not survive. There has been a second planting and we are praying for rain. There are already serious consequences. Many children (mostly under the age of two) have died from malnutrition. Not only do the farmers rely on beans and corn for food, but it is also a cash crop. Even the people in the cities are beginning to suffer because prices have gone up. It will be far worse if this second crop fails. The church did send a shipment of food which was sorted and distributed to members and some nonmembers who were destitute. There is no Bishop’s Storehouse here and the people mostly “just survive”. Even the leaders often have to do without the basics in life. People in the United States feel very “entitled”. I would probably not be such a compassionate Relief Society President with those wanting food orders on a regular basis, after seeing how the rest of the world lives. So maybe it is good this mission came after that calling.
We have continued teaching five English classes to the medical students and employees of the university. We have four classes at the church as well. The school year is about to come to an end (the end of October) and a new year will begin the end of January. We have witnessed an increased knowledge and better pronunciation with the students who have attended even somewhat consistently. It is great to provide this serve.
We live in Chiquimula because of the location of the university; however, by special assignment from the mission president we are attending and serving in the Esquipulas Branch. Spencer is really needed because you can count on one hand the Melchizeidek Priesthood holders. We spend every other Saturday there, visiting less actives, having FHE’s, and generally supporting and encouraging the members. Several of our families have gradually begun attending meetings. Those Sundays are a missionary’s pay days. When we are there on Saturday, we spend the night in a hotel that has great accommodations—and costs $31 (Q250). On the “off week-ends” we travel up by bus on Sunday morning to spend most of the day. The bus rides can be an adventure all their own—and yes sometimes we travel with chickens, produce and other sundry items.
One new assignment is that of serving as temple workers. Our English classes for the week end on Thursday night, so every other Friday morning (opposite weekends from our Esquipulas trip) we arise early and take a bus to Guatemala City (a four hour ride). The church owns several homes that provide housing for temple patrons who have traveled a great distance. We spend Friday night at a “Casa de Huespedes” (for about $10) and fulfill a shift on Friday afternoon and again on Saturday morning (two of the busiest times in the temple). It has been both humbling and fulfilling to learn the temple ordinances, word perfect, in Spanish. We have lots more to learn, but “poco a poco” (a favorite expression here), we are learning, line upon line.
Temple attendance is an inspiration in Guatemala. Many busloads of saints are there every weekend. During the week before Easter (Holy Week) and the weeks before and after Christmas, many businesses are shut down, so members are free to attend. For this reason, we will work full time at the temple during most of December. There are often 200 saints waiting for the temple to open at 5 AM. They wait patiently in line (that winds through the parking lot, onto the street) until they reach the recommend desk. After presenting their recommend they receive a plastic chip that lets them know which ordinance room they will be in and are given an approximate time to return. Then they sometimes wait another hour and half for their session. Workers keep sessions going as rapidly as a room empties—the every 30 minute schedule is meaningless –it might be every 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the available workers to assist at the veil. Some members wait more than 3 hours just to attend and endowment session. There is an annex and Distribution Center across the street for those waiting. The temple even provides umbrellas to go back and forth between the buildings (there is a lot more rain in Guatemala City than here in the eastern part of the country). You can’t just turn around and attend a second session—because others have been waiting their turn, so you have to get back in line for another “chip”. Saints may have traveled 12 hours on the bus (renovated school buses) and only be able to attend 2-3 sessions during their visit. Fortunately there will be a new temple in northern Guatemala (Quezaltenango) and one in El Salvador in about one more year. One has been announced in Honduras, but the political unrest has delayed construction.
The Esquipulas Branch is not part of a stake and there are no districts close, so they fall directly under the mission president. There is not a satellite dish in their chapel, therefore, they must travel the hour and half on the bus to Chiquimula for all satellite broadcasts. Many saints do not have the means to make the trip. Last April, only 10 members came to conference on Sunday morning and then returned to Esquipulas. So-o-o-o, this time we told the branch president we would provide lunch to the members who attended so that they could enjoy two sessions of conference. With that offer, he decided that the branch would pay the transportation (about $4/person round trip). We announced it for two Sundays. The week before conference I asked in Relief Society who planned on coming and how many there were in their family. The sisters started answering, “six in my family”, “seven in my family”, etc. Normal sacrament meeting attendance is in the 40’s (including six missionaries). I thought I’d better cook enough for 40-50 people. I spent the entire week preparing, chili corn bread, Spanish rice, and chili beans with lots of hamburger. I loaded everything with lots of vegetables to bless the lives of those who are undernourished (a high percentage of the branch membership). Spencer had to make many trips to the open-air street market for more vegetables and spent one morning helping chop bell peppers and celery. We were very busy in between our classes. A member helped us transport the large containers to the church on Sunday morning. The church kitchens here don’t have refrigerators, utensils, pots and pans or any dishes—just a stove and counters. There isn’t even potable water. We had to bring everything with us. When I saw the many branch members in attendance I became a little worried. One brother reported to me that it took two buses and there were about 80 of them. The branch president paid bus fares for 51—but you don’t pay for children on laps—and there were a lot of them. [It was sort of like “if you feed them, they will come”] It was truly like living the miracle of feeding the 5000. We fed at least 60 branch members (including many of our less actives and one family of investigators), then we fed 14 missionaries, some children from Chiquimula that sneaked into the line, two families from Chiquimula that were waiting in the chapel, without lunch, for the next session to begin. I’m sure we fed at least 80 people and we still had food left over to bring home. One, very skinny little girl from the family of investigators, came back four times for additional servings. I suspect it had been a very long time since she had been able to eat to the point of satiation. Everyone loved our southwestern recipes—a different way of preparing foods that are common here. We laughed together because I had to bake cornbread—I do not have the skill to make corn tortillas (which they live on). It was wonderful to be a part of this little miracle, but the most rewarding part of the day was knowing that these many saints were able to hear the prophet and the church leaders speak to them. Our hearts were touched.
One other recent special experience—and then I promise to stop . In September we had another visit from LDS dentists who came and performed free dental work for a week. We were able to assist on two days. We went to one village very high in the mountains. The young children only spoke Chorti. The school director translated. Some instructions went from English- Spanish-Chorti. This village is very poor and one of only a few that the government provides food to. It is one of the areas where starvation was high. When we arrived the children were drinking their cup of Avena—watered down oatmeal. For many of them, that is the only “meal” that they will receive in a day. There literally is no food in their homes. We are richly blessed in the USA.
Please give our love to the saints in Prescott. Also, please encourage more couples to serve missions. The need is significant—and the rewards are great. Anyone is welcome to visit our blog to see pictures and read past experiences. spencerandjeanine.blogspot.com
Love,
Elder and Hermana Brown
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