Jeanine's Christmas letter

December 27, 2009
Dear Loved Ones,
This month has flown by and I haven’t had a moment to write a letter. So you are probably in for a long one! I told a lot about our boat trip down the Rio Dulce with the comments and pictures on the blog. So I won’t repeat that—other than to say it was a great, memorable birthday.
We were home only long enough to wash our clothes and repack our suitcases. We went to the temple early Wednesday morning on the bus. We were so busy in the temple I can’t begin to tell you. It was wonderful! We worked double shifts in the temple on Thursday and Friday and only one shift on Saturday before heading back to Chiquimula.
When the temple is really busy, Casa de Huespedes is really full and sometimes they can’t spare a room for us. The rooms hold 6-8+ people and it is crazy to give it to just two missionaries. But we have had an even better situation evolve. The new temple president and his wife arrived November 2nd. President Clate Mask was just released as a General Authority in October. He and his wife both served missions in Central America and overlapped Spencer. They have a house with five bedrooms and didn’t have anyone coming for Christmas, so they turned one of the bedrooms over to us. It is free, close and often comes with meals provided. Besides, it has been an opportunity to get to know them.
I have been hungry for friendships with women who speak English. I am soooooo thankful for Tuli—she has single-handedly filled the role for me beautifully. I don’t know what I would have done to stay sane, if it weren’t for her. But now, I have one new friend as well. That is a nice addition to my life.
We returned to Chiquimula on Saturday the 12th and then went to Esquipulas for church early on the 13th. Spencer is very busy because he teaches the youth Sunday School class and he teaches Priesthood twice a month. I lead the singing, so I am a little more dispensable. We planned to return to Guatemala on Wednesday, but there were protesters randomly blockading roads so we made a quick decision and left Tuesday evening, thinking when it was dark, they probably would be smart enough to not stand out on the highway. We were right and we arrived in Guatemala about 9 PM to a dark, lonely terminal. It was sort of spooky. But it didn’t take long for Tuli and Cesar to arrive. We went to get a bite to eat with them and then went to the Mask’s for the night. Tuli and Cesar had also invited us.
So we worked double shifts three days and one shift on Saturday. I couldn’t handle that much strain on my back (it is tough to be leaning over to help/hear women at the veil who are more than a foot shorter than me) so I stayed in the city. Spencer (who is crazy and wonderful all at the same time) got home late Saturday night. Then he did the round trip to Esquipulas on Sunday and caught the 3:00 AM bus on Monday morning to arrive back at the temple in time for the shifts beginning at 6:30 AM.
I spent the weekend with Tuli. Saturday night was a special treat. Their son and his wife were hosting her extended family for their traditional party. We were invited and I met so many fun people. I unfortunately didn’t take my camera. They sang the traditional Posada songs on either side of the door so I got a little glimpse of that traditional activity (but it was just symbolic, not the whole blown affair). Then they had a nativity play. It was put on by the younger generation (young adults and kids). Cesar Hijo had pictures to project onto the wall for background for each part of the story. They had written a detailed script and it was great. Then the adults put on a play—this year they did “A Christmas Carol”. All the main characters had scripts, and then they had roles for improvised for Cesar, Tuli and me. Cesar and Tuli were townspeople interacting with Tiny Tim in an early scene. I was in the last scene when Scrooge woke up and I responded to his question that it was Christmas morning (while playing ball with another “kid”). It was a little intimidating because all of their hurried instructions to me were in rapid Spanish and Tuli wasn’t around to help me! (her scene had already gone out) Then they spontaneously added a line for me in the finale and with a flourish I announced that Christmas wasn’t about money, it is about the birth of Christ and being with your family! I gestured to all of them since they are all family. They loved it and someone told me I should be nominated for an Oscar. Then we had a yummy meal and followed that with Karoke singing. I was glad to beg off since I didn’t know the songs (which were all in Spanish). We went home at 11:30 but the party was still going strong. It was a warm, loving, loud family—just like home—only it was in Spanish. There was no alcohol served and it was completely focused on the family.
The next morning they dropped me off at church and picked me up after their services. It worked out great. I met some more senior missionaries from the area office—it was so nice to speak English once again. It was also great to see a fully functional ward. The speakers were good—they even had a high councilman there, the RS functioned just like in the states—music time, well prepared lesson, and everything. It was amazing—and very different from what we experience in Esquipulas Branch.
On Monday morning I went to the Mission Christmas Conference and Spencer worked a couple of hours at the temple and then joined us for lunch and the slide show and gifts. What a wonderful day. I sat with the young sisters and was engulfed in love. One sister from Honduras had hand crafted key chains for us. She used to be in our Zone. Then the gift for missionaries from President and Sister Alvarado was little missionary figurines (made by the same person who made your nativities). We received a ‘matrimonio misionero paraje” sitting a two stumps and the sister is dressed in typical Guatemalan clothes—only with blonde hair to represent us! It is priceless. Hermana Carmen was outside the Cultural Hall at lunch time to sell some of her scripture covers. I took Elder Lira out there (he serves in Esquipulas). He has the very cheapest economy scriptures for his mission. He is a convert. His mom died last December and only one brother is a member. I bought him covers to protect his scriptures. He was very touched. So was Hermana Carmen. As we were leaving, she gave me a miniature coin purse/key chain as a gift. I had previously made friends with her because I order leather scripture cases from her for Spencer and she likes me.
The next day, at lunch time, I found the Noriega’s in front of the MTC. They are the ones we have bought lots of ties and scripture cases from. Nate and Christena met them. I bought gifts for the Masks and Montenegros from them. I was eying a great bag that I loved. They put it in my package and said it was a Christmas gift from them! Right after that I went to the Nauvoo Bookstore (Deseret Book Store) and after making a small purchase there, she gave me a little 12” Christmas tree with one red bulb on top. It sort of reminded me of a Charlie Brown tree. But it was a Christmas gift from her. It was rather amazing. Everywhere I went people gave me presents! The Masks had a big can of Poppycock for us as well. What fun.
We worked until noon on Wednesday and then came back home. We were in Esquipulas today and we will return to the temple early in the morning again. This week we will stay until it closes on Wednesday night and come back on Thursday to spend New Year’s here among the noisy fireworks!
At the Christmas Conference our Chiquimula district leader asked if we were going to be in Guat City or Chiquimula for Christmas because the district was thinking about doing an activity on Christmas Day. I told him to count us in because we would be back. He called me Wednesday as we were preparing to head back. I asked what the plans were and he said, “Well, we thought we would like to have a Christmas breakfast together (brief, squirmy pause) at your house!” I just started laughing and said that would be great! I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it. So Thursday I shopped for breakfast foods and stood in a check out line for 45 minutes to have stuff for breakfast, as well as for our Christmas Eve meal with Tere’s (our housekeeper) family. Both were great. We had turkey and traditional American foods on Thursday night. Tere gave us two tamales as a gift from her, so we ate those on Christmas. We had a great Christmas Eve program. We had provided Christmas boxes and little gifts for Tere’s family, Gladys and Porfirio’s family and one other single parent family. It was a great Christmas.
Spencer bought me two really nice carved souvenirs from Guatemala (I love them!) and I bought him scripture cases. We also had lots of snack foods. The missionaries helped us eat those.  We watched the “Joseph Smith Story” with the missionaries and then sent them home with turkey sandwiches, desserts and fruit salads as they headed out to start receiving their Christmas phone calls from home. That afternoon we started making phone calls to connect with our kids and mostly succeeded. We still have some calls to make.
The Sunday before Christmas we had a really cold snap hit us. It rained both in Chiquimula and in Guat City. It snowed in San Marcos, Guatemala (up in the mountains). I about froze in the City where it is much higher than here. Spencer caught a cold and has been living on cough drops all week long. He is doing much better now. Thank goodness.
It has been such a blessing to have this time in the temple. It is much easier to learn the ordinances in Spanish when you are there on consecutive days and not just every other weekend. I am now certified in everything except the last booth of preliminarios (initiatory). We have been able to be together leading many sessions and that feels comfortable now. Spencer teases because he told me to tap his foot if he forgets to stand up or sit down when he should. He told Cody he had a bloody bruise on the back of his leg from me kicking him. He is glad he has it straight now and doesn’t need any more prompting. 
We have had incredible spiritual experiences and some humorous ones. The people have come from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and all over Guatemala. One very spiritual experience for me was helping a sister confined to a wheelchair. While I was helping her put her slippers back on, I was kneeling at her feet and struggling a little because of her deformed foot. Suddenly I noticed the white dress spread out around me where I knelt on the floor and the overwhelming feeling came from the Spirit telling me that I was truly doing the Lord’s work. I was serving as His hands as I knelt at the feet of one of His beloved daughters rendering a service.
Sister Mask asked that we make every sister feel special who comes to the temple. I have a goal of making eye contact with every sister in the session and smiling warmly at just her (with my eyes if I am in the front). They have really responded and look for me afterwards and give me hugs and kisses on the cheeks. They all call me “Hermanita” which literally means “little sister” [which seems strange when they are about 4’6-8” tall and I am 5’10”]. But in this culture it is used more as a term of endearment than a word denoting size or age. It is like saying “beloved sister”. It warms my heart every time I hear it.
One absolutely charming sister had sparkling black eyes in a face with at least 1000 wrinkles. She had to watch others closely and get some help. I helped her at the veil. She kept grabbing the Brothers’ hand in both of hers and just caressing it, instead of holding the position indicated. Then instead of putting her hand on his shoulder, she was hugging him and patting his back. He finally whispered “hombro” (shoulder) so I helped her again. To top it off, she was mostly deaf and there was no way I could speak softly and have her hear me. The sisters watching were just grinning at me when I turned around. It was priceless and beautiful. She was just radiating so much love and gratitude for being in the temple that she had to do a lot of extra touching a caressing than normal . I will never forget the love she radiated. I hope I radiate that much love to others.
We love you and miss you. I am sure Spencer will want to write more with observations from his perspective (I can’t imagine why!), so you will probably get another letter—if not now, then on New Year’s. Keep the faith. Read the scriptures. Love and support each other.
Love,
Mom/Jeanine