July 6, 2014

From Spencer: We went on a nice ride with the Meadows this afternoon after we finished our block at church. Thus far, our visits out in the country have been solely limited to our speaking assignments; however, this afternoon was an extra treat. You'll see some of the breathtaking countryside as well as the people we passed. There were lots of houses with pretty colors along the way: The people are always fascinating. There were girls arranging flowers to be sold in the mercado. One interesting situation occurred as we were entering a little town. The road was blocked off and the men had a board with huge spikes. They would only slide it out of the way if you paid the Q10 which is about $1.25. Look at spikes on the board and you can see why we stopped! It's called a "mordida" or a bribe. I don't think you'd want to argue with them about it. There was a street market and a carnival in town. People were dressed up a little. It was fun to see. There are interesting animals along the way. I don't know why the horses are so skinny with all the grass there is to eat. That last photo shows corn shocks stored for feeding animals during the winter. It was a nice ride. By the way, I would resent it if you start to think we are here as sight seers or tourists. Our focus is on our work assignments. We've been putting in some long hours with our assignments and we ave associated with lots of nice people., There is a real love between temple patrons and workers. I love our associations with the Guatemalan saints. They are a friendly and loving people.