Uplifting experiences during the last couple of weeks: Among the uplifting experiences has been the visit of the very underdeveloped people who come from the mountains. I can't take their picture in the temple. The sisters look like they lived 200 years ago, with their hairstyles and faces that show very hard lives. I can't help drawing near to them and greeting them warmly. At first they duck their heads or look at you with timid eyes. They don't all understand Spanish, but they understand warmth. I get a thrill when at the end of their temple visit, they want to greet me warmly/sincerely. Yesterday (Saturday) there were two buses with 120 kids, plus adult leaders. I enjoyed being in the parking lot to greet them as they stepped off the bus. They love that reception and so are easy to teach in the class. Sad things: I read in the paper of thousands of children who are abused or used in slavery or who skip school to make a few Quetzales or who are sent off and dumped in the US. What a sad world. Funny thing: Last night at the end of our shift, four North American missionaries got in a car and went to purchase pizzas. It wasn't so funny when the streets were so crowded with parked cars to the point we had to abandon the car in a community alley and walk thru the cars to get home with our pizzas. The whole city was in our neighborhood to watch the Christmas fireworks. It was a massive parking lot in the streets.

Teaching about the Nativity

We started a new lesson this last Saturday with the kids. It is focused on the life of the Savior. We were able to use our Christmas tree and that was a big hit. We had a Stake Primary come, so we had a big group--too many to use chairs for everyone. It is always such fun teaching the kids. It took me a long time this week to make new song posters--and it took Spencer lots of effort to go find the tag board (cortulina) for me to write on. Things are not as readily available here in Guatemala!! Saturday after our shift ended the husbands went for pizza, while the women set up a Netflix movie on the TV upstairs. We officially opened our Christmas season with "Miracle on 34th Street". It was great. Spencer might tell you about the adventure of getting back with the pizza--roads were blocked because of the fireworks that officially opened the Christmas season for the city of Quetzaltenango. They were set off only a few blocks from us and we had a great view from the President's patio of his apartment. It was nippy outside and did feel like the beginning of the holiday season! Pictures don't do it justice, but you get the idea. We loved getting to visit with Nathan and Melody on Thanksgiving Day. Janae called the day before and Rachelle the day after. Then Friday night we Face Timed with the Raymond's, the Jon Brown's and the Ammon Brown's. Audrey and Melody had already left, so we missed them. I REALLY missed being with family. I was happy that Aly called on Friday, too. I just kept remembering Thanksgivings when I was a child--or when my children were little--and all of the fun times with cousins and GRANDPARENTS! Now I'm a grandparent and it seems like it isn't carrying thru to this generation--partly because people are more scattered. Electronic visiting is at good as it gets sometimes--but even that was pretty sketchy! I love you all--I've been really homesick--so I love any news I get from you! Thanks Rachelle and Cassie for the weekly letters--I love them.

"Things my mother taught me...."

This week I was reminded of something that Mom used to say all of the time. "If not me, who? If not now, when?" I have tried to follow that counsel and take care of things that are being neglected: picking up little pieces of lint on the temple carpet, throwing litter away that missed the trash, helping a sister with her clothing, etc. There was a speaker on BYUtv (the wife of a 70 and the mother of 7). She told about one time when she and her husband did an experiment to follow-up on in FHE. They dumped a box of crunchy cereal in the hallway. The first kid thru the door after school walked thru it, oblivious. The next couple skirted around it on their way to get snacks. One commented--"Whoever made this mess is going to be in big trouble", another one said, "SOMEONE should clean this up!!". When one daughter came home, she saw the cereal and immediately went for the broom and dustpan and without any fanfare, she cleaned it up. There are some real life lessons here. I hope each one of you, when you see an unpleasant task or just something that others don't even seem to notice, will stop and ask yourself, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Thanksgiving Day

I forgot the picture in yesterday's blog about the women herding animals on the side of the road. Here it is! Today was great fun. Everyone worked together and created a great meal. Well I guess I should have said that while the women set the food out, the men watched football on TV so that it would really feel like Thanksgiving. Personally, I missed watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade. We enjoyed the camaraderie. LaVonne Riggs even brought dried corn. She told the story of the Pilgrims and the rationing of the corn. Each couple shared five things they were thankful for. Spencer was the only one who was thankful for his Pilgrim ancestors who were on the Mayflower and instituted the first Thanksgiving. We took a couple of pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby. One includes President and Sister Galvez with us. I thought you'd enjoy a picture of Spencer literally kicked back and relaxing on Sunday night. Too busy watching football to write for the blog. There is also a cute picture of our paper maiche creche. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--which is making me very homesick for our family at home. Sigh.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Christmas?

Hi everyone! Tomorrow (Monday)is Thanksgiving for us. The missionaries are cooking a Thanksgiving dinner and sharing it on Monday (our P-Day). Thursday will be a regular temple day for us. But if you want to call, Skype, or Face Time do it in the morning. We leave at 2:30 our time, 1:30 in Arizona, for the afternoon shift at the temple. In the meantime, everyone is getting in the mood for Christmas! We will take pictures tomorrow, but I did finish my "Christmas tree"! I have it in the apartment today, but I normally put it outside of our door and everyone who has seen it, loves it! Some of the gardeners came in and asked permission to take pictures of it and their pictures beside it. I love it because it truly focuses on Christ--his birth, life and atonement. Last Saturday I had a great reward, when a sister grabbed me in the temple, gave me a hug and a kiss and said, "Thank you so much for teaching the kids on Saturday. Once my kids heard your classes, they wanted to keep coming back. They would love it if I came every week. But I do come to the temple lots more often now, because of your charlas (classes)." That made me feel great! Today we went to San Pedro with President and Sister Galvez. They were attending a Stake Conference. The Stake was being reorganized and their son was one of the 70's that came to reorganize it (along with Elder Ochoa of the Area Presidency). One of the men called as a counselor just moved into the stake boundaries recently. He is currently the stake president of the San Marcos Stake--but he is preparing for Stake Conference NEXT week-end where he will be released from that stake and it is also being reorganized. It just goes to show that if Lord wants you in a leadership position, it will happen--even if you move away! :) Lots of people went home in buses that were packed! We wondered if the wards arranged for them. On our way home we saw women herding sheep and pigs and letting them graze by the side of the road. I'm sorry the pig was hidden in this picture. They eat the grass on the side of the highway. Lots of times cows and horses are staked out to eat along the sides of the road as well. Who needs mowing machines when you have livestock? It is definitely a win-win situation. We just finished having a FHE (or Noche de Hogar) with the Raymond family. We Skyped and we taught them lesson we have currently been teaching each Saturday. We will be changes lessons this week and teaching a nativity lesson. Just need to get it prepared in between preparing for and having Thanksgiving. Fun times. We will definitely be thinking of all of you this week as you gather with loved ones for Thanksgiving. We are thankful for each member of our family.. You are the best!!

New missionaries

We were so excited this week to talk to Nathan Judd the night before he flew to the MTC. He will be there for two weeks before flying to Minneapolis. What a weather shock--to leave the sunshine of Mesa, AZ and go to the cold country of Minnesota. They have already had snow there (even some in Utah, I understand). It is wonderful to have two missionary grandsons serving at the same time we are. Quinn Crawford in in San Jose, California. "We are in the army of Helaman" (and Spencer and I even get to serve in the area where the armies of Helaman fought!). Hurrah for Israel! We have a new missionary couple here from Mazatenango. Their name is Negro. You could label this picture the Browns and the Blacks. In the past, we have been frustrated that the young sister missionaries haven't really known how to interact with people in the annex. But with the new president in their mission, there have been subtle changes. For the last two weeks they have helped with our activity after the lesson, the tour of temple grounds and a visit to the temple waiting room. In this picture, they are directing the Eternal Family Bingo game. Most of the kids were busy coloring and didn't play during the first round. Our health is improved, but not perfect. We've finished our antibiotics. I am still dragging, but "this, too, shall pass." The doctor wants me to start a medication that isn't available here in Xela. It was supposed to be here by Wednesday. However, the "manifestaciones" or protesters blocking the highways this week, has made it impossible to get it. Hopefully it will be here on Monday. Unfortunately, the manifestaciones have also prevented both workers and patrons from coming to the temple. Attendance was really low this week, since we were dependent on those living in the city. We were glad when some buses showed up on Saturday! What a relief! We love working in the temple and we are really happy when it is busy and full. Spencer wrote about our real highlight for the week so I will sign off here.

Special event

This week's most special even was the visit of 20 adults and youth with four children from the branch in Esquipulas came to our temple here in Quetzaltenango. We were overjoyed to see them since we worked in their branch during our previous mission in 2009-2010. That was the branch we were called to serve in. Next to Rome itself, Esquipulas is the center of Catholicism for Central America. The branch there has had its challenges and now, seems to be ready to grow, under its new presidency. We were able to officiate their session in the temple and direct their efforts Thursday afternoon. They had been on the road since 11 PM on Wednesday night. They had some unavoidable delays. First their bus broke down. Then they ran into marching protestors (manifestaciones) on the highways and had a hard time getting thru. This put them on the road for 14 hours. After working our morning shift, we spent the entire day until 9 PM organizing them and seeing to their needs. We paid for their breakfast here at the annex). The leaders came to the temple Friday morning before leaving and asked for me. We could not have been more blessed, to have had them here with us. I consider this the Lord's tender mercies and a highlight of our two missions to this point. [It was sort of a blend of the two missions] Congratulations to James and Terry for their special roles in the process of the program and dedication of the Phoenix Temple. We will never know the hours they spent. This must be one of the highlights of their lives. They will be blessed.

Not our favorite week!

We haven't taken a single photo this week--sorry! We have both been fighting illness. Jeanine has another UTI -- urinary tract infection and has been in misery with gall bladder pain for about 5 days--mostly after eating. Spencer has had a horrendous cough and sore throat. He has felt terrible about coughing in the temple. He's using a good cough syrup and cough drops. Both are on different antibiotics now. Hopefully everyone will be on the mend and back to normal in a day or two. We are scheduled for flu shots tomorrow--we'll see what they say. The mission nurses are bringing the shots to the temple missionaries--so that makes life easy. Sorry we don't have better/other news. We have loved the comments we received as follow-up to Elder Tad Callister's talk. It would make a fun FHE with putting on the armor needed to protect our children as they leave home each morning. It is a good way to do an assessment and get feedback from kids. Love to all of you!

To my children and step children

I have a request of each of you. that is that you will read carefully Tad R. Callister's talk given during this October conference. He was a Seventy and at the appointed age was given emeritus status and now is General Sunday School President of the church. He gives you the key to having more success with and in your children's lives. The point I'm trying to stress is: you are responsible for the primary teaching of your children. Such as: family prayer; individual prayers; instruction on virtue; the basic principles of the gospel. Please report back as to the reading of his talk and indicate: "Yes" I will read that talk. "Yes" we will strive to be the primary teachers of the gospel and consider the church auxiliaries as help. From Dad/Spencer

New temple presidency

Last Thursday our new temple president, his wife, new second counselor and his wife arrived. It was exciting to welcome them--but very sad to say good-bye to the Mortensons. We will see President Perez in the future since he lives here in Xela. President and Sister Maldonado will continue to serve in the presidency. Here is the new president and his wife. Presidente y Hermana Galvez. They are natives of Guatemala but have a home in Kentucky now. We were at Noche de Hogar (FHE) so everyone is dressed pretty casual. Next is a picture with President y Hermana Villeda. They are also natives of Guatemala but now live in Denver. What pleasant people. They are very personable and easy to be with. They invited us to shop with them today--which was a great blessing for me! I wasn't able to walk up the hill--so I didn't think I'd better walk down! We also have two new Latin couples. The Zaldanas are from El Salvador. They are tiny and humble. She told about preparing for their first mission to the Guatemala City Temple. She prepared food and sold it to prepare for the mission. She only owned one dress, so all of the family pooled their resources to help her buy a second dress for her mission. Sweet people. The Latin couple weren't back tonight so I'll write about them another time. We had fun Saturday. Kade Judd had mailed us a picture of himself in two dimensional person. It was a project after reading the book "Flat Stanley". We took pictures of Flat Stanley aka Kade in lots of activities and emailed them back with a letter describing his adventures. It was fun. I'll include a collage. We really wish we could share our mission with each of our grandchildren in a three dimensional form. But since that isn't a possibility, this was a fun adventure. We have strong testimonies of the importance of this work. We are grateful to be here. We love each of you. Stay strong and true!