It has to have taken a lot of hard work and a lot of skill to carve these details in stone using stone tools. Spencer is standing behind the two-headed feather serpent. It has a different name than Quetzalcoatl, but the same legends. Some of the Stella reminded us of totem poles. The last one of this series has the hand position that is frequently seen through out Mesoamerica. One hand is cupped and the other is facing down. The hands are reversed from what we are familiar with, but it is interesting anyway.

I'm standing by one of the few stelae that honors a woman and tells her life story on the glyphs. Which one do you think looks worse for the wear? Me or her? Most of the stelae here have altars in front of them where sacrifices are made or incense is burned. The human sacrifices were done in a more "religious" setting by their temples, not in front of the stelae. There is a lot of sculptures depicting the underworld. You can see a lot of skulls on the one where Spencer is standing. The underworld is also the place where your ancestors dwell--so it isn't just the image of "hell" like we might associate with that terminology today. There skill with sculpture is pretty amazing, but I don't think I'd want their artwork on my living room wall.

Trips to visit ruins are always fun. You can see many things besides ruins. As soon as we entered the park about 5-6 McCaw birds went flying and squawking right over our heads to a feeder. They are incredible when you see them in flight. But boy are they noisy and bossy! After we hiked all over, we had a picnic lunch and then crashed on the picnic table. My back could only handle the concrete for a few minutes. But Spencer actually slept for awhile and I got a head start in looking at the museum. We enjoyed looking at the map of the Mayan world. Much of their history coincides with the Book of Mormon. Some of the sights are later periods of time--and those are more pagan in their history as well. Copan is a later time period, but still interesting.

Two cute vendors in Esquipulas

When we were walking to catch the bus in Esquipulas these two darling sisters wanted to sell me a scarf. They wrap them around their heads either with or without a braid. I asked if I could take their picture and said I'd buy a scarf from them. So they posed and I bought a scarf that caught my eye from the older of the two girls. She said it was Q35 (almost $4.50). Then the younger one looked at me with her gorgeous brown eyes and said "Buy one from me, too!" How could I resist? As soon as I selected one she said "This one is Q40!" I started laughing and said, "No, only 35." She immediately agreed, but when we started scrounging for change we could only come up with Q33. She was still happy. I know I paid more than others might have, but where else could I buy 2 hand-woven scarves for less than $9?!

March 7th letter from Spencer

Dear Family and Friends,
Last evening we arrived back home to our apartment from the capital after having a nice couple of days at the temple. We love to be there. The Masks (President and Sister) have been so nice to let us stay in their home on the nights we are at the temple. We look forward to staying with them all of “Semana Santa” (or “holy week” for all of you foreigners). That week the schools are out and many businesses are closed so families will come by the bus loads from all directions to attend the temple. It is a sight to behold. We have described the system—“take a token that tells which session you will be in and then go wait until the appointed hour.” In the US we sometimes think of the temple as a “lovely date” and afterwards we go eat at a nice restaurant.
It is quite different here. There seems to be more of a feeling of urgency as most of the family history has been brought with them to perform ordinances for ancestors. They bring names with them and various members of the family are engaged in all of the functions.
The housing program for the travelers is remarkable as well. The saints take care of their kids in shifts outside on the grounds or in one of the Casas de Huespedes—housing for temple patrons. The security has even been increased. When Jeanine and I walk a block back to the Mask’s home at night there is a guard that walks behind or with us and sees us inside the big iron doors. When we get to their gate and ring the bell, they can see us with a camera and then push the button to allow us through to the inner doors. All of the security is under the program of temple security. They are there 24/7. At one point the Guatemala temple was one of only two with armed security. They may have changed in recent years. The Masks have been instructed to drive the one block from their house into the temple parking lot in a nice car with tinted windows. Everything is opened with remote control and closes behind them. They have been asked to not walk to and from their house. Security is not taken lightly here.
“Delinquency” which actually means “organized crime” is out of control in Guatemala. I am appalled every day when I read the paper about the corruption in every area and on every level of government. But enough of that.
I’ve been thinking about what a mission is in our case and what it is in general for adult couples. It is different for each couple because each experience is unique. Each couple makes their own way based on all kinds of variables. In general, it’s always a form of service and there is always satisfaction and blessings that come from giving selfless service.
In our case, this has been the experience of a lifetime. We have enjoyed the rich cultural experiences, the language we have learned (you should hear Jeanine jabber away with people), the traveling to various areas, the teaching English, the role we have played in the branch, the help we have been able to provide people, the temple training we have gone through, the Mayan and Book of Mormon sites we have seen. Each one of those have added to what has been our experience. I think we love each other more and we know more about who we are and what our strengths and weaknesses are.
I also think that perhaps we will have started a stronger tradition of missionary work and temple service within the family. Even though we have been absent, no one has been adversely affected by our absence and the positive effects will be evident when our grandchildren become mission age (and choose to serve) and marriage age and our sons and daughters who become “empty nesters” and have a retirement income will chose to do the same. That’s my wish for all of you.
I love all of you, Dad/Spencer

Two brand new beautiful grandsons for us to meet!

We just want the world to know that we are VERY excited about meeting these two beautiful babies. Blaze Clevan Raymond was born January 29th to Tim and Amy. He's the cute kid in the bottom picture. I should have uploaded the pictures in the opposite order. Sigh. Maybe someday I will get this technology straight. Sonny Fletch Dike was born February 13th to Adam and Carolyn. He is sleeping away at about 10 days old. Both boys and both moms are doing great. And there is one grandma in Guatemala who is dying to get acquainted with both of them. I have to tell you that when Sonny's name was announced Adam said "OK, really mom which name is going to be harder to get used to 'Sonny' or 'Blaze'?" They are both different from our generation, but we are already comfortable with both names--now we just want to meet the boys!

Our new view across the street

The run down house just across 5a Calle from us was recently refurbished. Spencer loved how it looked -- until the night it opened up as a bar and restaurant. The first night was awful - with very loud music, mariachis and firecrackers. We were thinking we'd have to find a new place for the Anderson's to live. But since then it has been very low-key and nice. I stopped by and met the owner today. The meals are economical (less than $2 for lunch or dinner), but the menu is determined by what day it is. They will be OK neighbors after all. (Thank goodness!)

Church classes continue

Rossana is one of my faithful students in my English class. She also gives us a ride home after classes. It is a real help, because Spencer often has both his briefcase and his overhead projector. I will miss Rossana and oh so many other very dear friends and students.

English Classes are back in full swing!

We have been totally swamped with the start up of the new school year. We spent one week testing students for placement in classes and then we started shifting people around and adding new students on a daily basis (who hadn't come for the placement testing). We each teach three classes at CUNORI and two at the church--for a total of ten classes.

A new family in the branch!

Recently a new family came from Mexico to Esquipulas. What a blessing. We are taking pictures of everyone in the branch to create a little booklet for the Anderson's. It will help them put names and faces together much faster. We are doing this for all ten of our English classes as well. It is a lot of work, but should be invaluable to them.