Uncle Harold in Mazatenango

Spencer told you about our trip to Mazatenango today. I had Harold and Kitty send me a couple of pictures of him as a missionary there (He served there twice, I think). When he was there there was just a small branch. Now there is a stake with ten units. All of the members in the ward where we spoke have less than 45 years in the church, so no one knew him. There are some temple workers that were teenagers when he was here and think they might recognize a picture. I showed the picture to Freddy Salguero today. He responded, "I don't remember him--BUT THAT IS MY BROTHER'S BUS!" He then had to show it to his wife and remind her about his brother driving that bus. Incidentally, he baptized that brother two weeks ago. As soon as I get batteries for my scanner, I will post a copy of the picture. You will enjoy that little diversion for the day.

News from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

This week, Feb. 18th to 23rd, has been routine except for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday our little class suddenly turned into two very large classes. We started an hour early to try to capture the kids before they scattered. There must have been a bus or two and there were about 20 kids who swamped us. [The class went well and we were prepared with our handouts and activities]. I had forgotten that last Saturday a sister talked to me on the phone and asked if she could bring her Primary kids and I told her we would always be teaching at 10:00. Well, at 10:00 while we were busy helping with activity, there came 20 kids from one of the local wards. [Spencer went to the temple to make more copies and get supplies for our activity while Jeanine included kids in the activity--Once Spencer returned we spent 20 minutes or more helping everyone make links for each member of their family in order to make a paper chain representing an eternal family. We also had a page to color about what we need to do to prepare and be worthy to go to the temple] Then we repeated the class for the new kids that had arrived. The Primary president who used our charla for a Primary Activity Day has been in the church TWO MONTHS. She's dynamic! Hopefully, she will stay in the church and not be offended by something. [That should be enough pictures of our teaching activity for this week!! :)] The second event was today (Sunday). We were privileged to travel 1 1/2 hours to Mazatenango. There were 10 temple missionary couples who made the trip. Each ward or branch sent a priesthood brother to transport us to their various chapels. We went to the Bilbao Ward. It was delightful to give our talks to the people and to feel their warmth and eagerness. These two pictures show the missionaries who went and watching people be dispersed. The Mazatenango Stake center is in the background. One special event was when we left the building and I had a chance to talk to a family of three that were leaving on their motor scooter. They expressed appreciation for our talks. There were tears in their eyes when they related that they had not been active for six months because of the health of the wife. She did look pale while talking about her illness. They said that our talks were just what they needed in their lives at this time.

I said, "You know we could take your names to the temple." They seemed taken aback. We found a paper and pencil and I had them list their names. What a beautiful feeling to feel helpful to people who live in such a dismal set of circumstances. I took some pictures of "tuk-tuks" or taxi-motos like we used to use in Esquipulas. They are prohibited in Quetzaltenango. I also took a picture of carts that a guy pushes or pulls with the oranges they produce. He has a squeezer and sells glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. There is also a cool cart attached to bike where a man sells his junk food and other wares. On our trip we dropped from 7600 ft elevation to nearer to sea level. It was intriguing to see the different crops. First was the vegetable crops grown on the sides of steep hills. These area grows most of the vegetables for Central America and actually exports to the US. Then we dropped down into the sugar can plantations where they produce and process sugar year round. There's never a season here when they can't grow crops. They also produce bananas that they export to the US. They use the seconds to sell here. Last were the large rubber tree plantations. They collect and process rubber. A lot of that is also sent to the US where we make the tires and sell some of the tires back to them. Sorry to be so wordy. Love, Spencer/Dad

Spencer is in the groove with the kids on Saturday

Preparing these lessons and activities is stressful and fun.

Three couples a week! You'll meet more next week!

The first couple is the Salgueros who we go shopping with every week. They are from West Valley, UT by way of Guatemala and El Salvador. We had them over for dinner on Dia de Carino. It was a lot of fun. All conversation had to be in Spanish because even though they are US citizens they don't speak English. Vilma will "translate" for me when other people talk to fast, she turns around and says it again, speaking slowly so that I'm "in the loop" about what is being said. The second couple is Hermanos Juarez. She is the one I told you about who's body wants to dance when she leads the singing. He has an amazing singing voice--I could listen to him and not sing at all and still feel the Spirit. The third couple is Los Garciasalas. He is a patriarch in Guatemala City so he has to go home about once a month. And he is a sealer in our temple. Today's Sunday School lesson was on the Abrahamic Covenant--I'd say he covers many areas of it in his life. She has been a great resource for me with Spanish, because she knows quite a few words in English. However, she insists we always speak Spanish.

Feb. 16, 2014 Hi, We've worked the morning shift this past week, for the first time. I thought that there was an advantage to the afternoon and evening shift, but there's not [Jeanine, however, likes not getting up to the alarm, even though she is usually awake wa-a-a-y before it would go off!] Both shifts are great. I've developed a neat weight lifting device. I purchased a 2x3" x 8' board and had it cut in thirds. I put eye hooks on each end and use stiff bungy chords that simulate either the lifting or pulling movement of a weight machine. I previously told you about the treadmill I use and I pack plastic bags from the store up the hill to our apartment. I was concerned about how I was going to exercise because of the hours spent in the temple, but there is always a way. There's a crew of Guatemalans that are the gardeners on the grounds of the temple. I noticed that they were pulling something out of the lawn and so I went over to talk to them and see. They were pulling "bind" weed up and, sure enough, it is the same weed that I pull out of my garden and the same as we used to pull out of the yard in Pomerene. "It's a small world" (as they say.I just hope I don't see any javelina down here! Friday was Valentine's Day. I walked to the Dry Cleaners and there were lovers hanging around everywhere. I thought that was a U.S. thing. They call it "El Dia de Carino". We just can't get away from that, right boys? Temple work doesn't make very good news 'cause "ya" can't say much about it. It is in a reality a very spiritual experience. Everything has to be done accurately because of the sacredness of it.[And the exactness is required because the Lord's House is a house of order] The intensity of going from one assignment to another and back and fourth and number of people you serve, is exhausting. But you also feel fulfilled at the end of the day. It has been breezy and cool, not like you feel during the winter at home, but chilly for here. [Two mornings this week we were socked in with fog so thick we couldn't see past the temple fences when we were walking to the temple at 6:30 AM] The chapels are equipped with fans to make it through the long, warm summer. [But there is no heat and I freeze every Sunday--it takes all afternoon to get my feet to warm up]. A light wrap feels pretty good here in January and February. Don't hesitate to call our number. It will not cost us anything. When we call, don't be fooled by the caller ID that says it is from Sedona or Cornville--it isn't a telemarketer--[it is just some missionaries lonely to talk to their family]. It isn't even a political call--we are political, but mostly keep it to ourselves. Love, Spencer [with a few comments in brackets by Jeanine] Here are a couple of pictures I took in the market last week:

Happy Valentine's Day --Dia de Carino

My heart is filled with love today as I think about our family members who are so very far away. I wish I could hold each of the little ones close to my heart. As I was waiting for the prayer meeting to start this morning I was thinking about love and recognized that the spirit of peace and love that fills our hearts is truly from a loving Father in Heaven. He loves each one of us and wants us to return to live with Him--to have eternal life. Somewhere recently I read that everything we do in the church points us towards the temple. I wondered about that at first--reflecting on sports, scouting, games, etc. But as I have thought about it more I realize it is true. We develop in areas that don't seem related, but each, hopefully, brings us closer to one another and we experience joy and happiness. That encourages us to want eternal relationships. It is only thru participating in temple ordinances that we CAN return to our Father in Heaven. As I participated in sealings this morning I thought about the happiness these families were experiencing to FINALLY be eternally linked. The tears were close to the surface. The temple was filled with patrons this morning--all bringing joy and light to those who have lived before. One sister came thru to receive her own endowments. She was sealed to her mother (who was her escort) and to her father who died last May. She was the last of the children in the family to be sealed. Both women radiated happiness. I am continually touched by how much these saints love the Lord. I met a sister today who lives in Huehuetenango near the Mexican border. She and her husband get up at 2 AM to prepare to serve in the temple. They walk 25 minutes to catch the bus and then ride two and a half hours on a bumpy road in order to arrive in time for our 6:30 AM shift. They do this every other Friday and are thrilled to be able to serve. Of course they repeat the process to return home by nightfall. What inspiring people. So many of these people have Mayan names--I wish you could hear the pronunciations for Ixcot, Socop, Poc, de Sac, Picox, de Boc etc. Fun and fascinating. I am happy to have a heart filled with love on this Valentine's Day. Thank you for your support and prayers. We love you so very, very much.

February 9th report

Hi everyone! Spencer has covered most of our news. I also enjoyed our trip to the San Marcos stake. In my talk I mentioned that my brother Harold started his mission there in 1968 and the was one branch in for San Marcos and San Pedro. Now there are two stakes. It is amazing how the church has grown. The people in the city of San Marcos don't wear the tipico clothing so much, but we saw it in all the smaller towns we drove through. Here is a picture taken from the highway overlooking San Marcos/San Pedro. I'm going to post a few pictures with comments--after all a picture is worth a thousand words. Many people walk to church even if they have cars. But in one of the branches in the stake there is a brother that lives at the top of a mountain and walks for an hour and a half to get to church and to return home--every week--and he attends faithfully. Others come on "motos". There was a cute family of four headed home from church today. Working with the kids is something that touches your heart--how can it not when they look at you with eyes like this? Now here is a picture of Spencer carrying bags of groceries up the hill to our apartment. There is a volcano (extinct)in the background. They are everywhere in this country! Then further up the hill we took a picture of me with the hill that goes up to the temple in the background so you can get an idea of what our climb is like. We have to ride with someone to the open air market (the mercado), then when we return home we soak all of the veggies and fruits in water with some chloro added to sanitize them. It creates a beautiful variety of color. Do you love my apron. A sister made it. Her pattern book that she looks at is straight out of the 50's. But she makes things without a pattern--pretty impressive. And finally a picture that is mostly of interest to Spencer's sister Marial and all of the Mortenson cousins. Finally I got Spencer and I in the same picture with Paul and Patricia Mortenson. I think this probably enough for one week. We have loved seeing some kids and grandkids on Facetime and Skype. Hope to see more of you. Love, Jeanine/Mom

Hi family/readers, The days of work sort of run all together in my mind; partly because the assignments changed so rapidly in the temple from one hour to the next, and partly because I was over there before our shift to make photocopies for our charlas or to do other extra things. The coordinator asked me on Thursday if I could handle being the officiator. I knew it would be a challenge whenever I did it for the first time, since it has been four years since I did it. I made some mistakes, but I am glad that I tried. So on Friday I went over in the morning and attended a session reinforce my memory and learn from my mistakes. That was a good choice. Jeanine and I officiated Saturday before our shift and all went well until we were presenting at the veil. There were some embarrassing and stressful challenges. Prior to officiating in the session at the temple we had given our little class with the kids. I wasn't exactly prepared for it. But the kids liked learning about how families can be forever. This morning we headed out for San Marcos to a very nice ward to give our temple talks. We spoke in the largest ward in the stake and in the newest building. There were 195 in attendance. The church building was clean and neat with the exception of the bathrooms. The leaders were educated people. They were very friendly. In that ward almost everyone walked to church.

It was about 1 1/2 hours to the Stake Center and then another 20 minutes to get there. I prayed for some extra help and the ideas and words came and the talk was, I think, well received. We're back now for a restful afternoon. San Marcos is a beautiful area. It was jacket weather there. It is very much Guatemala with narrow streets and all that goes with a third world country. To add to that there was an earthquake there in 2012. San Marcos was the hardest area hit. One brother said there were 2000 homes and buildings destroyed. The pictures show some sights--properties that have been covered with sheets of t

in. The commerce seems to be going normally with street vendors and people buying and selling. There are lots of buses and crazy drivers. There was even one woman taking a goat around to milk if you wanted to buy milk. One thing that is striking is the number of people families who have missionary sons and daughters. In the two wards that meet at the stake center there were 27 missionaries out! It seems that their hardships are to their advantage. This is a choice assignment (not easy yet). I've had good missionary associations and a nice place to live. I hope all is well! Give us a call 928-554-2348. Love, Dad

Where we live

I'll tell you about where we live. It is called the Temple Annex. It is a short stone's throw from the temple, as you can see from the picture I included in Spencer's blog. There is a Distribution Center on the basement level with an outside entrance (due to the lay of the land). In another part of the basement there is a Family History Center and the offices of all the engineers, electricians, etc. On the main level is the Guarderia (nursery) for children waiting to be sealed to their parents; a huge kitchen with a lot of tables where patrons can fix their own meals and eat while they are here; there is also a very big living room area where we hold our charlas (lessons) with the kids every Saturday morning. This is what it looks like when there aren't kids in there. Last week you saw a picture of us there with the kids. Also on the main level is the front reception desk and an office. Thru a locked door is our apartment and the President's apartment (however his home is here in town so they don't stay here very often). I get sort of lonely being the only ones downstairs--however, Spencer loves being away from everyone else. There is actually an empty apartment upstairs, waiting for a new couple, but if I asked for that I'd lose our view of the temple, since it is on the back side of the building. I'll keep the view and keep Spencer happy with the separation from the others. Upstairs are nine missionary apartments. Some of them are small studio apartments for the Guatemalan couples who pay a much, much smaller rent. There are also 10 large rooms that have bunk beds and house many patrons in each room. I don't know what the total capacity is. Here is a picture of the annex: I am standing outside of our apartment window in this picture: The front entrance is right behind my back. I forgot to tell you that upstairs by the other missionary apartments there is a large gathering room. In one corner is a treadmill that Spencer uses sometimes. He is working hard to figure out ways to get lots of exercise (however, right now he is sitting on the couch watching the Super Bowl with Guatemalan announcers--who would have guessed they go all the way to the USA to broadcast the Super Bowl! Saturday a funny thing happened when we were teaching the kids. I took out my supplies at about 9:30 for our 10 o'clock class. I was surprised to see the kids waiting in the chairs with the chairs already in a big circle. I asked one of the girls to guard my stuff while I rushed back to get Spencer to come so we could start early. My empty water bottle, which was to be used for a "spin the bottle" activity, fell to the floor, but she didn't think about "guarding" that. When it came time for the activity I looked for it and she told a little boy he needed to get it and bring it back. He had confiscated what he thought was a discarded bottle and put some water in it. He brought it to the center of the circle and I didn't think I had time to go empty it so I explained the activity (it was about naming a blessing that demonstrated that Heavenly Father loves us). I spun the bottle to demonstrate, the cap went flying off and the water shot out on the floor! The kids were laughing hysterically. But we cleaned up the water and proceeded. The kids love to just hang on us. One little girl went to her room and got a tablet and came back to take a picture of us and then one with her with us. It's nice to know she wants to remember our time together. The kids wanted to know if they could go to the temple with us. Kids do surely know how to spread love and joy. They truly set a great example to the rest of us. I have created a little corner for all of our electronics--computer, speakers, printer, router, telephone, etc. There is no desk, so I pulled the recliner over there and study and work with the computer on my lap. I spend as much time as possible studying Spanish with the Rosetta Stone program. I like it because it doesn't focus on rules--but on hearing the language, reading the sentence and identifying the picture. That is good for me--I think previously I had created my own glass ceiling that I couldn't penetrate, because I worried too much about rules and grammar and not enough on just talking--using what I could, like a little child does who is learning to talk. When I was thrown into a position of translating and couldn't step back and let Spencer do it (since he isn't in the Sisters' area of the temple), I had to just do the best I could and help everyone else. Now I am much better at communicating. It was sort of forced blessing!

Feb. 2, 2014 Spencer's report: At the end of our second week we still are excited to be here and even love each other. That's a good sign, don't you think? This week I spent most of my time at the front desk checking recommends for adults and youth (for baptisms). By the way, many youth, from here in the city, come to do baptisms on a regular basis. It is where they come to be with their friends once a week. That is good. But we have heard that a very few boys have sort of lost sight of the sacredness of the work. There could be less wholesome places in the city. The day to day working of the temple can't be talked about, so we have to make comments about what goes on outside. I will say that the participantes(patrons in English) who come thru the door are warm and friendly to talk to and the women often want a cheek to cheek embrace. I loved the fast and testimony meeting today at our ward. The ward is full of seasoned, knowledgeable members of the church. They fill a row up on the stand waiting their turn. Testimonies are timely and don't contain any fluff. Observing this teaches the new converts. That's really refreshing after experiencing what goes on in the states. One of the fun things I do is to go down into the city to make purchases. It's a good workout both down and up the hill (carrying heavy bags). It's an adventure to see where and what you encounter. However, now my shopping will decrease because we are pretty will set up. By the way, as it stands now our shifts are in the afternoon, so you can contact us better in the mornings. I love you all--even you Tenney's and Dike's. Believe me! Spencer/Dad PS By the way, the president's wife, Hermana Perez, told me what I had already observed. Jeanine has memorized all of the ordinances in Spanish and is leading out in all aspects of the sister ordinance workers (obreras). That's remarkable because previously she has felt so restricted in much of our missionary work. I am truly impressed. This picture is taken right out our front door so you can see how close the temple literally is--the width of a two lane street and the grounds start. It is so well maintained. The crew even washes the wrought iron fence around the grounds.