Hello World!
We just returned from Guatemala City. We were set apart as temple workers on Friday evening and spent a lot of time studying. And now....(drum roll, please)...Both of us have been passed off to work at the veil. Can you believe that!? And in Spanish. Of course today while I was in the halls with a tag that said "obrera" I was frequently stopped and asked questions that I sometimes couldn't understand or didn't know the answers to... But I was able to assist Sisters at the veil. Spencer worked on the receiving side both last night and this morning. We still had supervisors watching over us (thank goodness--but we did it!) Now I just pray we don't forget everything we studied before we go back. It will only be two weeks, because we have a brother from the Esquipulas Branch going thru for the first time. I wish we lived closer and could go more often. But this is such an exciting milestone. It was one of my goals, to be able to know everything to say at the veil without help--but I hadn't even set a goal to be able to assist others. We are very happy about this--just in case you couldn't guess! We are hoping that when school is out during December and when the temple is swamped with buses from many countries in Central America, that we will be able to go over every week to help out. You aren't set apart as veil workers, but as temple workers, so depending on frequency of our visits and our workload, we may be learning other things as well. It is an exciting and new way to serve. I'll write more later. Just had to drop a note to the people we love most with our news--so if you received this email, it means we love you!
Love you all
Mom/Jeanine
Wednesday, August 19
August 16, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
I’ll share a few brief thoughts with you this Sunday evening. We had the Elders over for dinner today. Jeanine fixed a big omelet and some potatoes for them, which was about all we could do with short notice. They had been missing some meals and were very hungry. It was fun to talk about Managua, Nicaragua where I served 45 years ago. One of the Elders is from down there.
This has been fair week here which brings masses of people from around the department. Last night there were good fireworks and people were partying most of the night with loud firecrackers going off through the morning hours. It doesn’t matter if you like it. It just is. I’ll be good for another five years if I don’t see another one.
Friday morning we boarded a bus and went into Guatemala City to attend the temple (3 ½ hours). We stayed at Casa de Huespedes, which the church owns. It costs $10.50 a night for the two of us. The bus fare is about $9.00 one way. That’s regulated by law. The taxis charge you $8 to go from the terminal to the temple—which takes about 20 minutes. But even with that, it isn’t too expensive and it is a wonderful opportunity to go to the temple.
We submitted our applications to be veil workers when we arrived and were able to participate Friday evening and Saturday morning. It is a gratifying experience. This temple serves hundreds and hundreds of people during the weekends. A person stands in line for an hour or more to get to the recommend desk. Then you are given a token showing which instruction room you will be in and then you wait again until the room is available. Many people wait outside or across the street in a building with a waiting area. Sometimes the wait is 1½ hours more. One session is all you can expect to get in because there are hundreds more waiting to get in for a turn. [Probably the ones on excursions get a second session in later in the afternoon or evening] Buses fill the parking lots. People come from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and from the northern parts of Guatemala. There are three more temples in various stages of development. [Carl Fenn’s son is construction supervisor for the temple in El Salvador].
There were over 100 people waiting in a long line when I arrived at 5:15 AM Saturday morning. I just walked by to the counter and the temple president (President Martinez) let me through so I could participate at the veil. One noteworthy thing for me was being asked to go help in the sealing room. I couldn’t help but observe the native Indian people in the room with such devotion on their faces as they participated in the sealings. They aren’t very big people physically and you can tell from their names that they are Indians and undoubtedly speak a different dialect, as well as Spanish. I couldn’t understand what the sealer was saying until I served as a witness and realized he was using German or Dutch names and he pronounced them in Spanish and was using the Mayan names of the patrons (about five names for each person). I had a turn to be a patron [he could pronounce “Brown” pretty well] and then I left to go outside and wait for Jeanine.
After our morning at the temple, we were able to connect with our ward from Chiquimula and come back on the smaller bus they had chartered. That was about $12.50 We enjoy being with the members. But we were exhausted when we arrived at home.
We hope things are well at home. We will keep on doing what we feel good about.
Love,
Dad/Spencer
Dear Family and Friends,
I’ll share a few brief thoughts with you this Sunday evening. We had the Elders over for dinner today. Jeanine fixed a big omelet and some potatoes for them, which was about all we could do with short notice. They had been missing some meals and were very hungry. It was fun to talk about Managua, Nicaragua where I served 45 years ago. One of the Elders is from down there.
This has been fair week here which brings masses of people from around the department. Last night there were good fireworks and people were partying most of the night with loud firecrackers going off through the morning hours. It doesn’t matter if you like it. It just is. I’ll be good for another five years if I don’t see another one.
Friday morning we boarded a bus and went into Guatemala City to attend the temple (3 ½ hours). We stayed at Casa de Huespedes, which the church owns. It costs $10.50 a night for the two of us. The bus fare is about $9.00 one way. That’s regulated by law. The taxis charge you $8 to go from the terminal to the temple—which takes about 20 minutes. But even with that, it isn’t too expensive and it is a wonderful opportunity to go to the temple.
We submitted our applications to be veil workers when we arrived and were able to participate Friday evening and Saturday morning. It is a gratifying experience. This temple serves hundreds and hundreds of people during the weekends. A person stands in line for an hour or more to get to the recommend desk. Then you are given a token showing which instruction room you will be in and then you wait again until the room is available. Many people wait outside or across the street in a building with a waiting area. Sometimes the wait is 1½ hours more. One session is all you can expect to get in because there are hundreds more waiting to get in for a turn. [Probably the ones on excursions get a second session in later in the afternoon or evening] Buses fill the parking lots. People come from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and from the northern parts of Guatemala. There are three more temples in various stages of development. [Carl Fenn’s son is construction supervisor for the temple in El Salvador].
There were over 100 people waiting in a long line when I arrived at 5:15 AM Saturday morning. I just walked by to the counter and the temple president (President Martinez) let me through so I could participate at the veil. One noteworthy thing for me was being asked to go help in the sealing room. I couldn’t help but observe the native Indian people in the room with such devotion on their faces as they participated in the sealings. They aren’t very big people physically and you can tell from their names that they are Indians and undoubtedly speak a different dialect, as well as Spanish. I couldn’t understand what the sealer was saying until I served as a witness and realized he was using German or Dutch names and he pronounced them in Spanish and was using the Mayan names of the patrons (about five names for each person). I had a turn to be a patron [he could pronounce “Brown” pretty well] and then I left to go outside and wait for Jeanine.
After our morning at the temple, we were able to connect with our ward from Chiquimula and come back on the smaller bus they had chartered. That was about $12.50 We enjoy being with the members. But we were exhausted when we arrived at home.
We hope things are well at home. We will keep on doing what we feel good about.
Love,
Dad/Spencer
Ward Temple Trip
August 15th Temple excursion from the Linda Vista Ward in Chiquimula. It was nice to connect with them for the trip back home. But the best part was working in the temple.
Busy Times
August 16, 2009
Dear Family,
As you know from my note last night, this was a rewarding week-end. Our experiences at the temple were a highlight. We feel very blessed. Spencer is writing a note, so I may have to come back and edit out parts of mine, so that we aren’t redundant. I don’t want to lose our readers, by both covering the same things. I want to record some of the events that Spencer doesn’t cover. Thanks to those of you who have responded to our emails. It means a lot to us when we hear from you—even brief notes.
This is a busy time of year for all of you. You are in our thoughts and in our prayers. People here are very surprised when they learn that this is the beginning of the new school year in the United States. To them it seems much more logical to follow the calendar year. I’m not sure it matters.
This past week was the fair in Chiquimula. The schools were out all week long. CUNORI only took Friday off, so it didn’t impact on our classes. We could hear lots of celebrating from the Park with programs at night, but with our busy schedule we hadn’t really seen much of the activities. One day on the bus home from teaching, we drove past the fairgrounds and could see that there were indeed exhibits of bulls and cattle. I don’t know how extensive that part was. I wanted to see the fair. On Thursday during our break between morning classes and afternoon ones, we walked downtown to enjoy it—well, at least I went to enjoy it and Spencer went so that I wouldn’t be alone. It was so great to just absorb the culture. There was a parade of school children that was fun to see. They were from the aldeas in the departmento. Very few of those schools have even the necessities. But the kids were excited to be in town and to be in the parade. Some schools had the students put their hand on the shoulder of the one in front of them. They were well behaved, but energetic at the same time. Their dark eyes were sparkling with excitement. They had a banner to announce each school. The girls were dressed in their very best clothes—some wore frilly dresses, but many wore the colorful dresses that are miniatures of their mothers’ native dresses. Some of the boys had on cowboy hats and cowboy boots and looked like little miniature men. The schools in town all use uniforms, so it was easy to spot those schools. I loved the colors and the energy. Two of the schools had the equivalent of a drum and baton corps. It was cool. There were many, many food booths and vendors of many tipico things. There were rides, but those weren’t functioning during the morning hours. The parade ended at an enclosed arena near the terminal. The people were lined up for about ¼ mile waiting to get in. It would have been wonderful to be inside. Apparently there were performances from different villages—dancers, singers, etc. I felt like I had imposed on Spencer long enough, so I didn’t even suggest we get in the very, very long line to watch the program. But I do love being in the midst of the people and the action. It helps me to feel closer to the people and increases my understanding of their lives and culture.
Next week we will finally be meeting the director over all the Benson Institute programs in Latin America. The teaching of English to medical students is actually a Benson Institute program that is manned by full time missionaries. But we have not had anyone contact us from the administrative part of Benson Institute prior to this.
Thanks for all of your love, support and prayers. We are praying for you on a daily basis.
Love,
Mom/Jeanine
Dear Family,
As you know from my note last night, this was a rewarding week-end. Our experiences at the temple were a highlight. We feel very blessed. Spencer is writing a note, so I may have to come back and edit out parts of mine, so that we aren’t redundant. I don’t want to lose our readers, by both covering the same things. I want to record some of the events that Spencer doesn’t cover. Thanks to those of you who have responded to our emails. It means a lot to us when we hear from you—even brief notes.
This is a busy time of year for all of you. You are in our thoughts and in our prayers. People here are very surprised when they learn that this is the beginning of the new school year in the United States. To them it seems much more logical to follow the calendar year. I’m not sure it matters.
This past week was the fair in Chiquimula. The schools were out all week long. CUNORI only took Friday off, so it didn’t impact on our classes. We could hear lots of celebrating from the Park with programs at night, but with our busy schedule we hadn’t really seen much of the activities. One day on the bus home from teaching, we drove past the fairgrounds and could see that there were indeed exhibits of bulls and cattle. I don’t know how extensive that part was. I wanted to see the fair. On Thursday during our break between morning classes and afternoon ones, we walked downtown to enjoy it—well, at least I went to enjoy it and Spencer went so that I wouldn’t be alone. It was so great to just absorb the culture. There was a parade of school children that was fun to see. They were from the aldeas in the departmento. Very few of those schools have even the necessities. But the kids were excited to be in town and to be in the parade. Some schools had the students put their hand on the shoulder of the one in front of them. They were well behaved, but energetic at the same time. Their dark eyes were sparkling with excitement. They had a banner to announce each school. The girls were dressed in their very best clothes—some wore frilly dresses, but many wore the colorful dresses that are miniatures of their mothers’ native dresses. Some of the boys had on cowboy hats and cowboy boots and looked like little miniature men. The schools in town all use uniforms, so it was easy to spot those schools. I loved the colors and the energy. Two of the schools had the equivalent of a drum and baton corps. It was cool. There were many, many food booths and vendors of many tipico things. There were rides, but those weren’t functioning during the morning hours. The parade ended at an enclosed arena near the terminal. The people were lined up for about ¼ mile waiting to get in. It would have been wonderful to be inside. Apparently there were performances from different villages—dancers, singers, etc. I felt like I had imposed on Spencer long enough, so I didn’t even suggest we get in the very, very long line to watch the program. But I do love being in the midst of the people and the action. It helps me to feel closer to the people and increases my understanding of their lives and culture.
Next week we will finally be meeting the director over all the Benson Institute programs in Latin America. The teaching of English to medical students is actually a Benson Institute program that is manned by full time missionaries. But we have not had anyone contact us from the administrative part of Benson Institute prior to this.
Thanks for all of your love, support and prayers. We are praying for you on a daily basis.
Love,
Mom/Jeanine
We miss the Hermanas!
Sister Perez has been sick, so they had to pack up and go to the Capitol so she could have some medical tests. It feels lonely without them at District Meetings. I suspect we will get elders back when changes are made next week. Once again, I am the only Hermana around...
Sunday, August 9
Spencer's thoughts on Sunday, August 9th
Sunday evening, August 9, 2009 (In Spanish that is written 09/08/09)
Dear Family,
We arrived on the bus from Esquipulas this afternoon and we are resting, writing and reading the rest of the evening. I thought I’d write a few lines and see if I can make sense of what I’ve been thinking.
Yesterday we took a taxi-moto to one neighborhood and greeted five families. Then back to the hotel for lunch and a little “siesta.” We have to be true to the land we are assigned to—don’t you agree? We made a few telephone calls to set up appointments, rather than just wandering around. Some of our plans fizzled, but we had a plan for a full evening from 5:30 on. However, the long awaited rain (after a month of drought) came in with a vengeance. That wiped out the rest of our Saturday visits. There were two or three at church this morning that could be a result of our early and mid day visits on Saturday.
Five minutes before sacrament meeting was to start, one of the brothers came by and said they were missing a speaker. I was asked to fill the slot. I grabbed an August Liahona and reviewed the article about Mixto, Guatemala. It is an interesting article about the people there who had a fortress and survived about 800 years of attacks. The Spaniards found an entrance through a cave that no one had suspected and they were able to destroy them from the inside. That led to an analogy of being destroyed from within. Now, if you can bear with me I’ll try to touch on scattered themes that are on my mind and seem apparent to me since we have been here in Guatemala. It makes me think about the Last Days and the Second Coming—and whatever lies ahead of us.
The church of the devil and rampant apostasy: Almost everyone here professes faith in God, but in reality they are in such deep spiritual darkness. Their professed belief in Christ is not seen in their lives. Their lives portray, “Everything goes--whatever you want to do, just do it. We all believe in the same God, don’t we?”
Immorality and its ugly consequences: There are no dress standards or behavior restraints. Marriage is often out of the question, but babies aren’t. Lots of little children being raised in poverty.
Political unrest: Chavez in Venezuela is making moves to become a dictator. He has been closing down radio stations, confiscating the oil resources and coffee plantations, and changing the constitution. Several other presidents in this part of the world are following his pattern and trying to change their constitutions. That is why the president of Honduras was kidnapped and taken out of the country. He had tendencies like Chavez. In Guatemala, there is lots of infighting within the government. The president arranged an assignation, the congress recently started shouting and throwing water and things at each other during a session, and the police are often corrupt.
The Justice System in Guatemala is a mess: There are about 20 murders a day in Guatemala. 98% are never brought to justice. Children are kidnapped all the time and the judges often know that the circumstances are questionable when they make them available for adoption in the US.
Organized crime and Extortion: Here is an example of what goes on all the time: “OK we know where you live and where your kids go to school. We need “x” amount of money or you will never see them again.” Bus lines in Guatemala City are having drivers killed on almost a weekly basis. There are demands for money to drive the buses in certain areas—and the money has to be paid on a monthly basis or they will kill the bus driver—and they do! It appears that the police are not about to mess with Organized Crime.
People in apostasy never get along—there are wars and rumors of wars, bickering, poverty and suffering.
The spreading of the gospel: The communities like Esquipulas are struggling; however the church is growing in strength. There are wonderful leaders and strong families everywhere. The sons and daughters are remaining faithful and going on missions. They are being educated in the gospel and being trained to make good livings and make contributions in their country.
This country is providing more young missionaries than they receive from the US (export more than they import). They are quality missionaries and serve all over Latin America. One limitation is the dependency on the general missionary fund. Dentists and doctors come to provide dental and medical care. There were about 1700 who participated in the pre-mission exams and work earlier this year.
There should be dentists coming here again next month to do dental work for prospective missionaries and provide clinics in the aldeas.
The war that started in the pre mortal existence is still raging. Satan has unleashed his darkness and the race is on. We will win!!! Peace will be restored. Every knee will bow. This is a wonderful work.
We love all of you and hope that all is well with each one of you.
Dad/Spencer
Dear Family,
We arrived on the bus from Esquipulas this afternoon and we are resting, writing and reading the rest of the evening. I thought I’d write a few lines and see if I can make sense of what I’ve been thinking.
Yesterday we took a taxi-moto to one neighborhood and greeted five families. Then back to the hotel for lunch and a little “siesta.” We have to be true to the land we are assigned to—don’t you agree? We made a few telephone calls to set up appointments, rather than just wandering around. Some of our plans fizzled, but we had a plan for a full evening from 5:30 on. However, the long awaited rain (after a month of drought) came in with a vengeance. That wiped out the rest of our Saturday visits. There were two or three at church this morning that could be a result of our early and mid day visits on Saturday.
Five minutes before sacrament meeting was to start, one of the brothers came by and said they were missing a speaker. I was asked to fill the slot. I grabbed an August Liahona and reviewed the article about Mixto, Guatemala. It is an interesting article about the people there who had a fortress and survived about 800 years of attacks. The Spaniards found an entrance through a cave that no one had suspected and they were able to destroy them from the inside. That led to an analogy of being destroyed from within. Now, if you can bear with me I’ll try to touch on scattered themes that are on my mind and seem apparent to me since we have been here in Guatemala. It makes me think about the Last Days and the Second Coming—and whatever lies ahead of us.
The church of the devil and rampant apostasy: Almost everyone here professes faith in God, but in reality they are in such deep spiritual darkness. Their professed belief in Christ is not seen in their lives. Their lives portray, “Everything goes--whatever you want to do, just do it. We all believe in the same God, don’t we?”
Immorality and its ugly consequences: There are no dress standards or behavior restraints. Marriage is often out of the question, but babies aren’t. Lots of little children being raised in poverty.
Political unrest: Chavez in Venezuela is making moves to become a dictator. He has been closing down radio stations, confiscating the oil resources and coffee plantations, and changing the constitution. Several other presidents in this part of the world are following his pattern and trying to change their constitutions. That is why the president of Honduras was kidnapped and taken out of the country. He had tendencies like Chavez. In Guatemala, there is lots of infighting within the government. The president arranged an assignation, the congress recently started shouting and throwing water and things at each other during a session, and the police are often corrupt.
The Justice System in Guatemala is a mess: There are about 20 murders a day in Guatemala. 98% are never brought to justice. Children are kidnapped all the time and the judges often know that the circumstances are questionable when they make them available for adoption in the US.
Organized crime and Extortion: Here is an example of what goes on all the time: “OK we know where you live and where your kids go to school. We need “x” amount of money or you will never see them again.” Bus lines in Guatemala City are having drivers killed on almost a weekly basis. There are demands for money to drive the buses in certain areas—and the money has to be paid on a monthly basis or they will kill the bus driver—and they do! It appears that the police are not about to mess with Organized Crime.
People in apostasy never get along—there are wars and rumors of wars, bickering, poverty and suffering.
The spreading of the gospel: The communities like Esquipulas are struggling; however the church is growing in strength. There are wonderful leaders and strong families everywhere. The sons and daughters are remaining faithful and going on missions. They are being educated in the gospel and being trained to make good livings and make contributions in their country.
This country is providing more young missionaries than they receive from the US (export more than they import). They are quality missionaries and serve all over Latin America. One limitation is the dependency on the general missionary fund. Dentists and doctors come to provide dental and medical care. There were about 1700 who participated in the pre-mission exams and work earlier this year.
There should be dentists coming here again next month to do dental work for prospective missionaries and provide clinics in the aldeas.
The war that started in the pre mortal existence is still raging. Satan has unleashed his darkness and the race is on. We will win!!! Peace will be restored. Every knee will bow. This is a wonderful work.
We love all of you and hope that all is well with each one of you.
Dad/Spencer
Encouraging Katy
This is the 19 year old counsellor in the Relief Socety Presidency. She comes about 50% of the time. She and her new husband live in one room that is right behind this door. But she keeps it very neat and clean. There isn't a closet, but there is a curtain for the bathroom/shower. Amazing what people can do to make life comfortable.
Traffic in the Streets
Within about a 30 minute period, while we were visiting less active members, we had to make way for both cows and goats. It brought back many, many memories from years gone by. Spencer had the camera--as you can tell!
Buses from other countries and aldeas
The week of the "fair" for the patron saint of Esquipulas (Santiago) there must have been 30-40 buses in town with pilgrimages to the Basillica. It was crazy! They celebrate coming to the Basillica by decorating the buses. Better than some parade floats I've seen.
Spencer's 7 AM class
This is Spencer's class that meets 7:00 AM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. These are all medical students. This classroom is in the brand new building. The buildings are all masonry structures. Very strong and useful, but not particularly gorgeous.
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