Sunday, November 30, 2014

         Glade missed the early meetings today to rest his back which helped him a lot.  He went to Sacrament Meeting and sang with the ward choir and we stayed after to practice the Christmas music. 

         Relief Society and Priesthood were combined, as usual for the fifth Sunday, and the lesson was given by the bishopric.  I was amazed at how much of their messages I understood.  It was mostly words and phrases that were recognized, and then supposition created an idea.  Needless to say, I still don’t understand a lot, but it is so much better than it used to be. 

         The stake choir practice must have been cancelled since no one showed up.  The extra hour or two gave us plenty of time for our walk-and-talk and to relax a little. 

         November, my favorite month of the year, has ended.  Welcome to December and the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

         Good night, Everyone.  

Saturday, November 29, 2014

         There is so much Christmas music available and so many choices.   It is offered on the Mormon Channel, Jengo on the Kindle (we can’t get Pandora outside the U.S., but Jengo is similar) and the CD’s saved on my laptop.  I’m taking advantage of every moment I can to listen and enjoy.  I even watched an animated Christmas program tonight—one that is actually new to me—and loved it; it made me feel right at home.  J  All that was needed was a group of eager little grand kids (and some big kids, too) to make it perfect.

         We brought our Christmas tree up from the storage room tonight.  The ornaments are all arranged and when the lights were plugged in—it looked beautiful and gave us that very special Christmas holiday feel in our apartment.

         The busy crowds in the temple dwindled as the day moved on and it ended on a rather quiet note.  Our building is empty again and all is peaceful.

         Good night!  Love you all!  Mostly cloudy and 64 degrees—it has warmed up a little!   There are a few couples who come to the temple on motorcycles.  Tonight one of those couples was donning warm clothing and getting ready the best they could for a very cold ride home.  It is such a change from the usual warm weather.  

It feels like Christmas!

The night view

   

Friday, November 28, 2014

         It was a cold and windy day—so unusual here.  It was good to be inside.  We are gearing up for one more day this week and will enjoy at least the change of pace that Sunday brings. 

         Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving week-end and please be careful when traveling to your homes.  We love you and miss you.  Good night!! 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

         We worked the early shift today so that we could accept a dinner invitation this evening with wonderful friends.  They provided our transportation to their beautiful home, since we don’t drive, and presented a traditional Thanksgiving feast that was delicious.  The details of our day are posted with the photos.

         Right now it is 59 degrees, the coolest it has been since we have been here.  It is the beginning of the next rainy season and there has been severe flooding in northern Honduras.  One of the first sisters in the temple this morning wore a winter coat just like mine at home, thick tights, a knitted hat pulled down over her head, and a scarf.  It just made me smile because we are loving the cool weather.  It is rather hard on those here who are used to the heat! 

         We missed you all today and missed being together to celebrate, but are happy that you are celebrating in your own ways and giving thanks to Heavenly Father for the multitude of blessings sent to our family.  Please share photos and your fun activities.

          Happy Thanksgiving and love to you all!!

Since there was a repeat showing, we were able to see
part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 

Seeing bits of the parade was great and so nostalgic.

Our friend Brother Navas, the bakery specialist, made
this pumpkin cheesecake just for us and delivered it this afternoon.
It is absolutely rich and delicious.  It will take us a month to eat it! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving again!!

The next few photos are of the Smart's beautiful home.   Brother
Smart is a broker and buys and sells Honduran art.  He shows 6' x 6' paintings in his home where buyers often come to see the artwork
and make purchases.  This is his hobby.  He has a very successful
job in insurance, but sometimes his art business--the work he loves--does better than his "real" job.

On the left you can see one of the paintings.

More artwork is shown on the right.

This is the dining room where part of the guests ate dinner.

Here is Sister Smart, the hostess, in her kitchen.

This is a nativity piece--Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus,
and the donkey in the foreground.

This is the family's garden.  It is all enclosed by walls and
has a little grass.  Yards are rare here and this one is
beautiful.  The tables were set out here for the little kids.

A guest and our friend Brother Valladares with Glade.

From left:  Karin, Mother of the Host, Brother and Sister Valladares

Bert, the turkey--and it was delicious!  Accompanying the turkey was a green salad, green beans, sweet potatoes, roast pork, and rolls.  Pork is the favorite dish for Christmas.

Karin's brothers.

Karin, and Bev.  Karin lived in Provo for six years
where she earned her degree from BYU and then worked for
a year.  She now teaches kindergarten at the school
behind the Casa Campo where Glade swims.

Sisters Karin and Katia Valladares.  Katia, right, has a beautiful voice and I have accompanied her singing several times.

Bev, Karin, Carmen--the hostess--and my friend Lupe

Lupe's husband is still in Mexico working on the temple, but will be home December 21st.  She and her kids are counting down the days!  

Ahh!  Dessert!  They don't eat pumpkin pie here, but Karin made her
first for this Thanksgiving celebration.  Banana cream and apple were offered, too.  People here don't seem to eat sweets like we do at home.  The pies were cut into tiny wedges and there was half of each one left after everyone had been served a slice or two.  

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

         There was lots of work in the temple again and it was a rewarding day.  One bus left this afternoon and another one will leave in the morning.  I’m not sure about the rest of them. 

         We have been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night at 6:00 by the sister who took us looking for computer batteries.  She also invited Lupe, whose husband is still in Mexico, and one other family who lived in The States.  It will be nice to have a bit of a celebration right on Thanksgiving Day.  It will be sad to miss the parade which always sets the tone for the day, but working in the morning is a trade-off so we can go do dinner. 

         Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your turkey and pumpkin pie and all your favorite trimmings!  Love you so much and miss you all.  Good Night from Honduras.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

         Well, it was another crazy, busy day.  When I went to exercise, I saw a newly-arrived group of temple patrons downstairs in our building receiving their room assignments and instructions from Brother and Sister Caceras.  It was a heads-up to the busy day ahead of us.  There were so many people coming for the first time, there were lots of sealings, and the sessions were over-filled.  It kept us hopping and we love those days.  Tonight, it feels great to be tired from a good day’s work.

         Many of you are traveling for Thanksgiving.  Please be safe and have a wonderful celebration!  You are already in my prayers for safe travel and well-being.  Next year, of course, this will be at our house so you can mark your calendars now.  J

         Love and prayers to all of you. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

          Hooray for Mondays when we can exercise outside!  The mornings here have been just beautiful and it is so refreshing to be outdoors and take it all in!  While I was walking, the engineers and their helpers loaded The Nativity pieces from the storage building into the back of a small pick-up and drove them down the hill with about seven men hanging out of the truck on all sides.  Of course, it is sunny and the grass is green, but having this scene set up makes it feel like Christmas. 

         At 1:00 p.m. we had a call from Sister Ocampo wondering where we were.  Our FHE friends were all down in the cafeteria waiting for us to start our Thanksgiving Dinner!  Oh, it was so embarrassing!  Glade thought they had said dinner started at 2:30 when actually it was 12:30.  We had planned to take mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing along with two pumpkin pies and a big apple crisp.  Thank goodness the desserts were done so we had something to take, but the potatoes, gray, and stuffing just went down as a lost cause.  We hurried to get ready in about three minutes and hurried down with sheepish quickness and our dessert offering.  They were all very forgiving and there was tons of food, so it all worked out. 

         Everyone had a chance to express their feelings of thanks around the table as dinner plates were filled by Sister Ocampo and passed to each of us.  Glade interpreted my expressions and the constant waiting for him to translate gave me time to keep composed and not get all “weepy.”  Someone brought a sound system and played Christmas music while we finished dinner, and it made for a very nice holiday atmosphere.

         Then, we learned that the missionary couples and presidency were going to sing for the Christmas dinner planned for the temple workers.  So we went upstairs and practiced “Hark the Herald Angels Sings” with my keyboard accompaniment.  At home, it would have been a simple practice since most people know the song and have sung harmony before.  However, this group hardly recognized the song and each part had to be practiced over and over.  Along with not knowing the song, most of them don’t have much experience with music and it is a challenge for them to hear a part and sing it.  All in all, it went quite well for the first practice.

         The Ocampos purchased a boxed Christmas tree and decorations for the lounge area next to our apartments and asked us all to help put it up and decorate it.  Obviously, this turned out to be a whole afternoon of activity.

         I hope you all had great Family Home Evening time with your families tonight!  Love them and treasure every minute you have together!  Good Night! 

The engineers and temple recorders were also invited to our dinner
which placed about 20 people around our table.  

The men were assigned to assemble the tree and they got right to it! 

Glade was reading the directions to make sure it went up right the first time,
but he said no one paid much attention; they just did it the way they wanted to :) 

Fluffing branches is definitely something I can do.

The tree is up and it's time for the ladies to help.  There were no lights--sad
for me since that is my favorite part of a Christmas tree--but
 the balls and ribbon were beautiful and colorful.

There were no hooks for the balls, so we just cut lengths
 of thread and tied loops through the tops.

He is pretty good at this!!!

We quickly lost the men and the ladies put on the finishing touches.  All done!!
From left:  Sister Navas, Sister Peterson, Sister Valle, Sister Gomez, Sister Amado.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

         This marathon morning started with the 5:30 a.m. alarm that gave me time to get ready for the 6:30 a.m. choir practice for stake conference.  As I walked across the parking lot to the church, the big yellow choir bus pulled in through the gates bringing lots of singers.  We practiced until the start time which was at 8:00 a.m. for the first session.  They divided the stake like we often do at home and had one group come at 8:00 and the next one at 10:30. 

         This 80-voice choir that has been practicing for weeks sounded great as the parts they have practiced over and over again became ingrained.  Their enthusiasm was wonderful and contagious, and they followed the spunky little director perfectly.  They sang five numbers during the meeting and then ended with “The First Noel” immediately following the closing prayer.  There was only about a 20-minute turnaround time before the same group was seated and ready to sing for the second session which ended at 12:40.  We didn’t hear a single complaint (although there may have been one J) about all the long hours, the long ride, and having to sing for two sessions. 

         The meeting was great with lots of enthusiastic speakers and great messages.  There were so many words and phrases that I could understand and it was a huge change from the first meetings attended here when my understanding was next to zero.  That felt good, too.

         Next week this choir will start working on Christmas music for a stake program, probably similar to the one held last year. 

Have a great new week.  Good Night.  Prayers and hugs for all of you!

The short wall (can't think of what it is called) that separates the floor of the chapel where the congregation sits from the rostrum, was covered end to end with sprays
 of flowers like this one.  A beautiful potted poinsettia was placed at either end and it all
looked very beautiful.  After the second meeting, they gave them out to some of the
speakers and dignitaries to take home, and the Stake President brought one to me
and thanked me for the music.  The flowers are placed in green floral sponge--I
don't know what it is called, but it means they can be watered so the flowers will
stay fresh for a few days.  They look beautiful in our apartment!

Just the back view that shows off the blue flowers and
the big pink one in the center--although it is actually very red!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

         The last five days went so very fast and the early mornings are behind us for a couple of weeks.  We enjoyed seeing lots of people we know in the temple today.  Our list of acquaintances grows the longer we are here, and that makes our experiences very comfortable.  People continue to be so kind and loving.  Glade has had another blood vessel rupture in his eye and everyone who saw him today was very concerned since it looks painful and asked what happened and if he was okay.  He spent the shift making explanations.

         Our FHE Thanksgiving dinner is on Monday at 2:30, so the pumpkin pies I’m taking had to be made tonight.  Our apartment smells so good while they cool on the counter.  Christmas music played on my laptop and Glade watched football (in English, even) so it was a nostalgic afternoon.  I wanted to be home getting everything ready for the family feast and sleep-over.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday week-end, so it will be nice that we will be in the temple and not just home missing everyone!  Next Year!

         Good Night.  Love to you all! 

Friday, November 21, 2014

         Happy Birthday to my amazing mother who provided the foundation and example for all the things that are important in my life—service in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, devotion to her sweetheart of 50 years,  dedication to her family, a sense of responsibility, a strong work ethic, importance of education and learning, a sense of self reliance with good old fashioned basic skills—sewing, gardening, preserving, saving, cooking—and adherence to the old adage “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!  Also included must be a love of music and a dedication to working hard and sacrificing for a worthwhile outcome.  I learned to love Family History, keep scrapbooks, and how to prepare a lesson for a Church class while watching her prepare posters and handouts (made on a home-made mimeograph tray) with meticulousness (that may not be a word, but that is what it describes!).  She made good use of her time and read encyclopedias during spare moments as well as Church books and literary works.  She often answered my questions about how to do something by telling me where to look it up or where to find it out.  I didn’t like that a bit at the time, but she taught me about resources.  Happy Birthday, to my mom!

         At a few minutes after midnight last night something triggered the fire alarm and it started screaming in our room and throughout the building.  The flashing light in the darkness was blinding.  I just put fingers in my ears, hid under the covers, and waited while Glade found the Boze headphones we keep close for just such occurrences and brought me a pair.  The alarm kept up its message for nearly 20 minutes.  There have been so many false alarms that we never even consider that there might actually be a fire or an emergency.  We just wonder how long it will take for someone to turn it off!  It’s like the story of crying “wolf” and I hope we don’t ever really have a fire or we’re in trouble.

         Tomorrow is our early morning and we’ll be “up and at it” by 4:45 a.m.  We are so hoping for better sleep tonight!  Love to everyone!  Good Night! 

Mostly cloudy and 73 degrees at 8:47 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

I missed posting this picture last night with the others.  This is the back of the temple.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

         In the middle of a very busy day, I was approached by a sister who started talking up a storm to me (in Spanish, of course) being excited to tell me about something.  I recognized a few words—limón, cupcake, Ojojona, nieta—and eventually understood her to say how much her granddaughter loved the lemon cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies that I took to the activity at Ojojona.  The sister is not in our ward, but perhaps her granddaughter and family are or maybe her granddaughter attended with a friend.  But she was so animated in her expressions and was very happy when she could see that I understood what she was trying to tell me.  Then, of course, we hugged and just kept smiling.  It was a bright spot in my day.

         So--it was bread day and Glade and I walked down to the bread store.  I just couldn't resist taking pictures again.  Everything looks so beautiful every day and I just want to capture it all.  It will be a little repetitive for you, but--oh, well :)   Good Night Everyone!       

Yesterday they put up the setting for the Nativity.

More poinsettias!

Just another view

This is outside the gates and the flowers continue on down the road a ways to the right!

They even planted poinsettias behind the stone sign that identifies the temple.

Notice the fall colors on my favorite little trees.  The leaves never fall and I'm not sure just what happens to them.  The trees didn't grow much during the last year and a half.

Can't wait until they put the nativity figures

My favorite flower border that you have seen dozens of times!  

I wish I could grow these in my yard!