Saturday, December 14, 2013

           Greetings family and friends.  We hope you are enjoying every precious part of this season in celebrating the glorious event of our Savior’s birth.

          The temple day was shortened by one session so the temple workers, missionaries, and presidency could have a Christmas program and pot-luck dinner at the church.  Some of the Christmas music I love from my “stash” fit into my suitcase and the beautiful carol arrangements made a nice 30-minute prelude to the program which was held in the chapel.  It felt just like Christmas to play for the music on the program which included about eight carols and a duet.  The program was very nice and the dinner pretty amazing.  People brought tons of food and they piled their plates high.  Everyone seemed to have such a great time and it was so nice to attend a Christmas event with people we have come to know and love. 

          After the program I was visiting with a sister we haven't seen for a while.  She is the one who gave me a Book of Mormon in Spanish when we first arrived and told me to read it every day, and a Spanish textbook.   Well, tonight she was wearing a beautiful blue scarf and I mentioned how pretty it was and how beautiful it looked on her.  That was a mis-step.  She explained that someone had given it to her as a gift to celebrate Independence Day, and then she  took off the scarf and gave it to me!  I tried to refuse, but she insisted and I finally knew she would be hurt if I didn't accept it.  I'm not sure I will dare compliment  anyone again.  I felt so bad she had to give it up, but she did it with a big smile and a warm hug. 

These are the six little siblings who were sealed to their parents last night in the temple.
You'll have to use your imagination and see them all in white.
They range in age from 12 to 2 years old.

Here they are in front of the temple.

The next few pictures are from our dinner tonight and won't mean much to any of you, but might give you
a little flavor of our event.  We now have names to go with lots of the faces and have made many new friends.

This isn't a very complimentary photo, but these sister's are two of my favorite friends and I work with them a lot.
They are both so kind and friendly. 

This sister is also a very sweet friend.  She raised her children alone and they are all active in the Church.

Mary--who works in the office

The couple on the right are the Valle's and he is a temple sealer.  They are dedicated in their service.

Brother Matamoros

This is the blind man who comes to the temple every Tuesday for hours and hours of work.
He is posed here with his mother.

Friday, December 13, 2013

          For some reason there were more temple workers this afternoon than I have ever seen on one shift.  Perhaps they came with the local units.  It was so different from most days when we end up doing double duty.  It was a nice change of pace, although I would rather be really busy than have extra time.  It did give me a chance to study.  

     

This shows the arrival of one of the groups that came today.

 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

          Tonight, six beautiful little children waited near the sealing room door where they would soon  be sealed to their parents.  There were four sisters all dressed in pretty white dresses and two brothers also dressed in white.  The oldest looked about seven years and two of the girls could have been twins.   What a busy household they must have!  What a precious experience for this family to be sealed for the eternities! 

          Watching so many people here who are new to the Gospel makes us realize that it can become easy to take for granted the heritage and longevity in the Gospel we have.  It’s hard to imagine life without the blessings of Church membership.  I am truly grateful!  

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

          Local buses brought youth to do baptisms and buses from far away brought patrons to do work for their families, so it was a full day of work.  It is inspiring to watch the Saints here and we feel they are following Pres. Monson’s counsel to offer the Savior a gift this Christmas of a tender loving heart in both their service and in their countenances. 

We love what we are doing but must be getting old because we are tired at the end of our eight-hour day.  That is good.  We are definitely busy and our time is filled!

Enjoy the season, everyone!  It is speeding by.  Love to you all!  J  

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

          This morning on my walk I met a lady named Crystal and her nine-year-old granddaughter who were here with an excursion from Nicaragua.  She called to me when I walked by her and wanted to talk.  I was all ready to tell her that I didn’t speak her language, but she spoke to me in pretty good English.  She needed help to get change so she could buy her temple clothes.  I told her about the little group of stores where our bakery is at the bottom of the hill and suggested they could help her.  She was grateful, but she had never been in this city before and said she was afraid to go down by herself; so I walked down with her and her granddaughter and helped her get what she needed. 

She had come from a little town on the west coast of Nicaragua where she and her family can see the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.  They had to travel to Managua, then get on a bus and travel to the temple.  It has to be at least a fourteen-hour drive and maybe longer with stops and early transfers.  She has a beautiful testimony of the Gospel and great faith in Heavenly Father.  She was baptized19 years ago and has quite a history.

Her first husband did not want anything to do with the Church and used to beat her every Sunday for going to Church.  Her description of the abuse painted a horrific picture.  After five years, she told him she wouldn’t stand for the beatings and abuse any more.  He told her to choose between him and the Church, and she strongly stood her ground and chose the Church.  He said, “Who will feed you if you choose your church?”  She told him that Heavenly Father would provide for her—and, of course, He did.  Sometime later she met a wonderful man who is a great husband and they have been sealed in the temple.  She said, “We are poor people, but we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that is the most important thing.”  She is rich in the blessings that will bring eternal happiness and salvation.

The young granddaughter is growing up with great faith and wants to be a missionary some day.  She has already read the Book of Mormon.  A few years ago this little girl was in a very bad accident and they didn’t think she would live.  But Grandma had such great faith and she knew there were things this little girl needed to accomplish in her life.  The girl survived but has to see a doctor often.  She still has pain in her head and may need surgery.  The grandmother is looking for someone here today who will give her granddaughter a blessing and she is praying she won’t need surgery.  The grandparents are taking turns going to the temple, which is typical for families who come here so that someone is with the children.  This pretty little girl also came dressed in her Sunday best even though she spent the day outside the temple and tomorrow will be the same.

Here is the completed nativity scene with the added palms.
           It has spotlights shinig on it at night and it looks great.

Monday, December 09, 2013

          It’s great to have a day-off!  We opted not to go for groceries so that we had more time for study and maybe a little rest.  That plan didn’t last long!  We have had two sets of kitchen outlets that haven’t been working and today was the day that at least three men came to our little kitchen to work on replacing them.  It took them forever and I had to squeeze in and sneak a little turkey out of the fridge so we cold stave off our lunch-time hunger.  They finally finished and then the air conditioning service people came and cleaned the vents and ducts again as part of their routine service.  This is the “cleaning-est” place I have ever seen—and of course, I am truly grateful!

          I did get a chance to go to the Church and play the piano for a while.  I’m glad to have lots of Christmas music and just realized Christmas will soon come and go and then the music will have to go into the drawer until next season.  There is one more program that needs an accompanist—me—and that is for a dinner and program for all of the temple workers the Saturday before Christmas.  It’s great to have something to offer and makes me feel at home to have lots of involvement with music through the season! 

          The photos below were taken on my walks as the progress on the nativity slowly unfolded.  I thought it was all finished and then saw someone strewing huge palms all around the figures this morning.  So, tomorrow might have one more post of the actual finish!

This is the little tree that has been turning colors for months!  It is finally pretty red.
Now I'll watch to see if the leaves fall off or --- just stay red!  I have enjoyed it as my personal Fall tree.  :)

Sunday, December 08, 2013

          The First Presidency Christmas Devotional lived up to expectations and was a beautiful and uplifting part of our day.  What a blessing to us that we could tune in and watch it live on a laptop right in our apartment.  The messages will help us focus on what is most important as we celebrate our Savior’s birth.  We loved the video clips and music in Elder Nelson’s talk which will help us remember his words.  I hope you were all able to watch it.

          The music class is presenting a recital next Sunday afternoon and today was dress rehearsal.  There are about 40 numbers plus the “bells” choir.  Sister Cazier has worked very hard to include as many people as possible on the program.  The numbers are short and are provided mostly by those who have been taking the music class on Sundays and learning the basics of notes, time value, and conducting.  It was well organized and went pretty well.  Glade is singing in a quartet and I am playing a duet with Sister Starkey.

          The stake choir is still practicing for a stake Christmas program on December 22.  It is a lot of extra work to teach people to sing a part, like tenor or alto, when they have no music training and no music at home.  It means playing and singing their parts over and over and over until they can remember what they hear.  They are patient and unhurried and are sounding pretty good.  Of course there are some with training and good voices who help teach and carry their peers.

          I miss you all during this season, but am keeping my spirits up with a busy schedule.  There is lots of Christmas music on my laptop and it makes me happy.  Stay safe and happy and take care of each other!  Love to you—

          

Saturday, December 07, 2013

           A young man in our ward and his fiancé gave us an invitation to their wedding dinner and celebration and asked Glade if he would officiate the session today preceding their marriage and sealing.  We went a little early to be there and fill his request and enjoyed the experience in an overflow session.  We went to the sealing that followed and loved being there for this cute young couple’s special event.  Watching any sealing takes us back to our own, and also takes me back to the beautiful sealings of each of my children. 

          I read again today the talks from the Women’s Conference in September about how keeping covenants strengthens, empowers, and protects us.  It expresses our commitment to the Savior that might be expressed by these words:  “I’ll go where you want me to go . . . I’ll say what you want me to say . . . I’ll be what you want me to be.”  It would be eye-opening to list all of the covenants we have made—starting with baptism and ending in the temple. 

Remember the story of the 10-year-old boy who hovered near his great grandmother during a family gathering to honor her recently deceased husband.  “Sometimes he was standing behind her, watching over her.  Once . . . his arm [was] linked with hers. . . . [He would] pat her hands, give her little hugs, and stand by her side.”  Even at 10 years old he was keeping his baptism covenants and recognized the Spirit with him. “I felt warm in my heart and felt really good.  I know that it was the Holy Ghost in my heart.”   What great teachers his parents were to prepare him to learn to feel the Spirit and respond.

Another week is finished.  It’s 8:50 p.m., cold, and raining.

These two little girls were waiting while their parents participated
in an endowment session.  After the session,
they were all sealed together as a family for time and eternity

Friday, December 06, 2013

          Our beautiful weather makes me feel almost guilty when many of you are in the “deep freeze” at home and suffering from power outages, icy conditions, and frigid temperatures.  It can’t last forever, right?  I hope you are soon back in the normal December sunshine.

          There seem to be many people here dealing with infirmities.  Maybe it is like that at home where my exposure is much more limited and I just haven’t noticed, but it feels more prevalent here.  Every day we see people whose bodies bear the scars of human suffering and physical hardship.  It doesn’t slow them down in the temple, however.  Today I helped a lady in a wheelchair through the session and she participated in everything.  It is a lesson to me since I know I would tend to cower and hold back.  Her willingness to move forward despite her “broken” feet will bring her blessings, feelings of peace, and the opportunity to feel Heavenly Father’s spirit.

           We miss all of you during this Christmas season, but hope you fill it with a celebration of the Savior's birth and what it means to the world and to each of us.  Enjoy--  

           6:51 p.m. and raining!  We finished our walk just in time!

Thursday, December 05, 2013

          Lots and lots of people came to the temple today, and Glade felt well enough to go and do his part serving.  I love it when it is busy and just bustling with activity.  Buses pulled out mid-day to take temple go-ers back home, and others arrived early this evening.  The “guest house” where we live also emptied and then filled up again.

          It is such a blessing for us to be here and to witness the Lord’s hand in our lives.  Continually people and experiences are placed in our way that lift us, make us better servants, and strengthen our testimonies of His truth and His work.  May each of you feel Heavenly Father’s love in your life every day as well.    

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

          Glade has developed another of his famous sinus infections.  Luckily, the pharmacy at the bottom of the hill near our bakery has antibiotics that can be purchased over the counter.  He started on some today so should be improving soon. 

          They are working hard in the temple to have all of the workers “certify” in all areas from laundry to the ordinances.  It will allow for more rotation and spread the load a little better.  Sister Salgado, who speaks excellent English, helped me learn how to take care of the children who come to be sealed to their parents.  We covered everything from food and entertainment to getting them dressed and moved from the guest house to the temple sealing room.  There should always be two sisters helping there so I wouldn’t have to do it on my own.  It is necessary to talk to the kids and answer the phone to receive instructions—all in Spanish—and that’s not my area of expertise.

          It’s time for the stake choir practice for a Christmas program, so I am headed to the chapel.  It’s a little late for me, but—oh, well.  J

          Hope you are all enjoying the blessings and activities of the season. 

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

          The cold windy weather has finally passed and it couldn’t be more beautiful outside.  I just finished my walk and wished the darkness had waited so it could have lasted longer.  Something about the season has attracted huge grasshoppers, brown ones and green ones that must be four-five inches long.  When we went to the temple early this morning, two workers were sweeping them off the temple walls and off the sidewalks!  I hope they are gone tomorrow—they looked like they could fly and I had to dodge some tonight, giving warnings as I passed by them to stay put!

          A nativity is being put together on the lawn just inside the lower guard station, and on my walk tonight the smell of fresh cut lumber wafted all around and smelled so good.  It was a little nostalgic in that it reminded me of my dad.  He often worked with wood, cutting at his table saw or on a plank supported by saw-horses.  Does anyone know what those are?  J  Anyway, it evoked strong and loving memories of my wonderful dad.

          The temple was just humming with activity today and was filled with lots of workers and lots of patrons. This evening, two buses arrived filled with young people who are, as I write, meeting in the chapel across from the temple to begin some kind of a symbolic 40-day fast related to family history work.  It would be nice to know details about their project. 

An FBI agent who works at the Embassy here and who is from Washington state in the USA was here with his wife who was just called in her ward across the city as a Young Women’s President, and he was telling me about them.  This couple has been here since August and she is learning Spanish.  She is basically home all day and can get some focused study to help her.  It was nice to chat with someone from “home” and in English.     

Monday, December 2, 2013

          Glade thought we would be safe to go out for groceries since it wouldn’t require that we go “downtown,” so we went to La Colonia for the few things we needed.  It was a fairly quiet day and all went well.

          Family Home Evening was great with a lesson on the meaning of the Christmas symbols.  Pres. Amado showed pictures of each on a screen and asked for discussion of the meaning of each.  It happens to parallel one of the verses we repeat at Christmas called “Teach the Children” and was so appropriate as a counter to what the world now teaches about celebrating Christmas.  Several schools have banned singing carols and anything that has a reference to Christ or why we really celebrate Christmas; stores and advertisements can’t refer to “Christmas;” and all reference to the birth of Christ in public has been erased from the season and its celebration.  We heard it referred to tonight as “the war on Christmas” and can’t believe that those who are “offended” by references to the real meaning of Christmas are winning that war.  How incredibly sad it has come to this.  It makes us more determined than ever to celebrate the birth of our Savior and its importance to mankind and to us as individuals.  I hope that wherever we are, we can stand up for what we believe.

And Santa Whispered,

“Teach the Children the True Meaning of Christmas”

The Star:                         A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long, long ages ago—the shining hope of mankind.

Red:                                The first color of Christmas symbolizing the Savior’s sacrifice for all.

Fir Tree:                          Evergreen—the second color of Christmas shows everlasting life.  The needles point heavenward.

The Bell:                         Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold—signifying that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord.

The Candle:                     A mirror of starlight reflecting our thanks for the star of Bethlehem.

Gift Bow:                       Tied as we should all be tied together in bonds of goodwill forever.

Candy Cane:                    The Shepherd’s crook used to bring lambs back into the fold—A reminder that we are all our brother’s keeper.

The Wreath:                    A symbol of the never-ending eternal nature of love . . . having no beginning and no end.

Sunday, December 01, 2013

          Happy December, Everyone!  Glade and I were thinking back to last December, about our preparations, and submitting our mission papers.  The year has gone by more quickly than I imagined and we are happy to be here serving.  The Lord has blessed us abundantly and we are trying to serve in the best way possible.  It will all soon be a memory.

          Today in Sacrament Meeting a family, who had been baptized yesterday, were confirmed as members of the Church.  The family consisted of mom, dad, three teenage daughters, and a son who will be old enough to be baptized in a couple of weeks.  Maybe his dad will be able to do it if he waits long enough.  It is so inspiring to see the missionary efforts come to fruition.  There is so much work to do and we see it going on all the time. 

          Hope the travelers are home safe and sound!    

Saturday, November 30, 2013

          It is 66 degrees and raining.  Amazing!

          Well, your holiday week-end is winding down and the long treks back home will soon be underway.  We are praying for your safe travel and hope to hear from you when you reach home.     

           All the family tradition we have created over the years was a comfort as we reminisced, thought about the great times we’ve shared, and missed being with all of you.  However, our loving Heavenly Father has certainly apportioned to us a multitude of blessings, and we’ll never get to the end of that list because it just keeps growing. 

          With grateful hearts we send our sincere thanks to family and friends for your love, support, and prayers.  Your prayers are especially important and we feel them every day.  There is a possibility of violence and fall-out from the recent elections, and all of the missionaries here in Honduras could use extra prayers.  Maybe nothing at all will happen, but extra prayers never hurt.  We’ll keep you posted.

          Enjoy your Sabbath; may it bring you spiritual nourishment and renewal.

Friday, November 29, 2013

          Today’s weather was still cold and windy—so out of character according to our assumptions.  I will never complain about it being cool, though. 

          I spent part of the day in the roperia; and when it wasn’t busy with baptisms, I read more conference talks from the November Ensign.  The messages sound similar to things we have heard before; but the depth and application, counsel and warnings are so current and profound if truly studied and considered.  All the concerns that we face are addressed and answers given as to how to manage our challenges and plan for the future.  The authors of these messages were truly inspired and the articles merit multiple readings—at least for me.

          Black Friday is nearly over and I hope it was a bright spot in your holiday week-end.  Keep enjoying the left-overs, playing games, and loving the time you have to spend together wherever you are. 

          It is 59 degrees and raining in the wind in Tegucigalpa!  Amazing!    

Thursday, November 28, 2013

           It was about 60 degrees today and windy.  Who would have thought it could be that cold here in Honduras!  I cut my walk short by a couple of laps.  The cold wasn’t bad, but the wind was.

          There is a nice organ in the chapel in the temple and it is programmed to play hymns.  They play all day—over and over again.  The music is mellow and doesn’t really feel repetitive unless you work at the front desk next to the open door to the chapel.  I noticed a change in the sound this week and realized that a Christmas menu has been selected and we now have Christmas hymns playing all day and it feels good!

          Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  It was a great day except for missing family and not being with loved ones to celebrate.  However, I watched the Macy’s parade on TV and later Glade saw a couple of quarters of football before we went to the temple to face a busy schedule.  It was a relaxing, feel-good day; and we have so many blessings to be grateful for.  I hope your Thanksgiving, wherever you spent it, was wonderful, and that you created memories to recall with happy hearts.   

The "Trunchbowl and Miss Honey" from the Musical Matilda

The little girl who sang was so great.  I loved her accent.

Of course, the Rockettes lived up to their reputation.

I don't remember which group this was, but they were fun to watch.
When I was growing up, watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning, with eggnog in hand, was a strong tradition; and we watched right up until football started.  Then we turned off the TV and found other fun.
There were no football fans in my family.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are  headed out to the temple.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

          Glade was a little under the weather today and spent the afternoon at home instead of in the temple.  He felt a little better tonight, so maybe tomorrow he’ll be back up to speed and able to go back to work.

          The weather here took a turn from the usual summer-y 80+ degrees and showed us another side.  The wind blew again and was accompanied by a cold front (which I didn’t think existed here!) and it was actually quite cool—maybe 66 degrees or so.  Cooler weather always seems to be really hard on people here who are used to the heat.  They really bundle against the cold while we are still in “shirtsleeves” and enjoying it. 

          All of you travelers should be nearing your destinations or maybe have already arrived.  I would love to know that everyone arrived safely and that all is well.

          Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We will be thinking about each of you--love and miss you!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

          Attendance was very low at the temple today although there were two groups who came for baptisms.  The slow times come now and again.

          We didn’t hear much about the elections or any related problems.  Anything could have happened, though—we just aren’t in a position to hear about it.  We hope everything was as peaceful as it seemed.

          There just happened to be an Ensign in English at the desk in the temple, so during a little down time today when it was slow, I was able to do some reading.  The articles were excellent.  I had more time to think in depth about the messages and was rewarded with a rich feast upon the words.  It makes me hungry for more.  The messages can help us see our way through the calamities to come and give perspective to our choices and our trials.

          We are praying for safe travel for all of you who are on your way tomorrow for a Thanksgiving holiday away from home.  For those of you who are staying at home, we hope you have a fun and memorable holiday, too.  We love you!  

Monday, November 25, 2013

          Our Thanksgiving dinner today was great!  It was our “P-day” and the temple presidency and senior missionary couples each provided a part of the meal and met in the comedor at 1:00 for a “feast.”  The food tasted good and it was nice to socialize a little and share something we were thankful for.  I made the raspberry pretzel salad (had to pay dearly for the only package of frozen raspberries in two stores) and an apple crisp.  Glade ordered three dozen rolls from our bakery (the owner actually delivered them fresh to us at noon) and that completed our contribution.  We were happy that we had left-over turkey and pumpkin pie in our fridge so we could enjoy those tonight.

          After the dinner, we went to the lounge and watched “Ephraim’s Rescue” and loved it.  It was full of courage, commitment, sacrifice, heartache, and miracles. 

It was a very nice day and certainly sufficed for a Thanksgiving celebration.  Thursday morning we will be able to see the big parade on network TV and Glade might even get part of a football game before we start our temple shift at 1:00 p.m.

          Good luck with all of your varied holiday plans this year.  Be careful traveling and I hope you all have a wonderful time sharing and building more tradition.  Love you all so much!

           

 

You can see Glade at top right, but I forgot to give the camera to someone to take a  picture of Glade and me together--oh well--next time.  :)