Sacatepequez

    We had a FHE on Patriarchal blessings this last Monday that was interesting and inspiring so I thought I would share the handout with you.  Our Mental Health Specialist who is a senior missionary and lives just below us, shares this with the Elders and Sisters that she works with in this mission.  She told us there is a lot more to our blessings than we ever realized and if we will just take some time with it as she suggests, we could each see more clearly who we really are.  Dad & I really think it is a good exercise so we are working on it.  Hope you enjoy it.

    The Oylers, who live across the hall from us, travel 3-4 days a week to the Elders and Sisters apartments to check them out and fix any problems they have.  They have told us about some of the areas they go to.  One of which is a town about an hour away whose main product is fresh flowers.  They have many greenhouses and each morning about 6am the producers bring their flowers to town and have a kind of wholesale market where they spread the flowers out along a street and "retailers" come and buy them and then they are transported to all parts of the country.  We have several street vendors around where we live that sell flowers and I am sure that is where they get theirs.  

    Yesterday the Oylers invited us to go with them to see the flower market in that little town, San Juan Sacatepequez.  We left at 8:00 and got there about 9:00 to find that the usual market was not going on but a big town celebration instead.  They were celebrating John the Baptist Day.  There was a parade, a stand where music was being performed, vendors that lined blocks and blocks of streets, food, clothing, pots and pans, jewelry, even a young man with about 15 blenders (without the motor) hanging over his shoulders on thin ropes.  He had a couple of motors for them in a backpack on his back.  They will sell anything here.

    We really enjoyed being there because it was definitely Not a tourist area.  There was no one following us trying to sell us something.  This was just a celebration that the town has each year for themselves and anyone who wants to join in.  I think we four were the only gringos there.  Now I get to look forward to going again to see the flower market someday.

We came upon a display of some of the vehicles from the movie Cars.  Here is Dad with Mater.

A little friend we have seen a couple times in our apartment.  He is about 4-5 inches long.

A little lady at the celebration in San Juan

Little lady carrying her wares.

Vendor selling cooked chicken (I think)

A person made of a wood frame carried in the parade.

A character in the parade-I am trying to find out what these people represent.

Marimba and three men playing it with two men carrying it down the street, no wheels.

          Enjoy the rest of your June and I guess the days are getting shorter now since we have past the summer solstice.

    Love to all!     MOM, Grammy