Hi Everyone!

   We left for church (the CCM) this morning at 7:30 and got home at 3:00 to find out that our electricity has been out since 8 this morning. They say it will be back on by 4:00, but it is now 4:15 and no lights yet. Ellen, who works at the clinic at the front desk, went to church with us today.  Her husband is an Area Attorney here and is in Costa Rica for a couple days to start an Addiction Recovery group there.  He and Ellen started one here in Guatemala City in May.  It is so needed here as well as everywhere else in the world. She doesn’t speak much Spanish and was really excited to come with us because we have two meetings in English each week.  Ellen and Jeff are our good friends and are going home in December to Fresno, California. They know Randy and Vicki Bott because Randy was a Mission President in Fresno.   Small world in the church!

    We had a little excitement at the Clinic this week.  We have a beautiful tree in the parking area that they decided to cut down because it is causing damage to the roof and building.  They are cutting the whole tree down and then chopping the limbs up with machetes only!  I have a short video of one man chopping and it shows the tree after they had worked at it for a while.  

     Notice on the other picture they have a rope tied to an upper limb and are ready to put it toward them if needed.  They brought about 20 Tio Juan kids to help out and they chopped the twigs off the tree’s limbs and stacked them up very nicely.  This was Wednesday and they said it would be finished Friday.  We will check it out tomorrow when we get to the Clinic. 

     This is a picture of "Cheeky" playing in the tree limbs.  She is the Tio Juan boys dog at our little complex.  Dad has taught her some tricks, imagine that!

    This last Tuesday we had a screening at the Villa de Los Niños.  They are a new school for us.  We screened about 600 kids and found a lot of dental work and needs, but not as much as we thought we would.  The school is for boys only and has about a 1000 there starting at 6th grade age.  These boys live there all year around and only in May and September can they have a visitor for a little while.  I am not sure how long that is…one day? perhaps two?  It might be an aunt or a grandmother or grandfather, but many of them do not have a regular family.  If they do, they are too poor to provide for them so they sent them here.  The boys have to do well and not cause any trouble or they can be kicked out.  These pictures are of the screening which was done in a large outside auditorium/basketball court.

    The Senior Sisters here watched the Women’s session of Conference together at Ellen’s apartment after having a dinner of soup, salad, bread and dessert.  The guys got together in another apartment and had pizza and watched a football game.  It was Penn State vs. Ohio and I guess it was a pretty good game.  

     Well that’s the week and it flew by as fast as the others.  Enjoy your week to come.   Love to all!    MOM, Grammy

Thanks for the Call

     This last Friday was Independence Day for Guatemala. In 1821 they gained their independence from Spain.  So, for several days this week they had a variety of celebrations.  Wednesday morning, we got a call at the Clinic saying the kids that were scheduled would not be there because they had special activities for the celebration they couldn't miss.  Right after that we got a call from our friend Mark, who is from our previous ward, that his daughter, Madison, was competing for "Mayor" of Zone 2 just half a block from us.  We ran right over!  Guatemala is divided into Zones, zone 2 is the area where the Clinic is, also our old ward and several grade schools. Each school chose one child to represent them.  At this occasion, each child (about 10 of them) stood and introduced themselves and answered a question from the judges about how they could improve this zone or something similar.  The judges then choose one of them to be the "Mayor" for a year.  Madison didn't win, but she did a good job.  Here is a picture of her with her certificate. She is our "adopted" grandchild here.

 

     Thursday we couldn't get any students to come to the Clinic either so we went to the Obelisco, a plaza a few blocks from where we live and watched the events for a while.  Each school has a group of students come there to join in the celebration.  At their designated time they join together to light their torch and have runners take it to their school throughout Guatemala City.  I can't imagine they really run to each school, that would be way too far, so I don't know how that works, but it is a big deal at the plaza. 

     While we were there the band from the TioJuan school was playing for a while.  I had to take some pictures because these are the boys we see at the clinic. You might remember the handicapped boy we sent you a picture of a while ago.  Here he is again in the back of this group, walking with each of his hands on the shoulder of another boy for support.  Angel is his name, a perfect one for him.

(Angel is at the back here)

    We went to the Green Market this weekend also and for the holiday they had some Marimba musicians playing. It was so fun to see them playing in their suits right there in the middle of the market, right next to a meat counter. So I have added a few pictures of the market.

    Saturday we went to another place that had a lot of ruins, some of them have been repaired and look pretty nice.  It is called Mixco Viejo and it was inhabited around the 1500 AD until the Spanish came and took it over.  

I really like the picture at Mixco Viejo of the large tree in the midst of the ruins.  Dad is really enjoying his camera that I brought back with me in January. 

     It was fun to see, very hot and humid and that is where I got all of the bites on the back of my legs.  I just counted them and there are about thirty.  Some of the bites are quite red around them and are as big as a quarter. I will put bug spray on a lot thicker and earlier next time I am in this situation!

    And the last picture is of a shirt I saw at one of the local tiendas the other day.  

   Thanks everyone for the fun Skype call today!  What a fun surprise to see you all on the screen at the same time! What a great B-day present for Dad...and me too!   We enjoyed every minute of it.  I just wanted to reach out and hug you all.  

    Have a great week and enjoy each day because they fly by so very fast!  

        Love you Mucho,   MOM, Grammy

P.S.   We saw a really good movie the other night at our movie night with the other Senior missionaries called "Hidden Figures". A true story about three black ladies that worked for NASA computing things for the space program.  

EarthQuake

    Yes indeed, we did feel the Mexico earthquake here in Guatemala City.  It was 10:50 in the evening and I heard the sliding glass doors rattle. I realized it was another earthquake, but nothing unusual because we have had several that I have felt since arriving here.  I stood still to see how strong it was as it got stronger and stronger.  The lamp shades and reclining chairs were swaying and as I looked out the window I could see and feel that our building was moving, we are on the fifth floor.  It went on for over a minute and I wondered briefly if I should go out into the stairwell.  But it soon ended.  That one was by far the strongest one I have ever felt, but all is well.

    Friday we drove to a small town (Guachipilin) three plus hours away for a celebration.  Our humanitarian missionary couple (the Whittiers) had been financially involved in helping a school improve and enlarge their building from one room to four and add a three-stall bathroom with sinks.  It was completed and they had scheduled this event with several people speaking and a few groups of children singing and dancing and afterward they served food.  These children were in their native or Tipico clothing for the event.  They were all so cute, Dad had fun taking pictures of them.  We debated about whether or not to eat the food, but decided it was all cooked so we took the chance and ate it.  Luckily, we didn't get sick from it.  

    We stayed overnight and visited a place called Takalik the next morning.  It is a historical park with ancient ruins that are dated back to the Jaredite period.  As I see these ruins and the little children in their Tipico clothing I can't help but think that was probably somewhat as they and the area looked like when Christ came to the Americas and blessed the little children.

     Now for some pictures.  Here is one of part of a District at the CCM that was waiting for their Dental screening.  

     Dad and Rick discussing what should be done to help a Sister there.

     A motorcycle transporting a TV.  

     This truck full of people must be coming from or going to a special event.  The people aren't wearing work clothes.  

     And another picture of a chicken bus. This time with a man climbing around the back as it speeds down the road.

     We want to thank all of you for your love and support as we serve here in Guatemala.  Family is sooooooo wonderful!  We are so thankful for each and every one of you.   Love you all tons!       MOM & Grammy

We are all so blessed!

Another Great Sunday at the CCM!

    Dad and I are in charge of the District Pablo for the Sunday third hour meeting each week.  Instead of Sunday School we have District Class.  Here they take turns giving a discussion to practice how to give a discussion.  Each companionship takes 8-10 minutes to give a discussion on as assigned topic and we help them learn how to do it a little better.  Really what we are, are cheerleaders and also give them some guidance for a few minutes each week.  We love it!  We have ten Elders in our district right now and they have been at the CCM for three weeks working on Spanish so the discussions are in English until the last week when they do them in Spanish.  They are learning so quickly, Spanish, the gospel more in depth, how to work with a companion and lots of other things.  What neat Elders and Hermanas they are.  At the CCM we even have a district called Senahu, it consists of about 8 Elders who are learning a language called Q'eqchi' (Kay-chee).  They spend 9 weeks at the CCM learning the language, it is very difficult.  We have an Elder from Texas who came only knowing English so he is learning Spanish AND Q'eqchi.  It has been pretty tough for him but he is doing very well.  I am so proud of all of them!  I will get some pictures to send later.

     Now for a few pictures we took this week.  Here is another picture of a Chicken Bus, it is parked outside our Clinic.  It isn't the Bus that was so interesting, but what was under the bus.

 

     We saw the new Lays potato chip ads around town and then saw them in the store.  Dad had to try one out.

 

     In the local grocery store, Paiz, they do different things to advertise items in the store.  This is a new one we hadn't seen before.  This young lady has several of the items for sale in her cart and she walks around the store with the Ad on her back and the items in the cart showing them to people as they pass.

 

     And this little girl is at the Clinic.  Dad puts disclosing solution on their teeth to show them all the plaque and bacteria on their teeth and them sends them in the bathroom with a time on the back of their shirt to tell them how long to brush.  It works pretty well, except one time I forgot to turn on the timer after I showed them where to brush and the little boy was in there about 6-7 minutes until I went to find him and realized I had goofed. But his teeth were really clean!

 

    We went to the Dump again Saturday to see it from another vantage point.  Hard to believe all the people picking through the garbage, looking for anything they can sell or eat or use in some way.  The birds there made it a little eerie.  

How is it we are so blessed?  To be born and raised in the United States with the Gospel, never wanting for food, medical help, shelter, clothes, anything we need or want!  I have nothing to complain about.   I thank my Heavenly Father each and every day for all these blessings and for a dear family, and for all their love and support, especially as we are serving this mission.

    I know our Father in Heaven is very near. He hears and answers all of our prayers.  He knows each one of us by name and loves us.  I am so thankful I know this and hope and pray each of you do also. I know that whatever the problem is that I have to work through, it will be OK, because he is with me.

     Love to all, have a peaceful week!    MOM, Grammy