Sun and Mud

The good thing about hard dirt floors is when it rains outside, which creates lots of mud, we dont have to worry as much about tracking mud into homes!  We went on Sunday and visited a sister with a new 3 week old baby, she had delivered cessarian, and I am clueless how she ever made it back up to her home, hopefully it was dry that day, because I slipped and slid the whole way up.  Had me praying more, so I guess it was a good thing.  The sister had not named her baby yet, so Harold suggest she name him Harold.  We shall have to go bck and see what his name is!  We went and visited another family that day where the father has been sick on and off for nine months, every time he starts to get well he starts getting a cough again and it weakens him, they have even taken him to Guatemala City to try and get help, but no treatments seem to help.  While we were there the Mother was bearing her testimony and said how the night before she had dreamed of a patient, older, white man coming and that everything was then better.  She had no knowledge that we were even here. Harold and the other brethren there gave her a blessing of strength in helping with her husband.  The strength of these members is overwhelming. 
The elders have 6 baptisms lined up for Saturday, that is what I call a white Christmas!  We are going to be trying to help the Primaries here, they really don´t have many resources to use.  We went into a Primary Sunday where one amazing teacher was working with a group of 12 children, with a Bible and a hymnbook.  We were able to teach them Follow the Leader, or at least act it out and talk about Prophets - with my very limited Qéqchi´and a little girl about 4 who spoke Spanish and Qéqchi´.  We did the story then of Ammon being a great missionary and defending the Kings flocks by cutting off the Robbers arms.  I didn´t know the word for sword, so used the term Machete, which we see all over around here.  We have even seen them being worn around in the office buildings and municipal building.  I think the Mayor back home would pass out if someone walked into his office with a machete strapped to his back!  No big deal.  Didn´t think till later that it might be a problem, if any of the kids got mad at a sibling and decided to try acting it out for real! 
We have the Childrens stories in Spanish, so we have pictures and the story from the Qéqchi bible of the Saviours birth, and Christmas songs lined up for this Sundays Primary, so  am excited to try and help the Sister with Primary.  We just need to know how to do it more effectively and that will take some research and reaching out to some of our inactive members.
We wil lbe going to about 4 different Christmas Branch activities here, and caroling as much as possible to members and investigators homes.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the Saviours Birth, in his service.  We are so grateful for our family and friends and the love and support you all give us.  Christmas wishes to all!

weddings and music

We were able to go to a double wedding last Saturday.  The couples got married at the municipal building, then afterwards both of the wives were baptized.  The couples were all Qeqchi and a majority of their branch - about 70 people -  had come down with them standing on the back of a large truck from a communicty called San Francisco, about a half hour away.  The brides wore their Corte and veils, the grooms were wearing a small flower in their pocket.  The weddings took place in the Municipal building by the mayor.  It was very different!  The service started about a half hour late while they waited on the mayor, then began by the marriage couples sitting on the front row in this room in front of the mayor, they started with a prayer and he started talking to them.  A couple showed up late so they pressed in and were married also.  About 45 minutes into the service two more couples showed up - they were supposed to be in the same service but had to wait to do theirs afterwards.  A lot ofthe men showing up for the weddings were wearing their machetes either at their sides or strapped to their backs.  During the proceedings kids would come in and sell newspapers and chips.  We were able to watch with many others through the window on the outside ofthe room, because the room was literally packed with people.  The witnesses signed by using their thumbprints on the documents, because many could not read nor write. 
We went yesterday to visit several families with one of the sisters here in the branch.  One family the children and mother were all working with Cardamon, a product they grow and sell here.  In each home we would have a prayer, sing a song and then present a message.  We spoke of Heavenly Fathers love for his children and his desire for us to return to live with him.  In each home we left a picture of the Saviour to help them in focussing their home on Christ.  The people were wonderful, warm, kind and inviting.  One man is in the process of trying to add a new house on to his existing one, using cement blocks and concrete.  It is a tremendous work for one man alone, especially since everything he uses must be carried up a steep hill on his back before he can use it.  We started piano lessons on Tuesday and gave 5 lessons, more people showed up and were waiting, so we promised to come back and taught another 5 on Wednesday night. 
Our beautiful small miracle of the week was a man cutting his flowering hedges and gave us some of the flowers.  I am so grateful to have flowers in our room!

Senahu

Raining hard, and here we are out without our umbrellas!  Good reason to visit people here I guess and wait for a change.  We love walking through the streets and greeting and talking to people, can never tell who all you will get a chance to meet and talk to.  We have been out with the younger missionaries and members visiting inactive and part member families.  The people here are so amazingly good and kind.  We bring them the message of this being the month we celebrate the Saviour{s birth and how blessed we all are by it.  That Heavenly Father and Jesus love us and want us to return to live with them.  In each home we leave an 8x10 picture of the Saviour and ask that as they dedicate and focus their lives on him that they will return and meet with us together at Church so that we can rejoice together.  We have been able to sing with the people, and pray with them.  Harold has assisted with the Elders in giving 3 priesthood blessings to members who were ill or injured.  We feel so blessed.  There was one little girl with a serious scald burn on her neck and back, all the family had was to put raw egg on it - it wasn{t healing so I gave them the tube of antibiotic ointment that I had with me and they gave her a priesthood blessing.  When we returned the next day she had begun to heal a little more, we were so grateful.  We are both working on our language skills, I have tried bearing my testimony as we worked in Q{eqchi.  This morning I realized though as I was studying that I have been using a completely wrong verb in saying  "we are here", the amazing news is that I think people understand.  Today our schedule is empty somewhat - first time all week so we are going to spend more time studying.  We love teasing with the young children.  They greet us and then usually giggle, feeling oh so brave.  One little girl walking by me in the market touched my hand, and I could tell it was very scary for her to do so!  The homes here are either like wood poles with a tin roof and dirt floor - or the richer homes are made of concrete with concrete floors and tin roofs.  You can see the tin roofs when sitting inside, and the chickens who wander in and sit at our feet when we are visiting. .  A lot of times there is no electricity so meeting at night we use candles or flashlights to see.  Still the people are open with all they have and we love their pure testimonies.

surprises and beauty

Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting in a town called El Estor, Harold pointed next to me and there was a small black dog just standing next to me, and then it laid down there for the meeting - I was surprised for sure!  We went up to Senahu and found a lovely little house last weekend where we will be moving the first week of January, until then we will be staying in a hotel there - for about $8. a night.  The mission office has a microwave we will be able to use and one of the members has a hot plate they are going to loan us.  There is a family living in the house we will be getting right now, but they are moving into another home. They are going to be putting in a ceiling and painting it before we move in, right now it just has a tin roof, so the ceiling will help a lot. It has a nice bathroom, so that is a huge plus.  We will be able to rent all of our furniture from the church - which means we will have a stove, refrigerator and a washer and dryer, plus furniture - including new beds.  Outside the door of the house are banana trees and in the distance you can see a huge mountain.  Right down the hill is a market about 3 times a week with all kinds of stuff.

The people in Senahu were amazing, some of the roads getting there though are dirt, rough and potholed.  Took us about 7-8 hours.  I started practicing my Q'eqchi and the people would help me after I tried saying something and they finished giggling.   We went and visited a school there where they are trying to build on two rooms.  The elementary schools there have an average of about 50 students per teacher - can't imagine trying to teach with that! There is another elementary school under construction that we hope will be finished by the time school starts, it also plans on extremely high attendence. 
On Saturday we also went to a District conference in a different part of our area called Chulac.  Before the meeting we walked over to some members that live next to the church and they picked us some fresh mandarins from one of the trees in their yard.  Mandarins grow all over up by Chulac, but again crazy bad roads going up the mountain to get there.  After the meeting while waiting for the Mission President to finish his stuff I played with some of the little girls. I taught them how to play red light, green light - they had a little hard time realizing the concept, since most likely none of them had ever seen a stop light.
We came back into the city to make final arrangements and will be leaving here for Senahu on Thursday morning early.  There is so much up there to be done, so the problem will be narrowing it down to make sure we are most affective.  We will hopefully have a vehicle also by mid-January, but until then most everything we will be starting with is in walking distance.  Otherwise we get to try taking a tuk-tuk, kind of like a little 3-wheel taxi.  Should be fun!

learning in Guatemala

We are learning today how to prepare food so it will be safe, also trying to figure out on the map where the President wants us to go.  It is an area called Polochic, up in the mountains north of the City.  The specific town is called Senahu and has  a large Q'eqchi' population.  Right now we are meeting with several people, learning so that we can help when we get there.  Harold will be helping with stoves in the homes, because many of the homes are small huts where the women cook over open wood fires, no ventilation, so it causes problems,  along with a lot of other things.  I will be working with literacy and family history, maybe helping also in the schools.  Not sure what else.  Many of the women don't know how to write at all.  Here in the city are a lot of Senior couples who are working in a variety of ways, and many of them got together last night and so we learned a lot from them.  Dentists who take clinics out to the communities, and some orphanages, A doctor and a nurse who cover quite a large area. One couple works with leaders here in the community helping bring programs in, such as blood drives and schoolbooks. There are so many people working hard together to improve the lives of these wonderful people.

Authorized to smile!

We are waiting inthe Dallas/Ft. Wroth airport where our flight will leave in another 2 hours - we will be in Guatemala by 8;15 tonight.  Super excited!  I kind of had the idea today that this loveley nametag gives us the license to smile, kind of fun smiling at everyone and seeing how many people smile back.  I think it is one of the best contagious diseases around!  We talked with our Mission President Thursday night and he hasn't quite decided where we will be yet, one place he is thinking about is about 150 miles from the city and will take us about 5-6 hours to get there by car, it is on one of the better roads.  This is all so very exciting.  Harold is doing great on his Spanish and I am sure it will come much faster when we get there.  Thanks so much for all of your prayers.,  We feel so extremely blessed to havethe opportunity to go and serve our Heavenly Father and some of his amazing children in Guatemala.

We are wearing name tags!

We signed in to the MTC today. Hard to express how exciting!  One of the first things there was when we were handed our name tags and put them on, and received our ministerial licenses.  It is a great place to be, with a lot to learn.  Great quote shared.  One of the new beatitudes:  Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.  Also, Senior missionary rules are different than the younger missionaries - first rule No heart attacks allowed.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is true and I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to serve the people in Guatemala.

excitement

Hard to imagine that in less than a week we will be in the MTC preparing to leave for Guatemala.  We leave for Provo this Friday at 1pm will  spend some time with Amber before entering the MTC on Monday morning.  We fly out from the MTC at 8:15am Saturday, Nov 19th and arrive there at 8:15pm Saturday evening.  That will be including a 5 hour layover at the Dallas Airport!  I am so excited and nervous at the same time.  The question is if being nervous is a lack of faith?  Not knowing so many things though is a little bit on the "jump off the ledge" side for me.  But then if you never take the leap - you will never fly. 
Trying to make sure we have all of the last minute things covered, silly stuff, like wondering if we have enough socks and dental floss. It is hard to leave all of the kids, I realize more and more that each of us have trials to go through in this life, and there is only a very limited amount of help that we as parents can provide.  I am still hoping that before this week is through to post the rest of the pictures we have been taking in the last 2-3 months as we have traveled and visited with family.  This has been a very hectic and wonderful time to focus on our family and our studies.
 Our mission President called us Saturday and told us that we will be having a car to drive while in Guatemala, that will help us in working more in the different areas, and seeing more of Guatemala!  He also asked how my Q'eqchi' is coming.  Harold has a lot more faith in my abilities than I feel at the moment.  Hopefully when we get there and I can speak with people and hear it live it will begin to come to me faster.  He has come such a long ways on his Spanish and I am very proud of his endurance and faith in learning this new language.

responsibility of blessings

Harold and I were set apart as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Natalie's Stake President, President Call, on Sunday.  What a blessing to be called to serve our Heavenly Father full-time!     The fact though is that with a blessing comes a responsibility.  The responsibility to be willing to grow and learn and serve.  More than willing though is this overwhelming desire and joy at the opportunity of serving in Guatemala.  I am trying to study, to learn the Q'eqchi', but playing with children and grandchildren, working on genealogy and going to the temple are all things I am also being able to participate in at the moment.  Again I feel so very blessed.
I went to bed last night thinking of so many words that I don't know in Q'eqchi', that I need, like study, practice, learn understand, light.  This morning they were still there, so I quickly wrote them down and will learn them today.  It is like when I start doing genealogy research and the names begin to spin through my head, wondering what their lives were like, and knowing that it is my responsibility to do their research so that they can be tied in the eternal bonds that temple covenants bring. Elliesha and I went to the temple this morning and were able to work on some names, as I was looking down at one of them I realized that I need to research her farther and find her parents.  Each step leads to another and the blessing brings the responsibility of continued service.  Intriguing that the words blessing, responsibility, opportunity, work and joy all fit to describe the same thing.  work:  trabaaj

grief and gratitude

We arrived in Rexburg, Idaho on the 5th of October to stay with Natalie while Justin was in training, due to her baby being due the 24th of October. The after of the 11th at her routine checkup with the Doctor there was no heartbeat for the baby.  We contacted Justin immediately and the military was able to fly him back to Salt Lake City where his father picked him up and drove him back up to Rexburg. They arrived here at 5:30am on the 12th.  That morning Natalie was induced at the hospital and cared for by amazing nurses and a great Doctor.  Justin was so exhausted, but rested some in the chair at her side during the day.  Isaac James was born at 6:15 Tuesday night.  The Doctor on delivering him was able to tell that his umbilical cord had twisted, due to him being very active and all mainly in one direction, throughout the pregnancy.  It had twisted till it finally cut off his nutritional supply sometime during the previous week.  Such grief and pain at wanting to hear your baby's first cry.  Of holding his body and knowing his spirit has already gone home.  At the same time we rejoice that Isaac is a part of our family and we shall see him again.
Sometimes  Father's children get unknowingly caught in the same sort of cycle,  busy and doing and going and turning and slowly but surely entering into the world till the point they cut off their own supply to Heavenly Father.  That is why it is so important that we hold on tight to the iron rod, to the things of value and importance.  Having the atonement we can be aware and if we ever do start to turn and cut off that supply we can reverse the process. Living with our Heavenly Father, families and friends is our goal and we need to keep it ever in our sights.

Homeless

At the Lab this morning they asked me for my adress... Saying I don't have one just didn't work!  Funny how we get tied so much to places.  I called and made sure I had Brian and Marian's adress right, because at least for the next two days that is where we will call home. 

Family, daily joys

The last few weeks have been amazing as we have traveled towards the west, seeing children and grandchildren in Little Rock, Colorado, Utah and now Idaho.  We vistied with my two brothers and their children also while in Colorado and had a wonderful time.  In fact, I have a date with my nieces Faith and Grace for a camping trip and hiking in about two years.  That's exciting!  While in Colorado with Tina we were able to spend several mornings out hiking and it continually reaffirmed the glorious beauty in which we live.  Majestic mountains, side by side with brilliant tiny flowers. That and a lovely evening roasting marshmallows over a fire in the backyard. Visiting Amber and Tilile in Provo we met their friends. We are so grateful that Amber has been taken so lovingly in by wonderful people who support and believe in her.  We know that we need to leave for our mission, but thoughts of leaving our chldren are very hard, until we have seen how they are being cared for by others.  Natalie and Amber being the youngest, of course, we felt very responsble and concerned.  We know now that Amber will be fine and Alea will stay with Natalie when Justin leaves for Afghanistan and help take care of Isaac, so Natalie can finish her Associates degree.
  We are daily seeing blessings and miracles both small and large, and I am very grateful. We went to General conference on Saturday and Alea had a nonmember friend in Salt Lake that she wanted to invite to go with us, but we didn't have any extra tickets.  Amber's Bishop called us late Friday night and said there was another ticket available for our session if we needed it.  We were so grateful for his inspiration - because otherwise he would have not known that we even needed it.
There is a lab here that Marion knew about where I was able to get my Thyroid test done and faxed back to my Doctor in Arkansas, while there I mentioned needing to get our Typhoid vaccines and one of the ladies knew exactly where to go and what to do, because her son has been called to serve in Peru.
We have been so warmly welcomed, loved and cared for in our travels that I am overcome with the joy and gratitude I feel.  Studying is a high priority, we also need to be exercising and both of these things have been continually wrapped up in the joys of being with family. We were able to help Tina with some of the projects she needed done, help my brother Jerry move, and now Harold is helping Brian with the carpet.  I'm grateful that in some small ways we also are able to be of service to those around us.         

by study and learning

Studying Q'eqchi' is sometimes very difficult.  Being a language teacher I should know how to make information stick in my brain...be able to attach it to something.  Some does, but then the rest seems to fall right back out again.  I'm hoping that repetition gets the basics grounded in, the pronunciation though is a different process!  Not really having someone yet to listen to on a regular basis and having to learn to make completely different sounds, when I'm not always sure that I am doing them right, makes this a large challenge for me. One person explained that if I take a spoon and depress my tongue with it, then try to make the letter sound I would get closer to the guttural Q' for example. I guess once I get it down, I will then be able to use the spoon for things like eating! The grammar book I have gives rules, examples, and a very few sets of dialogues, but it is not written like the textbooks I have always used, that means I am having to learn how to work within different parameters.  A lot of the verbs are just one syllable, and so are other words, in fact sometimes just one letter, so I think I shall have to become a very careful listener.  It makes a big difference just using a k or a q in a word. Exciting challenges.  Anyone want to speak Q'eqchi' with me???

friends and family

Everything is finally packed and what we are not taking or "loaning out" to good friends and family is now firmly packed in storage.  Brethren and sisters arrived on our doorstep this morning with their trucks, trailers and willing hands.  It made for a quick and joyful job finishing up the house.  That is one of the amazing things about the family we have in the church, they are always there for us, loving, supporting and cheering us on in our new adventures.  So, where are we headed?  First to Colorado, then to Utah and the amazing opportunity of going to General Conference with Amber, Tillie and Alea.  Next on to Idaho to see Marion, Alea and Natalie, more specifically to be with Natalie when little Isaac enters our world.  Elliesha will be arriving in Utah to spend a week with us then the last of October before we enter the MTC.  Now that things are in storage I can start to let a little of the excitement seep into my thoughts.  November 14 we enter the MTC for one week before we fly out to Guatemala, but from there all we know is that we will be somewhere in Guatemala doing something, and learning a lot!

Gratitude

As I think over my life I am filled with a sense of extreme gratitude for all that I have been given.  I started to write that, as I think over the last weeks, or months- but the reality is that throughout my life I have been blessed.  The list becomes extremely long as I begin to enumerate my blessings, and I know there are things I will leave out when I try.  My family used to have fun because one of my favorite phrases is always, "well at least," but I have found that in every situation there is still much for which to be grateful.  I hope our mission can be a reflection of that gratitude.
We were explaining to someone about going on our mission, and they said, "Oh, kind of like a two year vacation", I think they nailed it exactly - and I am so excited!   Not sure exactly where we will be living - besides somewhere in Guatemala, or in what kind of circumstances, or what we will be doing, but knowing that we will be able to be in service of the Lord makes this adventure marvelous!   I read this quote this morning and I hope we can live up to it, "The depth and the willingness with which we serve is a direct reflection of our gratitude."  (Elder Gordon T Watts, Oct 1998, General Conf.)
So, here is the beginning of my gratitude list, please feel free to add on at any time!
The Gospel of Jesus Christ                          Scriptures
The Savior's atonement                               Prophet, Leaders
Home                                                        Food
Family                                                        Wonderful Friends
Fantastic Ward                                          Inspiring children, inspiring people
Temples                                                     Good health
Nature, the nice cool weather!                   Sunrises and sunsets
Good Books                                             Lovely music, especially the birds outside the house!
Getting to learn a new language                 Sleep!
babies                                                      grandchildren
Going on a mission!                                  A new day!
Tanna

Stress

If moving was just packing a suitcase, or some boxes it would be so simple!  Preparing for a mission as a Senior Missionary takes on other aspects a person never dreams of, like where to store all of your "stuff," and getting all of your bills online, or making sure your taxes are ready for someone else to do.  We keep reminding ourselves of our blessings, and working through all of the silly little bumps in the road.  I read somewhere that when we go we need to have pictures of our family with us, because when we are there we are ambassadors representing our family in a way.  I think that is a wonderful thought, because wherever we are or whatever we are doing we are representing so many things, concepts and people.

Earthly Possessions, "things"

We unknowingly get attached to so many things!  Since we need to downsize as much as possible for storage it means selling, giving away or loaning out as much as possible.  I almost felt silly today when I had separation anxiety from my "things" that are going in storage or elsewhere.  How many things we let clutter our lives till they in a way take over, and it happens so slowly we don't even realize the impact.  Simplifying on demand is perhaps important surgery for me this week, but as in all surgery - it is a little painful. The thought of seeing all of my children is the next couple of months is very exciting, at the same time I can't imagine not communicating with them on a daily basis while we are gone.  The fate of the house in Conway is still up in the air; will it sell, or perhaps rent?  Not knowing is definitely another large test of faith.  Obviously a very difficult day.  On the other hand we are so blessed!  We spent Saturday in the Temple in Memphis, and we have both been working hard on our Q'eqchi' and Spanish.  Learning, remembering that one step at a time is all we are required to take.   

Preparing to serve

We have received our Mission Call to Guatemala City North Mission in Guatemala.  We report 14th of NOvember to the MTC in Provo Utah where we will be for one week.  Brother Spradlin is working hard with an online tutor in Spanish and I am struggling away with Q'eqchi' (indigenous language spoken in part of our mission area).  We are very busy discarding, selling, loaning out and packing everything for storage for our leave date from here in Arkansas.    Chris Moline and his family will be leasing our home here in El Dorado and we are very grateful to have such wonderful people here!  We hope to leave and head west between the 6-7 of September.  Stops planned in Colorado with Tina and my brothers Johnny and Jerry, even the possibility of a get together with all of my brothers!  Next stop will then be to see Amber at BYU, then up to spend a month with Natalie and Marion before we report.