Thursday, December 22, 2011

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!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

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!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.