Playing

I made a mobile for Rosie and took it down today.  She is home from the hospital.  they are having to be very careful with her to make sure she doesn't get any dust in her eyes, a harder job than you can imagine here in the Polochic!  She has little goggles, and they have tied a sheet up over where she sleeps to keep out dust.  The amazing thing was when she was nursing and got so involved with watching her Mom's water bottle that she quite eating to watch it.  Then later she started focussing on her mom's weepil (top) and trying to grab for it.  Not sure how much vision she will gain, but oh to know that she can see and focus brings amazing joy.  They still have to go back to the capitol with her in January for checkups to make sure she has healed, then in June she will have to go back to find out what kind of lense they will do.  They are not sure what that is going to entail yet, so it is still a tough process.
We bought benches from a brother in another area to give to a family here for Christmas, they were not the quality we had hoped for so Elder Spradlin got to do some woodwork, and I got to do some painting.  I'll post the pictures when I finish the designs on them.  This family we have invited for Christmas Dinner, it is a widow mom and her six children.  It was hard to narrow down what to get them, they have so little.  Last time we went to visit them though they gave Elder Spradlin the torn hammock to sit on, me the broken chair, the mom sat on the woodpile and all of the kids sat on the one bed they have.  The benches we have made will hopefully sleep two of the children at night, plus we have a hammock for them. Being a bright blue, we also hope they will brighten and bring joy into the home.
 We have so much in the United States we can't even fathom how blessed we are.  Many families here if they invite us as missionaries to eat, they will serve us, but they don't eat with us.  Usually the meal consists of  a broth with chicken, called Caldo and tortillas.  I learned though not to ask them to sit and eat with us, because many times they do not have enough dishes to serve us, and themselves.  We feel so honored when some invite us, we cannot turn them down because that would not be accepting their offering of love, but at the same time we hate to eat food that we know they need.
We were able to go to Poptun District Conference last weekend and train their Secretary on how to do the missionary files, at the same time helping him work on one for a Sister there.  Monday we got to go to the Peten Zone Conference and Service Project.  We went to a Senior Home and visited, sang and talked with the people there.  Very impressed by the outpouring of love by our Elders!  Sister and President Watts along with many others put in a lot of effort to provide presents, and food for all of the residents there.
The fun escape of the week was leaving San Benito very early and stopping by a waterfall close to Dolores Guatemala on the way back home.  It was beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves.   We even had time to stop by the hot springs waterfalls before we finished up the day - that makes it for a double waterfall week!
Tonight we have a Christmas activity with one Branch, then one on Monday, and another on Tuesday. We will also will be throwing in caroling with members one or two times, and a hymn practice for the Kekchi hymns on Sunday. We will be going to Corina's family for Christmas Eve morning and helping her make her tamales, along with visits to a lot of the other members.  I have made a lot of cookies for delivering - and then serving up chili to our sweet family we made the benches for on Christmas day.   .