Monday, January 30, 2012

Oranges in Sajunte

Sajunte!  The most beautiful place!  Sitting in front of a family´s home working with a future missionary while eating oranges the family just picked off the tree.  Then walking through the mandarin orchard on trails while visiting members of the Branch.   We stopped at one place later on the way back down the hill to Chulac and greeted a family who runs a tienda.  There was a young man there and so I asked his age, he said he had just turned 18,  I asked when did we need to start working on his paperwork so he could serve a mission.  Just to find out he isn´t a member.  Told him he needed to learn more so he could get ready.  He gave us his name, wrote it down and his parents names, his mom was there also - so we gave it to the missionaries.  Directions to home.  From the church up around two curves, blue tienda on left behind big sign.  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!  Saturday morning in Chulac taught 2 sisters how make rag dolls and chocolate no bake cookies, so we can do an activity there with the sisters.  On the way back up, we stopped outside a little tienda and had this following of children, I started making a rag doll and the crowd grew...I told them whoever could sing for me the best a Guatemalan song would get the doll.  The children are very very shy ussually, and none wanted to sing, So Elder Spradlin and I sang a children´s song and again I said öh what a pretty doll, I wonder if I shall have to keep it¨  A couple more times of repeating this comment and singing for them, one little girl barely whispered a few words, then I said, oh what was that...with quite a bit of coaxing all of them finally sang for me and taught me a song.  We then did a contest with them, 4 parents had now shown up, and I had the children stand against the store and sing to me, then I narrowed it down to about 4 girls and held the doll over each head and the one with the most appluase won.  At each fase of the contest they had to sing to us again.  It was soo much fun! We ended up riding down from Senahu and down from Chulac also both on what in the states you would call a cattle truck. We got to Panzos at 7am, Church building was opened at 8:55,  they had 32 members in attendance when it started and we were so grateful to be there with them. I never imagined how much fun it could be riding in cattle trucks with Elder Spradlin!  It was a blast!