Car! Electricity! and Waterfalls!

We feel so very blessed!  We got our vehicle last Thursday, a Toyota RAV4.  Sunday we were able to go visit a branch called Canlun which is down the mountain and across the river.  We had wanted to visit them previously, but there was no transport connections for Sunday.  On the way back we were able to stop and work in Telemann with the Branch Primary President there, and still make it back up the mountain by 3:30 in the afternoon.  To top off the miracles this morning our 220 Electricity was finally finished so now we can use our stove, and when the rain gets too bad, especially during rainy season, we will still be able to get our laundry done and get our work done also.  Now the important thing will be making sure that we organize and use our time and resources well so we can better serve here in the Polochic.  We did take a Pday break this morning and go with two Elders up the mountain, that way we could check the driving out better and also got to stop and picnic at a beautiful small waterfall.  Had plans to go up to a bigger one, but the road was just too bad for us to feel safe in passing.  Turning around was probably a very wise decision on Elder Spradlin´s part!  Honestly didn`t mind not getting to do our travels in Truckbed and micro! 
Saturday the Elders up here in Senahu and Seamay had 7 baptisms and one marriage.  It made for a very eventful day.  We are very excited looking forward to hearing General Conference this weekend.

amazing days! and Electric Skillet cake recipes!

Members from Gordon Hamms group left toy cars, necklaces and beads with us that they didnt get to give out, so yesterday we hiked back in to two homes in Seamay, not real far in distance, but in reality check -yes!  Gave the children cars and a doll and necklaces.  They were thrilled.  These two famlies appear so very happy, in their very small pole huts with tin roofs.  One family has 5 children in a two room hut - their washing area is outside.  The other family with 8 children live in about a 12x18 building with a washing area outside.  Happy, welcoming and loving.  Makes it very evident we get our priorities mixed up!  We stopped on the way back down and made necklaces with a family using the beads and ribbons we were left.  This morning we located more ribbons and visited a family to play after we taught at the school.  Love the people here andthe joy and love they share with us.  Tonight though I am very excited because I just found an electric skillet cake recipe!  Watch out next for the brownies!  Yesterday I had started filling the wash machine with water from the pila - by hand- because it is faster - had the clothes in, turned on the machine and the electricity was out!!!  By the time the electricty came on last night, the water was off!  Have to get the timing down a little bit better. 

WASPS and the polochic world view

We visited with a family in Chulak Sunday evening sitting in front of their home.  The tin roof/ceiling had two wasps nest hanging from it, grant it they were small.  The family showed them to us because all of the wasps were coming in.  We asked them if they were dangerous, because back home they sting and hurt.  They said, oh yes, if they sting you you will be up all night.  I asked  them why they had them there where the family sits and the children play...  the answer was,  they  come.  I said that in our home we have had them also, but that we kill them.  He asked me why.  I explained that they might sting the children.  He told me that yeah, one time they had a really big nest of them out there, the children were playing and they swarmed the kids and my you should have seen them run....and yet they have two wasp nests there because they come...
We went and saw a lovely family in Sepamac.  Took the bus to the end, then followed the trail down and down and down, not knowing where the family lived that we needed to find.  We would ask with my limited Q¨eqchi¨and their limited Spanish each time being told down the hill.  About 30 minutes of walking down to the bottom of the town at the end of the road outside the house was the family we had come to see.  Seemed like they were almost waiting on us by the time we got there.  We invited their 21 year old daughter to think about going on a mission.  What a beautiful day for a long hike, because when we left we found no transport back down till we had gone a very very long ways.