Celebrations, Miracles and Thoughts on Canlun

Eating the fresh orange I just cut open and staring out the door this morning at the mountain on the other side, I was grateful for being in Paradise another day!  We are so blessed with little daily miracles.  Monday evening the Elders asked if we could help them get a little refrigerator up to their area in Seritquiche, about a half hour drive up the mountain, of course we said yes.  We went to get gas and the gas station was out, plus there was a storm over the mountains.  We postponed taking it up till Tuesday morning, they also said they wanted to work up in a village (Sachaj)  about another 45 minutes to an hour drive further up in the mountains.  We said we would take them up as far as we could, We can't get the whole way in to Sachaj in our car, roads are too rough, but that way we also planned on meeting with and working with some of the members up in that area.

We took family group sheets with us on Tuesday to hopefully give to some of the members there and help them get started.  When we got to San Francisco, as far as we were going, there was a Young Adult brother there from Senahu waiting on some of his friends to work at the school.  The sister I wanted to talk to had her store open, right next to where we had parked, so I went to talk to her.  The problem is that she only speaks Kekchi, my Kekchi wasn't near good enough to communicate everything.  My little miracle, (Or huge)  the Brother from Senahu translated for me and she is going to start filling her forms out and hopefully help the Branch also to get started.  That is exciting! 

 Last night we were going to visit one family and walking down the trail we aw on the side  a Sister with a few of her children around her, I had never stopped at her home before, but there she was and her little three year old was holding a battered copy of the Book of Mormon.  We stopped and talked with them.  Later we needed to go back up and run a quick errand, and she met us again on the trail. She told us that we needed to go to the home next to hers, there was a brother there that was sick.  Such love and compassion, it was for her neighbor that she was concerned.  We went to the home she pointed out and it was some members we had never visited before, but the grandparents had just come to live with them because the Grandfather is very ill. l We noticed there were no pictures up in the home, so we will go back again tomorrow and sing with them and take them a couple of pictures of the Savior.  We would have never known to go, if we had not been told by the neighbor.  

Monday morning Mountain Elders showed up on our doorstep one of them with part of his care package from his mom.  In it was the making for his favorite cookies, his Mom had sent it for his Birthday.  This is really impressive, because the shipping is very high to get here, plus it takes a while for it to arrive and it was here before his birthday!  We made his cookies and he had all the other Elders up Monday evening for helping eat them.  They were awesome!!!

Last weekend was the Independence Day celebration here.  Races, People going to other towns and then running back with their torches, parades, fireworks, Activities in the branches, National Anthem and flag raising.  It was wonderful to see their love for their liberty and their country.  The street and both sides of it around the municipal building completely full as people came to sing the National Anthem and watch the flag raised and lowered each day.
ELDER SPRADLIN - THOUGHTS ON CANLUN

There are two rivers to cross on the way to Canlun (sometimes spelled K'anlun)  on the way there the Branch President called to let us know that it had been raining in the valley and the rivers might be up.  For any freeway driving Americans, the crossings are without the benefit of Bridges, but we were able to maneuver across both rivers, and several mud holes that were almost as deep as the rivers.  We met at the Chapel with the Branch President and the Full time missionaries, although still early morning it was starting to get hot.  After having prayer we split up to go visit some inactive members of the Branch.   Making the visits we walked across another river, with the help of a foot bridge.  The women were washing their clothes in this river, perhaps an interesting note is that the women washing their clothes and walking back from the river had also washed their tops, but made sure they had on their Corte skirts.

Most all of the homes in Canlun are made of upright sticks about the size of a shovel handle with larger poles on the corners and at the doorways, many of the homes leaning in different directions.  The roofs are made with large leaf thatching or tin, the floors are dirt. Outside one home I helped an elderly brother taking the dried corn of the cobs in his basket.  I speak almost no Kekchi, and he speaks no English, but the corn comes off the cob the same in both languages.  Later sitting in his home I noticed the ants crawling around my feet, then a duck came in to enjoy a few bits of corn that had been dropped on the floor.  In the homes we visited we sang hymns, prayed, testified and invited them to come back to church.  Humble surroundings and limited food, yet the people here seem very happy,  Such a pleasure to work with them!

So much Fun!

Last night we had such a fun group of young boys show up for English Class in Seamay.  Had us almost continuously in laughs!  They love getting to have the little English books to take home each week,,  Winnie the Pooh though is definitely the most desired at the moment.  We had gone over and picked up two young girls for class, it was their first time, hopefully not way too overwhelming with all of the boy's horsing around.  The fun part is even though they mess with each other so much, they also always help each other, or the newer kids, to make sure they know the answers.  Sweet and mischievous at the same time is how I would have to label them.  After class one of our boys started accompanying us and explained that Saturday he turns 15, although he looks about 10 years old!  He wanted to know if I could bake him a birthday cake, since his family won't be able to have one.  They are also inviting his grandparents and a few extended family.  Elder Spradlin warned me that I may be in for a bunch of baking if the word gets out, but there was no way I was turning him down.  He accompanied us taking our girls home, then walked us back in and up the trail showing us his home, we also passed grandparents and family homes while were at it. He was so excited!
Left from there back up to Senahu where one of the Branches was having a dance to raise money, so we popped in on that.  The electricity went out, but it was still fun, greeting all of our members, then we started running and playing with the younger kids to entertain them till the electricity came back on.
Monday we invited all of the Elders over from our District at the end of their PDay and I had made Chili, or at least a very close version. It was great!  Everyone brought a couple bags of Tortrix (like Fritos)  and finished off the pot!  Now you may wonder, knowing I had my fun with chocolate last week, then chili pie on Monday how my weight is doing...Well on Tuesday the Polochic weight cure hit again and has rescued me.  Gotta be grateful for the little inconveniences of life!  
I wrote up the conversion story for our young missionary that just got his mission call this week and it was a wonderful  to be able to share.  The children here have many, many trials, makes me feel like anyone whining back home about a hard life, needs to take a deep breathe and re-evaluate.  

Not my normal blog

This past Saturday my stepmother who I have claimed as a mother for the last 41 years died.  She had the beginning stages of Altzheimers when we entered the mission and had progressed quickly during the time we have been here.  That and other important family events happening back home in the states made me really question our being here.  Are we really being of service, is our being here necessary at this time, are we making a difference, a change for the good?  The answer I come to is yes.  Not in big giant ways, but in the little things that might not happen, or would take much more time if we weren't here to help.  With that in mind I wish to share a few of the things from the last few days.
 A young man turned in his mission papers almost a full year ago, but had done it before we entered the field, he was referred to us when we first came here, because of problems in the paperwork.  He had not understood the questions clearly and in trying to be honest stated that he had severe migraines.  In the last year it has taken many letters, phone calls and forms but last Friday he got his mission call.  He opened it in his meetings on Sunday and is very excited to be going to Mexico.  We are trying to help eliminate those kind of problems for our young brothers and sisters.
Saturday evening we were able to go to a Baptism in Seamay, and also talked to several members there.  Later that evening we invited some of the Elders up for ice cold watermelon we had bought in the market Saturday morning, a lovely break for everyone!
Sunday morning we headed up the mountain, made a stop in Seritquiche and were able to leave some clothes, ties, shirts from the choir, and two sanitation kits from the Dental tour with them.  Heading further we attended Sacrament meeting in Semarac, intended to attend all of the meetings there, but the District President was there and needed to get up to the next town to take pictures of the youth for an EFY camp in December.  It needed to be turned in on Sunday.  So up we went, went to Sunday School there and then met with members and helped them with their pictures.   Sunday afternoon I talked to the District President in Chulac helping make arrangements for the Dental Clinic we get to help them with for October.
Sunday  afternoon we went and visited with a family we have come to know as our friends down in Seamay, we visit and play together.  This Sunday though we told them about the Book of Mormon and gave them a copy, one in Spanish and one in Q'eqchi.
 We are working hard with several future missionaries helping them get their missionary applications completed, we keep hitting little snags though that can be very frustrating.  Like that they each now need to get a passport before we can finish the process.  Working closely though with the offices and the Branch and District Presidents we are able to help speed up the processing.
Today we went down to the market, on the way down there was a little girl about 2 1/2 kind of running around at the top of the market by herself.  Later in the day when I went to show a lady selling Cocoa where Corina's comedora is, coming back up the hill I saw this sweet little bit holding on to/ leaning into a rope by herself, swaying, obviously very very tired.  I asked someone around her if they were hers, but she wasn't.  I picked the sweet little one up in my arms.  She whimpered once and went fast to sleep, afterwards though no one knew who she belonged to!  Almost thought I would be bringing home a new little girl, but a little later a mom showed up to claim the little treasure.
I decided in memory of not being able to be at my mom's funeral I would make  chocolate cake and share it with friends here, because after funerals back home I always remember the chocolate cake.  Kind of silly, but my way of handling.  It helps though when baking a chocolate cake to add the sugar.  Since I forgot it....  I became very creative which would have pleased my Mom because she was always very creative.  I made up a fudge sauce recipe  but doubled the milk and added nonflavored gelatin.  Tore up the cake, poured it on and fridged it. Yummy.
Not a normal post maybe, but not a normal week either.  It's the little things that add up though, the training meeting we are planning for tomorrow morning for our future missionaries to help them prepare better, the cake I helped Corina bake yesterday so she can raise money, the neighbor we helped with his television controls yesterday because it was all in English, the children who call out to us and want us to stop and talk and work with them in English.  The little 9 year old boy who came to English class for the first time last Thursday who is so excited about coming again, every time he sees me he asks how many more days, and I have to help him count.  He is illiterate so we are hoping that we can also help him get started learning how to read and write Spanish.  The boys who surrounded Harold while he waited in the car on Sunday and he visited with them, introduced them to the Book of Mormon - and made friends.  So many little things, but they hopefully will add up to a part of fulfilling our Saviour's plan.