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. .
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Great News, Wedding, Christmas Activities,
Rosie's eye surgery was successful yesterday! Not sure yet what vision problems she may still have, but they removed the cataracts and she will be able to see!
Last week we invited our boy's family from up the mountain to eat lunch with us. It was a special occasion all around, but we were overwhelmed when the mother presented me with a tortilla cloth/dishtowel that she had embroidered herself when she was in the first grade. It is a great treasure!
District conference in Chulac last weekend and one young man had everything all finished so we were able to complete his Mission file. One other young lady from Sacsuha district was also completed on Monday.
We helped members here in Senahu Sunday evening learn the new Kekchi Christmas Hymns, with the new Hymnbooks there have been some changes, our members here don't know how to read music, so we are learning together.
We were able to participate in the Polochic Christmas Project and Zone activities last weekend. Played with children from the Chulac school and then helped hand out school kits to each of them. Then a yummy dinner and meetings with a lot of our Elders. One of the parents handed me a bag of oranges as the activity was beginning, they are marvelous - fresh grown on the trees of Chulac!
Tuesday we went down to La Tinta and helped the Elders there with the Youth Choir they are working with on the Christmas music.
Today we went to a wedding here, and then afterwards to the Wedding Dinner, it was a traditional Turkey Kakik - Turkey in a spicy broth soup - with tamales. The family also had a wedding cake, which is not a normal practice here. The meal fed probably a couple of hundred people, and took many hours of work for the families and neighbors involved.
Traveling up and down the mountain to get to all of the Conference meetings, Zone activities, then the La Tinta choir - we were able to enjoy multiple sunrises and sunsets going up and down the mountains! In the valley the Sugar Cane fields are in bloom with their large tassels In the morning they do not look that impressive, but in the afternoon sun it is like a sea of white fluff swaying. The nights have been loud, over the weekend with parades and fireworks most of the night to celebrate the Christmas Season. Last night though the dogs from most of the town barked and fought, quite often right outside our house. We had four days of sun in a row, after it having been rainy and cold for several weeks so we really enjoyed it. Today it rained in the morning, then it stopped just long enough for the wedding and the activities afterwards. We were glad to be back in our home again before the rain returned.
Last week we invited our boy's family from up the mountain to eat lunch with us. It was a special occasion all around, but we were overwhelmed when the mother presented me with a tortilla cloth/dishtowel that she had embroidered herself when she was in the first grade. It is a great treasure!
District conference in Chulac last weekend and one young man had everything all finished so we were able to complete his Mission file. One other young lady from Sacsuha district was also completed on Monday.
We helped members here in Senahu Sunday evening learn the new Kekchi Christmas Hymns, with the new Hymnbooks there have been some changes, our members here don't know how to read music, so we are learning together.
We were able to participate in the Polochic Christmas Project and Zone activities last weekend. Played with children from the Chulac school and then helped hand out school kits to each of them. Then a yummy dinner and meetings with a lot of our Elders. One of the parents handed me a bag of oranges as the activity was beginning, they are marvelous - fresh grown on the trees of Chulac!
Tuesday we went down to La Tinta and helped the Elders there with the Youth Choir they are working with on the Christmas music.
Today we went to a wedding here, and then afterwards to the Wedding Dinner, it was a traditional Turkey Kakik - Turkey in a spicy broth soup - with tamales. The family also had a wedding cake, which is not a normal practice here. The meal fed probably a couple of hundred people, and took many hours of work for the families and neighbors involved.
Traveling up and down the mountain to get to all of the Conference meetings, Zone activities, then the La Tinta choir - we were able to enjoy multiple sunrises and sunsets going up and down the mountains! In the valley the Sugar Cane fields are in bloom with their large tassels In the morning they do not look that impressive, but in the afternoon sun it is like a sea of white fluff swaying. The nights have been loud, over the weekend with parades and fireworks most of the night to celebrate the Christmas Season. Last night though the dogs from most of the town barked and fought, quite often right outside our house. We had four days of sun in a row, after it having been rainy and cold for several weeks so we really enjoyed it. Today it rained in the morning, then it stopped just long enough for the wedding and the activities afterwards. We were glad to be back in our home again before the rain returned.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Missions!
Greatest news yesterday! Our daughter Amber received her Mission Call to serve in the Montevideo Uruguay West Mission. She will be entering the Argentina Mission Training Center on April 25. We are so thrilled for her! She wasn't sure what she would do, or where she would stay until she was able to leave, but now with the date she will be leaving it means she will be able to do one more semester at the University - and report the day after her finals!
Here I have been baking cookies to give out to families for Christmas. We also have the video Joy to the World that we hope to show many of the members between now and Christmas. We will be able to use our computer, we have extra speakers for it, taking it into their homes to show it. Grateful for batteries!
We had District Conference last weekend, President Amado of the 70 and member of the Area Presidency presided. We felt very blessed when Sunday afternoon we were able to have him, our Mission President and his counselor plus their wives in our home for lunch. Our leaders our such amazing people, to be able to work closely with them, is an unexpected blessing that has come from serving here.
We are studying hard in the mornings and doing paperwork, afternoons we are out visiting and working with our members here. It is so much fun, we will have one appointment or visit arranged and then on the way to or from we will run into other people who may need help, or have a question. Yesterday was no different, on the way home from an appointment in Seamay a sister we greeted wanted to know about when the Christmas Hymn practice will be. Then we ran into a member of the District Presidency who was trying to reach some Elders, we helped him reach them through our phone. After he talked to them, we asked if there was anything else we could do for him and he asked us if we could go up to another village and help visit members there, definitely a big yes! The little things and events that run together sometimes amaze us.
Tonight we are having a meeting of sorts at the church. We have invited any and all members from the Seamay/Senahu area to join us in practicing the new Christmas Hymns from the new Kekchi hymnbook. Since most members don't read music they are not sure how they go, so we are meeting on Thursdays for the next three weeks - getting ready for Christmas! Hopefully some will want to go caroling with us even.
Funnest question from yesterday: We were walking up a path from Seamay when some young girls greeted us, one about 10 years old had a ton of questions. The best question: Why doesn't Elder Spradlin have any hair? His answer was even cuter - He left it in the United States.
Here I have been baking cookies to give out to families for Christmas. We also have the video Joy to the World that we hope to show many of the members between now and Christmas. We will be able to use our computer, we have extra speakers for it, taking it into their homes to show it. Grateful for batteries!
We had District Conference last weekend, President Amado of the 70 and member of the Area Presidency presided. We felt very blessed when Sunday afternoon we were able to have him, our Mission President and his counselor plus their wives in our home for lunch. Our leaders our such amazing people, to be able to work closely with them, is an unexpected blessing that has come from serving here.
We are studying hard in the mornings and doing paperwork, afternoons we are out visiting and working with our members here. It is so much fun, we will have one appointment or visit arranged and then on the way to or from we will run into other people who may need help, or have a question. Yesterday was no different, on the way home from an appointment in Seamay a sister we greeted wanted to know about when the Christmas Hymn practice will be. Then we ran into a member of the District Presidency who was trying to reach some Elders, we helped him reach them through our phone. After he talked to them, we asked if there was anything else we could do for him and he asked us if we could go up to another village and help visit members there, definitely a big yes! The little things and events that run together sometimes amaze us.
Tonight we are having a meeting of sorts at the church. We have invited any and all members from the Seamay/Senahu area to join us in practicing the new Christmas Hymns from the new Kekchi hymnbook. Since most members don't read music they are not sure how they go, so we are meeting on Thursdays for the next three weeks - getting ready for Christmas! Hopefully some will want to go caroling with us even.
Funnest question from yesterday: We were walking up a path from Seamay when some young girls greeted us, one about 10 years old had a ton of questions. The best question: Why doesn't Elder Spradlin have any hair? His answer was even cuter - He left it in the United States.
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