Highlights

When you wake up at three in the morning and can't sleep there is always something that needs to be done.  Luckily with this happening this morning I also found that the Internet was working, we had difficulty all week long to get signal for using it to communicate.  

Some Days are highlights of your lifetime and this week we participated in the Highlights of many people's lives. We helped set up, play for, then helped serve the food after the wedding of one of our young returned missionaries on Wednesday.  We took the youth from the group of Americans to sing and play with children, then one day to learn how to make tortillas.  Saturday though is one of those days that needs a special star. We delivered a Mission Call to a future missionary on our way to a baptismal service in Sajonte. This baptism was unique in many ways, but mainly because it was the beginning baptisms for a community and 32 people were baptized. To accommodate so many people Baptisms were held inside the church and outside in a portable font on the Basketball/Soccer court. The new members are from Saranch, a community about two hours by foot trail, or 45 minutes in truck - away from the nearest LDS chapel in Sajonte. where a Pastor and his congregation in a community about 2 hours from the church in Sajonte became unhappy with the doctrines and workings of the church there, a member of his congregation is LDS, but because of distance was only able to get to the church in Sajonte about once a month, the rest of the time attending this other group. He suggested they learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then passed on a referral to the Elders and they began teaching the families, walking over to the community with other members three times a week. There are several other families in the community waiting to hear the discussions, but Saturday there were 32 prepared for baptism which is definitely a momentous occasion.

Earlier in the week, in order to level out perhaps the joys and difficulties of the week I had the opportunity to scream like a girl. The slug on the couch I easily dealt with, but then I saw a snake rapidly leaving the kitchen in front of me, I actually let out what Harold called a real "Girl Scream" The snake was bigger than the last one we found and wasn't poisonous, but we waited until it was dead to try and find that out.  

The joy of little things

There is a humanitarian group in this week that we are helping out with some and that is always a lot of fun. Took a group of their youth out to visit in the neighborhoods to sing and play with the children. It is so much fun watching them interact with all of our “kids”! There is such a special feeling as we walk down the streets or trails here and people call out to us, or those passing greet and hug us. They have all become such a part of our lives as we talk, joke, laugh and share together. We stopped by one home to visit last week and the kids were in front rolling down the lawn and playing like we did as kids, we got them doing wheelbarrow races together and then they tried doing 3-legged races while we all applauded their amazing feats. Another member told us they had some beans for us from their harvest and so we went and sat together in front of their home shelling beans together and visiting. Sometimes being Senior Missionaries is a completely different type of mission as the younger missionaries as we work supporting and loving our members.

This morning we get to work with the missionaries on their English, plus one of the Branch Presidents called us last night and asked us to help with a wedding at the church today. The Gringos are still here, so we may work with them some also this afternoon in between helping prepare for the wedding and the real wedding time this evening.

Father blesses us in so many many ways, it is hard to imagine or even explain sometimes.  We went to a branch Sunday that, when we first came to our mission, the mission President didn’t realize there was still a group there, even though they had a lovely Church Building.  We found out there were about 5 members still somewhat active and that it had once been a very strong branch.  There are missionaries working there now, and Sunday when we visited them they hit a new high for the year of 58 members in the Sacrament Meeting!

 I love days that are full, I love having this privilege of serving here in Guatemala.

CHOCOLATE

Brownie mix, Cocoa Powder and Hot Chocolate mix all in the cabinet. New batch of Chocolate No Bake Cookies in the jar, so why this feeling of trepidation knowing we just ate the last piece of American chocolate in the house? Made whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes trying to kick it, but knowing the next planned trip out of the valley is 34 days away, when our daughter Erica comes to visit, makes the silly chocoholic in me cringe.  This morning we are still in a cloud and it is almost 8am, but it is dissipating and we are about to head to the market for fresh veggies and fruits, we missed it on Tuesday because we were busy working with all of our missionaries.  Love market days and seeing all of our members!  When we get back we are having a little birthday get together here in the house for one of our young sisters who is living with her brother, her Mom is deceased and her Father lives elsewhere. This afternoon we are going out into some of the communities to play with the children and a baptism this evening.  Yes, there are many things even better than Chocolate!