I hesitated when I found we would be staying in the Mission Home. It is difficult for me to stay with strangers, it is even difficult for me to stay with close friends and family. I don't know why this is, but it is, and it has been a lifelong struggle for me as I have battled feelings like this all my life. So it has been with a great deal of trepidation that I knew we would be doing this from time to time. When we were called on our mission I was very concerned about this particular aspect. I continue to feel like this, but things have changed a lot in 5 months. We were asked to stay in the mission home when we were in Costa Rica, and almost from the moment we arrived I felt comfortable. Costa Rica, unlike Guatemala City, is not dangerous. Anyone can go anywhere, eat anything, drink the water, etc. It is a wonderful country (but I still love Guatemala the most), and we saw a lot of it. President and Hermana Arbizu were wonderful. The house is set in an ordinary neighborhood, but it is beautiful inside with wood floors with something like in-lay. Houses do not have heat or air conditioning and San Jose is almost as high as Guatemala City. It was so cold. The Arbizu's had a little section of their house with a bedroom and bathroom for guests and kindly had three wool blankets, in addition to the other bedding. We used these in the car as we drove from coast to coast and piled them on our beds at night. For some reason, we thought Costa Rica would be warm, but it was colder for some reason than it had been for years. I almost did not take a coat, but as we were pulling out of the parking garage I made dad go back into the apt. and get a jacket. Oh, I'm glad I did.
Dad did health lectures for three zones and in the evening we went to both coasts to do apartment inspections and give everyone's glasses away via small clinics in wards. There was a fourth zone, but it was so far away that they televised the lecture to take to this zone.
Pizza is sort of a traditional lunch for zone conferences around the world, but the Arbizu's provided a Thanksgiving Dinner all three days with mashed potatoes, huge chicken, gravy, and everything else that goes with Thanksgiving Dinner.
We learned to love the Arbizu's in the five days we were there. They left us alone when we needed it, were there to talk to us and counsel us other times and I cried when we left on Friday morning. For some reason I felt this sister and I were friends in some other time and place.
We came home to COLD weather in Guatemala. Everyone has worn coats and gloves and scarves to the office and it never warms up. I found a little heater in the clinic and it has helped. We had Thanksgiving Dinner with the Senior Missionaries yesterday and the weather warmed up nicely. It was a good thing as the dinner was held outside on the Patio.
We are working hard as Wednesday we will leave once more for another 6 day trip up by the Yucatan border. We will caravan, as we did last Saturday and Sunday when we took the mountain trail into the Guatemalan mountains, but this time we won't be going on dirt roads and will be able to take our own car.
How grateful I am for the many blessings we enjoy. We have learned many lessons while we have been here, not the least is that if we are "weak" as Ether discusses,and yet we want to do something of service, that the Lord will help us in unimaginable ways. We do not know of our family's challenges, joys and struggles for the most part, but we pray constantly for all of them, and feel confident that the Lord is looking after them.
Among those blessings are the glasses everyone has so generously donated. They are a miracle to us and to many others. Perhaps these little $1.00 glasses won't last forever for these recipients, but they will last for long enough. I don't even question this. Somehow we know that even a glimpse of what better vision can do is enough. I will leave it to the Lord.
We were able to clean our apartment, but it will be needing it again when we get back home. Once we get home on the 9th, we won't be going anywhere until January and I am glad. Our little apartment is warm and inviting when we get home from somewhere. We put up our Christmas lights day before yesterday. We have decorated a plant we have always had with Guatemalan dolls and white lights and played Tabernacle Choir Christmas music and it was lots of fun.
We have been watching Venus and Jupiter do their wonderful dance in the southwest sky and it has been spectacular. On Thanksgiving evening the two planets met the crescent moon just before they set in the West. We watched until a big apartment building obstructed our view, but the planets were, and continue to be, beautiful. Orion comes up about 8:00 and when it is not too cloudy , takes our breath away. Betelgeuse has to be one of the most beautiful stars in the sky - likewise, the belt stars.
We are, by the way, at 17 degrees latitude.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Where to begin?
What an eventful two weeks. I hardly know where to begin explaining and describing where we have been and what we have been doing. I think I will begin with the Mission President's Seminar. Elder Bednar conducted the whole workshop and, even two weeks later, I still hear his words ringing through my heart. First of all, I will describe where the event was held and who was invited. The seminar was held for all twelve Mission Presidents throughout Central America plus the CCM President, Dad and I, the Temporal Affairs Director, one of the Presidents of the Seventies, the Area Presidency, and all the wives. The Mission President's wives are powerful and incredibly strong. This event was Wednesday through Saturday and I will try to sift through my notes and report on a few of the things we heard. I used a leather book given to me by Leigh and Morgan last summer. It has my General Conference notes and those I could recover if they were lost. The notes from the seminar will remain precious and carefully kept for the rest of my life.
The seminar was held in Antigua, Guatemala, one of the places we will take any visitor who comes. It was the first capitol of Guatemala, but was leveled by several earthquakes over the last several centuries. The small buildings remain and the larger church ruins are treasured. It is a old town with cobblestone streets and where the population wear traditional costumes. That isn't really too different as much of the population of Guatemala wears their vivid traditional clothing. The skirts and blouses are very beautiful, but they are also very easy to wear and are both warm in the cold weather and cool when it's hot. I can't describe why. One just has to see it to understand. The hotel we stayed in is a landmark in Guatemala. It is old, with three museums, places to eat and several places for concerts. The "Messiah" will be held there and it will attract visitors from all over. I hope to be one. Beautiful gardens, walkways, patios, trees and shrubs and flowers fill every corner. Orange, avocado trees, palms, hibiscus, hydrangea and on and on and on, fill every corner. It is very expensive so this will be our first and only overnight visit.
Elder Bednar modeled the way to be a Mission President. We came home with so many ideas of how we could change our presentations to conform with this model. There is no doubt in our minds that this man is an Apostle of God. To be in his company, to eat with him, to listen to his wife counsel the women...all of these things and more were just the surface blessings; but to hear him work with us, question us, to listen to his testimony and to hear him bear witness of the Gift of the Holy Ghost was unforgettable. He spoke with the voice of Authority in his very humble way. He blessed us as only an apostle can do. He counseled us as he taught us to how to work with young men and women so that they can become leaders of the church in their own countries when they finish their missions.
He did not lecture, he questioned. He taught us HOW to listen to the Holy Spirit. We were guided and directed to search for answers to our concerns in ways I have never heard. He
gently said over and over, "Do not waste time asking questions anyone can answer...ask questions that only an Apostle of the Lord can answer". And under his gentle guidance we did. Dad and I sat in the back and from that vantage point we could see everyone and we were struck by the power in that room. It wasn't just Elder Bednar. The men and women in charge of their missions and who are in charge of the hundreds of elders and sisters serving missions, are guided in unexpressible ways. There is simply no way these people could do what they are doing without Heavenly help. It is not possible. There is no way we could be doing what we are doing, as unimportant as it is, compared to the Mission President's and their wives, as we are guided and directed to fulfill and magnify our callings. The more I learn the more I am absolutely humbled. How can we be recipients of blessing after blessing, not just here but in our family and among our friends? Elder Bednar made it clear that our difficulties and challenges are part of mortality and a part of the callings we have, and further, he told us that those challenges will always be present throughout our lives. But what he did do was to help us become confident in patience and trust.
These are sweet teachings I could not ever put in a blog, but they are in my heart and I think I may never forget them. I will tell one interesting story that was part of Elder Bednar's Conference talk. He repeated it to us. When he was president of BYU/Idaho they often had General Authorities visit their home. Just before one of the GAs arrived the Bednars had news of a friend who had suddenly passed away. This man was young, left a young family and a loving wife. Disease is everpresent. They discussed many ways they could help this family. When the General Authority arrived they knelt for family prayer before dinner. Elder Bednar asked his wife to say the prayer. Just before she began, the General Authority counseled her to only express gratitude in her prayer and ask for nothing. She didn't know what to do as her heart was full of grief for this little family; however, she did as she was counseled, and was able to see beyond the immediate sorrow. She spoke in gratitude of the Plan of Salvation and was able to actually understand how it applied to her friends. We have been trying to do this very thing as we kneel in prayer each morning and night, and it is difficult not to ask for favors and blessings for our family. Elder Bednar doesn't mean for us not to ask for blessings, not at all, but to occasionally express only gratitude to a loving Father.
Let me backtrack a bit and speak of the first day. We finally were able to go to Camp Colinas which is similar to the camp in Heber City. They were preparing for a huge regional camp with 6,000 youth and leaders. They had erected 2,000 tents. There was an amphitheater for 2,000 people and yet it was quite small. For the first time, I can understand howKing Benjamin was able to communicate with so many people. Enroute to Antigua we visited a small museum focused on the history of Guatemalan music. This is another place we can't wait to take visitors. Early on Saturday morning we took the bus back to Guatemala City and attended the temple. The endowment rooms are small and hold, perhaps, 40 people. Elder Bednar was in our session and it was wonderful to stand in the circle with he and his wife. When we left the temple there were many teen-agers waiting to see him. That night he held a fireside for all the youth in Central America via telecommunition. Evidently, it was a truly memorable event for the youth. We have spoken to many and have heard this. Elder Bednar did this through means of e-mail. Questions could be asked from any of the seven countries and he could answer immediately.
We are going to load some pictures on the blog and then speak of our trip to Costa Rica where we have seen the hand of the Lord as he guides and directs the Mission Presidents. We were there from Monday to Friday. This last weekend, we went up into the high mountains of Guatemala to give reading glasses while the Mission President of this mission held a District Conference. If our family and friends could have only seen the participants of this little clinic they would shout for joy. The little town of Senahu, at possibly 8,500 feet in altitude, and one which only can be driven to via 4 hours of dirt roads. We gave several hundred pair of glasses away. We ran out of 100+ and 125+ and thought we were out of business until the next wonderful gift arrived. Today, however, when we went to the Central Mission we found a sack from an anonymous donor that held 20 pair of 125+. These little miracles keep happening.
Our biggest miracle, however, is the generosity of our friends and family. The glasses keep coming. Our goal was a "thousand pair by Spring". It was in the Spring, we thought, that we would begin our clinics, but we are giving them away already, as fast as they are coming in. If only everyone could "see" how they are helping others to see. Because of our friends and family we have had at least 600 -700 pair, maybe more, and they are still coming. This little town - next step was the sky and into the clouds because it is so high - had many old people who didn't even know how to put the glasses on. We had impromptu cheering sections from those waiting in line as they helped each other put them on right side up. They all wanted me to take their pictures wearing their new glasses, and I thought it might be helpful if our Humanitarian Missionaries could see that many had no teeth. As soon as I brought the camara up to take a picture they would close their mouths so the camera couldn't take that particular kind of picture. I am going to elaborate on both the Costa Rica trip and the Senehu clinic, but that will have to be later, perhaps tomorrow.
We saw a rainbow as we were coming out of the mountains Sunday night and the end of the rainbow fell into the mountain town we had just left.
The seminar was held in Antigua, Guatemala, one of the places we will take any visitor who comes. It was the first capitol of Guatemala, but was leveled by several earthquakes over the last several centuries. The small buildings remain and the larger church ruins are treasured. It is a old town with cobblestone streets and where the population wear traditional costumes. That isn't really too different as much of the population of Guatemala wears their vivid traditional clothing. The skirts and blouses are very beautiful, but they are also very easy to wear and are both warm in the cold weather and cool when it's hot. I can't describe why. One just has to see it to understand. The hotel we stayed in is a landmark in Guatemala. It is old, with three museums, places to eat and several places for concerts. The "Messiah" will be held there and it will attract visitors from all over. I hope to be one. Beautiful gardens, walkways, patios, trees and shrubs and flowers fill every corner. Orange, avocado trees, palms, hibiscus, hydrangea and on and on and on, fill every corner. It is very expensive so this will be our first and only overnight visit.
Elder Bednar modeled the way to be a Mission President. We came home with so many ideas of how we could change our presentations to conform with this model. There is no doubt in our minds that this man is an Apostle of God. To be in his company, to eat with him, to listen to his wife counsel the women...all of these things and more were just the surface blessings; but to hear him work with us, question us, to listen to his testimony and to hear him bear witness of the Gift of the Holy Ghost was unforgettable. He spoke with the voice of Authority in his very humble way. He blessed us as only an apostle can do. He counseled us as he taught us to how to work with young men and women so that they can become leaders of the church in their own countries when they finish their missions.
He did not lecture, he questioned. He taught us HOW to listen to the Holy Spirit. We were guided and directed to search for answers to our concerns in ways I have never heard. He
gently said over and over, "Do not waste time asking questions anyone can answer...ask questions that only an Apostle of the Lord can answer". And under his gentle guidance we did. Dad and I sat in the back and from that vantage point we could see everyone and we were struck by the power in that room. It wasn't just Elder Bednar. The men and women in charge of their missions and who are in charge of the hundreds of elders and sisters serving missions, are guided in unexpressible ways. There is simply no way these people could do what they are doing without Heavenly help. It is not possible. There is no way we could be doing what we are doing, as unimportant as it is, compared to the Mission President's and their wives, as we are guided and directed to fulfill and magnify our callings. The more I learn the more I am absolutely humbled. How can we be recipients of blessing after blessing, not just here but in our family and among our friends? Elder Bednar made it clear that our difficulties and challenges are part of mortality and a part of the callings we have, and further, he told us that those challenges will always be present throughout our lives. But what he did do was to help us become confident in patience and trust.
These are sweet teachings I could not ever put in a blog, but they are in my heart and I think I may never forget them. I will tell one interesting story that was part of Elder Bednar's Conference talk. He repeated it to us. When he was president of BYU/Idaho they often had General Authorities visit their home. Just before one of the GAs arrived the Bednars had news of a friend who had suddenly passed away. This man was young, left a young family and a loving wife. Disease is everpresent. They discussed many ways they could help this family. When the General Authority arrived they knelt for family prayer before dinner. Elder Bednar asked his wife to say the prayer. Just before she began, the General Authority counseled her to only express gratitude in her prayer and ask for nothing. She didn't know what to do as her heart was full of grief for this little family; however, she did as she was counseled, and was able to see beyond the immediate sorrow. She spoke in gratitude of the Plan of Salvation and was able to actually understand how it applied to her friends. We have been trying to do this very thing as we kneel in prayer each morning and night, and it is difficult not to ask for favors and blessings for our family. Elder Bednar doesn't mean for us not to ask for blessings, not at all, but to occasionally express only gratitude to a loving Father.
Let me backtrack a bit and speak of the first day. We finally were able to go to Camp Colinas which is similar to the camp in Heber City. They were preparing for a huge regional camp with 6,000 youth and leaders. They had erected 2,000 tents. There was an amphitheater for 2,000 people and yet it was quite small. For the first time, I can understand howKing Benjamin was able to communicate with so many people. Enroute to Antigua we visited a small museum focused on the history of Guatemalan music. This is another place we can't wait to take visitors. Early on Saturday morning we took the bus back to Guatemala City and attended the temple. The endowment rooms are small and hold, perhaps, 40 people. Elder Bednar was in our session and it was wonderful to stand in the circle with he and his wife. When we left the temple there were many teen-agers waiting to see him. That night he held a fireside for all the youth in Central America via telecommunition. Evidently, it was a truly memorable event for the youth. We have spoken to many and have heard this. Elder Bednar did this through means of e-mail. Questions could be asked from any of the seven countries and he could answer immediately.
We are going to load some pictures on the blog and then speak of our trip to Costa Rica where we have seen the hand of the Lord as he guides and directs the Mission Presidents. We were there from Monday to Friday. This last weekend, we went up into the high mountains of Guatemala to give reading glasses while the Mission President of this mission held a District Conference. If our family and friends could have only seen the participants of this little clinic they would shout for joy. The little town of Senahu, at possibly 8,500 feet in altitude, and one which only can be driven to via 4 hours of dirt roads. We gave several hundred pair of glasses away. We ran out of 100+ and 125+ and thought we were out of business until the next wonderful gift arrived. Today, however, when we went to the Central Mission we found a sack from an anonymous donor that held 20 pair of 125+. These little miracles keep happening.
Our biggest miracle, however, is the generosity of our friends and family. The glasses keep coming. Our goal was a "thousand pair by Spring". It was in the Spring, we thought, that we would begin our clinics, but we are giving them away already, as fast as they are coming in. If only everyone could "see" how they are helping others to see. Because of our friends and family we have had at least 600 -700 pair, maybe more, and they are still coming. This little town - next step was the sky and into the clouds because it is so high - had many old people who didn't even know how to put the glasses on. We had impromptu cheering sections from those waiting in line as they helped each other put them on right side up. They all wanted me to take their pictures wearing their new glasses, and I thought it might be helpful if our Humanitarian Missionaries could see that many had no teeth. As soon as I brought the camara up to take a picture they would close their mouths so the camera couldn't take that particular kind of picture. I am going to elaborate on both the Costa Rica trip and the Senehu clinic, but that will have to be later, perhaps tomorrow.
We saw a rainbow as we were coming out of the mountains Sunday night and the end of the rainbow fell into the mountain town we had just left.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
November - palms turning orange
I know it is November because I have been watching Aldabaran come up over the Eastern hills (all urban - but interesting). It's too cloudy to see the Pliedes, but at 10:00 we begin to see the bright stars in Orion. These two sky phenomena announce the beginning of winter. We have been going up to the roof almost every night to watch Orion come up earlier and earlier. It's been fascinating to watch the big Zenith constellations in a more northerly pathway.
I thought I had better blog tonight as we are going to a Mission President's Seminar with Elder Bednar and the Mission Presidents and wives and we will be in Antigua for 4 days. Tomorrow we are going, on the way to Antigua, to the huge, and I mean huge, camp for families and young people. It is almost exactly like the Heber, Utah girl's camp. I have been wanting to see this for weeks and weeks and now we will not only get to see it, we are going to have lunch at the camp.
In late November there will be 6,000 young people here for an Area conference for Young Men and Young Women. They have put up 2,000 tents in the last week.
Everything in the seminar is going to be conducted in Spanish, and as Kim and I are the only ones not functional in Spanish it should be interesting. I have been memorizing D&C 4...have finished (and so has Dad), reviewing praying and my testimony in Spanish, and had a friend help me translate a spiritual experience into Spanish. The women will be meeting with Sister Bednar during the daytime while the men are meeting with Elder Bednar. I have never, ever (except James pointed out that we were married by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball) shaken hands with one of the Twelve and I am looking forward to this. I love Elder Bednar's Conference talks and expect this week to be a spiritual feast.
We get back on Saturday and leave for Costa Rica on Monday. We will be staying at the Mission Home for the week and leave to come home on Saturday. This is why I thought I should write the blog now. We came home from work early to get ready and to prepare for a little meeting we are having tonight to plan our building Xmas project. This little facility we are doing the project for has been developed by the Lion's Club and it accepts children who are abandoned, abused, or taken from their families for some reason or another. The children only stay in this facility for 3 months and then a judge appoints a guardian or allows the children to go back to their families after extensive counseling (or so we hope). We are making fleece blankets, some toys, food, games, books, and we think we are going to get some of the humanitarian projects the Relief Societies put together, etc. Dad and I found a great quality fleece for 2.89 cents per yard (60 inches wide). We bought 12 yards and farmed them out to the young women in a ward nearby. Each blanket is one yard long and 60" wide. We are going to tie the ends and the sides the the way our grand-daughter, Jaime Taylor, showed us.
An Area Mental Health Advisor came to Central America Area on Saturday and we are so relieved and excited. This is an element of our mission that we are not comfortable with. Prescribing medications and counseling, as the last Medical Advisor was able to do, makes dad feel uneasy. This woman will be such an asset to our Area and she will be utilized in every mission. By the way, we have 12 missions and approximately 2,000 missionaries. The nurses and Mission President's wives are on the front line and we watch them with amazement as they treat the missionaries so capably.
Now, there is so much to share, but the main point of this blog is to thank everyone for the reading glasses. We had a goal of a Thousand Pair by Spring, but we are going to reach that goal by January. If you only knew how a simple pair of reading glasses can change a life. We are not going to stop with a thousand. Our next clinic will be in early December up near the Mexican border where the Mayan people live. These people are dedicated, faithful Latter-day Saints and we will do clinics when we are not in Zone Conferences. We will be gone for a week and will caravan with several other cars in order to get there. Maybe we will get to see some ruins. This land is the land of the Book of Mormon. We don't know how, but we realize it doesn't matter. What does matter, is that the Book of Mormon seems to come alive for us as we drive here and there through hills and over rivers and streams. The ups and downs of the landscape suddenly fit and fall into place. As we read everything we can get our hands on concerning the art and architecture from these periods we can't help but see the stories and scenes of the Book of Mormon in such a vivid way.
I think we have stressed that the reading glass project is our own. The Area President is pleased with this effort, but it is not part of the Medical Advisor's job description. I thought I had better remind everyone that although the Area is the one to benefit from this project it is not in the Area Medical Advisor Handbook. I think you all knew that and I hope that won't make a difference. My book groups, friends, Dup, friends, family-family, friends of friends and friends of family have been so generous with their time and money. I think you would be pleased if you could see what the glasses do for individuals. I think you would also be pleased if you could see the environment and the living conditions throughout parts of Guatemala and Central America. We believe we will be directed as to where we should go to distribute glasses now that we have enough to get started in a serious effort.
We are in the dry season at the moment and we haven't had rain for two weeks. The days are warm, but the nights are very cool. We haven't had a boring day since we got here as the weather is dramatic and interesting.
There is much to say, but this will be our last post for some time. We love Guatemala and we are learning so much. Hopefully, we are contributing something to these seven countries. We are trying.
Thank you, thank you! If possible, we will do a little clinic in our own little branch during the Thanksgiving holiday. We have a nice range of glass powers and will be able to do two or three clinics.
I thought I had better blog tonight as we are going to a Mission President's Seminar with Elder Bednar and the Mission Presidents and wives and we will be in Antigua for 4 days. Tomorrow we are going, on the way to Antigua, to the huge, and I mean huge, camp for families and young people. It is almost exactly like the Heber, Utah girl's camp. I have been wanting to see this for weeks and weeks and now we will not only get to see it, we are going to have lunch at the camp.
In late November there will be 6,000 young people here for an Area conference for Young Men and Young Women. They have put up 2,000 tents in the last week.
Everything in the seminar is going to be conducted in Spanish, and as Kim and I are the only ones not functional in Spanish it should be interesting. I have been memorizing D&C 4...have finished (and so has Dad), reviewing praying and my testimony in Spanish, and had a friend help me translate a spiritual experience into Spanish. The women will be meeting with Sister Bednar during the daytime while the men are meeting with Elder Bednar. I have never, ever (except James pointed out that we were married by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball) shaken hands with one of the Twelve and I am looking forward to this. I love Elder Bednar's Conference talks and expect this week to be a spiritual feast.
We get back on Saturday and leave for Costa Rica on Monday. We will be staying at the Mission Home for the week and leave to come home on Saturday. This is why I thought I should write the blog now. We came home from work early to get ready and to prepare for a little meeting we are having tonight to plan our building Xmas project. This little facility we are doing the project for has been developed by the Lion's Club and it accepts children who are abandoned, abused, or taken from their families for some reason or another. The children only stay in this facility for 3 months and then a judge appoints a guardian or allows the children to go back to their families after extensive counseling (or so we hope). We are making fleece blankets, some toys, food, games, books, and we think we are going to get some of the humanitarian projects the Relief Societies put together, etc. Dad and I found a great quality fleece for 2.89 cents per yard (60 inches wide). We bought 12 yards and farmed them out to the young women in a ward nearby. Each blanket is one yard long and 60" wide. We are going to tie the ends and the sides the the way our grand-daughter, Jaime Taylor, showed us.
An Area Mental Health Advisor came to Central America Area on Saturday and we are so relieved and excited. This is an element of our mission that we are not comfortable with. Prescribing medications and counseling, as the last Medical Advisor was able to do, makes dad feel uneasy. This woman will be such an asset to our Area and she will be utilized in every mission. By the way, we have 12 missions and approximately 2,000 missionaries. The nurses and Mission President's wives are on the front line and we watch them with amazement as they treat the missionaries so capably.
Now, there is so much to share, but the main point of this blog is to thank everyone for the reading glasses. We had a goal of a Thousand Pair by Spring, but we are going to reach that goal by January. If you only knew how a simple pair of reading glasses can change a life. We are not going to stop with a thousand. Our next clinic will be in early December up near the Mexican border where the Mayan people live. These people are dedicated, faithful Latter-day Saints and we will do clinics when we are not in Zone Conferences. We will be gone for a week and will caravan with several other cars in order to get there. Maybe we will get to see some ruins. This land is the land of the Book of Mormon. We don't know how, but we realize it doesn't matter. What does matter, is that the Book of Mormon seems to come alive for us as we drive here and there through hills and over rivers and streams. The ups and downs of the landscape suddenly fit and fall into place. As we read everything we can get our hands on concerning the art and architecture from these periods we can't help but see the stories and scenes of the Book of Mormon in such a vivid way.
I think we have stressed that the reading glass project is our own. The Area President is pleased with this effort, but it is not part of the Medical Advisor's job description. I thought I had better remind everyone that although the Area is the one to benefit from this project it is not in the Area Medical Advisor Handbook. I think you all knew that and I hope that won't make a difference. My book groups, friends, Dup, friends, family-family, friends of friends and friends of family have been so generous with their time and money. I think you would be pleased if you could see what the glasses do for individuals. I think you would also be pleased if you could see the environment and the living conditions throughout parts of Guatemala and Central America. We believe we will be directed as to where we should go to distribute glasses now that we have enough to get started in a serious effort.
We are in the dry season at the moment and we haven't had rain for two weeks. The days are warm, but the nights are very cool. We haven't had a boring day since we got here as the weather is dramatic and interesting.
There is much to say, but this will be our last post for some time. We love Guatemala and we are learning so much. Hopefully, we are contributing something to these seven countries. We are trying.
Thank you, thank you! If possible, we will do a little clinic in our own little branch during the Thanksgiving holiday. We have a nice range of glass powers and will be able to do two or three clinics.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The whole world was in San Lucas today..
San Lucas is about 20 miles out of Guatemala City. The cemetary in this city hosts the biggest kite festival in the country, and I mean BIG in both contexts. We got to the city early, thank goodness, and we were able to park about 5 blocks away from the cemetary. The street vendors were just beginning to open their shops and the smell of food cooking was almost irresistable. We are not allowed to eat this food as it is a source of hepatitis and parasites, but it looked and smelled so good. We walked to the cemetary along cobblestone streets and we were just a bit early as the kites were just getting the finishing touches. The kites are huge, I estimate about 15-20 feet in diameter. Aztec and Mayan designs or just random designs, made each kite unique. Each kite takes a team to pull it up to the top of the crematorium where they are finally launched. If the wind is right, it will take the kite and pull it upward. This was a perfect day. Sometimes the kites went right up, and sometimes they fell into the crowd. People cheered or gasped depending on the fate of the kite. If it fell, the team would run over, attach huge ropes and pull it up to the top of the building once more At one time, we saw 19 giant kites overhead. They also had two 50 foot kites that were not meant to fly. They put up 50 foot poles and a man would shinny up the pole and set up a pulley. When the kite was finished they would pull up these display kites with the pulley and attach it to the pole. It takes 10 or so men to move these kites and put the covers on them. The designs were elaborate and elegant and everyone gasped when they were raised. We stayed for three or four hours and by the time we left the whole world was coming as we were going. Shoulder to shoulder we marched along the roads. There wasn't room to breathe and everyone was kind. It was truly a holiday atmosphere. During that crowd, however, one of our friends had his wallet picked right out of his front pocket. It was so deftly done that he didn't notice it right away. We were prepared for this and hadn't taken anything with us, including our camera - so no pictures unless someone kindly imports their pictures to our computer (fingers crossed). The streets were jammed and parking was stacked up into the next town. People had to walk 3 or 4 miles to get to the kite festival. When we left we saw one street with a whole fleet of yellow schoolbuses. This was the event of the year! We were so lucky to have stumbled on to this festival. Between all the senior missionaries we always manage to find fun things to do. We have a great group of friends in Guatemala. We feel very blessed.
I love kites! When I grow up I want to learn how to make kites.
I love kites! When I grow up I want to learn how to make kites.
kites, beautiful kites
Latin America does not celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, although I did see a turkey in the market this evening. I remember, years ago, when we moved to Ohio, how surprised I was that July 24th wasn't celebrated. I laugh at the naivete and remember that it took just a moment to shift out of the Mormon mindset.
In Guatemala, however, Christmas decorations are put up in October. I love the different holidays here, and many of them have to do with some sort of political anniversary It is late evening of November 1st, The Day of the Dead, and we have been observing this holiday today with many thousands of people all over Central America. It is a fun, and yet tender holiday, and is much like our Memorial Day. Each country celebrates the day in a different way. Mexico, for example, has bright and colorful paper mache objects like masks, skeletons and other objects, small and large, but the purpose of the holiday is the same in Guatemala. This is a day to honor your deceased family. In all the countries families gather at the cemetaries and clean the graves, put up flowers and wreaths, and recount family histories. The smell of marigolds hovers in the air and the bright yellow flowers dot the landscape. In Guatemala, they do not have all the little dolls and bright folk art, but they do have kites.
We have been noticing kites for several weeks. We have been seeing kites displayed along highways on fences and gutters. Kites are sold in markets and I didn't know why as I had never seen them in markets before. This is the holiday for kites. Most of the kites have geometric designs in bright colors on them, but we've seen some with Mickey Mouse, Batman, and other comic characters. Children, everywhere, seem to be trying to get kites in the air. The people here are very serious about their kites. But, as in other countries in Latin America, it is a happy holiday.
I think the whole world was in San Lucas today.
In Guatemala, however, Christmas decorations are put up in October. I love the different holidays here, and many of them have to do with some sort of political anniversary It is late evening of November 1st, The Day of the Dead, and we have been observing this holiday today with many thousands of people all over Central America. It is a fun, and yet tender holiday, and is much like our Memorial Day. Each country celebrates the day in a different way. Mexico, for example, has bright and colorful paper mache objects like masks, skeletons and other objects, small and large, but the purpose of the holiday is the same in Guatemala. This is a day to honor your deceased family. In all the countries families gather at the cemetaries and clean the graves, put up flowers and wreaths, and recount family histories. The smell of marigolds hovers in the air and the bright yellow flowers dot the landscape. In Guatemala, they do not have all the little dolls and bright folk art, but they do have kites.
We have been noticing kites for several weeks. We have been seeing kites displayed along highways on fences and gutters. Kites are sold in markets and I didn't know why as I had never seen them in markets before. This is the holiday for kites. Most of the kites have geometric designs in bright colors on them, but we've seen some with Mickey Mouse, Batman, and other comic characters. Children, everywhere, seem to be trying to get kites in the air. The people here are very serious about their kites. But, as in other countries in Latin America, it is a happy holiday.
I think the whole world was in San Lucas today.
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