A crazy week..

On Sunday, in the middle of the night I jumped out of bed too fast and as usual my blood pressure was very low. I guess I fell and woke up with a very sore lower back and a bump as big as a goose egg - actual size on the side of my head. The next day, after countless MRI and X-Rays found I had broken the tail bone. Actually, it just a nuisance, not a catastrophe. Uncomfortable rather than real problem. The last time I had a broken tailbone was many years ago when we had taken the young men and young women to Bear Lake and we were playing musical chairs on rocks. I had forgotten just how painful it is and there is really nothing one can do about it. Lots of blessings, though, has come from this: first, or course, that it wasn't worse. Second, I found out how good everyone can be. I have been coddled by dad, pampered by the other senior missionaries, and eaten yummy food brought by everyone. The week has been painful and has passed in a blur. It is Saturday night and I truly am beginning to feel a bit better. I did have a concussion, but that, too, is better. I missed a few mornings and afternoons of responsibilities, but was able to attend to almost all necessary things.

Living in the "Mormon Dorm" is interesting. We rely on prayer a lot. We are all Seniors and not all of us completely healthy so priesthood blessings, commisseration, laughing at things we must endure because we are too old to cure it is a common occurrance for us.

Just now, though, a friend of ours - our very best friend here, had to go to the emergency room and we are praying right now. Marilyn Bawden has struggled with back problems lately and had been scheduled for an MRI this morning. This afternoon, something went wrong and Dad went with the Bawdens to the Hospital. I am waiting for the phone to right as I write.

Since the week as sort of passed in a blur there won't be a lot to write, but I will try to catch up. Yesterday, we took all the Guatemala nurses, their companions and two of the three Mission President's Wives ( because they are the Mission Health Specialist) to lunch. It was wonderful. We gave them all a favor of one of the crocheted Guatemalan Balls with a poem illustrating the way these women are on the "ball".

I am growing pansies, allysum, mint, flowers and oregano in my bedroom by a sunny window. I hope they will continue to do well. It is so much fun to watch them germinate and grow bigger and bigger. I keep a hand-lens beside the pots so I can watch every tiny movement and growth spurt. Right now, the flowers are beginning to shake off their little hoods that covered the seeds. I am not touching them, even though I would like to.

After a week of not thinking much of work I have come too appreciate our little apartment, It has been a haven for me as I have been in a world of hurt. It is just right for us and I love it. I have found a classical music station that just makes me feel at home. In the early morning while we get ready the station plays marimba music prior their starting their classical programming. Marimba music is almost a religion here and I love it. Children stand on boxes to reach the keys as they learn to play. This, too, is one tradition that might slip away in a generation or two and it would be so sad.

The big news, and I have already told my family, is that I actually drove for the first time. Traffic and streets in Guatemala City is crazy because they are narrow, no signs, no addresses, detours, and billboards regularly change their advertising almost weekly. There goes the landmarks. I really haven't paid a lot of attention as I knew Dad would do the driving, but last Friday we got to the CCM and we had left over half of the stufff we needed for the lecture in the office, We didn't know what to do. It's about as far as Bountiful to our house, maybe a bit less, but there isn't a street in Guatemala City that is really straight except for two that I didn't need anyway. I volunteered to go back! I took off, and said a prayer, and got lost immediately at a forked turn. The fork I took went toward El Salvador. I realized I was lost, did a U turn and went back to the CCM. Started over - and got lost again doing the same thing. I realized that this was Heaven's way of telling me that I shouldn't try this. So, I went back to the CCM again, but this time I got lost again and found myself on the right road - one that would take me to the office. I actually did make it, picked up what we needed, and found my way back. It was a miracle and I don't think I will make a habit of this. Although I am getting a driver's license next week. Just in Case!!!

If you are not watching Venus, please do! For the last month it has been at Maximum Brilliance - an unheard of -4.5 magnitude. We will never see it this way again in our lifetime. Last night, to top it all off, there was a crescent moon beside it. Venus will begin to descend this week, but for the last month it has been a spectacular show. Next month Venus, Jupiter and Mars will be beautiful morning stars and will be almost as fun to watch. This dance in the heaven is part of our creation and was planned before the world was. It is dynamic, and truly is for "signs and seasons" as we are told in Abraham, Moses and Genenis.

Dad just called from the hospital and told me that Marilyn Bawden has Typhoid Fever. We don't know how this happened, but they have been in Nicaragua lately. She is comfortable and resting and has many doctors looking in on her. Dad will keep me posted.

We love our branch so much. They are stuck with me as I play this funny little instrument called a techlata for Sacrament Meeting, but they will never be able to budge me out of the job. It is so much fun to watch people come in. The missionaries do an outstanding job and there was only one chair left last week. Our building is coming up and it is so exciting to watch. It will be the largest building in this little village and we drove to El Fiscal to Home Teach last week and took the time to go through it. It is amazing and we need it so badly. It is not large as most church buildings go, but for us it will be perfect and have every single thing we need. I had not idea the steeples were made of fiberglass. I guess I though they were marble or something.

We leave Monday to go to El Salvador for Zone Conferences and we are looking forward to this. I think we will take Friday and Saturday to look at the touristy spots as we don't usually have a chance to do this. Since we are going to take our own car we will have the luxury of planning a bit of the trip.

The last time we were in El Salvador I saw many bright, colorful birds, incredibly huge butterflies, even monkeys were in trees although I could not see them. El Salvadore is a beautiful country and San Salvadore is very modern. We stayed in a beautiful hotel the last time we were there and evidently, we stay there again this time.

Newsletter is finished, other jobs just about finished and the big one we are hoping to make so effective in the whole Central American Area is just being started. Dad took the doctor of the Pres of Guatemala, and a member of the church, out to dinner on Tuesday and asked him what he has done in Quatzeltanango and he has volunteered to help with this project. This may take the rest of our mission, but we have a vision of what we think we will do and we are excited.

Well, dear ones, we love you. You have no idea how much we feel your prayers for us. We are confident in the efficacy of your prayers. We are grateful and know that the inspiration we feel comes because of you.

Next stop...El Salvador

However, I am going to end with a joke we were sent from Frank Higham - who is recovering nicely.

"It seems as though there were two silk worms who tried to out-do each other in everything. as luck would have it, they were named "One" and "Two", respectively. One bright day, One said, " Two, let's us get this settled once and for all. I challenge you to a race to the next tree. " Two immediately agreed, and off they went. At first, it seemed that One would win handily, but Two soon caught up and passed One. Gatehring strength, One put on a burst of speed, and was soon inching ahead of Two. Thus the race went, first One was in the lead, then Two. But, it was all for naught. They both ended in a tie.

I few things about Nicarugua I forgot to mention -

Nicaragua - a safe country - we loved it and felt comfortable and secure. It is a country without many cars, but great highways everywhere near Managua (miles in any direction). We loved driving and it is a good thing, because we spent many hours in the car driving to and from zone conferences with the wonderful Mission President and wife. We loved them right from the beginning and I could hardly bear to think we might never see them again. They are going back to Argentina in July.

Nicaragua is a world of bicycles and carts, mules and donkeys. The carts are everywhere and carry wood, groceries, produce, things I sacks and bundles that I can hardly guess at. These people are long, shapely and beautiful. The houses are colorful and the streets narrow. As one drives along each house has a little pathway into a dim, dark and colorful yard in the back where everyone lives and cooks. I tried to print a picture of one of the little paths, but I'm not sure it is really discernable from that photo. Some streets are cobblestone and some are dirt. Some paths are concrete. The markets, though not as numerous as Guatemala contain gorgeous fruits and vegetables. Carts with cantelopes, pineapples, bananas, etc. are everywhere. One day we stopped at a market and the Mission President's wife bought so many things. We walked up and down this market and with that produce loaded the back of the van. One has to watch where they walk, and sometimes the smell is unpleasant for obvious reasons, but it is a vibrant scene. the fruits and vegetables were just hours away from being picked.

Coffee plantations with beans in sacks all up and down fields are waiting to be gathered. There are "orchards" of trees that will grow so straight they will become utility poles when harvested. Ah, the trees. If I love anything in Nicaragua it is the trees. Trees of every kind - with twisted, spiral barks, trees that are so huge two or three families could live comfortably underneath, trees with branches so huge that one could put a city of tree houses in them - in short, I fell in loved with the trees.

Horses and cattle are not skin and bones, rather they are fat, sleek and well cared for. Nicaragua is a land of horses. One rarely sees a starving homeless dog as we see by the thousands - perhaps millions in guatemala. Even the many horses pulling the countless carts are well- cared for.

The land is fairly flat with rolling hills, but the sight of volcanoes dotting these lands here and there is fabulous by contrast. We spent days in two towns of considerable size and were able to walk and drive through the narrow streets and colorful houses. Flowers are everywhere, hanging from roofs, homes, fences...and it is a land of flower stalls. Fresh flowers, just cut, are sold on every corner.

Parts of Nicaragua will be very hot and very soon, at that, but some of these places are like the top of Emigration Canyon and will stay nice and cool all year. We hit Nicaragua at a perfect time. The weather couldn't have been better.

The mission president's home was beautiful and from the small back yard I could see stars, the full moon, and parts of the city of Managua. We were so amazed that the Mission President could park his car in the front of the house and leave it. Never a worry about security. We are accustomed to watching carefully for any difficulties.

To end, another word about President and Hermana Fraatz - they were the most wonderful people and have become good friends. We thank them for an inspirational experience.

Finally, we have a moment and I hope I haven't forgotten anything

Our two words of the week are "olvidar" and "recordar", and if one adds a "no" and then conjugates it in first person they mean "do not remember - recuerdo", and "I forget - olivado". which seems to be the story of our life. Our poor teacher shakes his head as these two 72 year old gringos seem mentally handicapped. We struggle on...and on!

We are back from Nicaragua. It was a wonderful week of family and workshops and clinics and eyeglasses. During our time in this beautiful country which is like southwest Colorado only with lots of volcanoes. we stayed with the mission president, President Romel Fraatz and his absolutely wonderful wife and their four children: 14, 11, 10, and 7 years of age. We felt at home the moment we walked through the door. We loved them and I cried when we left them. We were with them for 7 days. I had worried so, but I didn't need to as they were fun, funny, interesting, dedicated and delightful confersationalists. We spent many hours in the car each day as our conferences were, except for one day, in various parts of Nicaragua. We had such talks about everything under the sun (and including the sun) that we hated to get out of the car when we got home. To think that the children were waiting for us, however, nudged us and we postponed our conversations until the next day. We loved the family so much! Jeffrey, who is 11, however, lost his Harry Potter book as I confiscated it the night before we left. I did give it back the next morning, though.

The conferences were totally dedicated to health issues and lectures and discussions in the morning and clinics in the afternoon. Both Honduras and Nicaragua Missions cordially invited Kim to use up ALL the time during the day. Every mission president is different and presides differently and it is a joy and a miracle to see how each president approaches his mission a bit differently, although completely effectively.

In one of our glass dispensing - which we also were able to sandwich in, we had two remarkable women come for glasses. One was 90 and the other 97. Both were beautiful and gracious and both, as many people are in Nicaragua, without the means to buy something like a pair of reading glasses. I am no longer going to call those without resources in Latin America poor, as I just received an e-mail from Ann Koelliker. Suddenly, I have a new concept of what "poor" might be. I have cried all afternoon at the plight of people in Zimbabwe as Ann has described unspeakable need. For the most part the people in Latin America have access to water, they can eat something even if it is rice and beans. There is peace in the land - even if it is sometimes fragile, and children can, if they want to go to school. True, some choose not to take advantage. We have circulated Ann's e-mail in our Area Office and I have sent it to my family. I wish there would be something we could do for these people in Zimbabwe.

But, back to Nicaragua. It is a land with trees that defy description. We loved Nicaragua and thought that if ,and when, we grew up we might live there. It is comfortable for some reason. I can't think of any other way to describe it. Perhaps it is because I think I was on the desert committee when the Earth was created. I love desert and open land.

There is only one mission in all of Nicaragua. We had hoped we could fly into the more remote part of Nicaragua as they have some missionaries there, but it didn't work out. Instead, we went hiking. They have a volcanoe with a huge caldera and it has been preserved as a sort of National Monument. With gas masks and helmets we went through a lava tube for a little ways. Small bats were hanging from the walls and flying around as we disturbed them. As far as caves go it was not spectacular, but as we saw the tiny stalagtites of calcium carbonate we realized we were in an embryo of cave formation.

We were the guests of the Mission President and his wife. On this excursion we took the six office elders with us. At the bottom of the volcanoe there is a little museum about the geology of this part of the isthmus . (Did I spell this correctly?). After we walked through it the elders disappeared. We laughed as the six elders came out of the restroom dressed in their levis, long shorts and wild t-shirts. They wore this for the several hours we were on the mountain. We didn't need the helmets at all, but there were several places we needed the gas masks. I couldn't identify the gases, but they were not pleasant and made it impossible to breathe. Back at the museum the elders again disappeared for a minute. When they came back, they had ties and white shirts on and looked, once again, like proper missionaries.

We drove on to another inactive volcanic area and had lunch above a beautiful blue "lake" although they call it a Lagoon, nestled in the caldera of the ancient volcanoe. The wind was so fierce that we had to hold on to one another or to nearby furniture or posts. As we were eating lunch, inside- mind you, the wind came through the windows and doors and blew the food off the end of the table.

We still pinch ourselves at the wonder of being able to participate in the Central American Area as we do. We can't even begin to believe, even after all these things are over, that it really happened and is happening every day. We are blessed in so many ways, but mostly because we know there is no way we could do the things we do without help. We are taught what to do because our Father wants it to be a certain way. Our worry is that we don't listen carefully enough and there might be something important we miss. Ideas have come that we never thought we could dream of much less instigate into the missions here.

Dad is amazing! As he stands and gives health lectures and discussions, holds clinics, dispenses glasses, and uses his Priesthood as he cares for the Area missionaries in a dear and kind way, I feel grateful that he can have this wonderful opportunity to serve and to be affective in that calling.

There is nothing we want or need that we don't have, materially. We have a lovely little apartment, work to do and 7 countries to do it in, many opportunities for enjoyment such as concerts when we have time, and great people to associate with and inspire us. But, if we could have it, there is one thing we want more than anything, and that is for more Senior Couple Missionaries to come to Latin America. We need them so badly. As we travel around the missions we see that there are not nearly enough in any country. Nicaragua, for example, have none, not a single one. Costa Rica has three couples and who are stretched thin. These are just a few examples. Every country needs the leadership as the wards and branches, districts and stakes begin to grow. The church will continue to grow without us because this is a dedicated land, but it would help to have couples here. We need them in droves. We need couples in every country and in every mission. We need people who can love and lead, and it doesn't matter if they have any skills at all because the Lord, through the Spirit, tells us all what to do anyway. What we are experiencing is not a sacrifice in any sense of the word.

Enough of my pleading! We are so happy here and we are happy with the opportunity to serve. We think our son and his wife, James and Tammy, are coming in a few weeks and we are so excited.

Adios!