Last Blog, summary

It is January 2010 and we are home. Being with our children and grandchildren is heaven on earth. This is the last blog for my journal, but it wouldn't be complete unless I added the activities of the last three weeks of December and the first week of January. This journal entry will conclude our account of our wonderful experience in Central America/Guatemala.

On December 16, 2009, we waited with great anticipation for our grandchildren to arrive at the Guatemala Airport. We will never forget the sight of them pushing their way through the glass doors into the walkway. They are so beautiful and good and they were the only thing we could see through our tears. Suddenly, the rest of the crowd disappeared.

They arrived on Saturday and we spent that night briefly going through the activities for the next few weeks. They came with a purpose which was to engage in meaningful service projects throughout the Guatemala City area. They did this and much more. We began Sunday with two church services. Jaime helped me play for a ward choir in another chapel. This was a Christmas concert and it was comforting for me to be the page turner. Jaime just took charge much to my relief. After our own church meeting we ran home for dinner just long enough to get little sacks full of gifts they had made the day before. We went to a hospital in Zone 1. It was so basic and needy and the many children were given gifts, the girls sang to them and Jaime and Maddie accompanied with our little traveling techlado. We have carried this with us throughout Guatemala the last 18 months and its odometer would read something like a thousand miles...if it had one.

That evening, on the way home from the hospital, we drove across the city to a fairly rough zone to visit Gert Karnischitsky. He has a little house down in a gully, but he has made this tiny house comfortable with his skill in planning and creating. He is from Austria, Czeck, Holland...a gracious and distinguised gentleman, etc....and the girls were fascinated by his stories. They sang to him, we brought treats and had a little Feliz Navidad Program.

Monday morning (December 21) was spent making cookies, planning and working on orphanage gifts, shopping. We spent the afternoon in Antigua where the girls had a wild time shopping, visiting and taking millions of picturs. Jessie is so talented and her photos are posted on her facebook. We gave up taking pictures as Jessie could do it so much better. Her record of Antigua is wonderful.

Tuesday and Wednesday (22 and 23) were the only real play days for Lindsey, Jess, Jaime and Maddie as we had programmed every other day of their two week stay with service projects.
We visited Quiriqua (spelling), my favorite archeological site as it seems to be "the library" of Mayan history with its enormous stelae, and late in the afternoon got to our destination in Rio Dulce. We stayed in Banana Palms that night. During our mission we have found that the game of Dominoes is actually a real game. All this time we thought it was only created to drop from the shelf onto the floor of the utility room so one could make tunnels and highways. What do you know? We played a lengthy game of Dominoes with the girls winning every game.

The next day we took the boat trip down Lake Isabell, visited a little Caribbean town and went further into the ocean and banked in a cove, hiked a trail called "Seven Alters" which are a series of limestone pools that wend their way into the jungle.

On the 24th, Christmas Eve day, we finished our projects for the orphanage, met all the senior missionaries in the building, had our little program and hung socks on the bookcase. The girls made tons of cookies while dad and I gave a lectures and shots in the CCM. We went to the hospital with the Robertson family and had pizza that night with this remarkable family who had girls almost the same ages as ours. At 11:00 p.m. we went to a small buffet with our wonderful friends, President and Hna. Torres who live in a 15 story apartment building. At midnight the fun begins as the whole city lights up with fantastic fireworks. We went up onto the roof and spent the next hour trying to decide which direction to look. Close to the building the fireworks were huge. The full moon was in the Western sky and it was difficult to decide which to look at as both the fireworks and moon were bright. I have a few pictures with the moon and the fireworks together. One gets the vastness of the city as we look as far towards the volcanoes and hills as possible as the fireworks diminish in size with distance.

The next morning (25) we had a scone breakfast as the Graffs and we, the girls and many other senior missionaries walked around the corner and found ourselves in a different world. Kim and I had been working with the orphanage for months and we spent many hours in the next three days working with these children. Between 70 and 130 children under age 5 are in this building. They have a little food, mismatched shoes, bare mattresses...but the children do have a roof over their head, someone to change diapers, and keep them on a schedule. Imagine taking care of 130 children, 20 tiny babies, 24/7. The staff is stretched, but wonderful. No one has time to hold or sing to these children, so on Christmas Day we took hours in the afternoon to do some little programs and then just hold and play with the children. The girls were incredibly loving and helpful. That evening we had a fireside for the missionaries in the CCM The girls sang and played the piano.

Saturday (26th) was also spent in the orphanage, later in a hospital. We had a moment to shop in Central Market, visit the topo map, and drive through parts of Guatemala. The girls spent time in the Guatemala Temple doing baptisms and confirmations...about 95 of them.

Sunday..(27) .again church...donate a techlado for Hna. Silva and host a dinner in our tiny apartment for the missionaries, the Marroquins and the Astorgas. We had dinner, sang Christmas Carols until it was time to take these wonderful families back to El Fiscal where we go to church.

Monday (28) the girls spent many hours in the orphanage once again, visited hospitals, distributed blankets and church baby kits. I believe this was Roosevelt Hospital.

Tuesday, (29). the girls visited a hospital with the Robertsons to play and work with children. I had planned a night of music for our ward that evening so I spent the day preparing for that and wringing my hands. Our good friends, the Blackburns, went with us to be Santa Clause. The Robertson family came to support us, as well. We were undecorating the Chrismas tree and Santa came by to tell everyone how much he had enjoyed his Guatemalan vacation. We knew from past experience that maybe no one would come. To our surprise the chapel was filled from wall to wall and side to side. We had planned this night as a gift to our little town, elFiscal. The missionaries had taken fliers around the town and people actually came. Every person in our branch attended that night plus family members who were inactive. We had 15 non-members and their children, many less actives plus our own branch members. We had planned refreshments and the branch president took charge which was a miracle in itself. This was the crowning activity in our beloved branch and many knew it was our last time to be in church. They loved us, helped us, were patient with us these last 18 months and everyone gave us hugs and very kind words. We will never, ever forget our little El
Fiscal Branch and its wonderful people. It is difficult to imagine, I know, but try! Two little old people from Sugarhouse spending three hours a week, attending church where a language was spoken that we didn't understand very well, and yet feeling great love and support. People sitting on both sides of us would help us find the correct hymns, point to scriptures we were supposedly reading in Sunday School and Relief Society. There was a great love and bond between the 79 members of our branch and with us. It is difficult to explain, but we felt loved and cared for and, what's more, they allowed us to give to them through music and example.

We had so many other activities: all service oriented, but at noon on Tuesday we piled in our car to head to Lake Atitlan to do an eyeglass clinic. This was to be our last clinic as we had saved 300 glasses to dispense in the little town of San Lucas Atitlan. Jessie helped us measure, Maddie, Jaime and Lindsay helped people select their glasses, clean them and generally encouraged the people who came through. We always work with missionaries and they were wonderful. We speak such little Spanish, but it doesn't matter when the missionaries are there. It doesn't really matter anyway...we did a clinic in the Polochik about a year before and the missionaries had to leave for awhile. We did just fine. I clown around, Dad grabs people to help him measure, and language doesn't really matter.

We stayed in cabins in the jungle that night and walked through the famous gardens of the Hotel Atitlan ( we didn't stay there). The next day the girls did a fabulous zipline through the jungle.

The following days: Birth defect center...most distressing, but the girls were gracious and kind. This was followed by a visit to maternity hospital to distribute baby kits. This is a hospital for the indigent as the women knock on the door of the little facility and tell them they are in labor. They stay in the hospital long enough to have their baby delivered and rest for a few hours before they have to leave.

In between all these activities with the girls we were trying to finish our mission duties. Our friends, the other Senior Missionaries, were so kind and supportive. Never before in our lives and probably never again, will we find such a compatible group. We all had diverse assignments in the Area, and yet we were united in every thing we did. We helped one another, we supported one another...and the many things we had to do that last month were assisted by our good and dear friends. They welcomed and loved our granddaughters. They provided many material things we were able to give away those two weeks. In every way they extended love and service to us. How can we even begin to describe the love we feel for each of them. These people are/were great souls, multi-talented and gracious and generous in their love for us, for each other and for Central America.

We dropped the girls at the airport on Saturday at noon and drove home long enough to clean, sort and organize the office, do carpetas and then go back to the airport to pick up the new AMA. They would be staying with us for the next five days while we trained these wonderful people. Instant friends and kindred spirits were these two dedicated people.

We left on Thursday morning to come home to our family. We saw Charlie and Tim first and as we left the airport surrounded by our wonderful family we could only say a quiet prayer of thanks for the last 18 months. We love our Lord and Savior, we know Central America is a unique and dedicated land. We have love and admiration for the mission presidents, the missionaries, the members, and the people in general. Where in the world, except here in Guatemala would every person getting on or off an elevator say, with genuine feeling, "Buenos Dias? Tardes! or Noches!"? Meeting anyone at the grocery store, at a door, a restaurant, the men who took such great care of us in our office and apartment building always resulted in a genuine smile. This greeting was something we will never forget. A smile always got a smile back in return!!! We loved Guatemala, we loved Central America. Our dear mission president friends...will always be our friends. In this last post we thank everyone with all our hearts.