May 29th through June 4th

May 29^th through June 4^th:  Thursday, I started the day with Pres. Atkinson inspecting the gardens and the temple.  We were with the gardener, the worker in charge of cleaning and the FM manager in charge of the temple.  We were looking for things that needed to be done before the temple review on the 7, 8, and 9 of June.  Elder De Hoyos will be coming to do the review.  He will be the area president come July.  While we were doing our inspection, the rest of the missionaries were helping clean the temple.  Every Thursday that we don’t have a group from outside of Oaxaca, we help clean the temple.  About 10:00a.m, a group of people showed up with a bride and groom to be sealed.  Somehow we had missed their reservation and so we were scrambling to put the temple back together in order to take care of this group.  Within this group were 2 ex-temple presidents.  There needed to be a session because the young man that was going to be sealed needed to receive his endowment first.  It was our first wedding here in Oaxaca.  They seemed so happy after their sealing. 

The wedding that showed up during the cleaning of the temple.  It was fun to help them.

We finished up about 2:00pm and went home and had lunch.  We went back to the temple and worked till 7:00pm.  By then my back was hurting from being at the computer.  We needed a good night sleep because we had to be back at the temple at 6:00am on Friday.  Friday ended up the best day ever.  We started at the temple at 6:00am and we had 2 buses arrive early.  The temple was very busy, but everything ran very smoothly.  We went home at about 11:30am to have lunch and we were back at the temple from 2:00pm till 5:30pm.  I got to officiate another session.  After the session, President Atkinson said to me, “Congratulations”.  I responded, “For what?”  He then explained that he had received that day a letter signed by Pres. Monson and only Pres. Monson that activated my sealing authority so that I can be a sealer here in Oaxaca.  He gave me the letter.  He also said that our daughter can stay in one of the empty apartments in July when they come.  Hooray.  Then to make it even better, he let us take his car to Walmart.  But the thing that toped it all off was when we got home, our fast internet had been installed.  Chris had to use it to call a few people and I am so glad that mom is really feeling a lot better and we are sure that she just had a bad pulled muscle. Saturday, we went for a long walk in the morning and then I cooked enchilada sauce and made refried beans. 

Thanks Mark and Linda for the goggles.  Me cooking re-fried beans.

I also cooked some chorizo with veggies and eggs for breakfast.  I haven’t made my salsa yet and it needed a good salsa.  We went and worked in the temple from 11:30am to 6:30pm and I got to do my first sealings.  The group also had some family names that needed to be done, so I got to do them. 

Mom got to dress these two for the sealing to their parents.

Sunday, we went to church with the Allreds again.  I bore my testimony in church and talked about the importance of worshiping in the temple and that we can find answers to our challenges as we attend the temple. We were invited to their house for dinner and it was pot luck.  So I used my refried beans and enchilada sauce to make chicken enchiladas.  I also made salsa.  We sat around and talked to them for a couple of hours.  We discovered that we had ancestors in Nauvoo that lived across the street from each other.  Then we called each one of our kids.  It was so fun to see them and to talk to all of our grandkids that would come to the computer.  Monday, We lost our internet.  Waaah,

 I went over to the temple to check on the missionaries that we had arranged to help plant flowers.  It is time to change out some of the flowers that are dying.  We got President Leyva to send over some of the young missionaries to help us Monday and Tuesday. 

President and the missionaries planting roses.

We then went shopping at Sam’s Club.  We don’t have a membership, but the Allreds do and we went with them.  Then we went downtown to explore.  We visited a number of churches and then had lunch on the Zocolo.

Mom outside the church we visited on Monday.

One of the many churches here in Oaxaca.

This is part of the main plaza, we ate lunch at the restaurant on the left.

Mom waiting for lunch.

I had the chicken with black mole.  Yum Yum

Another one of the churches on the main plaza.

We did a little shopping at the big market and bought fresh flowers.  We had a birthday party at our house for Elder Roesberry.  I have been spelling his name wrong for the past couple of weeks. His wife, Jan, had made lasagna and it was delicious.  Allreds brought pie and ice cream.

Greg's birthday dinner.  L to R Mom, Clyde Allred, Lora Sue Allred, Greg Roesberry, Jan Roesberry and President Atkinson.

We then played 5 crowns till 10:00pm.  That is really staying up late for me.  Tuesday, I went to the temple at 7:00am to get the agendas ready for the FM meeting at 8:00am and the Presidency meeting at 10:00am.  We finished up with the meetings at 1:30pm.  We came home for lunch and then went back to the temple and worked until 7:00pm.  Tuesdays are my hardest days.  My mind hurts from listening so hard to all the details in the meetings and then I have to get the changes and assignments out to everyone.  Wednesday, we got in a walk and got to the temple by 8:00am.  I was assigned as the sealer for the shift and had a nice session with about 12 people.  The endowment session was full of young missionaries so it was nice to have a good sized group for sealings.  We got home at 1:00pm for lunch.  I am now blogging.  But I have to stop because Chris wants to go over to a restaurant and talk to the owner about providing the lunches for the 2 days that Elder De Hoyos will be here next week.  We then went to the Roesberry’s apartment and decided to go downtown and see the museum at the convent of Santo Domingo.  It is the largest church and convent in Oaxaca.  It was amazing and very interesting. 

Santo Domingo Convent and Church.

As we start our tour of the museum.

The library with lots of books from the 1500 and 1600's.

They had some great gliffs.

Inside the convent.

The ceiling at the top of the stairs. It is a dome.

Lots of stuff found at Monte Alban.

Lots of stuff found at Monte Alban.

Lots of stuff found at Monte Alban.

Lots of stuff found at Monte Alban.

Lots of stuff found at Monte Alban.

The Spanish tried to destroy all the codexes but some survived.

I was really impressed with the brick work in the domed ceilings.

One of the many courtyards in the convent.

Santo Domingo Church from the convent.

Another one of the domed ceilings.

Inside the church of Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo Church.

Santo Domingo Church.

Santo Domingo Church.

We then had pizza downtown and played 5 crowns in the restaurant while we waited for the rain to stop. 

Pizza and 5 crowns.

The walking street, no cars, Santo Domingo church is behind me.

It never stopped so we got out the umbrellas and found a cab home.  We lay in bed and listened to 3 bull frogs in our back yard attempt to keep everyone awake.  Boy, were they loud.  I have had a number of very Spiritual experiences in the temple here in Oaxaca.  I love the temple and the work that goes on there.  I know that this is the work of our Father in Heaven and that he loves all his children and he wants all of us to return to Him.  The temple makes that possible.  I am not going to be shy.  I now want you all to know that we need more senior couples down here.  We are recruiting and need some of you to put your papers in and request to come to the Oaxaca Temple.  You will love it here.  Let me know if you are interested and I will have President Atkinson contact the missionary department and we will make it happen.

(Without our internet, I had so sit outside Pres Allred’s house and work off his wi-fi.  I sat outside his house in my pajamas from 5:00 to 6:00 am loading photos.  Luckily, it was dark.)