February 2nd through February 8th

 February 2^nd through February 8^th: Monday we invited some of the secretaries over to the house to learn how to make the Ramon Chinese Chicken Salad we served at the dinner we had for them in December and chocolate chip cookies. 

We taught some of the Secretaries and a friend how to make Raman Chinese Chicken Salad and cookies.

In the afternoon we got together with everyone and celebrated the day of the Candles.  Día de la Candelaria is celebrated on February 2, forty days after King’s day, to remember the day that baby Jesus was taken to the temple to be blessed and Mary to be purified. We celebrated King's Day on January 6th when we ate a Rosca de Reyes, sweet bread cake, with figurines of a baby hidden inside.  Children in Mexico receive their Christmas gifts on King’s Day in recognition of the gifts that the Magi brought to baby Jesus.  The baby figurines are to remember the babies that were hidden from Herod’s soldiers.  I asked what the figurines were for as they began to appear. “If you get a figurine, you get to help make tamales for everybody at another party on Candelaria” was the reply. Sometimes I do love the way they think down here.
February 2nd also marks the mid-way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. This may be a vestige of an old Pagan Tradition, since Feb. 2 has long been thought to be a marker or predictor of the weather to come. Remember that in the USA, Feb. 2 is celebrated as Groundhog Day. (some of our days down here are groundhog days). We didn’t make tamales, Laura Perez bought them.  

Three different kinds of tamales.

Laura bought all the tamales for our celebration of the Dia de la Candeleria.

The tamales were great.  Elder Ray is the only one missing. He is taking the picture.

Tuesday and Wednesday were carbon copies of the last few weeks.  

This is a Sister Mamani from La Paz, Bolivia.  Mom helped her when she received her endowment in Cochabamba 18 months ago, before she left on her mission.  She goes home this week.  The world is such a small place especially in the church.

Thursday we had no excursion coming, so Mom and I went downtown and had a MRI done on Mom’s knee.  This took a couple of hours.  While she was in the machine I walked around the city.  Three hours after the MRI, I returned to pick up the results.  I was handed a bag with three 15x18 negatives, a DVD disc of the results and a letter describing the results from the doctor---all for less than $140, which was paid by the missionary insurance.  The same test at home would be $600--$800.  OK, everything wasn’t fancy and shiny and new, but it makes me wonder exactly what we are paying for at home. 

While mom was getting her MRI, I walked around and visited another church we had not been to before.

The Church of San Francisco

Bell tower.

We made Thursday and Friday marathon days for sealings because we had no excursions coming.  We scheduled all the sealers for 2 hour blocks and did sealings all day long.  In the evening, we had the regular endowment sessions. Saturday we had 4 buses from the Salina Cruz stake arrive at 5:00am.  We had a packed house all morning.  They left about 2 pm and things really slowed down.  Mom was the secretary in the afternoon.  We both had been asked to speak in the evening adult session for stake conference in the Amapolas stake where we are assigned. President Atkinson said he had received a call from the Seventy who was going to preside at the conference and had been asked to speak in the evening session. When we got to the meeting we got unassigned to speak.  Pres. Atkinson did a great job and we can certainly use our talks another time. 

Mom rearranged the furniture in our front room.

Sunday we went to stake conference and then had dinner with all the missionaries and Pres. Atkinson and Pena.  We had a delicious meal of baked salmon.  We tried to talk to all the kids in the evening.  There is nothing we don’t love about this mission.  We are learning and growing in ways we never dreamed of.  We feel so blessed to be able to serve.  We know we have a very small part, but it is very satisfying.

Stake Conference choir.

This is one of our temple workers and his daughter.

Week 3