October 22nd through October 28th

October 22^nd through October 28^th: This was the ultimate week of goodbye parties.  Every day we had a luncheon or party to say goodbye to different groups of people.  It was exhausting and at the end of the week Chris said to me, “I feel loved out,” meaning that she had felt loved by those who were saying goodbye to us and that she had given love to the point that she felt she could not do it anymore.  It is hard to explain how draining it is to say goodbye to people you have grown to love and admire.  

Monday we took the missionaries shopping and then in the evening we had a pot luck dinner and family home evening to say goodbye to us and President and Sister Funes.  We have such great missionaries and we love and appreciate them.  We look forward to some reunions in the future.  We have also had wonderful counselors, who have made our jobs so much easier.  Brother Abadillo said that he can’t remember a presidency with more unity.  We certainly have been blessed to work with great men and women.  

Dinner and goodbye for Family Home Evening.

Tuesday we had a luncheon with the Tuesday morning shift.  They had a cake made that said “We love you”.  At some parties each person would take a few minutes and thank us and in others just the coordinators would speak.  Everyone said such kind and loving things to us and about us.  We know that we fall short of who they think we are.  But in each party we also had the opportunity to thank them for their service and to express our love.  

Tuesday morning shift.

They got us a cake that says, "we love you".

Wednesday during the morning shift we had a goodbye party in the nursery with the Wednesday morning shift workers and then after our morning shift we went to lunch with the office and laundry staff.  These are some of our closest and most loved friends.  We have worked with them on a daily basis and we love each other very much.  After lunch at my happy place, Applebee’s, we went back to the patron housing building and they each expressed their thanks and love and they presented us with a plaque that reads “To, John B. Norman and Christine Norman, for your valiant service and dedication as President of the temple and Temple Matron of the Guatemala City Temple, November 2015 to October 2018.  We also thanked them and gave them all big hugs and expressed our love.  We will truly miss this group of dedicated temple employees.  

Wednesday at Applebee's with the office and laundry staff.

Our plaque

Back at the patron housing building.

Mom and Sister Funes with all the girls from the office and the laundry.

Thursday morning we took Silbert and Jennifer Gordon shopping to Mega Paca and Price Smart.  As you can see in some of the group pictures, they were here from Belize and staying at the patron housing for the week.  They wanted to come back and say goodbye to us and all the temple workers.  They had to return home quickly from their mission and did not get a chance to say goodbye.  We then had a luncheon with the Thursday afternoon shift.  

Mom filling up her plate.

This is the Thursday night shift.

Friday after our morning shift, we had a luncheon with the morning shift workers, at San Martins, a restaurant that is very close to the temple.  In the afternoon, we took the Gordons to buy their bus tickets.  It took us 2 hours to drive downtown and back.  We are going to miss everything about Guatemala except the traffic.  

Friday morning shift at San Martins

Saturday we had the early morning shift and then a luncheon with the morning shift workers.  We then cleaned out our lockers and office and went home to get serious about packing our bags.  

Saturday morning shift.

At 4:00 pm, President and Sister Hill picked us up and took us to dinner at Tony Romas.  We had baby back ribs and great conversation.  It was the perfect break from packing and put us both in a good mood.  

Dinner with President and Sister Hill at Tony Roma's.  Great friends!

Saturday evening we had most of the missionaries come over and take whatever they could use of the food we had left over.  Since we have eaten out every day this week we had a lot of food that we did not prepare.  Sunday I got up early and went to my last Area Coordinating Council Meeting.  We started with a sacrament meeting where Elder Pineda asked me to speak with no notice.  It was nice to be able to say goodbye to the stake and district presidents that we have worked so closely with.  I was also able to give each of them a temple tie.  In the afternoon we had our annual temple worker/employee devotional.  We spoke, President Alvarado and his wife, the new temple president and matron and President Juan A. Uceda, the area president, also spoke.  Then they had everyone who wanted to say goodbye to us and hello to the new presidency pass us on the stand.  It took an hour for everyone to pass by.  We got lots of hugs and kisses from dear friends.  It was perfect for our last goodbyes.  

It was a packed house for our devotional.

Getting ready for our devotional.

The line of workers wanting to say goodbye.

Lots of hugs.

Sister Baltrons, one of the secretaries and her family.

The new temple presidency.  L to R  1st councilor, President and Sister Flohr, my old councilor, Sister and President Alvarado, new temple president, Sister and President Boteo, new second councilor.

We got a lot of presents and now are going to borrow another suitcase from President Hill so we can get everything home.  I am posting this tonight because we leave for the airport at 5:00 am.  Brother Abadillo will pick us up and we will be singing the following.

“All our bags are packed, we’er ready to go, Abadillo is standing outside our door. Cause we’er leaving on a jet plane, don't know when we’ll be back again.  Oh, babe, we hate to go.”

October 15th through October 21st

October 15th through October 21st:  Monday was once again shopping day.   Tuesday we had the morning shift and then in the evening we went and had dinner (at 9:30 pm) with the Tuesday afternoon shift.  They are so sweet and want to express their thanks and appreciation for our service and it gives us an opportunity to say goodbye.  

We met in the cafeteria and Sister Cristales  cooked carne asada on a grill.

The shift coordinator, Brother Cristales.

President and Sister Funes will be released with us and they were also honored.

Wednesday and Thursday we did the evening shift.  Thursday evening I did my first sealing session with stake presidents and their wives.  I have invited all the stake presidents that are close (within 2 hours) to come and do a sealing session with me as the sealer.  Next week I have a session scheduled everyday but Saturday.  Friday morning at 6:00 am we packed up the 4x4 we got from the area office and headed with the Jensons to Chulac.  Originally we were not going to be able to attend this district conference, but two weeks ago Elder Pineda changed the Coordinating Council Meeting for the South Area from the 21^st to the 28^th.  That left an opening on the 21^st to attend the conference in Chulac.  Mom was not excited to make the 7 hour drive into the Polochic mountains again.  It is a difficult drive of hours over bumpy, muddy, dirt and rock roads.  But we felt that it was meant to be, that we should attend this conference.  When I had told President Faundez, the mission president, and President Maas, the district president, that we would not be able to attend because of the CCM with Elder Pineda, they were very disappointed because they said they were planning an activity for us on the Friday before the conference.  So we left early Friday morning for Chulac.  

There has been heavy rains and many places had landslides onto the road.

Lots of wash outs and landslides on the dirt roads also.

Click below to see the videos.

Water on the road


Mud on the road

This is why the car has mud 1/2 way up the doors.

We drove many miles on muddy dirt roads.

Click below to see the videos.

Crossing streams 

The river was high

On the way, we met up with President Faundez at a gas station and we were so surprised when out of his car came a young missionary from Otavalo, Ecuador.  He had his long traditional braided hair and boy, did he bring back memories.  I served near Otavalo as a young missionary 47 years ago and I came to admire and love this group of people. When I was in Otavalo there was a small branch.  Elder Quajam told me there are now three stakes there.  Amazing! 

Elder Fernando Guajam from Otavalo, Ecuador where I served as a young missionary.

We arrived in Chulac about 1:00 pm and went straight to President Maas’ home for lunch.  They served us Kakik, which is a traditional dish here in the Polochic.  It is really turkey broth with a big piece of turkey sticking out of the bowl.  They like to add a lot of hot peppers and make it spicy.  

Lunch of Kakik at President Maas' home.

Mom has a smile, but Kakik is not her favorite.

I ate it all gone.

We then went to the chapel and they were getting ready for a cultural celebration.  They had served everyone lunch and were cleaning up from that activity.  The marimba band was starting to play music.  They young men were playing soccer on the new cement court.  

The Relief Society cleaning up from lunch.

Soccer

Click below to watch the soccer.


Soccer and Marimba music

Wonderful marimba band

Click below to hear the music.



Marimba music


More marimba music



Mom dancing

About 3:00 pm everyone moved into the cultural hall and they started the program.  Each branch provided a cultural presentation.  All of them were dances, but they had on different traditional clothes.  

The sign on the wall says: Presentation of cultural activities in the Chulac District Conference, 19 October 2018.

Lots of dancing from the youth.

Click below to see the videos.


Dancing

More dancing

There  were a few hundred who turned out for the activity.

These two stole the show.

They even changed costumes.

More dancing.

Mom showing off her dancing skills.

At the end, they called up three of the oldest men there, all of them in their seventies and then they called up me.  I am sure this was President Faundez’ idea.  Then they announced that some of the young girls wanted to dance with older men.  But only three girls came up and they chose the three old men.  Nobody wanted to dance with me.  Finally, they called up one of President Maas’ sisters and she became my partner.  Then the music started and we danced.  Looking at the video I did not do so bad.  By the end my legs were burning and I yelled “basta” which means enough.  The music soon ended and I was so relieved.  At the end they had Mom and I say a few words.

Click below to see Dad dancing.

Dad dancing

  

Mom thanking all the saints for being such great examples of sacrifice to come to the temple.

We then drove another 25 minutes up and over a mountain to Sikaab’e, a school where we would be staying.  The views from our balcony are amazing.  The hike to get to the cabins is a little tiring, but always way worth it.  

This is the view from the balcony of our cabin.  The picture doesn't take your breath away like it does in real life.

Saturday morning we drove to a new dam they have built to produce electricity and the lake that has been made behind the dam. We then got ready for the afternoon sessions of the conference.  Mom and I spoke in the adult session and then I spoke in the priesthood and relief society meeting.  They were both nice meetings and we felt the Spirit.  We got back to the school after dark.  Driving the  switch-back dirt roads in the dark (and I mean dark) is a little more challenging than during the day.  

Newly created reservoir behind the dam. 

This proud cock shared space with us at the school.

My good friend and fellow servant, Presidente Faundez

Sunday we went to the general session.  There were more than 900 in attendance.  It was an emotional talk for me as I said goodbye and at the same time tried to inspire them to keep going forward.  President Faundez changed the program and had the choir sing  the closing song and then said after the prayer everyone would stand and sing in Kekchi “Placentero nos es trabajar.”  This is a goodbye song that they always sing when a missionary is going home.  I included the translation a few weeks, but here is the last verse: 
Oh, dear brothers and sisters, farewell,
For the moment to go now impends.
If in God we by faith persevere,
Past the veil we shall still meet again,
Meet again, meet again!
Oh, dear brothers and sisters, farewell!
Meet again, meet again.
With our God in his love we shall dwell.

That made for a tough farewell.  

This is how they come to church.  Packed full.  The truck then leaves to get another group.

Sister Jenson had lots of help playing the piano

The choir. More men than women is a rarity.

Packed house

Click below to hear the song in Kekchi



"Placentero nos es Trabajar" in Kekchi 

The Faundez  are the best.

This is the mother of Angel Choc, one of the guards at the temple.  His mother made mom a purse from pop-top tabs and yarn.

We love these saints and will surely miss seeing them come to the temple.  I am so glad I have this blog, the pictures, and stories to keep these memories alive.  We then went to lunch at President Maas’ home again.  They served up fried tilapia. They taught mom how to pat the dough to make a corn tortilla--not as easy as it looks.  We had a nice lunch and then headed home.  

This is the communal kitchen and dining room.

Click below to see the lunch preparations.



Preparing for lunch.

Mom learning how to make a tortilla.

They cook over an open fire.

The fish was great.

Benjamin Poou translated for us and is a great friend.

We stopped in La Tinta and saw Sister Ponce.  She was a temple worker before her mission.  She was assigned to serve in Nicaragua, but was reassigned to the Coban mission and her mom told us before we left that she was now in La Tinta.  We got permission from President Faundez to stop and say goodbye to her.  

Coming down the mountain into the Polochic valley.

Sister Ponce in La Tinta, she was a temple worker before her mission.

We got stopped in road construction for an hour.  We were the first ones in line.  We just missed the group of cars that had gone through and it was getting dark.  We got home at 9:00 pm.  We were going to stay overnight somewhere along the way, but everyone really wanted to sleep in their own bed.  

1 hour wait for construction.  But we were the first in line.

Wow what a week.   The good-byes are bitter sweet.  The memories are unforgettable.  We feel so blessed and thankful for this opportunity to serve.  These are days never to be forgotten and it is a great day to be a missionary.