May 22nd through May 28th

May 22^nd through May 28^th: Thursday, we worked in the office in the morning and then went back in the afternoon to help with the night shift.  Friday, we went over early to help with the buses that came from the stakes that no longer can attend the Mexico City temple.  We spent most of the day working in the office and we are still trying to get our minds around what it is that we need to know.  Saturday we were at the temple at 6:00am and I helped at the recommend desk for the first couple of hours.  We had 2 buses from Puebla and it is quite a job to organize everyone.  President Atkinson has worked out a way to organize everyone outside the temple with a ticket for a session and we only let people in as we can handle them.  It went very smoothly and we got everyone in the temple and it was not chaos.  We got done late afternoon and went downtown with the Allreds and Roseberrys to eat dinner.  On the way to dinner we heard and then saw a mini Guelaguetza in one of the plazas.  

A mini Guelaguetza.

A mini Guelaguetza.

A mini Guelaguetza.

The Guelaguetza is a festival in July where many different dancing groups from all over the region come and perform here in Oaxaca.  We look forward to going to it this year.  The temple is closed during this festival. 

One of the many beautiful churches here in Oaxaca.

Dinner was fun and we went back to the Roseberry’s apartment and played cards—“hand and foot”.  We thought of the Jackmans.  We then taught them 5 Crowns. 

Dinner downtown at a nice restaurant.

Thanks Glenn and Helen Kennedy for teaching us this game.  We bought new cards to bring-- yours were worn out from so much use in Bolivia.  The Roseberrys were serving in the Mexico City temple, but were transferred here when it closed for renovation.  They will be going home in a few weeks and then we will have no one to play cards with.  Sunday, I got up early and starting cutting up veggies so I could cook Chinese dinner for all the North Americans.  We went to church with the Allreds and attended the Sunday school class and the priesthood/relief society classes of one ward and then the sacrament meeting of the next ward.  That got us home just before 1:00pm and everyone was coming for dinner at 2:00pm. 

A primary choir for ward conference.

I was a basket case trying to get 2 dishes finished, but with the help of my favorite sous chef,  we made it just in time.  Everyone said they liked the food and of course we had plenty of leftovers.  Jan Roseberry makes a great pecan pie and Allreds brought an apple pie.  So we had pie and ice cream for dessert. 

Sunday dinner at our house. L to R mom, Clyde Allred, Lora Sue Allred, Pres. Don Atkinson, Kathy Atkinson, Jan Roseberry, and Greg Roseberry.

Monday was a really fun day; we started at 8:00am and drove out to Atzompa.  This is a ruin on the top of a hill/ mountain about 30 minutes northwest of the temple.  It really does sit right on the edge of the city.  Monte Alban, the most famous ruin close to Oaxaca is directly south of Atzompa.  We climbed to the top in about 45 minutes, stopping along the way to look at the different levels of buildings.  They had signs along the way in both Spanish and English to explain the different building and what they had been used for.  This site was recently excavated and opened to the public in 2012.  They even had a small museum. 

This is everyone who went on the field trip to Atzompa.

Atzompa with Monte Alban in the distance.

You can see Oaxaca city in the background.

The ball court.

I like my new camera especially the zoom. Thanks John and Jill.

This is a better view of Monte Alban, it sits on top of the hill in the distance.

This is a good view of Oaxaca City in the distance.

We had many friends to share the area with.

Mom in the main plaza.

The main plaza.

The pottery kiln is exactly like the one they use today in the town of Atzompa.

Housing complex.

L to R.  Jan and Greg Roseberry and me.

Our fearless leader, Pres. Don Atkinson.

We then stopped at an artisans market in the little town of Santa Maria de Atzompa and bought some pottery and ate lunch in the little restaurant that was attached to the market.  It was really good food and very inexpensive.  I had my first black mole chicken.  We got home about 2:00pm. 

Lunch after our hiking around Atzompa.

The Roseberrys came over for leftovers (Chinese).  After dinner we played a quick game of 5 Crowns and then went over to Pres. Atkinson’s home for family home evening.  We had a wonderful power-point presentation from Chris Pavey, a member and a Canadian, living with his wife here in Oaxaca.  He has done a lot of reading and followed the research about where the Book of Mormon could have taken place.  When I grew up, people thought that all of South American and Central America were Book of Mormon lands.  But so many different civilizations have been discovered and the archeological research just doesn’t back that up.  Now many scholars are focused on the area of Guatamala as the place where Nephi first landed and they then spread to Chiapas and the Yucatan and Mexico.  We are really close to Chiapas and so the dating of Monte Alban fits the Nephite era.   Brother Pavey also taught us the Mayan dating system which was interesting.  Tuesday began at 8:00 for me with a meeting with the FM (physical management) group and at 10:00 the presidency meeting.  Chris met with the sisters and then they joined us at 12:00 for the last hour.  Long meetings!!  I had made sandwiches for lunch and we then worked in the office for several hours.  I came home to work and Chris stayed for a session.  When she got out it was pouring and she hadn’t taken an umbrella.  The streets were like rivers and I was soaked up to my knees by the time I got to the temple.  We waded home.  My shoes still aren’t dry. 

The rainy season is upon us.

Wednesday we went for a walk on a nearby track and then had breakfast at a tiny, family run eatery.  Good pancakes and fresh orange juice.  I went to the temple and Mom puttered around the apartment.  After lunch, we both went back to the temple to work in the office until 7:00pm.  Chris developed a pain in her chest and it just got worse.  She couldn’t lie down and I was afraid she was having a heart attack.  I read her all the symptoms from the internet, but she said none of them fit.  She took 4 ibuprofen and tried to get comfortable at a 45 degree angle.  She thinks she might have torn or pulled a chest muscle.  We are very comfortable here and enjoy all that we are doing.

Mom put up some art from some of our grandkids to remind us of

home. (to help make her homesick)