August 22 through August 28th

 August 22 through August 28^th: Monday we took the missionaries shopping.  This was Elder and Sister Winkfield’s first shopping trip, having arrived just Saturday.  We leave at 9:00 am, after going for our morning walk and work-out at the MTC gym. We are usually done between 11:00am and noon.  I got up at 4:30am and worked on the blog and got a big pork loin cut up and marinating in our family’s favorite California marinade.   In the evening we had a BBQ to celebrate two birthdays and the arrival of the Winkfields.  

After dinner we had the Winkfields share with us something about themselves.

Sister Winkfield taking her turn telling us about their lives.

Tuesday we had the morning shift. Wednesday morning we had presidency meeting and then we had the afternoon shift.  Thursday after our workout, I went over and did some initiatory.  We then went downtown to check out a museum that I had found online.  It was the museum at the University of San Carlos, which is the oldest university in Guatemala and the fourth university founded in the Americas, behind the Dominican Republic, Lima and Mexico City.  The University grew out of a high school founded in 1562 in Antigua.  But after the earthquakes of 1773, it was moved to its current location in Guatemala City.  The museum was nothing to write home about, but the building was kind of cool.  Sometimes when we have a day off, we try and find something we can take the missionaries to see. I’m not sure this will make the list of “must see”.  

We walked past this building on our way to the museum.  We thought we were back in China.

I stood in the corner of the hall around the courtyard and took a picture in both directions.

Pretty impressive building.

This was a photograph in one of the displays.

These doors are about 10 feet tall.

This is a massive lecture hall with a beautiful wood coffered ceiling.

The courtyard.

This is a government building across the street from the museum.

The door on the building above.

Friday we had the morning shift.  In the evening we went to Santa Catarina Pinula and spoke in the ward there.  It was a family history exposition.  

The family history exposition at Santa Catarina Pinula where we spoke Friday night.

Friday night.

Saturday we had the afternoon shift.  In the morning by the time we do our walk and trip to the gym and have breakfast we only have a couple of hours before we have to be to the temple.  Sunday we invited the Winkfields to go with us to a stake conference.  We got to the building where we thought the conference was to be held and there was no one there.  We tried to call the stake presidency and no one answered.  We drove around trying to find another building.  Finally one of the counselors in the stake presidency called us back and said that they were just finishing the first session of the conference and that the second session was at 11:00am at the first building we had been at.  So we drove back to building and waited for someone with a key to come and unlock the gate to the parking lot.  We both had the opportunity to speak.  

Esperanza stake conference.

The choir for stake conference.

When we got done we were blocked in and had to wait for the cars that were parked like sardines in front of us to move.  

Parking lot after conference.

They really packed them in.

We got home and had some lunch and then went to speak at the final session of a stake youth conference.  This is always fun and very enjoyable.  Mom did her power-point on our adventure on the river and how we need to have our cell phones charged if we want them to work and how we need to have our spirits charged if we want to be able to talk to our Heavenly Father.  She did a great job.  They finished off the evening showing pictures of the activities of the past 3 days.  

Photo of the dance they had for youth conference.

After 30 minutes of  pictures, we were ready to go home to bed.

We got home about 8:00pm.  We talked to John and his family and went to bed, tired from a long day.  It was a very good week and we were busy. This is the best calling in the church and we feel so blessed and honored to be able to serve here in Guatemala.