November 28th through December 4th

November 28^th through December 4^th:  Monday we started off our week with a trip to the dental clinic where Mom found out that she needed a root amputation.  She saw Elder Sanford at the district conference in Santa Lucia on Sunday and showed him an abscess on her gum and he said she had better get into the clinic right away.  So after x-rays on Monday morning, we scheduled her amputation for the next day.  

Elder and Sister Sanford and Mom at the Dental Clinic.

We then went home and got ready for Thanksgiving dinner for 24 of our closest friends. We are cooking the turkey and making the gravy and a green bean casserole.  The dinner was delicious and I have only gained back 4 pounds of the 47 I have lost.  I did not hold back and even had pumpkin pie.  I will get back on the diet after Christmas.  

The tables are set for our Thanksgiving dinner (4 days late).

Mom and Sister May.  Who thinks mom needs to buy an outfit like Sister May's?

Only Sister Fillmore would look up, everyone else was too busy loading up their plate.

L to R, President and Sister Rosales, Mom, Sister and Elder Price, Elder and Sister Winkfield, Sister and Elder Hurst, and Sister and President Morris (MTC president).

L to R, Brother and Sister Reyna, the daughter of the Madrid's, Sister Dennis, the new MTC nurse, Sister and Elder May, Sister and Elder Fillmore, President and Sister Funes, and Sister and Brother Madrid.

Tuesday we went back to the dental clinic and Mom did have ½ of her tooth removed.  Dr/Elder Sanford has done this procedure many times before, but he will finish his mission next week.  Even though her mouth didn’t hurt at the time, she felt impressed to talk to him at the conference.  We are so grateful for his kindness and expertise.   She will need a new crown once the bone heals.  This will make the third crown for this tooth.  I’m sure that it is the most expensive tooth in her mouth.  She is a trooper and she did our shift in the afternoon. 

This is what your jaw looks like after a root amputation. She had to have 1/2 of the tooth removed.

Wednesday mom went to the water color class that Sister Smith does for all the North American sisters who are here in Guatemala. She really enjoys the sisterhood and the class.  

They worked on a Christmas theme for  Mom's water color class.

We had a large group from Senahu at the temple for 3 days this last week and it was so fun to have them with us.  Many of the women don’t speak or understand Spanish, so finding enough workers who could speak Kekchi was a challenge, but it is such a joy to see how they love the temple.  It has been two years since they have been able to afford to come to the temple.  President Rosales, who served his mission in the Polochic, speaks Kekchi and he officiated for the sealing of 5 families on the first day they were here. They invited me to their conference in two weeks.  Saturday morning we left for the district conference in Puerto Barrios.  Puerto Barrios is a port city on the Caribbean side of Guatemala, just below Belize.  It took us 5 ½ hours to get there.  We found the chapel and our hotel with the help of Lola, the GPS girl in my phone.  Oh how we would be lost without her help.  We had time for lunch and then went to the adult session of the conference.  We both had the opportunity to speak and we felt good about our talks.  It wasn’t a huge crowd because some of the branches are two hours away and they can only afford to rent a bus and come for the Sunday session.  

This is Brother and Sister Miranda,  he is the son of one of our temple sealers and  was made a counselor in the new district presidency at the district conference in Puerto Barrios.

Afterward, we went and had dinner at Pollo Campero, the Guatemalan version of KFC, and then a quick trip to Megapaca.  I found nothing.  

After the afternoon session, mom did a little Christmas shopping at the Megapaca in Puerto Barrios.

I have now been corrected. The saying goes, "There is only do or do not, there is no try."

Sunday we both spoke in the general session and there was a nice Spirit in the meeting.  

View from the restaurant at our hotel in Puerto Barrios.

Typical Guatemalan breakfast.  Fried plantains, beans, a piece of cheese., a roll or tortilla and scrambled eggs. 

These were artificial flowers, but they sure were pretty.

Choir made up of the young men and women from the District.

District Conference is over and they all stack the chairs before they leave.

We got on the road at 12:30pm and wanted to make it back to Guatemala City before it got dark.  We made it in 5 hours and shortly after we arrived home, the missionaries got back from their “break the fast” dinner and they brought with them Brother and Sister Soto from Bolivia.  Saturday night I had Elder Hurst go and pick them up at the airport for me.  They will be staying with us for a week.  Pictures next week.  

The ride home, mostly on a two lane road with lots of vegetation on both sides. Very pretty country-side.

Many times it was a canopy of trees we were driving through.

We got stuck in heavy traffic going through the road construction between El Rancho and Guatemala City.  45 minute delay.

We then watched the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional.  Well, they watched it and I fell asleep.  Mom finally got me in bed at nine and I was up at 2:30am.  Seven hours of sleep is perfect.  I was really tired from the driving and I just crashed.  It was a great week and we are so blessed to have such wonderful experiences and to be able to be with the saints and speak and testify of the divinity of the Savior and this latter-day work.