March 6th through March 12th

March 6^th through March 12^th:  Monday, after shopping and lunch, we went over to house number 6 where there are 4 apartments and we helped the Fillmore’s make ninety 72-hour food kits for the full-time missionaries in the Guatemala Central Mission.  They bought pizza so we got a snack and Sister Hurst make chocolate chip cookies.  That ruined any weight loss for the last two weeks.  

Making 72-hour kits.

Wednesday we went to our paint class and then straight to the temple for our shift.  

Mom says she is done.

This is a new painting I started this week.

I didn't get very far.  Just some color on the face.

Thursday morning mom went to an expat luncheon and met a group of women who are here on assignment with the embassy.  In the afternoon, we switched with the Funes and took their afternoon shift, so that we could have Friday free so that mom could go on a field trip with the area sisters to Safe Passage, a NGO that works to educate the children of families that work and live in the city dump.  These are the poorest of the poor here in Guatemala.  Friday Chris and 20 others visited the two sites near the dump where Safe Passage operates.  We then went shopping, because the sister missionaries from our local ward are coming to dinner on Sunday.  

On the bus to visit Safe Passage.

First, we drove through the city cemetery in order to look down into the dump.  We passed the mausoleum of the Gallo beer family,  imitating an Egyptian temple.  More modest burial spaces are next to it.

The city dump.

Safe Passage was founded in 1999 by a young woman from Maine who decided to open a school for the children living and working in the city dump.  She was killed in a car accident in 2007, but her work is carried on by many dedicated volunteers.

A class of four year-old children playing a game with a volunteer teacher.

Click below to see the class.
     Class is being taught.

The hall outside of the class rooms.

The school play ground.

These are women from the dump who have completed adult education classes.  However, they could not find work because of their backgrounds.  So some volunteers have taught them how to make jewelry from magazines.  They are holding some of their creations and they can now make a living on their own.

They got to eat lunch at the school.

The field trip group to Safe Passage.

Saturday after our afternoon shift, we went with all the North American temple missionaries and Elder Fillmore to dinner at San Martins.  

Dinner at San Martins.

Sunday we spoke at the Palmita stake conference.  This is the same stake where just a few weeks ago we spoke at a special conference with Elder Rasband.  There was a powerful Spirit there and it was wonderful to feel uplifted and edified.  We love speaking in these conferences, although I usually need a Kleenex when I am finished.  We hurried home and fixed dinner for the sister missionaries.  It was fun to have them to dinner and share their excitement and the spirit of missionary work.  

The choir practicing before conference.

Click below to hear the choir.                  Palmita stake choir

President Lopez, stake president.

Palmita stake conference. 

Elder Maravilla, Palmita stake conference.

Sister Ortiz and Sister Berry our dinner companions Sunday.

Now a little story about how the Lord is in the details and there are really no coincidences.  On Feb. 27^th, I received an email from a Brother and Sister Johnson who live in Arizona, wanting to know if we needed temple missionaries and would we want them because they don’t speak Spanish.  We have had good experiences with couples having successful missions even when they arrive with very little Spanish.  We responded in the affirmative by email and I called them on the phone.  We answered many of their questions and put them in contact with the Winkfield’s to answer any other questions they might have.  The Winkfield’s spent an hour on Skype with them.  Then on March 8^th I received the following email from Sister May, who is from Idaho, who finished her mission with her husband Leonard last December.

Dear President and Sister Norman,
Leonard has been single-minded in his temple visits. Thus far we have done sessions in California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada...16 in all and Spanish sessions whenever we can. Today we came on to the Gila River temple after a session in Gilbert.  We arrived just 5 min late for the session and so were able to participate in initiatory. While waiting, a Sister Johnson came in to do just one name in order to sit in the Celestial Room.  She asked if I was an ordinance worker so I shared our experience and recent return from Guatemala. She lit up!  Said she'd talked with you and the Winkfields and they were hoping to be called to serve in the temple there!  Of course I was able to describe you in glowing terms which was wonderfully easy to do and answer a few questions about our experience there in a most positive way.  Also easy!  She said "That's where we want to go but of course they may not call us there

Thinking of you often, loving your blog and painting progress. The Mays

I forgot to mention that the reason Sister Johnson wanted to go to the Celestial room was for confirmation of their mission choice. She said, "Well I guess that was an answer, not a coincidence.”

I believe that she got a definite answer that they are supposed to come here.  I love that Leonard and Marilyn were on a road trip to visit as many temples in the west that they could and that they arrived late and decided to do initiatory and then Marilyn and Sister Johnson started talking.  Marilyn was able to further answer her questions and speak positively of her experience here.  The Lord can do His work and He is in the details, but we still would like to have a few more North American missionaries come and join us.  We only have 19 ½ months left.  Please spread the word.