October 16th through October 22nd

Dinner at President Morales' house after the Saturday evening session of their stake conference. They were ready for Christmas--Mom's kind of people.

October 16^th through October 22^nd:  We did all our grocery shopping for the week last Friday and Saturday, so on Monday we hired a bus and 18 of us took a trip to Iximche. Wikipedia says “Iximche is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ballcourts. Excavators uncovered the poorly preserved remains of painted murals on some of the buildings and ample evidence of human sacrifice. The ruins of Iximche were declared a Guatemalan National Monument in the 1960s. The site has a small museum displaying a number of pieces found there, including sculptures and ceramics” It was about 2 ½ hour drive from the temple and we spent about 2 hours walking around the ruins.  On the way home, we stopped and had lunch at Ricon Suizo or the Swiss Corner.  

On the road again.

Mom, the tour director, is giving instructions.

Model of the site.

We are not sure how he lost his head.

Sister Funes was teaching us all how to crush corn.

Here we are: L to R Brother and Sister Flohr, Brother and Sister Gordon, Elder Jenson, Elder and Sister Frampton, me and mom, Sister Funes, Sister Winkfield, President Funes, Elder Winkfield, Sister and Elder Ellington, Sister Jenson, and Elder and Sister Holman.

This stela was constructed to commemorate the completion a b'ak'tun, the end of a 5,126 year cycle in the Mayan calendar.  As you may remember, the world did not end.

The site sits atop some hills and was easily defendable.

Don't you just love selfie sticks?

Pano of part of the site.

I was making sure the wall did not fall over.

The Kaqchikel still come to the site to perform religious ceremonies.

I did not want to loose the game nor loose my head in the process.

Wandering around and checking everything out.

The site was beautifully maintained.

Mom cheering me on while I was in the ball court.

It was a beautiful day.

Lunch time 

What could be better than a plate of ribs and guacamole and chips.

Someone caught me reading my scriptures while we waited for lunch.

Does this remind anyone of Bolivia?  Headed home.

Friday was a national holiday and we had 4 different stakes come to the temple.  We started the first session at 4:50 am and had a session about every half hour until 11:30 am.  We had 13 sessions and every one of the sessions were completely full. At one point in the morning, we had so many patrons that I took a group and did a sealing session for 1 ½ hours.  For me that was a tender mercy---I needed the experience of officiating in these holy ordinances.  The power and spirit were incredible.  At one point, a little old lady brought me some tissues so I could wipe away the tears that were running down my cheeks.  It slowed down for a bit in the afternoon, but we almost set a record for endowments in one day.  Saturday we took a group grocery shopping and then I went over to the temple and spoke to a group of primary kids from Puerto Barrios.  They got on the bus at midnight and drove all night to come to the temple.  Most of the adults that came with the group were in the temple.  I spoke to a group of about 30 kids.  It is so fun to teach them about the temple.  

Here are the primary kids from Puerto Barrios.

We got them to line up for one last picture.

We then took over for President and Sister Funes.  They went home early because they were going to come back at 4:30 pm so mom and I could go to the Saturday evening adult session at the Molino stake conference.  Mom and I both got to speak at the session of conference and after the conference was finished, the Stake President invited us over to his house for dinner.  President Morales and his wife have two cute children and it was fun to spend the evening in their home.  We got home about 10:00 pm, well past our bed time.  

The choir singing before the meeting started.

The Saturday evening adult session.

The choir did a great job.

After the meeting I ran into the grandson of the man that Elder Fisher baptised in Xela 41 years ago.

David and we have no idea how to spell the daughter's name because it was a Tongan name.  Her mother had a companion from Tonga when she was a missionary.

Here we are ready for dinner.

Sunday I left at 7:30 am and went to sacrament meeting in the Arazola ward.  After sacrament meeting, I participated in another coordinating council meeting.  It started at 9:15 am and went till 1:45 pm.  I hurried home and mom had dinner ready.  We quickly ate dinner and then went to the temple to do training for restricted temple workers from the La Laguna stake.  About 40 workers came and we had a great training meeting.  We got home just before 6:00 pm.  I made popcorn and we talked to some of our kids.  It was a wonderful week and we felt the tender mercies of the Lord.   

October 9th through October 15th

 October 9^th through October 15^th: Monday, since we took everyone grocery shopping last Friday and Saturday, we took everyone that wanted to go to the Popol Vuh and Ixchel Museum at the Francisco Marroquin University.  This meant that I made two trips to get everyone there and back.  Going home with the second group, we stopped and bought rotisserie chicken cooked over a wood burning fire. Yum Yum.  

Potatoes and onions are cooked in the trays where all the chicken fat falls.  Yum.

The Fisher's and the Ellington's.

Elder Fisher sent me this photo.  I don't get a lot of pictures with me in the photo.

We also had Family Home Evening where the Ellington’s introduced themselves and the Fisher’s talked about their trip to Xela, over conference weekend, to visit one of the families that Elder Fisher had taught and baptized 41 years ago.  The family Boj had 8 children, all the boys have served missions, all the children are married in the temple, and many of their children have served missions and are married in the temple.  They have posterity of almost 100 people who are active in the church.  It was very touching to see how Elder Fisher and his wife were treated like royalty by this family and thanked by the parents, children and grandchildren for bringing the gospel to their family.  What the Lord can do with one family is a miracle.  Mom and I then taught a lesson on preparedness.  

Elder Fisher telling about his experience in Xela.  The photo is of the family he taught.  The twin girls would sit on his lap as he taught them the lessons.  They are now mothers with children.

Mom teaching about preparedness.

Tuesday we went to our oil painting class and then did the afternoon shift.  

Mom says she is done with this one.

I'm now working on Miles.

Thursday night we had 7 sister missionaries stay at our house.  They were either the mission nurse or the companion of the mission nurse.  They were here for training.  Friday I got up and fixed breakfast for them.  While they were waiting for the bus to come and get them, some of the sisters sang a song in Kek chi.  The spirit of the young missionaries is powerful and we enjoyed having them in our home.  I sent a link of them singing to their parents and I got thank-you notes back from some of their moms.  

The sister missionaries that stayed with us.

Here they are singing.

Click below to hear the song in Kek Chi
Singing in Kek Chi

Saturday morning I went to the Area Offices and attended the Area Council meeting with all the area seventies and the area presidency.  This is the first time they have had all the temple presidents attend via video conference.  We counseled together on how to improve temple attendance.  Sunday I got up early and drove to Jocotenango, about an hour away, for a Coordinating Council Meeting with the Guatemala Central Area that started at 8:00 am.  I had almost an hour to talk about the temple and how we can work together to help the members of their stakes attend the temple more often.  In the afternoon we had a Family Home Evening with John’s family.  Mom had prepared a power point presentation on her dad and we shared it with them.  

This is one of the pictures from the FHE on grandpa Cornwall. Do you think James and his son Campbell look anything alike?  They could be twins.

I got in a long nap, 4 hours.  I have been up since 3:00 am and will get a lot of things done while mom is getting some needed rest.  It was another good week and we are so enjoying this assignment.  Can you believe that in two weeks we will finish our second year here?  

October 2nd through October 8th

 October 2^nd through October 8^th:  Monday, after , we piled 10 of us into the car and I dropped everyone off at the central market except Brother Gordon, Elder Winkfield and Mom.  I then took Brother Gordon to the dentist to have (as it turned out) a root canal.  I then drove mom around the central market looking for a store to buy white baby clothing.  We had no success.  We then drove to find a lab to polish Elder Winkfield’s contact lenses.  After dropping off his lenses, we headed back to the central market to pick up the shoppers.  We loaded up and headed to pick up Brother Gordon.  We called ahead and he was not out of the chair yet, so we stopped for lunch.  After lunch we went and got Brother Gordon and headed home.  I was in the car driving for 3 ½ hours except the ½ hour for lunch.  

The central market is one block from the central plaza and the cathedral.

Sister Holman is a very good sport and sat in the back.  It is hard to get 10 in a car that only seats 8.

Lunch for the tired shoppers.

Tuesday we picked up our new missionary couple, the Ellington’s, from Mount Pleasant.  Mike and Merlene served with us in China and we became good friends during the time we had a house in Mount Pleasant.  They don’t speak a lot of Spanish yet, but they have been learning the ordinances in Spanish for the last year as they have been serving in the Manti temple.  We are excited to have them here and we now have all of the temple missionary apartments full.  We let them rest a bit and then took them shopping.   

We enjoyed a little people watching while waiting for the Ellington's at the airport.

Here they come.

On our way shopping.

Friday, Erik, our gardener, cut up the coconuts that we had brought back from Puerto Barrios and we had everyone come over and try the coconut water and the meat.  Everyone liked the treat.  

Erik cutting up the "cocos" as they
 call them here.

I dug the meat out and washed it.

They repaired the road right in front of our house.

As we left the temple Saturday, this couple was outside.  We love to see the joy the temple brings into the faces of those that come to be sealed.

Sunday, after church, we went over to the temple and got ready to do training for the restricted workers in one of the local stakes.  No one showed up.  I thanked Elder Winkfield and Brother Flohr, who had come and changed and were going to help with the training, and we all went home.  We then had to drive our car and the temple van because we are now 14, with the Ellington’s, to the monthly “Break the Fast” dinner at the area offices.  It was fun to be with everyone and catch up on what they have been doing.  There were 20 senior missionary couples at the dinner, 7 were from the temple.  I think it was the largest group we have ever had.  

"Break the Fast" preparations.

We have been training and emphasizing reverence in the temple.  We love the temple and want to show the proper respect we should have for the House of the Lord.  Life is good and we thank our Father in Heaven everyday for this wonderful opportunity to serve here in Guatemala.