February 18th through February 20th

 February 18^th through February 20^th: Sunday we went to the Guatemala City stake conference at the Montufar ward building.  The conference was held in the metal building that is behind the stake center.  It is a huge building and can accommodate a lot of people.   They had a great attendance and the talks were all good.  Mom looked great in her yellow jacket and did a really nice job talking about the light of the gospel in the faces of the believers in Christ.  I talked about the blessings of the temple.  I always feel energized after feeling the Spirit and am walking on clouds for a long time after a great conference. 

Sunday morning reading scriptures.  Badger was just playing that he was asleep.

Stake Conference.

Pano of stake conference.

Good attendance for stake conference.

Good attendance for stake conference.

Good attendance for stake conference.

Good attendance for stake conference.

Me, President Adrian Ochoa, Area President, and President Lang, stake president Guatemala City Stake.

Elder Ellington's arm is healing.

We then went home and made sandwiches and packed up and headed for Rio Dulce.  We made it to our hotel just as the sun was starting to go down.  We walked down to the lake and took a couple of pictures.  

Sunset the first day at the lake.

John B. had Mojara.

Shrimp have eyes.

Badger's shrimp dinner.  Yum Yum.

Monday I got everyone up at 5:00 am and we drove to Tikal.  It took us about 4 hours.  We enjoyed walking around Tikal and we are always amazed at how massive the temples are and can’t help but try and imagine what it must have been like 1500 years ago.  

Starting our adventure at Tikal.

Practicing for the ball game.

The back side of temple I.

Everywhere you look are ruins and amazing views.

Mom sketching.

I waited at the bottom while John B and Badger climbed to the top of the temples.

John B. and Badger.

Badger and John B. on the two people on top of the temple behind me.

I am in the middle of the plaza below.

Stair way to heaven.

On top of temple IV.

Pano from top of temple IV.

Temple III.

We stopped for a drink.

Temple V.

There is a temple in the background.

We are on our way out of the park.

Truck ride out of the park.

Badger and John B. went zip-lining just outside the park. We then drove to a restaurant and had a good meal.  We drove back to Rio Dulce, arriving once again just before dark.   

Ready to rock and roll.

Getting ready to zip through the jungle.

Badger is normal not like his dad.

Click below to see zip lining.

Zipping over the road into Tikal.

Crazy man.

Superman

Click below to see John B.

John B. zip lining.

Sunset at the lake.

Badger always is happy when it is time for food.

Tuesday we got up and visited the San Felipe Castel.

  

Early morning  sunrise at the lake.

View from the dock at our hotel.

John B. was the only one that went swiming in the lake.


Click below to see John B. jump in.

John B. in the lake

View of lake Izabel from the restaurant at our hotel.

Badger looking very happy. San Felipe Castle.

San Felipe Castle.

At the castle.

Somehow he broke out of jail.

Then drove to Quirigua and John B. and Badger walked around the ruins there.  The stelae are the largest in Mesoamerica.  

Picture of one of the carved stones at Quirigua.

Drawing of the stone carving.

We then headed back to Guatemala City.  We got stopped at a checkpoint and they looked at the registration and my license.  One of the policemen asked where we were from and what we were doing in Guatemala.  After we explained that we worked in the Mormon temple in Guatemala, he said he had lived in Virginia for 8 years and had a cousin that is a Mormon and had taken him to visit the Washington DC temple.  We asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said that he used to have one.  So we gave him a new B of M and we went on our way.  We got stopped in a construction zone at the bridge at El Rancho for almost 3 hours.  

3 hour stop for construction.

We did not get home until 6:00 pm. We had a great trip to Tikal and are enjoying John B. and Badger’s visit.  I am posting mid-week because we have so many pictures and Wednesday we are headed to Lake Atitlan and we will have lots more pictures for next Monday.