John and Christine's Adventures: October 8th through October 14th

October 8th through October 14th: Monday we took the missionaries shopping and then in the afternoon we got ready for a dinner for the presidency and recorders at our house. We wanted to have a dinner to thank our counselors and the recorders for their service and support the last three years. We have been blessed to have wonderful counselors who are so devoted to the temple. President Funes is 80 years old and he and wife have served with us for two and a half years. President and Sister Flohr both speak Kekchi and have been a blessing to so many. We gave our counselors pictures of Christ and as a memento of their service.

President and Sister Funes

President and Sister Flohr.

Tuesday we went over and attended a session and then did our afternoon shift.

Thanks Sister Jenson for finishing Chris's vest. Chris started to sew a vest from a huipil, but she said she reached the limit of her ability and patience. Luckily, Babette came to the rescue.

We made two black pillows from what was leftover after Chris and Babette finished the vest.

We also made one more bird pillowcase.

Wednesday the movers came and packed up everything except what we are going to take home in our suitcases. We were surprised that we had 37 boxes. It was a lot more than we thought we had. I spent the entire day supervising the three men that packed up our shipment.

Wednesday morning I got everything in the dinning room that we were sending home.

The shippers had to open everything we had packed and repack every box.

They made us take out scissors, knives, anything that was liquid, and anything that had a battery.

We also added to all this my computer, screen and printer.

If they left our stuff in one of the boxes we had used, they had to wrap it in brown paper and list everything on the outside. They would then shrink wrap the package.

They also had to make boxes for the furniture we shipped.

37 boxes latter our things were loaded and headed off.

Thursday we did the morning shift. We had a group of saints from Chulac with us in the temple. Two couples came to be sealed.

One of the couples from Chulac.

Brother Chen, one of our sealers, did a wonderful job doing the sealings in Kekchi.

Here are the adults and a few of the children from Chulac. They also brought 30 youth.

Lunch with the Thursday morning shift.

After our shift, we had lunch with the morning shift and then went home and cooked and got ready for a dinner with all the mission presidents and their wives, Brother and Sister Alvarado, the new temple president, and Brother and Sister Abadillo, our recorder. This was to introduce the new temple president to the mission presidents. It went well and we really thought it was an enjoyable evening. We also gave all of them pillowcases. We have had a great relationship with the mission presidents and have so enjoyed being with them in all the conferences. Friday morning we moved into one of the temple apartments. That took all morning and then we did the afternoon shift. Saturday morning we went and had breakfast with the Saturday midday shift and said goodbye.

Breakfast with the Saturday midday shift.

Click below to listen to
Sister Aracely playing "Placentero nos es trabajar" on the harmonica.

Here is the English translation of the song. We don't have this song in our English hymnbook.

In the vineyard of Jesus our King,

Working hard is for us a delight,

And in honor we'll preach and we'll bring

To his people his law and his light.

For his light, for his light,

In the vineyard of Jesus our King,

For his light, for his light,

We will die in his work as we sing.

Listen ye to the word of the Lord,

With the loy'lty and fervor thereof,

And fore'er in your hearts do record

All his purity, truth, and his love.

With his love, with his love,

Listen ye to the word of the Lord.

With his love, with his love,

Take ye hold of the banner of God.

Oh, dear brothers and sisters, farewell,

For the moment to go now impends.

If in God we by faith persevere,

Past the veil we shall still meet again,

Meet again, meet again!

Oh, dear brothers and sisters, farewell!

Meet again, meet again.

With our God in his love we shall dwell.

Click below to listen to her

playing "God be with you till we meet again"

The Saturday midday shift.

Both the songs are kind of sad and are "goodbye songs". We got a lot of our things put away and then went and did the afternoon shift. The temple was one of the busiest days we have had. We got home just before 8:00pm. We were exhausted from the entire week of activities and saying goodbye each day to a different group of workers. Sunday we took the Holmans with us to Guastatoya for the Motagua District Conference. That was the only district conference that I had not attended. So I was glad that I was able to go and now I can say that I visited all of the 41 units assigned to our temple district.