December 1st through December 7th

December 1^st through December 7^th:  Monday, we decided with the Rays and the Penas to go and visit another small town 30 minutes east of Oaxaca, called Santa Ana del Valle.  The Penas drove their car.  The town is close to Teotitlan, where we saw all the wool rugs being made.  This little town looks like it is dying.  The streets were deserted, but we did find someone to let us look through the museum.  It was small, but had a few interesting artifacts.  There was only one women selling rugs in the market.  The church was closed. 

Some of the locals in Santa Ana Del Valle.

The church in Santa Ana del Valle.

The three ladies on the plaza in front of the church.

There are some ruins close to Santa Ana del Valle, but they are not open to the public.   These are from the ruins.

This is a picture from the museum.  The bottom half is of children dressed up to represent the Spanish and the upper half is young men dressed for the feather dance.  In the dance, they tell the story of the conquest. 

One of the feather dancers.

This is a very old loom.

More artifacts from the ruins.

We next went to the market in Tlacolula.  We bought some bread and cheese. 

Yes, we bought bread and ate it while it was still warm.

A flower shop at the market in Tlacolula.  An arraignment would be about 3 dollars.

We then decided to try and go to see the movie, “Interstellar”, but first we went to lunch. 

Lunch with the Rays and Penas.

When we got to the movie theater, we realized that the whole mall was shut down by protesters.  There are a lot of protests going on all over Mexico in response to the disappearance of the 43 students from Guerrero.  They are all peaceful and they are protesting against the corruption in the government.   It is never directed toward America or Americans, so we feel safe, even if we find ourselves near the protesters.  We always try to avoid large groups. One day last week, we went downtown with the Rays and the Zocolo was really crowded.  Sister Ray got her I-phone stolen right out of her purse.  Tuesday, we went to the Ward Council meeting of the Reforma ward.  We taught them about the blessings of temple attendance and then we challenged each member of the council to come to the temple once a week for 3 months. This week in the temple was busy.  We had 5 different groups come on Friday (6 buses) and on Saturday we had 5 buses from one stake in the morning and 3 from another stake in the afternoon.  Mom worked over 12 hours on two different days.  She is getting really good at helping people with Family Search.  She often helps people who want to be sealed to their deceased parents or spouse and so she has to gather information to print the documents.  Her biggest challenge is helping people who cannot read or write to print out ordinance cards for deceased ancestors.  She often has to call the helpline in Salt Lake, but when she sees their joy to have a connection with their family it is very rewarding.   We had more than 10 people on both Friday and Saturday that came to receive their endowment and then many to be sealed.  I had the opportunity to seal a couple and then seal their two boys to them.  It is always a payday to get to do these sealings.  The Spirit is strong and the families are so touched by the power and love of our Father in Heaven.

This is the couple I sealed. 

Later, when I came out, the bride had made her husband change clothes.

Saturday, Mom put the finishing touches on our Christmas decorations.  We bought a nativity scene in the Barro Negro and a little tree from Walmart.  Mom had fun stringing a garland and a string of lights.  With our Noche Buena (poinsettia) we are quite festive. night we played pinochle with the Rays. 

Our Christmas tree.

Notice the reindeer.  Mom bought this in Santa Ana del Valle.  It was made by a man that can't walk and his nephew sells them on the street.

  The nativity that we got in San Bartolo a few weeks ago.

Sunday, we attended church in the Fortin ward.  The bishop had a combined meeting during Priesthood and Relief Society.  He spoke about the need for Mexico to become self sufficient with regards to the money needed to run the church here.  He said that the growth of the church is requiring a lot of money to build chapels in Africa and other places and that it was time that Mexico paid their own way and started helping other nations the way they had been helped.   For many years the Church members in America have been sending surplus of funds to maintain the church here in Mexico, and now it is important for the members here to send funds to church headquarters for distribution to other nations.  We have been without internet in the apartment for weeks now and we are getting really tired of going to the Church or somewhere else to get internet.  Sunday night we walked over to the church next to the temple and asked the guard open it up so we could go inside and use the internet to call our kids and cheek up on how things were going on at home.  Without internet each day, we don’t know what is going on at home nor in the world.  It is kind of depressing. I will have to take my laptop over to the church to upload this blog. 

November 24th through November 30th:

November 24^th through November 30^th:  Monday, We spent most of the morning cooking.  We had our Thanksgiving Dinner in the afternoon at Pres. and Sister Madsen’s home.  Theirs is the biggest house and could seat all 13 of us.  Mom made 2 pumpkin pies and dressing.  I made some homemade Kitchen Bouquet for the gravy. I got the turkey on about 11:00am and then we just had to wait for the turkey to get done and everyone to arrive.  We had a great time and the food was delicious.  The turkey and gravy that I was responsible for turned out great.  The five different kinds of pie were all delicious.  After dinner and before desert we went around the table and expressed what we were grateful for.  I am grateful for my wife and partner.  We almost always have the hymn book open to the same page, maybe not singing the same melody, but close. We are a good partnership and we both want to be doing what we are doing.  It makes it so much more fun to do things together.  We both ate too much and it was truly a Thanksgiving feast. 

Sister Madsen and the beautiful tables.

The bird, all 22 pounds of him.

Appetizers by the Penas.

We are just about ready to eat.

L to R Mom, Pres. Atkinson, Sister Atkinson, Pres. Pena, Sister Pena, Sister Ray, Elder Ray, Pres. Madsen, Sister Madsen, Luara Perez, Luis Perez and their daughter Lucero.

5 kinds of pie, nothing says thanksgiving like pie.

Tuesday we were back to work.  We had a wonderful week in the temple.

One of the couples that came to the temple this week.

Are they not the cutest.

We set numerous records. Saturday was a record setting day with 8 buses coming to the temple.  I estimate that just under 400 people worshiped together in the temple and we set another record for ordinances performed.  It was a record setting week and month.   Thursday, after working all morning, we went back about 4:00pm to check on things and 2 couples had showed up to receive their endowment and be sealed and one other man from the same branch.  They had traveled over 12 hours from Guerrero.  This is the state that is the most dangerous.  The branch president was one of the couples who had come to receive his endowment and be sealed to his wife and have his son sealed to them.  He has only been a member for 4 years and two of those years as branch president.  He was so excited.  This was the first temple trip that his branch had ever made. There were 16 in all, 5 of them youth who were at the temple for the first time, and they planned to stay for 3 days.  They had not made an appointment and so Chris and I helped to get all their paperwork done.  That took about an hour.  There wasn’t a sealer and so Pres. Serrano asked if I would stay and do the sealings.  I said that we had Pres. Atkinson’s car and were going to go and buy some things for the temple, but that we would be back in time to do the sealings.  What a special sealing.  After I finished sealing their 15 year old son to them, I said, “I think you need a family hug” and the three of them hugged and cried. We could just feel their love for each other and our Father in Heaven’s love for his children.  Even though we had worked over 12 hours, we had a big payday, to be present as God’s tender mercies were felt by all who were in attendance at that sealing.  They asked if we would stay and have our pictures taken with them.  Of course we had to stay and get one for the blog. 

The nativity is up at the temple.

This is one of the couples from Guerrero that I sealed.

This is the branch president from Guerrero and his wife and son that I was privileged to seal.

While we were home getting lunch, we talked to our kids who were all together at James’ home for Thanksgiving dinner.  We are so happy that they get together and share holidays and spend time making memories, even if we cannot be with them.  We got home about 9:30pm, way past my bedtime and we had to be at the temple by 6:00am.  Friday, I was up by 4:00am to get my scripture study, prayers and breakfast made before we left for the temple again.  That’s how our days go, 8 to 10 hours in the temple, and that is not a bad way to spend your time.  

We get lots of moths and bugs on the carpet at the entryway of the temple each morning.  Look at the beautiful design on this one.

This is the biggest moth I have every seen.

Saturday we started at 5:00am with 5 buses and everyone was in the temple by 7:30 am.  After I got the 3 bus load of people in the temple who arrived at 11:30am, by about 1:30pm, we felt we could finish up our office work and go home for some lunch.  The most trying part of a day like that is that my feet hurt and I need to get off my feet. 

We had 8 buses at the temple Saturday, these three had to park across the street because there wasn't room in front of the temple.  Yes Lee, that is a Burger King right across the street from the temple.

Sunday we went to church in Tlacolula with the Penas.  It is a ward about 45 minutes east of Oaxaca.  It was fun to be with saints and feel of their spirit and testimony. 

Mom and the relief society at church in Tlacolula.

The new chapel in Tlacolula.

We had a couple of hours at home before we went with the Penas again to get the chapel ready for our Christmas Devotional for all the temple workers.  President De Hoyos, the Area President was the main speaker.  It was a great meeting and the building was packed. 

Mom waiting for the devotional to start.

The always have nice flowers for any special meeting.

Sorry it is out of focus but the place was packed.

We got home about 8:00pm and I was bushed and went to bed.  Chris stayed up and sent emails and some Christmas cards.  A short story about the Branch President from Guerrero, he has a stall where he sells bread in the market.  The mafia comes by every day and gives each stall an amount of money that they need to pay that day.  They come by every day and if you don’t pay it they will kill you.  He was able to save enough money to come to the temple because the mafia passes him by and doesn’t make him pay.  He feels like he is blessed every day because he is a member of the church.  He has only been a member 4 years and he has been the branch president for the last 2 years.

November 17th through November 23rd

November 17^th through November 23^rd:  Monday the Rays and mom and I went with the Penas to Arrazola, a small town southwest of Oaxaca.  On the way we stopped by the grand opening of a health club.  Lucero, the daughter of Laura and Luis Perez, opened this club that mostly teaches people about nutrition and sells Herbal Life.  This is the family’s second club.  Her dad is an architect, which means he also oversees the construction of the buildings he designs, and manages the school they own.  The new club is in one of the buildings he is just finishing. 

Lucero at her new Club.

Arrazola is another town that is mainly known for making alebrijes, the carved wooden animals that are then painted bright colors.  Mom found a few new animals for her collection.  She also bought 4 painted birds that kind of look like turkeys to help decorate the table for Thanksgiving. 

The mad shoppers at one of many alebrijes stores.

Which of my grandkids wants this one?

There really are some strange animals running around this town.

When we finished shopping, we decided to eat at a restaurant we had eaten at when we visited San Bartolo de Coyotepec, the town that makes black pottery, barro negro.  In fact, the name of the restaurant is Restaurante Barro Negro, black mud restaurant. I wanted pork ribs.  We had eaten a sample of their meats the time before and I thought the pork ribs were delicious.  This time they did not live up to my memory, OK, but not great.  Then we had to do some more shopping.  Mom found a nativity in barro negro.  You will have to wait till Christmas to see a picture. 

Just waiting for lunch/ dinner.  It was about 3 in the afternoon.

The park across the street from the restaurant Barro Negro.

As we were leaving the store, one of the workers said they was a protest demonstration going on and the road was blocked going back to Oaxaca.  So we had to make a detour of about a half an hour to go around the demonstration.  These road blocks are very common and are mostly just a big inconvenience. Tuesday and Wednesday were nothing special except that mom had a post put in one of the teeth she had the root canals done on.  They didn’t think there was enough of the tooth left to hold the crown she now needs.  On Thursday we had a big group arrive and one of the older women in the group arrived with a temple recommend that had been mislabeled by her bishop and she thought it was valid until the end of November, but in fact it was only good until the end of October.  She was going to have to wait all day for the others in the group to finish their visit to the temple.  After everyone was in the temple, I saw her sitting on one of the concrete planters.  I went outside and she was crying.  I invited her to come in and sit in the waiting room.  She was so sad.  I told her it was not her fault and that she would be blessed as if she had been able to enter the temple.  I told her the Lord knew the desires of her heart and that he would bless her for her efforts to come to the temple.  I’m not sure that my words were much of a consolation, but at least she didn’t have to sit on a concrete planter all day.  Friday and Saturday we started at 5:00 am in order to get in an extra session and accommodate everyone that was scheduled.  We had 3 great days again and this month is going to be another record.  I’m estimating that we will be somewhere around 24 to 25 thousand ordinances for the month.   Salt Lake says that our numbers are the same as some of the large temples.  The saints here love to come to the temple.  It is so rewarding to see their joy and they always leave with smiling faces and a real glow about them.  Sunday, we spoke in the Violetes ward.  This is the second time we have spoken there and we really feel at home in this ward.  Mom did an exceptional job and the women really love her.  Mom had a secretaries meeting in the afternoon.  They set a date in December to have dinner with us and I get to cook for all of them.  Fun for John.