I want to remember!

December in Guatemala City 2010





For some reason here in Guatemala the schools are closed through the months of November and December. So, those become VERY busy months at the Temple. Every other day Bus Loads of people keep coming from Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, y Guatemala. They just keep coming and coming! Sometimes these people are on the buses for 12-24 hours. Now these people come in SCHOOL Buses that are NOT comfortable at all. They come with cool boxes full of food for the time they are here. They sleep in rooms that have six sets of bunk beds in the rooms and one small bathroom. There is one Kitchen down stairs where everyone can come and fix their own food. They all seem to share and have a GREAT time. Today is Dec. 22, 2010 and the place is still full. The Temple will be closed Dec.24th and the 25th. It will open back up Monday the 27th. This Temple is usually NOT open on Mondays but for this month because of how many come, it is open on Mondays. All this will slow way down come January 15th, when school starts up again. They bring the whole family, tiny babies to teenagers. They get up at 4:30 every morning and are at the Temple doors at 5:30 every morning! They do Inititories, Baptisms for the Dead, Sealings, Session after session. It is AMAZING!!! The whole family participates!!! Sometimes they even bring their own workers! These are DEDICATED people!! I get so sad when I think that we can't even get to our Temple at home which is only a 10 minute car ride from our front door.

Last week Denton was Officiating in a session with 31 Sisters, all from up in the mountains,
(Little Indians) probably 4' tall. I was working with him. Now, you must remember that these rooms are very small and are ment to hold only 27 people. Well, we still needed a Witness couple and some men for a Prayer Circle. So, we have got to fit more people in this tiny room. They find us 4 men from the same Tribe and we get started. A few of the Sisters have forgotten some things and when I take them out to help them, it turns out one is Blind and deaf! I wonder why is she even here? Another sister is in the same condition, but she isn't blind and I let them know that I will help them at the veil so not to worry. As they were all dressed in their white clothing I looked at them all and they looked like angles! Their hands were rough, their faces wrinkled and you could tell that they have had a life of hard work! But these are Heavenly Fathers children and He loves them so much. Some, in my opinion, had no real understanding of why they were there or really understood what they were doing. All they knew is that they felt soooo very good just being there! Working here in the Gutemala Temple has been such a WONDERFUL opportunity for Denton and me

Missed Pictures

We had a very good Thanksgiving Day with the missionaries. The cooks here worked really hard and tried some new recipes and we all had a GREAT meal. Denton and I made 2 Texas Sheet Cakes and took them to the Temple for all the Temple workers with a note that told them that this day is a day of Thanksgiving for us and we are so thankful to be here in Guatemala and to be able to get to know them and work with them in the Temple. They said they really did enjoy the cake. We truly hope they did.

Welcome to Christmas at the CCM

This is the entry way to the CCM, we have hung 2 wreaths, I am writing all of this so we can remember this for next year. Once we put all this up we have NEVER turned off the tree lights.

Below is just inside the entry way, Poinsettias on a table and Brother Caja standing in front of the Christmas Tree that we have decorated with more Poinsetitas.





In the cafeteria we have put garland and poinsettias over the serving area and put a Nativity with 2 poinsettias on the table.



The hall way to cafeteria we placed the 3 wise men heading towards a picture of Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus.


Going up the stairs to the 2nd floor there is a landing , we put garland with lights and figurines of the 3 wise men and Mary and Joseph. We also put a smaller tree with all the silver and white ornaments on it. Put a few more poinsettias.




As you continue up the stairs you get to the 3rd floor where there is another landing, we put more garland and figurines of the wise men and Mary and Joseph. These are the biggest of the figurines that we have. Then we put up another poinsettia in a nice vase.












Now on the 3rd floor we put another Christmas tree, this time with a little bit of everything left over is on it. It turn out really cute. On the table next to the tree is another Nativity on a table runner. the runner is a red, purple color. We used the same color tree skirt for this tree.

Way behind in my blogg

November 1st is ALL Saints Day here in Guatemala. This is the day when they show respect to all their dead. They really decorate the Grave Yards like you wouldn't believe!!! That day we went to Sumpango, a small village about an hour outside of Guat City, that is known for their HUGE Kites. The kites 5 feet and larger are just for show, those below that the kids fly and the person who can get his kite up and keep it up will win a prize. Then they judge the decorations for other prizes. It was a fun trip with all the other Adult couples here in this mission. We ate corn on the cob that was grilled and very chewy, but pretty darn good.


These pictures show the people carrying decorations to the graveyard and below, a panorama of the graveyard.

Here are some of the big kites, you can see how big by looking at the size of the people. Below, they are cooking a pig for the spectators. There are tons of vendors selling food.

These are the big kites. You can see a volcano in the background. It is called Agua (water-not active). Below, these are some of the indians climbing the hill to see the kites. The women are in their village dress, each village has their own colors and patterns.

More of the kites. The backs, or the skeleton, are huge bamboo poles.

More kites.

See the volcano behind Kay? Below, more kites.

From where we left the bus, we had to walk up a little trail for almost a mile. There were people carrying food, things to sell up and down the trail. There were little stands where they would sell their wares or food, just everywhere.

More stands on the main highway and below, a man carrying corn husks up to the celebration. There is a lot that is modern in Guatemala, but when it comes to work, it seems that most of it is done by hand or by foot.

Here is a typical Guatemalan woman in her village dress. Part of it includes the cloth on her head. She is selling bracelets and necklaces made out of beads. Some of them are pretty nice as far as costume jewlry is concerned.

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Sunday morning

Every Sunday morning from 10:45-11:45 Dyan Steimle, the wife of the President of the CCM and I teach a class to the North American Sisters who are here.
A couple of Sundays ago she taught a class on Companions getting along and learning how to communicate better with each other. She is a personal friend with the Dr. and Author of the Hartman Personality Profile. The "Color Code Communication" you all remember, the Red, Blue, Yellow and White personalities. She gave them all the test so they could find out which type of personality they are and how it will help them to work better with other personalities. It helped them realize their strengths and weaknesses. It was really good. I followed up the next Sunday with D.C. 46: 10-. Where it tells us that everyone has at least one Spiritual gift and that they are to all seek after more. It was GREAT and as they got to know themseves better they feel more prepared to be able to make it all work. I would really encourage you all to go get the book-The Hartman Personality Profile. Find your strengths and your gifts and make them all work for y
















Dyan and I have lots of fun going through the market places. The picture on the right is with one of the venders, she is putting on me one of their native costumes. It is the same one she has on.


Last night we had our Area Authority, President Clark and his wife, come and speak to the missionaries. He said a couple of things that I thought were GREAT. He ask the missionaries to have a note card with them on Sunday's and write down what they are thinking about when they take the Sacrament each Sunday. He was asked to do that when he was 17 yrs. old and he wrote down that he was thinking about the date he had the night before, the basketball game they had won and all the great shots he had made. Years later as he now understood the Atonement he felt so bad that he had not been able to think about Jesus Christ and his life and that He had suffered on the cross so that each of us might be forgiven of our sins. Next Sunday write down the things you think about during sacrament, it might surprise you.
He also said do NOT let anyone, especially another companion, determine what kind of a missionary you are going to be. His first companion wouldn't go out of the apartment, he wouldn't have companion study with him, he never got up on time, let alone out on time. But he, President Clark, had sold his car and worked hard to earn money for his mission and he wasn't going to let anyone destroy his mission. He got up every morning on time, studied, went to bed on time, talked to everyone in their apartment because his companion wouldn't go out with him. He said he had a GREAT mission because he made it GREAT. It is the same in life, just don't let other people decide how happy or successful you are going to be! Just make up your mind to be happy and successful and then make it happen. You can NOT blame anyone for your unhappiness or lack of success!!

We are now in our 3rd week and have been running since we landed. Our hours at the Temple are nine hours shifts. The Spirit is strong but my body is weak and after about 6 hrs I start to get tired by 9 hours I am really tired. Our Temple has only 2 shifts, one starts at 5:00 and goes until 1:00 and the other starts at 1:00 and goes until 9:00.
We work every Friday and Saturday 2nd shift. Then on Wed. we take different shifts of missionaries over to the Temple all day. We always offiiciate or are the witness couples. There are only 42 workers. Sometimes it is so crowded that you can't even move. The Bus loads come from Costa Rica, Honduras,Panama,Belize,El Salvador, Nicaragua,and of course Guatemala. What a Glories work! We work at the CCM on Sundays, Wed., Thurs. We teach a lot and really enjoy being with the missionaries.



We live kinda in a compound. It is at the CCM with all the missionaries. There is a block wall all around it and wrought Iron Fence to come and go through. We are only 1/2 block from the Temple. When we all walk to the Temple. a guard calls to the guard outside the gate, tells him we are coming and look for us then he calls another guard at the Temple who looks for us and he opens the gate and they protect and look after us. We do NOT feel like it is that dangerous but we do NOT go out at night and never alone.
























There are so many WONDERFUL people working here each with their own story. One for example-An Hermana Kapp, she is the Sister-In-Law of Janice Kapp Perry. Hermana Kapp and her husband were called to serve 2 years ago, when they got here her husband got very sick and they had to go home where he had heart problems and died. At the same time she was nursing her husband; they had a daughter who had cancer and died shortly after her father died. Leaving a husband and children. Her husband became very depressed and Sister Kapp had to encourage him to remarry and to be happy. He finally found a wonderful woman to marry and he is happy now. So, she decided she needed to go back to Guatemala and finish the mission that she and her husband had started 2 years ago. She came back by herself and lives with a single Latina who has lost her husband too.
Sister Kapp is 76 years young and truly an inspiration to me!!!!

will write more later.