You Have Been Found (hopefully)

Well last week my LDSMail email account decided to erase all my email addresses. For the first time since we arrived, I really felt alone and far from home. I never thought I would enjoy email so much. It has taken a week, but I think we have you back. We'll see how many addresses don't go through. Last week was San Salvador's independence day and instead of going to the mountains or the beach, the people came to the temple. We were so busy. It was exhausting and wonderful. We had a couple of rain storms that were unreal. The thunder and lightning were frightening and the rain wow. I left the temple, had about 30 yards to our apartment and arrived soaked. My hair was dry cause I had my umberella though. We are on the same time as Idaho right now. We will not change with day light savings though. We have found the sweetest bananas. They are about 6" long and green. If you wait for them to turn yellow, they are too ripe. The local oranges are green and the lemons are green. We took our first walk outside our gated community. A few of us walked to the Multi Plaza while the others rode in the Presidents van. We won't all fit in the van at one time. The Multi Plaza is three stories with parking below that. We have a huge Sears, Payless Shoes, Hallmark, Radio Shack and more shoe stores than I have ever seen in one place. There are some cute stores that carry only local items. We had lunch at Tony Ramas. We can walk from there, over the street on a walk way to the Walmart plaza. Now we don't have to rely on a member or a taxi to get us to the store. The President brings all the packages home in the van and we walk so we can all go shopping at the same time. It is amazing how long it takes to get a home stocked with food so you don't have to shop every week. We are finding almost everything we need, sometimes in a little different way. No cool whip-have to whip my own; no ranch dressing so we have given up on it; the milk in the gallon goes bad before we can drink all of it so we have found their milk in cartons that don't need refrigerated, like soy milk, only real milk. It is real good milk. We went to our first baptism in our ward. I learned how to make pupuses! Sister Majano, the first counseler's wife, taught us for home evening. They are not made like I had expected. They are good, only mine will be made with hamburger instead of sausage, and different cheeses. We still think Arapa's are better. The tortilla's here are not thin, they are about 4" round and 1/2" thick. And you have to be careful when you order quesadeas. They are a sweet bread that looks like corn bread and can have corn, nuts, raisins,and you don't know what else in them. Back to email addresses, I have a couple that I have wrong, If any of you can help me find the correct address please send them to me. Dennis and Diana Petersen, John Maybe you have this one? Gene Van Wagner, Charlotte could you try to call him?, Cecilia Worthington, Jerome people? Thank you. I have attached a couple of pictures, Mindi didn't believe that her dad can do laundry so the first is lon doing the laundry, then a picture of a pickup with school kids heading home from school, President Petersen with a woman who is 100 years old, notice where the door knob is, a pupusa, our front room and our trip out of our secure little world. I hope you all are well and happy. We sure are. We have the am shift this week so we have to be to the temple by 6:00. We send our love to all. Lon and Nancy

 

To Kyleigh, Mason, Riley, Aydan, Dillon, Ryanne, Gideon, Jaikka, Nathan, Hannah, Issac, Chandler, Ashton and Eisley

Yesterday I met a woman who was about my age, and she couldn't read anything. She couldn't even find her locker to get her purse because she couldn't read the numbers. I want to remind you all that school is a priviledge. You are blessed to live in a time and place where you can learn and become anything you want to be. Please work hard and don't take school for granted. Some people do not have that priviledge. Her parents didn't have the money to send her to school and she lived out too far to walk to school. She had to work to be able to eat. If you are able to be in sports, or music, or dance, or drama, be sure to work hard at it too and be thankful that your parents are willing to sacrifice so you can do that. You each have great parents who love you so much. Grandpa and I are so proud of you all. We miss you but are very happy working here in San Salvador and trying to help these special people. We love working in the Temple. Our email in the LDSmail decided to erase all our email adddresses. Brother Kitley is trying to retreave them, but they are in computer language so it is taking time. I will wait to send pictures when we get all the emails back, hopefully by Saturday or Sunday. Grandma just doesn't have any luck with computers!! I know each of you could do a better job then I can. We love you Hugs and Kisses from Grandpa and Grandma Thompson

My Hero From San Salvador

This week I have a hero. Her name is Sister Vazquez. She works at the temple each week day afternoon. She hits about by shoulder and is at least 5 or 10 years older than I am. She has a bad knee and walks with a limp but on Friday she was limping on both legs. When I asked her about it, through an interperater she told me that on Thursday night she was hit by a car on her way home. The driver stopped and helped her up but she was fine, only bruised. I couldn't believe that she was back to the temple on Friday, and she walkes to and from the temple. She never complains and works so hard. What a faithful, dedicated woman. She loves her Heavenly Father and the temple. I don't think I would have walked to the temple the next day after being hit by a car. I hope I can grow up to be like her, a woman of faith. We spent all day on Sunday in meetings, first our three hour block of church, then 4 hours of training in the temple. We were so tired that we didn't write any letters. Then yesterday, our P-day, we played. We hired a driver and guides, a Stake president and his wife and the driver of a microbus (meecreboos). It an seat 15 and the 10 missionaries went to see the Boqueron volcano. It erupted in 1917 and blew off the top of the mountain. Inside the crater is what is called the little giant, another volcano that has blown at least once but it is inside the old volcano. There are people living inside the crater also. It was a beautiful walk to the top.

Our group of missionaries climbing to the crater and the little giant volcano inside the crater.

Lon is sitting on a bench that is on the path.

We then went to the Planes of Renderos for pupuses. Supposed to the the best in San Salvador.  We liked them very much.  We met a couple of young missionaries who were out tracting and had them join us for dinner, the one elder was from Draper Utah and had only been in the country for 5 days. I think we made their day. Hopefully you can open these and see part of this beautiful country. We are doing great, didn't even get sick from eating out. It was fun to get out of our temple compound and see the country. We are so blessed to live in the USA and have so much to be thankful for, like a good roof over our heads, transportation, carpet, stoves, dishwashers, all the luxeries of life. But we are also blessed to have such great friends and family. Thank you all for your love and support and especially your prayers in our behalf. Love to all Lon and Nancy