Trip to Cojutepequ​e

     We took a trip to Cojutepeque following the Panoramic Route on February 11th.. Several people advised President Lopez not to take us on this route because it is not safe, lots of robbers. They have built very nice wooden platforms for tourists to look over the valleys but these are where the robbers hide, under the platforms. He wouldn't let us stop at any of these lookouts but would stop in the middle of the road and President Petersen and Elder Wall would jump out and take a picture. We were in the back of the van and couldn't get out quick so we have been waiting for the others to share their photos so we can send this letter.

      It is a windy road up the mountains. We rode right along the ridge of the mountain and on one side you could look down into Lake Illopongo and on the other side deep valleys and ravines. It was beautiful, even in the dry season. I think we have been here long enough not to notice the garbage along the roads anymore. We just enjoy the flowers and trees. Along the way we saw one of the locals driving his cart, pulled by two brahma bulls. We had to stop and President Petersen talked to him.

He had the ropes tied to one ear of each bull so he could pull on the rope and the bull would turn. We passed lots of people cutting and hauling wood for their cooking.

When people from these small towns come to the temple, you can smell the smoke from their camp fires that they cook on. We had lunch and then visited Saint Fatima Park. It is a Catholic park in honor of the virgin Fatima. It was a very beautiful, peaceful park just outside of Cojutepeque. 

We were surprised at how large Cojutepeque is. They only have one set of elders in the town and only one branch. However this branch is amazing. We drove to their new chapel, only 8 months old, and got a tour of the building by the branch president.

It is a two story building, the chapel is upstairs. This branch has 150 members and 130 are in attendance each Sunday. It has an elevator if you can't do stairs. Sister Petersen rode up in the elevator, only to have the doors not open on the second floor. Luckily Elder Wall was with her and he forced the doors open about the time she was ready to scream!! Needles to say, she walked down the stairs after touring the upstairs. The whole building was tile flooring and the classrooms would hold 10 people at the most. It was so cute. The soccer and basketball court are outside. It is on a gated street for protection.

     President Lopez was our driver and tour guide. It was fun to see this section of El Salvador through his eyes. He used to visit Saint Fatima Park with his girlfriends, just to walk along the paths and enjoy the peace and quiet. We came home on the main highway, circling Lake Illopongo. When we travel and see just how far and difficult it is to get to the temple, we have a deeper appreciation for the members who sacrifice to come. We rode in a nice, air conditioned van. They come in school buses that are older then we are. One of our temple workers is from here and rides 3 different buses for 4 hours to arrive at the temple, works for 4 hours, then rides the 4 hours back home. We have learned a lot about dedication from the members here.

     I've spent a lot of time trying to learn "Popcorn Popping" in Spanish this week so I could sing it in the nursery today. Of course the words aren't the same so I had to learn new actions as well. It actually went pretty good. Elder Thompson has spent the week getting ready to give a talk tonight at 5:00 at a meeting of the temple worthy members of our stake. He only has to speak for 10 minutes so that will be the hard part. He always has more material than he has time for.

     We hope you have each had a great week. We send our love and prayers to you. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. We are well and enjoy serving our Heavenly Father here in El Salvador. May God bless you this week with health, and peace and happiness. Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

It is so hard to loose someone you love and admire

     We are saddened to hear about the passing of our dear friend Patsy. She will be missed so much. Patsy has been such a great example to all of us over the years. She truly lived her life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. She was always there in our trials, our triumphs, and our losses. Whenever she had an assignment or a calling, she magnified that call and we were all blessed because of it. The Jerome Second Ward will feel the void of her passing for a long time as we have lost a valiant servant of our Heavenly Father.

     We want to bear our testimonies to you all that we know she is in a better place, with family and friends who have gone on before. She will be watching over her family and prompting and guiding them still.  She and Al will be together again and their family with them if they will but follow her example and become disciples of Christ as she is.

     We send our love to Al, Tami Lane, Valerie, Danny and their spouses and children. We mourn with you and pray that we will all be fortified with the spirit of our Father in Heaven to get through the tough days ahead. May God bless us all with the peace and strength that we need to go forward. We will never forget our friend and will look forward to meeting her again one day in the kingdom of our Father.

Cojutepequ​e

     Just want you to know that we are alive and well. We took a great trip to Cojutepeque on Monday the 11th. Elder Thompson and I were in the back of the van and couldn't get out to take all the pictures so we are waiting for Sister Petersen to forward her pictures to us. So, for now I will just send the picture of the "plastic bag tree". When we stopped for lunch, I saw a tree that had these big white looking leaves or flowers in a distance. I asked President Lopez to come with me to see the tree and tell me what kind of a tree it was. He got real serious and told me that it was a "plastic bag tree", and didn't we have them in the States? When we got close enough for me to recognize what had been done, he just laughed and laughed. Anyway, it is a quayaba tree. They put the plastic bags over the fruit to protect them from birds. Maybe we should try it with strawberries? 

  Poinsetta tree with a couple of old missionaries in front of it.

     Anyway, just a quick note and I will get a full detail of our trip to you next week. We are enjoying our mission and look forward to each new day. It is so fun to know so many of the regulars and look forward to their visits to the temple. We send our love to all and hope you are well and enjoying life. Love Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom .

San Miguel

     Well, I had your letter all written, hit a wrong key, and erased the whole thing!! We want to share with you a little about our trip to San Miguel on Sunday. San Miguel is about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours by car and 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours away by bus. It is right at sea level so it is at least 10 to 20 degrees hotter than here. The terrain is so different than here. The PEF missionaries, Elder and Sister Hall had to go there for Stake Conference so we went with them. We had never had the opportunity to see this part of the country. Elder Hall is from California and drives just like the natives, fast and faster. We wish he would have gone just a little bit slower so we could see more but it was a great trip.
Pictures of the chapel. This is the design of most of the chapels here in El Salvador. They have two buildings hooked together with a "patio" in between them.

    This is the basketball court, right in the middle of the parking lot. Since most don't have cars, that is usually not a problem with the games.

     The conference was great. They had a 40 voice choir and I couldn't keep my eyes off the piano player. He was a piano teachers nightmare. He played by ear and had taught himself to play. He never looked at the keyboard, they actually had a real piano here. His fingering was so weird. He even played with the side of his little finger. He did a good job with the melody and a few notes in the left hand. He played with the sustain petal held down during the whole song. I was amazed that the choir could stay on their parts when he didn't play any of them. It was fun to watch.

     In this area there are lots of sugar cane fields and the factory was here too. We saw quite a bit of corn also. When the farmers pick the corn, they take the kernals off the cob and bring it to the road. They spread the corn out along the side of the road, on the concrete to dry it. Then they grind it into flour. Not so sure about the cleanliness of that flour!!

     In San Miguel they have two special foods that we don't have here in San Salvador, thank goodness!!! We were real glad that it was Sunday so we didn't have to go to a restaurant to try it. We will definately come home without ever tasting it. The full time missionaries have eaten it and shared their pictures with us.

Iguana

Armadillo 

The young Elders claim that it tasted pretty good but I just can't eat something that is looking at me. I think we will stick to pupuses. We had a good week and are enjoying no alarm clocks. We do miss the people who always come to the temple in the mornings though. We hope you have all had a good week and are healthy and happy. We send our love Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom

Blessing

     Kurt, Yesterday I was at the desk and a mother and her 33 year old daughter came to do a session at the temple. I asked them what lineage they were from. The mother told me Manasah and the daughter told me she hadn't received her blessing yet. She was 33 years old and a return missionary and I asked her why she hadn't received her blessing and she told me that her bishop told her that she needed to learn to walk before she could run. I found that interesting that a thing like that could happen. You would think that she would have received the blessing before her mission. It's a different world down here.

     Need to tell you about Brother Delgado. He's a father of 6 children and has a son on a mission. He is currently serving as a bishop and has been for 7 years and is also serving as 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency. Seems a little over worked. Every Friday he brings his ward to the temple at 4:00 pm for ordiance work and his youth for baptisms. Usually 20 to 25 youth with a complete team of 7 to serve with him in the baptistry. He used to be a temple ordinance worker too but now only comes and serves with his word. Now I don't think that I should ever complain about being over worked. What a hero!!!

     Have a good week. We are going to go to San Miguel Sunday with Elder and Sister Hall since we have not seen that part of the country yet. It is there Stake Conference and President and Sister Petersen will be speaking. Hope you have a special Sunday with Elder Holland and the others. Can't wait to hear how it goes. We have a G.A. coming to our conference in March. Love you Lon