Hope you are all having a great week

  Time just keeps getting away from us.  Either it is going faster than before, or we are getting slower and not getting as much done in a day.  It just seems like it is Tuesday morning and we are ready to head to the temple for our shift and then it is Saturday night and another week has gone by. 

 

    On the 15th of April, we were all invited to the home of the Reyes's again, this time for a Family Home Evening and celebration of President Petersen's birthday. This is the home where we spent New Years. 

The front stairs to the Reyes home and Picture
 

 This is a typical home in the country made of corrigated metal.

 This is not one of the poor homes.  We haven't been able to get a picture of the shanties yet.  We are not allowed in those areas.  But the contrast between rich and poor is amazing.

     Sister Reyes designed the home.  Her serving kitchen is amazing.  There are three kitchens in the home, one for breakfast, the serving kitchen and the kitchen were the meals are actually made by the employees.  This one looks like all the other kitchens in El Salvador, with both gas burners and wood burning stoves.  In the serving kitchen is a closet that is from floor to ceiling with nothing else but dishes in it.  

It had every color and style you could imagine.  The three tables were each set with a different style and color of plates.  We had 26 people here for dinner and Family Home Evening. 

      The Reyes's are wonderful people who love the gospel and love to share all that they have with others.  They only have one daughter and she and her husband and child live in Utah.  They really miss having them close.  All the money and belongings can't make up for the love and companionship of family. 

     Our dear Sister Clark has been battling with diarrhea and stomach cramps since she arrived.  She finally went to the doctor and she has amebas (bugs).  She got really sick in Mexico on their first mission and we think that she never got rid of them there.  She wasn't feeling well the year that she was home before coming here and thought that she was allergic to milk products.  They have her on some real strong medicine so hopefully in a week or two she will be healthy again.  We told her that we have to get her well before the new couple arrive so they can take their turn of being sick. 

 

      We are doing great.  We continue to walk an hour at least 5 days a week.  On Tuesday as we began our walk, it looked like it had rained bugs the night before.  There were dead beetles  everywhere.  They are about the size of a quarter.  The chigotes start to die off when the seasons change.  The rainy season has officially began and we have had rain every other night.  Everything is starting to green up.  We are glad that we will be here long enough to see the country bloom again.

 

     Our little temple has now been open for 20 months.  We continue to be amazed at how smoothly everything runs and are reminded daily that it is truly the House of the Lord and He is in charge.  We are so thankful for this opportunity to serve here and it will be very difficult to leave.

 

     We send our love to all.  Have a great week and enjoy each moment of your days, they go by so fast.  Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

The Pacific Ocean is beautiful

     For our monthly p-day outing this month, President Lopez wanted to show us the coastal route and take us to Acajutla.  We first drove to La Libertad, the fishing warf.

Liza Wegkamp went with us.  She and husband are back after being gone for almost a year.  He works for a company here.  They have lived here on and off for 12 years.  April is the hottest month of the year here and boy was it hot and humid.  We have never tried dried fish, but here it is a real delicasy.  This picture is the fish laying on tarps along the seashore to dry. 

The drive along the coast was up and down and through 5 tunnels, without any lights in the tunnel or on the vehicles. 

There are lots of dairy's in this area, a big dairy being around 20 cows, and sugar cane everywhere.  This stretch of the seashore is where the surfers come as the waves are nice for this.

As we entered Acajutla, we were met by Bishop Juavier who became our guide.  Acajutla is the port city that has been fought over for centuries.  First the Pirates, then the Spaniards in 1524, another peasant uprising in 1932 and finally the civil in 1980-1992.  The port itself is closed to the public, but with the help of Bishop Juavier, we were able to enter.  Being right on the Pacific Ocean, the heat and humidity was the worst we have felt.  This picture is of the employee parking lot.  With bikes and motorcycles, you don't have to have such a big parking lot.  They have over a thousand employees here. 

Their main exports are sugar, coffee, and balsom.  One of their main imports is vehicles.  They were unloading some while we were here. 

 

There were three Taiwan battle ships anchored and the big cargo ship from Panama loaded with 600 vehicles unloading. 

 

The city itself was one of the smaller cities we have visited and the Bishop was so thrilled to show us the new church building that is being build.  Right now, the ward meets in a house but soon,  their new chapel will be done. 

They are expecting to move into it in May, but this is El Salvador and things are never on time so we figure June or July.  This ward comes to the temple faithfully.  We are so thrilled for them to finally be getting a chapel. 

 

     We have lots of other photo's from our trip to the ocean, but cannot send them all.  We met more warm and friendly people in this area as in the rest of El Salvador.  They may not have much physically, but their spirits are so loving and we always feel so welcome where ever we travel.  Money does not bring happiness.  We can choose happiness or misery by our attitudes, not by our possessions .  We are so thankful to be serving here.  We love the labor in the temple and are so happy.  We send our love to all.  May you have a great week and are finding true happiness by the attitude you are embracing is our prayer.  Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma 

All Is Well!

Our Easter week (Semana Santa) turned out to be a great week with 2 to 4 buses here every day.  Of course when we have buses it means youth for the baptistry, which equals laundry.  We did a lot of washing, drying, and folding of baptism clothes and towels this week.  It is so fun to have the youth come.  Their spirits are so special.

     On Friday morning, Elder Thompson was given the assignment to talk to a Stake Primary from Sonzacate.  They only brought the kids from ages 8 to 11.  I told them a little about us, bore my testimony, and then Lon reminded them of some of the things they need to do to be ready to enter the temple. 

 They were so cute.  It was fun.  I think they liked to hear my funny accent and would ask me questions just to hear me talk. 

 

     We are excited to have the opportunity to watch General Conference this weekend.  The Hall's, our PEF missionaries, are heading home the 29th.  It is so hard to believe that their two years are gone.  We will miss them.  They are busy trying to get everything ready for their replacements who should be here around the 22nd.  I guess the El Salvadorian government has changed some of the Visa rules and it takes about 75 days to get your visa now.  So from the time you get your call to when you can enter the country will take a little longer.  I guess if you are called to go to Brazil, it takes 8 months for the visa. 

 

     We send our love to all.  We hope you have a great week and are enjoying a beautiful spring.  We are anxious for the rains to start here.  Everything is so dry.  We love you Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma.