Weeky Letter

     Yes another week has come and gone and today is ladies day out and so I will write most of the letter today. (edited by Nancy) I got most of my chores done and Nancy thought that I should expand my horizon and so added to the list was dusting all the furniture. That should be it for this mission as we don't do that very often. I think that I have passed the test and am now certified as a true maid. (He only broke one item so that is good for the first time)

 

     We have had a good week and had a couple show up at the temple and as I was walking home I noticed that the vehicle had a Wyoming plate on it and so I went back into the temple and sure enough there was a young couple that had traveled all the way actually from Houston to Wyoming and then down through Mexico, Guatemala and have visited the temples and were on their way to Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and headed back through Belieze and try to get home by Christmas.

     The people down here couldn't believe that they would even try. They had spare tires and gas cans on the roof of their SUV (advertising that they were tourists) and said that they could live two weeks out of their car. They even had a bed in the back. That gave me an idea about buying a tuk tuk which is a 3 wheeler motorcycle but has a back seat and is really cool.

They have them in the states but are about 7,000 dollars more expensive so I have thought that I could buy one down here and drive it home. When we finish in June, I would have good weather all the way home and it is somewhat enclosed and I could be home for hunting season in Oct. with time to spare. That way I could take the souvenirs that we don't have room to take and I could take the excess. I am trying to sell Nancy on the Idea. I still have time to convince her. (I don't think so)

    This week we got to go to another concert or synfoncia and it was really good. That's something that we don't get to see in Idaho. We even knew most of the music.

     Sunday was the primary program and they did super. It was 50% Americans and 50% Spanish. These kids are so amazing as all but 2 did their parts in Spanish and the pronunciation was perfect.
It's amazing how they learn.

     We are preparing for our Christmas programs and I enjoy the music. Of course Nancy is at the time of year that she enjoys the most. The bad part is the 1st of Dec. is when we have the first program and Boise State plays Nevada probably for a share of the conference title and the 22 of Dec is the other program and that is the day of the bowl game that Boise State will probably be playing in. Thank heavens that I have a daughter that can record and I won't have to miss them. Who would believe that living down here we would ever have been able to do such a thing.

     We love being here and love our mission. We love the weather, people and the blessing of serving our Heavenly Father. It's a life I wish all couples that could would do so they would feel the true love of our Heavenly Father. What a joy to be able to serve. Well better close for now as Nancy will be coming home soon. We love hearing from those that have time to write and know many are busy. We miss you and pray all will have joy and happiness in your homes and lives. Elder and Sister Thompson, Mom and Dad. and Etc.

Earthquake

     "I felt the earth- move- under my feet, but nothing came tumbling down!" We are safe but we sure did feel this one. We were in the temple and the building rolled for several minutes. It was the strongest and longest quake we have felt. It is amazing that a structure that big and well build can roll like that, with no cracks in walls or windows. They issued a tsunami warning for the La Libertad coast but nothing has happened here. We did not feel any of the after shocks either. So we are safe and blessed here and feel for the people who were directly affected by the quake.

     We were able to attend a Youth Symphony Concert on the 30th of October. The Majano's took us as a birthday gift for me. It was amazing. They have a program here funded by a Mexican Foundation that brings music into schools. The children from 7 - 18 are able to take lessons on any instrument or sing in the choir for free after school hours. The choir of around 90 youth sang the Hallalua Chorus in four parts in English. The orchestra was outstanding.

     On the 5th, we missionaries took a trip back to San Sebastian to the fabric factory. The Gibbon's and Kitley's had things they wanted to get before they leave the country. We went to a quaint restaurant for lunch with an amazing view of Lake Ilopongo and the private golf course that Lon played at last year. Pictures 1 and 2.

     Elder Thompson is wondering about Ron and Frank's hunting trips. He will never get the thrill of hunting out of his blood.

     The El Salvadorian schools close here for about two months, starting next week. The American and British schools run on the same schedules as in the states. Everyone is starting to prepare for summer camps which take place the week after Christmas because that is when all the youth are out of school at the same time.

     Winter has begun here with winds stronger than usual. This is what they call the cold season because the wind makes it feel colder than is really is. We don't sweat quite as much when we walk now. It is nice for us, but we still don't need a sweater. 

     Hope you all have a great week and are safe and happy. We miss you but love the work we are doing and the people we get to associate with. We send our love to all, Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma.

Happy Halloween to All!

     It is hard to believe that another month has come and almost gone. We keep trying to enjoy each day but they come and go so fast. Elder Thompson of course is lamenting that football season is already half over. He doesn't get to see many of the games because of our schedule at the temple and the games he does get to watch are all on the east coast because it is a Florida channel that we have that carries the games. But he does get to watch the BSU games with Ginger on Skype so life is good.

     I have attached a couple of pictures from yesterday, my birthday.  We had our Sunday dinner with the missionaries and Sister Kitley made me a cake. We went to choir practice and Sister Broadbent made cupcakes. We then went to the Figueroa's for a surprise birthday dinner and another cake. I received flowers, cards and hugs all day long. We are so pampered and showered with love. It is really going to be tough to say good-bye.

     We had a busy week in the temple and did enjoy the PM shift. Friday we had a first thought. At 7:30 pm, we realized that there were only 4 women ordinance workers left in the temple, Sister Petersen, Sister Kitley, Sister Gibbons, and myself. We have always had at least one or two natives to close the temple with, never just the gringa's. Then, on Saturday evening, we were on the swing shift, from 8-4, and Lon ended up putting in a 12 hour day because there were not enough workers to finish the day with. I only had to stay for 9 hours as there were more women. If we have to cut back on the temple hours it will be because of not enough workers to meet the needs of the patrons.

      This week schools are out and on Friday, Nov. 2nd, it is "la dia de bruja", a mix between Halloween and Memorial Day here. We expect the temple to be over full, especially the baptistry.  Last year it was huge so this year should be as well.

     We send our love to all. Thank you for your prayers and letters.  We do enjoy hearing from you. Love, Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom.

Weekly Letter

     Nancy is off partying again so I told her I would try to get our letter written after I got the apartment cleaned, the dishes done and the laundry in the wash. I hope you all are healthy and strong and enjoying the nice weather that it sounds like you are having. It has been a little nice down here and we have had a little rain this past week which was needed. We also had 3 little earth quakes and that was a little interesting because it had been a few weeks since we have had one. It was interesting because we had just had training in the temple about things like that. They weren't anything big.

     Well BSU is still winning and so that's good. I love football season and it's hard to believe the season is half over. That's what's nice about skype, Ginger and I get to watch the games together after we get back from the temple on Saturday nights and don't have to watch all the time outs and advertisements. It takes about two hours to watch the game.

     We had a really busy week at the temple and the time really went by fast. We are glad to be back on the PM shift and getting to sleep a little longer in the mornings. This week was our stake conference and what a great one. I think it was one of the best ones I have been to. I find myself saying that after every conference so maybe it's my spirit. We had 18 young people getting ready to go out in the mission field from our stake and they did a special number which was very spiritual. They sang Sons of Helaman. Half were young women who can go now when they are 19. Many were waiting to go in a year and a half but can go now. We sang 4 songs as a choir and I thought we did great. It seems that we always have special angels with us.

     We are loving our mission and are looking forward to the Christmas season as they have already started down here. We have been practicing Christmas songs in the choir for about a month getting ready for when we sing. We are healthy and strong and hope all is well with everyone there. Nancy has some pictures but will have to send them next time. I miss the hunting season as Tracy got to go and they got their deer and had a good time. This is the second time that I have missed in a long time but look forward to next fall when I plan on going on a great hunt.

     Thanks for all your prayers and letters. I hope all is receiving them as we have found out that some have not. If you email us I can guarantee you will get a return letter. Have a great week and we love you all. Lon and Nancy and whatever else. 

Hope You Have Had a Great Week!

     We send our love from El Salvador. We have had a quiet week here, no adventures to tell about. We were blessed to have two groups from Honduras visit us at the Temple so we had a couple of busy days and of course Saturday was bustling as usual. The rains in the early evenings stop a lot from coming to the Temple but we have not had any rain for two days now so we might be done  with the rainy season.

     We have been warned that this week the public buses will most likely go on strike so we could have a real quiet week. Many of our workers and patrons at the Temple do not own cars and ride the public buses, even on Sunday to get to church. As we were out and about today, we didn't see any buses so we think the strike is on. Let you know how it goes next week.

     Lon got to go golfing last Monday with a young man from our ward.  He got to play at the second course that is here in El Salvador. This one is just a couple of miles from us. They went on a Monday so there was no amenities offered so it was affordable. All he had to pay for was the caddie. Lon says that he set a record score for his life. His caddie won't bend on the score at all and he got a 62. The only problem was that it was for 9 holes!! The greens were soggy from the rain but extremely fast. It had very narrow fairways and the sandtraps were like brick because of the rains. He can't think of any other excuses and looks forward to playing it again to redeem himself. It is tough when you score a 10, 10, and a 9 on three holes. The only bright spot is that he won the match as his partner shot a 67. He had fun being on the course again.

     We are on the AM Shift this week so we will be trying to get to bed early and will look forward to a nap in the afternoon when we don't sleep well at night. We hope you all are well and enjoying life. We thank you for your prayers in our behalf and you are in our every day. We love you all, Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

Christ in America

     When we arrived here and visited our El Salvadorian Temple for the first time last year, we were amazed at the picture that greeted us. Behind the recommend desk of our little temple was the most amazing life size painting of the Savior with two little Indian girls. We could not decipher the name of the artist and had never seen the painting before. A few months later, Apostle Russell Nelsen and his wife came to visit our temple and she fell in love with the painting. She said that she would find out all about it upon her return to Salt Lake City. Sure enough, she emailed Sister Petersen soon after her return with the name of the artist, Jeffrey Hein, and the name of the painting, Christ in America. She was told that the painting was commissioned by the church solely for the El Salvador Temple and would not be in print anywhere else. We were so disappointed that we could not share this painting with our friends and could not have a copy for our homes. Then, our October 2012 Ensign and the Liahona (church magazines) arrived and we opened the cover to find our painting there; Jesus Christ with a little Nephite girl on one side and a little Lamanite girl on the other. The only thing that you can't really tell in the picture are that the eyes of our Savior follow you no matter where you stand in the room. Of course our painting is life size. Isn't it beautiful. All of us missionaries are excited that we will be able to someday have a copy of this beautiful painting hanging in our homes. (We have a hunch that Sister Nelsen had something to do with this) Also in the Liahona we found an article featuring a young man that we know here in El Salvador. We think it may be in the Era because it is in the "Jovenes" section to the Liahona. The article is called "Strengthened by the Word". You will have to check out the article and the photo. If you don't have access to them, I will try to attach a copy of the photo.

     Sister Kitley had her surgery on her knee on Tuesday and is recovering without any problems. We have missed her in the Temple and look forward to her return this week. We had a great week of not getting up to an alarm and enjoyed our time in the Temple each afternoon and evening. We have had some real good thunder and lightning storms and rain almost daily as our rainy season is coming to an end. This will be the last month of the rains.

     As we watched Conference this weekend, they showed photos of the beautiful fall colors. Wow, that we do miss. Fall is our favorite time of year to go 4-wheeling in the mountains. Hope all of you are able to enjoy a beautiful fall before the cold sets in. We are thankful for your love and friendship, your prayers in our behalf. We send our love to all. Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom

Weak Things Become Strong

Months before the entrance exam for high school, I did not feel prepared. I was sure that it would be impossible to do well. So I turned to my Heavenly Father in prayer. While I was praying, these words came to my mind: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

I realized that when I pray to Heavenly Father for strength to face challenges and tests, He blesses me and helps me overcome my weaknesses. Presenting my concern to the Lord was the best decision I could make. He is the best teacher, and I know He helped me.

 

Irvin O. age 16, El Salvador

I Forgot to Hit "Send"!

    Well, I wrote a letter last week and as you all just got it, you can tell that I forgot to hit "send". Sorry, but the thought was there. I hope that counts.

     We had a busy week in the temple and were on the AM Shift. We are so excited for this week as we don't have to get up to the alarm. We did get to go to the "Sinfonica" again on Wednesday. The music was great. The pieces were composed by El Salvadorians. They were very relaxing and we were real disappointed when the concert ended.

     On Thursday, we went to the Figueroa's for dinner and to give the two girls a piano lesson. They had gone to a very typical restaurant and gotten take out for us. We had heard how wonderful this restaurant was and had wanted to try the food. We were not impressed. The pupusas were made with the wrong kind of cheese and the rest of the meal was not good. We are glad that we don't have to
waste money there.

     We got to Skype the BSU game with Tracy this week as it was on a local channel and Ginger didn't get it. She was the lucky one, not having to watch it. We are hoping that with each game we will see some improvement. It is definately a rebuilding year.

     We are looking forward to General Conference this weekend. We send our love and prayers your way. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. We can feel the strength from them, especially on the AM Shift. Have a great week. Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma