Happy Fiestas Agostinos!​!

     We found out that we had a national holiday starting the first of August and lasting through the 6th. We asked people what we were celebrating. We were told that it was the birthday of San Salvador, that the government was lazy and wanted a holiday in August since they didn't have one, and that it was the day that "El Salvador" (the Savior) came to San Salvador. We were not sure which explanation to believe  so we checked the internet.  This festival dates back to 1525, the year that the city of San Salvador was founded. They celebrate with the fair coming to town and parades. On Thursday, the police put on the parade. On Friday, the business put on a parade. On Saturday, the Military put on the parade and on Sunday, the religious ceremony and parade takes place in front
of the national cathedral. It includes a spectacle known as "la bajada" or the descent. An old wooden image of Christ is paraded through the streets and then lowered inside a wooden shell. There the
sculpture's purple garments are removed, and Jesus emerges from the shell dressed in gleaming white robes, a symbolic representation of Christ's transfiguration. We were driven past one of the fairs on Thursday evening. We were not allowed out of the car to see this one up close. It is free to get in and not a safe place. It was huge, with big roller coasters and all kinds of fair rides, food venders of every kind and shops selling anything and everything. It was raining but still had people every where.

     On Saturday afternoon, Carlos Figueroa and his mother-in-law took us to the other fair. This one is within walking distance of the temple. It is safe and smaller they said. We have never seen so many
people in one place in our lives. We saw a band with dancers performing the national song and dance, picture #1. We tried to get a picture to show how many people were there, but pictures just can't
show it all. Picture #2. This fair took up a whole city block. People were standing in line for 2 to 3 hours just to take a ride on one roller coaster. We now know how sardines feel in a can. There was music and clowns and food and food and food. Grandma insisted that we try some chorros, fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar. We really enjoyed that. It was in the low 90's with about 80%
humidity and no air in any of the buildings. We can say that we experienced the "feria" but were glad to get out of the heat, the crowds, and the noise.

     There is one great thing about the holiday, the people throng to the temple. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were wonderful in the temple with bus loads of people each day. Monday is the last day of
the holiday and we have one stake who have scheduled the morning at the temple. We have to be there by 4:30AM to help whereever needed and they are supposed to be gone by 1:00PM. With 8 to 13 buses coming.  It will be very surprising if they are gone by then. It will make a very long week with out a P-Day.

     We want to send a belated Birthday wish to my little brother, Dick, and to Robert Otteson. Sorry we missed your days and hope you had a great birthday. We send our love to all. We are doing great.
We do get tired by Saturday but with your prayers in our behalf we are keeping up with the schedule and enjoying every day. Primary music went well today and only one more week til Sister Broadbent returns. We pray that you are happy, healthy, and enjoying every day of your lives. We are saddened to have lost two friends, Chuck Jensen and Dr Harold Lloyd. Have a great week. Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma.

Please Forgive Me for Not Writing Last Week

      Please forgive me for not getting a letter written last week. I really don't have a good excuse other than "life" just got in the way. I remember how disappointed we were when Tracy was on his mission and we didn't get a letter each week. I will try to repent and do better from now on.

 

      These two past weeks have been busy in the temple with usually one to three buses here each day. We have been on the PM Shift. We had two different groups here from Honduras, one each week. It is so much fun when they are here. They spend all day and evening in the temple for two days then head home very happy and content with lots of new eternal families created.

 

      We have had two days that were a struggle. We lost our water at the temple for about 4 hours each day. Can you imagine having 50 or 60 people in a building with no bathrooms? When we tell the people that the bathrooms are closed, they just shrug and carry on. It doesn't phase them at all. We Americans freak out and want to close the temple, but the Salvadorians are used to doing without and take it in stride. It did make the laundry get behind big time. I was late getting home these days as I was trying to help the laundry get caught up after our shift.

 

      President Petersen has taken these two weeks off. He is in a lot of pain in his back and leg. He has tried two weeks of bed rest to see is that makes a difference. His surgery went well, but he returned to a full schedule so soon that his doctors are thinking that is causing the pain. He just hasn't healed from the surgery completely. His new MRI shows no problems. We really miss him and Sister Petersen in the temple. They bring such a sweet spirit when they are there.

 

      I was asked to do the Primary music for three weeks and today was the first day. I have spent a lot of time trying to get ready. Our Primary here is a real mix of Spanish speakers and English speakers. I wasn't too worried til I began reading the songs to get ready. I figured that the action songs would not be too hard but soon found out that they were not the same in Spanish. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes changed into Head, Face, shoulders, and toes, and one turn around. Not only new words but new actions. Do as I'm doing is not "if I do it high or low, if I do it fast or slow". It is " if I do it on this side or that side, if I do it slow or fast". I had Sister Kitley make me an apple with a cute worm to come out if the kids sing good and it was a great hit. The kids sang so good. It was fun and challenging. One of the English boys walked into Senior Primary and saw me and said, "Oh good. English today". I replied in Spanish, "Why, we live in San Salvador and need to speak Spanish". His whole frame crumbled and I had to laugh. I came home totaled but all in all it went real good. I haven't done Primary music for years. After church, I was asked to do 10 minutes of music in the nursery each week from now on. Now I have really got to work on the music. You can't do the nursery with a book in your hand. The songs have to be memorized to get those little people to sing at all.

 

      My three piano students are working hard and progressing. All the instruction books are in Spanish so if I can't figure out what they are saying, I have to look up the book online and read what they are saying in English. I am teaching with the church course and hope to have them ready to play out of the hymn book when I leave.
 

     Elder Thompson is enjoying the Olympics when we get a chance to watch. This week is AM shift so that will be good for watching. We will get a good nap each day so he can stay up and watch each night.
 

    We are so thankful for our generator. Tonight we had a huge thunder storm with lots of rain and the power went out right in the middle of a race. The generator kicked on and we saw the end of the race. We are well taken care of here.
 

     We hope each of you are happy and well and enjoying life. We are well and so happy to be here. We love these people, their courage and example, and their love for our Father in Heaven. We hope you have a great week. We send our love to all. Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

The "Ruta de Flores"

    Our "Winter" is here with thunder, lightning, and rains almost every day, usually at night. This makes the humidity real high so we are not cold by any means. But the rains have brought the flowers and vegetation. Everything is green and beautiful.

 

      We, the ten missionaries, took a sight-seeing trip on Monday the 9th. We had to drive about an hour to the ruta (route) de Flores. It is a beautiful drive winding down the mountains through three quaint little towns with cobble stone streets. The flowers are out now thanks to the rains and the corn is in every stage all along the way. It is planted every where and anywhere there is a piece of dirt. The coffee plantations are also in this area of the country. It is cooler here and we enjoyed a few hours away from the heat and humidity of the city.

 

      Our first town was Conception de Ataco. Pictures #1 and #2 show the brightly painted houses and cobble stone streets. These little towns are very laid back and quiet.

 

      We then went to Apaneca where they have a famous zipline. However, none of us "Senior Missionaries" thought it sounded like fun. I guess we are just getting too old. We had lunch here at a beautiful restaurant with a flower garden for the "ambiance". Picture #3 , I am standing in the middle of the street and took the picture of the Catholic Cathedral with the school kids getting out of school then I turned around and took the picture #4 up the street with the steeple of the Latter-Day-Saint Church building. The locals told us that there were "bastante"(lots) of Mormons in this town.

 

      Our last town was Juayua. We had dropped down the mountain by this time and the heat was again with us. Only the Walls and the Thompsons had the energy,(and health) to take the mile hike to the "Los Chorros de la Calera" (waterfalls). We had two young boys for guides and hiked through the forest down to the falls. Pictures #5 and #6 are of the falls. These are natural water falls similar to Thousand Springs at home. They were beautiful and the water cool. It would have felt good to crawl into the pools, but the others were waiting for us in the microbus so we didn't stay long. It took about 20 minutes to climb down to the falls and about 40 minutes to climb back up.

 

      It was a fun day and some of the missionaries even found a few "treasures" that they just could not live without.

 

      The temple was very quiet on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, but the buses arrived for the weekend and we were busy. It just breaks our hearts when there are not too many at the temple. They still have the mind set here that you go to the temple on your assigned ward day. Hopefully more and more will realize the blessings that will come into their families if they come to the temple when ever they have that desire.

 

       Well, the sewing brigade had an impact on me. I decided that I was not doing all that I could do to help people change and grow. I am now teaching piano to three students. They are all over 20 and have a real desire to play so they will learn very quickly and it will be fun teaching them. They all have cars and drive so they can come to the church for their lessons and work around my schedule.

We had another lesson in the art of making pupusas. I'm getting better at it and this time when we put the pupusas on the grill, you could not tell which ones were mine or which ones were my teachers. Not bad for a gringa!

      We love you each and you are always in our thoughts and prayers. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and brings such happiness and peace into our lives. Have a great week, we plan on it. The PM Shift Yea!! Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

Happy 4th of July

Today we celebrated the 4th of July with the other missionaries for our Sunday lunch. We decided that we were not late, just getting used to Salvadorian time. We had an all American picnic with hamburgers, potato salad, and Independence cake (thanks Deb for the recipe). Picture #1. The afternoon rain storm even waited til we were done to roll in. We had to eat inside last Sunday because the rain was coming at an angle that was getting the deck wet. It is raining almost every afternoon or evening now. Time to carry your umbrella with you all the time. You can have a beautiful sunny day one minute, then raining cats and dogs the next. Boy, did I ever get funny looks when I used that expression the other day. That was something none of my friends here had ever heard before.

     We need to tell you the story of the "Sewing Brigade" Eleven women from the States arrived in San Salvador. They came mostly from Bountiful, Utah. These women were organized about 5 years ago. They pick a country, work through the Church Welfare Office, and come to the country to teach women how to use sewing machines and sew. They spent 2 years in Costa Rica, 2 years in the Dominican Republic, and this year here. They will return again next year to teach sewing and advanced sewing to the 15 women who they taught this year and 15 new beginners. The women who took the class were hand picked by their Bishops and Stake Presidents. If they finished the course, they were given the sewing machine that they learned on. These 11 women were amazing. They needed to be close to the institute building where they held the classes so they stayed in a not so classy hotel, experiencing the electric showers and real bad beds. But they were happy and praised their students. They had found out that one of the students from last year has opened a shop and makes drapes and clothes for others to make a living for her little family. They are hoping for more success stories as they return here next year. What a selfless act of love! They pay their own way and give away 15 sewing machines each summer. They are definitely making a difference in the world. None of them speak Spanish. Each year they try to bring someone's son or grandson who has just returned from a Spanish Speaking mission as their interpreter. They were here for a week. We hope they return early next June so we can see them again and find out how their students are doing.

 

     We had some real good news today. The Walls have been asked to extend their mission and they have agreed to stay for 4 more months. The Kitley's and Gibbon's will leave the end of January but the Wall's will stay here with us. We were real happy. I guess there is a real shortage in Senior Temple Missionaries as new temples are opened each year. We can't imagine running this temple without 4 sets of missionaries, and even then we are real short of workers on some shifts. Hopefully, the Temple Department will be able to find replacements for the Kitley's and Gibbon's and that they will already know at least some Spanish. But that is not a requirement if you have the desire to serve, the Lord will help you become qualified for the work. He has certainly helped me with the language.

We love serving here and are happy and healthy. We don't know where all the time goes but wish it would slow down a little. You are all in our thoughts and prayers daily. We hope that you will have a great week. We send our love, Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

 

       

Lon's Turn

     Since it is ladies day out, I guess I should take the time to write the weekly letter. Once a month all the English speaking sisters in the ward which all are Americans, get together and visit, eat and just have a good time. It gives them a chance to get away from their husbands and gossip and tell lies about us. We call it husbands appreciation day as we get to stay home and clean the apartment do the laundry, vacuum the place and clean and polish our temple shoes and just have a great old day and learn to appreciate what they have done for us all of those years. They truly have earned their day.

     This week was a busy week as Honduras came again and it does fill the days and we truly love them coming. They are going to be missed when their new temple is done. We are healthy and doing great. Nancy gets depressed because she thanks her Spanish isn't where it needs to be and struggles. All I can say is we all go through it. I still think when am I going to learn Spanish. I just wish that my hearing was as good as hers. She is doing well and understands a great deal. At times, I have to say what did they say. I am going on 3 months without my hearing aids because I sent them to the States to get fixed and I think that they forgot all about them.

     This week is the celebration of our independence and I hope that we all take time to give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and all the things that we have been blessed with. Such as affordable golf, fishing streams, mountains to go 4 wheeling and a long hunting season where we can go out and supply food for our families at an affordable price. I miss the sacrifice that I had to go through each fall to bring home the food that was expected so that we could live for the following year. We send all our love to everyone. We hope you have a great week. Love Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom

40th Wedding Anniversar​y!

      Wow! Another week has come and gone. We were on the AM Shift so we had to be to the temple by 6:00 every morning except Saturday, the killer. We had to be there by 4:30 AM Saturday. We keep thinking that people won't get up that early so soon they will stop having the 5:30 AM session on Saturday, but no such luck. We were filled and the baptistry was non-stop from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. It was a good week and we enjoy serving with the AM shift, getting to know more people, but are so glad that the next two weeks we can get up without an alarm and don't have to be to the temple till 1:00 PM.

      The rains come usually every afternoon and the flowers are starting to bloom everywhere again. I have missed the Arbol del Fuego trees and they are starting to bloom now. It is flu season also. I think it has something to do with the rains washing the trash into the water systems. The temperature hasn't changed but people are getting sick. Sister Kitley and Brother Gibbons have been struggling this week with thier health. Today is the first day that Sister Kitley said she felt like she might live. The locals carry around a kitchen towel, any color in the book even in the temple, flung over their shoulder and that is what they cough into, sneeze into, and blow their nose into. We do have kleenex's in the temple and that would be so much more sanitary, but old habits die hard.

 

      The 22nd was our 40th wedding anniversary. Boy does that sound like we are getting old or what! We invited the Figueroa Family to celebrate it with us. I cooked an all-American meal here at our apartment and had them come to dinner. They showed up with presents and we felt like it was Christmas. Picture #1 is the Figueroa Family and #2 is Lon and Carlos. They gave him a shirt that has 49 different Salvadorian words on it that are only used here and are not even in any dictionary. Lon is constantly asking what a word means so they gave him a bunch more to learn. The only problem is that the shirt fits me, not Lon. On Saturday of this week, I have to teach the girls how to make chicken pillows and coconut cream pie. They thought they were real tasty.

 

     Well, We want to let you know that we are well and happy, very content living here and serving in this beautiful temple with these wonderful, loving people. We send our love to all and please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers always. We love you and pray that you are well and happy also. Love Dad and Mom, Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma

       

Happy Father's Day!

      We want to wish all of you "fathers" a Happy Father's Day. To our sons, thank you for your love and care of our daughters. Thank you for teaching our grandchildren to be honest, kind, loving, and dependable by your examples. To our brothers, thank you for your wisdom, love, and support throughout our lives. Thank you for the way you take care of our sisters. To our fathers and grandfathers, we are so thankful for the heritage they have given to us. And especially thank you to our Heavenly Father for his love, patience, and miracles that have blessed our lives.

      Here, Father's Day is always on the 17th, no matter what day of the week it falls on. It is not as big as Mother's Day, sorry fathers, but our ward is having a Father's Day party in a week. Only one week late. They did cancel Stake Choir Practice for it though. Did I tell you that they have started practicing for Stake Conference a month earlier than they had announced. Elder Thompson was not too thrillled, but he went anyway. He informs me that I will pay for it when we get home. It is wonderful to have a companion who supports the things that bring so much joy into my life.

      We had a busy week at the temple with more Saints from Honduras, and lots of buses from San Miguel. San Miguel is one of the farthest places from the temple. It is just like in the states, whoever lives the farthest from the temple, usually support it the best because they can't say, I'll go tomorrow. They have to plan the trip. It is amazing, now we don't get excited when we have 4 or 6 buses here. We just take it in stride because there is only so much room in the temple and we can't squeeze more in. We did have an extra session on Wednesday night to try to meet the needs of the patrons. It has been a good week.

 

      The Walker family leave on Tuesday and a new family arrived today. We will miss the Walkers and look forward to getting to know the new family.

 

      We hope you all have a great week, We are on the AM Shift so it will be survival week here. We just hope to be on our feet when Saturday comes and we have to be at the temple by 4:30 AM. But thanks to your prayers in our behalf, we have been able to keep up with the schedules that we have. We love you Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandma and Grandpa.