Dentists in town

 Today is "Labor Day" here so we are expecting a big crowd in the temple.  So far we have 3 big buses and 5 or six coasters and micro-buses.  The funnest one is the truck with benches down both sides of the bed and about 30 people pile out of it.  There are lots of youth for the baptistry.   We just love to see the temple filled.

     This week has been a big week for prospective missionaries in all of El Salvador.  A group called "Sonrises de El Salvador" are in town.  Once every three years, this group comes to El Salvador to help the prospective missionaries get ready for their missions.  These are dentists, doctors, nurses and technicians who pay their own way and bring their own supplies.  The dentist chairs and other big equipment are stored in Honduras and are delivered to whatever country has its turn that year.  Each ward calls "parents" for one young person between the ages of 16 1/2 to 25 who are interested in serving a mission.  These "parents" help the youth fill out mission papers, visa papers and passport papers.  They make sure they are at the church for their appointments with the dentists and doctors. 

 

     The Stake center in Illopongo is set up as the headquarters this year.  These dentists do everything from cleaning teeth to implants and bridges.  We were shown a film of their last visit in 2010 and were amazed at the things that they accomplished in just 5 days.  This year they will pass their mark of treating over 1,000 youth. (Just heard that they treated 1077).   The oral surgeon performed more than 300 procedures. There are about 130 people who have given up their time to share their talents and expertise this year.  They are doing a great work here for people who probably haven't ever seen a dentist or doctor in their young lives. Pictures of the "clinic" in the stake center in  Illopongo.  As you can see, there were no chairs that would rise up to fit all the tall dentists, but Shayla, you could work real easily here.  It really was back breaking work for a lot of them.

     On Thursday 103 of them came to the temple.  They scheduled 43 for the 7:00 AM session, 32 for the 8:30 session and 28 in the baptistry.  All the missionaries had to be there as everything was in English for them.  It was a wonderful morning.  It was the first time we had heard the ordinances all in English for almost two years.  Wow.  The spirit in the temple was so sweet as our El Salvadorian friends worked so hard to speak English and meet the needs of these North Americans.  As the group left, they literally gave us the "shirts" off their backs as they donated their temple clothes to be given to Bishops for people who can't afford to buy them.  As they put the clothes in a basket, the women all apologized for not having them cleaned and pressed.  We missionaries spent from 11 to 2 washing and preparing these.  We then returned to the temple for the PM shift as they continue to be so short of workers that some evenings, it is only the missionaries who are left in the temple to close. It was a real long day but one of the best days we will never forget.   

 

     Sister Clark continues to have health problems.  We are all praying that she will soon be feeling better as the Walls only have two weeks left and we really need her help in the evenings.

 

     Wish I could tell you about all the experiences that this group of dentists had, but this letter is getting way too long already.  We send our love to all.  We are so thankful for people who are willing to share all they have to help our dear friends here in El Salvador.  We love these sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.  Love Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma      

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.

Sopa de Gallo Indigo

It is Semana Santa this week and we want to wish each of you a Happy Easter. It is kind of nice to be in a place where the true reason for the Easter Celebration is so evident. The Easter Bunny takes a back seat to the Easter Processions and the beautiful "Afombras" or carpets made of flowers on the roads. They do however celebrate a lot about the death and forget the resurrection of our Savior. We are so thankful for His love for us.

     The temple is full this morning and we expect it to be busy all week with schools out and businesses will close Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We love to be busy. We continue to have all three sets of missionaries on the PM shift as the morning shift seems to have enough workers for now. We do miss working with the people in the mornings, but don't miss getting up before the sun comes up. I used to tell Ryanne and Gideon, Shayla's two, that they couldn't wake Grandma up before the sun came up when they stayed at my house.
 

      The Figueroa's told us that we had to try "sopa de gallo indigo" before we left. It is a traditional soup made with the rooster, not a hen. We thought we were going to their house for lunch when we headed out of town toward the beaches of La Libertad. They pulled into a roadside cafe and we wondered if this would be the time we got sick. These are the places we try very hard NOT to eat at.

 This is a picture of the soup cooking.

The round oven is where the chicken is baked. 

 The two pots are full of tomales cooking.

This lady is making and cooking tortillas.

As we walked back to our table, we looked out the back yard and there were "sopelopas" or buzzards  all over the place.

 We really wondered if we should really eat here. We figured the buzzards were waiting for us to fall over dead from the food.

The soup arrived and it had a thick layer of grease on top. You take your napkin and lay it in the soup to soak up as much of the grease that you can then dig in.  This picture is after the napkin. As we stirred the soup, thank heavens we didn't find any feet or heads, we just fished out the hearts, gizzards, and necks before we could actually start to eat it. It was delicious with potatoes, carrots, celery, and two or three other veggies that I didn't recognize or know the names of. It was served with tortillas, and followed with baked chicken and rice. Well, the buzzards were out of luck, we didn't die or even get sick. The food was very good and the company as always was great. The Figueroa's are such great people and really do take real good care of us. As you can see from the pictures of the buzzards, it is the dry season and everything is so brown. We have one month left before the rains will start. It will be good to see the green again before we leave.

 

      We are enjoying our new missionaries and trying to make the most of each and every day we have left with the Halls and Walls. The Halls only have about 4 weeks left and the Walls have about 7 weeks left. Where has these two years gone?

 

      We send our love to all. We appreciate your prayers in our behalf. We feel the extra strength that comes from your prayers as we fulfill our assignments here. We have been so healthy and have had the strength to serve every day. We have been so blessed. We pray for each of you daily. With love, Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

Botanical Gardens

      Well, our two week break is over and the temple opens today. YEA!! We were ready for some rest but two weeks without attending the temple is just way too long for us. We are ready and excited to return.

 

      This week we visited the Botanical Gardens. It is located in the volcanic crater right next to the flour mill where we got our whole wheat flour. The orchids were not in bloom yet but the wide variety of plants was amazing.

 The Clarks loved the cactus section. It reminded them of home, Arizona.

The bamboo trees were one of our favorites. They were huge!

There are fish ponds and a very big iguana living in the park. We didn't see it, but the Wall's did. This rich volcanic soil grows amazing plants. If the country would not build so many houses and keep some of the land to grow things on they wouldn't have to import all their fruits and veggies from Guatemala. There are just way too many people here for the size of the country.

 

Didn't get a chance to finish this yesterday. We got called to come to the temple to help with some Americans who were visiting our temple. It did feel good to be back to the temple. We love the work we are doing here.

 

The Alas's invited us to breakfast for pupusas in Antique Cuscatlan. They do not have a car and walk or ride buses everywhere so we were in for an adventure. We walked there, about a 30 minute walk. We again ate at Lillies Pupusaria then President Alas wanted us to experience a ride on one of the coasters that zip around town, usually overfull. He wouldn't let us on one of the school buses. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for the right bus to come along. While we were waiting, the shop across the street started making their tortilla's for the day.  The picture shows a mound of dough ready to cook. The ladies used a trowel as a spatula.

 This is the neighborhood we were waiting in.

 

The picture below is for my brother-in-law, Mike. We were not sure that the wiring was up to code. The coaster finally arrived and we climbed in, at a cost of 25 cents apiece. President Alas yelled hang on and off we went. We grabbed the overhead rung, poor Sister Alas was too short to reach it. You never knew when they were going to stop or start. It was a very bumpy squirrely ride. It is always fun to go with the Alas's because we get to experience how most of the people here live. They are very poor, but with the gospel in their lives, they are very happy and love to serve.

     We had a great Easter Devotional on Sunday. It is hard to believe that it will be our last here. We get to sing with the choir once more this Sunday for Stake Conference then that part of our experience here will be over. Lon will really miss the two hour practices every Sunday, NOT!!! But we will miss the people and the music.

      We send our love to all. We hope you are enjoying a beautiful spring. Tracy and his family are moving into Jerome this Saturday. Those in Jerome, please take good care of them til we return. Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

Velatorio

      Just wanted to share with you another custom that we have been part of this week. When Sister Alicia Colina passed away, we were invited to the "velatorio" the very night that she died, Friday the 8th. The dictionary says that this is a viewing or wake. We figure it is just a viewing and we will get to visit with the family so we are very happy to have a ride to the funeral home. We arrive around 7:30 pm and are in time to hear Brother Montepeque give a talk, then Marti, the husband, talks for about 15 minutes, we sing a hymn and have a prayer. A velatorio is more like a wake than a viewing. They served drinks and cookies and other pastels the entire evening. We left around 10:30 and there were still people sitting and visiting. They say that sometimes they are there all night.

     One of the hardest things here is not having a car so we can just go and visit or help someone. Monday morning, the 11th, was the funeral. We rode with Mariela Figueroa. The funeral was to start at 9:30. We arrived at the church at 9:20 and the gates were locked, all churches are surrounded by fences and are locked up when no meetings are taking place. We got in about 15 minutes later and found out that they had no piano player so I was fortunate to be able to actually DO something to add comfort and peace for the Colina family. I played prelude for 45 minutes before the family arrived and the three hymns in the service.

      When we returned home we found out that the sister of President Majano had passed away and her velatorio is that very night, Monday the 11th. President and Sister Petersen arrived home from the States at 8:00 pm and at 9:00 we all loaded into the van to go to the velatorio. President Lopez drove and the Alas's went with us, so we loaded 11 into our 8 passenger van. We got there as the son of President Majano was finishing his talk, then President Majano was to speak. Our Bishop came to me and asked if I would sing for them. I told him I didn't have a book and didn't know anything by heart. He found me a book and said pick a hymn. The book opened to "God be With you till we Meet again" so that is what I sang. Again I was fortunate to be able to DO something to add comfort and peace for the Majano Family.

 

      I am so thankful for the talents that My Heavenly Father has given me. I am so thankful for earthly parents who spent time and money to help me develop these talents. I am thankful for church leaders over the years who have given me callings to further develop these talents so I am able to share them without fear. Please don't think that I am bragging. I feel like Ammon when he said in Alma 26; " I do not boast in my own strength nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea my heart is brim with joy, and I rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things."

 

     What a joy it is to me to be able to share my testimony through music in a different language. Having only 5 minutes to prepare to sing for a funeral has to be a record. I am working on "O Divine Redeemer" and "The Lord's Prayer" in Spanish for this Sunday for the Easter Devotional. I know that it is only through His strength and help that I am able to do this.

 

      My dear family, thank you so much for all you do for us and for our children while we are away. We feel of your love and prayers daily and we love you all so much. We never know when it will be our time to return to our Heavenly Father so we just wanted to take the time to let you know of our love for our Savior and for all of you. May God bless you in all you do. Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma