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

New Shoes

    Just thought that I would share with you what we did for our day off yesterday. We started out at Price Smart to develop pictures. The machine was broken. We went to lunch and the only thing that I wanted on the menu, they were out of. My tennis shoes, the ones that I bought for the See Jane Run that we did in Boise, finally gave up the ghost. They had holes on top and on bottom. This pavement that we walk on at least 5 days a week really is rough on shoes. We figure we are getting 4 miles in each day and my feet needed some TLC. I also needed a second pair of white shoes for the Temple that were more comfortable. We started out at a store that sells nurses shoes. We figured that these would be the most comfortable shoes we could find. They had one pair that would have worked, except they were all scuffed up and I would like to be the one to scuff up a new pair of shoes so we didn't get them. We went to the Multi-Plaza and began the hunt. They have a dozen shoe stores. As we went from store to store, we discovered that I was Goldilocks again. All the shoes were either too big or too small. They didn't have any that were just right. None of the stores had half sizes. We walked to the Walmart shopping mall and checked out 4 of the stores in that mall. But the same thing, no half sizes. I have just got to get a whole lot bigger or get a whole lot smaller. We walked back to the Multi-Plaza and walked into a little store that we hadn't visited before, just to say that we had checked everywhere. We couldn't believe it, shoes that fit!!! I asked how much they were, and Dad said it didn't matter, we were buying them because they were the only ones that fit. We even found a pair of white shoes for the temple that fit. Your Dad just hates it when I need to buy anything for myself cause we can never find the right size. We didn't get our nap in but did make it back in time for Family Home Evening. It was a long day but finally ended up better than it began.

     We spent an hour and a half today at immigration. We are legal again for the next three months. We will have to do it again one more time before we come home. It is time to read our scriptures and head to bed. We are excited about Tracy's job offer and we all need to remember to keep him in our prayers that he can pass all the exams that he has to take. We love you all so much. Have a great week and we will talk to some of you on Sunday. Love Dad and Mom

Re-certification

   We had a busy Friday and Saturday in the temple. We had a bus come from Nicaragua to attend the Temple. The bus broke down on the way here and the people had to spend the night on the bus. (Sure glad that it only gets down into the high 60's at night) They were very poor and had no food left and no money for food, or milk for the babies. Our Stake President took over and arranged meals and  milk and they had a wonderful day and a half here. We were able so seal 3 families together forever and really enjoyed their spirit in the temple.

     With the new year, the Presidency is trying to have all the workers re-certify, meaning that they know all that needs to be done in the temple and the right way to do it. Elder Thompson made the mistake of looking for me on Saturday night so we could walk home together. I was in the laundry with 4 loads of laundry to fold before I could go home. I taught him how to fold the towels and match slippers and socks. He is the only man in the temple who is half certified in the laundry. He just needs one more day to learn how to load the washers and dryers and he can have it. He is not so sure that he wants to get the certification. He is sure that I will expect him to help when we get home!! He keeps wondering what he will do when he gets home without our rental business. I am just trying to show him that there is a lot that he can do to keep busy. ( I don't think that he is buying it.)

     We really do miss our friends, the Kitleys and Gibbons, but they made it home safe and sound and are enjoying their families. I have included a photo from Family Home Evening tonight of our  missionary family. We are a small bunch now.

     Because there are so many more workers on the AM Shift than on the PM Shifts, the Wall's and us are only working on the PM Shifts for now (oh darn! No more 4:00 AM alarms!!) Our bodies really like the PM shifts. We will miss the workers on the AM shifts, but good news. We have a couple coming the first of April, the Clarks. They are from Arizona and have served a previous mission in the Monterey, Mexico Temple. We look forward to their arrival.

     Well, we want to tell you all how much we love you and appreciate your prayers in our behalf. We are busy, happy, content, and warm. We hope spring will be early for you so you too can be warm. We send our love to all, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Lon and Nancy

Our Missionary Family is Changing!

The day that we thought would be a long time in coming has come. The Gibbons and Kitleys leave on Friday, the 25th. They will work in the Temple on Tuesday and Wednesday and be done with their missions here. They have been busy trying to organize and pack and figure out how to get their treasures home without anything breaking. The dinners and parties in their behalf began last week and will continue tonight, tomorrow and Thursday. Everyone wants to be able to say good bye and every time they go to dinner with a group, they get a new treasure to take home. It is wonderful to see the love that our friends here have for these missionaries. Elder Thompson, the party animal that his, NOT!, has decided that we will tell everyone a date that we are leaving and then leave a week earlier. It won't work but if it will give him some peace I guess he can dream. Sister Petersen has made sure that everyone knew when the others are leaving and she will make sure that everyone knows when we leave too. We are going to miss these family members. We have come to love and appreciate them so much. We still have no replacements that we know of, so as for now, the Wall's and Thompson's are all on the PM Shift. That is the only bright spot. We expect to be on the PM shift for at least 6 weeks so no more 4:00 AM's. We are hoping for replacements in March.

This week was a fun one. We didn't have big crowds until Friday and Saturday but we had a steady flow of people in the temple so it was good. Yesterday, I was able to help a sweet little lady in the temple. It was her first time in the temple and she was 96 years old. We put her in a wheel chair so the day wouldn't be so tiring for her. She had her daughter with her, only her 2nd time in the temple, 72 years old, and a granddaughter and a great granddaughter. Four generations of beautiful daughters of our Heavenly Father. It was a sweet experience for me and I hope to be in the temple when they come back to be sealed as a family one day. It is experiences like these that make all the tired feet and exhaustion worth while.

      We were walking one afternoon when we spied our "bag lady", Sister Diaz. She carries those big bags with her where ever she goes. On Sunday at church, to the temple, to parties at the church, those bags are always with her. The women at the temple tell me that she has lived in almost every ward from time to time but never have they been able to get an address. She just seems to exist. They are sure she lives on the streets. She comes to the temple on Wed, Thurs, and Fridays at 8:00 in the morning and stays till 4:00. The sisters on these shifts have started bringing her a lunch each day so she can eat. They say that the temple is such a blessing in her life as she has a place to go all day to get out of the sun, wind, or rain (they added cold!!) You would love to hear her bare her testimony. It is fire and brimstone!! She has a sweet spirit and we enjoy being her friends. She sits with us at church now.

     It was great to hear from so many of you this week. Thank you for your emails. We enjoy hearing how you are doing and what you are doing. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. We are feeling good and enjoying our work here. We just wish that time would slow down a bit. Have a great week We send our love to all Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom.

Hope You are all Staying Warm!

     I had to check what our forecast for the coming week was and I have to tell you, I don't know if we can stand the "cold". It is only going to be in the 60's at night. However it will warm up to the 90's again each day. And yes, I am bragging and letting you know how much we do not miss those single digit numbers you are experiencing now. We hope you are able to stay in doors and keep warm.

     We have had a real slow start to the new year in the temple. Last week a bus strike started so many of the workers and patrons were unable to get to the temple. We have never lived in a place that is dependent on buses before. This strike can really stop a city. Today, we had protests going on with many main roads leading in and out of the major cities closed. The government is claiming to be out of money and not paying pensions that they owe and the people are not happy. Don't know how long this will go on, but we don't expect to have a very busy January.

     We are on the AM Shift this week and are enjoying being with these people again. It is fun to be able to work with everyone and get to know all the workers. Lon and I are trying to speak only Spanish in our home so maybe I can learn to speak! It is hard and very tiring for our brains, mine especially. I can understand a lot and read and understand a lot, but the talking for me is hard. I definitely do not have the gift of tongues. We don't have a lot of time to study either with putting in 8 to 10 hour days in the temple but hopefully in the 6 months that we have left, I can make some progress. I want so much to be able to communicate with my dear friends here. I remember Willis, Lon's Dad, telling us that in the temple he could understand and speak Spanish and I can relate to that. The Lord helps me in the Temple to accomplish all that I need to do with Spanish but I have a long way to go.

     Well, hope you are all safe and warm. We thank you for your prayers in our behalf. You are in our prayers and thoughts always. We love you and look forward to being with you again, just not too soon as it needs to warm up a lot before we come home!!!!!! Love ya

Happy New Year!

     We hope you all had a great New Year's celebration. Ours was amazing and will never be duplicated in our lifetime. Let me set the stage. Here in El Salvador, as in all countries, we have the rich and the poor. The very poorest are like our dear Hermana Diaz who comes to the temple three days a week and to church carrying all that she owns in a big black bag because she has no home. The next class of people have a corregated metal sided home with no windows, only curtains and dirt floors. They cook outdoors on an open fire. You can smell them when you are around them. The third class have cement block homes with windows and floors, but none of these have hot running water and some of them only have running water a few days a week. These include our friends the Figueroa's, the Lopez's, and a lot of our ward family because we do live in a very well to do part of town. And then you have the Reyes.

     We were invited to spend New Year's Eve with the Reyes's. Brother Reyes is our Gospel Doctrine teacher, a commercial pilot, and the owner of a trucking business with 200 trucks that carry fuel and oil all over Central America. Sister Reyes is a temple worker and an architect. She spent 11 years designing their dream home and 5 years trying to get permission to build where they wanted to. They have a "palace" in the mountains. It is huge!! One wing of the house is for the 7 employees who live with them. Bro. Reyes was traveling to Guatemala just before we got to El Salvador and was pulled over by a "policeman" who shot him, robbed him, and left him for dead. He is a walking miracle. They now have armed guards with them at all times and servalance cameras all over the house and grounds. We need to think twice before we wish for wealth. The entrance to the home has two staircases, one on each side

It has 5 bedrooms upstairs, each with its own bathroom and two downstairs, not counting the employees wing. It has two kitchens, one that they actually cook in and the other that they serve buffets in. And the bathrooms took on a whole new meaning when you say that you are going to visit  the throne. 

 

All of the furniture was designed by Sister Reyes.
     We started the evening with a family home evening lesson by Bro. Reyes from a talk given by Jeffery Holland. Then we moved outside for a circus act. We have a circus visiting San Salvador and one of the acts happen to be members of the church who have been co
ming to our ward. The Reyes's invited them to the party and when they found out that the missionaries and temple presidency would be there, they asked if they could perform for us. This is the husband decked out in his costume.

He shoots compound and cross bows at balloons or oranges that his wife holds in her hands or on her head. After they performed for awhile, he asked for "volunteers" to come. Now who in their right mind would volunteer to be shot at? So they started pulling people up, President Petersen, Sister Gibbons, Elder Kitley, and me.

That was an weird feeling. I could feel the air as the arrow popped the balloon. We ate at 10:30, there were about 50 people at the party, and then the kareoke and dancing started. At ten minutes to midnight, the fireworks started. It sounded like world war 3 as the noise from the valley floated up the hills. Brother Reyes had a fireworks display that matched any we have seen in Jerome. As we came down the mountain into the city, the air was thick with smoke and the fireworks and firecrackers continued most of the night. We arrived home at 1:30 AM. What an evening, we were wined and dined, shot at, sang and sang to, danced and watched a fireworks display. You didn't have time to get tired or realize what time it was. And so, 2013 literally came in with a bang! We have lots more pictures of the house and grounds of the Reyes home that we can share when we return. The Kitley's and Gibbons have begun to try to pack. They only have 3 weeks left with us and then home to the cold. We still have no replacements for them so February could be very interesting.

     Well, this letter has gotten real long so I had better close for now. We send our love and prayers in your behalf. Thank you for yours. Elder Thompson and I served in the temple every day that it was open this year, without being sick. We know that this health and strength came as a gift from our Heavenly Father. Thank you for your prayers. We love you Lon and Nancy, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma