Thanksgiving Week November 24-30, 2014

It has been another beautiful week in Oaxaca, the weather has actually been a little bit cooler the past few days. If you ask the locals, they say it has been "mucho frio" very cold. To us it has been a little chilly. We still haven't broke out the sweaters and you know me, I am always cold. I am actually colder inside the temple with the air conditioner running than I am anywhere else!

 

This appetizer tray was made by Sister Peña, she is so creative and when we ate
at her house the table was set beautifully and the food presentation was gorgeous.
 

These are the beautiful tables Sister Madsen (the mission Pres. wife) had set up in
her dining room, when we got there we were fewer that originally thought so we rearrange everything
to fit together instead of on two tables.
 

We filled our plates in the kitchen at the bar, it felt like home, for two
reasons, # 1 filling plates at the bar, #2 there was so much food there was
no way we could eat it all!

More of the delicious food!

Good friends and good food, that is what Thanksgiving is for if you can't
be with family! These good people are very quickly becoming family.

The other side of the table.

This says it all!
After we ate and before pie (we had 7 pies for 13 people another reminder of home) we went around the table and told 1or 2 things that we were thankful for, everyone had great things to say and it was hard not to repeat, I said I was thankful for The Plan of Salvation, I am because it makes everything in my life make sense and The Plan of Salvation and My Savior  make it possible for all the good things in my life to be mine eternally. How absolutely awesome is that. I can't think of anything greater, family and friendships forever, this is what really matters.

Tuesday we had to go downtown again to finish our Resident Permits. We are finally legal for 1 year. It was so much easier than in Mexico City. We found out that we can become Mexican Citizens if we renew our resident permits for 4 years, then take a test to prove 80% fluency in the language, and I think there is on other thing, probably prove you can make a living. Don't really think we will be doing that!
Since we had to go anyway we left early and went to a guitar shop and found dad a guitar. It is so nice to have him playing again, I have missed his music. I so enjoy listening to him play and sing. We were getting ready to cross a street when we saw and heard a group of protesters coming, they were chanting "lies, lies, they all tell us lies" they were packing banners and signs and marching to the Zocolo , there were about 100 people. We just stayed back and watched, it was totally peaceful, we could hear the speeches in the Zocolo, calling for the people to wake up and to help bring about change. The protests seem to continue, but the blockades have stopped and the roads are no longer blocked.
The temple continues to be busy, we have had some of the workers out with colds and flu, I have subbed as coordinator for the sisters twice this week and been asked to again next Thurs. morning. Dad has been called as the Thurs, evening Coordinator. Thurs. is usually a pretty busy day and they have very few workers, in fact we worked this Thurs. from 6:00 until 8:00, we were pretty tired. Sat. we got to see our first temple Pres. from Mexico city, the Mejias had come to have a granddaughter get her endowment to go on her mission. It was great to see them.
Today we have a special Temple workers Devotional at 6:00, we will be leaving here at 5:00 and probably won't  get home until around 8:00 or later, hopefully we can still Skype sometime, if not maybe tomorrow evening. We will be hearing from the Area Authority of Mexico President De Hoyos. We are excited to hear him speak, we heard him speak once in Mexico City and it was wonderful and I know he has spoken in conference.
Much love to all until next week.     

November 23, 2014

 

Ross and I with the Peñas and Sister Norman at the Madera Store
in San Antonia Arrezola. This is the town or puebla where they started
making these intricately painted and hand carved figurines. Most of the
stores are family cooperatives and most of the pieces are signed. You can find anything
from dragons, to butterflies, to cactus, actually anything!

This shows how they paint, she has a cup full of syringes filled with
different colors of paint. She is using the syringes for detail work. Tiny brushes with
one or two hairs and other tools are also used.
 



We then went to another little puebla, San Bartolo Coyotopec, where they make beautiful
black pottery, very similar to the pottery made by the Santo Domingo
Indians in New Mexico, except way, way cheaper, or I should say mas barrato. This
huge tree was outside the restaurant where we ate lunch. We bought a couple
of pieces of pottery and 2 figurines to help liven up our apartment, so it wouldn't look so empty and plain ! 

Tuesday morning we had to go downtown to get our fingerprints
taken for our resident permits. Afterwards we met the Normans
at this old Catholic Cathedral and then wandered around the Zocolo and
the downtown area. This is inside the Cathedral. There is also a museum attached, which we will go to another day,
this is all Gold! 

We went into this market, you probably can't tell what is in these
bowls, it is a delicacy here and a lot of the people love them! They are called
champolinas (not sure of the spelling) in English it is spelled g-r-a-s-s-h-o-p-p-e-r-s!
We will be sure to bring some home for you all to try, I have been told the small
ones are the best because the legs don't get stuck in your teeth like the ones I tried in Mexico City.
 

More of the market in the Zocolo

These are the cute Missionaries who are working with us on our
papers, the one on the left is from Jerome, Idaho, he is adorable.
The other one is harder to get to know, but he is cute too.
We asked if it was far to walk, they said pocito lejos, (a little far)
but if you brought money we can take a bus, we told them we would be staying downtown, they said then
let's walk so we can show you the town. It was pocito lejos, we definitely got our
exercise for the day!
 

 

All in all it has been a great week, the temple wasn't quite as busy as expected, but still busy. we are starting to feel more comfortable and starting to recognize people. Again people came on the buses we knew from our last mission, how great it is to see them and be remembered fondly. We both got to work right with a brother and sister we knew and worked with that we really liked, the Fernandez'. Also their son who was a coordinator.
Friday we worked 10 hours and when we got home Sister Norman, Sister Peña, and Laura were just getting ready to go into town to do a little girls shopping, it was about 4:00. So I hopped in with them. We had to go around a blockeao, ( they are still doing a few protests, but they have all been very peaceful) but when we got into town we went to some fabric and craft stores, it made me want my sewing machine. Chris (Norman) has one that belongs to the temple that I can use. We bought
some Christmas fabric for tablecloths and we had a yummy pastry and laughed and had fun.
Saturday was another early day at the temple, the busses arrived at 5:30 so the first session was at 6:30, we worked  from 6:00 until 3:00.
I worked with the sweetest older lady on Saturday, there was just something about her that touched my heart, she had the kindest eyes and I think it was because the Spirit of Christ just shined in them. She was there with her daughter and you could feel their love for each other, but you could feel her love for her Savior also, she was such a beautiful soul. I want to grow up to be like her. I wish my Spanish was adequate to have expressed to her how I felt. For some reason when I was in her presence it felt like home and family.
Dad and I also got to work with several of the Primera Vez, or First Times, that too is such a priveledge, I can not describe to you the joy that I see on the faces of the couples when they take each other in their arms and know they are eternal families. I can only begin to imagine the joy of the reunions in Heaven as we meet again after being separated for a short time from our loved ones. That is the joy we want and anticipate for us as family and friends.

Missionary Trip

This week we took a trip with all the temple missionaries and the temple presidency to go to a town a little over an hour away where there is an old Catholic church and a monastary. I think the Perez' must be saints, they took their vehicle again, we learned a bit more about them, he is an architect. Here that means he is also the project manager as well as designer.They have a son serving a mission in Bajia Blanca, Argentina. It is a small world,no. They are such fun and sweet, giving people. We were all supposed to bring a lunch. They brought enough for everyone. We all brought stuff to share and had a feast.
The only problem was that despite having been told it would be open, it wasn't, things are quite often closed on Mondays. The building is absolutely massive, Built in 1525, about the time of Hernan Cortez and was the center for Priests to be trained and sent to other parts of Mexico.Of course it was built on top of a pyramid! The idea was to obliterate the native religion and their Gods. One of the young men of the town let us in to just the chapel,since we had come from so far away (the United States) however we couldn't take pictures or stay longer than 5 minutes and he would not accept our 'donation'. He did not want anyone to know he had let us in without permission. It was the first Catholic church I have been in down here that I didn't feel uncomfortable in. It was so light, it was painted white and bright, not dark and heavy. it really was beautiful.

This is the roof of the church, it is a mosaic of 

colored tile

This is us climbing to the top of the other church we went to see
(see pictureof bells farther down for explanation)This is the second set of steps.

The back of the church, you can get a better idea of how really 

big it is. Me, Chris Norman, Sister Atkinson, and Hermana Tovar.

The gate from the back of the town to the church

While we were waiting for the Senor to open the 

church we went down the road a ways to another

old church, again closed, but they were working on

the roof and let us climb up. I got pictures of the bells,

They were so beautiful and old, you could see the hand 

hammering.

This shows you a little how massive this church is.

This is just the front, It extends on the right side

and it is way deep. I so wanted to go in and wander.

Tuesday we went ahead and got a membership to Sam's Club. I think we will enjoy shopping there although quite a few things are even more than they are in the States!

They have worked on the internet all week and finally we came home Thursday to internet working, it was the old internet, we still aren't hooked to the new high speed, but the wiring is run to the house.

Thursday was so busy at the temple, we had 4 buses in the morning and another 4 in the afternoon, we worked 12 hours. Friday was another busy day as was Saturday, but Saturday they brought a lot of their own workers and they didn't need us so we came home around 2:00. We understand they were well on their way to doing a record number of ordinances for the day!

We are happy and healthy and busy, each weekend we see people we knew in Mexico City and it is great to see them again, we have also both enjoyed working with the Primera Vez or the people coming for the first time. It is such a joy to see their sweet spirits and see how happy they are to enter into the Lord's house and partake of the fullness of His gospel.

Right now the country is in a bit of turmoil, I don't know if it was on the news there about the students that were killed in Gurerea, the next state over from us. There are protests  and road blockades, the students were all teachers kids on there way to protest for better wages for teachers. So now teachers everywhere are protesting. they had all the fronts of the grocery stores and a lot of other stores blocaded on Saturday.They have blockaded quite a few major highways as well. Some of that kind of stuff I just don't understand. I would think it would make people mad, We couldn't even have the Church Store open for people to buy garments! We are supposed to keep a low profile until after the 20th when it is like their labor day. we just need to stay away from the protest areas and big crowds etc.  We do anyway. But they aren't really upset at the U.S.

Today was Stake Conference for the Stake we go to, They had a great little choir.Pres. Atkinson was supposed to talk but his wife was pretty sick, he had to take her to the hospital,she has had some allergy and lung problems, so President Peña and his wife had to fill in last min, It was a great conference.I am getting so I really do understand most everything unless I let my mind wander. Of course Ross understands pretty much everything all the time unless he forgets his hearing aids.We make a dandy pair! He can't hear and I can't understand. lol But we do just fine. We are happy and health and loving life. 

  

We send you all our love and prayers until next week

mom and dad, Ross and Bobett, Grandma and Grampa  

First Monday Trip

Here are some pictures of our trip to the ruins we sent to see with the Peñas, the Perez, and the Normans. we ended up seeing 2 different ruins. They are definitely different than the ruins in Mexico City area. Not as tall, they don't seem to use the serpent or the jaguar like they did there and they seem to be much older. There are also a lot that they have not yet uncovered, there are rounded hills all over that are supposedly ruins. It is so fascinating to me, it had to have been a huge civilization.

This is the name of one of the Ruins, so many names

and words and in Zapotec, it is a beautiful language and

I am glad I don't have to learn it!

looking into the ruins, this is where the nobility was

buried

While we were waiting for Luis to get off work we

stopped at a Quarry, that is now a park, they mined

green stone that a lot of the building here has bee done with

It is a very pretty light green stone, even the old old

churches and some of the pyramids have used it.

more of the quarry

We climbed above the ruins and looked down, these

were probably living quarters.

 

another shot from above, to the left you can see the ball

court, it is the biggest ball court they have found!

 

I told you about the tacos we ate, they weren't goat meet after

all, they were sheep head meat, out of this pot. A some things it

is better just not to know!

This is us having lunch. Don't we look like a happy crew?

 

A church outside of the market where we ate.

Girls dressed up ate Dia de Muerte

 

Chris, The Perez' daughter Lucero, and her friend on

the night of Dia de Muertes

Our first diner at our house. We had Pepper Steak.

 

Out of order bur another pic. of the ruin, it is in front

of one of the graves.

This should pretty much catch us to this week, from now on I will try to post weekly, not weakly and keep this up to date with pictures and posts of what is going on. I hope it will be a fun way to keep up on our happenings without getting too boring. I will notify you each week with a ink to let you know it has been updated. Love to all. 

 

 

Leaving Home

For me, at least, leaving home is never easy, even if it is for a vacation, for a short trip. or for something fun. I am a homebody! so leaving home for 18 months causes no small amount of stress, then add to that going to a different country, with a language I am not proficient in and somewhat unfamiliar customs and leaving my family and we were both kind of wondering why we had signed up to do this again.
However, once we got to Salt Lake and started the training in the temple we remembered! What a marvelous 3 days of being spiritually fed. We left Thursday ready to serve and knowing that with our Father in Heaven's help and guidance we will be able to do what ever he needs us to do in Oaxaca.

  

Arrival In Oaxaca

We arrived in Oacaxa on Thursday evening the 23rd and were picked up at the airport by President Atkinson and Elder Norman. We got to our apartment about 20 minutes later, it is a great place, we had snacks in the fridge and everything we needed for the night, /the next day we went with the Normans to the Mission Office to turn in our papers to start the process of getting legal paperwork and then had a great breakfast prepared by Elder Norman, with them and the Atkinsons, later we went with the Normans shopping and to see a little of town.

Our precious temple. Notice how blue the sky is,

it is always blue and beautiful.

This is Sister Norman and I making a 'contact' with

a Dia de Muerte 'hermama'. There are decorations like

this all over town. 

Dad says he is my new boyfriend, I thought

he was a 'deadbeat'