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.