B and J's big adventure: We finished 2013 and started 2014 in Guatemala

On December 30, 2013 we went with seven of the temple missionary couples to Santa Lucia to see a big rock they say represents the Seven Tribes, which is in a sugar cane field. Santa Lucia is about a one hour and forty five minute drive from Guatemala City. The people who we went with were President and Sister Burk, President and Sister Harris, Roberts, Thompsons, Svensons, Olsons and us. The seven tribes the stone is supposed to represent are the Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites and Israelites. Jacob 1:13

Along the way we saw men out harvesting their sugar cane by hand with a big machete. We don't know how they got the sugar cane to the factory, but we saw them gathering up all the canes.

Can you see the machete? Does this remind you of the story of Ruth in the Bible?

This is our group of temple missionaries. From the left you can see us, los Thompson, los Harris, los Burk, los Roberts, los Svenson and los Olson. Behind us you can see two volcanoes. One of them is active and has been active for about one week. The other one is not active at this time.

The active volcano is called volcano Fuego

You can see the puff of hot something at the tip top of it. The puffs would happen about every 15 minutes.

The people in town said that the people who live close by Volcan Fuego do not want to leave. They must not be too worried about it.

At the Museo (Museum) Cultura Cotzumalquepa we saw these faces. There was a display of ear rings that people wore that look like ear rings that people wear now. They are rings the size of a ring for a finger, but they are in the ear ring hole made for a small ear ring post. All the displays in this museum are of the Pre-Colombian era.

the fat guy

a small Catholic Church

a Nativity set just outside the house close to the museum

These iguanas are all in a secured area because someone thought they were becoming extinct. But they have not reproduced at all. They are just living the rest of their life there.

This chicken does not know there are iguanas just over the wall.

banana anyone?

Here we are at the museum at an old sugar factory. The sugar factory does not work anymore, but is being cared for by the man below. He is a member of the church.

this train used to bring the sugar cane to the factory. It is the newer version of what they started out with.

Here we all are. Brother Valmoris Ceballos, who is one of the security guards at the temple lives in Santa Lucia. He was acting as our guide on this day trip.

One of the earlier trains used to bring sugar cane to the sugar cane factory

Now this picture is out of place. These are some of the spent fire crackers from New Years eve. About 10 o'clock at night on New Years Eve, we heard all the fire works people were setting off. It sounded like we were in a war zone. After we watched a movie and ate junk food, we went to bed. Then the next morning we went for a walk and saw all the debris all over the streets and sidewalks.

Can you see Bubs at the wheel of this train with Brother Ceballos behind?

the remainder of the old sugar factory

We went to one of the church houses where some of the sisters in that ward had fixed us a very good lunch. They made chicken cordon blu. It was a very nice lunch.

Now this was the most interesting thing on this trip. These men were using a power tool to take off the top of this big rock that was in the middle of the road. They were drilling holes around the rock. I think it might take some time to complete this job.