Maria Eugenia Najera

Maria Eugenia Najera is an artist who lives in the area and is in the Vista Hermosa Ward, in which we attend while we are here in Guatemala. Maria cannot use her arms or hands. Someone helps her eat and dress, but she paints pictures and writes with her toes. When she was 11 years old her mother died. She supported herself by selling her pictures and writing with her toes. She has a collage education in Psychology. She spent time in Boulder, Colorado while she had therapy. She is married and has a daughter. She is a member but her husband is not. Her husband is from Spain, speaks English and is a certified aromatherapist and chiropractor. She is an amazing woman. 

This is Maria. Her husband is holding one of her pictures for her. There is a picture of her on the floor next to the gate of when she was younger, on the sidewalk painting with her toes.

Most of her pictures are sold in Museum's now.

On Tuesday we went with Sister Viveros and the Thompson's, another temple missionary couple, to Antigua. Sister Viveros and brother Thompson wanted to have their back put back in place or something. There is a chiropractor, from Canada, who tried to get licenced in the U.S. and couldn't. They, Brother Gayner and his wife, came to Antigua and decided that is where he wants to die. He set up practice here in Guatemala, leaving his family in Canada. We went along for the ride. It didn't even cost us any thing.

the chiropractor's yard in Antigua

sometimes they have a telescope out so they can see the eruption of the volcanoes around the area of Antigua

The yard is quite big. This couple come to the temple about once a month. They help their ward out a lot and they also help many of the local people. Even though they don't speak much Spanish, they seem to get by quite well. They have friend who live close by who are from Europe, the U.S. and other places. Not all their friends are members, but it is a good opportunity for them to do missionary work.

Sister Viveros with her grandson

beautiful flowers

There is a bird nest in the light fixture hanging from the ceiling on the front porch of their house. If I don't close my mouth I'm going to have something in it that I don't want.

Outing

We have not done anything specifically with the Barlows, the couple with whom we came to Guatemala with and lived in the condo with, for awhile. So, we invited them to come with us to the Artisans Mall, which is close to the airport. The Artisans Mall has some of the same things as Central Market does, but it is less crowded, smaller and there are not 100 people getting in front of you and asking you to buy something from them. It is a peaceful place to see and shop. We just walked around and looked. We did buy a couple of things. 

This lady is making fabric on a tree loom. The top end is anchored onto a post (in some cases it is a tree, hence the word tree loom) and she has wood separators and pinchers in the fabric threads. She has a needle somewhat like a crochet hook that she weaves the fabric threads with. It is very interesting to watch. The designs are amazing. She is sitting on a couple of scarfs she has made and other pieces are visible in the back ground.

I think I would not be able to stand up after doing this work on the ground. I would have to say, "what else can I do while I am down here."

Sister Barlow tired on this hat. It looked good on her, but she did not buy it.

This picture shows the parking lot of the Artisans mall and the city beyond

a little girl waiting on her mother to buy something at the mall

Blair taking a picture while we wait for our taxi to pick us up again to go back to our apartments.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day in Guatemala is May 10, regardless of what day of the week the tenth comes on. In the U.S. Mothers Day is on the second Sunday in May and the actual date could very some.

We were even busier this past Saturday that we were the Saturday before. Many of the people who came were from Patzicia. One lady, who is in her 90's and is about 4' and maybe 5", came with that group. Her temple recommend had expired in April. Luckily her Bishop was there and he could interview her and sign a new recommend for her. There was also a member of her stake presidency there, but he had to be found. I think they found him just ready to start a session, so he left and visited with her and signed her recommend also, so she was able to do a session. Who knows, this might be the last time she can go to the temple here. Maybe she will have another opportunity again in the next year or two.

Because it is Mothers Day, we took some pictures of women and families here. Some are mothers, grandmothers or future mothers.

This is in the cafeteria across the street from the temple. We found this family. The baby didn't want to smile.

This is the cook, Sister Arredondo, in the cafeteria. It's only open on Saturday during when the temple is open.
Notice her apron says Mom.

This mom and daughter have their spaghetti and are ready to eat together.

This is Sister Lemus. She is the Saturday morning coordinator and she is the stake Relief Society President in her stake.  I guess you could say she is the mother of the stake?  She rides, with her son, on this motor cycle to the temple and back. She is an amazing lady. One Saturday one of the other temple workers was asking me to be an initiatory patron.  Sister Lemus said, " Okay, What am I doing here. I may as well go to sleep." 

a group of ladies in the waiting area next to the distribution center

A mother and her three children in the distribution center waiting area

a grandmother

a future mother

two sisters in the eating area where families meet and take care of the children and feed them while others go on sessions in the temple. This is also by the distribution center.

In the back yard we found more families eating and taking care of children while others do temple work.

This is one of the temple gardeners with his wife and children, also in the back yard of the distribution center.

We took this picture and the mother called for her son who is in the picture below

the siblings were happy he was in this picture

Here is another family. They were in the temple earlier so they are now having lunch. Someone was taking care of their children for them while they were in the temple.

This looks like an extended family eating together in the back yard of the distribution center. When we went by again, the mother on the end wanted her picture taken again with a piece of chicken in her mouth. (hahaha)

a mother with her young son

This little girl was too shy, but we got a cute picture of her anyway

A family eating together in the eating area of the distribution center waiting area. The little girl is interested in the water container. Children are alike everywhere.

Here is the mother with a piece of chicken in her mouth

another group eating.
The door behind this group goes into the back yard of our apartment.

a couple by the tree in the front yard of the distribution center

Elder Amado, the area president, and his wife coming to church

Those interested participants who have gone on before us

This week at the temple we had a very interesting experience. As I was doing the assignment that I had been given for the day, I walked past one of the four sessions rooms. The men's coordinator was close by that session room. He said to me that he and President Galvez, the first councilor to President Burk, had just seen three women in the empty session room watching the video. President Galvez went to ask his wife if she had anyone in that session room for some training. When he came back the three women were gone and the video was no longer on. The engineers had not turned the video on. Sister Galvez did not have anyone in that room for training. No one could explain what had happened. The only thing that could have happened is that there was someones ancestors here in the temple to go on a session or something. (?)

On Thursday, May 1st, it is Labor Day here. The temple opened one hour earlier than a normal week day, which is usually seven to one, and our shift ended at eleven o'clock. The afternoon shift came at ten o'clock and they were able to get off at three, at which time the temple was closing for the day.  Because the temple was closing early, some of us decided to go to a favorite restaurant within walking distance. We asked Elder and Sister Burbidge to come with us. Sister Burbidge is the nurse for the MTC (CCM) here.

Sister Caballero, us, Sister Paniagua, Sister Thompson (her husband is taking the pictures) and the Burbidges. On our way it was not raining.

The waitress took this picture of all of us at the table.

Because it is May and the rainy season starts in May and because it was raining, we had our umbrellas with us, all except Blair. He is back under the tree to keep from getting too wet

This past Saturday it was very busy. My assignment was to help at the end of every session. The first session started at 5:00 a.m. and our shift ends at 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Between those hours we had nine session put on and I helped with eight of those sessions. We have four session rooms in this temple and each room holds twenty eight people comfortably. The five o'clock session had twenty four people, the five thirty session had twenty eight, the six o'clock session had twenty people, the six thirty session had thirty two people, the seven o'clock session had twenty eight people, the eight o'clock session had nine people, the eight thirty session had twenty seven people, the nine o'clock session had twenty people and the ten o'clock session had twelve people on it. If I add right, that was 200 endowments in just over seven hours. It was a busy morning as far as sessions go. There were also baptisms, sealings and initiatories going on.