Despedido or in other words, Good-bye to two couples

I am prepared with my umbrella. We went to Pollo Campero, which is like a KFC for dinner one evening

The original song that brother Gonzales wrote. He was a convert from the Colonies in Chihuahua, Mexico. He was told he could not sing this song because it belonged to another religion, so he changed the words to say "we'll meet again in the great mas alla". 

At our last FHE, we said good-bye to two couples who are leaving us. The Olsons will be returning to Rexburg, Idaho on Monday, June 30 and the Galvez's will also be leaving us the same day. They will be going home to take care of things at their home in Kentucky, then they will be in Salt Lake for their training before they begin their service as temple president and matron of the Xela temple in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. 

Elder and Sister Olson are on the couch together. They will be leaving for home having finished their mission as temple missionaries with us.

Some of the other temple missionaries
Sister Guzman from Australia, The Wilson's from Nevada, Sister Barlow from Layton, Utah, the Eberhard's from Blanding, Utah

Sister Barlow, the Eberhard's and Sister Cordon, who is Guatemalteca

President Thompson, from Jerome, Idaho, who is the new second councilor in the temple presidency with President Burk. Elder Cuellar from Nicaragua, Sister Roberts from Idaho Falls, one of the matrons, Sister Thompson, the other matron to Sister Burk and Sister Cuellar, originally from Honduras

President and Sister Galvez have been serving as first councilor and matron to President and Sister Burk. They will be leaving to prepare for their new mission as temple president and matron of the Xela temple.

We ate together in the"other patio" which is really the garage of the Burks.

President and Sister Burk

Sister Paniagua, originally from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, but from Utah, taking a big bite
Elder Barlow next to her

It was President Galvez's birthday

This week was a very busy week at the temple. We had so many people that all the rooms and the halls were full of people either waiting for a chance to go on a session, doing sessions or waiting to do inititories or waiting for sealings of their families. We also had baptisms all week this week. On Saturday we had so many that some of the patrons had to sit on the floor to wait. We had 400 people go on 13 sessions just in the morning, 7 live sealings, a room full of sealings for ancestors, baptisms and other things going on.

Then on Sunday, I helped with the music in Primary. I have not been in Primary since we lived in Texas. There were six children in primary today and some spoke English and some spoke Spanish. So we sang some songs in English and some songs in Spanish. There was only one of the primary presidency there, one teacher who taught her lesson to all the children, regardless of age, and myself and the piano player. It was very interesting, especially me trying to teach a song in Spanish when I was not sure of all the words. haha
Another thing that happened today. Bubs was able to pass the sacrament with Elder Amado. 

Not much new happened this week.

The Green Tree. This is on the wall around a day care facility in our neighborhood.

some more of the wall around the day care facility

The view of the temple from up on the hill. You can also see a big part of the city from this view.

Brenda, Evelyn, President Burk, Sister Burk, Marta and Maggie
The office staff in the temple with President and Sister Burk

Guatemala is beautiful

Not much new happened this week other than we are one week closer to when the temple is closed for maintenance. We are looking forward to Marc and Ryan and their families coming to visit. Can't wait.

Jimmany Cricket

As I was showering I saw something running around the floor of our shower. I took a closer look and saw that it was a cricket. I thought, well, a cricket isn't going to do much harm so I finished my shower then took his picture. Later one of the engineers from the temple was over here checking on something in our apartment complex. I told him about the cricket and a couple of other things. Then I showed him this picture. When we came back home the cricket was gone. Thank you, engineer.

For Fathers day we decided that a World Cup shirt would be nice, so on our walk we checked out a few of the street vendors. One vendor wanted Q200 (quetzales) which is $27.  We checked out another vendor and he was charging Q80, which was about $9.00. We had to find one that would fit because most people here are smaller. So, Happy Fathers Day. Turns out the only shirt that would fit was the away shirt from Brazil's team. It doesn't really matter which team. We are not really watching the games anyway.

Looks good on

Last Sunday we got a new bishopric here in the Vista Hermosa Ward in Guatemala City. Bishop McOmber, who is the doctor for the U.S. Embassy, is going to be going to their new post. He has been a good bishop. He also helped us out when we first got here last year. The doctor for the MTC (CCM) here did not want to help the Senior missionaries out. He told us that he only helps the missionaries and we said, but we're missionaries and he said "but you only work at the temple. I don't take care of you". So we asked Bishop McOmber who a good cardiologist was and he told us. He also helped us out with some other things.

Bishop McOmber's family
This is a picture from their son's wedding. Their daughter will be home from her mission in St. Petersburg, Russia in a couple of weeks. She is in the imposed picture.

Our 48th wedding anniversary

This week was an eventful week. On Tuesday was our 48th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we went to dinner at a steak house. We walked. Because rainy season has started, we took our umbrellas, and it is a good thing we did because it rained. In fact, it has rained every day. After we ate we called for a taxi to pick us up because by then it was dark and rainy. While we waited for the taxi, the head waiter asked us if we needed a taxi. We told him we had already called for one and we were just waiting for him to arrive. We think that maybe they were nervous that we were standing around there because there were some vehicles with shaded windows and guards in suits standing by the vehicles like they were waiting for some important people that were in the restaurant. Just about the time our taxi came there were some people who came out and the men in suits were running around to help them in the cars and they drove away.

on the way to dinner the rain started coming down

another view of the rain coming down

we were prepared with our umbrella's

deciding what to eat

There are always beans on the plates

we had some salad, steak and shrimp

the table was so full of dishes we hardly had room to put anything down

a couple of pictures while we were waiting for our taxi.

we didn't dare take a picture of the two cars being guarded

the shrimp we had still had their eyes looking at us.

The people from Polochic

On Wednesday there was a group of people who came from Polochic. They came to do temple work. A lady missionary who had served in that area here in Guatemala told them that if they would find two family names and get them ready for the temple, she would pay their way to get to the temple to do the work for them. She raised over $10,000 for these people. So they did the research and found the names of their families who had gone on before them. They not only found the two names of their ancestors but they found many names. There were about 100 who came Wednesday and stayed until Thursday. Some had to walk from their homes for several hours starting at 11:00 at night, to get to a truck which went over bad roads to take them, standing up and packed in together, to the bus which was waiting for them to leave at 3:00 a.m. They don't just come themselves, but they come as a family and they help each other out while they are here. It takes eight hours for the bus from there to Guatemala City. When they got here they stayed in temple housing here close to the temple. Polochic is North of here and South and East of Coban. On Wednesday we had 11 sisters and 12 men here for their very first time. Some of them were here to be sealed as families. There were baptisms done also. There were 24 in the nursery "Guardaria". They came to make covenants and to do work for their extended families gone before them. The main language is Quekchi, but some of them do speak Spanish. Some of the women do not read or write. Their temple recommend is signed with their thumb print.

Waiting in line to get into the temple

A group gathering after having served in the temple

Security is helping this family out with something

these two girls were having fun.

This little man was so interested in the camera, that he wanted us to keep taking pictures and letting him see them. He told us that he broke his arm playing ball.

Its like a picnic for families and friends 

 This group left on Thursday afternoon and another group came from the same area for Friday and Saturday. We had many of the other people come, that normally come. It was the last day of the month. There was standing room only.  There was a line in the rest rooms. There was a line for sessions and other things. There were baskets of clothes on top of the lockers because there were no more lockers available. There were people who had tears of joy.

Fed in the temple, now feeding him self 

A sister taking care of her sibling

One brother taking care of his brother

A father and his daughter

This little guy was not sure he wanted his picture taken

Kids enjoying a video, food and playing

A small family

A mother who already went on a session, now she is waiting for someone else to go.

Two of the buses that transported people to the temple

Notice how packed the bus is of the people. They come as families and help each other out while they attend the temple

The families are starting to exit the bus they came to the temple in

These are Guatemalan empanadas. Sister Padilla taught a couple of us how to make these on Wednesday. They are very good.

the sauce for the Guatemalan empanadas

Waiting in line to enter the temple

A couple of ladies from Polochic and their child in their native dress