B and J's big adventure: Our adventures in Monjas

The 16th, 17th and 18th we were invited to go to the Padilla's home. They live in a community called Monjas which is close to Jalapa. It is about a four hour drive from Guatemala City one way to the East and a little bit South. Monja means nun, sister, female member of a religious order (especially Catholic). There is a mountain that we can see in a picture coming up in this blog showing what they say is a nun.

The countryside is still beautiful, but this part of Guatemala is in need of rain right now. The corn fields are dry and the fields are lacking in green for the cattle in this area.

On the road to the Padilla's home.

The fields are drier than normal

The lines are not wires across the road. It's a break in the windows of the Padilla's car.

We drove by a military school. There is a military machine in the back ground. Apparently the military also learns about working in the fields to grow produce.

The volcano in the back ground makes a pretty picture.

The Padilla's daughter, Alexandria, meets us at the front gate of their home.

They built their own brick oven. Sister Padilla bakes in this oven. Not in the house. It is much like the ovens you see in some pizza restaurants.

Some more pictures of the landscapes on the way there.

The white things are cows grazing.

A lone cow going for water.

The park in the town of Jalapa

The chicken coop. These hens lay the eggs that the Padilla family sell.

A hen in the tree. Watch out below. You don't want an egg on your head. hahaha

Blair is about to show his talent in piano playing. He did play the fire engine song for them.

The Padilla's bed that they let us sleep in.

This bedroom is divided by the curtain. On the other side of the curtain is another bedroom that the grandchildren sleep in when they are visiting. The wall on the other side, half way up, is just screen. There is no wall or window. We could hear the chickens, and in the morning, the rooster.

The roof is a sheet of corrugated tin. On Saturday night it rained quite hard. I kept thinking that the rain was going to come in someplace through the tin roof. This home was Sister Padilla's mothers home. They added the bedrooms on to the back of the original house. And Brother and Sister Padilla put the roof on. Sister Padilla inherited a lot of her mothers things which are still in the home.

A mother chicken with her babies. We heard them all night.

Alexandrea, Brother and Sister Padilla's daughter, who lives in the home while they serve in the temple, is grinding corn for the chickens to eat.

In the yard. The rooster is in the back ground.

Wait. There are two roosters.

The front room.

The other side of the front room

The home that Sister Elda Padilla grew up in and the home they live in. Their daughter and her husband of two years, now live there until they finish their mission at the temple in December. They, the daughter and her husband, will move to their other smaller house in the same community.

Not too far away is a Hydro-power plant. There has not been much rain, so the water is very low. Much lower than normal.

Down river from the Hydro-power plant.

You can see the bridge that was a road. People can still walk across but it will not hold up cars going over it.

This is where the water usually comes into the river. The other side should be full of water.

The red building is where the maintenance people live.

There was evidence of work having been done here. (doesn't show up very well.)

The current road that cars drive on over the river. The Hydro-plant is in the background.

Here we are.

There is building in the community of Monjas

The neighborhood where the Padilla's live reminds me some what of where I grew up in Colonia Dublan.

It doesn't matter where we go, there are always ladies with baskets on their heads.

Getting in or out of the car.

More of the yard where the Padilla's live.

The field across the street is very dry.

Here I am standing by the car in front of the Padilla's home.

A home in the neighborhood.

Some more of the neighborhood.

Some neighbors

We stopped to see many of Elda Padilla's family members who live in this community. Her cousin fixes tires for his income. His wife visited with us as she talked with her cousin.

Many homes in Guatemala are painted bright colors.

This is the grandson of Sister Padilla's cousin.

The valley has very fertile soil.

The fields are planted with watermelon. They grow coffee in this area also.

Watermelon fields.

Pack mules in the market place.

This is another daughter of the Padilla's, with her children.

Brother and Sister Padilla's grandson.

Brother and Sister Padilla brought things for their daughter and grandchildren .

Two pretty pictures.

You can see daylight at the edge of the wall and the tin roof in the front room.

The Padilla home.

The old Ford truck that belonged to the Padilla's in their yard. The white truck belongs to their son-in-law, Tony.

The river that runs through the community of Monjas. It looks like chocolate, not water.

The amusement park by the "chocolate" river.

The building that the branch holds Sacrament meeting and Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood in.

Don't want to get in the way of this dog.

Brother Padilla wanted to show us this very pretty sight. It is a lake that they take the youth to for youth activities.

It was quite the climb to get there and to get back again. It's called lake Apalh. It is very pretty up here.

The middle of the town of Monjas

At one of Sister Elda Padilla's cousins. As we were sitting there, the front door was wide open. A chicken come to the door and looked around.

Then the chicken just walked in like it owned the place. Elda's aunt didn't say a word or even move to shew it out. We said "hello". "Well, come on in". The chicken walked right on through the room we were in and on into the adjoining room like it owned the place. We were amazed.

This little girl was sitting by Brother Ramiro Padilla. She is the daughter of Elda's cousin. What a cute pose.

and this is her older brother.

Some more children of Elda's cousins.

Across the street lived more cousins and their children.

This little guy used the bowl for his hat.

And this little girl was very shy.

Cows grazing down the street in front of the house. That reminds me of my home when I grew up in Colonia Dublan.

A neighbor is building onto their home. bricks for blinds? That is an interesting idea.

This cow just stared at me, so I took his picture. Did he think I was going to shew him away?

Tony, the Padilla's son-in-law and and the District President, brought home a roll of wipes that had been damaged by moisture. They took a saw and cut of the damaged part to be used in wiping tables and cleaning the building they held church in.