Back among the living

We are slow updating our blog due to illness. Both Janice and I were hit pretty hard with the flu. However, the last few days we have felt pretty good and think that it is a closed chapter. We are looking forward to being among the living again.

On Monday June 2nd we went to our first TIANGUIS which is like a big open air market. Several of the smaller streets are blocked off and vendors set up tables and bright red overhead awnings where they display their wares. It seems like they sell everything from nuts to bolts. The food goods include fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, dried herbs, and candy. You can also buy cooked foods, household goods, clothes, shoes, electronics, flowers, spare parts and tools, to name a few things. The prices are reasonable and it is a fun adventure. We hear that there are Thursday and Saturday tianguis in other nearby neighborhoods buy we have not gone there yet.

That night we attended our first family home evening. This is a custom among the senior missionary couples living in our apartment complex. Usually the three couples assigned to the Visitors Center, the medical doctor and the mental health advisor and their wives and a couple working as office missionaries in the Mexico City South Mission attend. There is a young couple living in our complex who also attend. We just got the news that they are moving and everyone is sad. We all take turns hosting the family evening and presenting the lessons. Besides the good lessons that we hear we also enjoy treats afterwards. Next Monday will be our first turn.

On June 5th we celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary. We took a bus to a nearby shopping mall that has an Italian restaurant we had heard was good. It was really fun and the food was delicious. We asked a waiter to take our picture and told him it was our anniversary. We decided to share a dessert and when he brought it they had decorated it with Happy Anniversary. (We want you to know the wine bottle on the table is part of the décor and is on every table – we certainly want to clarify that!).

The Visitors Center has a tradition of inviting musical talent to perform in the Center. These events take place on Sunday evenings in the large reception area next to the Christus statue. If visitors come for a tour, the performing group waits a few minutes until the presentation is finished. One of the outstanding groups is the Garza family from a neighboring stake. They have been performing in the Center since May 2007. The family consists of a mother who had a career as a professional singer. She directs the group. The father is the pianist for the group and also is one of the vocalists. There are four girls and one boy, all under 14 years of age, who take part. They often do their own arrangements and perform in different combinations. Sometimes friends of the family accompany them. The family has phenomenal talent, particularly the mother, the 11 year-old girl, and the 12 year-old boy. Their concerts add to the beautiful spirit at the Center and are enjoyed by all who attend.

Working at the Visitors Center has given us spiritual experiences that we are beginning to cherish. The Christus presentation centers on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The missionary sisters start the presentation by welcoming the visitors to the Center. A recorded message is then played which quotes several scriptures about Christ told in the first person. The sisters conclude by bearing testimony of Christ and then they take the visitors to different parts of the building for teachings about the Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Book of Mormon, and Temples. Many times the Spirit is heavily felt both by us missionaries and those on the tours. One of my assignments is to compile a history of the Center. I am collecting stories from the sisters of their most special experiences. These are truly heart warming and a source of joy to read. Many of these sisters have been members of the Church for short periods of time and sometimes are the only members in their families. It is also a joy to feel their strong sprits and see them grow in the Gospel.

Another example of the sweet sisters was on Monday, June 16th, Larry’s birthday. The 4 sisters working that evening knew it was his birthday. At 8:30 pm we close the center and have a closing devotional with a prayer and song and relate any special experiences of the day. This night about 8:15 two of the sisters called me to the back of the center and asked me if they could run to a nearby restaurant and buy a little cake for Larry. It was raining and dark but they were insistent so they ran somewhere close by and came back with a tin of sweet rolls. When our meeting started everything seemed as normal, but when Larry asked what song they wanted to sing they loudly started singing a Spanish birthday song. They then opened the cupboard and brought out the sweetrolls with matches in them for candles. They lit the matches and were so excited. They all took out cameras and took lots of pictures, it was such a fun surprise.

We continue to be so happy that we are in Mexico at this time serving the Lord. We love the gospel and can think of no other place we would rather be. We enjoy your comments and hope you enjoy sharing parts of our mission with us.