ETERNAL SPRING

So sorry to all of you dear friends and family.  I have been neglectful in writing about our adventures in Guatemala this past few weeks.  We are still here.  I think I will start from today and go backwards.  Update on the rededication of this CCM:  Lane Steinagel is here conducting the annual tour of our training center.  He is the manager of the IMTC Staff. WE had dinner together Monday evening at a great Steak House called "La Estancia"  This is a picture of Br Cajas and his wife, our Manager and Brother Debon and his wife our Supervisor and Brother Steinagel in the back.

 We are enjoying his visit and hope that we can move forward with our rededication date after his tour is completed.  He indicated that if there is a general authority traveling on assignment in this area in the near future perhaps they will or, if not, the Area Presidency of Central America will rededicate our facility.  We just want to get this completed and move on.  As far as I can tell we are ready.  Our apartment is comfortable, accommodating to our every need; I particularly enjoy being close to and surrounded by our dear missionaries. This is a picture of our back door entrance.  We have purchased and framed approx. 2 dozen church paintings for this remodel.  They are all hung and we are quite pleased.  I need to take some pictures of the classrooms for my blog and the cre and computer lab.  I'll try and do that next time.

 Right now we are really low in number 48 missionaries.  Wow.  But by next intake we'll be right back to 77 and then up to 130+ for the summer months.  Life will be great...I am crossing my fingers.  It is really nice having smaller numbers because we have so much more interaction with each missionary. 

News brief:  We just received word from Lane Steinagel that our rededication date will be the last week in May with our Area President, Carlos Amado rededicating the building.  LOts to do now in the next 3 weeks.  It is crazy, I am not sure if there will ever be a norm around here.  So far it seems like we are just running on a treadmill with one special event after another.  It truly makes life interesting here, never a dull moment.

Okay.  We have completed our first Mission President Seminar.  It was here in Guatemala City so we were able to stay here at the MTC and spend time with the Presidents at the Barceló Hotel for all the instruction.  The dates were April 24 and 25th.  We invited Elder Don Clarke to speak to the missionaries here in the MTC on the 23rd and he toured and did an inspection of the facilities as well.  He and his wife were so kind to spend time with us here.  They are good friends of Jennifer and Dick Johnson our counselors and enjoyed catching up with each other once again.  Dick and Jennifer will be leaving us the first of July and we will really miss their friendship. I need to take a picture of them to put on my blog.  I'll try and do that soon. 

Another highlight, or lowlight....however you want to think of it.  Bob had opportunity to play some basketball in the afternoons with one of the groups of missionaries.  You remember the pictures from the earlier blog....well, it was their last day before departure......yes, you know what happened, he was remembering when he could.........and planted his left foot to drive the ball and ripped a muscle in his calf.  Misery, wheelchair, crutches, hobbling and still today we are icing and elevating and trying to recover from that day.  He has not neglected his responsibilities...much of his interviews have been up in our apartment this last intake/ and we have kept him elevated as much as possible throughout his office visits

Bob and Elder Feliciano from Dominican Republic going to San Salvador Este.

 

Okay with this new month came the rains, just as predicted.  We have enjoyed some tremendous lightening and thunder shows and the highlight of Bob's day in the wheelchair was watching from the front entrance the rains coming down. 

 

I wish I had more pictures.  I am just so at odds when I can and can't take pictures.  But we are really enjoying ourselves here. For the most part, we teach on Sundays.  There are no teachers here on that day and we are in charge.  We have 4 blocks of time for devotionals and the last one we have in our apartment with the Nortes (because the numbers have been small enough...we figure 26 is about max we can hold up here.)  I have a small portion of each devotional but for the most part...Bob teaches.  I have the best end of the deal and feel so privileged to have this opportunity to team teach with him.  It is hard sometimes to leave one devotional and move to the next and remember the message you have prepared and want to share....For the most part the Spirit is so strong and guides our thoughts and teachings to the point that I am drained by the end of each Sabbath day.  Always grateful for Mondays.

 

We had a little viral infection epidemic here in April.  Bob got it first with the first group of Norte missionaries and I got it a week later at the tail end.  It was a crazy time here.  It attacked 20 Norte missionaries, including Bob and I.  We were down in bed, diarrhea and fever, head aches.  At one point I was walking the halls of the 3rd floor with a box of meds during the night, after our nurse had left, thanking my Heavenly Father for the necessary medicines we have available to us to lighten our sufferings and remembering the early Saints and how difficult that must have been to administer to the needs of family and loved ones without necessary medicines.  We recovered without any permanent damage....just lots of good memories of tender, loving care here at the CCM.