One Month Anniversay - Doctor's Orders

One month in the Mission Field and two weeks in Country. There ought to be a celebration! Oh, we did, I will get to that... Lets see, last time we talked, we were at the last Sunday events. The week has been a busy one. Part of our assignment this week was to help the guys in our office to process all the pictures and notes coming in from Elder Bednar and Elder Christensen´s visits all over the Country. They divided up for some of the visits, taking Area Presidency members and others with them as they traveled. They had meetings from Chihuahua in the north to southern Mexico and parts in between. The office had assigned us and then had other photograhers to take pictures and notes at the various assignments. Dalene then organized all of them into folders to try to keep some semblance of sanity. I spent most of my time translating the spanish notes into english so that the report could go to the Area Presidency and then with Elder Bednar back to SLC. It sounds easier than it was. It was special to see photos of and read the lessons that an Apostle shared in blessing the Saints here in Mexico.

That took a good part of our week. We did have FHE with the Senior Missionaries, but on Monday night, the Sandbergs and the Montoyas were with Elder Bednar, and the Stevens´ were training missions in Cancun (tough duty Stevens´! Okay, I was just jealous. They work extra hard and tend about 7,000 missionaries Areawide). We had the opportunity to meet Elder Marcus Nash and his wife (at the Mission Office downstairs) who was visiting the Mexico West Mission and then had an Area assignment later in the week. More on that later as well.

We are in the ¨rainy¨ season here, so most evenings we get a pretty good rain. Generally in the evenings, but sometimes later at night. We are on the 4th floor and just outside our door in the atrium is a fiberglass ceiling that the rain hits and makes the rain on a tin roof sound. When it really rains, it can be quite noisy, but fun. I guess you have to be from Arizona to appreciate it.

Thursday morning was very special for us in that we had the opportunity to have a special devotional at 8 am. with Elder Bednar in the Area Office for the employees and missionaries there. We were in our seats before 7:30 am and just made the back row. Elder Bednar came into the room at just before 7:45 and because everyone was there, began the meeting. Elder Christensen spoke first, then Elder Bednar. He was spectacular and I won´t recount the meeting, except to say that he shared the thoughts of his soul and stated that the Church was in a time of ¨harvest¨ in Mexico. The rest of the meeting is going on my ¨small plates¨ (spiritual things). Much of what he talked about was very sacred and he asked us not to take notes or share outside of our immediate family. We were able to shake his hands after the devotional along with the other General Authorities, Area Presidency, etc. No time to talk, but it was still cool. No question in our minds that he is one of the Lord´s Prophet´s, Seers, and Revelators.

We had a moment to chat with him at the end of the day as we were leaving and they were all getting out of their Area review and getting on the elevator. So very kind and interested in what we were doing. He is on the Communications Committee that we are ultimately responsible to in the Church. He and Elder Holland are the GAs on the committee.

Friday morning, Sandino came and got me and we went into a meeting with Elder Valenzuela and Elder Nash. He is responsible for the Church Correlation Committee. Elder Hales and Elder Bednar are the two Apostles responsible for this Committee. It was a special opportunity to see how the Church operates at that level. Elder Nash was very interested in how well Mexico was doing and the changes that we are working to be a part of in communications.

We had a dinner Friady night at Arrabal, an Argentine restaurant, for the Hobbs´ who are leaving on June 10th. They are in charge of the Senior Missionaries Areawide and have completed their 18 month assignment and are headed back to California. The Muñoz´ came in Sunday night and will train with them for the next couple of weeks. They are a wonderful couple, who are natives and join our happy band.

This morning, we were invited by the Hackings to go to Ciudadela. It is a famous artisan market toward the center of town. This was a new part of town for us and was a very beautiful drive and we arrived a bit before it was up and running. Elder Hacking wanted to buy a guitar and we were just interested in looking. 

There were so many fun things to see. We just had to remember that we will be here for the next 17 months, so not a great time to shop and have to store stuff. I did find a pair of sandals that I needed to run around the apartment in. We hustled back to get back in time to go with Dr. Stevens who invited me to go with him to his barber. He has a car, so we rode with him and spent $80(M) on the haircut! (That´s about $7US.) He did a nice job with what he had to work with.

Elder Dr. Stevens and his wife Peggy have been telling us about the best place for tacos al pastor, which we hadn´t had yet, at a place called La Onda. On the way back from the haircut, he invited us to go to dinner tonight at La Onda. He said that they walk there if we didn´t mind. Of course not! So we walked this evening to Avenida las Palmas and toward the center. It is a lovely tree lined walk and the weather was beautiful. No rain. We went quite a ways and then down a back street to this little restaurant. 

At a florist shop on our walk to the food.

There was a ¨trompo¨ (a top looking piece of meat that is on a spit that turns around a fire, with pineapple on top) in the entrance to the restaurant. We ordered one taco al pastor and a plate of the various kinds of meats, onions, peppers, cheese that we made tacos out of that we shared between the two of us. It was off the charts tasty! Probably the best meal we have had since we´ve been here. We walked back to work off the great food. It was a great evening.

Just what the doctor ordered!!!!

We love all the emails, iChats, messages, and visits with everyone at home. We miss you all and love you very much. And we love being in the Mission Field!