It's only 9:00pm but feels much later! To catch up on yesterday - Elder Hammons (our regular Spanish teacher) cancelled class because he was going to be gone and everyone was fearful of violence following the elections. The Keith McCord look-a-like won. I didn't realize that the two men running had some years ago ran against each other and the other man won. So the man who was once president was running for president again - some years later. Didn't know you could do that. I was worried yesterday when one of Danilo's trucks with supporters pulled into the tienda next door and came out with bottles of beer. Perfect scenario for violence is a bunch of rowdy drunk men!
Scott, being bored, decided we should have the class because obviously there was no violence occurring around the temple and the casa. So we went ahead and had class anyway and there were a lot of people there. Our friends, the Snows, are going to Jamaica to do some auditing this week and are going to be leaving for home earlier than they had planned. Not good news for us because we have really enjoyed them. He actually is a cowboy at heart - has horses, cows, etc. Brother Leavitt publishes a cattleman magazine so the three of them are referred to as the "cowboy section" in our Spanish class by Elder Hammon.
Family Home Evening was done by a couple from here on Temples. They are counselors to Pres. Bair. They had put together a video of all of the temples they have visited - I wonder what Elder Casanova does for a living because they had visited the Washington DC temple, the Salt Lake Temple, the Nauvoo, a temple in Canada, the New York temple, the Palmyra temple, Orlando temple, the Chicago temple and I can't remember the rest but it was amazing to think they have made that many trips to the US. They have such sweet spirits and love the temples - I would bet they are the ones who take over Bairs place when they leave. Bair's goal is to have a local couple ready to take over their responsibilities. That really is the goal of most of us - to train these people to be the leaders instead of relying on the missionaries.
Tuesday was temple day. It was so quite - there were only six people in the session. It was easier to concentrate on what was going on. I am trying to understand enough Spanish that I can go without the headphones in English. Have a ways to go but am doing much better!!!! Walking out of the temple at night is like opening the door to a steam room at the spa ( or I guess it would be like that). If it isn't raining it is still very humid and hot.
We had a meeting with a zone from the East Mission today and will have another tomorrow. There were around 80 elders and 4 sisters there - many more than I expected. You look at all of those young elders and think someone has to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to. What a job! Pres. and Sister Hernandez are amazing - so warm and caring. She had made some kind of jelly roll, that is made here, for all of them and so gave us a piece. Different but good!
We did get five keyboards and ten teaching kits ordered. They are being engraved with the area info on so there will be less chance of them disappearing. At least this will give the senior missionaries who can and want to teach a keyboard and kit to use while they are here. You can get them through the Harman Grant Foundation but there are so many strings attached to that and the turnover in teachers here is so frequent that it is difficult to keep track of who has them and who they have lent them to for practicing. The Area Presidency did give us a budget to work with so that will help.
I was remembering today the young boy who was on the street with his mother, who was blind, begging for money. They stopped at our car and Scott gave them some money. They turned to leave and the boy came back and said "I'm thirsty" and before we even knew what was going on, he reached in the car and took our water bottle! There are many deformed people here and many of them spend their days going between the cars at traffic stops begging for money. It really is sad.
The geatest thing happened yesterday. Alysha called on Skype and took her computer outside to show us Joe and Hannah's house. Joe and Hannah were in the window waving. Melia drove up in her car with Ethan, Lance, and Sadie; Isaac and Kimber came by, Alysha's kids were there, Megan came down. It was just like being home!! How blesssed we are to have so much family so close and how blessed they are to have each other. Then Megan called us on Skype while she bathed Jace in the sink so we got to see him smile, and laugh, and say "dada". What a cutie!! Nothing feels as good as holding them but this was a great second......
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