Wednesday, June 13, 2012

6/13/2012

It's my husband's fault I didn't blog last night - he listened to the news until I was so tired I just climbed in bed.  He says he's sorry but I don't believe it!! 
 Yesterday was an interesting day.  We left in the morning for San Crystobol to talk to the missionaries at their zone conference.  This is the West Mission zone conferences - finished the East conferences. It is interesting that you have to pay to get out of town but not in to town.  The ride was beautiful!  Both sides of the highway were covered with greenery of some kind.  Many different kinds of flowering bushes and trees and vines completely filled in the roadside.
 The out of town toll booth



Scott was hoping to talk to the missionaries that are teaching his friend up the street but we had to leave before the meeting ended.  However when we came out of the temple last night they were sitting on a bench by the temple. The missionaries had not been able to find John Paul but called and he gave them his address.  Not that it is easy to find anything here!  They will probably have to meet him at the church and have him show them where he lives. We were wondering how they ever do a census here because people are stacked everywhere and continue to move around.


  At the temple last night there were a new bunch of Haitian missionaries coming through.  They come here to  be trained as missionaries and sent back to their country because Haiti doesn't let outsiders in.  I'm not that tall but every time I set in a row of women most of them are not even shoulder high on me.  Some even elbow high!  I love this country.  There is such a variety of people here.  I can't wait until I can really communicate with them! 
  This morning we went to  Las Caobas  for another zone conference.  Much to our surprise Elder Midgley was there!  We really wanted him to be in the San Crystobol area so he could teach John Paul but no such luck.  He did look thinner than he was at the CCM here but he says he is doing fine. 
This conference was in the city so the drive wasn't as fun but it is interesting to here the doctor tell the elders how to handle the illnesses they have.  It was pretty funny when he was talking to them about fecal matter and said he could tell them what that was in three languages - poopoo being one.  Can't remember the others because that cracked me up!  He told them NOT to eat at members homes and
not to drink their water if they offered them a cold drink.   I wonder how you do that without offending them.  I'm just grateful we don't have to make those decisions.
   On our way up to the apartment we met William who asked if he could come warm up his dinner in our microwave.  I was in the air-conditioned bedroom-office practicing the keyboard when I heard laughing and talking in the kitchen.  William and AltaGracia were eating with Scott.  William shared his food with Scott and Scott fed them some cheeseburger soup.  I would love to go where these two live and see just what their living conditions are.  Alta Gracia's brother is working here now.  Last week his wife had a baby C-section and this week he told Scott that the baby had died.  How sad.
   We see more and more young girls with babies living with their mothers and other family members but no men in the picture.  Many of these young girls are raped and some so badly hurt that they can never have children.  That makes me physically sick.
  Scott went to the temple by himself while I study.  I know how difficult it is for him not to have something active to do.  The Yturraldes stopped by to see if we needed anything from the store.  So glad they are still talking to us after we left them at the Casa on Monday!  They thought it was funny because Elder Yturralde is about 75 so he calls us "the kids" and he has a better memory than we do. I want to include some pictures of the flowers and bushes around the temple- they are amazing.

 Here is a quote from Pres. Hinkley that I love:  "Our kindness may be our most persuasive argument for that which we believe".     

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