La Esperanza Stake Conference

Dear Family and Friends:
     We have had another wonderful week here.  We are getting comfortable with our new callings.  It is so rewarding to be able to serve on every shift and get to know the obreros better.  We have some very dedicated obreros who sacrifice so much to get to their shift each week.  We are humbled to be able to serve with them.  Our fellow missionaries are also wonderful and willing to do whatever needs to be done to accomplish the work that we have come here to do. 
     We were assigned to speak in the La Esperanza Stake Conference on Sunday the 31st.  This Stake doesn't have a building large enough to fit all of their stake in, so we had a conference at 8 AM and another in a different location at 11 AM. We were picked up at 7:00.   It is a beautiful drive to the Stake center, through hills and valleys.  The pictures I sent last week showed the houses on the hills, and this week we were in the middle of those humble homes.

  

As we drove up this street, suddenly the church appeared on the left, behind the fence.

 It is one of the "u" shaped buildings.  We had 4 wards at this meeting, El Limon, La Esperanza, Maya, and Santa Elena.  They filled the building.  After the meeting, we were whisked away to the next session of the conference.  It was about a half hour drive through some humble streets and farms.  

    The rains this week made it hard for clothes to get dry.  Today is sunny, so far, so there is hope.

    

There were soccer games in any open area we saw as we traveled.

   I just put the camera out the window to try and get some shots of the country side.  We are definitely in a very poor part of the city now.  This is the Leyenda ward building where we held the second session of Stake Conference.

 We had the Leyenda and Llanos de Santa Maria Wards and the San Pedro Branch in attendance and they filled the building also.

 We parked in the back of the building.  Our driver is a temple obrero.  We really appreciate the sacrifice of these dear men who come to get us each Sunday. 

   Our driver and fellow temple obrero, Hermano Cuarcax with us after the conference.

 President and Hermana Crapo are the Mission President for the Guatemala South Mission.  They spoke also.  They had to hear my talk for the third time as they were also at the conference last week and two times today.  They are originally from Pocatello, Idaho.

 This is the Stake Presidency, President Gomez, counselor, President Castanon, and his other counselor, I don't have his name.  They were such good speakers and really love their people.

   

It is so fun to meet temple obreros at these conferences.  This is Hermano Recancoj.  He is the Stake Patriarch in the La Esperanza Stake. 

 

The primary asked for a picture with the Stake leaders and the Crapo's and the Thompson's.  What a fun Sunday morning.  We were taught for 4 hours by these great leaders and showered with hugs and kisses by the children afterwards.  We felt that our talks went over very well and are so thrilled with this part of our new callings.  It is so wonderful to be in the wards and stakes to meet the people and encourage them to come to the temple. 

     This is the view from where we were standing for the picture with the Primary.  Shayla, this one is for you.

  I zoomed in so you could see the name of the clinic.  It might be just a little primitive.

 

But I'm sure that it is clean and sterile----- 

   The Crapo's drove us back to our apartment as they were coming back this way and it saved Hermano Cuarcax a trip.  We arrived home at about 2:30, Lon went with President Burk to give a blessing to one of our single sister missionaries, we grabbed a bite to eat and we were picked up at 3:05 by Hermano Maldonado, another temple obrero,  to go to our next assignment.

     We were asked to speak to a group of temple worthy adults and encourage them to attend the temple and to become obreros if possible.  My little talk that I give in Sunday morning sessions of conference to the children would not work here, so I have a second one now that I can give to adults about going to the temple and it's importance.  I just need to write one more talk that I can give to the young single adults if we are ever asked to speak to them.  President Thompson has enough notes and enough Spanish ability that he can just stand up and talk about whatever the spirit directs him to say.  We were asked to talk for 45 minutes in this fireside and I talked for 10 minutes and he took 40 and was amazed when he sat down that he had talked for so long.  We just pray that at least one person in attendance was touched and will come to the temple.  The piano player didn't come so I was able to play a real piano, not just a keyboard. 

 The back view of the chapel

 This is the Atlantico (accent on the second a) Stake center, not a "u" shaped chapel

 Stake President Alberto Velasquez, in charge of the Huespedes (housing for visitors at the temple) and he makes sure that our houses are just right, and  Hermano Maldonado, our driver.

  Hermano Arais, a temple obrero

                                                          Hermano Murallas, temple obrero

  Hermana Gomez and Hermana Mendez, temple obreras



We got home at 6:00, just in time to Skype with Tracy and Sarah and the kids.  It was not a very restful Sunday, but we really enjoyed ourselves and our adventures today. 

     We send our love to all.  We especially want our grandchildren to know that we love them and pray that this new year in school will be a good one for them.  We pray that they will choose good friends and work very hard on their school work.  Life is wonderful.  We are happy and well.  May God bless you all as we begin a new month.  September already, wow, where does the time go.  Love you Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom