Nuestro Familia y Amigos:
Que dia es? Oh, that’s right. October 23 (the day we flew to Guatemala) plus 11, and we’ve just completed a beautiful, if cool, fast Sunday. We hear it’s unseasonably cold and I did wish for some leggings or even boots today. Church is within easy walking distance, just across the street, past the main temple building and down the stairs of the annex (building where the nursery and older children wait to be sealed to their parents), and to a small but very adequate branch building.
We began with testimony meeting. I don’t know what people are saying but I am enjoying watching them and gaining an idea of their personalities.
Sunday School classes are split, one for English-speaking and the other for Spanish. This is one I can understand, and today included the beautiful verses of Isaiah 55 about fasting....and wonder of wonders! I fasted!!! I have been working up to fasting for two meals at home, and Dad always reminds me to take food with me. This time I made it about 20 hours before I joined the Burks in a piece of candy. I read the blessings of the fast as described by my favorite Old Testament poet/prophet and decided, If possible, I would never miss out on those blessings again.
I can’t say for sure, but I think this might be miracle #........I forget how many by now. The top ones are:
- marked increase of the Spirit
- 2 missionary opportunities on our very first day in the field
- sleep, wonderful sleep!!!!
- ability to work my whole shift at the temple
- and now fasting!
Relief Society was mostly incomprehensible but the teacher was marvelous, so warm and expressive, and did speak a little English. I found myself very focused, trying to understand part of her lesson. No gift of language yet, but to be fair, I’ve barely started my studies. We are surprisingly busy here and I’m just getting over being sick.
Adjunct to that is as I watched people, I imagined what parts the various people might play in a new story I’m incubating, called “The Blessing Inn”.
Overall, for me it’s been a quiet week. I got some sort of flu for most of the week and felt awful, then just shaky with an upset stomach. But it passed, and I was back in the temple a week after my first day. Being sick did give me some time to finish another story I had in the “complete these stories” category. It’s called “Who Ate My Snake?” and turned out well. It’s fun for Avery-age children, and is about a little boy’s toy snake that gets mysteriously eaten by the older brother’s science project. Now for an illustrator!
Happy Happy Birthday to Mommy Aloa, on Halloween, and Christina on Nov. 1. She is now 14 years old! These are very special days!
(photos)
What did I do on Halloween? Thought about my pumpkins on the table and played a Spanish card game Elder Allred brought us.
I am such the beginner that it’s confusing to know what is useful in study and what is not. We start our next MTC Skype sessions this next Wednesday. THEN I expect to get organized. I try not to get completely frustrated with all these new things and trying to fit the days together to do all I want to do. One of the temple presidency matrons, Sister Thompson, reminds me that it is all a process. She tells her new workers in the temple to learn one new thing each day. My new thing this week was to discover that the Spanish sentences to ask people what clothing they need is in the back of a notebook by each cash register. I actually learned a lot about the “roparia” or clothing issue area, shadowing Becca’s mom on Saturday. (And by the way, there was the cutest young man that came to return clothing while I was matching socks. I looked up and thought Wow! I told Becca’s mom I needed a camera. She smiled and said she sometimes thought she should have a tiny camera on her collar - but of course, they are not allowed.) Note the Burks on the right side of our mission photo.
I have to tell you the reasons for "O Pobrecita!" as this week's title. First, I was sick a lot of last week. Second, last night we discovered that our three-stage water filter was unplugged, which may have been the reason for the sickness. Third, on our sometimes slow connection, building a blog is a PAIN!
Que dia es? Oh, that’s right. October 23 (the day we flew to Guatemala) plus 11, and we’ve just completed a beautiful, if cool, fast Sunday. We hear it’s unseasonably cold and I did wish for some leggings or even boots today. Church is within easy walking distance, just across the street, past the main temple building and down the stairs of the annex (building where the nursery and older children wait to be sealed to their parents), and to a small but very adequate branch building.
We began with testimony meeting. I don’t know what people are saying but I am enjoying watching them and gaining an idea of their personalities.
Sunday School classes are split, one for English-speaking and the other for Spanish. This is one I can understand, and today included the beautiful verses of Isaiah 55 about fasting....and wonder of wonders! I fasted!!! I have been working up to fasting for two meals at home, and Dad always reminds me to take food with me. This time I made it about 20 hours before I joined the Burks in a piece of candy. I read the blessings of the fast as described by my favorite Old Testament poet/prophet and decided, If possible, I would never miss out on those blessings again.
I can’t say for sure, but I think this might be miracle #........I forget how many by now. The top ones are:
- marked increase of the Spirit
- 2 missionary opportunities on our very first day in the field
- sleep, wonderful sleep!!!!
- ability to work my whole shift at the temple
- and now fasting!
Relief Society was mostly incomprehensible but the teacher was marvelous, so warm and expressive, and did speak a little English. I found myself very focused, trying to understand part of her lesson. No gift of language yet, but to be fair, I’ve barely started my studies. We are surprisingly busy here and I’m just getting over being sick.
Adjunct to that is as I watched people, I imagined what parts the various people might play in a new story I’m incubating, called “The Blessing Inn”.
Overall, for me it’s been a quiet week. I got some sort of flu for most of the week and felt awful, then just shaky with an upset stomach. But it passed, and I was back in the temple a week after my first day. Being sick did give me some time to finish another story I had in the “complete these stories” category. It’s called “Who Ate My Snake?” and turned out well. It’s fun for Avery-age children, and is about a little boy’s toy snake that gets mysteriously eaten by the older brother’s science project. Now for an illustrator!
Happy Happy Birthday to Mommy Aloa, on Halloween, and Christina on Nov. 1. She is now 14 years old! These are very special days!
(photos)
What did I do on Halloween? Thought about my pumpkins on the table and played a Spanish card game Elder Allred brought us.
I am such the beginner that it’s confusing to know what is useful in study and what is not. We start our next MTC Skype sessions this next Wednesday. THEN I expect to get organized. I try not to get completely frustrated with all these new things and trying to fit the days together to do all I want to do. One of the temple presidency matrons, Sister Thompson, reminds me that it is all a process. She tells her new workers in the temple to learn one new thing each day. My new thing this week was to discover that the Spanish sentences to ask people what clothing they need is in the back of a notebook by each cash register. I actually learned a lot about the “roparia” or clothing issue area, shadowing Becca’s mom on Saturday. (And by the way, there was the cutest young man that came to return clothing while I was matching socks. I looked up and thought Wow! I told Becca’s mom I needed a camera. She smiled and said she sometimes thought she should have a tiny camera on her collar - but of course, they are not allowed.) Note the Burks on the right side of our mission photo.
I have to tell you the reasons for "O Pobrecita!" as this week's title. First, I was sick a lot of last week. Second, last night we discovered that our three-stage water filter was unplugged, which may have been the reason for the sickness. Third, on our sometimes slow connection, building a blog is a PAIN!