Jacaranda trees

I love these Jacaranda Trees in full bloom   They drop a carpet of blossoms around the ground under them as well.  The workers rake up the blossoms like leaves in the fall and have huge piles of them.  The campus is covered with these trees.

Elder Cook Quorum of the 12 visits

It was so nice to have Elder Cook and his wife visit the CCM on Friday March 18th.  He met with the missionaries and spoke from 6:30 to 8:00.  It was interesting that he stood and said he did not have any specific remarks but that he would speak what the spirit prompted him to do so.  He reiterated that while President Monson makes the official calls to serve as a missionary it is members of the quorum of the 12 that make the specific assignment of where the missionary will serve.  He said there is a definite feeling that comes to the member of the 12 that you should serve in one area over another.  Sometimes it is a matter of a specific president you should serve under or there may be certain people there you will be with.  It is not a random assignment but a specific assignment from the spirit.

He pointed out that being an emissary of the Lord Jesus Christ requires being warm, loving and gracious.  We must smile and be a servant that builds with faith.  A missionary is the messenger. When people see a missionary they will see the representative of Jesus Christ.

He said that in 2002 President Hinckley instructed Elder Ballard to give the talk in general conference about raising the bar for missionaries.  President Hinckley said we must have a righteous missionary force and that has not changed.  Elder Ballard admonished the young men to rise up, measure up and be fully prepared to serve the Lord. Serving a mission is not a rite of passage. 

During the question and answer time Hermana Pussey asked a question about making our prayers fervent, heartfelt and offered with real intent as mentioned in Preach My Gospel.  She asked how that applied to the investigators the missionaries are teaching.  Elder Cook pointed that worthy prayers are required for our investigators but that the investigator still has agency to reject the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  He also said that answers to prayers come most meaningfully when pray is not about ourselves but about others.  Even if we do everything perfect people can reject you.
The elect will hear and not harden their heart.

Going into the devotional with Elder Cook I had written a question I wanted answered similar to what I do in general conference.  I wrote down, "Will my family be looked after while I am gone?"
As Elder cooked closed his remarks he said he would like to offer upon us an apostolic blessing.  He said if you are asking yourself if you should really be here or if you should be home helping your family know this, this mission is not about you, but it will be a blessing to your family.  He said we will be blessed for serving, but our families will be blessed also.

Companionships

Hermana Clegg is 4'11" and Hermana Killpack is 5'10" and yet they are wonderful companions together. It is so nice when hearts are filled with love and companions are working together for the same goal that the love of Christ abounds.  I like to see companionships helping and caring for each other and it happens all the time.  Very rarely do we see conflict in a companionship.  

Hermana Ciarente worked in an animal shelter in Kentucky before she came and wants to go back and continue that work. She loves animals and even wears this shirt that has horses on it.   Her companion Hermana Pusey is majoring in physics and piano performance and will continue with that. They are different and yet again working for the same goal, to  learn how to be a good missionary and bring people to Jesus Christ.  They have love and concern for each other and help each other in their cause.  If the outside world saw the natural Christ-like love these companions at the CCM,  both elders and hermanas have for each other they other they would think it is something else but the love of Christ abounds in their hearts.  (Hermana Pussy is actually thin around the waist but that shirt is making her look otherwise.)

FHE music and wind

Each Monday we as senior missionary couples meet for FHE.  We take turns giving the lesson. Dennis thrives on giving lessons and I don't so he prepared this one as well. Earlier the nurse here Mosiah said to me that his wife plays the cello as her profession.  He thought it might be a good idea for the missionaries to experience a cello.  He knows that Dennis and I audition the special musical numbers for the Sunday devotionals.  Sometimes if they don't need a piano we just hold the audition at the clinic.  Some numbers are violin or flute or or sung A Capella.  I did't think the mission president would want an outside musical number, but it would be acceptable at FHE so Dennis asked if Mosiah's wife could come and perform for us the next time it was our turn to do a FHE lesson.  He also gave a lesson music and we had lots of refreshments.  He invited a few extra people to come so we had about 20 people in total.

 

One of our nurses.  This is Mosiah Rodriguez and his wife and child.  She told us after she had performed that when she was about 10 years old she told her mother she felt like she was wasting her life because all she did was play video games.  She wanted to something more that that.  Her mother suggested she learn to play a musical instrument so they went to a music school and her mother pointed out the violin players but she felt in love with the sound of the cello.  She has studied for 11 years and performed in orchestras.  She has also played in many competitions including in the United States.  She also teaches cello.   Their baby is 10 months old.  

Dennis also invited the director of the CCM.  He has 5 children.  A daughter is on a mission in Japan and two are married.  That is a big family for the Mexican people.  He was a mission president and at this time he is on the forth quorum of seventy for this area.  He comes to the gym each morning to work out so I see him there.  Nicolas Castaneda and family. He has a very friendly and warm personality as well as do his children and wife.  

It was very windy here last week.  This is the lawn to the side of the clinic.  All those palm branches came down in a short time off the trees that are close by.  Maintenance cleaned them up and by the next morning that many were back again.  The next day they had put caution tape and orange cones around the area preventing anyone from walking near the falling palm leaves.  They cautioned people that they could get hurt if they were hit by a falling palm branch.  

to get a new drivers license as our p-day experience this week

We spent our p-day driving to get Dennis a new drivers license.  His wallet was stolen 4 months ago and now this will be the last thing we have to replace.  The drivers license office had moved and we had to venture out to find the new one.  We didn't have proof of our address so had to come back with an electric bill from the CCM as proof of residency.  Dennis said the bill showed the CCM pays $10,000 a month for electricity.  WOW!

We did go out to dinner with the Calls in the evening.  Fishers obviously is a seafood restaurant.  I had salmon, rice and veggies.

Dennis had shrimp with cheese sauce. Funny bibs. I didn't want one but that didn't matter.  Only the first timers, we naive North Americans had to wear them.  No one else in the restaurant had one on.

The Calls had cake for dessert. We had a banana taco.

Fast and testimony meeting.

The fast meetings here are very spiritual.  In the branch that we meet with right now and where Dennis is a counselor the President allows the missionaries to share their testimony in part English or "Spanglish" rather that not share their testimonies because of lack of ability to speak the language.  Last Sunday as the time drew near to end the meeting The Branch President stood up and said that from his perspective he could see that there were still more missionaries that wanted to share their testimony so he was going to sit back down and allow that to happen.  We went on for 15 more minutes as Elders and Hermanas got up.  In total 20 people shared their testimony.

Here are some of their thoughts:
--Right now and here is where Jesus Christ wants me to be
--I know if I try with the best of my ability He will help me
--Missionaries bring miracles into peoples lives (spoken from a sisters who with her family are converts to the church)
--missions bless the lives or missionaries and their families
--If we trust in the Lord He will help us learn Spanish
--I need to serve a mission so my family will be blessed
--The 2000 warriors did not have doubt and we cannot doubt either as we go out to serve
--The gift of tongues is real
--The seed you nourish is the one that grows..."I can speak Spanish"
--It is going to be hard, but it will be worth it.
--My patriarchal blessing tells me that I will receive help from those on the other side. Both those who are yet unborn and my ancestors.
--I love Spanish
--He listens and answers me
--Fasting brings blessings, answers to prayer and provides financial support to others
--I have a testimony of fasting
--There are people that need me to be here on this mission.  That keeps me going
--Compared to God we are nothing, yet to God we are everything.
--My first name is Aaron and my brother is Ammon.  We had 2 extra guest rooms in our home but my mother made us share a room so we would be close together.  My brother left for his mission 7 days before I did.  Even though we will be apart for two years we will be together in purpose.  (I suppose these two brothers are twins.)
--God is shoulder to shoulder with us as we serve.  This is his work and his children we are searching out.

A "Tender Mercy" from the Lord and from my mother

I had a very sweet tender mercy from the Lord given to me that I don't want to forget.  As I sat studying Spanish at the table in my casa I heard a voice come into my mind.  It was the voice of my mother and she told me very clearly these words, "I love you Nola. I was doing the best I could." That was all she needed to say.  I know exactly what she meant.  I don't know why or how she was able to communicate that to me but I am very grateful for that message from her.

Basalt columns p-day to Pachuca and beyond

We took an excursion with Stan and Janet Call for a 2 hour drive north and east of the city.  We went beyond Pachuca to the basalt prisms near the town of Huasca de Campo.  They are one of Mexico's top natural wonders.  Sometimes when lava cools it forms into 5 or 6 sided columns.  These columns can be very tall as they were in this case.  Because there was a water source near by it seems to aid in the development of the columns.  We were able to walk down into this canyon of columns where water was falling off the top.  

The hanging bridge was a little scary especially when 80 school children started crossing it.  They tended to make it swing.  

The storage tunnels as seen from the basalt formations above.  

Interesting water works as seen from above.  Built over 200 years ago.  The water was a little dirty but the waiter said when they have an event there they open the head gates and flush out the pools so they are  clean. It is obviously used for weddings.

Inside the hacienda (the ranch) where they have updated a beautiful pool area as they also have a hotel and rooms now.

I want one of these zip line swings at the cabin.

The tunnels that we saw from above were used to store the sugar cane and grain grown at the hacienda.  The animals were and are also stored here.

The dome arched shaped tunnels are a great architecture feature.  

They went on and on and lower and lower even into a dungeon/jail area.

As with all the old structures here in Mexico even the pyramids are  made of rock or brick and then covered with stucco.  If the stucco wears off as it does in time the rock is left.  

Entering the Hacienda Santa Maria Regla was like stepping back in time 200 years.

Lunch at the Santa Maria Regla Hacienda

After viewing the basalt columns we drove just a few minutes away to the Santa Maria Reglas Hacienda.  The very old structures and architecture were amazing.  

There were a lot of haciendas or ranches in the colonial time of Mexico.  They have turned many of these into resorts with rooms for rent.  This was the imperial room that was very large.  it had a huge fireplace with a very tall chimney to warm the room.  The fireplace went into both sides of the room, the sitting room and the bed room area.  

The Spanish influence of a beautifully carved chest.

This imperial room had a very large red bathtub and a beautifully decorated mirror

This is the bedroom side of the room.  It has a big canopy bed with a view of the chimney and fireplace.  Again the influence of the carved Spanish furniture is seen in the bench.

Another carved chest  and a good view of the fireplace

The not so imperial suite had a wonderful remodeled job of these 200 year old rock structures.  Each of the rooms also has a sauna in the bathroom area.  

The sitting room with a piano.

After the prisms and the hacienda we went to the town of Mineral del Monte.  Dennis and I had already been there so it was a quick walk through to show the Call's.  This was a fun bakery.  They had a huge oven and this was the paddle that they used to take things in and out of the oven.  Very large oven.  

This oven was very interesting.

They don't really have brown sugar here like ours but as this woman showed us at their bakery they wrap the regular sugar in corn leaves and  bake it until it is brown and then uses it in their breads and cookies. It tastes a little like molasses.

This is amazing rock structure considering it was built 200 years ago.  

A cross, as a reminder of the very Catholic influence in this country.