Seths visit

wow a little our of focus.  Seth brought pictures from the grandchildren

Life here at the CCM and at the temple

These two elders seems to like to study outside instead of their classroom.  I keep finding them in various places around campus during heir personal study and planning sessions.  

This group of Hermanas came in to clean the clinic today as a service project.

On Monday we had a FHE for the senior couples.  Since the weekend had been the celebration of the Day of the Dead here in Mexico we talked about that tradition and also read from the D&C about where the dead really are and what our potential as children of God can be. On the plate is a blueberry cheese filled tamale, also sweet bread baked for the dead of the dead.  (Maybe it has a cross on it, I don't know.) Also hot chocolate and decorations for the day of the dead.  

Dennis and I went to the Temple Clinic on Tuesday.  They are starting to put up the temple Christmas lights.  I hope we have an opportunity to see them at night.

We continue to teach the drivers English.  Last week part of what I taught was about the names of the  body parts.  I had them draw lines to match up the names in boxes with the body part.  This week we reviewed it and I had them draw a body as I told them what to draw.  Dennis drew on the white board while they drew on their paper.  I told them draw a head. draw a neck etc until they had their  whole person finished.  Then I had them tell me about their person.  I had them say, "I would like you to meet...whoever they wanted to name their person."  They then in their best English told something about their person, if he was short, tall what he like to do, etc.  

I had not told them they were going to show us their art work and tell us about the person they drew.  Those drives can be quite funny.  One said,"I would like you to meet my boss, and he described his short, fat , spiked hair boss. Carlos drew this person and said he was born with only one leg and one arm and that he had curly hair and a fat foot.  Mainly my point is to get them to talk in English.  I had given them a homework assignment the week before.  I assigned them each a paragraph to read from a Liahona story about Priesthood blessings.  They complained so much when I gave them the homework that I didn't know if they would come back this week, but they did and they had studied their paragraph, read it and then told us what it meant.  I was so pleased that I gave them all treats.  

Halloween 2015

Shawn and Nadia Cates came by.  That was it for our "Trick or Treaters"  They live on campus.  All Jedi boys including father.  Emerson, Ethan and Joaquin

This district of Elders bought ties at the tienta and painted them.  They are all tie related.  The first elder on the left has a pictures of food so it is Thai(land)-food.  The third one is tie-dying because he has graveyard symbols. The next one is tongue tied.

The door our our dormitory room.  I knew the Cates were coming to trick or treat so I decorated it a bit.  The three bottom ghosts have the boys names on them.  

P day world trade center

We took a drive downtown to eat at the 45 floor of the World Trade Center here in Mexico City.  It is the largest revolving restaurant in the world and it was very interesting to see the city from that perspective.  The city just kept going on for miles in every direction all 360 degrees. 

The revolving restaurant is on top of the blue building.  The view was incredible.

Officially the largest revolving restaurant in the World according to Guinness

This was the lobby of Bellini the WTC restaurant

A view of the city with the Mexico City Temple in the very back and just off of center left

Looking down at a roof top garden

The Olympic stadium and the bull fighting ring

The Catholic Church is big here, literally

Harston's, Call's and Bruce and Jody Packard

We went into this art museum.  It is called Polyforum.  This was it from the top

 The Polyforum Art gallery was more interesting on the outside than it was on the inside.  The architecture was really different with more art murals (typical of Mexico) on the outside walls. 


art forum with world trade center in background

Bo's Pastisseria  delightful!

We parked the car in front of this cute little bakery and just had to take a peak inside

We were invited back to the kitchen and I asked if I could take a picture.  Of course that means you have to buy something if you take a picture. 

The lobby of Bo's bakery

This was the Mexico Park across the street from the bakery

Lots of swans

missions are a time for learning/ broken hands

We had another elder with a broken hand.  The last one hit the cinderblock wall in his room because he was frustrated with learning Spanish.  This one doubled up his fist and hit the metal bleachers when he missed a layup playing basket ball in the gym.  He had a pretty good break on two bones.  His hand was misshapen and he had to have several screws surgically put in to repair the break.  He has surgery last night and he is coming back to the CCM tonight but will be flying to Richmond Virginia where he will serve on Monday.  He had to have a companion with him all the time so two or three elders went to the hospital trading off in 12 hour shifts. That required a driver plus a nurse to go and admit him yesterday.  The church pays for the hospital, the surgery and everything.  Dennis and I plus the Packard's went today to visit him.  Elder Packard (Bruce) told him yes it was a dumb mistake, learn from it and don't do it again, but now is it over.  Don't keep feeling guilty just more on and make better choices in the future.  I though that was good advice for us all. 

Farewell to Beecher's and Rubalcava's and Welcome to Lyon's, Packard's, and Castameda

The Beecher's will be leaving tomorrow on October 28th.  They decided to leave this mission early. They have served also in Kenya and in the Philippines. It was time for them to go home and be with their family. Actually they were scheduled to leave on Friday but Neal's brother died and the funeral is on Friday so they will fly all day on Wednesday (tomorrow) and get home at 8:00 PM then have one day to recover before the funeral on Friday.

President Rubalcaba and his wife Sandra have finished their two year term as a counselor at the CCM.  He used to be a stake president here when it was a school.  President Lyons will replace him.  He and his wife are from Queretaro, Mexico.  Then Nicolas Castaneda is going to be the new CCM director, a paid position to replace Shawn Cates.

There are a lot of changes and so we had a dinner last night.  I made two big green salads to go along with the menu.

Elder Rubalcava had arranged for musicians to come in and play while we ate.  They played very classical dinner music.  Jacki Beecher is talking to Nadie Cates.  

Jody and Bruce Packard, (she is in red) came on Saturday to replace the Beechers.  

Dr and Hermana Stevens bought our home in Holladay when we moved to Virginia.   Elder Castaneda on the end will replace Shawn Cates.  He is a member of the 4th quorum of 70 here in Mexico as well as the associated director for the CCM.

The two men in the middle are brothers.  They are from the Mexican colonies.  President Rubalcava has been the mission counselor and Elder Ruvalcaba is the executive secretary.  At birth Elder Ruvalcaba's name was misspelled and the process to change it very difficult so he never was able to do that but they are full brothers.  Sandra and Patty are sisters in law.  President Rubalcava is a doctor, scientist and helped with research that resulted in a Nobel prize.

Elder Lyon will be the new counselor at the CCM.  Hisw wife is a quilter and he was born in Idaho.  Dr and sister Montoya are a legend here in Mexico for their service in the church.  

temple trip with 50 missionaries and Jason

Dennis and I just came back from the temple.  We were the escorts for 50 missionaries.  Today was their preparation day and they were delighted to spend it at the temple.  We left about 8:15 AM on two buses. We arrived back here at the CCM about 6 hours later.  Dennis was on one bus and I was on the other.  It takes about 45 minutes to drive there.  The elders and hermanas on my bus were so good, they sang songs on the way.  We all sat on one session together and after they took a few pictures and we boarded the buses to come back.  Fortunately the cafeteria workers held the comodor open for us so we just got right off the bus and went in and ate.

In the past there has been a problem with the newly remodeled temple not being able to accommodate all our missionaries three times a week but today was so smooth.  I was making sure they all had headsets because we like them to understand the temple ceremony not just use the temple as an attempt to understand Spanish.  We were in the chapel and just before it were to go to our session room they announced that our session would be in English.  They gathered up our headsets and gave them to the handful of Spanish speakers who were also on the session.  I really appreciate them accommodating us by making it an English session.  One sister said there is nothing like going to the temple.  She said the CCM has a wonderful spirit but the temple is just double that spirit.

trip with 50 elders and hermanas to the temple

Last Saturday there were multiple soccer games going on all over campus.  It was Soccer day for the employees and their families.  Jason cleans the office here and he cleans Dormitory A when Elders come and go so I see him a lot.  It was nice to meet his wife and baby.