August - 6 months

I should explain that I do not walk around with the camera in my pocket.  We keep it in the car, so on trips it is ready to take pics thru the window.  Sometimes it is in my pocket for different activities, and I might come across something else interesting while it is in my pocket.  I don't take it out to make a spectacle, I just try to take pictures discreetly.

We have been here 6 months now.  Now that I feel good we are able to get a lot done, and time goes by fast.  President Ruiz has us visiting the ward councils to give them a training related to missionary work.   Last month he put us in charge of training the new missionaries and their companions.  It boils down to driving to the mission office 4 times every six weeks and running a training session that lasts 4 hours. 2 weeks ago in a meeting with the Stake president, we were asked to go to all the ward councils and train them how a ward council meeting is supposed to happen.  We had  a month to finish.  Now only 2 weeks.  So we are spending more time in meetings than I like.  We still have time to visit people.

 Pollos Rey - that's how you pronounce my name (Ray) in Spanish.  It means King,   like King Wetzel.  Has a nice ring to it ☺   Below it says, "A practical way to say I love you.  Ray's chicken.  I haven't tried it yet.

Went to a wedding Aug. 1st.  Both are return missionaries.  He is from Honduras and served a mission here, then returned with a good job here. They asked me to play the violin non-stop as people were coming into the reception.

The mayor is a family friend and performed the civil ceremony.

Tomorrow they get sealed in the temple.

Our wedding was 40 years ago.

We thought this was a piñata, but it is even better.  After the ceremony the couple stands underneath, they pull the ribbon, and get showered with rice.  Go back to the first picture to see.

We were asked to supervise 46 missionaaries doing temple work.  Here we are with Sister Pister, a missionary serving from our stake in Oregon.  I like her skirt - typical mayan worn by the locals.  How do you like my new suit?

 vicky taught the sisters in another ward how to make bread, & scones.

 The church here is gearing up for EFY in November.  It costs q500 per youth to attend.  That's about $70 - very expensive, like a weeks pay.  So the wards have started to have fund raisers.  Here is an exibition of toys.  They sold food to raise funds.  Most of these belong to one person.

 On Monday we traveled to San Marcos.  We went most of the way to the temple, gaining several thousand feet, then made a left hand turn at the top and continued climbing till we crested and started downhill.  It is high, and the area is known as Tierras Frias - Cold Country.  We were expecting to see a little town of 5-10 thousand, but this is bigger, better than where we live.  It is an area known for Mayan culture.  You can hear the natives speak Mam sometimes.  

The Hodgemans in front of their house in San Marcos.  They have been here for 18 months and leave in 6 days.

This is the most common use of bamboo - to hold up the cement forms as they add another floor above.

This has to be the next big franchise!  It would make tons of money in the U.S. ☺

Thiago turned 4 on Saturday.  As soon as we got there he came to show us his Spiderman shirt and Spiderman shoes.  Then his mother brought out the piñatas.  He was one happy kid

Thiago's brother is on a mission.  There is a great future ahead for  this family

Omar (12 yrs.)  was baptized last October.  He is always bringing friends to church.  His friend Dennis is getting baptized on Saturday.          Coincidently, one of the sister missionaries who is teaching him is Sister Denis, from Argentina.

The tall Elder Heiner finished his mission here.  His brother is in the MTC in Guatemala City, just starting his mission.  They got to see each other for 15 minutes before Elder Heiner went home.

Just before we got to the mission home this week we were following this small pickup that had 6 full grown pigs in it.  These little pigs went to market, . . .

On Saturday we drove to the temple in Quetzltenango with 2 Elders.  A year ago the Arreaga family was baptized.  Now a year later they made it to the temple and were sealed together.

Their story is quite amazing.  We met them our 2nd week here, so it was  nice for us to be with them.

These are the 2 Elders we took with us.  The Canadian is the one who baptized them last year.

Thunder clouds build up during the day, and then let loose a fine thunderstorm most afternoons.

Marvin and Gabriela were married before she was baptized.  It was a good ceremony, and a nice baptism, yet the ceremony we witnessed in the temple earlier the same day was much more uplifting.  Still, in a year this couple could be in the temple, too.