Time for Cambios...(Mission changes)

This week has been a busy one of getting things wrapped up to get ready for "cambios" or mission changes again.  This happens about every 6 weeks.










Because our mission area is so small, the way this works is that on an assigned day most of the missionaries change to a new area and companion.  We also receive new missionaries and send home the Elders and Hermanas who are now ready to get back to "civilian" life.  It is an exciting time.


Most of them bring their suitcases with them, deposit them in the back of the cultural hall.  We have a meeting where introductions of the new missionaries are made and then Presidente Anaya makes the announcements for the new companionships.  After each announcement come the abrazos and handshakes, they grab their belongings and take off for their new areas.  This transfer we are losing 6 Elders, then a lot more in a few weeks, but are gaining 9 new missionaries.

Catching a bite for lunch before leaving.

These are some of the couples that live in our apartment complex.  We are making some wonderful friends.

Left to right:  Anthonys, Zapatas (from Gilbert, AZ working in the visitor's center,) the Smiths (from  Idaho Falls, ID working with EFY...FSY in South Mexico,) and the Pococks (from Sugar City, ID, FSY in Northern Mexico)
It was Hermana Zapata's birthday.

Saturday, we took a trip into downtown Mexico City to visit a Market called the Ciudadela.  It had over 400 different shops and targets tourists.  It was amazing to see the skills of the people and the variety of talents.

Across the street from the Ciudadela was a park that was crammed with people having some sort of dance festival/classes.  It was fun to hear the music and see the couples, most of them our age,  moving spryly to the catchy music.

Life in La D.F...El Centro

Mexico City...you just have to love it here because you can find just about anything you want to, unless it is something you really need or want like Jello Lemon pie mix, brown sugar, plain marshmellows and other really important life sustaining foods! There are enough new things like a nice little bread store, panaderia, where they have some wonderful breads. A tiny, bar-windowed hole in the wall tortilla shop, tortilleria, where you can buy a pound of fresh corn tortillas for less than 50 cents and then a cup of their fresh made salsa (hot!) for 70 cents. They even give you a sample tortilla
each time you buy! They are so good when they are fresh and warm.

 You can buy fresh fruit at the markets and even fresh cactus , looks like our pickley pear cactus and it has been scraped free of spines. They have a good flavor, a little like limey green peppers, but they are slimy.
The chicken in the markets all have a yellowish tint to them... and they still have their heads and feet for an added bonus!

At the markets you can buy tacos made from pig snouts and tongue...they are said to be delicious!

As are the brain tacos! We say all these things not to make fun of the people or place...just as a reminder that things are different all over the world...food, drinks, living conditions etc...but people are the same where ever you go. Some are good...some not so good. We have been blessed to meet the good ones and have made some wonderful friends.
I'm sure all have heard or seen Meet the Mormons film. They showed it here in Mexico last week. Prior to the showing they had a Fireside here at the local chapel with David Archuletta and Carolina Munoz. They answered some questions from the local youth, David sang the song that is in the closing credits of the film and another song. It was a fun experience and well received by the youth, especially the young girls who are crazy over David. Both David and Carolina visited the Church Visitors Center prior to the fireside and met with the Sister Missionaries there for pictures etc. The Sister Missionaries are as crazy about him as the other girls.
Last week we went to the CCM..which is the missionary training center here in Mexico. Marilyn had gone to school there in the summer of 1970 with BYU semester abroad so we were excited to go back. Needless to say it has changed a lot. There are a lot more buildings, and the trees that she remembered being held up with posts and string are now full grown and the Jacaranda were in full purple/blue bloom.

They were beautiful.
She remembered the dorm houses but not sure which one she was in, only that it was orange. So we took our picture in front of the only orange one there.

The interesting thing is that the CCM is only 7 miles from here but google maps says even without traffic it takes 25 minutes to get there. There is no such thing as no traffic in la D. F.! It took us almost an hour! They have speed bumps here about every 2 or 3 blocks..that you really have to slow down for almost crawl over, plus there is just a lot of traffic and the roads are not straight or laid out in any real pattern.

These wonderful people, the Pocock's from Sugar City, Idaho, took us under their wing and helped us see places and feel more at home in Mexico.  They served over the FSY (EFY) programs in northern Mexico.

Yesterday we went with a couple of the new office Elders, Elder Egues and Elder Suazo,  downtown to what is called the Zocalo, a huge open square in front of the Cathedral, Government office buildings etc. This is where on Sept 16th they celebrate Mexico Independence Day. We were there with my cousin Jim Stanton and his wife in  1974 and got to see the celebration...it was unbelievable with fireworks etc. A fun memory that we could picture while we were there yesterday.

Elders Egües and Suazo, the new office Elders

We walked to El Palacio de Bellas Artes, a beautiful cultural arts center with a Tiffany Glass Curtain. We will have to go to a concert there before we leave. Both Marilyn and I have been there to see their Folklore Ballet .

Least we forget...we are learning the office duties, a little more each day. It is getting easier and not quite as frustrating for Dave as he learns the Mexican bookkeeping system which is different than anything he has ever done. Marilyn is getting the baptismal records sorted out and cleared one that had been done in 2013 that needed some additional information.
We miss our friends and family back home...but we are really glad to be here!

Meanwhile, on Temple Square, the planting for spring has begun.  Everything is becoming so beautiful!  They are able to grow wonderful plants which double the size of those at home! White rocks are used for accents.

And here it is, two weeks later. Mar. 1, 2015

March 1st.

Well it has been a busy last couple of weeks. We seem to be settling in a little better in the office. Now we only go into the closet to cry once every 2 or 3 days! Days begin at 8:00 and usually go to 6:00 sometimes with a break for lunch and often times not.  Marilyn is getting closer to being caught up with the baptismal records and is learning where different parts or addresses in the mission are, at least on paper. Trying to read the writing on referrals is like being back in school, but in Spanish.  Dave is trying to figure out why there needs to be 3 receipts for all the purchases, the receipt from the store, an invoice and a voucher. Sometimes they need to have an electronic copy made and kept and printed and other times they don't! Finally got the month end financial report and most important the money for the missionaries housing and expenses allocated along with making sure the President's visa card and that of his wife are activated for the next month. It really is a learning experience for us both.

On Feb 21st we went with 11 other couples that are serving here in the area to Teotihuacan. 

Elder Anthony, President Titensor (MMNorte), and Elder Pocock, (Idaho) over the Especially for Youth in Northern Mexico.

It has been over 40 years since we were last there and they have really improved and uncovered a lot since then. 

The steps are just as steep and narrow as before!

No worries about falling too far..lots of people to help you stop before you hit the bottom..and it is a long long way down!  At least now they have a set of handrails.

Quite a view from up top! A huge complex. We spent about 4 hours with a tour guide, a former Stake President from the area who is also an archeologist. We only got about halfway through the complex and the museum there so we will have to go back another time.

We started walking at the far left of this picture, over a mile away!

We did get to see some more of the area that is in the mission on our way to the pyramids and get a little better idea of where we are. Marilyn found a map of the city in the office and we hung it on the wall and that helps too. Houses are built right on the side of the hill all the way to the top. 

Yesterday we went with our friends the Pococks from Sugar City Idaho into Polanco again. This time to find the American Store were they sell brown sugar, but after walking for about an hour we gave up. Seems that they are remodeling and it is closed for a little while. We did however find the Sears store, which I might add is nicer than any Sears we have been to in the US!

The movie theater has plants growing on the side..beautiful!

The mall it is in, yes another mall, is every bit as nice as any in the US and nicer than most. We needed to find an oven thermometer (because the stoves only use a scale of 1-5, whatever that means) and a serrated knife for the bread we buy at the bakery. 

The bread has a hard crust like french bread..this loaf with apples  and raisins, two donuts and two smaller rolls with sesame seeds and almonds all for $2.40 us. Couldn't pass up the funny arrangement!
Even here in Mexico...Eat More Chicken!

One last thing that we have found interesting.  We live a sidewalk's distance away and up one story from a very big busy street.  The police cars here always have their top lights on and revolving.  There is a hospital type clinic on the other side of the temple, too, so we have sirens go by about every 5-10 minutes or so.  Also, there are no regulations for fireworks, so depending on which Saint's Day it is, there are fireworks, loud and echoey, all day and late into the night almost every day.

We walk down the street in front of the Temple to get to the Thursday market.  If you look closely, you can see the temple in the background as we walk home.  

These are some of the large, beautiful homes that were built about the same time as the temple.  The area around them has really gone downhill, but there are still some wealthy people who live here.

This man owned his own personal amusement ride, and charged for people to ride.

Sometimes you didn't have much room on the sidewalks.  You always had to walk with your eyes on the path in front of you because of holes, large cracks, uneven places and doggie reminders in the way.

We are happy and healthy (knock on wood!)  We love our family and friends.  Hope all is well on the home front.  Love, Dave and Marilyn