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