May 20 th Nice to have visitors!!!

From May 20-23 we had visitors!!!Yea or Yeah or Yay??? how ever  you want to spell it ...it was fun to have family here.

On May 20 Rod and Jeanene Budge, Marilyn's brother and his wife, flew into Mexico City. We picked them up at the airport then went to a session at the Temple. The next morning Kyle came in, after a long long trip from Winnipeg Canada. Seems like the only direct flights from Canada come from either Vancouver or Montreal, neither one very convenient for him so it took him most of one day and all night to get here, but he made it!
First thing Friday morning Kyle and I walked down to get some fresh squeezed orange juice..2 liters for about $2.50 US. It was fun to show him some of the area and talk with him.

That day we went out to Teotihuacan. We walked from one end of the site to the other and up to the top of the Temple of the Sun too.

 It is a vast complex and even though we have been there three times since we got here we still see new things each time.

We then went to eat at La Gruta, I know that doesn't sound too appetizing but Gruta simply means cave in Spanish. The restaurant is in a huge cave so it makes for great atmosphere.

 The food was good, and the company even better! We even placed candles in the far end of the cave which is supposed to give you a new beginning to life. As usual we had Brother and Sister Gonzaga with us. He has become our driver here to take us to various parts of the country since we don't have a car. We really enjoy their company...they are wonderful people.

We then took everyone to the Tiangues to do some grocery shopping...fresh veggies and fruits. The fun is being able to get tastes of all the different fruits and talk with the vendors. Fun to be able to introduce the family to them.
Then we were off to the historic center of the city around the Zocalo, or the main square inform of the government buildings and the old Catholic church which was built in the 1600's. We ate at a restaurant that has been in business since 1912 in a building that is much older than that.

I think it was an eye opener for all of them as they kept commenting on the number of people!

Kyle enjoyed being able to use his Spanish and felt right at home bartering with the vendors and talking with the people.

Sunday was spent at church where Elder Anthony had a speaking assignment! Now if you ask the visitors they would tell you it was good, as far as they understood! It was fun to introduce them to some of the members in the ward.
We then decided to take a metro-bus trip to La Basilica

which is one of the top three most visited religious sites in the world. Some of Rod's co-workers who are from Mexico asked that he go there for them as it is a Holy site for them. There is the Basilica which was finished in 1709 and there is also a little church on a hill that was built in 1531 is dedicated to the Virgin Guadalupe. Like so many of the old buildings here in Mexico City the Basilica is sinking and you can really see and feel it. It is built on the side of a basalt hill so without the proper foundation it has slid down  the hill. There must be an 8 foot difference from one end of the church to the other!

Kyle left early Monday morning at 1am. Interesting he had to have his original visa entry slip that they gave him when he landed or pay for a replacement (about $40 US). The interesting thing is that they don't tell you when you land that you will need it when you leave! Fortunately he had the time and money to pay the ransom and get out of Dodge!

Before Rod and Jeanene left we took them on one of the little buses here to a hole in the wall bakery so they could see some more of the area.

On they way back to the apartment we stopped at the barber who we have come to love to introduce them to her. Since Rod was looking a little shaggy and a trim

would only cost about $3.00 US he decided to have his hair cut. 

All in all we had a wonderful time with our family, we were able to show them what we have been doing and how we get around in this wonderful big city!

May 1, 2016 Time has flown by..

What can we say other that we are slackers when it come to keeping up this blog!!!
Here it is the end of April..actually it is May first!...
Lets try to recap what has happened since the last post...
1. April conference...we enjoyed listening to conference here in our apartment with the Zapata's. We hooked up the projector ..took a picture off the wall and watched the big screen! All the comforts of home and then some. We did have to make a quick run to the tiangues for some fruits and veggies prior but made it back in time.

2. April the 16th brought a special treat for our mission. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came and we had a Special Mission Conference. What a great and fun experience for all of us! Elder Pieper of the Area Presidency was also there and spoke, as did his wife. They also brought their daughter Dora with them and brought her up to the podium with him. She is a special needs child and Elder Pieper said this was the first time that they have brought her with them to one of these mission conferences. The Piepers have served here for 3 yrs and prior to that had an assignment in the middle east or eastern Europe. He spoke about how Dora was a missionary in her own right. How she loved all the people that she met and loved to give them hugs. Even the Elders, but that they had to teach her that she couldn't hug the missionaries, so instead,  she would pull their ties! She even did that to Elder Nelson when he came to meet with them one time! He told us to not try to compare ourselves to one another..we all have our own special talents and ways of teaching and loving others and we need to concentrate on those. She brought a special spirit to the meeting.

Elder Oaks was so warm and inviting to the missionaries and so relaxed in the meeting. He just had a special feeling about him and was so kind. He mentioned that in his life he has done a lot of reading..books, magazines, professional journals etc. He told us that it took him until he was about 50 years old to realize the need to pray before reading the scriptures..and just like we pray before meals to give thanks for the food and to bless it to nourish us..we should do the same prior to reading the scriptures, that they might nourish us.

3. The next day we had a special 2-Stake conference for our stake, Aragon, and the Vergel Stake that is next to ours. Again Elder Oaks was there. He arrived about 45 minutes early and went around and shook hands with everyone that was there. No small task but such a warm and kind thing to do. He asked us where we were from and when we told him Santaquin he perked up and said, "I know right where that is!" as he had spent much of his childhood in Spring Lake area.

After our mission conference on Saturday we went with the Zapata's downtown. It seems that Javier had to have a Zoot Suit like Tin Tan, the Mexican Entertainer! So we headed down to La Laguñia, a clothing center and found one for him. The Laguñia market is a fun and different experience! It is roughly the size of a Salt Lake City block that is covered and there are little aisle ways just big enough for two or three people to walk side by side in and little stores or stalls that are nothing but clothes. All kinds of clothes from baby christening or baptismal clothes, to gowns for Quinceñeras to wedding dresses and suits, lingerie, Zoot Suits, Charro suits, etc. really really crowded and very interesting! Glad we had that opportunity to go.

Wednesday, April the 20th, we went with the Binghams and Zapatas to Bellas Artes to see the Mexican Folklore Ballet. Bellas Artes is a large concert hall that was built in the early 1900's and is rated as one of the best concert halls in the world. It has a glass curtain that was made by Tiffanies of New York....a very beautify building!

Prior to the concert we went to dinner at Sanbourns. This building too is beautiful although it is showing it's age now.  It is the original Sanbourns Restaurant. It opened in the 1920's and had been a private home prior to that time. It is located about a block from Bellas Artes. We had a great dinner and a fun time with the Zapatas and Binghams who we don't get to see too often, but do so enjoy their company.  Their Mission President has a different outlook on what the mission couples should do and how far they should travel.  We are so thankful that Presidente Anaya is so supportive of us doing our adventures on our P-days! Last Friday the Zapatas went with their mission pres and his wife to Taxco. Kind of a reward for them before they head home. Such a difference in the mission presidents. Just proves their individuality and that circumstances are different everywhere.  Anyway the Zapatas had a great time, we are so glad they had the opportunity to go. Taxco is a wonderful little city in the mountains that specializes in silver. It is about a 2 and a half hour drive. They had so much fun they would even like to go again..but with only one Saturday left I don't know if they will be able to or not.

We received sad news that one of our Elders, Elder McNeil Walker from Idaho Falls was killed last Wednesday as he was driving a tractor north of his town in Idaho to his pumpkin farm. He was such a good missionary here..always so so happy and wanting to help. It is such a sad thing. Some of the returned missionaries from here that can go to the funeral are going and will sing Called to Serve at the service. Wish we could be there...he was such a nice young man.

We spent yesterday with the Zapatas... we went grocery shopping in the morning to Walmart and then rode the metrobus downtown. We went to an excellent Wax Museum..a fun outing,  then to a chocolate museum, a waste, (but it was fun to taste the cocoa beans) then to Chilies and a movie. We saw the new Jungle Book, we really liked it. Amazing what they can do with animation and humans together anymore. We had a great time, we will so so miss Bonnie and Javier...they have become good, good friends.

Time is going so so fast....we have our tickets purchased..and will be home July 19th!! Some of the kids will be there which will be really, really exciting for us. We have missed them. We are so grateful to Garrett and for him staying in the house.

Well this blog is too long...and no pictures...more like a journal entry,..sorry for that. Will up load some pics shortly to make up for it.

El Tajin #2

                                            El Tajin was a most interesting place to visit.

 We were there in the morning and escaped many of the crowds that visit this place. We had a fun time walking the grounds and seeing the ruins. One of the main attractions is Los Voladores or The Flyers. These 4 men climb a 80-90 ft pole, wrap their ropes around the pole and then tie the ropes arounds their waists. After they have done this another man, who in ancient times was a priest, climbs the pole and then stands and dances on top of the pole on a little platform while playing his flute! This ritual is hundreds of years old and was originally performed to please the god of fertility Xipe Totec so they would have rain and an abundant harvest.

At the signal of the priest they all lean  back off the platform and slowly spin around the pole 13 times each until they reach the ground. While they are revolving down the priest stays at the top playing a flute. The interesting thing about the men is that at least 2 of the men are probably in their 50's or 60's and the others probably in their 30's or 40's! It took them about 2-3 minutes to swing all the way down.
As usual all of our outings have to have a meal and shopping in them. This was no exception, and we could eat and shop at the same time! As we sat down at this little outdoor cafe we were joined shortly by people selling vanilla, vanilla pods, replicas of the Flyers, scarves, and of course jewelry!

This is how we will always remember Javier and Bonnie Zapata...buying jewelry!He has a fun time with all the people and this young lady was no exception.


 She had a wonderful smile but it was hard to capture as she would always pose. We did finally get one that showed her wonderful dimples and the sparkle in her eyes



An interesting place El Tajin, with the ruins, birds
and jungle all around.Different flowers on these trees..they make for unique decorations!

After we ate we walked through the little shops and visited with the people. The people in this area are a very short and tiny people. As can be seen by the size of the man selling shirts.
There were not many people the day we visited, so we could visit with the people. They are always so nice to us and willing to show what they are making..of course they always are hoping that we are buying too.

El Tajin

March 12th saw us on the road with the Bingham's,  Zapata's and Brother Moroni Gonzaga and his wife to El Tajin, in the state ofVeracruz about 150 miles and 4 hours driving from Mexico City. Again Hermano Moroni was our chauffeur and companion. Like we have mentioned before, it is so refreshing and necessary to get away from the city. To be able to breath clean air, see open spaces, and enjoy the peace and quiet. Now to say hear quiet may sound like a contradiction in terms, and it may be, but it is so nice to be able to hear.  We could actually hear birds singing!

The ruins are quite impressive. Very different from the pyramids by Mexico City. El Tajin was a major civilization that flourished from 600 to 900 bc to the 1500's.  It is a very beautiful place and we were impressed by the cleanliness of the area.  The Mexican government has recently been making new facilities around the area (bathrooms, a small museum etc.) which made it feel comfortable.  It is green and beautiful.  Surrounding the ruins are many small "shops" where the local people sell their goods and Papantla, a nearly city, is famous for its vanilla.  We found many people selling the vanilla pods, and many sizes of vanilla bottles.

Over 120 buildings or so

These pyramids had a very different type of construction than we have seen at several other sites.

Too steep to climb even if they allowed it!
Well, it looks like we will finish this one on a new page....too much fun!

Butterflies!

In the middle of February, we were able to visit a Monarch butterfly sanctuary with the Zapatas(office couple in the West Mission), the Binghams (office couple in the North Mission) and Hermano Moroni and his lovely wife, Veronica, our drivers.  

Here is a little background information from the internet on the migration of these butterflies:

Monarch butterflies cannot survive a long, cold winter. Instead they spend the winter in roosting spots. Monarchs west of the Rocky Mts. travel to small groves of trees along the California coast. Those east of the Rocky Mts. fly farther south, to the forests high in the mountains of Mexico. The monarchs' migration is driven by seasonal changes: daylength and temperature. Monarchs are the only butterflies to make such a long two-way journey every year! They fly in masses to the same winter roosts, often to the same exact trees. Individual monarchs only make the round trip once. It is their children's grandchildren, that return south the following fall. Noone knows exactly how their remarkable homing system works. This is one of the many unanswered questions in the butterfly world!   http://missionbf.tripod.com/info.html

We left on a Friday night and stayed in the mission office of the North Mission with the Binghams.  Leaving early the next morning, we drove for several hours through countryside that had clean air and small towns.  It was wonderful to not see the air that you breathe! We climbed higher and higher until we found ourselves in the mountains.

There are over 350 sq. miles of mountaintops that are protected sanctuaries by the Mexican government, but only several spots where you can actually gain access to trails to go to see the butterflies.  The trails are quite steep and about 10,000 feet in altitude.  We picked up a guide that flagged us down in a small town at the entrance who showed us where to turn and where the trail started.

Horses were available to rent to ride up the trail, but we chose to walk up because I was nervous because I used to be allergic to horses.  Being so close to them the entire hike, I didn't notice any allergies at all though....we should have tried it just for the fun of it!

The further we traveled along the trail, the more butterflies we could see until finally, we reached an area that was roped off as the "end of the trail" where butterflies were everywhere!

Beautiful!

On my arm!

 On cold days they cluster in bunches in the trees and bushes for warmth, but when it is warm they take to the air.  They also die there and the ground was covered with their little dead bodies.
We tried to take pictures of the myriads of butterflies...everywhere, but the camera just couldn't capture them.

It was almost a spiritual feeling, etherial, as the group of people reverently watched the Monarchs as they hovered everywhere!  One landed on my arm and I hardly dared to breathe until it floated off.

As the crowd grew, it was our turn to leave, so we hiked to the bottom, stopping occasionally to look over the rocks at the valley far below.  The regional people have stands and eateries at the bottom of the trail.  We enjoyed a great meal and bought a souvenir or two, then Hna. Bingham, Dave and I tried out the rather rough zipline.  We had a ball!

Whoa!

Anything you could want!

One more thing off the bucket list!

New Year....One Year!

Today is January 31, 2016..we arrived here in Mexico City one year ago yesterday! Hard to believe that a year has passed...so much has happened...so many good memories...and opportunities.
We have been blessed in so many ways, especially in that we have met so many good people and
have made many good friends.
Our good friends the Zapata's were able to come back here to Mexico City after having gone home to Arizona fo
r a short time to help Elder Zapata recover from some health issues. We are glad to have them back and look forward to spending more time with them. They were reassigned to the Mexico City West mission office and will be entering baptismal records and referrals. They have decided to stay here in these apartments as they are bigger and much cheaper and will make the trip to their offices every day by taxi. We were able to find a member of the church who has a taxi business and is transporting them and giving them a very good price break.
One of the customs here and in other parts of the world is the 12 days of Christmas. This is different than what we do in the states. We celebrate the 12 days before and they do it the 12 days after Christmas. January 6th is the day they celebrate el Dia de los Reys ..with what is called El Rosca de  Reyes. On this day they have a special bread that is baked in a circular or wheel shape.

Inside the bread is hidden 1 or more little plastic baby Jesus. The person who gets the baby in his slice of bread is blessed in that he or she is to treat the family or group on Feb 2 to a party..most specifically with a tamale and atole party. Atole is a hot drink much like our hot chocolate but is made from either ground up corn or rice with either milk or water and different flavors such as chocolate, strawberry, etc. February 2 is significant in that it is el Dia de la Candelaria or Day of the Candles or Candelabra. This is 40 days after the birth of the Savior and is the end of the purification period of Mary and is supposed to also be the day that Jesus was presented in the Temple.  The candles are to remind us that Jesus conquered the darkness and brought us light.The day January 6th is also important to the children as it is also a day of gift giving from the Wise Men or Kings..that sought out the Bay Jesus. They awake to find gifts that have been left by the wise men. The Rosca bread traces it origin back to France and has spread to other parts of the world.
We bought Roca bread at the bakery and had it there for missionaries as they came by...and the good fortune was ours in that both Brother and Sister Anthony got the little baby in their slices of bread!

This after we also bought the bread! So we will have to have some tamales on hand in the office on Feb. 2.
We met a new missionary couple, the Binghams from Arkansas, who are serving in the North mission. We showed them part of the historic district the other day and got to know them a little. We look forward to spending more time with them.
Elder and Sister Rojas, the directors at the Visitors Center, completed their mission and left January 19th. We wish them well, they have served here in Mexico city in different calling for 4 or 5 years. They were excited to get back to their family in Gilbert. We also welcomed Elder and Sister Lines from Arizona who will be the directors at the Center. They are excited to be here, they returned from being the office couple in Argentina about 6 months ago and are now here. Interesting to talk to them and see how things were run in their old mission. We are learning that so much depends on the mission President and how he wants to do things.
With our last changes here Elder Dillon was transferred out after having been in the offices for 9 months...we will miss him. He was here for half of our mission!
We are having fewer and fewer missionaries leaving...and getting fewer and fewer in return. We are getting mostly latino missionaries now which is gratifying to see. This is a slow time for missionaries in that many potential missionaries are in school and just waiting for semester and term ends. As we were making out the schedule for arriving and departures we were shocked to see our names there!
Time is getting short!

The other day the Elders came running into the office to get their cameras all the while yelling there's a lion outside a baby lion! So off we went and sure enough there was! Right there in the parking lot! We had a fun time petting the lion...and by the way they have really rough tongues..like being licked by 120 grit sandpaper!

We picked a good winter to be away from Utah as this year they have gotten lots of snow! This winter has been very nice here, it has been cold(high 40's) a few nights and only in the upper 50's some days, but for the most part in the 70's most days and beautiful sun rises! 

Lots of beautiful flowers too.

We have been blessed to be here with such wonderful missionaries,  other couples, and the friendly people of Mexico! We love our friends and family at home and feel their support too, so we are doubly blessed!

Christmas...Come and Gone

     It has been a month since we have posted and the time has really flown by!  The office work is always constant and December was filled with so many other fun activities that we can hardly report all of them.
     To begin with, the Hermanas at the Visitors' Center had begun practicing for a Christmas Program in early November with Hermana Zapata at the piano and Hna. Anthony was going to lead the singing.  It was quite an undertaking because neither Hna. Zapata or Hna. Anthony really spoke a lot of Spanish.  Then Élder Zapata had heart problems and they had to go home.  With a Christmas Devotional with the area 70's, Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics a week or two away, we talked an Elder in our mission, Elder Koerper who (by the way) was an excellent pianist, into playing the two songs and we sang our hearts out.  Things turned out well.

     Elder Koerper went home the week after the Devotional, so we asked Brother Mendoza from our ward, the Allende ward, to play.  He was extremely helpful as he had a background in music and leading choirs.  We were so thankful for him.  The Hermanas had their program on the Sunday before Christmas and it was so well-attended that extra rooms had to be opened up to broadcast it to more people.  All agreed that it was a success and everyone quickly forgot all of the early-morning practices.

President and Sister Anaya were really proud of their Hermanas from the CV (Centro para Visitantes)

It was really a time for festivities.  Many grand feasts were held, not just in the Visitors' Center, but the mission held two different meals and talent shows.  President Anaya stole the show with some games he played with the missionaries.

Ho, Ho, Ho! Packages from home!

Nothing like FOOD!

It's always fun to get the missionaries together!  They really enjoy each others' company!