We have truly been blessed the past few weeks as we hear of disasters both here in Mexico and at home in the United States. The earthquake we experienced three weeks ago, the strongest earthquake in Mexico in at least 100 years, was frightening but there was no major damage here in our little town. Three hours away, in Juchitan, there was much devastation which indirectly affected families here who have loved ones living in Juchitan. Our branch collected a truckload of much needed supplies and two of our members drove late at night to deliver it. There were collection stations set up throughout our city by the Red Cross and others. The humble people of Mexico give as much as they can, just as others do who are helping the hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. We have had one other strong earthquake since then (the one which hit Mexico City), with many aftershocks, but we are still safe and sound in our little apartment.
To add to our Mother Nature adventures, we had a few more visitors. Jill and Tina, along with their daughters, Camryn and Paisley, made a last minute surprise trip to see us. We knew they were coming only two weeks prior, but it was a total surprise to Paisley who came to celebrate her birthday. We had a delightful but short visit of beaches and snorkeling, shopping, waterfalls, shopping, visiting, shopping, dolphins, laughter, and fun.
My sister and brother-in-law, Kathie and Mike Linsley, were the next to visit. They served a Spanish-speaking mission in Wisconsin a few years ago, as well as several years in a Spanish-speaking branch in Ogden, so they were very interested in visiting our members and attending branch activities. We took a boat tour of the bays and enjoyed our little paradise here in Huatulco.
And, we were so happy to have a visit from our darling grandsons, Jack and Will. It was a bonus that their parents came as well, but we really enjoyed getting to know these two little boys. Will was only two weeks old when we left on our mission. Their visit was also short but fun.
We have been very busy with our missionary work. In addition to our regular visits and activities, we took on the task of cleaning up the branch membership records. We had the list of 524 members and, for many weeks, spent time tracking down all we could. We confirmed that about 285 of those members still live here in the Huatulco Branch, about 150 have moved or died, and another 90 are unknown. The branch secretary can now remove the names of those no longer here and the members will have a more accurate membership list.
Brent was privileged to perform another baptism, his fourth, this time in a river. He baptized Dalila, a 14 year old who has been faithfully attending church and activities for several months, but lacked the permission of her parents to get baptized. We took some time to talk with them ourselves, as parents, and they must have been touched because they gave their permission within a short time. It was such a joyful baptism in the woods and Dalila is so happy.
Sometimes we stop and realize that our time here is becoming short and we want to sprint to the end. We have been blessed with good health and have felt safe here our entire 15 months. We pray that those blessings will continue so we can enjoy our remaining time here in this wonderful place.
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| The girls really wanted to swim with the dolphins but every time they got close, the dolphins would swim farther away. I guess they were actually swimming with them, just not up close.😏 |
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| Paisley was feeling a little queasy so Captain Hector suggested she drive for a bit. |
Shopping at the beach.
Waterfalls
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| Cristian is an awesome waterfall guide. He always gives us a good time and is so helpful. Plus, he knows the names of all the butterflies we see.😄 |
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| A visit here isn't complete without a stop at Sigi and Sofia's. |
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| Stopped for breakfast after our morning exercise. |
This is Bocana Beach. It is good for Sunday visits. It's too dangerous for swimming but it's a fun place to enjoy the waves, rocks, and birds diving for fish.
Sister Visit
Another visit to the "Sunday Beach." This time with Jack and Will.
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| Sometimes Dad needs to build his own sand castle (temple).😉 |
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| What's better after the beach than helping Grandma make chocolate cake. |
Will loved playing in the shower but did not like the sand and waves one bit.😟👎
Manuel has been Jack's friend since they first met in December. Jack brought him a musical elephant because Manuel likes music.😍
One of these boys is not like the others!!😜 But they became quick friends.😁
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| The phantom lollipop sharer at the branch activity. Don't tell his mother, but who knows how many people shared their sucker with Will that night.😋 |
Brandon and Jack got to go to Dalila's baptism in the river. They rode in true Mexican style--in the back of a truck.
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| We had to wait for the cows to move downstream before we could enter the river.😆 |
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Isn't she beautiful.😇
Truckload of supplies for earthquake victims in Juchitan.
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| It was Brent's turn to give the message at the neighborhood Family Home Evening last week. |
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| Sometimes the missionaries are really hungry after Branch Council so Elder Johnson takes them for tacos. |
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Guess who was in charge of food for the weekly branch activity--hot dogs, chips, and School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars. A true All-American meal!😋
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The Young Women asked me to teach them how to make chocolate chip cookies. We may have different cooking techniques but six dozen cookies sure did disappear quickly.🍪
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| Primary class for the younger kids. |
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| Brent uses these machines at the exercise park 4-5 days each week. We're doing our best to stay healthy. |
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On Grandparents' Day, the missionaries gave Elder Johnson this wind-up Carl from Up because they think they look alike!😜
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When you leave the door open to hear the rain, sometimes you get uninvited guests who like to hide under the furniture.
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| Brent wants to bring these guys home for our front yard. Please don't encourage him! |
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| There have been three US Coast Guard ships docked here in the past several weeks. Apparently it's R&R after many months of patrolling the seas. |
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| We have extremely handsome roosters here in Huatulco.👍 |
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| Until next time....👋 |
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