RETURNED MISSIONARY SEMINAR

Our good friends, Elder and Sister Hill, created and implemented the missionary seminars for Central American missionaries returning home from their missions. The premise of these seminars is to help these young people plan the 'next chapter' of their lives focusing on employment, finances, social situations, church activity, etc. They did a great job. Now that they are gone, it has been assigned to native Guatemalans. Brother Pedro and Sister Mayra Abularach, (Seth´s former mission president and his wife and our dear friends whom we serve with at the CCM) were two of the presenters. It was wonderful to hear him and see some of what they do at these seminars. The returned missionaries come to these as soon as they return home and some even before they are reunited with family depending on release dates.

August 2015

BARBARENA y CUILAPA

Every Saturday we try to "explore" this great country, Guatemala. I am grateful Spence is courageous enough to just get in the car and go somewhere. Many are not but I think it helps that Spence served and traveled this whole country as a young missionary 50 years ago.

So, today, we traveled southwest past the CCM and along the El Salvador Highway. On our first Sunday in Guatemala, Elder and Sister Elieson took us to the branch where they were serving, Barbarena. We were off and wondering if we could find our way on our own.  We did!

 Beautiful highway...but not for long. It never is. Past the great white church of a TV evangelist.

             

            And here we are...in Barbarana. Very typical of a town this size along the highway. The quaintness is gone but business is booming along the road!

                 

                  Next stop, Cuilapa. Why you ask? We just liked the name. Easy as that!

Same narrow roads but a wonderful surprise, a central park. At one time, all Guatemalan towns had a park in the center of town. This was a place to visit and do business plus have some family time. It is hard to find them today, especially in bigglarger towns. We found Cuilapa´s gem...the Central Park!

Next, on our way home via the "Pineapple Highway".

As my father alwasy said, "Home James. And don´t spare the horses!

July 16, 17, 2015

Copán Ruins, Honduras

Copán was once one of the most beautiful and important cities of the Maya. Over the course of 400 years, the Maya people of Copán shaped a small valley in western Honduras into a great city building pyramids, temples, plazas, sculpting intricate statues of kings, gods, and animals, and decorating it all in beautifully colored stucco. Every city in the Maya world is know for being "specialized" at something. Copán is famous for the both the quantity and quality of the carved stone sculptures that decorated plazas and temples in its ceremonial center - it is known by archeologists as the most "artistic" of all Maya cities.

After stressing about not having my residency stamp  until the day before and fretting that it would not happen (anything is possible in this part of the world) we left Guatemala City early Thursday morning for Copán, Honduras. Along with us were our dear friends, President and Sister Cox, from the Guatemala Missionary Training Center (CCM). We were on our way for a great adventure! What a wonderful trip we had driving, talking, laughing, and experiencing this wonderful land with such good friends. This was our first trip to Honduras and we were not disappointed. After checking into Hotel Marina Copán and having lunch, we decided to go to check out the museum then go to the park in the morning when it is cooler.

                                                                   Thursday, July 16

This is the original in the museum that is actually the restored replica on the bottom.. Quite a difference, but beautiful on its own.

The museum houses a combination of original and replica pieces.

When first entering the museum, one is amazed at the size and color of the temple set in the middle of the first floor. Archaeologist surmise that the original temple looked like this with its vibrant colors and majestic presence. During our visit here and in the park, if we looked closely, we could still see some of the original color on the stone.

Later that day, we went back to our hotel to rest before shopping and dinner. Our husbands really lucked out, THERE IS NO SHOPPING IN COPAN!...well, very little. We still managed to find something...a treasure to take home.

Friday, July 17

Thank you Coxes. We had a fanstastic time and look forward to more fun times exploring places in Guatemala and the United States!

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