A great week with family and friends
June 30 - Monday
Started with a Gringa Brunch at the home of Shaulee Curtis.
Left to right: Shaulee Curtis, Eileen Petersen, Stephanie Dawson, Sharon Haroldsen, Jeanne Udall, and Delena Markland holding Dixie.
We all felt like Delena when Shaulee had us take items that she can't use up and is not planning to take with her.
(When Walt was notified via phone that they were within 20 minutes to the temple complex, he went over and told Kelly that the plane had been delayed for three hours in Miami. Kelly did not have a happy face until he told her the truth!)
Mine was: Moses 1:39 "...my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of..." Los Udall, Haroldsen, Caballero, Alas, Majano, and Petersen.
This is my favorite scripture to personalize.
Everyone chose great scriptures.
We were practicing to be an example of short spiritual thoughts for preparation meetings.
She served delicious lemon bars and milk.
Daniel & Kelly, Rich & Robin headed to stay overnight at the beach at Costa del Sol.
We had the afternoon shift at the temple - 12:30 noon to 9:45 p.m.
We had a day with no shift, and the temple presidency was postponed to Thursday morning, so we drove our temple missionaries to Price Smart.
Then we had a good looong nap.
We were tickled when Daniel called in the last afternoon to say they had decided to stay another night at the beach home in Costa del Sol.
The Bakers said: "This is the most beautiful place we've ever been."
Photo of Elder Udall helping us get our groceries from the grocery cart they have for us to bring everything up to the second floor apartments.
July 3 - Thursday
We had the morning shift, so we were up at 4:15 a.m. and opened the temple at 5:25. The Santa Ana Thursday morning workers get up really early to be ready to leave in their van for the hour drive to be at the temple by 5:30 a.m.
After a nap nine hours later, we cooked potatoes and eggs. When they cooled enough, Walt peeled them all while I was making crust for three pies. They he peeled 22 apples and I did two for three pies. (As I put the first two pies in the oven, and walked over to the table there was half of the sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mixture still sitting in the big measuring cup. I had only stirred in half of it and gotten distracted. So I hurried and sprinkled some sugar on top of the pie in the oven. It made the outer crust looked burnt as it baked.) So two of the pies were much less sweet than the third one. Always a first!
The Fishers and Bakers arrived that evening just as I was taking the first two pies out of the oven and putting in the third one.
They raved about the great time they had on their three days at the
beautiful Pacific Coast beach and beach home.
We also got the potato salad mixed together. Daniel and Kelly carried it over to put in their fridge for the big shin dig the next day.
July 4, Friday The Fourth of July
The Fishers and Bakers enjoyed the "Ruta de Flores" this day...a 70 kilometer drive through several villages and at some times of the year many flowers to see. However, this day was not one of those days. They still had a good time.
We had an Independence Day Picnic for our presidency and temple missionaries.
Everyone brought something delicious and we enjoyed a great typical 4TH of JULY meal.
"♫♪What's more American than hot dogs, potato salad, apple pie and ice cream? I am, I am, I AM!" ♪♫
We were so excited that Lon and Nancy Thompson arrived from Guatemala before the picnic was over.
Lon has recently been called as the Second Counselor in the Guatemala Temple Presidency and Nancy has been called as an Assistant to the Matron. They are overwhelmed by this but we know they will do a great job!
We then dashed over to our afternoon/evening temple shift.
The Lord sent those select Founding Fathers to earth at the same time to be the leaders in gaining the Independence for this promised land to be free so that His Gospel could be restored. This great Restoration brought forth sacred Priesthood Temple Ordinances to enable us to be endowed from On High and to sealed as husband and wife and children for TIME AND FOR ALL ETERNITY! July 5 - Saturday
We had a day with no temple shift, so got to go on one of the adventures with Daniel & Kelly, Rich & Robin. We started out being driven to the center of the capital city of El Salvador: San Salvador. We wanted to see the government palace....but when we pulled up in front it was all locked up: "Not open on Saturdays."
Very sad!
Our next planned stop was to the main Catholic Cathedral of the country. It has beautiful stained glass windows.
Then we were dropped off to walk along the many booths set up along the busy streets. There was lots of traffic and shoppers.
It was quite the adventure. For a treat they chose frozen chocolate and nut covered bananas.
Daniel found a great Germany soccer shirt.
Then we were whisked off to the national zoo. It's always fun to go to a zoo. Robin is a birder so we spent most of our time in the Aviary.
Our last stop before returning to the temple was to the Artisians.
Guess I didn't take a photo there, but here's the group leaving the zoo.
We got back to the temple complex just in time to grab a quick bite of lunch and then walk over to the temple in time to do that last session on Saturday: 4:00 p.m.
Looked like a rain storm was about to burst, but we made it back to the apartment okay.
We had Hawaiian Haystacks for a light supper, then heard fireworks...
...but by the time I found my camera and got out to the terrace patio...the finalé erupted in gold and silver blaze of sparkles, then was gone before I could get a photo. Here's the temple, though, which is always beautiful. (To the right you can see the smoke from the fireworks.)
July 6 - Sunday
I took some photos on my new iPad after Church, but I don't know how to get them downloaded into my computer. (Daniel will have to teach me that tomorrow.)
Sunday afternoon Walt drove us to the Love and Hope Children's Home where Rich and Robin had a huge duffle bag of items to donate.
Mandy said: "What a lot of great things! We need everyone one of those items. We so appreciate it! We were down to just little tiny toddler tooth brushes, and our kids and teens couldn't brush their teeth very well with them."
The four of them walked over to the park where some of the boys were playing soccer. We picked them up in the van, then drove up the El Boqueron mountain to the Reyes home.
The Reyes are always so kind and loving to show us and our family and friends through their beautiful home.
Walt made good time getting back to the apartment to put the final touches on the roast beef "fast breaker" dinner.
It's been so great having the Thompsons--Lon and Nancy here to visit for a few days. Here they are with Los Alas. They had come over to talk with them about an hour before dinner was served while we were gone.
President Lon Thompson wanted a photo of me taking a photo of the good.
I said: "Well, if we ever get a recipe book made from all the great foods all our temple missionaries have brought to our pot luck dinners, I'll have photos to put in with most of the recipes."
We felt like all 20 enjoyed this typical "Mormon Sunday Roast Beef Dinner."
Here are the Majanos and Reyes talking.
Someone's hand is blocking Hna. Udall's face.
Walt went around to talk with everyone.
Here he is with Kelly and Daniel, with Kelly's Mom and Dad to the left of her.
Presidente y Hna. Alas needed to leave a little early to be with their family when their granddaughter opened her mission call, so I took their photo before everyone was finished with dessert.
Here are also Los Cabrello y Los Haroldsen.
And then we got the group photo: Left to right--couples: DeVar & Sharon Haroldsen, Roberto & Irma Caballero, Walt & Eileen Petersen, Lon & Nancy Thompson, Rafael & Aida Majano, Mike & Jeanne Udall, Waldo & Silvia Reyes, Kelly Fisher (Daniel taking the photo), and Rich & Robin Baker, Kelly's parents here from Boston.
To include, Kelly dashed over to have Daniel go get in the photo.
So he hurried over and sat in the chair where Kelly had been sitting...trying to pose like the hermanas were.
A great ending to this Fast Day.
We love our family and friends.
FAMILIES ARE FOREVER because of Priesthood Temple Ordinances which I talked about above in this post.
We pray you have had a peaceful and restful Sabbath Day.
May we always be grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Great Atonement.
May we always be thankful for the freedoms we have in our Great United States of America.
And we feel so blessed to have been able to serve in other countries and meet so many throughout Central and South America.
Of these truths we testify and give thanks.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Walt & Eileen Petersen - San Salvador, El Salvador for three months and three weeks longer.
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