****Walt & Eileen Petersen**: EL SALVADOR....

This week in El Salvador...July 14-20, 2014
July 14 - Monday...
Preparation Day...aka "P-Day"
We did our weekly grocery shopping at the big Super Selectos, then we pull out our little carts at the temple auxiliary building to transport the supplies to the second floor.

We saw a billboard advertising "Second Big Mac 99 cents..." so we had our first Big Mac, along with Elder y Hna. Haroldsen.

Monday Family Home Evening was hosted by Elder Roberto y Hna. Irma Caballero. Actually they traded with us because they will have family visiting here next week.
Their lesson was from an article by David B. Haight from the January 1991 Liahona -- our family home evenings are in Spanish now because the two counselors and their wives are attending with us. The lesson was from Elder David B. Haight's October 1990 General Conference talk:

Temples and Work Therein

Elder David B. Haight [1906-2004]

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"Temples are the most sacred places of worship on earth where sacred ordinances are performed—ordinances which pertain to salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. Each one is literally a house of the Lord—a place where He and His spirit may dwell, where He may come or send others to confer priesthood blessings and to give revelation to His people.

Temples built especially to the Lord have been erected in all ages. Moses built a tabernacle in the wilderness for the children of Israel. Solomon built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem. The Nephites built sacred temples. Joseph Smith built houses of the Lord in Kirtland and Nauvoo, and succeeding prophets have built temples throughout the world. These have all been initiated and built under the direction and revelation of God." ...see Ensign, Nov. 1990 for the rest of the article.

It's always good for us to learn more about the temple.
Here we are left to right: Pte. Rafael y Hna. Aida Majano, Elder Roberto y Hna. Irma Caballero, Pte. Walter y Hna. Eileen Petersen, Pte. Eduardo y Hna. Consuelo Alas, Elder DeVar y Hna. Sharon Haroldsen.

The Caballeros served Salvadorean plantain Enpanadas with beans and poleada and the drink was atol of toasted corn.

July 15 - Tuesday...
We had a day with no shift and caught up on computer work in our apartment. We did drive Daniel and Kelly to their volunteer work at the San Rafael Hospital.

When we picked them up in the afternoon, we stopped and picked up the beautiful rocking chair they had chosen for their remembrance of their three months here. It was just a little place that makes fine furniture and pretty woven items.

I'm so sad I didn't think to take a photo of their showroom in front of the owner's little home along the very street we drive by on the way to the "Children's Home of Hope and Love," and the San Rafael Hospital.

Here's Daniel loading the chair into the back of the van. It fit exactly with no room to spare.

Here's Kelly happily sitting on their new furniture purchase.

After supper we had a treat of chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

July 16 - Wednesday...

We had the morning/afternoon shift at the temple - 5:20 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Later that afternoon we saw these volunteers hitching a ride as we drove toward the San Rafael Hospital.

July 17 - Thursday...

We had the afternoon/evening shift 12:30 noon to 9:45 p.m.

It's heartwarming to be with our temple workers and greet the temple patrons who come each day.

July 18 - Friday...

We were invited to a missionary farewell dinner for Diego López at the home of Waldo and Silvia Reyes.

We were the first guests to arrive at 7:00, so I walked around the five tables set up in the back yard to show the different color scheme for each one, starting with the blue...

It was just getting dark, so the second table I thought was dark blue from a distance...

...but when we got up to it, it was just what Daniel said it was: purple.

Here is the yellow golden table...

...the green table, and

...the red table. So there was seating for 45...

...but at 8:00 when dinner was served, they set up another long table to accommodate everyone. (Shown in the center back of the photo.)

The menu: Pupusas with all the trimmings...

We enjoyed them with the freshly made cabbage sides.

It's always fun to watch them shape the pupusas and throw them on the hot grill. They had just taken a grill-full off, ready to start another grill full.

And now it's 5:21 and we're off to Diego's missionary setting apart at the Church.
We got back at 7:30 and had our Sunday dinner dessert: Strawberry shortcake.
Continuing with Friday evening at Reyes home...
Hna. Reyes had the returned missionaries get up and had specific questions to ask the "older" group...which she said had been back 20-30 years. Walt didn't know if he should get up because come August it will be 60 years since he left for his mission in Uruguay/Paraguay.

She then had the younger returned missionaries answer questions like what should you always do and/or what should you never do on a mission.
After this little program when everyone had lined up for the pupusas, Daniel and Kelly couldn't resist dancing to the wonderful music they had playing--some of the tunes were way back from the 1950's!

Then we all enjoyed the delicious food and fruit drinks: Naranja (fresh orange juice, frozen and slushed), and/or Mora (blackberry).
Kelly and Daniel blended right in with the proper way to eat pupusas: With your fingers! [I cannot enjoy them without eating them with a fork. The locals have come to accept my doing that.]

Diego came over and told us he had no idea there would be so many people there. Here he is (fourth from left) with his Aunt & Uncle and cousins, whom he lived with in New York for his three years of high school. They have just moved to Florida and flew in to San Salvador to see him before he leaves on July 22.

Diego with his Dad and Mom.

And Diego with us...

By the time I got around to taking the host and hostess photos with Diego, Waldo was driving the pupusa chefs home. Here is Silvia Reyes with Diego and his Mom, Gladis.

We knew we'd feel like these guys who were all tuckered out before the fiesta ended. By the time we got home and into bed, we had to be up in 4 hours to open the temple doors at four o'clock Saturday morning.

July 19 - Saturday
Yes, we had the morning shift and were able to get through eight hours before we got back to our apartment for a long nap.
I guess I was too tired to take any photos on Saturday.
July 20 - Sunday
TODAY WE HAVE BEEN HERE 3 YEARS.
President Petersen left early this morning (before six o'clock) for the one-hour drive to Santa Ana and a Regional Correlation Council.

But the meeting was only three hours long versus the 5-6 hours it's been before. So he was back to the apartment sleeping when I came in from our 3-hour block.
Daniel and Kelly helped cook our steak and baked potatoes dinner and we saved the strawberry shortcake dessert for after the setting apart of two missionaries this early evening.
(I forgot to take any photos at dinner.)

President López set apart his youngest son, Diego tonight.
The photos are with the priesthood leaders who were asked to stand in for each setting apart.
Left to right: President Walter Petersen, Bishop Eduardo Figueroa, José Peña, Elder Diego López, and President Jaime López, father of the new missionary. Elder López has been called to the Brazil _________ Mission.

He also set apart Elder Oscar Soto for his Panamá Panamá City Mission. Left to right: Elder Diego López, new missionary; President López, Hno. Ben Markland, First Counselor in our Bishopric; Elder Oscar Soto, new missionary; Bishop Eduardo Figueroa; and Hno. Oscar Herrera, Second Counselor in our Bishopric, Campestre Ward, Los Heroes Stake.

Here is Elder Soto with his mother, brother, and grandmother. He enters the MTC in Guatemala on Tuesday, July 22.

Elder Diego is here with his father, and his mother Gladis. Diego is waiting for his Brazil visa to come, so he is going to be starting in the El Salvador Santa Ana Mission this week.

Here are some of the members who were able to come to the setting apart.

Here's one side of the room...

And here's the other side of the room...

Here's Karina Artiga, our wonderful Relief Society president; Gladis López, mother of Elder Diego López, and Hna. Sharon Haroldsen, a full-time temple missionary.

President Petersen had some words of wisdom to share with Hna. Concepción Soto. He thinks mothers of missionaries should all be given a gold star for letting their sons and daughters be away from home so long when they are serving the Lord on missions.