Giving our Children to the Lord

Monterrey Temple behind Jacarandá tree

The missionaries keep coming like clockwork to the temple--every day, both morning and night, more and more missionaries. Just as Hannah took Samuel to the temple as she promised, the parents of these future missionaries come to the temple and consecrate their most precious possession to the service of the Lord. It is always touching to be part of that sacred experience. Considering what Ana did, the Lord asks little of us: We get to keep our precious children longer, and the Lord returns them to us in a short two years or less.

Saturdays are always our busiest days with between ten and 15 bus loads of members from as far as eight hours away. The buses begin rolling into the parking lot around 4:30 in the morning and keep coming most of the day. The early birds fill the 6:00 a.m. session and then others line up every hour and 20 minutes until the last session at 6:00 p.m. Most of the buses bring their own ordinance workers who fill in wherever needed in the temple; but on Saturdays, when hundreds of baptisms (think overalls and towels) take place, these wonderful people are the real work horses in the laundry--serving with joy, love, and grace.

As each bus arrives, the people are directed to "their" area in the stake center where they keep their belongings, corral their children, rest, study and eat. They and their children do as much temple work as possible while they are here because they know that it may be months before they are able to return. Many come with stacks of family names. It is very touching to see the impact that these family names have on the youth and new members doing baptisms--they really feel the connection to the ancestors they are serving.

In July this temple becomes an appointment only temple. It will probably not impact the schedule too much during the week, but it will be a big change to the Saturday participants. If they have not made a prior appointment, they may not get in to do anything at the temple at all. The church is hoping that this will facilitate better service to those who come from both far and near, and fewer long waits for first timers on Saturdays.

Monterrey Temple taken by Dani Delgado de Santiago, former Visitors' Center Missionary

Baptism and Father's Day

Saturday night we celebrated a baptism and Father's Day with our ward. The baptism was for Emily, who is 11-years-old. It turns out that her mother joined the church years ago and then stopped attending because of personal challenges. Janet, the mother, said that she had always planned to go back to church, but "things" kept getting in the way. The sister missionaries contacted her in a re-activation effort and Janet began attending church again. Her daughter, Emily, loved it and asked for the missionary lessons.

Emily in the middle with Hermanas on each side and Janet behind in the aqua blouse.

The missionaries made the baptism very special with posters, special music, and talks by the Primary presidency. At the end, we all wrote Emily little notes of congratulation and encouragement, which she took home with her. She was so happy to be a member of the church!

An interesting twist to this story is that Janet, the mother, has been dating a man for a few months. She invited him to come to the baptism and gathering on Saturday so she could broach the subject of religion with him. She was very surprised when he replied that he would love to attend--that he was a member of the church and had wanted to start attending church again. Our Bishop chuckled and said, "Well, the end of this story hasn't been written yet."

After the baptism, the barbecues were pulled out and the coals started. While the High Priests watched the coals slowly, very slowly turn white, everyone else found friends to play with or talk to. 

The Sunday School President hung up a poster he had made wishing the father's all a very happy day and then Claudia and Andrea (1st counselor and Bishop's wives) finished marinating the meat and preparing the quesadillas. 

Congratulations, dads!

Claudia and Andrea

For a real Norteño (the North) barbecue, you need at least one man cooking and one man supervising. There must be at least one pound of meat per person. There must be foil-wrapped onions on the coals and there must be very thick smoke and occasional two-foot flames.

Isidoro and Juanito

Meat "testing" by Hermano Garza

Finally, the meat must be "tested" to see if it is good enough to serve and then cut into pieces just slightly smaller than a plate and temporarily stored in a lidded pot to keep it warm. The hungry herds then pick up a slab of meat, a large pile of tortillas, quesadillas, salsa, roasted onion, a bowl of cowboy bean soup and soda pop--and eat until it is all gone. It makes them ever so happy! Not just the food, but the joy of being together having fun, sharing stories, and enjoying a summer night with a cooling breeze. What a great way to spend an evening!

Surnames

Perhaps we are not busy enough because Linda has begun a collection of surnames that are new to us, even after living in Latin America for more than 15 years. It appears that most of them are Basque (from Spain). There is a lot of Spanish influence here in both the architecture and the food--far more than we have seen in other parts of Latin America.   

So for those of you that like language twists and trivia, here are the names:

1. Illescas (Eeyeskas)
2. Xique (Sheekee)
3. Lubiano
4. Llaguno (Jaguno)
5. Exena (Exzena)
6. Galavíz
7. Ruvalcabas
8. Arizpe
9. Galarza
10. Moncalvo
11. Sustoita
12. Arredondo
13. Avitia
14. Olazabál
15. Orijuela (Oreehuela)
16. Delvál (short "e" short "a")
17. Olazarán
18. Grajedo
19. Estopellán
20. Carvajál
21. Iviana 
22. Davalos
23. Oviedo

More Hermanas Misoneras

Saturdays are always full of unexpected events, but last Saturday was one of the best. We had a surprise encounter from one of our Hermanas from the Visitors' Center in Mexico City. I was standing in the hall waiting for the session to start when I saw a familiar face. What a scene when Hermana Hoffman and Hermana Delgado recognized each other and fell laughing and crying (very reverently) into one another's arms! John happened by and got to say hello and give her a big hug as well. 

She is from Gomez Palacio--”Very close,” she says--"Only about four hours away." Her ward boarded the bus about midnight so they could be at the temple for the first session at 6:00 a.m. We reconnected several times during the morning and each time was sweeter than the last. We learned that she is now married and the mother of two little girls, two and four years old. She is beautiful and full of light--she is still a missionary in every sense of the word. 

That, however, was not the only joyful surprise of the day! As Hermana Delgado was saying good-bye to me at about 1:00 in the afternoon, a sister in front of us heard us talking and turned around. It was another missionary sister from the Visitors' Center, Hermana Rodriguez, who lives here in Monterrey. She and Hermana Delgado were companions and hadn't seen each other in years. 

Some groups of missionaries are very special and we used to call these sisters "las poderosas" (the powerful ones). What a joyful reunion to be part of that love and goodness again. I imagine the joy we felt as we reunited with these sweet "daughters" again, is very much like what our Heavenly Father must feel when he welcomes one of His own back into his arms. 

Hermana Delgado

Hermana Rodriguez

Geezers: Monterrey Style

Last week we were doing our weekly shopping at the local HEB supermarket. It is a Texas store and offers some of the delicacies from home that help us survive here: Thomas English Muffins, Smucker's Grape Jelly, Magnum Bars, French's Mustard, etc.

While we were wandering around the store searching for international surprises, John spotted a large group of elderly gentlemen sitting in the cafeteria off to one side. He stopped me, and pointing to the men said, "Those are geezers! I'm going over to introduce myself." And off he went to meet the gentlemen. Before I knew it, he was sitting with them talking about the genealogy caves in Utah and who knows what else. Apparently they meet there every day and he is now invited to join them whenever he can. They were delighted to have their photos taken with this crazy gringo geezer*.

HEB Viejitos (Geezers)

*For those of you that do not know, John was the "Geezer Leader" of a group from our neighborhood that has been meeting for lunch every Tuesday for several years now. They are carrying on under new leadership in his absence--however, I sense that it is about to become an international organization.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Holland spoke this week to the missions in Monterrey. These two missions will become three the first part of July. We were blessed to be able to sit at the feet of an Apostle of God and hear inspired, personal messages tailored for each mission's needs. Monday was our preparation day and so all of the temple missionaries attended the conference with the East Mission. Tuesday, John and I worked the late shift and so were able to drive to Saltillo, about an hour away, to participate with our mission (the West Mission) and another senior couple before our shift at the temple. The following are some of our notes and photos from the two meetings--you will get the words, but the power of his teaching is impossible to describe!

Monterrey West Mission--Elder Holland Conference

May 20, 2013

What is your purpose as a missionary? It is to take investigators to salvation. How do we do that? We teach doctrine: First, we take them to the restoration, then to the Doctrine of Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost. As missionaries we must continue to go deeper and deeper and not just brush the surface of these crucial doctrines. (As he was writing these points on the board in Spanish, he had trouble spelling repentance--arrepentimiento. He said, “This is a very big word in Spanish, and it is a very big problem--in any language.) 

We read together 2 Ne. 31:2, 21, 10, 9, 12, 13, 17 and 2 Ne. 32:6 in that order. More fundamental than the Doctrine of Christ is the life of Christ--more than what you teach is what you are. Christ came to turn doctrine into action. Look at His life and follow Him (2 Ne. 31:13, 17). All of these words we have just read were written on metal plates. Why did he keep repeating the same message over and over when it was so difficult to engrave by hand? Because this was a very important message--the only message: Live as Christ lived. 

Obedience is the first law of Heaven--and obedience is the first law of everything. If you want investigators to have more faith, then you need to have more faith. If you want them to repent, you need to repent. Every principle you ask of them, you need to put into practice. Do everything you know how to do to follow Christ. That is the most fundamental missionary message that there is in this life. We begin to understand, when we would rather die than disappoint Christ; when we have nothing in us that would crucify Christ again. 

In Mosiah 27 we read about how Alma and the sons of Mosiah were “astonished” by the angel (vs. 12). You don’t need to be an angel to astonish--just live as Christ lived. Now that takes a great price; but living a Christ-like life means being obedient to the laws of God--all of them. That obedience bestows upon you power and authority. And that combination astonishes! (see Hel. 5:17-19) 

“Why is the work so hard? Why isn't it easier? If this was so easy,” Elder Holland said, “I would do it better and so would you. I have thought about it for 50 years. It is not easy for us because it never was easy for Him. There was not one earthly thing in Christ’s life that was. The road to Salvation always goes through Gethsemane.

“Being a disciple of Christ is the most joyful thing in life and the most difficult. I love the Lord with all my heart--with every fiber, muscle, cell, and chromosome of my being. The gospel has given me everything! I bear witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and of the Father. 

May 21, 2013

Elder Holland began his talk with these energetic words: ¡Tengo gozo en mi corazón hoy! (There is Sunshine in my Soul today) ¡El evangelio es verdad! (The gospel is true)¡Hermana Holland es mi esposa! (Sister Holland is my wife)

I want you to love every single minute of this mission--the good, the bad, and the ugly--it should be the Clint Eastwood mission! On a graph, the excitement and commitment at the beginning of a mission are a steep angle. Later in a mission the angle lessens and sometimes flattens out, or even declines. Maintain an upward angle and continue to get better and better until the very end of your mission. 

• Keep the Book of Mormon in the center of your study every day, no matter what else you study. 
• Continue to have powerful scripture study time
• Develop a new love of the scriptures
• Persevere vigorously with language study

Don’t just live your mission going up--live your life going up vigorously! After your mission, always dress, look and act like “the best time in your life!”

You can’t teach the Doctrine of Christ until you live it--you need to bring it to the teaching. In the Doctrine of Christ, we are His investigators. None of us are home yet. He wants you to have more faith, repent more, study more (the same things you want your investigators to do). Pray with greater urgency, change your habits, put it all on the line. Do all you know how to do to emulate Christ. When we love Him and reverence Him, then we can teach with power and authority.

• 2 Ne. 31:13--You must live with real intent, without pretense or hypocrisy
• You must have integrity in what you are doing here.
• We need you forever! You can’t go inactive! We can’t lose the shepherds!
• If you come to teach this and testify of this truth--you must believe it. We need you to be your best convert. That is the only one I insist you bring to the Lord!
• Don’t ask your investigators to do something you are not willing to do for the rest of your life.
• Pray less like a child and more like an investigator
• Study with more intensity
• Clean up bad habits

God wants you to stay true forever because you are God’s investigators. He feels about you like you feel about the people you are teaching. Bring your life to Christ and others will follow.

A new couple arrived this week, Arturo and Guadalupe Priego. They were originally called to serve in the Mexico City Temple, but just before they were to leave he had to have a six-way heart bypass.  He recovered in record time--only four weeks of therapy instead of eight. They were reassigned here and are so grateful that he is well and that they are able to still serve.  

Hermana and Elder Priego

They stayed with us one night while we helped find them an apartment and get them set up. What troopers they are! Our extra bedroom has no air con and it is now over 90 degrees on a daily basis. They just smiled, turned on a couple of fans and told us the next day that it was perfect--that they were actually cold when they woke up! 

We found them to be absolutely delightful people and are excited to have them "on the team." They are originally from Hermosillo, but they've lived in Provo for the past 20 years and have dual citizenship. They are parents of 8 kids. Hermana Priego raised her own children and then took over tending grandkids and great-grandkids while the parents worked. She says her job was to teach them Spanish and then they could go to school to learn good English. Consequently, it has been hard for her to be away, buy she is very happy working in the temple. Arturo retired from teaching in Mexico before they moved to the USA and then worked for NovaTek in Provo. We probably won't see a lot of them since they will be working the opposite shift from us and will attend a different ward nearer their apartment. They are very committed to their mission work. Prior to leaving, Arturo handed his bishop all of the necessary funds to cover his rent and utilities for the 18 months they will be here. That's commitment! We have had fun getting to know them and seeing their great love for our Heavenly Father.  

Back in the "Casa"

A Peek into the Last Two Weeks: 

Family, painting, parties, family, barbecue, ice cream, family, flowers, hugs & kisses--and did we mention family? 

XOXO to all who made it so memorable!

We were surprised as we boarded one of our flights to be greeted by Elder and Sister Christensen (who were over us in Mexico City) and Elder and Sister Bednar. They asked if we were coming or going to our mission--we explained that we were on "leave" while the temple was closed. While John picked up our bags, Sister Bednar found me and introduced herself. We had a short conversation about their trip and our work. In the last 12 days they had been in Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru--it had to be exhausting. As we parted she said,  "Enjoy your time with your grandchildren." 

We were so happy to be home for a few days, but are very content to be back at work and engaged in our service. It was great today to hear the reports of our ward's little choir for Ward Conference and how well they did. That was a fun project--finished up for us by our dear friends the Jones who took over as pianist and director in our absence. Thank you, dear hermanos.