Sister Gill at the cute store

 Walking in Quertara

 Sisters Harston & Call

 You know I collect bathroom pictures.

 Pres Call, Neal, Jackie, Dr. Gill

 Nancy Gill, Nola Harston, 

Sylvia & Carlos Zepeda

 Carlos, Sylvia, Nola, & Neal

 Constitution Hall:  Sylvia & Carlos

Nola, Neal, Jackie, Nancy & Fred

 Jackie & Janet

 Nola, Nancy, Janet

 Neal

July 5, 2015  Sunday:

Well, this has been an eventful week—not with missionaries visiting with us, but with other things. 

SURPRISE, SURPRISE:  Monday, we were just getting ready to go to lunch when Dr. Gill rushed in and said he and his wife needed to be in the Music Room (small auditorium) to do a presentation, which none of us knew about, but was scheduled for 5 minutes earlier.  He had the 10 Commandments of Health on his computer, and we all rushed in, and he did it on the spot.  Amazing.  Neal and I are supposed to have had a 15-minute segment of it (45 minutes long), but we didn’t know.  So, I have been reworking this week two other Powerpoints (one Provo MTC uses, and another one from LDSFS) plus adding some of our stuff in it.  I’m so grateful for the training I received in making Power points from Lisa at the Fam Hist Training Center.  I’ve forgotten a lot, but thankfully found some of the notes from her training.  So, we will be giving this presentation once or twice every week.

ANOTHER SURPRISE, SURPRISE:  The administration called the Harstons and us into a meeting Monday morning regarding our new MTC assignments.  I have been asked to do the History of the MTC (not as big of a job as I thought it was going to be it turns out).  Sis Harston and I are both to teach English Class to 5 Intermediate staff members twice a week, and we are also to inspect missionary apartments (1-2 hours a week).  I’m to sort, and disseminate the choir and individual participant music, to organize tryouts, and to put out a memo once a week regarding choir practice. 

REACTION:  I’m actually glad for the extra assignments.  I’m a little overwhelmed with the English classes, because I did such a lousy job with it in the Philippines, but they have more resources here.  I’ve forgotten more than I ever knew about parts of

Speech, and Mexican people really emphasize that in their schools.   Hey, “They knew what I was when they picked me up!”  We’ll do the best we can.  I think Sis Harston is more intimidated than I am about it…and that takes some intimidation.

CHOIR:  We still have some good pianists here right now, so I haven’t played for choir or any specialty groups for a couple of weeks.  It has been kind of nice.  I had 3 missionaries this week—all from the field.  Neal had more, but we aren’t all that busy. 

WELCOME to the NO. AMERICANS:  We’ve started to help with the North American  reception.  They come in on Wednesdays.  They usually get to the airport about 3PM, but it rains just about every single day around 5PM, so that is when they are being bused here from the airport.  We’ve done it 3 weeks, and the buses have been inundated every time and so they’ve not got in until 5:30-6PM and later.  We mostly just do crowd control, point our fingers, smile and welcome them.  They are so cute, so excited…even though often soaked to the skin, tired, and hungry.  We P-Day on Fridays because one or the other doctors is on call and can’t leave the Center. 

HOSPITAL TRIP:  We went to visit an Elder who had had a ruptured appendicitis just before coming to the MTC.  He had developed an abscess in the time before his original surgery and now.  We (Sister Call, Harstons, Sis Gill, and us) went to see him yesterday.  The hospital is really modern and lovely.  The Elder has a private, very clean room, private toilet, and private dining room.  We did our Walmart trip, came home to sleep a little, and went to movie night.  FHE this last Monday by the Gills was scripture charades.  Anyone got any ideas of what we can do with adults (some speak Spanish, some speak English, some speak both) that would be fun and interactive.  We’d love to do something that helps them talk about themselves, their home life, and families.  Well, I think that gives you a bit of a rundown.

TEMPLE TRIP:  We usually take between 38-41 missionaries to the temple—a 30 minute to 45 minute trip every Tuesday.  Some speak English, some speak only Spanish, so we have a typed script in both languages.   We are refining what we do.  We were encouraged to have the sing on the way to keep the spirit up.  One English speaker Sister and one Latino Spanish sister is chosen that morning to choose the songs.  It is supposed to clip along without a break.  Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t so I’ve been typing song lists with both hymn numbers listed.

 We went to the Basilica again to show

the Harstons & park.  Supplicants approach

the railing on their knees.

 The old cathedral at the Basilica is

sinking.  With our Ipads, we calculated

about 5 degrees, from the bar in front to

the back.  It feels like you have motion sickness.

 We drove downtown to park in the

Nat'l Institute of Visual Arts...beautiful

modern..marble floors and walls.  It was packed

with people.  Long lines inside the building, going

outside clear down the blocks for tickets to

the Leonardo Exhibit

 We crossed the street down the block to

eat (after waiting in line) at the Blue Tile

Restaurant.  It is housed in a 16th Century

palace.  We ate in the ballroom.  Note the

cute costumed waitresses.  E. Harston

 We have guacamole at almost every meal

That and salsa with onions & chips...

 We climbed to the ballroom to get to

eat sooner.  

 Sister Harston is checking out the small

piniatas at our table.  The larger versions

are used at holidays.  If you knock the points

off, it means you knocked off bad habits.

 Some of the art here is exquisite.

 This is the cathedral across the street from

the Blue Tile Restaurant.

 This is the Gate Keeper--note the

beggar lady at the gate.

 Inside the cathedral, we noted the figure

holding the "Keys" in his hand.

 The nuns are selling their wares inside

the cathedral complex.

 This is the front of the very ornate cathedral

on the Mall.

 We really thought we were back in the

Philippines with this little scrawny puppy.

 Now we are truly on the Mall.

It was mobbed.  We saw characters

all along the route.  

 Note more blue-tiled walls.

 My honey!

 This is what it felt like almost all the way.

We probably walked a mile down this crowded

thoroughfare.  This was a Friday afternoon.

They say Christmastime you just don't move.

 We couldn't resist this picture.  
It is July 3, 2015

you know.

 Skeletons are everywhere...on the streets, in the

shops.  It is very different from home.

 I took these two pictures because of

the strong Spanish influence in the architecture.

 A street treat.  We do NOT eat off the street, ever!

 Another cathedral just blocks from

the last, and just a couple of blocks 
before the Nat'l Cathedral

in the Zocolo Square.

 This picture does not do justice to the street.

We went for several blocks of one jewelry store after

another.  It reminded us of Hong Kong.

 I took this picture from the doorway.  After

I took it, they were not at all happy with me.

I made a quick retreat!

 Rent-a-bike stands like we saw in Europe

 This picture is out of order.  It

shows squatters in the park

 At the end of the Mall, we came to a huge

square called the Zocolo.  It is surrounded by

many important buildings:  This is the Nat'l Palace

 On another side, we saw the Nat'l Cathedral

This was a figure of a black Christ

 The bell tower (huge) of the Nat'l Cathedral

 The ornate face of the Nat'l Cathedral

 The altar of the Nat'l Cathedral

 The living quarters of the Nat'l Palace

 Organ Grinder at the Nat'l Cathedral

 We were SOOO tired having walked 4.5 to 5

miles today, we took a Pedicab back to the

parking for our car.  It cost only 70 pesos:  about

$4.42 for 2 of us to make the trip back...so cheap

It was the ride of a lifetime.  These are flimsy little things,

and they weave in and out of buses and fast cars in cramped places.  We could easily reach out and touch the bus next to us.

 The driver pedals it.  It was sooo fun!

A farewell to the Nat'l Cathedral