January 16th

January seems to be holiday month. We haven't thought so until we got here but, last Monday we got Monday off for 3 Kings Day and now. My family has Monday, the 16th, off for Equal Rights or Martin Luther King's Day (We do not have that off.) But this coming week we have Friday and Monday off I just haven't figured out what the holidays really are. Friday is "Dia de Alto Gracias" and Monday is "Duarte Day". I'm not sure their significance and even when I ask some of the natives they are pretty vague as well.

We are finally feeling like we have a handle on our work here. We were given a Honda Odessy to drive this week. It is suppose to be an upgrade from the Corolla we have been driving and it is in most ways. If you remember some of the driving rules here. The bigger the vehicle, the more weight you carry in bullying your way through the traffic. Not that we are ever bullies it is just that it is part of the way it works here. So bigger is good most of the time unless you are trying to get down some very skinny streets or fit into a very small parking spot which happens quite often. We have parked in spaces were the Corolla had about 5 inches on each side counting poles and that just would not work for the Honda. Two new missionary couples came in yesterday. We are trying to get them oriented a little. We are officially no longer the rookies.

The temple is closed for two weeks right now. They are doing some of the major upgrades. They are planting new hedges and doing a great deal of trimming. They do it all by hand with no electric or gas powered trimmers, hedgers, or chain saws which is exactly what you would use in the states. They have scaffolding up on the spire but all will be finished when they open in a week. They have amazing organization.

We had stake conference today and used the new media equipment in the office to watch it in English. It was very nice. We watched it with the temple president and his wife, Larry and Jo Ann Bair, Sister Lilly, and Elder and Sister Coleman.

If you have Skyped with us you would know that we drop of line OFTEN many here have generators because the power goes off daily, sometimes for a minute or two and sometimes for hours. The church here has a large generator so when it goes off it is back on in 10 seconds so we really do not feel the stress of it. Some who do not live in the casa have gone hours without electricity. Note the wiring in my pictures. Need I say more.

We had a discouraging day or two this week. It seemed as if we were working hard and not getting much support but in the end, the support kicked in and things got better. Enough said.