Ode to Rod Riggs

The following poem is dedicated to the best car man that we know....Rod where are you when we need you?

Ode to Rod Riggs

Today we looked for a car
I mean, actually shopped near and far.
We kept looking for Rod,
but we had our worst fear...
he just didn't ever appear!!

We just spent six hours looking in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for a used car. This is no small feat. We went to the Toyota dealership the other day hoping for the opportunity to lease a vehicle for 18 months, but they don't do leases in Honduras. (Who knew). Most of the car dealerships here have used car lots, but the prices are a lot more than we wanted to pay. So thanks to one of the contacts Wayne has from the dental school, we were escorted the entire day by a native Honduran....her name is Titi and she is a dentist. She is about 28, and we were so thankful for the time she spent with us. She spent six long hours translating for us and giving us the low-down on cars in Honduras. All over the city there are "LOTES" where people sell cars from the states. That in itself is scary...but she knew so much about it. After a few hours she told me that her brothers used to own a lot and she knew the ins and outs from that.

It was amazing how many cars that we saw. We quickly learned that 1) if the car still has the air bags installed, that is a good sign. It means that it has not been in a wreck and 2) don't buy something that is from a dealership in Louisiana...Wayne pointed that out as they are probably hurricane totaled cars from Katrina...At the last place we stopped (of course) we found a 3 year old Kia that was a trade-in at the dealership associated with the lot. It was purchased here and had one owner. That is probably going to be the car. Titi called tonight and said that she has a friend with a small SUV that he wants to sell for $6500...new tires, air conditioning working, etc. She said that it is great shape...so now we have two possibilities.

Titi...our Lifesaver

A typical lot in Honduras...Wayne looking for Rod

I just have to say that it was so fun watching Wayne today miss Rod and the ability to walk in and sign papers and take home a car. He kept saying..."I am so not used to this."
Love you Rod!!!

THE TALANGA BRANCH

We loved our Sunday at the Talanga Branch. We attended there with the Gomez family. Wayne was instructed to give his talk again for practice and not to look at his notes so much this time. He did a great job. President Gomez called on me to bear my testimony in Spanish (which is about the only thing that I CAN do). And of course, I played the keyboard for Sacrament Meeting. There were probably about 50 people in attendance. We went to Sunday School where both Wayne and I were asked to read scriptures for the lesson. We did it without too many pronunciation corrections. Then I went to RS....there were four of us there....most of the women in the branch were in YW or Primary. (It is so cool to hear I Am a Child of God in Spanish)....after about a minute the Branch President came in and brought a manual and he and the RS President were visiting for a minute and then he came over to me and indicated that he wanted me to GIVE THE LESSON.....RIGHT THEN....IN SPANISH!!! For those of you who thought that nothing would ever throw Sister T for a loop....you should have been there. I just about died. I guess that he thought that I was a little more fluent in Spanish than I am because I gave my testimony in Spanish!!!

The lesson was on temples and family history. I am so humbled because of my inability with the language. We had a discussion for a few minutes, and then one of the sisters just read the lesson for us and we discussed....I can't wait until I am better with the language. I can't believe the difference even a week makes.

The people are so happy to see us come. Everyone embraces us and is so happy to have us here. There was an older man on Sunday who took my hand and just looked into my eyes and told me something. I'm not sure what it was, but he was so genuine. He looked like a migrant worker with a big white hat and jeans on. But, everyone has a white shirt and tie on for church. As we were leaving the chapel, he was leaving on his bicycle.

There was also a man in a wheelchair. We were glad to see that it was one of the wheelchairs from the church. They have a wonderful program that benefits people worldwide. We took our picture with him to send it to our contact in SLC....

The people love to have their pictures taken. This family was so happy to be at church together. I told the girl that she was my nueva amiga. She was typical of the young people here. You could just pick them up and put them in any ward in the United States. They are the very same.

We met the elders there. One of them is Elder Applewhite. He is from North Carolina and will be going home in about 2 weeks. We were so impressed with him. He and his companion are waving at us as they walk home from the church.

This week our goal is to find a car. There are several possibilities that we have. We just need to follow all of our leads and hopefully something will materialize. Thanks for all of the support you give us. It really helps to know that there are so many of you reading about our experiences.

MY TRUCK, LEATHERMAN and LIGHT

The APs bringing our couches

We have spent the best part of the last week moving into our apartment. It has been fun and exciting, but not without some moments that we have laughed through. As you know, Wayne is very independent and we have accomplished all of this without having a car. We are dependent on the missionaries for a ride everywhere we need to be, or if it is possible, we borrow one of the office cars. Hopefully this will be remedied soon as we will probably have a car within the next few days. Wayne is having a hard time with this. As we were moving into our apartment he said "Oh where is my truck and the white trailer? Couldn't we just borrow it for a little bit?" However we were amazed at the resourcefulness of the people in Honduras. The missionaries moved mattresses, all of our personal belongings (which we can fit into 4 suitcases) and two couches to our apartment.

Loading mattresses on top of
office van....Wayne holding onto
the mattresses from the inside
of the car.





The next experience was getting the stove and refrigerator delivered. We were happy about 1)they delivered it on the day they said they would and 2) they came within an hour of the expected time. We considered this a major step in our Honduran relationship. To our dismay however, the delivery did not include installation. This was where the laughter began. We did persuade the delivery men to take them out of their boxes (we don't have grandchildren with us that would love to play in the box!) Then it was time for the installation. Wayne pulled out his letterman tool (it weighs quite a bit, but he knew that he would need it sometime while we are here) and his famous headlight. I then proceeded to read the instructions as he installed first a refrigerator and then a stove. He had to take apart the back of the stove and put on the power cord. We felt that we had accomplished so much for that day. We were laughing so hard.

For more pictures visit Wayne's web page.

MISSIONARIES EVERYWHERE

I have long maintained that being a mission president is a lot like being a scoutmaster. The age of the boys is the only difference. This view was reenforced today as I watched the first set of missionaries come into the mission since our arrival. We started at 7:30 at the airport meeting and greeting them. They traveled in a pack and were trying to be brave. As they emerged from the baggage and customs area, they were so pleased to see President and Sister Gomez waiting for them. They ate like typical teenagers all day long....breakfast after the airport...pizza for lunch and then a welcome dinner at the mission home...pork chops, mashed potatoes and cheesecake for dessert. (You will be pleased to know that the Price Smart here has Cheesecake Factory cheesecake). By the end of the day they were still laughing and hitting each other on the back. The smart mission president sent them home with the Office Elders to their apartment to spend the night. Yes....smart scoutmaster....hopefully they will go to sleep tonight. They have a big day ahead of them tomorrow.

Sister Gomez and her new sister missionaries

Elder Perez...a lesson in Humility

Today we met Elder Perez. He was part of a group of missionaries that flew in early this morning to Honduras from the CCM (MTC) in Guatemala. We met this group of missionaries about 7:30 in the morning at the airport with President and Sister Gomez. They were all from Peru. They look like typical Peruvians...about a head and a half shorter than Wayne. Elder Perez showed the mission president his pinkie finger which looked like it was broken. He had injured it playing soccer at the CCM. President Gomez took one look at it and said, "Sister Tomkinson...you will take care of this...it is now your job!"...He is going to have me help with the health conditions of the missionaries.

After we got the nine elders and two sisters settled at the office, Wayne, Sister Gomez and I took Elder Perez to the hospital to have his finger evaluated. As we visited (in his broken English and my broken Spanish) we learned that he has been a member of the church for 2 years. He said that every since he was a little boy in his village in the Peru mountains, he knew that he wanted to belong to a church that wasn't "dark". Because he joined the church, he has had to give up most of his associations with his family. As we left for the hospital he was nervous, and we finally realized that he was afraid of going on the elevator. He had never been on one. I don't know if he has ever seen one. As they looked at his finger, he kept pulling out his Triple Combination and having me read verses. The first one was D&C 24:8 which reads:

"Be patient in thy afflictions, for thou shalt have many: but endure them, for I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days."

He then opened to Mosiah 18:9 (which is one of my favorite scriptures):

"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn, yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye might have eternal life--"

He said that this scripture applied to Wayne and I. He then told me that he missed his mother. I was so touched. Here was a young man who has basically given up everything for the church and has come to a strange country and put his trust in the Lord. He has endured ridicule from his family and he still wants what is best for them and misses them. He then turned to D&C 31 and showed Wayne and I the promised blessings for families of missionaries.

It was a humbling day....my sacrifices are nothing.

On My Hair

I have decided that I definitely don't have humidity hair. That tells you what I am going through each morning as I prepare to go into a world full of rain and humidity. Forget a curling iron or a hair straightener....my hair decides to wave whichever way that it wants to. Each day is a new hairstyle...eventually I might get used to feeling like my hair is plastered to my head!! Time will tell.

DEJA VU....With a lesson

This morning was a typical Sunday morning with a family of 6 children. President and Sister Gomez have 6 children with them ranging from 18 months to 16 years old. They are a beautiful family. This morning I had the opportunity to go to church with Sister Gomez and the children. She had quite a morning getting everyone ready on time to be at church by 9:00 am. The children were giving her such a hard time and they really were not cooperating (we have all been through that). In fact, it took me back so many years when I would struggle with 6 children by myself at church.

Things just weren't getting done...Leandro wouldn't put on his tie or shoes and everyone was getting more and more agitated. It was 10 minutes until church started. Finally Sister Gomez told the kids it was time to go. Then she did something amazing...she did not run to the car, or command them to get it....she merely gathered them all together and offered a prayer. She prayed that they would enjoy church and that they would feel the spirit today. She prayed that their dad and Elder Tomkinson would return safely from their journeys this afternoon. Then she got them in the car calmly and went to church. She knew she was late, and that was okay. Leaving the house with a prayer was more important than getting there on time. What an example for us all.

Hermana Gomez with her six children

(The baby was born in the mission field)

Church was wonderful. I can't believe that I will be in Spanish speaking sacrament meetings for the next year and a half. I really understood a lot more than I thought that I would. There was a high council speaker who had a prepared talk. The Bishop said a few words. Sunday School was about Korihor and Alma. Thank goodness the maestra didn't call on me to read a versiculo. But, I followed along in my libro de mormon and looked at my Book of Mormon when I needed to. Relief Society was about hope and consolation when we face the death of loved ones. I learned that hope is esperanza. DAH....didn't we used to have an Esperanza Center is Casa Grande? I even spoke to a few of the sisters afterwards, and hope that I didn't look too stupid. There were four missionaries there, but I didn't speak to them very long. I felt kind of dumb. Wayne is so much better at that.

The people here are beautiful. Things are really more laid-back, but that is something that I think that I can get used to very quickly. I noticed that everyone brought their own Himnos...so it is a good thing that Wayne and I bought little ones. They will now be with me everywhere. (I forgot it this morning).

I am anxious to see how Wayne did on his first talk in Spanish. He accompanied President Gomez this morning to install a new Branch President. I just hope that he leaves President some time. You know Wayne. Tomorrow we will be looking at moving into our new apartment. The AP's have been wonderful helping us. We will need to furnish the entire apartment, but hopefully there are some things that are not being used in the mission, and we won't have to get too many things....where is all that camping equipment when I need it?????

THE JOURNEY TO HONDURAS....

Yesterday evening we started a short trip to Honduras. We were scheduled to fly from SLC to Atlanta, have a layover there for about 6 hours, then fly from Altanta to Honduras with a small puddle jumper to our mission. NOT!!! It is now 24 hours later and we are still trying to arrive!! However, it has been an experience that we are already smiling about and really wouldn't change.

First of all.....missionaries get LOOKS wherever they are. Even in the Salt Lake City airport. And what I found particularly interesting was that not many people really even talked to us. They avoided eye contact with us even. People look at the badge, and then that is it. We really had to laugh when we got to the Atlanta airport. Anyone who has been through there knows that they have a great tram system that gets you from terminal to terminal. Wayne and I entered a completely full tram and by the time we got to our station, it was completely empty. We just sat there and laughed....and wish that we had a before and after picture of us....

We did get to talk to several people that we were traveling with. The first one was a young man serving in the navy as a Marine medic (figure that one out...). Wayne gave him one of our cards...in fact he gave out all of our cards today. We just kept running into people that might prove to be unbelievable contacts for us. People working in orphanages, a man whose mother has something to do with the Dept of Health here, people here helping other service organizations.

We are now in the San Pedro Sula airport waiting for the airline to decide if we are going to try for the second time today to go to Tegucigalpa. We have already been there and back once...it is raining and visibility is ZERO. We have been waiting probably for 1 1/2 hours....Elder Tomkinson called President Gomez and appraised him of our condition (wet, cold and laughing)...and told him that we would keep him posted. He is waiting to see if we are going to get there or if he needs to make arrangements for tonight with us. I think that he has someone here on call to come and get us and take us to a hotel.

It was really hard today sitting in the airport in Atlanta. I think that it has finally hit me that I am going to be gone for a very long time. The tears were so close, and I had to rely on my faith that I know that this is the right thing to do. It was especially hard when I see those beautiful grandkids and how much they have grown in just the two weeks since we have left.

This picture is Wayne and I going through the rain and boarding our "PUDDLE JUMPER" from San Pedro Sula to Tegu.

Keep the comments and emails coming....they truly are a lifeline!!

WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!
Arriving in Tegucigalpa about 11:00 pm

MTC....WEEK TWO

This week is a little shorter as we leave Thursday to travel to HONDURAS!! It is amazing to think that we will be there in no time. President Gomez has assured us that we will be met at the airport and that he has several options for apartments for us to live in. We are excited to begin the new phase of our adventure.

This week is our WELFARE SERVICES training. This includes the Humanitarian arm of the Church. Monday we went to tour Welfare Square and to see the gigantic Humanitarian Center. It was unbelievable to us how much international service that the Church does all the time. They are really in partnership with many international organizations...the Red Cross, UPS, UNICEF, and the Catholic charities just to name a few.

At Welfare Square
Wayne with BALES of clothes
They receive 300-400 bales/week here

We also were able to have lunch with Elder Glen Rudd. He served as the Area President when my parents served in Fiji. We got our picture taken with him and were able to visit with him for a little while.

With Elder Glen Rudd

Wednesday is new missionary day at the MTC, and last week we were excited to find out that one of the great young men who was in our family on the trek was going to enter. We were able to find him and sit in on his orientation meeting. I have never been to that meeting...it is the one where the missionaries and their families come to the MTC, and then the missionary goes out one door and the family the other. It was a great experience. Elder Clint Solomon is now a missionary at the MTC and his ma and pa were able to see him while we were here.

With Elder Solomon

(Note the crutches from his first gym activity)

It is amazing how close we are to all the other couples that we have met while at the MTC...it will be so fun hearing what they are doing on their missions. One couple (Elder and Sister Taylor) are going to serve as the Medical Advisor for Central America. They are one couple that we know we will see again and again in our mission.

UPDATE.....We are getting ready to leave tonight (Thursday) for Honduras. We will overnight to Atlanta and then have a 6 hour layover before we go to Honduras. We then have about three hours to wait for a little commuter plane to take us to Tegucigalpas. The adventure really is here....we will make contact with you as soon as we can.

We just met with the other 11 couples that came in with us to serve as Welfare Missionaries. We are starting to leave to go all over the world. What a gospel and unbelievable experience this has been. We are all really anxious to get on with it!!!

Love, Wayne and Suzanne

MTC---WEEK ONE

In between classes at the MTC

It is Sunday after our first week at the MTC. It is impossible to put into words what we have done this week. We have been saturated with missionary experiences and have been placed well on the way to being ready to go to Honduras. I truly believe that the Missionary Training Center is a buffer from the world to prepare you to go back into the world. I had no idea what happens here....thousands of missionaries come in feeling so inadequate and leave feeling armed with power and authority. We have learned how to use Preach My Gospel and the lessons in there to present the message of the restored gospel. What a blessing it is in our lives!! One of the highlights of the week was going to Salt Lake City for training on the Perpetual Education Fund. I don't think that members of the Church have any idea what the purpose of the fund and the scope of the fund are. It is a testimony to me that our prophets are truly seers. The fund will help the Church as it grows to develop leadership and self-reliance throughout the world.

Our District

Another of the great experiences that we have had is having some of the young missionaries come up to ask and ask if they can practice bearing testimony to us. We have had many languages and some humbling moments as we have cried together. One little sister was so afraid the first time that we talked with her. It was the first day we were here and she was so nervous trying to bear her testimony in Spanish. We ran into them several times in the week and talked to them often. They would seek us out in the cafeteria...yesterday she finally looked at our name tags and said "Do you know Tyler Tomkinson?" Wayne just looked at her and said "He is my nephew...you must be Karisa's sister"....SHE WAS. We knew that she was here and had no idea that she was the sister that sought us out that first day!!
With Sister Crawford (Karisa's sister)
She was so glad to see us

Another highlight was our testimony meeting Friday night where all the Senior couples who are taking language training were given the opportunity to bear their testimony in their second language. What an experience. We had languages from all over the world, and some of the couples had only had three lessons before they testified. I am truly seeing the gift of tongues in action. Wayne and I both bore testimony in Spanish. We are excited to get to Honduras so that we can be immersed in the language all the time.

Today we went to church with my dad and mom in Riverton. It was fun, and we were sorry that we couldn't spend more time with them. (Mom had fixed a delicious meal)...but we needed to get back for Sunday night activities. We went to a fireside with all the missionaries. One of the prelude hymns was "The army of Helaman"....they changed the words to say...we are now the Lord's missionaries...it was amazing. Of course, I was crying....

This week we are going to have our Humanitarian training and Welfare Services instruction. Monday we get to go to the main Humanitarian center and tour those facilities. I can't wait to see all of the things that the Church does around the world.

Missionary Name Tags

We have encountered an new phenomenon in our lives. It is the missionary name tag. Last evening we went to WalMart. (Wayne needed chocolate covered raisins). We realized as we were walking into the store that we had our name tags on. And we were dressed like missionaries....well you get the picture. It took me a minute to understand why everyone was smiling at us. Everyone was so courteous and helpful...going out of their way to make sure that we got what we needed. We saw people whispering and then pointing to us...and even had a girls volleyball team wave and say "HI".

....It is amazing the power of one little name tag.

Hello Elder Tomkinson

July 7th...we are now official missionaries. Wayne and I entered the MTC today with about 75 other Senior Missionaries. There are about 14 others who are going to be serving as Welfare Service Missionaries. What a delight when we saw Ralph and Reva Brooks. They are in our group and will be leaving for Brazil about the same time we go to Honduras.
It was so good to see them. For those of you who remember Kyle McEuen...his inlaws are also in our group. Elder and Sister Rees will be going to Romania to serve in the office there.

With Ralph and Reva Brooks waiting for SHOTS

We have spent the last day reading and studying Preach My Gospel. We already have a testimony of the sacred nature of this book. We were told that EVERY member of the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve had input into the book. Elder Maxwell edited it from his hospital bed and Elder Haight was almost blind by the time he died, so he had someone read it to him. They said that the book was 100 pages longer when they first finished...and they knew that they needed to cut it down. Every word is there for a reason.

This afternoon we get to teach our first discussion. We are studying and teaching about the Restoration. We have someone come and volunteer to be our investigator. It will be interesting to see if Wayne (Elder Tomkinson) and I can do this together. We had to find someone to bear testimony to today. We visited with 3 Spanish elders that are going to Chile, and bore our testimony of the Restoration. Elder Tomkinson also shared his testimony of Brother Joseph and his experience with Grandma Welker and her love of the prophet.

With our "Investigator" Sister Sitaway

Tonight is a devotional that is once a week at the MTC. There is usually a visiting General Authority and the Senior Missionaries get reserved seating in the front. We are really catered to here and it is marvelous to feel so SPECIAL. Love you all and we are looking forward to your emails. That is one thing that is so great about being an OLD missionary...you can email anytime that you have time to.

Those of you who know me well will be glad to hear that I am doing better when we sing "Called to Serve". I am sure that I will be overwhelmed by it this evening. I'd better remember to take kleenex with me.

The Journey Begins

Yesterday we left our home and started on the journey of a lifetime. After rearranging our luggage about forty-two times we had our first lesson on being a companionship.....you need to work together and use ALL of the luggage to make it work. Wayne can't have his two suitcases and Suzanne her two suitcases! When we finally divided and conquered we were able to have the weight just about right. I was still pretty worried about having all those bags close to 50 pounds....and they were just about 48-50 pounds apiece. Each of our carry on bags contained all of our books and Spanish language materials....they were between 35-40 pounds each!!! If you calculate that out you will quickly realize that Wayne was responsible for about 300 pounds of luggage at any given time. Our girls will be pleased to know that dad actually rented a smart-carte at the Salt Lake Airport. It would have been impossible for us to move without it!! I will never forget this picture in my mind as Wayne was standing on the curb and we were with our possessions for the next one and a half years!!

Our trip started off with arriving at the airport and being told that the plane was an hour late. That wasn't so bad, but when we finally boarded the plane and were ready to take off we got to the runway and were told that the wing was overheating....not surprising in Phoenix July heat....and that we needed to go back to the gate and have them spray water on the wing to cool it off!!! After a short while, we were on the way.....and only about 2 and 1/2 hours late. We remained cool, collected, etc...realizing that we need to practice "wearing the missionary tag"...It was soooo good to see Todd at the airport. We are spending the next few days with his family before we go to the MTC.....

WE ARE MISSIONARIES

Wednesday evening we went to the Stake Center to be set apart as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sara and Alissa went with us. President Richard Gibson did the setting aparts assisted by President Havi Niu and President Grant Walton. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the Spirit operate. President Gibson promised us health, strength and the ability to learn and speak the language. Now we just have to work hard to receive the blessings!!!

Another Last.....

Another last today. Wayne and I went to Lifetime Spa to have Sara give us our "last official haircuts" before our mission. It was so funny. All of the girls at the Spa have been so supportive of Sara and our going to Honduras. (THANK YOU LIFETIME GIRLS) Sara decided to give me a little darker color so that I can blend in with the women in Honduras a little better....I am now an ash blonde and a little shorter.

Sara actually walked her dad through the color and cut. This is going to be used for emergency purposes only....we will be sure to send pictures if and when Wayne actually cuts and colors my hair. It will be a memorable experience to be sure. I am realizing how spoiled I have been.....just another blessing that we take for granted!!!