THE HANSONS

The "former" Elder Hanson and his parents

Another first!! We got to watch as parents came and picked up their missionary this last week. The Hansons came and picked up their son, Chase. It was funny because we didn't even know what his first name was until they started talking to him. They attended church with us this last Sunday and then ate lunch with us. We had a wonderful visit during the afternoon....then they were off meeting converts and companions and seeing beautiful Honduras.

It was a blessing to be able to meet them. Good luck Elder Hanson!!

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

EARTHQUAKE ROCKS HONDURAS

Yes...it's true. We have survived our first terremoto in Honduras. We were jostled from our sleep the other night about 2 am and I asked Wayne..."Was that an earthquake?" It lasted about 10 seconds. I felt like it was a seasick motion. Wayne immediately took his flashlight (of course) and checked the structure of our building. No new cracks...so we went back to sleep.

The quake was centered about 50 miles off the north coast of Honduras...near all the great scuba islands. We have friends who felt it in Guatemala as well and it was felt in Belize and Mexico. They actually evacuated the set of SURVIVOR for the fear of a tsunami. The major damage to Honduras was in the San Pedro Sula area. The biggest fear here is the structural damage....everything is made of concrete. There have been 5 deaths in Honduras. We even bought a special edition of the paper to read all about it. After you get to the paper, click on the extra edition.

The other "moving" experience we had yesterday concerned the strike at the dental school. For about 3 weeks the teachers and other people have been on strike over pay issues. Our clinic has not been affected until yesterday. We were working on an Elder....a root canal....when we were informed that the entire university was going to shut down immediately. Wayne had to run and move our car out of the parking lot and into the main boulevard so that our car wouldn't be stuck in the parking lot until they reopened the gates. He then needed to do something to the poor patient....and he was only 10 minutes from the treatment being completed.

We walked out the door of the school...literally the last people...and the guard closed and locked it. Wayne insisted that he get his picture taken with the guard. Then we left to try and find our way out of the area while the people were protesting in the street....no problem....we just drove the wrong way down the road (following everyone else) and went around the protest.



It was an eventful day in the life of these missionaries!!!

Thanks for all your inquiries into our well being....when the internet finally came back on we had a bunch!!!

CHANGES AGAIN

Another six weeks...another change. It seems like they are coming sooner and sooner. In fact we realized this week that President Gomez only has one more and then we will have a new President in the mission. This change we got two new Assistants to the President. It is always such a riot to watch the office elders when this happens. They were at our apartment this last Sunday night when we realized that the new APs would probably be there. They were ready with cameras and we videotaped the whole thing:



They were so excited to find out that Elder Mears and Elder Hanson are our new APs. They will be a great asset to the office and a help to President. We also have Traveling APs this change. These Assistants go into the mission and do training with the Zone Leaders. This is a first for us since we have been here. Elders Iza and Mejia will be doing this. I think this sounds like one of the neatest callings in the mission.

As we went through the week of changes we were ready for 6 new Elders from the CCM in Guatemala....along with 3 new Hermanas. As the transfers were announced we realized that all 6 of the trainers would be Gringos...and all of them here less time than we have been. We knew that when these missionaries hit the mission that they would be leaders soon. They are proving our prediction correct.

Our six new trainers
Elders Sagers, Christiansen, Payne, Ingleby, Prescott and Summers

Trainers with their companions

We are so blessed to be able to watch the growth of these missionaries. It is one of the greatest parts of our mission. One of the missionaries showed Wayne his shoe this past week....won't tell you who it is....but write your missionary and see if he needs new shoes!!!

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Anna and Sonia saying goodbye

One of the joys of our mission has been the dental clinic and the students there. This last week we got new students and the "old" ones left. We had to say goodbye to Sonia and Anna. Sonia has been like family to us....she assisted Wayne on his very first brigada here last May. We are hoping to be able to go to Danli in the next couple of months and visit her.

The new gang watching a procedure

We received three new students.....two Jennys and Erika. They are already asking Dr Wayne questions and asssisting him when they can to see procedures. It will be a fun time with them. Wayne has decided that he really loves teaching....perhaps a new career in his future!!!

FINALLY SOMEONE I'M RELATED TO!!!

Hermana Tomkinson and Elder Olsen
Finally.....a GOBLE connection

Our children have teased Wayne for years that we can be anywhere and he will find someone that he is related to. It never fails....and they are right!!

This last week I found out that one of the Elders in the Tegucigalpa mission and I are related. Elder Kyle Olsen has been in the mission field for about 11 months. Here is the connection:
Kyle's great grandfather and my father are brothers. That takes a little bit of thinking...not only do we have the age thing (I am old enough to be his mother) but the two brothers were years apart. My dad was the youngest by many years in his family. Many of his nieces and nephews were the same age as he was.

Boyd Goble (his great grandfather) and my dad George Goble are brothers. His grandmother is Boyd's daughter Dorothy.....I remember my cousin Dorothy when I was a little girl. We would visit and my sisters and I always commented how GORGEOUS she was. We wanted to be like Dorothy when we grew up.

Who would have thought I would be doing genealogy on this dental mission!! Maurice...you told me so!!

DIA DE LA MADRE

Note to me from the Primary children

Sunday was Mother's Day...in the States as well as in Honduras....It was a great day here. The Primary Children came and sang to all the women in Relief Society...and then they presented each of us with a gift. Cute little Nicole gave me my gift. They had written a note to me. It was so sweet.

Nicole and her bag....she is exactly like our Kristin

Each of the mothers received a tote for her scriptures. They were so cute telling me about it. They got the idea from a gift that Trisha sent to Nicole for Chistmas. They loved it and copied it for every woman in the ward. They made over 38 of them!!

One of the 38 tote bags that the Primary Presidency made

It was good to visit with my mom and most of our children and grandchildren over the weekend. We will visit with the rest of them this week. I love being a mom!!

CLOSING BANQUET

The medal that we got

Every time the brigada finishes their week they have a closing banquet. This year we had a wonderful buffet dinner and Dave Sheets put together a slide show of the week's events. It is just a good time for people to dress up and enjoy each other's company.

A group of future missionaries singing to us

We had a surprise during the dinner. Elder Cordone who is an area Seventy and who was instrumental in planning the whole trip brought several of the future missionaries that we worked on to the hotel. They sang for us and presented each of us with medals to thank us for the service that was performed during the week. They sang the EFY arrangement of the Armies of Helaman....a song that I have always loved. When the missionaries here sing it in Spanish I just cry and cry. Here they are singing about being this army....and they really are the army. It just affects me.

Getting our medals

It was a very touching evening and we were pleased to see several of the youth that we met during the week. It makes it so much more real to be able to identify the missionaries. Hopefully we will be able to see some of them in the future as they serve.

The ladies from Registration pulling their hair out
Hermana Tomkinson, Karen Lucero, Melanie Roundy, Jan Herrod and Sharon Anderton

Our future missionaries singing The Armies of Helaman...listen for the word Helaman!!
Sorry about the last part.....I tried to edit it for 2 hours...but my computer skills aren't that great...


This concludes the blogs on our Guatemala adventure (thank goodness!!). We had a wonderful time...it was a good middle to our mission. The people were great, the work was fun and HARD, and we enjoyed our renewed friendship with the Senior missionaries there.

TIKAL

The rain forest and Tikal

Our Plane

Me getting ready to go on the plane!!

One of the gems of the Mayan civilization is Tikal. It is about an hour plane ride from Guatemala City. We were excited when we got permission to go with our group to Tikal. Saturday morning we went to a private hangar in Guatemala City where we loaded 4 small planes for the ride. (I thought of you mom and all of your flying in those small planes in the Pacific). I have always been fascinated with these people and did several reports on them throughout high school.

On top of one of the temples
There are ruins all under the trees...you can just see the tops
of the excavated ones

Our group on top of one of the temples

Church members believe that this area is the area described as the land Eastward. The cities are fortified much like the descriptions of Moroni's fortifications. It was fascinating to see these cities that have been uncovered in the middle of the rain forest. It was hot and humid there......so different from Guatemala City. We had about 3 hours to see the ruins....and enjoyed it very much. We went with a guide named Sergio who is a Bishop in Guatemala City and has a tour company.

Our guide....Bishop Sergio

NO CELL PHONES PLEASE

One of the problems that is becoming more and more prevalent in the Church is the use of cell phones during our meetings. Somehow it just hasn't registered that cell phones are not appropriate during our worship service. It is a subject that has even been addressed during General Conference sessions. I guess it is one of the hazards of our modern day inventions.....we become so used to having them with us that we can't imagine our life without them.

Last Sunday we visited a TINY branch in Guatemala City. They hold their meetings in a house. During the meeting, I looked up on the wall and saw this sign:


Translation: To communicate with God you don't need a cell phone. Please turn it off or put it on Vibrate.

I couldn't believe that this problem had reached even a little branch in Guatemala. It was a great sign. I especially liked the picture of Christ next to the notice.



During the meeting one of the members bore his testimony about the brigada. His son and two other future missionaries from their branch were able to go and get their dental/medical work done. They had no idea that we had been a part of the group. After the meeting we talked to them and Wayne had his picture taken with the father and son. This is at the door to their "chapel". (By the way....the dad gave both the Sunday School lesson and Priesthood lesson).

I also experienced my first earthquake during the meeting. It lasted for about 30-40 seconds. Afterwards I learned that these are quite common in Guatemala. It felt to me like being seasick....something that I definitely don't like. Everyone was calm (except my companion...he wondered why they weren't more cautious with the whole thing...after all we were in a concrete building!!)

TAKE DOWN

Dismantling the main clinic floor

No....not a wrestling term....that is what I felt like at the end of the week as we dismantled the dental clinics in the building. Everyone worked so hard to make sure that we got everything down and ready to return home. People we so generous with their "left-overs" and we got to take several items back to Honduras with us. The custodial crew that was there for the week worked hard for two days after we left to get the building ready for Sunday meetings.

Titi and Vidal packing the portable equipment
for the ride back to Honduras

We were so glad to have the dental students there with us. They were so helpful packing up the truck to go back to Honduras and just generally lifting and packing. Some of the people stayed at the chapel until 1:00am getting things ready to take back. All of the humanitarian items were donated to missionaries or given to the office to distribute later. It was amazing to see how quickly things got back into shape.

Dr Tom Van den Berghe and the very last patient in the main clinic
(the oral surgeons went an additional 2 hours)

BRIGADA STATISTICS:

880 Future Missionaries registered with an additional 48 who have received calls
Over 5770 fillings....1280 extractions....494 root canals....750 cleanings
Over 115 very tired people.....their joy from giving........PRICELESS!!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!

ANTIGUA

One of the walls remaining in the old monastery

I can't believe how blessed we were with the opportunity to go to Guatemala and participate in the dental clinics there.....and how equally blessed we were that we were able to go on the excursions with the group. It was interesting because we kept our missionary clothes on the entire time...everywhere we went we were stopped and asked about our missions. Members always stop us and ask us where we are from, etc. It was a great example to the other members of the group of the power of the name tag. We didn't take them off the entire trip.

Elder and Hermana Tomkinson

One of the days after the clinic was over we were able to go to the city of ANTIGUA. This is an old city about an hour out of Guatemala City that has kept its charm. The city was destroyed by two earthquakes/volcanoes and there are ruins everywhere. It used to be a sanctuary for churches and monasteries. Now there are tourist sights and shopping everywhere.

We had lunch at a beautifully restored resort that used to be a monastery. It was charming and was so fun. We ate lunch outside. Elder Clarke was there and talked to us about the service that we rendered throughout the week. He let us know of the blessings that would come to the people of Central America because of the service rendered. It was inspiring as he asked who was willing to come to the next brigada in November....in Salvador!!!

Our lunch setting

We did a little bit of the required tourist shopping. One of the cutest things that I saw was a little boy sitting in his mother's stall. There he was among the traditional clothing and artifacts watching television. I just had to get a picture of him. What a doll!!!

Old and new traditions

I'VE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN

Jennifer and Wayne showing off the Grape Sherbert

We had many surprises during the week in Guatemala. One of the funnest was a surprise in the form of a cousin of Wayne's. Jennifer Johnson and her husband Dick are living in Guatemala City. Dick is the attorney for the Church there. For those of you interested in the Ellsworth genealogy....Jennifer is MaryAlice and Speck Smith's daughter. She came up to us at the dental clinic and announced who she was. Wayne knew right away that she was connected to Mary Alice....the same great personality and gift of gab!!!

Sunday before we went home we ate lunch with the Tilleys, Taylors and the Johnsons. After we ate lunch Jennifer annouced that she had made a special dessert....you guessed it.....she had made GRAPE SHERBERT. For those of you who don't know, this is an unbelievable Ellsworth family tradition. I could not imagine that she was able to find all of the ingredients here in Central America (Jennifer did admit that it was hard)....but it was honestly some of the best Grape Sherbert we have ever tasted.

I don't know what to say about this picture....
he is just really enjoying the experience....
almost a dream!!!

After the requisite analyzing of the recipe we all enjoyed the grape sherbert. I think if Wayne had known at the beginning of the meal what was to come....he would have skipped lunch and just had the entire batch of sherbert. What a memory!!!

SUNDAY IN GUATEMALA

One of the most memorable experiences of the week for the dentists is our Sunday visit to a local ward or branch. This year we went about 45 minutes from the city to an area that very much holds to the traditional customs. Most of the women wore traditional Indian dress...very brilliant colors in their woven skirts and lacy blouses. The men wear more modern clothes for Sunday...white shirts and ties.

As we entered the building I immediately felt a love for the people. We attended their Sacrament Meeting where President Clarke gave a talk on the Lamanites blossoming as a rose. It was really touching. After the meeting, the brigada people gave gifts to the ward....and one of the highlights is the family picture taking. Each family has the opportunity to have their photo taken...for some it is the only photo that they have of their family. We also bring toys and games as well as things that the family can use. This year each family got to pick out a quilt. It was so fun to see the grateful expressions on their faces. We take so much for granted!!! I am humbled every day that I am here.

My cute little family getting their picture taken with grandma

We got to be "guides" to a family. My family consisted of mom and dad and three children....two boys and a girl. It was so funny as the family was getting ready for the photo...mom told the oldest boy to take off his jacket and tuck in his shirt. She couldn't believe that he had forgotten his tie. The kids were so excited to get their gifts.

Wayne was practically kneeling to get this shot

One little lady was so cute. She was probably no more than 4 feet high and must have been in her 90s. She wore the traditional dress and was a delight to everyone. We took Wayne's picture with her. When she got her photo she said that it was the first time that she had a photo of herself.

After the fireside

That evening they held a fireside for all the future missionaries and their leaders. There were over 1200 people in attendance. One of the highlights was singing Called to Serve as a group. Our group sang the first verse and then the entire congregation sang the next 3 verses (the Spanish version has four verses). We also showed a video of the last brigada to Guatemala last year that was held in Quetzatalango...and we were pleased to see one of our missionaries that is serving with us here in the video.

HERMANA AYAU

Hermana Ayau

One of the neatest experiences we had this past week was a visit from Hermana Ayau. Her son is serving in our mission as an Assistant to the President and we have gotten to know him in the office. He is going to go home next week. They live in Guatemala City. She took the time to come to the building, find us and visit for a few minutes with us. We had a little crying session as she talked about her son coming home. As all of you "missionary moms" know...it is a bittersweet thing. Mom and family are ready for the missionary to come home.....and the missionary has one foot in the mission field.

She is a beautiful lady with a wonderful spirit.....we know where her son gets his mannerisms from!! We totally enjoyed this surprise during the week.

Alan Mendez getting his wisdom teeth out
thanks to Dr. Haymond

Another connection to Honduras came as a young man found us and told us that his family lived in Tegucigalpa. He is Alan Mendez...the nephew of Hermana Gallo in the Toncontin Stake. It was good to see him and be able to help him prepare for his mission. He had planned to come to Honduras for us to take care of his pre-mission dental work....but we told his aunt that he could take care of it during this week in Guatemala...he was glad not to have to make the trip!!