CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Fillmores getting ready to see patients at Tio Juan
You can see the first patient in the chair....

We are so thankful to have Paul and Joanne Fillmore here for a couple of months before we go home. It has been fun being able to show them the things that we have been doing here....and watching them take over and do it their way!!!

Boys waiting their turn for checkups...with Leidi
She is our contact at the orphanage who arranges all the dental exams

One of the most rewarding things we have done is to go to the Tio Juan boys orphanage and do dental exams. We were able to take Fillmores there for this experience. We were able to do visual exams on about 50 boys....getting them in a "bank" for work to have ready for visiting dentists. We take along the portable x-ray just in case someone needs to have a closer look.

Getting an x-ray

While we were there it was the Easter season. The orphanage had a great display of what the Semana Santa processions look like. It was complete with people outside the cathedrals as well as carrying the huge displays. We really enjoyed looking at it.

The lobby at Tio Juans
with their Semana Santa display

Close up of the display

LAST CHANGES

We are in the middle of the week that will probably be the last changes that we go through in the mission before we move to Guatemala. We have said goodbye to several of the missionaries that we have grown close to during the past year. Some of the ones that were in the office when we arrived go home this week...(Elder Rodriguez and Elder Mears).....we have a whole bunch of new missionaries in the office...Elder Pacheco, Elder Lopez, Elder Elizondo, Elder Chuquimia......and we are greeting a group of missionaries from the MTC in Provo. This is the first group of gringos that we have had since November. We are anxious to help them get settled.

Elder Mears with his parents Scott and Wendy
You can see his last area in the background

We went to the airport to do the turn-around again. That is where we say goodbye to leaving missionaries and hello to the arriving ones. We were able to say goodbye to Elder Merrill and Elder Tautua'a who are going home to Canada and Utah.

Saying goodbye to Elders Merrill and Tautua'a
President and Hermana Flores

It was so fun to meet the new missionaries at the airport. They are always the last people through migration and with their luggage. We don't have to worry about the crowds at the airport because the terminal is all cleared out before the missionaries come out. They are always so glad to see their Mission President and wife. The look of relief on their faces is evident. These missionaries were actually able to meet the Flores' at the MTC when they were up there for their new Presidents training.

This is the monitor where we watch our missionaries go through
Migration....they are always the last and always in a group
(It reminds Wayne of Todd's soccer years...where they all followed the ball)

This time we were equally excited because one of our departing missionaries, Elder Hansen, was also meeting his dad at the airport. His father was able to come and spend a couple of days with him before he heads back to the States this weekend. It was hard for the office missionaries to watch the reunion with Elder Hansen and his dad...they said that it made them think about home....but it was good to see this reunion.

Elder Hansen and his dad greeting each other after two years

Our new missionaries were exhausted. They left SLC last night about midnight and had been traveling non-stop since. They are looking at a new country and new language. So many times the things they knew at the MTC just go to the background once they hit the ground. It will be fun to see how well they do. We had so much luggage in the cars and with the missionaries it was necessary for a couple to go to the mission office in a taxi. What an experience!!!

Finally coming out of the terminal

Greeting President and Hermana Flores

First of many times following their new President

As we were giving our messages to them they were nodding off in their seats. We did our presentations in English to make sure that they understood everything. After the presentation one of the office elders said to me..."Hermana T you really can give a great talk"....DAH...we have been doing these for a year struggling to do them in SPANISH. Oh the humility!!

After interviewing them President said that they are going to be great leaders in the mission. We just wish that we could be here to see all the growth.

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!!!

CHANGES ARE ANNOUNCED

Elder Galindo and Elder Ayau calling changes to the Zone Leaders

This week was changes...and I decided to blog it from a different angle...the OFFICE. The week of changes brings much activity at the office..but the most exciting part is to see what is going to happen to the Office Elders who are due to be transferred out. The anticipation is comical...and of course we enjoy seeing them wiggle around and tease them just in case their "time isn't up". This week Elder Ingleby and Elder Orellana were up to leave. Elder Orellana already had his replacement in the office and was training him.....but Elder Ingleby was still waiting to see what would happen...

Searching the board for new assignments

Tuesday morning we got to the office and the APs were in the President's office making calls for all the official transfers. The office elders were allowed to go into the office and look at the assignment BOARD. Elder Orellana is going to go to Talanga and be a Zone Leader. Elder Ingleby is going to Siguatepeque as a District Leader. They will be great leaders for the mission.

Maria Emilia sleeping while mom and dad are working hard

We were able to see Elder Mautauma today again. He was in the office when we first got here and is going to be Training again. He is a delight to be around and it was like seeing one of our own children. He is going to help reopen an area of the mission that has been closed for awhile. We want his family from New Zealand to know what a great missionary he is and how proud of him we are...(they read the blog every week)!!

Elder Mautauma with President and Sister Gomez and his new companion

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Getting ready to GO

Last week was another "change"...new missionaries and new assignments. We received 12 new missionaries from the CCM in Guatemala and sent home 6 missionaries. These new missionaries are ready to run!! President Gomez got them moving with a game during their orientation. He took pictures from "Preach My Gospel" and had them race as teams to see who could find it the fastest. It was great. The office missionaries got into the fun too. Of course, there were candy bars for the "winners" and Hershey's miniatures for the "losers". It was a great way to get to know these new missionaries.

That's one way to know the book!!

The competition got pretty fierce. Elder Tomkinson was filming some of the action. At one point, we needed to check his camera to see who won!! One group thought that they had won and demanded an instant replay. It was very clear from the video...THE OTHER GROUP WON!!

CHANGES....AGAIN

Getting ready to go contacting with the APs
Elder Ayau and Elder Galindo

This week we have been busy with changes (every six weeks it happens whether you are ready or not!) And it seems that no matter how much you plan for and are prepared....something will happen to change the dynamics of the week!!

This week we had 12 missionaries coming from the CCM in Guatemala....8 Elders and 4 Sisters. We were only losing 3 missionaries. That means that we needed to prepare additional areas for the "extra" missionaries. New areas needed to be opened up....or closed....not to mention all the shuffling that happens when you start changing missionaries around. Thank goodness that President Gomez and the two APs make those decisions. We (Wayne and the office Elders) just do the moving, setting up, and general getting ready.

This many new missionaries means that much luggage!!

The first change for this week was that the missionaries arrived at the airport over 1 1/2 hours early. Now greeting new missionaries when they arrive in the mission field is a priority for any mission...when they call you from the airport and tell you they are there and waiting....WELL....it causes a stir. Our office Elders went into high gear making sure that things were all ready for them (extra food)...etc.

Watching them contact from my office window

We had two days of training meetings with them. Wayne and I did really well on our Security and Health talks. I am able to make mine shorter and shorter...the Spanish isn't as hard!! We acted as an Investigator couple while they practiced their Preach My Gospel skills on us. We watched their personalities emerge as they were asked to go and contact on the streets close to the mission office. We watched them return soooo excited with the contacts they had made and the numbers of El Libro de Mormon that they had given away. We watched them wait excitedly while they were assigned their first companion. It was a great two days.

Hermanas with their new companions

Wayne always asks President who his new companion is going to be. The missionaries always get a kick out of the answer...That he needs to keep the same companion!!!....No changes for him this time!! Another milestone that we reached this past week was our 35th Wedding Anniversary. Can't believe that it has been 35 years!!!

My companion smiling after he is told he doesn't
have a new companion