What a week we’ve had with our good friends from Albuquerque!
Dan and Betty Jo Lewis came to visit us.
Now, we told them we had quite a schedule.. we told them we had to keep going... and they said we want to come along with you! So go we have!
Here is some of the beautiful countryside as we drove.
We spent our first evening walking around
the small pueblo we love, called Sayulita
That's what you get for wearing
sandals at the beach!
We stopped at the Burrito Revolution
and split a burrito.
We also had a coconut ice cream bar...
... so so delicious!
That night we went to one of our
favorite restaurants, Las Palomas.
The next day,
Dan and Betty joined us for our
Vallarta zone conference.
What a terrific day it was!
President's focused on our effective
use of the Book of Mormon in our teaching
I introduced our Christmas Initiative 2017
#Light the World
Jesus taught His followers that as they learned of Him,
and followed Him, they would become lights unto others.
Our Vallarta Zone!
It was so hot and sunny...
we tried to get everyone to open
their eyes on the count of three.
It didn’t work so well...
:)
Our fun idea to send a Christmas pass
along card to someone special...
via balloon!
Where will it go?
Who will find it?
I know... our ice chest tipped over
and it was full of water, and Dan
went to the rescue!
We are having such a great great time
together!
Stories, memories, impressions, experiences...
and catching up with family.
Dan brought the music, and taught our missionaries
a beautiful song called
Maybe I Will Be There
a bit of history~
Several years ago a sister from Albuquerque New Mexico, (sister Melissa Spencer) wrote the music for the song, Maybe I Will Be There. (With lyrics by Cindy Pyne). The song was the winner of the Church music contest and was published in the Ensign magazine.
As our friends, brother and sister Lewis were coming to visit us here in Mexico, brother Lewis asked sister Spencer if she had the lyrics in Spanish. She did not, but was very willing to have it translated.
Sister Spencer asked a friend from Mexico City to provide a translation. Next she took that translation and sent it to her parents who are serving a mission in Peru. Her father, adjusted the translation to make it more poetic, more lyrical. Then she asked another brother review and check the grammar. Finally, sister Spencer prepared the score in Spanish.
It has been a labor of love by many people.
Our missionaries loved learning and singing this beautiful song!
After just several practices...
the zone sang it and I videoed it.
They sounded beautiful!
President’s PMG game
Using the Book of Mormon to help you
find answers of the soul.
With a sweet treat for each correct answer!
Zone Leaders Elder Domingo
and Elder Clawson’s teaching
Find when you teach,
and teach when you find!
They did an outstanding job!
Practicing
President’s closing remarks
We took Elder Ponce, Elder Drumright,
Sister Haro and Sister Arizmendi to the
Coapinole building for a baptism
It is a difficult building to find in the
daytime, but in the dark of night....
it was crazy!!
We got them there safe and sound!
Great Day !
Next day....was our
Santiago District Conference
Saturday evening session
What a gorgeous drive it is
from Tepic to Santiago.
Pretend the truck is not there...
and check out the beautiful view beyond it.
We are always amazed at how many
folks they try to squeeze into the
back of a truck.
Also, how lots of folks take advantage
of the topes... or speed bumbs
to try and sell a thing or two
while the cars pause or slow down.
Just one of the many many gorgeous trees we see
everywhere... with
huge trunks and sprawling branches.
Some of the selling stands along the way.
President teaching during the Saturday evening session.
We snuck a quick picture with these sweethearts
from Santiago after the evening session.
We had bought some bread and peanut butter
and jam for lunch the next day.
There was some mocking going on with
all the bags in the back.. this is me
just trying to cover it all up...
The view from our hotel room
in Tepic
Sunday morning, we drank a quick
breakfast drink and we were off
again to Santiago.
Sunday morning with the choir
The Lewis’s snuck a picture of Elder Koenig
translating for me Sunday morning.
District President Arias and his first counselor,
his grandfather.
Another picture with these wonderful missionaries!
With our good friend Dan Lewis
Cute, cute Dillon Arais
(District President Arais’s little boy)
I always try to have a little
snack for his pocket... :)
Driving in and around Santiago
I always love seeing the wash on the line.
There are so many hungry and desperate dogs...
it just breaks our hearts
This grandma and her granddaughter
riding in the back of the truck.
Do you see the family on the motorcycle
whizzing by?
A very colorful overpass
Down one cobblestone street
We were able to visit with and see some
of the apartments of some of our
missionaries serving here in Santiago.
First we popped in to see
Sister Torres and Sister Hernandez. :)
They are so darling!
By the sisters area map
Next, we wanted to pop in to see
Elder Barlow and Elder Astorga,
but they were still cleaning up
the building after the conference.
We followed them over to their
apartment
The Elders were joined by the zone leaders
Elder Koenig and Elder Castillo
who were staying with them overnight
for the conference the next day.
Again, by their area map
Our picnic in the car.
What great friends!
Monday morning, we drove back over
to Santiago for our
Nayarit Zone Conference
Bob's greeting
He focused again on our effective
use of the Book of Mormon in our teaching
I introduced the Light the World
Christmas Initiative 2017
Jesus taught His followers that as they learned of Him and
followed Him….they would become lights to others.
*We are lights to those around us.
*How can we share that light?
brainstorming session
Shhhh...
Here is one of our plans for kicking off
our Light the World Christmas Initiative
here in the Guadalajara Mission!
The Nayarit Zone!
We attached our Light the World pass along
cards to the balloons and off they went!
Where will they go?
Who will find them?
This sweet sister stood and made fresh
tortillas for our delicious lunch!
District President and Sister Arias joined us for
our zone conference today. For a special treat after
lunch, they brought homemade ice cream bars!
Yum!
Once again, Dan brought the music and taught
our missionaries a beautiful song called -
Maybe I Will Be There
a bit of history~
Several years ago a sister from Albuquerque New Mexico, (sister Melissa Spencer) wrote the music for the song, Maybe I Will Be There. (With lyrics by Cindy Pyne). The song was the winner of the Church music contest and was published in the Ensign magazine.
As our friends, brother and sister Lewis were coming to visit us here in Mexico, brother Lewis asked sister Spencer if she had the lyrics in Spanish. She did not, but was very willing to have it translated.
Sister Spencer asked a friend from Mexico City to provide a translation. Next she took that translation and sent it to her parents who are serving a mission in Peru. Her father, adjusted the translation to make it more poetic, more lyrical. Then she asked another brother review and check the grammar. Finally, sister Spencer prepared the score in Spanish.
It has been a labor of love by many people.
Our missionaries loved learning and singing this beautiful song!
After a quick practice..
Please click the link above to watch
the Nayarit Zone singing ~
Maybe I Will Be There
President's Game-
Using the Book of Mormon to help you
find answers of the soul.
Sweet treats for all answers!
The zone leaders Elder Castillo and
Elder Koenig did an outstanding
job with their teaching -
Find when you Teach, Teach when you Find!
Practicing!
President's closing teachings.
Our purpose was two fold. We wanted to take our good friends
to visit Jala, and President Clayton was able to do tithing settlement
while we were there with each of the members.
The pictures just do not do justice to how beautiful the drive is in and around Jala!
Maybe I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...
While we were watching the
chicken cross the road...
...we met our assistants Elder Long and
Elder Dehesa at the plaza and they joined
us as we went to visit the members there.
Jala's cobblestone streets...
seriously...
We stopped by to see
brother Pichardo and his granddaughter
We visited Josafina and her daughter
...and Lucia and her mother
I love these two so much!
We had a wonderful day.
And finally while Dan and Betty did a
session in the Temple.
Bob and I had our Follow Up Training
with our seven newest missionaries
and their trainers.
Bob checking out the transfer board....
We had a great day together
with these fantastic missionaries!
We sure had a great week with our good friends!
