Horses, cows and sheep, oh my

July 15, 2012

This week we began interviews with all 190 missionaries. On Monday we made the 7 ½hour drive to Zihautanejo (with a lunch of an apple, some pretzels, and a bottle of water that we bought at a Sam’s Club because there is no place to get any real food on the road) which took us through the mountains and rolling hills toward Acapulco and then up the coast to this beautiful resort town. We passed through many very tiny pueblos where we saw goats and donkeys in front yards (some goats on the roof of a house), horses saddled and tied up to fence posts, cows crossing the road (or in several cases standing dead still in the middle of the road so we had to wait for them to decide it was time to move on so we could pass), and many, many, many stray dogs. Many of the local people just put up a little store in their front yards (and by this I mean several wood planks with legs and some kind of tarp to cover them from the sun) selling puzzles, very colorful hammocks, fruits, candy and bread. 

Here are cows just strolling along the road.  Sometimes we had to stop and wait for them to get out of our way.  I saw a man herding his cows up and over a pedestrian bridge on the freeway.  I don’t think I would want to follow them across – you know what cows do.

The hotel where we stayed in Zihautanejo was on the hill, overlooking the bay – so beautiful, and so hot and humid!  We passed through an amazing rain storm on the way (the kind that causes rain water to gush down the streets) so the air was very steamy.  The furnishings in the hotel were exactly the way I had imagined them; heavy wood chairs, tile floors (but very decorative), a huge carved headboard on the bed with a white coverlet with brightly colored flowers embroidered on it.  The maid had taken flower petals in different colors and sizes and arranged them on the white part of the coverlet to resemble a flower design.  To say it was beautiful would be an understatement for sure.

That evening we hiked down the hill (well hike is a relative term, not hike with boots on and a container of water, but very steep steps that led down to the water) and had dinner at a restaurant right on the beach.  A man came to the table and asked if we wanted the appetizer of the day – sure we will try it.  He brought over to our table an entire leg of a pig on kind of a wooden stand that had been smoked and processed, and proceeded to cut off very thin slices of prosciutto and put them on a plate with melon balls.  I’m not sure I would order it again except that I would like to see him with the process again.  After dinner we walked along the beach and met a man named Crecencio who worked at a neighboring restaurant. He called to us and asked if we wanted to have a beer.  First Bruce told him that we couldn’t have one because we were too young – to this Crecencio just laughed – I can’t imagine why.   Then he asked why we didn’t drink and Bruce told him who we are and what we are doing, also explaining that the young men he sees with white shirts and ties belong to us.  Oh yes he had seen them.   We said goodbye and went to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean (so clear and warm) and to stroll along a path beside the water for a little ways.  We turned around to make our way back to the hotel and make the hike back up the hill to our room.  We passed by the little restaurant again and Crecencio called to Bruce to come over.  He asked how he could get a copy of the “Mormon Bible.”  Bruce got his information and Crecencio said he would like to have the missionaries come by to talk to him.  When we got back to our room Bruce called the local missionaries and asked them to bring us a Book of Mormon.  They delivered one to us and Bruce took it right down to Crecencio.  He asked if it would cost anything and Bruce told him no, just his time to read it.  He also promised this great man that if he would read it with a sincere desire that he would come to know it was true. 

During the interviews, one missionary told me about his grandfather, who was hanged from a tree because he would not deny his testimony of the Savior.  When the men that hanged him came back the next morning, they found him alive and were so amazed they let him go.  This elder told me he was trying to be as valiant as his grandfather had been.

After 5 hours of interviews that morning (and a lunch of Fritos and cookies that we bought at an Oxxo – which is like a 7-Eleven store in the US) we made our way back to Acapulco.  Darn that GPS system, we unknowingly drove right through the most dangerous part of the city and were stopped by the police.  Fortunately they only asked me to roll down my window and the policeman just looked inside the minivan.  Maybe we looked dangerous because we were a couple of old people wearing sunglasses, which most Mexicans don’t do.  We did see many cars stopped by the side of the road being completely searched by the police (we’re talking about seats taken out of the car as well as everything from the trunks).  Note to self – go the long way because it is safer even if it takes a little longer.

On Wednesday in between interviews in Acapulco and Costa Azul, we had one hour to grab something to eat.  It is very difficult to find parking on the main street that goes along the beach in Acapulco and there were people everywhere as vacations began this week so we stopped in front of the first restaurant we recognized and thought we could get in and out of quickly; namely The Hard Rock Café.  There were no other people in the restaurant – no one who would get up that early (1pm) to eat a meal when you stay up all night like they do when they are on vacation.  I ate a club salad with blue cheese dressing and Bruce had a pull pork sandwich with BBQ sauce and fries – we never enjoyed a meal so much.  I just wanted you all to know we weren’t “clubbing” while we are here in Acapulco, trying to get something to eat that did not come in a bag or a can.

Something happened that has never happened before (even at home).  We had interviews in the morning on Thursday and then went to the mall (in search of a new watch battery for Bruce’s watch) to the food court to grab lunch.  Bruce got a phone call and left the table for a minute to take it.  A man came over to the table and began to talk to me in Spanish – kind of an older man.  He leaned very close to me (something the Mexican people do a lot) and I completely freaked out, but when he wanted to shake my hand I figured he was a member of the church and saw my badge.  He then sat down in the chair where Bruce had been and I thought – oh no!  Bruce must have seen the horrified look on my face (which I was trying so hard to hide from the man at my table) and came back over.  He turned out to be a member of our ward in Palmas that I had not been introduced to last Sunday.  He is a doctor and does all of the missionary physicals.  He said that he and his wife wanted to eat with us so they brought their meals over and we all sat down.  I had some really good little tacos that came with some Mexican soup/beans.  I did not eat mine so as we started to get up to leave he asked if I was going to eat them, and if not could he have them.  That’s never happened before but that wasn’t the weirdest thing.  His wife had excused herself to go and get some ice cream cones and when she got back she handed the brother his.  He looked at me, smiled and said that I could sample his and have the first bite as he stuck his ice cream towards me to take a lick. Are you kidding me?  I have never been so grateful for a FIRST lick of an ice cream cone, not the second or the third, and I’m not sure what I would have done had he been the one to have the first taste.

Yesterday we spoke at a multi-stake youth conference at a beautiful park/garden/zoo here in Cuernavaca.  The youth sat on cement steps and we were on a stage with a river in between.  They had been playing before we got there and they were hungry so they weren’t exactly attentive but we did our best to be entertaining.  The Assistants came with us and they each took a few minutes and then I talked just briefly (I used all the Spanish I know so it was brief) and then Bruce took over.  He spoke for a few minutes and decided to end early because the park train (yes a real train with an engine and cars full of screaming kids) came passing right in front of the stage.  It was crazy.

Here we are standing on the stage before the conference began.  The park was truly incredible, with flowers and beautiful green plants adorning the sidewalks.

We went to Mexico City today(Sunday) to take one of our missionaries to the airport.  He had gotten really sick and needed to go home for treatment.  Bruce worked on getting all the things worked out from 11pm last night until about 1am, and we picked up our elder this morning and got him on his way.  We found our way to the airport – oh we had heard about bad traffic in Mexico City but we didn’t really know how bad it was until we got into the city – and met a man from the legal department in Mexico who had been able to get the proper papers.  Bruce called the travel department at midnight and got someone, no problem.  We had been told that the Church can make things like happen and believe you me we saw them in action. 

So just a recap of the first two weeks – 27 hours of interviews, 5 multi-zone conferences, 3 emergency transfers, 2 sick missionaries sent home on emergency leaves, one missionary taken to the hospital with heart problems, a dinner with the Stake Presidents in the Mission, 2 trips to Acapulco, 1 trip to Guacamyas, 3 trips to Cuautla, 4 meals at home that did not consist of peanut butter sandwiches, countless hours wishing the GPS lady could get her directions correct so we didn’t get lost, somewhere around 50 sick missionaries to give medical advice to, passing through so many tolls booths on the Quota Road that I have lost count, about a zillion mosquito bites, and many, many very choice blessings and wonderful experiences with our outstanding missionaries.