Dec 4-10, 2017 Kekchi sealings, dry socket, temple sewing, Zone Conference, Zeballos conversion, Escuintla Stake Conference

One of the 10 families sealed over two days. (Photo by Temple President Norman.)

Temple joyfully speaks Kekchi

Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 were busy days at the Guatemala City Temple with ten couples sealed together for eternity, in the Mayan language of Kekchi (also spelled “Q’eqchi”). 

Seven couples came from the Senahu Stake, traveling many hours.  With these couples were 22 children. Many other saints came with them to participate in the sacred experience. The sealers spoke in Spanish and then Stake President Cuz, read the ordinance in Kekchi. 

These were not the first Senahu families sealed together for eternity. There have been others before them. And there will be many more to come. 

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve organized the Kekchi language stake in June, the first of its kind. A second such stake is in the making in Chulac. 

The Senahu Stake Presidency... L to R: 1st Counselor Bol, Temple President Norman, President Cuz, and 2nd Counselor Coy. On Dec. 2-3, they held their first stake conference since becoming a stake, 

The Chulac District produced three families to receive their endowments and sealings. These were the first members from the Coralpec branch to be endowed.  All the ordinances were performed in Kekchi for these saints.  Temple Pres. Norman had to scramble to find enough Kekchi speaking workers. Larry and Babette were not among them. Larry, however, wishes to learn Kekchi, so Pres. Norman doesn’t have to scramble quite as much. 

Sorry... more dental news

Let’s learn about DRY SOCKET!!!!

Larry had a tooth pulled. It was not a particularly enjoyable experience. The pain was supposed to go away after a day or two. The pain did not go away, but instead increased, to an intolerable level. Larry was suffering from a condition called dry socket, or alveolar osteitis. That is what Dr. Jergensen determined about Larry, whom he summoned to the clinic immediately, on his Monday day off. 

Dr. Jergensen did not prescribe antibiotics to fight any infection that might have in there. But Babette urged Larry to continue using the penicillin that he had already purchased

More sewing for the temple

The clothing department wanted all the new envelopes (for ceremonial clothing) to be shortened by an inch so they could fit on the limited shelf space they have. Babette altered 120, mostly women’s lacy version. 

“Muestra” means “example” or “sample.”

When Babette finished the envelopes, the temple rewarded her with 38 pants to shorten....

Area Zone Conference

for senior missionaries from North America

The quarterly zone conference for senior missionaries from North America featured as speaker Jorge Zeballos, a General Authority Seventy who serves as first counselor in the Central America Area of the Church. His wife, Carmen, also spoke. 

We were supposed to be able to use the temple van which will hold all of us, but when we got to the temple parking lot, it was gone; some worker had forgotten that Pres Norman had reserved it, and taken it to pick up something. So, Pres Norman had to scramble to find another van and we ended up going in two cars and a van, and arriving a half hour late, much to his dismay. 

Elder Zeballos related his conversion to the Gospel, and other events in his life, which, to Larry and Babette, seemed divinely orchestrated in order to produce a strong leader for the area. 

It's been some four decades since Elder Zeballos was counted among the Church's "new converts." From the beginning, he's been the beneficiary of faithful friends, wise priesthood leaders who recognized his vast spiritual potential, and a love for gospel learning. 

"My friends were found at Church — and I had leaders who had the confidence in me to give me a responsibility, despite my young age," said Elder Zeballos, who was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 2008. He was also blessed to have strong teachers who taught him the gospel. 

It was young Jorge Zeballos' inquisitive mind that drew him to the Church. A native of the small community of Ovalle, Chile, Jorge was 12 years old when he spotted four missionaries who had recently been assigned to his hometown. 

"I saw them pass by on the street and I thought, 'Who are these young men?"' Elder Zeballos told the Church News. "I was very intrigued. I wondered who these four North Americans were." 

A short time later, he came across an interview with those same missionaries published in the local newspaper. That story marked the first time the future General Authority would hear the story of the First Vision. He was curious about the message that these unusual North Americans were so anxious to share. He wanted to learn more. 

A lifelong basketball fan, Jorge was also fascinated to learn that the four missionaries, along with a local Church member, had entered a local hoops tournament under the moniker "The Mormon 5." The makeshift team would go on to win the competition. 

"I don't know if they were really that good, but to us they were stars," Elder Zeballos said, laughing. 

Many of his questions about the ball-playing missionaries were answered by a friend at school who had joined the Church. Jorge innocently asked his friend if he, too, would be allowed to attend Mutual and Sunday Church service. The friend, of course, said he was always welcome. 

Twelve-year-old Jorge attended the tiny Ovalle branch ("there were maybe 15 members attending") for six months before he was baptized. He has not forgotten the moment when his father, Alberto Zeballos, gave his son permission to be baptized and become the first member of his family to join the Church. 

"My father told me, 'Son, I have seen that every Sunday you rise early in the morning, put on your best clothes and go to Church'," Elder Zeballos recalled with misty eyes. "'You have shown much faith. If you take responsibility for your decision, I will authorize your baptism."'

Before beginning a subsequent call to service in the Chile Concepción Mission, Jorge met his future wife, Carmen Gloria Valenzuela. Carmen lived in a nearby community and the two attended Santa Maria University in Valparaiso, Chile. They became good friends. 

Carmen Gloria studied the gospel and learned more about the Church that had blessed the life of her friend Jorge. She was touched by the things she learned and was anxious to become a member. She eagerly accepted the missionaries' baptismal invitation. 

"I baptized (Carmen) — she was my first baptism," Elder Zeballos said, taking his wife's hand. 

Seven months after returning from the mission field, Elder and Sister Zeballos were married on June, 26, 1982. The Santiago Chile Temple was under construction, so the couple traveled to Brazil to be sealed. Times were tough in Chile. The nation's economy was in free fall even as unemployment rates rose to about 30 percent. They could afford only one-way flights to São Paulo. The return trip home would require several days by bus. 

"We started poor, with nothing . . . but we had much faith," Elder Zeballos said. 

Sister Zeballos added she and her husband have long taken comfort in the Savior's words found in Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 

When the newlyweds completed their long journey from Brazil, Elder Zeballos was welcomed home by an attractive job offer in engineering. His career in the Chilean mining industry was later interrupted by a stop at Brigham Young University to earn an MBA. 

"Mining can be a tough industry," admitted Elder Zeballos. But the rough-edge crowd that can typify the trade always showed respect for the Zeballos' gospel belief. He would be named the manager of corporate affairs for Minera Escondida Limitada, which was at that point the biggest copper-producing mine in the world. 

A nice Sunday drive...

Temple President John Norman invited Larry and Babette to accompany him and his wife Christine to a stake conference he was to address. We were along only for the ride. Our first of this kind. 

We jumped at the chance because it afforded us the opportunity to see another area of Guatemala. It was only an hour away, but we passed through our first mountainous area, between two volcanos. Escuintla is at a lower elevation than Guatemala City and was much warmer. The Normans speak almost every weekend at one stake conference or another, as there are 31 stakes and 11 districts in our temple district. 

We were impressed with the conference. Attendance was huge. The speakers were first class: a General Authority Seventy, the Mission President, and the Temple President, and, of course, their wives. The spirit was strong and the messages were uplifting and encouraging. They spoke of supporting the Stake President, doing missionary work, blessings of attending the temple, and keeping the Sabbath day holy.

The choir was pretty lame by our standards, but enthusiastic, We could tell they had worked very hard on their numbers. Not always on pitch, but they sang with gusto.