April 23-29, 2018 doorbell, spa, Chulac group at temple, rude noise

I worked on my blog. Babette got a sunburn at the spa,

A giant step forward

One of the families from the Buena Vista Branch of the Chulac District. 

An “incredible” week at the Temple

“April 16th through April 22nd ... was an incredible week” began the Guatemala City Temple president in his weekly blog to family and friends, speaking about visitors from Chulac District. 

My only interaction with them was at the recommend desk. My heart, however, soared like a hawk as I followed their progress. I’ll let President John Norman tell the story since he was with them nearly every step of the way....

Tuesday a group of saints arrived about noon from the Chulac district in the Polochic Valley.  President Faundez and his wife, from the Coban Mission, also arrived to accompany them and  stayed with us.  In this group were 7 families to be sealed.  We were on shift in the afternoon and we started processing all the paper work for the 7 families.  There were 13 of the 14 parents that needed to receive their endowment and there were 17 children to be sealed to their parents.  We finished at 9:00pm, but we got the paper work for the 13 own endowments done in time for them to go to the distribution center and buy their garments.  

Wednesday we were not on shift, but I went over to help with the group from Chulac.  We had called in a number of Kekchi speaking sisters to help.  I gathered up 3 couples and got them into the temple just after 7:00am.  I spent the next 2 hours getting the rest of the couples and the children where they needed to be.  The session for all of them started about 10:30am and we started the sealings about 12:30pm.  We finished up and got pictures taken by 2:30pm.  This was all done in Kekchi as none of the sisters spoke or understood Spanish.  As I sat in the sealing room, watching each couple be sealed and then their children come in and be sealed, I was overcome with the love our Father in Heaven has for His children.  Watching these families have a great big family hug after being sealed as an eternal family, with tears streaming down their cheeks, was so touching.  They understood what was happening and the Spirit was so powerful.  They were the first 5 families to receive their endowments and be sealed together from the Searanx branch.  They meet in a bamboo chapel with a metal roof 45 minutes on a dirt road from the chapel where the district conference will be held this weekend.  Their story is incredible.  I will share it with you when I get to Sunday. 

They all had lunch and then returned to the temple for another session.  The district president and his family also stayed with us and he asked for an early morning session Thursday so they could get on the road as soon as possible.  They will have an 8 to 10 hour return trip.  

Thursday I asked two of our missionary couples to meet me at 5:30am so we could have a session for our Chulac saints at 6:00am.  We had a session and they were on the road home by 10:00am.  Even though I can’t communicate with most of these saints, I can love them and when they smile at me my heart melts. 

At about 9 pm Friday night, inside the 

temple, we began hearing firecrackers.

It sounded like they were being set off

just outside the front door.  When people 

opened the door, the sound was deafening. 

I went out to investigate. I saw aerial

fireworks coming from about where the

Tacontento taco restaurant strip mall is 

located, but at the 3 Calle end. The noise

went on for about 10 minutes. “Shhhh!

The temple is the House of the Lord and

Is to be reverent! The next day, Babette

and I, on our walk, saw hundreds and 

hundreds of firecracker wrappers on the

sidewalk in front of the Catholic girls 

school, about two blocks from the temple

(see photo). 

I’m getting better with each portrait I attempt.

My teacher thinks I’m making remarkable

progress.