We had our first Christmas in a tropical climate! It was definately quiet in our little casita but not so outside! Fireworks had been going off since the week before Christmas. There is one area where booths are set up selling fireworks and this is a serious business! Christmas Eve is big day here to celebrate the holiday with fireworks, presents, church for some and then dinner around midnight or after. We had fireworks going until after midnight. Serious bomb things than shook the windows!
We attended a potluck dinner at an American's home. There were 4 families. They have between them 7 kids under age 13. So it was really fun. We had a great ham from Costco in the states! One of the guys had brought it home in a carry-0n from his last business trip!
On Christmas day Jim and I drove to the beach. It's about 30 miles from here. We didn't get "on" the beach. We were more or less sight-seeing. We weren't sure where to go or where to park sooooo next time. Besides, by noon the whole country was coming to the beach-so we went home!
We have some veggies coming up in some boxes of dirt in the yard. We are so excited to have nice weather all the time! It's endless summer down here to us! Even though we are North of the equator they call this summer right now and it's their "cool" season. Winter starts in May.
We've had several missionary activites keeping us busy and several ward activities for the holidays. We had a Christmas dinner at church. For la cena we had turkey, tamalies, rice (always), potatoe salad (always), rolls and cake. It started at 6:30 but didn't get going until around 8:00 and we didn't eat until around 9 pm. This is dinner time. Jim and I are ready for bed by 9:00 so we're going to have to change our schedule!
Last weekend Jim and I made cookies for the Christmas goodie bags for the missionaries. We made about 900. 14 batches. We made them over two days and put them in the freezer. It was fun! We made Grandma Fenn's Ranger cookies. They are Jim's specialty.
On the 23rd we had a Christmas dinner with all the missionaries in the El Salvador West Mission. There are about 154. There's 20 more in Belize.
It was amazing to have that many young people in one group. They are so great. We just love them!
There is progress on the temple project! Yeah! They've been moving dirt and trees for a week now. There's a gate and new security guards (with uniforms) and several pieces of very large equipment, surveyors and lots of activity. It's exciting to see something finally happening. Jim attended 3 meetings last week (all in Spanish) at the architect's office. I have been working on photos of the site.
And so it begins!!
Other than that, we've been making trips around the city to learn the roads and how to get places. It's crazy to drive here. The roads are crazy. There seems to be no order. At least there's none to me now. Maybe in a few months.....
This is a journal of our experiences as missionaries in El Salvador assisting with the construction of their Temple.
The view of San Salvador and our project.
Taken from our local architect's home. The Temple is 1 inch to the right of the tall apartment building in the center of the photo. Look for the orange tower structure.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Santa Ana
We got a car this week and moved into our casita! Yeah progress!! Poco a poco. It is quite an experience to drive in San Salvador. Really confusing if you miss an exit. It's a small compact city with millions of people and absolutely no grid. A mass of tangled roads.
There are driving laws, but no one obeys them!! You certainly don't wait for any pedestrians! And the buses rule. Don't get in their way. They'll run right into you and keep on going! It's survival of the most daring!
On the 4th we attended meetings for the signing of the contract with the architects, contractors and the manager of the Central de Servicio for the church.
On the weekend we attended conferences in Santa Ana. It's about 45 miles away. It's a beautiful area with a colonial look. This stake is the strongest in Central America. (According to the Area Prez, Elder Clark) We had two conferences back to back in which we spoke in both.....scary. The hardest is trying to stay awake when I understand so little of what's being said!
But everyone is so warm and friendly. They love us because we are here to help build their temple!
We noticed today driving by the site that an excavator had been moved in. We were there early this morning visiting with the "guards" and the landscape expert. They have preserved many of the trees and bushes to preplant later when the buildings are completed. They have many baby trees growing to plant later too. People were trying to steal the baby trees! Coffee trees grow wild and are plentiful. We picked some coffee beans this morning. Jim was given a hunk of wood from a Balsamo tree; a very dense hard wood, so he can have James turn a bowl.
There are driving laws, but no one obeys them!! You certainly don't wait for any pedestrians! And the buses rule. Don't get in their way. They'll run right into you and keep on going! It's survival of the most daring!
On the 4th we attended meetings for the signing of the contract with the architects, contractors and the manager of the Central de Servicio for the church.
On the weekend we attended conferences in Santa Ana. It's about 45 miles away. It's a beautiful area with a colonial look. This stake is the strongest in Central America. (According to the Area Prez, Elder Clark) We had two conferences back to back in which we spoke in both.....scary. The hardest is trying to stay awake when I understand so little of what's being said!
But everyone is so warm and friendly. They love us because we are here to help build their temple!
We noticed today driving by the site that an excavator had been moved in. We were there early this morning visiting with the "guards" and the landscape expert. They have preserved many of the trees and bushes to preplant later when the buildings are completed. They have many baby trees growing to plant later too. People were trying to steal the baby trees! Coffee trees grow wild and are plentiful. We picked some coffee beans this morning. Jim was given a hunk of wood from a Balsamo tree; a very dense hard wood, so he can have James turn a bowl.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Juayua
We have had some amazing experience this past week! Last Sunday we went to Juayua Stake Conferences. Juayua is in the mountains and is a favorite spot for locals and tourists to vacation. We were told to bring sweaters and jackets because it was muy frio! (Not) The drive up there has beautiful vistas of forests, volcanoes and plantations. There are many flowering trees and bushes. We ate lunch at a popular resturant.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Getting to know the Mission
We had meetings with new missionaries today. They arrived yesterday on the same flight overnight that we did! The meetings today were an orientation. They were from 9-2:30.
We went over rules for food, security, finances, how to use time wisely and setting goals. I'll have to type in some of the secuity issues! We've already broken some rules! The Elders and Hermanas were paired up with a trainer and away they went on two buses; first to buy some comida and then to their areas. There were 16 American Elders. It was so fun to talk to them and get to know them. Some of their Spanish is not not any better than Pattee's!
I have learned a lot in the 8 days since we arrived. Jim is doing great! Everyone comments on how well his Spanish is.
We met an American member who invited us to dinner tonight!! And tomorrow we have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner with an American group of members and some American Elders! Who'd have thunk?
One family works at the embassy, one in mining, one is building a coal fired power plant, one is in outsourcing, one works in marketing with an airline, and one is private company working with state police. That's the great thing about the church, where ever you go you have instant friends!
When we met our Bishop, he told us "no worries" there's lots of Americans in our ward. It's called the Campestre Barrio.
Our biggest concern this week is getting money transferred here so we can pay rent and buy a car. (We'll have to explain the used car issues down here....) We have to have a car for security purposes. There's not much public transportation in the areas where we will live or the project. And it's too far to walk to the site from our casita. And we wouldn't want to be walking in the dark either, ever.
Because of Thanksgiving the transfer of funds has been delayed.
But poco a poco. Little by little!
November 22, 2008
We went to the Sononate Stake for their Stake Conference meetings and to attend 32 baptisms from that zone. There are 20 missioneros in that area. (a handful of American young men) We also were able to witness a marriage of a family who will be getting baptized later this week.
The next morning we went back for the Sunday meetings. Jim and I both spoke!! Can you beleive that? They don't mess around! The Mission President said, "And now it begins....."
I wrote my short little message and testimony out so I could read it. Jim, thankfully, corrected for me. We actually spoke twice that day as their conference was split because of numbers. We were the only gringos. Everyone was overwhelmingly kind and gracious. We are like celebrities because we are Americans here helping to build their temple!
We went over rules for food, security, finances, how to use time wisely and setting goals. I'll have to type in some of the secuity issues! We've already broken some rules! The Elders and Hermanas were paired up with a trainer and away they went on two buses; first to buy some comida and then to their areas. There were 16 American Elders. It was so fun to talk to them and get to know them. Some of their Spanish is not not any better than Pattee's!
I have learned a lot in the 8 days since we arrived. Jim is doing great! Everyone comments on how well his Spanish is.
We met an American member who invited us to dinner tonight!! And tomorrow we have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner with an American group of members and some American Elders! Who'd have thunk?
One family works at the embassy, one in mining, one is building a coal fired power plant, one is in outsourcing, one works in marketing with an airline, and one is private company working with state police. That's the great thing about the church, where ever you go you have instant friends!
When we met our Bishop, he told us "no worries" there's lots of Americans in our ward. It's called the Campestre Barrio.
Our biggest concern this week is getting money transferred here so we can pay rent and buy a car. (We'll have to explain the used car issues down here....) We have to have a car for security purposes. There's not much public transportation in the areas where we will live or the project. And it's too far to walk to the site from our casita. And we wouldn't want to be walking in the dark either, ever.
Because of Thanksgiving the transfer of funds has been delayed.
But poco a poco. Little by little!
November 22, 2008
We went to the Sononate Stake for their Stake Conference meetings and to attend 32 baptisms from that zone. There are 20 missioneros in that area. (a handful of American young men) We also were able to witness a marriage of a family who will be getting baptized later this week.
The next morning we went back for the Sunday meetings. Jim and I both spoke!! Can you beleive that? They don't mess around! The Mission President said, "And now it begins....."
I wrote my short little message and testimony out so I could read it. Jim, thankfully, corrected for me. We actually spoke twice that day as their conference was split because of numbers. We were the only gringos. Everyone was overwhelmingly kind and gracious. We are like celebrities because we are Americans here helping to build their temple!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Arrive in El Salvador!
We are creating this blog for our friends and family who may be interested in our experience of serving a 2 year mission in San Salvador. We are missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Our primary service here is to assist in the construction of the San Salvador temple.
A little bit of backtracking to get caught up-
November 17, 2008
We arrived in San Salvador at around 7:00 in the morning, having left L.A. at about 2:00 AM. The plane was full. We had managed around 2-3 hours of sleep.
Going through customs was very easy. We were the only gringos on the plane! We stuck out like sore thumbs in Jim's suit and my skirt. (That's the idea!) We were the only ones in the line for "foriegners". President and Sister Lopez picked us up. President Logez is the mission president for the El Salvador San Salvador West/Belize Mission. We emailed him and asked him if we could stay with them until we found a place to live. We have a very comfortable room with wireless Internet, and the food is plentiful-too much and too yummy! We are being emersed in the world of missionaries and the organization of 180 young men and women in two countries! It is so fun!!
The first day here we napped and then experienced Price Smart. Central America's Costco! It was the same, but different!! We also shopped at a local market and they had everything we'd ever want or need. We noticed prices were about the same except for fruits and vegetables; they are cheaper.
November 18-20, 2008
These days were filled with meetings with architects and contractors from Utah and El Salvador and the project manager from the church. Most meetings were in Spanish but the last meeting was in English. It was very nice of them to speak in English!! Jim really enjoyed these meetings.
The architect/construction manager in San Salvador has been especially helpful to us. He gave us a temporary phone to use with prepaid minutes and some people in his office took us around to look at apartments. They have said if we need anything to just call them. The architects and constractors are a very respected firms here in San Salvador. It is an honor to work with them.
We also went to the temple site and walked around. It is hard to envision 3 construction projects going on at the same time on the same site! There will be the temple, a chapel and a 7 plex apartment/office building.
We found a perfect casita to rent yesterday. As soon as I walked in, I knew this was where I wanted to live! We had viewed apartments in highrises but they didn't feel as comfortable to us as a little "townhouse" . Us "country bumpkins" feel much better on ground level....
A little bit of backtracking to get caught up-
November 17, 2008
We arrived in San Salvador at around 7:00 in the morning, having left L.A. at about 2:00 AM. The plane was full. We had managed around 2-3 hours of sleep.
Going through customs was very easy. We were the only gringos on the plane! We stuck out like sore thumbs in Jim's suit and my skirt. (That's the idea!) We were the only ones in the line for "foriegners". President and Sister Lopez picked us up. President Logez is the mission president for the El Salvador San Salvador West/Belize Mission. We emailed him and asked him if we could stay with them until we found a place to live. We have a very comfortable room with wireless Internet, and the food is plentiful-too much and too yummy! We are being emersed in the world of missionaries and the organization of 180 young men and women in two countries! It is so fun!!
The first day here we napped and then experienced Price Smart. Central America's Costco! It was the same, but different!! We also shopped at a local market and they had everything we'd ever want or need. We noticed prices were about the same except for fruits and vegetables; they are cheaper.
November 18-20, 2008
These days were filled with meetings with architects and contractors from Utah and El Salvador and the project manager from the church. Most meetings were in Spanish but the last meeting was in English. It was very nice of them to speak in English!! Jim really enjoyed these meetings.
The architect/construction manager in San Salvador has been especially helpful to us. He gave us a temporary phone to use with prepaid minutes and some people in his office took us around to look at apartments. They have said if we need anything to just call them. The architects and constractors are a very respected firms here in San Salvador. It is an honor to work with them.
We also went to the temple site and walked around. It is hard to envision 3 construction projects going on at the same time on the same site! There will be the temple, a chapel and a 7 plex apartment/office building.
We found a perfect casita to rent yesterday. As soon as I walked in, I knew this was where I wanted to live! We had viewed apartments in highrises but they didn't feel as comfortable to us as a little "townhouse" . Us "country bumpkins" feel much better on ground level....
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Elder and Hermana Fenn
10 Nov 2008 MTC
Self portrait
On site with our "cascos" on. Mine is pink.
Our Backyard
We chose the casita for the garden