Past the mid-point!

We have hit the ½ way point of our mission.  Time is moving along. We have enjoyed the work in Self-Reliance and the success of many members is inspiring.  Brother Davis who was visiting last week from SLC reminded us that Self-Reliance is “the way for members to live the gospel in real and practical ways.”  The groups that meet to learn how to grow their business, get a job or get a better education are just tools to help them.  The real blessings come when they exercise faith, are obedient, and preserve to the gospel truths. This initiative to help the members and non-members (we have had several graduate from groups) create good habits will help them temporally but, more important, spiritually.  People of all ages are improving their lives.  That is what is giving us the most joy in this service.

A few Saturdays ago, we visited the ruins of Tula, just about an hour outside Mexico City.  We went with the Stevens and met up with 3 other couples (they are Mission Presidents in Mexico City).  They are relatively small ruins and have the big tall columns, which you have probably seen in pictures.  The tall columns are on top of one of the pyramids, but were originally found down in the main plaza, a sort of “gathering place” at the foot of the temples/pyramids. These ruins are from about 700 AD – 1150 AD when Tula was the capital of the Toltec Empire during its most active period.  It was a nice little flat walk from the parking lot to the ruins, so it was doable.  We even climbed up the pyramids, which aren’t too tall, just quite steep.  Craig needed assistance, of course, but we have good friends who are always willing to provide that.assistance. Here is a little trivia for you from what we have learned so far in Mexico as we have visited several ruins with pyramids. In Mexico they were built, sometimes generation building on top of generation, as places of worship (in the flat areas on top). None are of the size of the pyramids in Egypt, at all, and of course, the Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs. 

Speaking of temples, only this time modern one, the Mexico City Mormon temple renovations have been completed and so this past weekend we attended the open house, which is still on-going. It was a nice experience.  We had our taxi driver with us and he was very interested, so we took him on the tour with us. At the end, he filled out an investigator card and will listen to the message of the missionaries, who will call him.  He wants to take his family to see it.  Mid-September is the rededication of the temple. After that we will be able to attend once in a while.  It is at least an hour drive from where we live and serve, sometimes more depending on traffic (which is the 2^nd worse in the world in Mexico City, according to Forbes), so we will have to plan trips to go. Being out at night isn’t what we want to be doing very often, so we will likely plan to attend the temple on a day when we can do it in the afternoon instead of being at the office. It makes us think about how close St. George Temple is to our house (2 miles), which is so convenient when we are back home. 

Now today, Saturday, August 29, 2015. This morning, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, who is here in Mexico doing several things, at present, presided at a grand meeting of all the missionaries in the Mexico City West Mission, which is the mission we technically are part of. It was at one of the Stake Centers that are in the mission. So, we were invited to be there with all the Elder and Sister missionaries. It was a very nice experience, which started with taking a picture of us all, using the stage in the recreation room and floor in front of it. That picture will come later, as we do not as yet have the copy. Then we all met in the chapel for a spiritual meeting. It was a special experience and one we enjoyed greatly. I am certain the young missionaries will never forget it. Several leaders and their wives briefly spoke, then Elder Christofferson. He was pretty informal, said a few humorous things, and also had a question and answer session for a bit. He left a very nice spirit with all, and bore a strong testimony of the Savior and that he leads the church “actively”, in his words. Oh, between the photo and the beginning of the meeting, we all the chance to file past and meet Elder Christofferson and his wife. Both of them speak Spanish. She was on a mission somewhere in Mexico and he was a missionary in Argentina, then later when he was a Seventy, they were here in Mexico as an Area President. This was something like 20 years ago, apparently. Anyway, both of them being able to speak in Spanish was a great thing for the missionaries, we think. No translators were needed, which is always nice.

We appreciate all of you for all your prayers and support. Miss you all!  Craig and Bonnie

At Temple exit with our driver friend after Open House tour.

 

The next 5 photos are at Tula.

This photo is of the three Mission Presidents and their wives.

 

 Bonnie on the Plaza

 

 Craig on the Plaza in front of a pyramid.

 

 On top of the main Pyramid with huge monoliths behind

 

 

 The plaza from on top of Main Pyramid.

 

Tuxla Guiterrez

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Tuxla Gutierrez in southern Mexico. We were sent there to visit an NGO named “Cause for Hope” which has an office there. Cause for Hope is financed and operated by a group of members of the church who live in Utah. Their purpose is to work in a few poor countries in Latin America to help enable people to become more self-reliant, but they focus heavily on developing and using savings by the people they work with. So they share a similar principle of helping people that the Church’s Self-Reliance Initiative has. They have offered to help mentor the members who are taking the church’s self-reliance classes. They are able to give more one-on-one service to the members who need it. So, our Area Manager decided to do a pilot trial, working in conjunction with Cause for Hope in a few stakes in Tuxtla Gtz.  It is a poor area that needs a lot of assistance. We have been given the assignment to monitor the pilot and see how it works, and how we could adapt Cause for Hope’s mentoring style with members in the self-reliance work.

We were able to visit with the employees of Cause for Hope (from now on only CFH) and with some of the members that they were working with to see how they are approaching this pilot program. We visited some members following a group meeting and some others in their homes. Some of the situations were very humble, and we sincerely hope that the pilot is successful and will ultimately help elevate their life circumstances.

We were grateful for this opportunity to meet with the church members in that part of Mexico and we hope to be able to go and visit them in the near future as we continue to monitor the program. It will be such a blessing for these members when they feel they don’t have to worry about whether they will even be able to eat tomorrow! To some there, this is a real concern!  When that is not a preoccupation for them, then they will be better able to help others and serve the Lord.

Tuxla Guiterrez is an area of Mexico with a large indigenous population, so we were excited to go work there and see that part of Mexico. It is generally quite hot there, but when we were there it was overcast the entire time, so we lucked out on not having too much heat. Besides doing the work that we were sent there to do, we were able to visit some of the interesting natural sites in that area, and some local rural communities. We visited the Sumidero Canyon, which was quite amazing. It is a huge, very deep canyon, with a river running through the bottom. We didn’t go down to the water, but viewed it from the look-out sites above. The sides of the canyon are so steep it is amazing, solid rock faces for what must be several thousand feet. We will be putting up a picture or two so you can see what we mean.  You can take a “launch” and travel down the river. We didn’t have time, nor does Bonnie really want to because there are alligators in the river. Definitely NOT Bonnie’s idea of fun, if faced with one of those creatures! We were also were able to visit a very famous small town named San Cristobal. It is an indigenous community whose inhabitants are more like Guatemala than northern Mexico. The women wear skirts made from black goat skin. It is like they just skin the goat and make a skirt, nothing refined. They had a lot of embroidered fabrics in bright colors that are used as tops, however, so it is a very colorful place. So, we had a great time. We worked hard but enjoyed the opportunity tremendously. The Self-reliance Manager for that region, Elder Jose Luis Isaguirre provided our transportation and was our guide, as well. On the trip to San Cristobal, two of his sons even came along. We had a good day, ate pizza and shopped a little besides enjoying the ambiance of the village. We had a good chat with the boys, who liked to practice their English, though they know very little!  By the way, the pizza we got that day, our treat, was amazing! Made in a real wood-fired oven. Delicious!

We stayed in a Marriott Hotel in Tuxtla Gtz. It is a nice hotel with a gym and good equipment. The rooms were comfortable, as well, with good beds. So we were happy when Elder Salinas told us he wants us to do a couple of follow up visits and really develop a mentoring program for all of Mexico and then to train the members on how to mentor. It seems now that this will be our main emphasis, or at least one emphasis, during the second half of our mission. We are looking forward to this project.

By the way, on August 3 we complete 9 months of our 18-month mission. The time is really flying by. Both of us are doing well. Our health is good, which is a wonderful blessing. We want you all to know we appreciate, and need, your continuing thoughts and prayers.  Thank you all so much. You are also in our prayers. Our fondest regards to all!

Group meeting

 

 

 Playing on their phones, even this is happening in Mexico

 

 Members we visited in their homes (next two pictures)

In front of the church at San Cristobal

 

Pizza at San Cristobal with Jose Luis and his sons.

Awesome views at Sumidero Canyon (next 2 pictures)

Area Office and Regional Managers

We would like to introduce you to the people that we work with.  They are amazing men with great ideas and are excited to help move the work of the Lord forward in Self-Reliance.  We have been sharing with you some of the stories we get from all over Mexico.  These are the men who are out in the field working with members and the stake self-reliance centers.  We are receiving their reports and compiling them.  We get the wonderful stories from what they and the service missionaries, and even volunteers, send us.

Meet Elder Netzahualcóyotl Salinas, he is the Mexico Area Self-Reliance Manager.  He is amazing.  He inspires everyone to do their best work and encourages them in every aspect, even when they are feeling overwhelmed with everything may be working against them.  He is also an Area Seventy here in Mexico.

Meet Esteban Vasquez, who is the Area Operations Manager for Self-Reliance. Only Netza and he are in the Area Office. Esteban is an Excel genius.  He can do anything with Excel and has written Excel spreadsheets for about everything that self-reliance does.  We work a lot with him, especially Bonnie, in her tasks. She helps manage his many spreadsheets.

 

All of the following brethren are Regional Self-Reliance Managers:

Meet Juan Gabriel Cardenas manager in Cuidad Juarez.  He is a tall quiet person, and a past mission president. Though he is quiet, when he says anything it is usually very well thought out.

Meet Edgar Flores manager in Cuernavaca.  He is a very spiritual man and manages a lot of stakes, which of course keeps him busy because he has to travel a lot, even in dangerous places.  He has an amazing voice, and at one point in his life, worked in radio broadcasting. Everyone admires that voice of his!

Meet Sergio Nieto, manager in Oaxaca. He lived in the states for several years and has very good English.  He is helping write a history of Self-Reliance in Mexico for the webpage that we have been developing. His wife is an American from Utah.

Meet Marco Antonio Varela, manager of the Moctezuma district.  He is a very nice guy and was asked to show us around when we first came.  He also had been swamped with work, but they just divided his district.  He has an amazing singing voice, and serenaded all of us at the seminar we had in January.

Meet Francisco Zapata, manager of the Monterrey East region.  He also has a huge region, with 21 stakes and districts, and is very busy trying to keep up with all this, and keep up their work in becoming Self-Reliant.  It is amazing how much territory he has to cover, as do many of the managers.

Meet Luis Jorge Topete manager of Culiacán.  He is young but very good at the job he does.  He also has a great sense of humor and is fun to have on the self-reliance team. He played the role of Captain Moroni at the January Seminary we held, and we featured it in a previous picture. His wife made the entire costume from scratch.

Meet Raul Campos, manager of Chapultepec region.  He also has a lot of stakes and districts, but the new manager is relieving him of some of those as a new region is being created from four existing ones. He has worked for the Church for 30 years and loves to talk English to us and is a Bishop in the MTC here, so he practices English a lot.  He has a sister that we have got to know that is a sweet friend.  He was one of our guides when we first got here as well, so he has become a favorite of ours.

Meet Ranulfo (Fito) Cervantes, manager in Puebla.  We recently visited him in Puebla and spend t two days visiting several CAS units and talking with service missionaries, and even one recipient of the program who is a non-member but who will soon be baptized. Fito is very good to send us photos and stories for Facebook.

Meet Karim Del Valle manager in Querétaro.  He is really smart and has headed up some committees that Craig has also worked on.  He is a Stake President, and like the other managers, very spiritual. He is also very organized and can pull up information we need at a moment’s notice, so her responds quickly to our requests, generally first.

Meet Alejandro (Alex) Olguin who manages Guadalajara region.  He is a really good guy and you can tell that he really believes in the importance of Self-Reliance.

Meet Nicolas Castañeda, Torreón regional manager.  He is on top of all that is going on in the área.  Another very organized person, and he is an Area Seventy.  He also plays the piano very well, combining talent, good organization, and spirituality.  That all makes for a good person to have on the team.  He is always giving us great stories about the success of self-reliance in his region.

Meet Alfredo Hernández manager in Tampico.  He is a very sharp and thoughtful person. Craig has dealt a lot with him on a couple of special assignments, and he always prepares great things. Alfredo has a real challenge, as many of the truly unsafe areas in Mexico are in his region. But, we have seen one thing -- that this is the Lord’s work and it moves forward despite such challenges.

Meet Celso Candia manager in Tijuana area.  The only picture we have with him is with Bonnie.  He sends us lots of great success stories and it would be fun to meet some of these wonderful people who put their faith to work. Celso covers a large territory and many remote areas where there are members. He has a wonderful sense of humor, too!

Meet Jose Luis Isaguirre in Tuxla Gutiérrez. He is fairly new to the Self-Reliance office but is really doing a super job. It took him a bit to see up to speed, but once there, he has really moved the work forward. He is an Area Seventy and a very spiritual fellow. Both of us will be going to his region the first part of July (very soon!) to evaluate an experimental activity with several stakes there, something we will tell you about in a future post!

Meet José (Pepe) Hernandez, manager of the Mérida Region. We would love to visit his area because he has all the stakes in Cancun and the whole Yucatan! Sounds good to us! He does his work quietly but has amazing stories to share of the success of Self-Reliance in his area.

Meet Javier Gomez, manager in the Veracruz Region.  He is a good guy and like all the others stays busy getting the new groups up and going.  His region was one of the first to be fully implemented with groups.  He has been very busy.

Meet Victor Esparza our newest member of the regional managers.  He speaks really good English. He is here in Mexico City where several areas have been divided.  His area is called Netzahualcóyotl.  Yes it is the same name as the first name of our Area Manager, whom we all just call Netza, for short.

 

Meet also Joel Martinez. He is the latest member of the managers' team. A new region was recently created, named Saltillo, and he was hired. Joel is new as an employee of the Church, though he has a number of years working in the private sector. He is also an Area Authority, the fourth one in this group of managers, so as you see, we work with a lot of very fine gentlemen and super human beings!

We also have two people who work solely with Perpetual Education they are Alfred DeHoyos.  He is great at organizing events and enjoys doing so.  He manages PEF in Mexcio and Sofia Cedeño, the only female employee in Self-Reliance assists him with PEF..

 

Most of the men above have been or are in leadership positions such as Stake Presidency or Bishoprics. As you may have noticed, two of the regional managers are also Area Seventies. They are all spiritual giants and great priesthood leaders.  Self-reliance is directed by the First Presidency of the church, and is a Priesthood-led initiative. Therefore it is critical that the Area and Regional managers be faithful, solid Priesthood leaders themselves.

Just one last short paragraph to again say how proud we are to be associated with this wonderful initiative. We are now really beginning to witness the fruits of the program and how it is improving the lives of members. It is truly an inspired effort and we feel lucky to be part of it in this beautiful country. Our love and best wishes to all! 

Area

Puebla

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to Puebla, which is a town about 2 hours from Mexico City.  We took the bus and it was not too bad.  We stayed for a couple of days and really enjoyed being in a smaller city with lots of old, colonial charm.  We visited the town square, called the Zocalo, which has a huge cathedral.  It is supposed to be the largest in Mexico. Believe us, it is large and has lots of wood, stone work, and numerous statues covered with gold leaf.  It was quite amazing.  We ate lunch on the square and went to the area of town that has the local arts and crafts.  Puebla is famous for its pottery, originally in blue and white, but I liked the bright colors that they use now. So, naturally, we picked up a few pieces. 

 

We also visited the fort of Loreto.  It is where the famous 5 de Mayo battle in Puebla was fought.  I guess it was a pretty awful scene with Mexicans in favor of the ruling elected government fighting both the French as well as Mexicans in favor of the monarchy who had solicited the help from France. The ruling government was overthrown and France took over the power, so that was when Maximilian came and the French were in power in Mexico for a few years. This was in the 1860’s time period.

 

WE also visited the ruins in Cholula. What is left of it is an old pyramid, and the base of the pyramid is larger than the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, though it is not as high. There are a series of tunnels that have been excavated running through this pyramid, and we walked through some of them. It was fascinating. Afterwards, we had a great lunch in a restaurant close by.

 

The most important thing and reward of the trip was visiting three different stake centers with self reliance centers and visiting with the people at those centers. We heard the stories of those who had been helped by the centers and also the stories of how the service missionaries came to serve in them. It was really a testimony that these centers are working and helping people learn to get their lives on the right track to becoming self reliant, temporally as well as spiritually. We also visited with a stake President (very young) and his wife, who has been taking, on-line, the BYU Pathway courses from BYU Idaho.  It is helping him reach his professional goals on his way to becoming self-reliant.  Here is a side-note: He told about of a reunion of his family last year.  His great-great grandmother had joined the church many years ago and they had a reunion of all her posterity, with spouses and children, of course. He showed us a picture of the group.  There were 497 people who attended the reunion! Each generation was wearing a different color T-shirt.  His generation was in navy blue and he mentioned that 90% of them are returned missionaries.  Truly, the ‘stone cut out from the mountain’ is rolling forward here in Mexico, and the church is growing at an unbelievable pace.

 

We love what we are doing and feel so blessed when we see how peoples’ lives are being blessed, as well. The Lord is ready to help those who exercise enough faith and do their part, and the rewards are innumerable.  Thank you all for your support and prayers as we continue to serve.

 

 

Here we are with Puebla Regional Self-Reliance Manager, Ranulfo Cervantes, we call him Fito.

 

 

 The Stake President in Nealtican, with his family.  The photo is of his family reunion!

 

 

 Visiting a Self-Reliance Center in Puebla.  The two sitting on the right are service missionaries in the Self-Reliance Center.

 

 

 Service missionaries in another Self-Reliance Center near Puebla. They are dedicated to serving. The Elder is 82 years old and learning to use the computers.   You are never too old to offer service.

 

A better view of the Stake Self-Reliance Center.  The centers offer registration of LDSJobs., mentoring and help in finding schools and jobs.

 

A Better You Video Blog

Dear Blog Readers! 

 

Greetings once again from Mexico City and the Andersons!  As always, we are happy to send something along to you that we hope not only informs but also edifies. This post consists of a link, which follows this brief narrative, to something that came out from the Church headquarters just this past weekend, and it is a very clear and concise explanation of the Self-Reliance Initiative in which we, as a senior missionary couple, are engaged here in Mexico. Previously, we have written bits here and there about what we do, and we will continue to do so. But, if you follow this link you will find a very nice video and also written information that will be of interest, we are sure. The video features Elder Enrique Falabella of the First Quorum of the Seventy, who is one of our initiative directors. He is from Guatemala and though he speaks English, he is not comfortable with it so the video is in Spanish with English subtitles. It is a great story from his youth. You will enjoy it. As a side note, as I prepare this short narrative for the post, just 20 minutes ago Bonnie put this same link as a post on the FaceBook page we created. It already has been seen by 163 people! This Self-Reliance Initiative is, indeed, becoming well-known and of great benefit to many souls here in this beautiful country.

 

Follow the link. Until next time -- our love to all!   

 

https://www.lds.org/church/news/our-path-to-spiritual-and-temporal-self-reliance?lang=eng&cid=email_inspiration-and-news_4-2015_img2

 

Elder & Sister Anderson (aka Craig and Bonnie!)

Some Domestic Affairs

This is another blog update from the heart of Mexico!  To start with, we want to make sure you all know that we are well. Of course, we get headaches and other aches here and there, like anyone else, but we are doing great! Truthfully, things are pretty much a routine for us by now. Sundays we have church and rest. Then during weekdays we spend the day at the office, of course. We arrive about 8:30 a.m. and are there until about 1:00 p.m., come home for some lunch for an hour and then back to the office until about 4:00 or so. Monday evenings is Family Home Evening with the other missionaries. That is held in the conference room of the Area Office at 6:30 p.m. and is always nice. We take turns giving the lessons and providing a treat. Tuesdays following work, Bonnie and I generally get a taxi and go shopping, then grab a bite to eat after we are back and then rest. Well, Bonnie generally exercises for 30 minutes or so. Oh -- and I do my exercise work outs on Tuesday early morning, the same on Thursday. Bonnie exercises most every day. And, normally on Saturdays we end up doing quite a bit of walking. Wednesday evenings Bonnie and the other sister missionaries are doing various English classes at the church, and us guys get to stay home and rest -- or write blog updates or such! 

 

Thursday evening is our wash night. We are able to use the hotel washing machines starting at about 6:00 p.m., and we are always right there waiting so that we can get two loads in right away in two different washers. Sometimes we have to do a third. Now, this may sound easy but it is anything but easy and routine here! The machines (3 washers and 3 dryers) are all 1970’s vintage, or at least look that way!  We honestly don’t know how they keep running. Truthfully, every machine has its peculiar behaviors. By now we have them all memorized, naturally, so try to work with them as best we can. After about 2.5 hours minimum and 6-7 trips up and down the elevator for various reasons, the wash is complete. But, that also means that a good portion of it is hanging around various items in the apartment so it can finish drying overnight. We even bought a special rack for that purpose not long after we got here. So, that’s Thursday! Then Friday -- well, different things can happen. Often Bonnie and I try to have a movie night and invite some others over. That’s always fun and a good distraction and change of pace for us all.

 

So, thus the weeks go by, one day following another! But, we are enjoying it tremendously and we are so happy to be serving here in the capacity we are serving, supporting a program that endeavors to help others improve their lives. I am going to end this portion of the update now. However, I am going to do something different, too. Following are two sections describing how the Self-Reliance Initiative has helped specific people. I prepare short ‘stories’ like this to send to Salt Lake periodically, to keep them informed. We thought it would be nice to put some here for you all to see. Then, in the picture section, you will see a picture of the individual. I think I may do this in the next several blogs. It will help you see what we are really involved with here. OK. The first of what I call “Success Vignettes” follows.

___________________________________________________

 

Success Vignette No. 10 -- 3/26/15

Other CAS offices in the Monterrey have had success similar to what was summarized in Vignette No. 9.  Bro. Jaime Cerda Mares visited the Monterrey Anahuac Stake CAS looking for work that would provide economic stability to his family and also allow them to increase their level of self-reliance. He successfully completed the former “My Search for Employment” course offered by the CAS. Soon afterwards, he was also successful in gaining employment as a manager and promoter of a company called Natural Gas Company of Mexico (FENOSA). The CAS reported in March that in his new position as a manager, Bro. Cerda has utilized the Mitras, Valle Verde, and Morelos Stake CAS offices, in addition to Monterrey Anahuac, in searching among members of those stakes for new employees. They are needed to meet this company’s demand for personnel to work in the new colonies (neighborhoods) in the Monterrey area where the company is expanding. This has been a great resource for a number of members who were out of work. A picture of those contracted by the gas company is below. (see photo section)

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Church members recently employed by Natural Gas Company

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Success Vignette No. 16 -- 4/8/15

This interesting, inspirational, and cute little vignette comes from the Bermejillo Stake CAS, with additional information provided by the Regional SR Manager. It first came to our attention prior to General Conference, and we placed it on the Mexico Self-Reliance FaceBook page.  Since that time it was included in the CAS bulletin we received for April. Alma Castañeda is a 10-year old member in Bermejillo, Durango, one of some 6 or 7 very young members in the stake who, like many older stake members, have truly got on-board the new emphasis on self-reliance. Almita, as she is known by, has a business selling sodas, sweets, and chips and is attending the “How to Start or Grow My Own Business” group. She pays herself a salary, keeps business and personal funds separate, and pays a full tithe. The Regional Manager informs us that she is netting a tidy sum monthly! This is a great example of how even young folks are learning self-reliance principles at a very tender age. (I am adding here what I was asked not to send to SLC, and that is, Almita is averaging about $500 U.S. in profits each month!)

Almita selling chips and more!

______________________________________________________

 

 

Craig is enjoying the wonderful grapefruit here.  

 

 The grapefruit seem to be available year round.

 

Semana Santa and more from Self-Reliance

Greetings! I think it’s time that Craig took a stab at writing the first draft for a blog post, so here I go! Last week was Easter week and that is called “Semana Santa” all over Latin America -- Holy Week. It is a time when the many people are involved in special things related to the last week of the Savior’s life. A lot of the Catholic churches carry out reenactments of His death and crucifixion. We did not see any of these because most often this is done in areas that are more rural in nature than we are here in the west portion of greater Mexico City. And, in addition, Saturday and Sunday were, for us LDS, is our semi-annual General Conference. Bonnie and I pretty much stayed right here in our apartment both days and watched conference over the internet. What made it nice is that I hooked up my laptop to our new TV via an HDMI cable and so we put the TV up on a table and pulled the chairs in front of it. It made for great viewing, and in Saturday, we watched all the World Report and such that is offered in the two hours between the morning and afternoon sessions. I had set up the TV similarly the Saturday before, for all the sister missionaries to be able to come to our apartment and watch the Women’s Session, which they did.

 

We also were able to view quite a few of the new Bible Videos on the TV screen. If you have not seen any them, we invite you to do so. They are wonderfully done. Everything about them is superb, from the acting to the settings to the costumes, music, and videography. The dialog is all straight from the King James version of the New Testament, not made-up. They have been made to reflect the teaching of the Savior as found in the Bible, and not to represent any religious stance, other than pure Christianity.  I have been viewing these videos since they first started to come out and I truthfully tell you all that they have strengthened by testimony of Jesus Christ and his life. They make me feel as if I am right there, witnessing the events first-hand. Take the time to see them and I believe they will do the same for you. I am putting the link to them here to make it easy for any of you who would like to open and enjoy something truly uplifting.  https://www.lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng

 

This past work week was exciting for Bonnie and me. We have spent considerable time this week in activities that support and share some of the many successes of the Self-Reliance Initiative in Mexico.  Let me explain two of them. . While we were in the few days of training about the initiative before we departed for Mexico, we were gently asked by the leaders of the effort to write to them periodically, to tell them how we were doing, including our reflections and feelings about the work. So, shortly after we arrived, and seeing some of the real results that were being reflected in the monthly bulletins (reports) coming to us from the stake Self-Reliance Centers (CAS is the acronym in Spanish) I decided that I would write about some of them and include them once in a while in a nice email to the office in Salt Lake City, as they had requested. I call them “Success Vignettes” because as see them as little glimpses, not full success stories, per se. For me, this has turned out to be a very exciting activity and it has grown to take a fair amount of my time every week, because I have begun to write about more and more of them. Oftentimes I need to get a bit more information in order to flesh out the ‘story’ because the monthly reports are quite short, a total of one page and they have to reflect some data, a picture, and other things beside a ‘success’ of some type for that month.

 

I think we have also indicated before in this blog that we started a FaceBook page for “Self-Reliance Mexico”, and it has become quite popular, actually. Bonnie primarily handles putting up new postings, but I feed things to her sometimes and also make sure things are in correct Spanish. We also use other things that people send to us and so it has come to now be a real joint effort as we to 2-3 updates every week, with pictures,  and also monitor the ‘likes’ and comments and such by others. The Self-Reliance Manager for the Area is really thrilled with how well the page is doing and being viewed by people around the country. Anyway, these are the two things that we spent a good share of time with this past week. Yu can go see the Mexico Self-Reliance page (it’s all in Spanish, of course, but go, see it, and like it!) at the following:

https://www.facebook.com/mexicoautosuficiencia

 

 

Saturday afternnon lunch at Sanborns

Craig during recent outing with fellow missionaries.

 

Unique plant for our apartment

 

Angry face on plant flowers