To Guadalajara and Back

Dear Family and Friends,

Our trip to Guadalajara to attend the temple was eventful.  We left Thursday morning and returned Saturday night, and then Monday was a holiday so we didn't go to the office until late afternoon.  But the missionary recommendations keep rolling in. Now we are playing catch-up after missing 3 days of work.

The drive to Guadalajara was pleasant and the weather lovely.  We drove by a large lake.

And took several pictures of it and the nearby fields. Pretty scenery.

These yellow arches were some of the first landmarks we saw in the city. 

We had to hurry to get to the temple in time for a 5:00 p.m. session and didn't get a picture until after dark.

I was delighted to see that the temple president was Gilberto Cerda, one of 5 brothers who served as missionaries when my father was president of the Mexican Mission.  It was great to see him and his wife!

Of course everywhere we go I have to take pictures of flowers.  

We saw some beautiful ones in city parks and even along the highway.

Friday morning we went to a famous market place near Guatemala - Tlaquepaque.  Street scene.

And a picture of some of the plentiful restaurants surrounding a beautiful patio.

And some of the shops.

Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco are famous for their mariachis.  Fun statue!

Also known for their typical colorful costumes.  This was a 3-D mural on a wall of one of the restaurants.

We didn't see any mariachis that day, but we did see and listen to some marimbas.

This store has a clever way of entertaining children while their mothers shopped for beauty supplies inside.

One of the things we enjoyed was sitting in the shade in the central plaza.

We were entertained by watching some guys trimming the trees with machetes.

And this woman was sweeping up the trimmings with a palm frond broom.  I am fascinated by how many people sweep the sidewalks or yards with palm leaves.  They are long and cover a lot of ground.

Most parks have the trees trimmed in shapes:  circles, squares, and sometimes even like animals.

This park in Leon, Guanajuato, where we were Friday afternoon had trees trimmed like gumdrops or Dots.

Also there were many vendors around.  I was impressed by this colorful mountain of balloons and balls.

Look at the size of these pieces of bread!  I think the panadería/bread store must supply giants.

We left Leon about 3:30 p.m. and were supposed to be in the city of Guanajuato where we were to spend Friday night in less than an hour.  Well, it took us over 4 hours to get there!  Near the town of Silao a gas tanker truck had tipped over and blocked traffic going both ways.  We laughed at this sign above the road as we inched our way along at 1 mile/hour.  It says "This road is not for high velocity."  We were very tired when we finally arrived after 9:00 p.m.

Our hotel in Guanajuato, Real de Minas, was lovely and picturesque.  

I must have taken a dozen pictures there.   

We spent a comfortable night and had a delicious breakfast buffet there and also at our hotel in Guadalajara. There is always an abundance of a variety of fresh fruit along with cereals, eggs, sweet breads, and an assortment of Mexican food. 

The hotel was full of arches and flowers.

Plus nooks where where you can sit and admire the beautiful architecture and decor.

It began to rain during the night and rained all day so we didn't get to enjoy the unique city as much as we would have liked.

Since the town is built on hills, it is hard to build roads, so there is a maize of underground streets/tunnels to get around the city.

Another thing the city is famous for is its mummies.  After a person has been buried for 5 years, if the family does not continue to pay rent for a grave-sight, the remains are removed to a large common grave.  However, it was discovered that many of the remains did not disintegrate but were dehydrated or mummified.  

They had not been embalmed but were still preserved by the chemicals in the soil.  Now they have over 100 mummies in a museum near the cemetery.  Not my favorite stop on the tour of the town.

Much more interesting to me was a tour of an old abandoned mine.

Between 1768 and 1804 about 2/3 of the silver produced in the world came out of the mines there.  Note the vein of minerals in the ceiling of this mine. 

There was also gold found in the mines, but mainly silver. Some mines are still in operation.

Some in our party were anxious to get home before late at night, so we had a nice noon meal at a restaurant on the town square and left.  Note the trees here all trimmed to form a hedge.  Guanajuato is definitely a city I would like to visit again. 

In spite of some traffic weather problems, we had a good trip.  Best of all for me was being in the temple.  I miss not being about to attend 3-4 times a month as I did in Utah.  Only being able to go once every 3 months makes it more special.  I especially enjoyed doing some initiatory ordinances in Spanish after our session.  It is the first time I have been able to do it in 8 years, since Guatemala.  We are excited that the Mexico City Temple will be open again in September.  The open house will go from August 14th to September 5th, and the dedication will be September 13th.  I hope some of our family and friends will be able to attend.

Love to all of you until next time,

Michelle / Mom/ Hna. Sandberg  

NEWS FLASH:  We experience our first earthquake since being here this afternoon.  Gilbert and I were in the office alone about closing time and I felt my chair shake a bit.  I looked towards the window and saw the vertical blinds swaying and told Gilbert I thought we were having a small earthquake. Then over the loud speaker the announcement was made that we should go to our safety stations near the elevators.  We are on the 11th floor.  When we got there, many others from our floor had already gathered.  We chatted for awhile and then returned to our offices.   

   

 

   

   

Less pictures and more day to day of the mission - March 11, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This week I would like to write more about our day to day experience as missionaries - less pictures about things we do out of the office.  This coming weekend we are going to the Guadalajara Temple and stopping on the way back in Guanajuato so will be lots of good pictures next week.

It was exciting this week to have a visit from our nephew, Matt Sandberg, he is the son of my brother David.

Matt and his family have lived in Guatamala City where he works in the US embassy.  He and his wife Jessica and 4 children will be transferred to Mexico City about July of this year.  It will be fun to have some family here.

While Matt was here I was thinking of my father, who left Sweden speaking only Swedish and knowing only the Swedish culture, and now he has a son and grandson married to women with a Latin culture living in Mexico City speaking Spanish.  It is kind of nice to think of how the gospel is going to all the world.  This past week they made a new stake in Jalapa, Mexico.  Of Xalapa as it is often spelled.  Now there are 3 stakes.  Elder Valenzuela started his mission as a youth in Jalapa and there was one branch then!

A couple of good news items.  The USA changed to daylight savings time today, but Mexico doesn't change until April.  That means we are now on the same time as Utah and maybe I can stay up and watch the BYU basketball team plan in the WCC tournament!!

Also the public affairs person in the area office said the movie, Meet the Mormons, in Spanish was the 12th movie in attendance last week, ahead of some Disney movies!  We expect even more attendance this weekend.  Our local ward rented a whole theater for all the young and leaders and friends to go.

Once a month we have committee reports.  These committee come in and meet with the area presidency to give them an update.  I continue to be amazed at the items we cover.  Part of my job is to put us green, and then yellow, and then a red ball to show them how much time they have left.  Here are some examples of some of the things we hear about.

The legal committee talks about land we thought the Church bought on which we are ready to building a chapel.  But now there is some concern about the title.  We have a couple of lawyers in the area office but mostly they contract with local lawyers to do the work.  One time one of our lawyers wanted to brief the AP on an abuse case, and said to us executive secretaries, "Don't go away mad, just go away." So we don't hear everything, but I hear all I want to in this area.   The public affairs committee updated on the movie Meet the Mormons as I told you earlier.  They also talk about news coverage, good and bad.

The missionary committee reports on the senior missionaries about 200 coming and going in Mexico  and about 2500 young missionaries from Mexico in the MTC or in the field.  They had done a survey of the cost for couple missionaries, it is costing more than we think.  The presidency decides what to tell potential couples from Mexico the cost they should expect.

The records department shows the records and attendance and full tithe payers etc. for all of Mexico. They have really good, up to date records.  The area presidency recently sent thousands of membership records back to the wards they came from and asked for help in locating these members. We get a report on how many membership records have been moved to a new ward and how many have come back to the unknown file.

We watch all this and keep track of action items to be followed up on.

The audit committee reports on the hundreds of audit committee that audit the records of wards, stakes and missions.  They tell us they train all new stake presidents and they tell us which stakes are late in the audit reports.  Some times the AP decides to call some leaders.  These people are amazingly competent with a good spirit.

(If you have heard enough, you can stop but I will try to have a spiritual thought at the end).

We also had a report on the self-reliance committee.  Over the last couple of years they been putting in place self-reliance committees in the stakes and districts.  90% of the stakes and districts have them - they are employment centers, PEF resources, and training.  They helped 1000's of people find better jobs, start their of business, or start an education program.

The welfare committee reports on how many people have been helped with fast offering.  The biggest needs are food and medical help.  We talk about a young woman who needs a kidney transplant and help from the Church.  We see the report on fast offering.  The members are paying more fast offering.  In a year or so we might not need fast offering funds from outside the country!

The temple committee reports on the number of ordinances done in the temple.  More and more names are coming locally.  We may not need names from outside the country soon.  The temple in the Colonies often has the best numbers.

Finally the youth committee reports on the 8 or 9 FSY (formerly EFY) campouts of up to 10 stakes that we will have this year.  We hear about young single adult activities and conferences.  And finally their are 100,000's youth in seminary and institute and the number is growing.

Really, after all these committee reports I just sit there amazed.  So many people doing so many good things.

My big assignment last week was to help with the slides (in English) for a presentation the area presidency will make to the 1st Presidency, 12, and 7 presidents by video conference about the work in Mexico.  We had a rehearsal with some brethren from SLC.  They did not like our slides which I made.  Oh well, they used to say at Hewlett Packard where I worked, "Don't get married to your slides, they will change."  So we are working on that this week.

Just to show you it is not just fun times here.  Tuesday I went to the office at 7:15 am, had a break for lunch at noon, and worked until 7:15 am preparing recommendation for new leaders for the area presidency to review.  On my cell phone I listened to the BYU basketball game as I walked home.  (On my computer I watched they lose).

Wednesday I went to the office at 6:45 and came home at 5:30.  I get tired.

Also this week I gave the spiritual thought in presidency meeting.  We are now doing the thought and signing a hymn in English to help the presidency improve their English.

I choose Mark 4 as my theme where Jesus teaches.

 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

As I read that I saw what the Joseph Smith translation says:

JST   and unto you that continue to receive, shall more be given.

I took note of the phrase, continue to receive.  I thought of some who had received, some how stopped receiving and lost even that which they had received earlier.

Sydney Rigdon was an early convert, brought many people to the Church, dedicated the land of Zion. experienced the vision recorded in the 76 section with Joseph Smith and was in the first presidency But somehow he did not continue to receive, was excommunicated, started several churches that failed and lost what he had received before.

I thought of Joseph Smith who received and continued to receive until the end of his days in Nauvoo.

I thought of my mother, a good Baptist girl, college educated who married my father, a Swede with a strong accent who probably only went to the 6th grade because she received a testimony for herself. About 15 years latter when my father died she did not stop receiving, did not go inactive, did not go back to the Baptist Church with her family.

She continued to receive and to serve and went on 2 senior missions, one for herself and one for her deceased husband she said.  She continued to receive until the end of her days.  She was always humble and interested in learning more.

So how do we receive.  I think the fist thing is humility, admit that after all, maybe after many years, we still don't know and understand everything.  We continue to receive though inspiration, revelation, meetings, counsel, reproof, scriptures, reading, and conferences,

We continue to receive as we ask, are willing to receive, write it down  (Elder Scott says) , act, and the ask if there is more.

So let us continue to receive, until the end of our days, least we lose what we once had.

It has taken me a while to get this out, but here it is.  (Michelle has not reviewed it for errors).

I am getting busier and busier, but I enjoy it.  I understand nearly everything in Spanish.  Even some jokes.  Today in the meeting someone told this joke in Spanish.   "Two men were sitting and eating in a restaurant and one said, 'All lawyers are jerks' .  The man at the next table said. 'Don't make that comparison!!' The first man said, 'Oh, I am sorry, are you a lawyer?' The man at the next table said. 'No, I am a jerk'".

Elder Sandberg - Dad - Granddad

Teotihuacán and Temples

Dear Family and Friends,

On Saturday February 21st Gilbert and I went with about 12 other couple missionaries to Teotihuacán a large and famous archaeological sight about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City.  (pyramids of Moon and Sun in background)

 We had a great guide, a member of the Church one who knew the archaeology facts, plus made interesting similarities to our temples.  

Most people refer to the sight as pyramids, but he said that is the wrong term for the large structures in Latin-American ruins.  The correct term is temple.  They do not come to a point as do the pyramids in Egypt which were used as tombs.  These are flat on top and form the foundations for sacred buildings that have long since been destroyed.  Only the large mountain-like structures remain.  The were built with rock and filled with dirt. 

 The outside of the structures were stuccoed and painted--often red..  All we see now, except for in a few protected spots where you can still see the plaster, are the rock walls.  People would climb/ascend to the top to be closer to God, to worship and commune with Him there.   

The guide said that Teotihuacán means in Nahuatl, "Place where men become Gods."  I looked up the name on Google and found the following possible translations:  "Place of the Gods, Place where Gods were born, Place of those who have the road of the Gods." Our guide said people would come from great distances to learn how to become like God.  It was like a journey or walking along a path that led from mortality to Godhood.  He said people would dress in white. They walked along the road progressing in learning. Even today certain native groups come to the area dressed in white or dress in white in their local areas for religious reasons. The end point of the journey of path of progression was the top of the pyramid of the Sun. 

More information from Google.  Teotihuacán was the largest city in Pre-Columbian America perhaps with a population of 200,00.  It covered about 32 square miles. There were even high-rise or multi-storied dwellings.  Of course not all of it has been all uncovered and restored--only the large religious complex. I don't know how many acres it covers.  It is estimated that it was built in the 1st century AD and was the new religious center and was used for its original purpose until about 250 AD.  During that time the city was the center of Meso-America with an influential culture. It was a multi-ethnic culture probably made up of Nahua, Otomi and Totonac groups.  By about 500 AD it had been sacked by the Toltecs and the religious buildings destroyed.  They and other groups that conquered used the area for their ceremonies and cultural events that were different from the original purpose.  

This is a model of the religious complex.   

Our guide took us along the path that the original founders followed.  The first complex was a large congregating and instructing area.  There are 12 structures surrounding three sides of a large square with 3 larger structures on the east side and one main one in the center.  From the center, one can speak in a loud voice and be heard all over the huge square.  We were told that the walls of the square were covered by instructional murals.  

At the east of this complex is the temple of Quetzalcuatl, the feathered serpent which represented the God of heaven and earth. (Moses put a serpent on a pole-symbolic of Christ.)  

In many Central and South American countries there are different words that translate into feathered serpent, but all of them refer to a great God.  

It is interesting that as you progress along the path of learning, you cross over a river where they did ritual washing. There are several streams in the area and used to be many springs of water, but with deforestation, overuse, etc. most have gone dry.  Today it is an arid place, but apparently it was originally wooded.  

We passed through some ruins that were used for certain ceremonies.  At the end of the journey or road one ends up at the pyramids/temples of the Sun, the Moon and Stars.  Of course, the ultimate goal was to reach the highest level of the largest pyramid/temple of the Sun.  It is said to be the 3rd largest pyramid in the world. 

 Only a few of our group chose to climb it because it is a tough climb up all those stairs--especially at 7,500 feet about sea level. I have climbed it a couple of times before but wanted to do it again, and am grateful I can still do it at my age.  It was an exciting and even a spiritual experience for me to be there.  (At the top)

By the time the Spaniards came on the scene, most of the original truth had been changed or lost and some human sacrifices were being committed.  However, the native people valued human life more than most of the Spaniards did.  At one large temple sight, in Cholula, over 4,000 natives (men, women and children) were massacred by the conquering Spaniards, and a Catholic cathedral was built on top of the temple hill. Some people believe that the Spaniards told of all the native human sacrifices to cover their own bloodbaths. Regardless of the situation of the native people when the Spaniards arrived, there is much evidence to prove they were once a very advanced civilization with knowledge of the heavens, agriculture, architecture, astronomy, construction, medicines, pottery, textiles, etc. There is a beautiful museum there that shows some of these achievements.

This mural on the museum wall depicts some of the history.  Other parts of the mural resemble Egypian figures.

There is so much in the history that coincides with the Book of Mormon.  I believe that Christ did visit many peoples of the Americas after his resurrection and that for a few centuries the different groups were united in peace and prosperity as they lived principles that He taught them.  Won't it be great when some day we understand how all this fits together?  I look forward to that day.
  
It was also exciting to see a couple of the Colonies in Chihuahua--Eddie and Irene Jones from Dublán. Gilbert taught him in high school the year we lived in Colonia Juarez.

After our tour of Teotihuacán, we all went to eat at a nice restaurant where we enjoyed an abundant buffet.

  

Please don't think that all we do is eat and sight-see.  We worked very hard the past two weeks, putting in long hours and processing more papers than ever.  But our office work is much the same day after day.  It is the weekends that differ.  But we enjoy our assignments and feel we a making a small contribution in this great work.

Saludos a todos / Greetings to all,

Michelle / Sister Sandberg  

A harder and better mission - Feb 22, 2015 - Elder Sandberg

A harder and better mission – Feb 22, 2016 – Elder Sandberg

Dear Family and Friends,

In the last 7-10 days our mission has gotten harder, yes harder, but also better.

First harder, some humbling.  Part of my calling is to prepare and present to the area presidency all the back-ground information necessary for them to approve, or not, recommendations from the stake presidents for new bishops, stake presidency counselors, or patriarchs.  If the AP approves, they are sent to Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City for final approval.

Getting harder:  I got a great idea about how to improve the process so that more recommendations would be improve.  I carefully wrote up a “great” change in our process and presented it.  It was not approved.  I felt down.  Then I was driving the lead car of senior missionaries on a FIVE MINUTE TRIP to a restaurant and I took a wrong turn, GOT LOST and the missionaries behind were saying in their car, he’s going the wrong way – ON A FIVE MINUTES TRIP.  We have been working hard to have the Church movie "Meet The Mormons" released in Mexico and part of my job was to send a letter to all the stake and mission presidents about the film.  There were letters from the area presidency to be attached, one letter to the mission presidents and one to the mission presidents.  So I sent my letters off, with THE WRONG ATTACHMENT to the mission presidents.

Not so good.  I was feeling pretty low and then I thought about my father.  He had about 100 cattle and one time he made a mistake and about 40 of them, I believe, died.  Elder Lean Otten who was a missionary in South Dakota described what happened.

“One night the cattle ate some flax screenings and it bloated them and killed them.  He lost, in terms of today, tens of thousands of dollars.  Do you know how he responded?

“’I yusta thinka the Lord is  humblen me.  I yusta thinka the Lord is humblen me.  I need humblen’.  Everything was around the Lord; it was the gospel for him, a way of life.”

So I say the same thing.  I just think I could use a little humbling from the Lord.

Also this week Michelle received 32 new missionary recommends on Monday.  That is the most she has received in 1 day.  She needs to translate them to English, make sure all is correct, get them reviewed by the doctor, by the member’s records department, and the legal department when necessary and then call the stake presidents if things are not right.  It has been a busy week for both of us, but Michelle is getting faster at doing her job and was able to process 55 recommendations.

As I said, we have been working hard to get the movie Meet The Mormons here in Mexico.  We have had special meetings and letters sent, contracts with Cinemex, etc.  We had a premier showing for VIPS and guests scheduled for Thursday, and on Monday we found out the theater we had selected because it had the most seats did not have parking, was not in a nice part of town, and was not nice enough to invite press and special guests.  That was about the low point.

In our presidency meeting on Tuesday one of the area presidency gave the spiritual thought.  He quoted in Mathew 14 when the disciples are in the boat at night and Jesus comes to them on the water.  The scriptures say in verse 24, “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.”  The presenter said the winds feel contrary to us now.   The scriptures goes on to say when Peter was on the water, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”  So the presenter said we need to press forward and not look at the waves and trust Jesus.  The scripture says; “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  Then the presenter said "if we have faith and pray and work Jesus will put forth his hand and save us as he did Peter."

And then it was like Jesus put forth his hand to help on the Meet the Mormons project.  We were able to find a better theater location for the premier.  And much to my surprise David Archuleta, famous young Mormon singer, who was invited only the week before agreed to come to the premier.  He would be here along with Carolina Muñuz from Costa Rica, who was the kick boxer in the movie, and the director of the movie from SLC. David Archuleta sings one of the songs in the movie.  Suddenly things really picked up.  We sent letters to all the leaders, and I had to call some of them to make sure they knew of the change, etc.

The press conference was in the afternoon.  We did not attend but the reports were good.  There will be some press comments available later in this post.

Then the day of the premier arrived.  It was in a nice theater in a beautiful mall on Reforma.

David Archuleta, the kick boxer lady, and the movie director were there signing autographs and having their pictures taken.

There were lots of people there, some reporters, and many youth.

Michelle got in line with all the other "young" girls and they signed her poster.

It was a nice large screen.  They had a little introduction before the movie with Elder Pieper and the 3 guests.  They also gave free popcorn and drinks to everyone!

Then the guests came and sat in the row right behind us!  After the movie I turned around and shook hands with David Archuleta.  (Tell the teenage girls that!)

The public relations department in SLC was helping us track the press coverage after the premier. This is a letter from them.

International Team,

The news articles that I have read today, following last night’s movie premiere in Mexico City, are not only favorable…they are substantive!  These are quotes from senators, secretaries of education, television program hosts, catholic secretaries of culture, and the government coordinator of religious affairs. Here are some worth reading (if you speak Spanish):

http://www.siete24.mx/rompen-mitos-sobre-mormones-40428/

http://razon.com.mx/spip.php?article248838

http://www.eluniverso.com/deportes/2014/12/30/nota/4386766/angela-tenorio-designada-mejor

http://entretenimiento.terra.com.mx/cultura/cuenta-conozca-a-los-mormones-seis-historias-de-vida,b6604d41464ab410VgnCLD200000b1bf46d0RCRD.html

http://www.oem.com.mx/laprensa/notas/n3712312.htm

http://huellas.mx/espectaculos/2015/02/19/conozca-los-mormones-cinta-que-une-e-identifica-las-personas/

http://www.notimex.com.mx/acciones/verNota.php?clv=248239

I have not yet found any critical reviews. You?

Cheers,

Friday night was a devotional mainly for some of the youth in the area.  It was in the multi-stake center by the temple.  They filled the cultural all with chairs towards the stage.

Then they turned all the benches in the chapel around and people sat even in the choir seats.  I guess there was over 1000 people there, many youth.  When all the seats were filled, people stood.

We really like the devotional.  They had some youth ask questions.  One asked David about his choice to go on a mission.  He talked about  all the advice he got.   You should go, some said, and others said your music career will suffer if you do.  Others said that being successful in your career will help the church more than going on a mission.

He said finally he went into his room and praye and then received the strongest spiritual impression he ever had to go a mission.  And that thought, go on a mission, just kept coming until he went. Great for the youth to hear that.

They asked him about family history,  He said he knew nothing about it until a friend showed him indexing and then while riding in his bus, on tour with his music, he has started indexing.  And now he has done the temple ordinances for some of his ancestors.

The sister talked about balancing being a mother, work, children, and her husband being bishop in Costa Rica.

But one of the highlights for me is when David sang during the devotional.  He sang the first verse in English and the rest in Spanish.  The place went completely quiet, 1000 people!  He started:

       If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
      Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
      Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously,
      If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

I will attach a video, I think I know how, the picture isn't great but I think you can hear his voice.

Does the video work?

The singing was a highlight for me, a true spiritual experience.

For a closing song David sang Glorious, the song he sang for the movie, Meet the Mormons o Conozca a los Mormones.  I have some pretty good videos of that, let me know if you want to see them and I will send them by email.

Then the guests walked down the aisles to greet a few people on the way out

Lots of excitement and interest.

So for me this was the hardest time here.  I was feeling down and prayed God would help me and lift me up spiritually.  I was discouraged and worried about the premier and devotional for the movie. We prayed for help with the presidency.  I felt like it says in the scriptures - the winds were contrary, it was dark, and I felt alone.

And then, and then,  I really felt God put out His hand and brought the movie showing to success and safety, and He reached out and gave me a spiritual experience that lifted my thoughts, raised my vision, increased my faith in Him, and blessed me.

So that is my spiritual thought, when the winds are contrary, and it is dark, and the storm is all around, and you feel alone, reach out, don't doubt, God will extend His hand in His way and in His time.

Love you.

Elder Sandberg

Sunday 15, 20015 - Valentine's - Things we LIKE and LOVE - by Michelle

Dear Family and Friends,

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY yesterday!  Please receive our belated expressions of love.  Near the top of our list of things we like and love are you--our family and friends.

Valentine's Day has become a big deal in Latin America--much more than I remember it as a child. They refer to it as "Dia del amor, dia de la amistad, o día del cariño."  (Day of love, day of friendship, or day of affection.)  Here is a display in one of the local Wal-Mart stores that I liked.

Gilbert and I had our own little Valentine exchange at home. We also made some goodies to give away.  I made a banana cream pie for Gilbert, his favorite.  The cake we shared with others in the apartment/hotel complex, and the pretzel/kisses goodies are to take to work to share.

Gilbert game me the roses.  They are one of the things I love about living here--affordable fresh flowers.  We can get a dozen beautiful roses for less than $10 sometimes around $5.

Gilbert also told me he would take me to a nice restaurant I have been wanting to eat at, Loma Linda. Fifty years ago when I lived here as a teenager I wanted to eat there but Dad said it was too expensive to take all 7 of us kids to, but we think he and Mother probably went there sometime without us. :)

Anyway, after 50 years I finally got to see inside as well as outside.  We would drive by it as we came and went from the mission home, which was only a couple of blocks away.

Dad was right; it is too expensive to take kids to; he would have called it a "swanky" restaurant.  Note the napkin Gilbert is wearing; it has a button hole in one corner so you and button it to your shirt.  F

And the food was delicious!  They specialize in Angus Beef al carbón (grilled).  Gilbert and I were going to go alone, but I told someone about it and before we knew it our twosome grew to 16, eight couples.  They all enjoyed it.  Maybe we will go alone sometime.  :)

Something I like about being in Mexico City is remembering the good times we had here as a family when our parents were mission leaders.  Gilbert and I took a ride down memory lane last weekend. We had access to a church car and he is gaining confidence driving around our neighborhood, not clear across the city yet.  Anyway, we drove by the old mission home where we lived.  Loved it!

Also we drove down Paseo de la Reforma all the way to the statues of Diana and the Angel de Independencia--such familiar sights to me.  As kids we would ride the buses or take taxis around the city to see friends, movies, etc. There was no Metro/subway then.  It was fun and safe and I liked it.  

On the way to and from, we drove through the Chapultepec Park area. It was Sunday afternoon and many families were walking along the beautiful walkways surrounded by trees and poinsettias still in bloom,  I'm sure some were enjoying the zoo, the lake, the museums and the castle there, but others were just sitting on the grass relaxing or having a picnic.  Such a pretty and favorite part of the city!

I like Mexico City.  As I said, one of my favorite things here are the flowers.  There are many little flower shacks on street corners and even street vendors walking out into the middle of the streets at stop lights selling dozens of roses.

And since it was Valentine's Day, the stores were all selling flowers this weekend.  The flower business is a big one in Mexico and Central America; they export.  Gilbert read that over 50,000 are directly involved in the flower business in Mexico with another 50,000 indirectly involved.

Another thing we like about Mexico are the panaderías / bread stores.  We have a couple within walking distance of our hotel and every big grocery story has a panadería in it.  It is hard to pass up the sight and smell buying something.  Sample of some breads we had in our house one day.

And of course we love the fresh and affordable produce!  This is some of what I bought last Saturday when we were grocery shopping.  We can buy guayabas, mangos, melons, papayas, etc. year around.

But the thing I like most about being in Mexico right now is seeing the growth of the Church.  I am so grateful for the gospel and the joy it brings into my life and the lives of other members.  It is exciting to process the missionary recommendations that come in every day.  I am learning to review and translate them more easily and quickly.  Instead of dreading a day when I have 20 or so to process, I rejoice.  And I feel sad when only 5 or less arrive.  We need more missionaries.

INTERESTING STATISTICS:

7,662 missionaries in Mexico

4,093 missionaries from Mexico 

3,022 from Mexico in Mexico

1,071 from Mexico in other countries

About 2/3 males and 1/3 females

I love seeing the pictures of the young missionary candidates when they arrive with their applications.  Following are some of the ones that came in last week--such beautiful, handsome and happy young people!  You can see the light of the gospel in their eyes and faces.

Many of them are spiritually and temporally self-reliant already.  Others will become so when they return from their missions because they will receive training in the stake Self-Reliance centers where they will get career and educational counseling, where they can apply for PEF loans, learn to budget, apply for jobs, etc.  Just imagine what wonderful parents they will make!  As we strengthen the families we strengthen the nation and the world.

On the missionary recommendation form there is a place where the candidate can share his/her comments. Some of them are very touching, like this one. (Which I translated.)

"I will be the first full time missionary from my family and it is my privilege to do so. I have a strong desire to serve a mission.  My great joy is to have the gospel in my life and to live it.  That is what I want to offer to other people, so that they will know that this is the only true Church of Jesus Christ and that it has been restored again to the earth and will not be taken away again, and that Christ is there with his arms open to receive them.  I want them to know that Heavenly Father loves us all as his spirit children.  I look forward to the day and am grateful to our Father for letting me serve in his work, to wear a name badge and represent the Church.  I want to do this for Christ, for my family and because of the priesthood which I hold."

I feel that way; it is my joy to serve a mission.  Even though I am not involved in sharing the gospel directly, I am helping make it possible for others to do it.  I like doing it.    

Love to all of you,

Michelle / Mom / Grandma / Sister Sandberg