First Weeks of Mission

We arrived at the MTC in style.  Rob & family had written on his van: Guatemala or Bust! (Along with some other things!)  We thought it was great and the really funny thing was that a child of one of the senior missionaries already serving in Guatemala City saw the van in SLC and contacted her parents to ask if there were some Wallaces coming to Guatemala.  You can't get away with anything without someone knowing, so be careful!
     Our time at the MTC was so, sooo busy.  We attended classes from 8 am to 8 pm with time for meals in between.  It was a wonderful, spiritual experience which truly stretched us.  We flew to Dallas and then onto Guatemala City August 28.  We thought we might have trouble going through customs, but we walked right through.
     Elder & Sister Cazier picked us up and drove us to our apartment.  They live upstairs.  They had purchased food for us for the first few days.  We love our 1 bedroom apartment with hardwood floors and a washer and dryer.  The kitchen is just perfect--Vicki loves the kitchen--she can turn around in a circle and touch the range, refrigerator and sink.  We had a little problem with an army of ants when we moved in, but no problem since then.  The amazing thing is that the weather is perfect here and there are no bugs (except our ants, of course.)  We are enjoying the nice humidity and our knees and joints love the warm weather.
     Our first week in the office was a little rough because they had given away our office to a senior couple that came in before us that are in charge of public affairs--a new assignment here.  So, we had no computer or phones or even chairs to sit in to do our work.  But, it didn't take long to get things set up and we are now working and being productive.  It is so fun because we work with several young men and a young woman who are from Guatemala and they are just like our kids!  They are so kind to help us.
     Our Branch has a great Branch President and his wife has been to Idaho--through IF--on the way to Yellowstone Park.  Her family came up for conference.  She speaks a lot better English than her husband.  We have 2 return missionaries in our branch and another serving in the field.  We have about 4 strong families who do most of the work for the branch.  Then, we have several members who do not read, so they come and sit on the back row of our S/S class and participate when asked.  No one in the Branch plays the piano and since we meet in a house with a big iron gate around it, Sister Arnold brings a portable piano and plays for sacrament meeting and primary.  Before, the Branch just sang a Capella.  Vicki shared her testimony the first Sunday of the month and it was scary.  But, the Branch members were complimentary and very nice.
Last Sunday we went to Stake Conference and we, along with all the other missionaries, sang the prelude music.  It was an amazing conference. The spirit was so strong.
     This weekend we went to Antigua with 5 other couples.  It is the former capital of Guatemala and truly a resort town.  There is so much history there and we stayed in a hotel that is ranked 3rd best in the world.  Talk about unbelievable-we were pampered so much.  We ate in an Argentine restaurant and in the hotel and the food was divine! We shopped until we dropped and then rode home in one of their taxi cabs--a real hoot!  We are so big we could barely get into the backseat. They are open air and very small.  All the streets are cobble stone, so the ride was so bumpy--it was as good as any ride at Lagoon! We gave away 4 Books of Mormon and talked to the people about the church--rewarding!
     Love and miss you all!

And So It Begins . . . Guatemala Here We Come

What a great summer we had with our family!  We partied and partied and partied--days and times which will carry us through our lonely days in Central America!  Friday we trained at the Church Office Building in SLC.  We spent a fantastic weekend in Salt Lake City with our 3 boys and their families.  We did the IKEA thing, the kids swam at the motel until they could swim no more, and we went to Buca Di Beppo's, the Tabernacle Choir Broadcast, the Church History Museum, Visitor Centers, and to church.  And of course, the men attended the SLC BYU Bash.