“If You’re Happy and You Know It” or “Si, Te Sientes Hoy Feliz”

 Val: Sunday 7/7/2013 We had a good week, though a little slow...but we had some visitors including a group of obreros (workers) from San Pedro Sula  (4 hours away), so  Thursday, it was a surprise to have so many in the starting meeting, "Capacitation".  I think I conducted 3-4 sessions this week....my knees seem to be doing ok.  Laurene and I played scrabble last night.  (Laurene’s comment: Val won by one point—we need to start a notebook like Grandma and Grandpa had in New Zealand, where they ended up even at the end of the mission and the book!)

Val: I met a man who was doing initiatory work.  He had a singular old eyepiece, that it was a broken half of a pair of glasses, without an ear piece… He held it up to one eye so he could read the card.  The thought came to my mind...he cannot afford another set of glasses.   Why do we have so much... and he has so little? 

Laurene from Monday 7/1/13:

We woke with intentions of having a paseo to downtown Honduras to find a Presidential mansion that has been turned into a museum.  We got up, read and began our clothes washing.  Before long, the fumigation crew came in response to my email singing, “The Ants Go Marching One by One, Hurrah!”  They knew the song and came to remove the ants.  Well, in the last few days, I have applied Dawn dishwashing detergent to the wall corners of the hallway.  And the ants have not again frequented that passageway, for the most part.  There was a piece of banana skin or something that attracted a small group, just inside the door.  After the helpers came, they wanted to show us what was left of the colony of very tiny ants on the edge of the sidewalk maybe 20 feet to the north and east of our door well.  Hoorah!  Success in one battle! 

Wednesday 7/3:

I was assigned to the guarderia, or nursery.  Again.  The time was set for 4:00 p.m., so until then I helped in the roperia with a huge herd of 30+ missionaries from Comayaguela, with their clothing issue.  It was fast and furious.  To the point that I simply began asking in English what sizes they were (most were 34 men’s slacks or pantalones, which was fine until we ran out of 34s, then 32s, and had to choose between 30’s and 36’s.  Which would you choose if you were 34?)  One of the missionaries looked up at me and said with surprise, “Hey, you are speaking in English!  That was super funny to me--to be seasoned to speaking Spanish to the point that when spoken to in your native tongue, it takes a moment or two to recognize it! 

Later, my coordinator, Sister Olga Falluela wanted me to come to her locker for a moment--she had something to show me.  She left it in her bag in the car, but it was a dictionary of 100 words that she is trying to learn, and one of them is “beautiful.”  And she is beautiful.  Her dark features are striking—I thought that word from the moment I saw her.  I showed her some of the Spanish canciones de ninos or children’s songs that I have been working on learning, and I need to get cracking, because I have 10 to learn before 11 a.m. today.  I practiced Popcorn Popping and The Snowman Song while beginning to cut a very ripe pineapple, wash dishes, clean a bathroom sink, and put foil under our stove top burners today.

Voila!

Back to the nursery:  I was asked to watch an eleven month little Norman Ely Romero, who was with his grandmother.  She sat with him in the sala, or waiting room.  I served him cookies and juice, which he enjoyed until I brought toys, we dressed him (in pants that were likely size 8—and I am talking age eight--

a cute little vest, a tie, a tee shirt, and a button down shirt with tiny socks and too big slippers. 

This is one of the outfits offered:
We used the vest.

Dressing was a bit of a challenge in the waiting room bathroom.  We made a choice not to go over to the guarderia because it was raining too hard.   So we did everything in the waiting room, with influx of youth ebbing and flowing with groups of young people watching the Testament and Legacy.  One of the young girls was weeping at the end of the Testaments.  I told her that happens to me, too, but I am working on understanding the words enough that it can get to me.
Little Norman played cars and legos

 (a few of the nursery toys)  

with me in his little white outfit until he got super tired and his grandma just held him close to help him go to sleep.

When it came time for me to go up, the wife or esposa of the sealer or sellador came down to let me know that they were about ready.  I took the sleeping baby from the arms of his grandmother.  He startled for a moment--but trusted me because I had been with him for all that time--and went back to sleep.  I must have stood with Sister Poujol at the door of the sealing room for 15 minutes.  It felt at least that long, because Norman was at least as heavy as our little William, who is 2 ½.  But he stayed asleep.  Val came by, and Sister Poujol told me that we are a “linda” couple (a cute couple…in case you want to give someone a compliment anytime soon.)

I love that Val could see “my” baby, and delight just a little in the happiness that I was having.  When it came time for us to open the door and go in, I helped him to the altar, but Norman was beginning to wake up, and as this sleepy little nearly one year old woke to see his mother and father with tears streaming down their faces, the sealer pronounced the ordinance that sealed them as a little family and told them that their little son, Norman was theirs for eternity. 

The moment was priceless.  It was definitely worth juice stains on my temple dress, and running back and forth to find appropriately sized clothing articles and crawling across the sala floor working to keep a tired little boy in good spirits.  They had traveled 2 ½ hours to get there and would have at least that long before Norman would be safely tucked into his camilla or small bed at his home.

A painting in the guardaria

I got to try out the organ stops programmed on Monday night--overall, they worked.  Not the chimes (a little alarming!)  But mostly everything else was beautiful and glorious!  

Since Wednesday, my Spanish weaknesses displayed themselves full swing, the most difficult day being Sabado or Saturday.  However, the fact is that there are a few smiling faces and eager embraces ready during difficult times:   “thy ^afriends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.”  (D&C 121:9)

Val is supportive, loving, and good--even when I borrow his house key and he has to pace until I finish working.  I am convinced that my mom’s formula that hard things can be improved with just a little more love is true.

Working on such this coming week, and hope to drill, drill, drill the verbos, verbos, verbos.  Glad to learn that love is a verb and that it is the bridge that makes connecting two cultures possible. 

Oh, we wore red, white, and blue to celebrate Thursday 

and here is Friday’s commentary (7/05):  

We got to see a few fireworks off my mom's porch, through the internet.  My favorite part was listening to William say, "That was a big one!"  and later hearing that he would watch a few fireworks then run around the house, come back and watch a few more in time to go racing around mom’s house a second, third, and umpteenth time.  It seems like he is all grown up in only 7 weeks.  

Working in the nursery this morning 

with a very sad little boy, maybe 18 months made me so happy when I could find a way to retrieve the terrible, terrible wand that wouldn't come out of the bubbles I bought a few weeks ago.  I dumped all the liquid out.  Then my partner with a pen or knife or something retrieved the wand from deep deep down.  Finally, finally, I pulled out the bubbles 

and without a word, they did their magic, and the crying child became a giggling toddler.  My heart sang...and so did my body, as we clapped and followed the melody of "if you're happy and you know it...si te sientes hoy feliz, aplaude, si!"  Though I yearn to speak better and understand better, some things come without words, and joy is universal.  

As this week we await the entrance of Evelyn Marie Starkey into eager arms of April, Tom, Eleanor, Thomas (and MARIA!)  

we are hoping that July is teeming with razones (reasons) to ¡aplaude, sí! (clap your hands!) 

Love, Elder Val and Hermana Laurene