Going Home Tue March 23rd

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Missionaries World-wide return to their home countries

Following the directions of President Nelson, we along with all other foreign missionaries in Guatemala (and the rest of the world) are returning to our home country.  This is not easily done in a country with closed borders. There were no scheduled flights in or out of the country.  The US Embassy had arranged some flights out and we struggled to submit the online applications for tickets.  Fortunately, we were selected for the third out of six flights. 
When we arrived at the airport we discovered Anita's name was not on the list, eliciting some panic. We were placed on standby and caught the next flight out to Dallas-Fort Worth. We caught up with Elder and Sister Fisher who were able to make the flight we missed, and all four of us made the connecting flight to Salt Lake City.  We got a hotel room Tue evening in SLC and headed home to Vernal Wednesday morning in a car rental. It was a long day in which it seemed we were standing half of the day in line after line after line.
   We found the house pretty cold as the gas for the furnace was disconnected, however, the Relief Society had left some food in the kitchen. 
    Wednesday evening President Abrams, our Stake President, stopped by our home and released us from our mission. It was a sad situation; we felt like we were just getting up to speed and having made many friends, learning routines and traffic and a little Spanish, and after six months of preparation including the MTC experience...  Well, it was just sad. The Guatemalan people, the Guatemaltecos, are so kind and friendly, so polite and helpful, so appreciative and grateful. The association with the other senior and younger missionaries was choice!  The mission, although short was so sweet. We will be forever thankful for the brief time we had in Guatemala.

Elder Larry and Sister Paula Fisher our traveling companions

Some young international travelers headed our way.

A long trip, but it's Home Sweet Home and a special homecoming welcome from The Relief Society.
Thank you all for you sweet kindness.

Curfew Imposed. Awaiting evacuation

The Guatemalan government has closed all borders, land, sea, and air.  In addition, today a curfew has been put in place requiring everyone to be in their homes from 4:00 pm to 4:00 am.

At 4:00 PM citizens went to their balconies to shout, wave flags and play their anthem showing their unity in face of nation-wide curfew to combat COVID-19.  I must admit, it choked us up and we had to wave and shout with them. The cry was, "Viva Guate!"

U.S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala - (March 22, 2020)

Location: Guatemala

Event: On March 21, President Giammattei announced that, effective Sunday, March 22, a nationwide curfew will take effect. The curfew is from 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. and is scheduled to be in effect until March 29. Everyone in Guatemala, including foreigners, is expected to remain in their homes during curfew hours.  

The church has been busy trying to arrange for chartered flights for all missionaries back to their own countries.  Of course, senior missionaries have priority! We have not heard of any results from the church efforts yet.  We did hear that the US embassy has arranged for 2 flights leaving tomorrow, Monday, March 23rd. Direction received from the Area Presidency is " take the first flight available"

So, we sit in our apartment awaiting word from the church travel or US embassy regarding flights to America.  When we arrive in the USA we will be screened and required to do 14 days self-quarantine.  What happens after that is still unclear.

Brigham Young spoke of a day when missionaries (elders) would all be called home and Jesus would bear his own testimony..... I wonder if........ 

Guatemala National Emergency

President Giammattei appeared on television and declared a national state of emergency in which all travel into and out of Guatemala has been suspended, all non-essential businesses are to be closed, metro busses have been stopped and on and on.
Therefore our poor little Clinica Dental Tio Juan will be closed except for emergency cases. We along with the rest of the nation have been instructed to stay at home if we do not have essential business. We expect this closure for about 3 weeks.  No church meetings, no temple.   Ahagh!

Pandemic declared

What a week of extraordinary church announcements brought about by the COVID-19 , coronavirus pandemic. Suspending church meetings and most of the temple activities. There has only been one announced COVID-19 case here but then I wonder how many have been tested.
 We have seen a run on supplies here as we've heard about in the states but we are well stocked and feeling pretty secure. There have been stories of travel-related problems. An area leader living in El Salvador came to visit with President Uceda here in Guatemala city but when he got ready to return home he discovered El Salvador had imposed a 30-day quarantine on everyone entering the country. The quarantine would have been in a state-run facility will all other possible carriers.  He decided to stay here and enjoy some great Guatemalan climate, food, and friendship.
We suspect and hope that the pandemic will past in a relatively short time.

El Salvador quarantine facility. A place you'd rather not visit.

Guatemalan president bans travelers from USA and Canada in response to the pandemic.

La Clinica Dental de Tio Juan, may be temporarily closed or have reduced hours this coming week.

This is a young patient named "Santos", from Via de Los Ninos Catholic school   We suggested a middle name....
"de Los Ultimos Dias."  Not really.

Bitter-sweet party, farewell for Marvin and Mary Gardner and Jim and Windy Purnell. Gardners are special friends, parents of Paul, our previous bishop and now 1st councilor in Glines Stake presidency. They have been producing the Central American Liahona, SUDCA.com.    Jim Purnells has been serving in the Area general council, legal office; Wendy has been serving as a mission nurse in one of the seven missions here.

Missionary work in Cuilapa

72 members in Sunday School class! can't see 'em all

On Sundays we travel one hour to our branch in Cuilapa. The branch is big enough to be a ward but to do so requires that there be a stake and there are not enough neighboring branches big enough to be wards yet. We have been attending the Cuilapa branch every Sunday since our arrival in Guatemala, (8) and they have had at least one confirmation each week.  Today there were three new memberes confirmed.  There are two Elder companionships and one sister companionship.  We have been out teaching on Sunday afternoons with Sister Rodon (from the Dominican Republic) and sister Oliveria (from Brasil). Also we have worked mostly with Elders Marchant and Gomez.  Going into homes with these missionaries and leaving our testimonies with theirs is so wonderful, it's what makes us true missionaries.  So the pictures below may be just faces to you but they are dear and true friends, fellow servants of our Savior to us.  Treasured Eternal friendships. Yes, it is hard keeping up with them. 

Sisters Oliveria from Brasil and Rodon from the Dominican Republic,
and Spendlove from Vernal, Utah; working together in Guatemala

Elders Marchant and Gomez

Quick visit to Antigua

On the way home from the Madre Tierra sugar cane plant, (see last post) we stopped for a couple of hours in Antigua.  See the last post for some info on this city.  Because of it's rich history and historic architecture and colorful building and markets, Antigua is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Guatemala.  I'm sure we will be back for more visits to this area.

remains of a cathedral destroyed in late 1773 by an earthquake

Sister Spendlove, (on the left), drives a hard bargain in the market

Tour of the Madre Tierra sugar cane plant.

Today we accompanied Elder Kendal and sister Celeste Mann along with their daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Harmony to the Madre Tierra sugar cane plant near Esquinta.  The Mann's bishop was kind enough to give up half of his day off to take us on a tour of the plant where he works. We saw how the sugar cane is processed into white sugar, brown sugar, and molasses products. They are shipped elsewhere for final processing packaging and distribution.  We were given the royal tour of the plant where every step was explained to us.  On the way home, we stopped for a couple of hours in Antigua, a very old (as the name would suggest) and rich with history city, founded in 1542.  It was the administrative capital of the Spanish empire for all of Central America. In the late 1800's it was severely stricken by an earthquake after which the Spanish moved their colonial headquarters to Guatemala City.  In September 1821, Guatemala gained independence from Spain.

The cane which is mostly cut by hand is loaded into these trailers to be delivered to the plant.  12 tons per day.

After the sugar is extracted, the by-product becomes fuel for an on-site power generation plant which supplies the needs of the plant and surplus is sold to the power grid. The name of the Plant is Madre Tierra and you might guess from the name (Mother Earth) they are very ecologically minded.  Nothing is wasted