Corinne Got the Job

I just spoke with Jennifer and she did not know that Corinne had gotten the job. I know Corinne sent an email to Mom and Dad but I didn't even think that about others were looking here to get updates about whats going on.

Corinne is the practice manager of 5 medical practices at the same time. And she is also the manager for the building that holds the practices. Its as big as the hospital that's in my home town. Corinne is going through some stress with the new job but she is going to be awesome. The place has been without a manager for almost 6 months and it needs a lot of TLC. Two people have quit since she was hired, basically because they were slackers or what-have-you and I dont think they wanted to work their and be managed. And I think they knew that they were about to be found out and so they quit. One was the head nurse and the other was the lead staff for the admin people. So Corinne has her hands full.

Today Corinne came home from work early because she was sick, and I think it as at least partially from the stress. But she has some great ideas about how to get the place up to speed and I know she will make it a great place for all of them

I was also hired permanently with WAMU home loans today. I had been on an intern program basically and they made me an offer and I took it and so thats that.

Also, some of you know Jack and Jackie Watson, friends of Corinne and I. I got and email from them yesterday telling me Jack is in Iraq.

Love Cordell

From your favorite grandkids!

Hi Grandma and Grandpa it's Danni and Preston! We uploaded some pictures of our wedding and honeymoon for you two to enjoy. We are doing well in our new home and will have to take pictures of our house, and send them to you soon. Preston is still working at Cabinet Door Service and building air plane wings for Kit Fox and I am currently looking for a job and focusing on school. I hope you're doing well and we miss and love you!!

Love
~Preston and Dannielle Riley

Thanks to Cordell

Cordell and all, thankyou so much for the great pictures...I am not sure the picture of us on the family album is family rated but, oh well. We love all the pictures and encourage everyone to post more. The computer came home from the doc´s and is feeling much better so watch for a post after all of the baptism´s. Dad will tell you all about it. That´s all for now, but we wanted you to know how much this blog means to us. Many thanks to Cordell for setting it up. All our love to all of you.
momanddad

Just a note...

The computer is in the hospital but seems to be recovering well. Dad will post a new post as soon as it comes home.
Thought you would all like to know that Aldo is being baptized on Friday and the Sanchez family, Ermalinda, Juan and Jael, will be baptized on Saturday. All will be confirmed on Sunday. We feel really blessed to be doing the Lord´s work. We will post pictures with the next post. Till then...much love to all.
dadandmom

The Work Goes on in Mexico

FIG. 1

We are starting to get really busy with this missionary work. We have been tracting almost every day, but some days we have to go back and follow up on some of the families we have found to make future appointments. Right now we are working with one new member family where we baptized the mother and the daughter, but could not get the father to accept our message. This couple has a seven year old who will be eight this month and he wants to be baptized. Besides this we are working with two other families, that we feel very positive about.
One family Elva and Manual are what the missionaries call “Christiano”. They believe almost all the same things we do except for the necessity for only one prophet on the earth for the whole world at this time. They think that there is only two outcomes at the final judgment,. If you are good, Heaven, if not the other place. They only accept the Bible, and although they may believe the Book of Mormon is inspired they do not think that it contains the completeness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This family will be tough to convert, but if they are baptized they will be part of the backbone of the church in this part of Mexico.
The other family is from a strong Catholic background, but they are open to our message. Hermalinda and Juan have two married daughters, and two grandsons with another grand baby on the way. They also have two sons still at home, Jyer is 19 and Juan jr. is 13. The 19 year old works as a mechanic right on his street, a few houses down. Every time we saw him he was up to his armpits in grease. When we gave the first lesson to his family, the mother asked us to invite him to church. They had accepted our invitation and wanted him to come too. As we passed by where he works we didn’t see him, but I saw some legs sticking out from under a car, so I went into the tent that they use for a garage and looked under the car. Sure enough it was Jyer, he said he would come to church with his family. I wasn’t convinced he would be ready to go at 7:40 when we stopped by for them. To my pleasant surprise, Jyer opened the door to greet me, dressed all in white, and he was scrubbed spotless. He was the only one ready, and he invited me to come in and sit down. The family came, and they had a great first experience in church. Jyer had to leave after Sunday School to go to work, but I could tell that he had appreciated the experience.
Alma, the lady we baptized with her daughter on General Conference Sunday, was confirmed on Sunday the 14th. Her daughter didn’t make it to the chapel, but she promised that she would be there the 21st. Angelica the wife of our first baptism and Alma struck up a friendship at church and the fun thing we discovered is that they live back to back, only kitty-corner to each other in the adjacent clusters of eight homes each, but they live on two different streets. (See FIG. 1)
Figure 1 shows the outline of the four apartments on the bottom floor of each lot, and where Alma and Angelica live. In reality they are only 30 or 40 feet apart but to walk from one apartment to the other it is several hundred yards. Now imagine that these eight units are repeated side by side for 8 to 10 times on each side of each street. They extend out to the cross street that connects all the streets together. So in order for Angelica to get to Alma’s house she would have to walk past all the houses on Acacia street, turn right at the gate, and walk down to Alamos street, turn right again, and walk past all the houses on Alamos until she reached Alma’s house.
I haven’t said much about the weather here, only that it was usually very pleasant temperature wise, and that it rained a lot. I guess we arrived just as the rainy season was getting started. It rained almost every day for the whole time we have been here so far. Now that seems to have stopped, and it only rains once in awhile. The sky stays blue, very, very blue, and there aren’t too many clouds. The people tell us it is autumn. The trees, at least some of them, are starting to turn fall colors, and the stores are full of toys, Dia de Muerte (Halloween) and Christmas stuff. They don’t have Thanksgiving here.
There is also a lot of winter wear, coats, sweaters, hats, gloves etc. etc. in the stores. I get a kick out of some of the people running around in coats sweaters, sweat shirts, and winter hats, and we just wear our normal short sleeves and feel toasty. I am also seeing space heaters in the stores. The Mexican people all say that it gets really cold here in the winter. We are at a fairly high elevation, 7,000 feet, but we are also at almost the exact same latitude that Guantanimo Bay Cuba is at, and it never got below 70 degrees the whole 18 months I was there. I haven’t bought a temperature gauge, but my guess would be that so far the temperature has not dipped below 65 degrees. I’ll be interested to see just how “cold?” it gets.
Well that’s about enough for now, I don’t want to bore anybody, talking about the weather. I just thought you might find it interesting. I heard this week that it snowed two feet in Rigby Idaho. Maybe there is snow at our house. I hope Billy knows how to handle the snow blower.

Alma and Karen Urquiza

Conference weekend, we got home from all the meetings, around 6:00 pm Sunday. We attended all four sessions and we had a new member at the Priesthood session and 2 candidates for baptism at the Sunday morning session. We baptized them between the two sessions. There were 10 people baptized in our stake, and 18 from the neighboring stake which is also in our zone. I felt honored to be asked to do these two baptisms.

The work is going very well right now, and we have two or three more people we are working with that we have high hopes for. It is really such a thrill to see people accept our message and go down into the waters of baptism. The mother, Alma, and her daughter, Karen, that were baptized on the 7th of October have a little son/brother, Aldo, 7 years old that can hardly wait until he is 8 in just three more weeks. He wants to be baptized so badly, he can hardly sit still.
A few weeks ago we met a woman on the street, who came up to us asking for change for the telephone. We didn’t have any, but when she noticed our name tags, she asked if we were Mormons. We affirmed and she broke into tears. She told us that she had had the elders coming to teach her, and then they just stopped coming, she didn’t know why. She said she wanted to be baptized. We took down her information, on a blue card, and not knowing where she lived we turned it over to the zone leader. We found out that she lived in our zone but not in our area. The card was given to the elders in her area and today we saw her be baptized. When we greeted Rosa, the lady at the telephone, on Sunday, she recognized us immediately, and she kept repeating, through her tears …”gracias, gracias”. We have subsequently found out that her experience, with the missionaries who left her high and dry, happened several years ago, and not knowing what else to do, she went back to the Catholic Church, even though she knew it wasn’t true. God works in mysterious ways.
Missionary work is a very rewarding experience and we are loving it. To see the look on people’s faces before and after baptism is almost miraculous. They change from doubtful curiosity to anticipation then to hope, to joy and peace in just a few short visits.
We went to see Alma Monday night and we talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost, that she would be receiving next Sunday, and while we were explaining the function of the Holy Ghost and the difference between receiving a witness and having it as a constant companion, Alma said that our first encounter with her was miraculous, because she never opens her door to anybody she doesn’t know. She said that something touched her when she saw us, and she knew that she wanted to hear our message. This was a special witness to us that we are succeeding in our purpose before God.
After our visit with Alma we went to visit a family that we found three weeks ago. They are the Garcia’s. When we first knocked on their door, they opened it wide and invited us in, saying they were Christians. Marjorie was leery of another Bible bashing session, but it turned out quite well. Apparently they are non-denominational. We told them about the restoration and Joseph Smith and we got an appointment for a return visit with the elders who speak much better Spanish than either of us do. Elva Garcia speaks some English, but her husband Manual doesn’t. Well when the day for our visit came they called us a half hour before and canceled, with no explanation. We went by several times but found no one at home. We were fearful that this family had done an about face and we would not see them again. Thankfully we were wrong. They were both home, and they invited us in again. They explained the cancellation with an emergency that had come up suddenly in the family. They had a lot of questions and doubts. We were there to get an appointment, not teach, but we did try to answer their questions. They were having a bit of trouble with the concept of prophets and the Book of Mormon. We bore our testimonies and asked that they keep an open mind until we returned to teach with the missionaries. They said even if we aren’t baptized we hope to remain friends with you. The spirit is strong in their home and they really need the additional light of the restored gospel in their lives.
This missionary work is such a growing experience for us, and we are learning so many valuable life lessons almost on a daily basis. One of the most important things we have learned here in Mexico, is that the Lord will bless us according to our needs as long as we make an effort to do His work, and we can survive just fine on a whole lot less than we considered to be necessary. We live a lot more simply and our life is a lot less complicated. I don’t think I’ll ever take clean, pure drinkable water for granted again. We brush our teeth in bottled water and we never use more than a half a glass full. People here wash their cars and seldom use more than a five gallon bucket to do the job, unless it is extremely muddy and dirty. The tap water here is potentially lethal if you drink it. It looks clean, but we wash our dishes in it with a cap full of iodine to disinfect them. We also use iodine in the water to soak our fresh vegetables in. The tap water is safe to shower and wash our hands a face in, we just don’t let any get in our mouth. We use about five gallons of bottled water, bottled by the Coca-Cola Company here in Mexico, every week. It costs us $28 pesos a week ($2.80). We drink a lot of water every day. Our wash water and non potable water supply comes from a tank on the roof. It holds about five hundred gallons, and it gets filled about every other day. I have no idea where the water comes from or how the system works. Sometimes (3 so far) the tank runs dry, and we are without water to wash dishes, bath, or flush with. There is no warning when this happens, it just happens, and we make do..
The other thing we had to get used to is the electrical distribution system. There is only one outlet in each room, with the exception of the kitchen, it has two. We have had to get used to using extension cords and multiple outlet extenders, as there is only one plug-in in each outlet. It is all very complicated and I’ve often wondered why there aren’t more fires. The main reason for this is all the houses are solid concrete, no wood frame construction anywhere.
Another interesting thing is the way the gardeners mow their lawns. They use hedge trimmers, weed whackers or once or twice I have seen someone with an old fashioned push mower. The brooms for cleaning up the grass clippings are made of willow switches tied with wire to a tree limb.
The stereotypical lazy Mexican that some people believe is the norm, is completely bogus as far as we can tell. The Mexican people work very hard for very little money. The average wage for most general labor intensive jobs is from $5 to $8 a day. Many people work 6 or 7 days a week at jobs that would overwhelm and completely destroy the desire of an American laborer to return for more the next day. I am surprised that many of the people have nice cars, a big TV, and a modest but comfortable home. I have even met a few people who have completely paid off their homes, meaning apartments like ours of 5 to 6 hundred square feet. It is amazing how many people can live in such cramped quarters and survive. Like I said, they are a very friendly people.
Apparently credit is easy to get I’m not sure about interest rates, but the working class people seem happy. They take a licking and keep on ticking.
We love Mexico, the Mexican people, and especially the Mexican Saints. They are so kind, generous and full of faith. They work hard, play hard, and love life. Most of them will give a friend the shirt off of their back, and think nothing of it.
If it wasn’t such a long way from our family, and such a hassle with the citizenship thing and all the legal hoops and red tape to go through, I think it would be nice to live here. We are definitely thinking about a return visit in a few years from now.
VIVA MEXICO!

More pictures from the Pyramids

Lucy, me and the vendor. One of 1000´s

Lucy liked it but she didn´t buy it

Approaching the pyramid of the sun

Dad, David and Lucia

David and Lucia

Ezra is telling Dad he will have to duck

I always turn around when a guy whistles at me

Look! There are big lizards down there!

See Michael...there is cactus in Mexico. Just like you said.

Lucia and me. But that´s Laurie Anderson misbehaving.

The American pilots from Utah and their guide.

Here are a few more pictures from the pyramids. We tried to add them to the album but didn´t have time to figure it out.

Pyramids in Mexico (be sure to read the story below the pictures after the big space)

This is me at the top of the pyramid of the sun, you can see the pyramid of the moon at myright elbow.

This is the little group we went with. from left to right Lucia Perez, Mom, Ezra Flores, Laurie and Carol Andersen, and David Perez.

TEOTIHUACAN: Ciudade de los Dioses

On the 29th of September Mom and I walked the Calle de los Muertos. We went with the other senior missionary couple, Elder and sister Andersen. Our fearless leaders were Ezra Flores, and David and Luci Perez, our wonderful neighbors. What an overwhelming experience. It is hard to describe the feeling one gets, after the fact, when you begin to realize that we were walking the very streets where Book of Mormon prophets walked more than 2000 years ago. And then the reality sets in, we were standing on the very ground where the resurrected Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, appeared to the people of the Book of Mormon in 33 AD.
What can we say except that it was a profound experience. We walked in, under, around and upon the ancient stones that were placed there to honor God, and later served to worship false gods of the fallen people who had rejected Him. I climbed up to the very top of the tallest pyramid in Mexico, the Pyramid of the Sun, and looked upon the Pyramid of the Moon. We set out together to climb what seemed like an insurmountable staircase to the top of this gynormous pile of neatly stacked, massive blocks of stone. Then at the first level, Mom said, “You go on without me. I know I can’t make it.” I decided that if she couldn’t continue, then I would just stay with her until the group returned for the decent. But she said, “This is a once in a lifetime chance to do something that you will remember all the days of your life. I want you to go for it.” So reluctantly I continued on for the remaining 100 stair steps, each at least 12 inches high. I almost gave up twice more, but her words, “Go for it.” Kept ringing in my ears, and I gathered strength, and courage and continued on to the top. The climb is very steep, and is not for the faint of heart or weak of limb. My legs were very rubbery when I finally reached my goal, and when I turned and looked back down the stairs I got dizzy. I was told that the people who came up to worship God would always descend backwards because it would be disrespectful to turn one’s back on God. I can see where this would also be easier, if not safer. I had to go back down forward though because there were so many people that if I went backward they would step on my hands. The view from the top was very impressive. I could see the entire Ciudad de los Dioses (City of the Gods). I will attempt to insert a picture of me at the top, with the Pyramid of the Moon in the background.
When I returned to her, Mom was happy that I had made it to the top, and she shared with me how interesting it had been to sit there and listen to all the different languages that were being spoken by the visitors that were constantly streaming up and down the stairs. Some stopping briefly to rest before continuing on. Then hand in hand we descended the last 50 stairs to the bottom of the Pyramid of the Sun.
All along the calle de los muertos there are ruins of homes, and markets and various other buildings used by these ancient people. We were able to go into some that still had roofs and the halls and rooms still had some colors left from the ancient décor. There were many fountains, baths, and pools (all dry of course). There was one room that had walls and appeared to be in its original condition. In the center of this room was a massive rectangular pool. We were told that it was used as a teaching tool for ancient students of astrology. The pool reflected the night sky and all the stars for the students to study. The walls and pillars were ornately decorated with ancient symbols that represented God’s creations and powers along with His eyes that overlooked all.
After the afternoon of exploration of the ruins, we visited the museum, where they had a complete diorama of the entire city, which also included markers for the archeological sites that were yet to be excavated. There were also numerous displays of ancient artifacts, tools, weapons, and carved stones that were used to decorate the buildings in the city.
At about 3 o’clock, after a long day of hiking and exploration, we returned to the cars, and had some lunch and some water, then we began our journey home. We were very tired, but grateful for the opportunity to taste of the ancient culture of this beautiful and mysterious city. We had been anticipating this adventure for three or four weeks, and we were discouraged when for two solid days, prior to the trip, it rained. There was a tropical storm and on those days it rained all day. During the normal rainy season it never rains for more than an hour or two. Then we heard that there was another tropical storm right behind this one. Well it didn’t rain a bit while we were there, and in fact it wasn’t really hot either. We had been told to wear hats for protection from the sun, but it was actually quite pleasant. No sooner than we got on the road, than it began to rain, very hard. Within a half hour we were driving through 2 to 3 inches of water, and in some places the water was up to our hubcaps. We could see it on other cars on the road.
Thanks to our very skillful and absolutely wonderful driver and leader of our expedition we arrived home safely. Ezra Flores will always be a special person in our lives. He came up to us one day as we walked through the mall. He introduced himself and told us he was a returned missionary. Shortly thereafter he invited us to come to his home and share a family home evening and meet his family. They are an amazing and wonderful family, and we have found out that he is a third generation member of the church. His parents were born into the church and so was he and his older brother and younger sister. He and his brother served missions in the states, and speak excellent English. The younger sister is thinking about going on a mission. She just finished her college degree in accounting. Their father is a chemical engineer, and the whole family serve as a support family for the church’s high school in the central district. We love all the people of Mexico, but this is one family, along with a few others we have come to know, who will always be special to us.