Well the people of Mexico are getting set for another Christmas. They actually start before Thanksgiving, because Thanksgiving is actually an everyday occurrence here with no special day of recognition. When you ask a Mexican How they are they reply, “Muy bien gracias a Dios.” Which translate to, “very well thanks be to God.” During the Christmas season which starts the first week in November and continues on until the first week of January, concluding with the Day of Three Kings, there are many piñata parties so there is a high demand for piñatas.
Anyway, last year in our old neighborhood we only saw one Piñata get smacked, but we saw ten others go down at the ward Christmas party. This year in our new neighborhood, which is basically working class, self employed folk, many families make piñatas starting with the shell upon which they add brightly colored foil, and crepe paper in many different shapes, from Christmas trees to SpongeBob. We have seen Pooh Bear, Cinderella, Batman, Spiderman, The Hulk, Snow White, and just about any other fantasyland or action hero you can think of. They cost anywhere from $300 Mx pesos to $500 Mx pesos ($21AD – $35AD). The more expensive ones, besides being larger, are constructed on a clay pot. The less expensive ones have a paper machè body which is constructed over a balloon form, which is then deflated and used again. The smallest ones we have seen are about the size of a large hamburger, and the largest we have seen is about five or six feet in diameter. The elders tell us that they are building one about 15 feet in diameter in the next little colony.
We took these pictures on the way home from the church last week. We also decided to get into the spirit of Navidad ourselves this year so we stopped at the papelaria and purchased some things to decorate the house, and we also bought a nice poinsettia. The house looks very festive. Our little tree complete with lights is from Jessica and Levi last year.
The work of the mission is going very well. We have some very spiritual experiences to share with you all when we return. Almost every week we have a very special spiritual moment which is what fuels our engines and keeps us going. These experiences can be as simple as seeing someone we spoke with during the week, who hasn’t been to church in five or six years, come walking through the chapel doors, or witnessing the Holy Ghost influence someone who is struggling with the decision of when they will be ready for baptism, and the complete transformation of their countenance when they receive the witness and make the decision to fix a date.
