Ready for Visitors :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Well, we've been doing a lot of things to get ready for all of our "special visitors" this week. We can hardly wait!!!!! One of the things that we've done is to borrow some baby items from the ladies in the ward. I sent out an email and within one day, I had all three of these items lined up. The sisters of the Relief Society here are the greatest.

Are we excited? WE ARE!!!!!

Study Chapters for this week

Monday: Helaman 12-13
Tuesday: Helaman 14-16
Wednesday: 3 Nephi 1-3
Thursday: 3 Nephi 4-6
Friday: 3 Nephi 7-9
Saturday: 3 Nephi 10-11
Sunday: 3 Nephi 12-15

Ryan's Temple Day

Ryan went through the temple for the first time yesterday.

It was a wonderful experience and a great day. One of his good friends, David Doxey,

went through for the first time as well.

The Doxey Family are serving in the Mexico City South Mission.

They are finishing up in just a few weeks and will return home.

Ryan and David have become good friends,

sharing many experiences here in Mexico

and also rooming together at BYU.

It's been a great blessing for them to have a

good friend here in this city.

They look like missionaries, don't they?

Ryan will serve in Uruguay from July 2009 to July 2011,

and David will serve in Chile from August 2009 to August 2011.

New Mission Photo

We had this picture of the mission taken last week, our second one. I haven't counted up everyone yet, but I think we're right around 200 missionaries, including the couples, etc. I like this years picture much better - the grass is green, the temple is more centered (thank you photoshop) and all the sisters are on the front row this time. I think it turned out much better.

We've studied two thirds of the Book of Mormon

Today is the 60th day of our study of the Book of Mormon together as a mission. I've enjoyed forming a better reading habit and I especially enjoy marking the references in a clean copy. I think I'll do it again when we're finished!

This week's chapters:

Monday: Alma 58-60
Tuesday: Alma 62-62
Wednesday: Alma 63-Helaman 2
Thursday: Helaman 3-4
Friday: Helaman 5-6
Saturday: Helaman 7-9
Sunday: Helaman 10-11

Sweet Little Scene

One of the missionaries emailed this picture to us. I don't know who the kids are, but they are sure cute. If you click on the picture, you can see the pamphlet is about the priesthood. It looks like they're having a little primary class or something. :)

We're Over Halfway There!

Here's this week's study chapters.

Monday: Alma 43-44
Tuesday: Alma 45-46
Wednesday: Alma 47-48
Thursday: Alma 49-50
Friday: Alma 51-52
Saturday: Alma 53-55
Sunday: Alma 56-57

Chapters for Study this week

Sorry this is a little late today, we've had missionaries going home here, and also preparing for our five new missionaries arriving later tonight.

Monday: Alma 25-27
Tuesday: Alma 28-30
Wednesday: Alma 31-32
Thursday: Alma 33-34
Friday: Alma 35-36
Saturday: Alma 37-39
Sunday: Alma 40-42

Have a great week!

What's missing from these pictures?

I went down to the office yesterday and to my surprise - none of the missionaries (or the president!) were wearing ties!!!!! This is just not the way things are on a mission.

I couldn't imagine what was going on.Someone, somewhere decided that all the men in Mexico should

avoid wearing ties during the swine flu restrictions.

So the missionaries complied with this request, and I'm sure they enjoyed it!

I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Here they are making the sign of the coyote.

Do you recognize that new missionary in the blue shirt?

He's not official yet, but will be in a couple of months!

Happy Birthday to My Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Here are a few things that happened in your birth year:

Trampolines were invented

The Securities Exchange Commission was created

Dust storms ravaged the Central Plains of the U.S. creating the "Dust Bowl"

The luxury liner "Queen Mary" was launched in Scotland

Sophia Loren was born

Hitler declared himself the fuhrer of Germany

The President of the United States was Franklin D. Roosevelt

Alcatraz prison opened

John Dillinger died in a shootout with the FBI near Chicago

Bonnie & Clyde were killed by the FBI in Louisiana

Best Picture Academy Award went to "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

Unemployment in the U.S. was 22%

Average annual wages: $1,600

Average costs of:

New house: $5,970

Monthly rent for a house: $20

Gallon of gas: 10 cents

Loaf of bread: 8 cents

First class stamp: 3 cents

Campbell's Tomato Soup: 4 for 25 cents

Studebaker Truck: $625

Things have changed a little since then, haven't they?

Hope you have a great day today, Dad.

We all love you a lot!!!

Study Chapters for this week

Monday: Alma 10-11
Tuesday: Alma 12-13
Wednesday: Alma 14-15
Thursday: Alma 16-17
Friday: Alma 18-19
Saturday: Alma 20-22
Sunday: Alma 23-24

We're about halfway through the 90 day study program, Saturday May 9th will be the 45th day.

Have a great week!

Could this be part of the problem?

Here is how garbage is collected in our neighborhood This truck drives into the middle of our street and starts ringing a bell, so we all know they are here and we should bring our garbage out. (I like this part, because when we were in Utah, sometimes we would forget to put the garbage out on garbage day)

The men jump right in the back of the truck and sort the garbage with their bare hands! I think this might be a part of the problem with the flu down here. Anyway, every time I see this I can hardly believe my eyes and I worry about these guys. They've really got to change this.

And to top it all off, while I was posting these pictures, we had a little earthquake here! I looked on the CNN site, they said it was in Chilpancingo, which is quite a bit south of Mexico City. They are reporting that there was no damage, so that's a good thing.

What's next?

This week's study chapters

Monday: Mosiah 22-24
Tuesday: Mosiah 25-26
Wednesday: Mosiah 27-29
Thursday: Alma 1-2
Friday: Alma 3-4
Saturday: Alma 5-6
Sunday: Alma 7-9

Happy Birthday to my Mom!!!!

Here are a few things about your birth year –

Average annual salary: $1,750.00

Minimum wage: .30 per hour

Average Costs of:

Milk = .34 a gallon

Bread = .08 a loaf

Gas = .12 a gallon

Car = $850

Stamp = .03

New house = $4,075

Rent = $32

U.S. Population = 133,402,471

Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in for his 3rd term

Other World Leaders:

Prime Minister of Italy: Benito Mussolini

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: Winston Churchill

Russian General Secretary: Joseph Stalin

Chancellor of Germany: Adolf Hitler

Unemployment was at 9.9%

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

General Mills introduced a new cereal called CheeriOats

Citizen Kane premiered in New York City

Plutonium was discovered

Mt. Rushmore was completed

Joe DiMaggio has hitting streak in 56 consecutive games

Glenn Miller had a popular song called “Chattanooga Choo Choo”

Musician Paul Simon was born the same year

You were born in a very eventful year!

Hope you have a great day – we love you lots!!!!!

Reading for April 20-26

Monday: Mosiah 2-3
Tuesday: Mosiah 4-5
Wednesday: Mosiah 6-9
Thursday: Mosiah 10-12
Friday Mosiah 13-15
Saturday: Mosiah 16-18
Sunday: Mosiah 19-21

One more zone conference post

After lunch, waiting for their interviews, posing for a picture :)

We had sandwiches for lunch one day, but they are big enough to be a complete meal.
Mine was called "La Gringa"

This one is called "La Cubana"

Ricas tortas!

More Zone Conference

Zone Leaders and District Leaders after a long day. The little guy on the right is thinking about serving a mission, so the zone leaders invited him to come to the conference. He said he really enjoyed it. We hope he'll decide to go on a mission! (He'll need a haircut and shave first :)
Listening to the Zone Leaders teach in La Perla

Zone Leaders in La Perla

"Hamburguesas" are a popular lunch.

When it's Russ' turn to teach, it reminds him of being back in the class room. He loves it!

Zone Conference Week 1 & 2

This is the chapel in the Tecamac Stake

Before the Conference

Practicing lesson 2 from "Predicad Mi Evangelio"

More practice

Studying before the conference

This weeks reading schedule

Monday: 2 Nephi 28-30
Tuesday: 2 Nephi 31-33
Wednesday: Jacob 1-3
Thursday: Jacob 4-5
Friday: Jacob 6-7
Saturday: Enos, Jarmon, Omni
Sunday: Words of Mormon, Mosiah 1

Did you make it through all the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi? :)