September

Maybe if I get started I can have this done before the end of September. 
August 29th we went to Applebee's to celebrate Presidents weight loss of 30 pounds.  We go there every time he loses 10 pounds.  It is his reward.  Afterwards we went to see Ben Hur, the new version.  Pretty good movie.

Yup.  Eating again!

Last Tuesday we had a little excitement when we had an electrical fire at the temple early in the morning.  The temple was closed for 3 days while repairs were made and all of us missionaries went to help clean up the soot that had managed to spread surprisingly far and wide for such a small fire.  Lunch at Pollo Campero as a reward for us for cleaning.

And again!

August 31st we went to the National Palace on the Plaza Principal. It was finished in 1943 and built mostly by prison labor.  It was the residence of the president but is now used for receptions of dignitaries and by some government departments.

The front of the Palace

Ornate cement columns 

Five was the original owners favorite number.  Arches etc were all in fives.

One of the courtyards

Peace monument

One of 4 pools

Huge paintings depicting history

Another mural

Mosaic floor tiles.

Reception Hall

Wood floor of the reception hall

Stained Glass Window

One of hundreds of chandeliers

Door handles have the thumb print of the man who was President when the palace was built

Miniature of the Palace took longer to build than the palace itself

The cathedral on another side of the Main square.

Monday the 12th we enjoyed a Family Home evening with Mark Wood who gave a presentation on religious freedom and the work the area legal counsel is doing with Costa Rica to help them draft a new religious freedom legislation..  It is hoped it will be the example for several other countries.
Wednesday, the day before Guatemala's Independence day, all the schools have a parade carrying a torch that must be lit from a central flame.  Bad traffic day!

Catholic School across the street from us.

On Independence Day the temple was only open half a day.  It may as well have been closed for all the people that didn't come including workers.  It was rather expected to be that way though.  After our shift, President bought rotisserie chicken for us all and we had pot luck for everything else.  Eating again!  We ended up with some impromptu talent as the Guatemaltecans sang their national anthem.  It is hugely long.

Great food and good company!

Monday the 19th Eldon was our driver to go shopping as President was in Senahu for a conference.  He is a very good and careful driver and does not make anyone nervous like President does.

Our walk this week was good as the sky was mostly clear.  I like the cool breeze and some clouds though as it keeps it cooler for walking.  We got to see Agua and Fuego (close volcanoes) today and a couple of pictures of a building we have been watching from ground up for the last 10 months.  Fuego spews smoke and ash into the air about every 15 minutes.

Almost finished

Agua with Fuego just visible to the left of the light post.

Volcano Agua.

And last but not least is this cool picture of a crew cleaning the roof of the temple totally by hand.

There is a slippery slope for you.