More of the wild week!

Thursday, Feb. 5th

THOUGHT:  "WE CAN'T HELP EVERYONE, BUT EVERYONE CAN HELP SOMEONE!"
                                                                                                                       Ronald Reagan

Today was another one of those long travel days!  We got up early and headed north this time to Queretro.  Greg started his mission 42 years ago here.  He was flabbergasted at how much this town has grown.  There are hills on the outside of town that were nothing but dirt.  Now they are covered with houses and big buildings.  Either this town has grown really fast or Greg is really old!   It took us almost 3 hours to get there!  I have never seen so many trucks shipping stuff into or out of the city!   We found the church and got in on the zone leader conference that had started.  Pres.     is a latin guy and Greg said he gave some really good thoughts and training in his talk we listened to for an hour!  Greg thinks he will be a GA someday!  He is still young and already been a Bishop, Stake Pres and now Mission president.  Greg's 10 commandments of good health went good.  Greg then saw a few sick missionaries and we left to head back home!  Greg tried to find where he lived in the town, but I missed the street and we couldn't get back so next time we will have to check it out!  Something was going on in town anyway!  I was happy to get out due to the 2 hundred police that were all standing around holding their shotguns.  Roads were blocked off and police trucks were everywhere!  You never really know what's happening!  A lot of times you will pass a bunch of police standing around holding their guns out and looking!  They never seem to do anything!  Whatever!
It took us almost 3 hours to get back home and I am pooped!!!
I hope you day went well!

Here is the famous aqueduct that goes through the center of town!
Greg remembers this as being the only thing around!
Look past the aqueduct to see all the houses up on the hill!

There is a river that goes through town!
These trees cover the riverbank.
Greg says there were no trees around!
Theses trees look old, but not 42 years old, I guess!

A cool church by where Greg lived!

Ok, we kept passing trucks full of pigs on the way back to Mexico City!
Here is a truck full of pig fannys!  HEE HEE!
Kinda blurry, cause we were going fast!

Friday, Feb. 6th


Today was a fun day!  We got up, drove to the Temple clinic and saw a few missionaries!  We have had a special on sick missionaries this week!  There have been 6 appendix removals in the country, just yesterday, Greg sent 6 missionaries home for various health reasons!  I'm not sure how many he has sent home this week!  Life is crazy down here!  We stopped at Burger King for lunch after the clinic and drove to the Chalco mission.  I was excited because Beka's friend Marcie Castillo is in this mission and we had planned to meet up!  It was a very nice drive since it was only an hour away!  This is the slum part of Mexico City!  A very poor mission all the way around!  The Crickmores - Mission president and wife and the nicest people.  They are from San Diego so they are tough nuts living in this place!  We have a pic with them!  Greg did his schpeel on the good health. A guy showed up to make lunch - he cooked hamburgers on a grill in the church parking lot!  Then he slapped a piece of bacon and a slice of ham on that burger, along with a slice of pineapple.  It looked terrible but tasted good.  Just before lunch, Sister Castillo showed up and we had a very nice visit with her!  She looks good and is doing well out in the little pueblito where she lives - about 30 min away from the city of Chalco.   I also had a nice visit with Sister Crickmore!  Another awesome lady!  This has been a hard deal for her and she is working through it all very well!  - including a hip replacement!  She had to go to Salt Lake to have it done one year ago because she had a daughter in Salt Lake and no one in San Diego to help her.  But when she got to Salt Lake, her daughter found out she had a brain tumor, so when Sis. Crickmore was getting her hip done, her daughter was having brain surgery at the U.  They got home to the daughters apartment the same day and took care of each other for a couple of weeks!  Oh my!  The poor missionaries get robbed weekly in this mission - especially their phones.  It is hard to keep the missionaries safe here in this mission!  Sister Castillo has done fine.  Hopefully that will hold out for the whole mission for her!  After lunch and visiting we took Sister Castillo and her comp back to their house.  It was about 25 min away from the city in another small, poor town.  We walked through her house and took pics.  I needed to use the potty before we drove home!  She said sure, but no toilet seat!  I understand that is a luxury around here - to have a toilet seat!  They live in a fairly big home.  It has 3 bedrooms, but the other two are sitting empty. The also have a large kitchen and living room - with no furniture!   They do have a rope hung across the room held up with a stick in the middle of the living room for their clothes line!
We said goodbye and drove back to Mexico City which took us forever  with the traffic since it was Friday night!  The Andersons invited us up to watch a movie!  I was so tired, I don't even remember the name of it - but it was pretty funny (old movie).  Movies today aren't funny!
Hasta Luego!

This is what the Temple grounds have looked like
with the poinsettias all around!

But now, spring has sprung and pansies and
little rose bushes and other fun stuff
is being planted!

Spring is about here in Mexico!

Fridays are garbage days so we see
guys pushing carts around the streets
cleaning up the garbage and sweeping!

I feel bad for this cute little guy!
He is filthy and doesn't wear gloves!
How do you like his broom?
It must work cause lots of people have these!

We were waiting in the street to be let into the parking lot to go
to the drive through at Burger King on our way out of town today!
We go our food and out we ...wait what?
See the big heavy chain!  We have to call the guy from the parking lot over
to unlock the chain, pay our ticket and drive out of the drive through!

This is the entrance to the church in Chalco!
Would you feel safe going to church here?

Here visiting with the Pres & Sis. Crickmore

Since I can't take pics of my cute grandkids-
I pick cute little Mexican kids to take pics of!

Sister Castillo came to visit us for the afternoon!
It was very fun to see her!

A random pic on the way to Sister Castillo's house!
Someone lives here!

Indoor soccer field!
Sister Castillo hasn't played here yet!
Maybe if we talk Beka into coming down here
they could have a good game of soccer!

One huge rock sitting in the road!
Whatever!

Sister Castillos house on the bottom level!

I asked why the stick with rope on it in the living room?
I'm not sure I got a good answer - so I am assuming
it is a clothes line!

If you go to the street in front of Sis. Castillo's house and look right..
this is what you see!
There is a horse standing next to the building on the left side!
Sweet street!

Popo at sunset - spouting off!
Greg's favorite mountain - volcano
Popo ( I can't spell the rest of the name)
Sister Castillo sent us this pic she took from her house!
She lives at the base of this volcano!