Tis the Season!

Thought: “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” 
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

Monday Dec 15th - Today we had plans to go help the Mother Theresa of Mexico!  Her name is Ora. She is an older lady that makes a lunch for 240 older people that don't have anyone to help them.  She does this once a month!  This month she has arranged for each one of them to get a present.   Sister Martineau got me on to this lady!  I was so excited to go help make and serve the lunch!  But, things happen and I spent most of the day taking a senior missionary to the clinic to see a Dr because he has an infection - it looks like cellulitis to me - in his finger.  He nearly died from Mersa 2 years ago, so we had to get it checked out fast!  It took all afternoon to have this done, so I missed the lunch!  Sad! but I will be on it next month for sure!  It is a pleasure to take care of our missionaries so all was not lost on the day!  FHE was also nice......except President Valensuela gave it in Spanish!  Well, I am learning to feel the spirit and get the gist of the message!  I didn't take any pics today!


Tuesday Dec 16th - Today was another one of those very long days!  We got invited to go to the West Mission multiple zone conference Christmas get together.  All the matrimonio's were invited.  There was a very nice 3 1/2 meeting where President Whitehead and Sister Whitehead spoke and taught as well as the zone leaders and other missionaries bore testimony! There was a 10 min break and then they put on a Christmas program.  An Elder played the piano, A sister sang "Mary, did you know?"  and we played chimes and acted out the 12 days of Christmas.  The missionaries had a blast.  We were all fed a nice Mexican lunch!  Not sure I want that again!  and then Greg and I gave all 120 missionaries their flu shots!  FELIZ NAVIDAD from us! We got to watch "Meet the Mormons"  It was a great show and all of you should go see it!
We left to go to this zone conference at 9 am and got home at 6 :15 pm.  Long day!!! But fun to be with the missionarios all day!  They are all so sweet!

Wednesday Dec. 17th - Groundhog day!  We got up and hour earlier and had to drive for an hour or so to get to the other end of the mission to do the same thing today that we did yesterday!  Same meetings, same talks and training from the Whiteheads.  We did take some pics on our drive out to Toluca!  It looks like we are driving through the Uintas!

Pretty nice huh?
There are toll roads every few miles so you can
drive on these nice roads with lines and lanes!
It's awesome!

Anyone want lunch?

You can do a little shopping along the way on your trip!!

Some of the chapels down here are so beautiful
This is one of them!

Cute missionaries at the zone conference!

Whatever!  Had to take a pic!

Greg's first Mexican haircut on the way home from Toluca!

Two small miracles

We had a wonderful trip to Veracruz to go to the temple (Mexico City temple closed for remodeling) so I tried to use it to meet the mission presidents in two missions we traversed.  President Cordova was nice to meet us at the temple so we didn't have to go looking for his offices.  Yesterday on the way back we took a side trip to Xalapa to join the Greers at their Christmas zone conference there.  She sent me the address through Mormon.org and I tried to look it up on my iPad's GPS but it was on an unnamed street.  When we arrived in Xalapa (500,000 inhabitants) I could not get Mormon.org on my cell phone.  We did find the street and tried to just go slow and look for the chapel but we inadvertently made a wrong turn.  Sister Stevens was driving and I had her pull over so I could try to connect to the internet but wasn't able to.  Peg is always one to encourage me to expand my nature and ask directions.  One thing you need to know about Latin cultures is their machismo won't let them admit they don't know the directions so they just tell you something, not necessarily the right thing.  As we were sitting there the first person to come along was a mailman.  I have never before in my life seen a mailman in Mexico.  There are none.  He had a patch on his shirt so I asked him.  The second miracle was that he actually knew where the chapel was and gave us very explicit directions to the chapel about a half a mile away.  We arrived at the zone conference and the Greers were sure happy to see us.  Greg

Temple Square..... in Mexico!

Evie and Hadley at Temple Square

Love this Tree!

 Thought
"So who needs Christmas? We do! All of us! Because Christmas can bring us closer to the Savior, and he is the only source of lasting joy....

"We need Christmas because it helps us to be better people, not only in December but in January, June, and November.

"Because we need Christmas we had better understand what it is and what it isn't. Gifts, holly, mistletoe, and red-nosed reindeer are fun as traditions, but they are not what Christmas is really all about. Christmas pertains to that glorious moment when the Son of our Father joined his divinity to our imperfect humanity" ("Hugh W. Pinnock, Who Needs Christmas?," New Era, Dec 1987, 4)

Sunday Dec. 14th - Another nice Sunday!  We got to church in time to go to English RS.  I just love the sisters there.  They are very nice and welcoming!  We had a lesson in Individual Responsibility!  I have a long way to go down here!  I want everyone to take care of me and that just ain't going to happen!!!   We then had choir practice for the English ward Sacrament meeting for the Christmas program next week!  The Spanish ward started at 1:00.  I talked Greg into leaving after Sacrament meeting so we could go home and get some food. He had to deal with sending home a missionary any way.  We had plans to go to the Temple to see the lights and hear the MTC choir sing there.  We left before church was out and we took the new couple The Sandbergs!  They aren't actually new, they have been here many times.  Sister Sandberg's dad is a legend in Mexico.  He came as a missionary in the 50's by himself!  He was the only missionary here for a long time!  He ended up being a  Stake President and Mission President and I think even an area authority! no sure though!

 

This tree is made of white tinsel!
The big balls are lights that turn different colors and
change the color of the tree!

We drove over to the Temple and had a very enjoyable time there.  The spirit is so strong, especially with the newbies missionaries from the MTC!  My family went to see the lights on Temple Square the same time we were at the lights on our Temple Square!  Pretty sure Salt Lake has us beat, but the evening was very nice any way!   So are pics from our lights, then some from my family in Salt Lake!  Once again I can't get the pics in the right order so we are mixed in together!  One of these days I will master this blog!
Also I don't know why the Newmans and Richie's family don't have pics here!  Since I left no one is taking pics anymore!

Sara and Hadley at Temple Square

Sara and Beka!

Mitch of course!

Not quite the same nativity set up!

I do like the poinsettias around everything!

Mexico Temple Square!
Look how happy my companero is!

Wonderfully busy Day!

Some of you have requested our address!!!
Greg & Peg Stevens
Av.de las Fuentes No. 11
Fracc. Lomas de Tecamachalco
Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico

"The shepherds were invited to come and see. They saw. They trembled. They testified. They rejoiced. They saw Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, the Prince of Peace....

"At this Christmas season I extend to you the gift of determination to come and see...

"A young man in deep trouble and despair said to me recently, 'It's all right for others to have a merry Christmas, but not me. It's no use. It's too late.'

"...We can stay away and complain. We can stay away and nurse our sorrows. We can stay away and pity ourselves. We can stay away and find fault. We can stay away and become bitter.

"Or we can come and see! We can come and see and know!" ("Marvin J. Ashton, Come and See,," New Era, Dec 1989, 4).



Saturday Dec. 13th - Oh what a wonderfully busy day!   We got up and had things to do because we had begged everyone to play and do something with us!  First off the Sandbergs came to our mission last night!  This is their 4th mission and so they are used to all of this, plus Sis. Sandberg is bilingual so there is no problem with the language!  They are a very nice couple and we all will enjoy them alot.  Actually, we have been waiting for her to get here to teach us (3 of us sisters) español!  She has been helping at the MTC teaching spanish so we have her now!   We left quite early and went to Costco with the Sandbergs and Olsons to get supplies.  You know how it is when you go to Costco for some milk and come home with a whole basket of stuff!  Yep, it's the same down here!  We are still trying to figure out what to eat and how to make it!
We had to hurry home because we had plans to go to Ciudadela with the Andersons!  That is where there a millions of little shops with millions of little things in them all smashed together in one place.  I know you have all been to such a place.  We went to one of these in Cancun on Sunday after church, but this one is 10 times larger!  I bought a pretty necklace for Greg to give me for Christmas.  That was our big purchase!
We had to hurry home from there because we then went ------this is pretty funny -----to see the Scarlet Pimpernel play in SPANISH!  Weird!  But it turned out OK.  I am learning to just sit and listen and hope to catch a word now and again!   It makes for some great headaches!  The voices of the people in the play were magnifico!  The scenery looked like I did it!  Oh well, it was fun to get out, because that is always my goal!  We went with the Ellis's and the Rices!  We decided to go over to the big mall and get a bite to eat afterwards, but I was driving and got them lost and we never saw them again the rest of the night!  We went to the mall, ate tortas and watched the kids ice-skate!
Got home tired and happy!  That is how I want to spend every day here ---  busy, busy, busy!  That makes the time go faster!  And it's way more fun!

Our first ride in a taxi!
Since we have a car we don't have
to rely on these crazy things!

A fun Saturday at the Ciudadela!

I don't know!
I just had to take a pic!
Who is going to buy this and take it home?

Greg is wanting to be a lucha libre!

Another store just outside the Ciudadela!

Other stores trying to get in the action!

The cast of Scarlet Pimpernel!
Unfortunately Spanish was involved in this play!

This is how they decorate some pools inside this mall
with big white balls like you would find
in a ball pit at MeDonalds!

Another pool  with the arches of water you can walk under!
The guy on the right has job security, he is moping under the arches
Greg just had to touch the water and mess up the arch and get the bridge wet!

Feliz Navidad!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Thought:   "If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments" (Howard W. Hunter, "The Real Christmas," Ensign, Dec 2005, 22–25).

Thursday, Dec 11th.  We have had a very productive day!  It started out very slow, but we got our act together and the afternoon and evening turned out fine!  I have been so excited all day!  Abi is dancing in the Tabernacle Christmas Program, which starts tonight with the muppets!  I am excited to hear how her experience has been!   We are waiting to hear about that!
We walked to and from our office and did some work while we were there!  We got home early afternoon and I decided to make my first official meal with my crockpot.  I have a recipe for Beef and Broccoli!  It took me from 3-8:30 to find what I needed, organized my stuff, get it cooked and so forth!  I was too tired to eat it, but it passed Greg's taste buds so I have another meal I can make.  It should only take a couple of hours next time!  Also, I put the lights on the tree, then Greg helped me put the ornaments on!  It looks fabulous in our living room! I told Greg I think I am going to leave it up all year!  It helps me to not be so homesick!
Then while our dinner was cooking, we got our exercise clothes on and went to our little workout room here at the hotel!  It has 2 little treadmills and 2 little bikes in it!  It also has some free weights and 2 exercise balls!  It worked out OK!  We were sweating by the time we left!
So there you go - a slow start, but then we got all this other stuff done!  Muy Bien!

We also got this pic tonight!
Our poor little Max had a fun trip with his sister!
We wouldn't know what to do if someone didn't have a cast on something!

Beka sent me this pic
"This is how you can tell it's finals week!
I went out in public like this!"
I thought the grinch was in our house!

Our Christmas Tree!
We didn't even have to decorate our sticks behind !

                                                                         Feliz Navidad!

Thought:   "Part of the purpose for telling the story of Christmas is to remind us that Christmas doesn't come from a store. Indeed, however delightful we feel about it, even as children, each year it 'means a little bit more.' And no matter how many times we read the biblical account of that evening in Bethlehem, we always come away with a thought—or two—we haven’t had before....

"I, like you, need to remember the very plain scene, even the poverty, of a night devoid of tinsel or wrapping or goods of this world. Only when we see that sacred, unadorned child of our devotion—the Babe of Bethlehem—will we know why... the giving of gifts is so appropriate" (Jeffrey R. Holland, "Without Ribbons and Bows," New Era, Dec 1994, 4).

OK this is the garbage truck!  The guy on top of the truck
is lifting up the wires so the truck can drive underneath!
A girl walks along the side of the truck ringing a bell
to tell the neighbors that the garbage truck is here.
People ran out with their garbage and as you can tell
they put garbage in every nook and cranny on the poor truck!

We found this live wire on our walk to the office!
Oh my heck!!!

We tried to go see the pilgrims walking on their knees to the Basilica!
People decorate their cars, vans, buses, everything else
with Guadalupe on them!

Friday Dec 12th - Happy Birthday to Angie and Kim Stringham!!  I wish you all the best for the coming year!   Today was Temple Clinic day.  That means I get to drive for a long time!  I am getting used to it.  Maybe even a little too used to it!  I got honked at 9 times today!  I don't know what everybody's problem is!  Actually I do ...It is Guadalupe Day!  This is the day the Mexicans honor Guadalupe - whoever the heck she is!!!!  This community started celebrating days ago with letting off firecrackers.  It sounds like we are being invaded!  Some people in this hotel didn't get very much sleep last night with all the big, huge booms!!!  It didn't bother us too much since we DON'T HAVE WINDOWS in our place!
Anyway, back to Guadelupe - people start early in the morning or the day before and walk for miles and miles to the Basilica - some big Catholic church to pay their respects to Guadelupe!  Some people crawl on their knees for a long stretch!  Not sure why?  They must love bloody knees!
We are not sure what they do when they get to the Basilica so we tried to drive by and see!  Ha! Every Mexican on the planet is there!!! Plus some are dressed up and some have decorated their cars, vans, buses, etc!  We couldn't get very close so we turned around ( a project of its own) and came home!
By the way, we only saw 3-4 cute missionaries in the clinic!  Not sure it's worth it but we will do what we are asked to do!
We helped another missionary couple by taking them to Best Buy to buy a new TV  They think the one the hotel is letting them use is dumb!  We don't even watch the TV cause that is dumb!  EVERYBODY IS ALWAYS SPEAKING SPANISH!  Even on the dumb TV!
I am wishing that ALL of you are having the merriest of all Christmases!
I am so lucky to know you and have you in my family - as family and friends!
Be happy!    Felix Navidad!
PS It is very hard to drive and take pics!  I am still TRYING to train Greg on taking pics of funny things we see while on the road!  He did take a few so I will hunt them down!

funny escalator that you take shopping carts down
We think there are magnetized wheels!

Big building made of tiles!

The Tabernacle Christmas Program!
Go Abi!

ONE MONTH DOWN!!

The Christmas Tree at the Benemerito!
I'm not sure whats up with the big wall painting behind the tree!

"As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always. We shall learn to forget ourselves. We shall turn our thoughts to the greater benefit of others" (Thomas S. Monson, "In Search of the Christmas Spirit," Ensign, Dec 1988

Wednesday Dec. 10th -    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!    Guess what kids?  One month down and only 17 more to go!  Enjoy your peace and quiet!  I know some of you are! 

Today has been another fun day.  We (I) drove up the the Benemerito- the old church school that has been transformed into the Mexico MTC!  I just love hanging around the Elders and Sisters that are there!  I loved hanging out with the missionarios at the MTC in Provo too.  The spirit is so sweet around them!  Laurel, you are going to just love having Isaac home!  These kids are happy, excited, dedicated and ready to learn and work for the Savior!  It really is amazing!  We got to see the clinic at the MTC and talk to the doctor there.  This MTC is 90 acres of heaven in a poor/bad part of town!  We also got to eat lunch with them.  It felt good to be in a little bit of heaven for a little while!

This afternoon we celebrated our anniversary by getting a new Internet line put in our place!  Maybe now I can get this darn computer and especially this blog to work!  I told Greg that he owes me flowers the 10th of every month for the next 17!  He didn't get me any today!  Hummmmm!

Tonight we are putting up our Christmas tree!  I don't know why we have been dragging our feet!  But it will brighten our little place here!  I'm still going crazy cause I don't have any windows in our place that actually look outside!  I have no idea what goes on out there!

Hope you holidays are happy!   Love you tons!

PS we didn't decorated our tree until Thursday......

I took a pic out the car window of MTC grounds and Elders!

Dad took a pic of the trainers
not the Elders and Sisters

Group of newbys studying on the lawn

On the drive to the MTC Greg said "there was a big B
on the mountain for Benemerito
That is one OLD B!

See how the houses are built up the mountain!
When Greg was here, those houses were all made of
cardboard and tin roofs that washed down the hill
in the rain!
The sewage also ran down the streets!

Me and my friend Rosario in the cafeteria!
She goes home Jan 22 to Logan, Utah
with her husband!

Greg out on the patio hobnobbing with the missionaries!
They love to talk to us ( especially in English)
I am a bad influence, as usual!

Service!

Thought:

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. It is peace because we have found peace in the Savior’s teachings. It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others."

—Thomas S. Monson, 

Monday Dec 8th - Here we are starting our 3rd week!  On Wednesday we will have been on our mission for a month!  Life is getting a little better down here!  The people are loco and so is the traffic!  We walked to the office this morning and tried to do some medical questioning of the Mission Pres. wives, but it was transfer day today and every body was very busy.  One of the wives I talked to had just put her 13 new comers to bed for a nap!  They get 1 hour, then up and going!  They have training all the rest of the day.  Tomorrow are transfers and the missionaries going home come to the mission home.  Wednesday, the old missionaries go home and life starts all over again for another 6 weeks!  Guess I won't be talking to any of the wives until Thursday this week!
We got to go to La Onda's for lunch today!  It is a really good authentic taco shop!  The place was packed and food was good!  The Olsons took us.  We had already been there once before.  The other couples took us the first time on Greg's birthday!  It has been a slow day for phone calls from sick missionaries.  I guess they are too busy with transfers to be sick today!  Greg sent home about 6 missionaries this past week and about 10 the week before.  I guess the average is around 10-12 per week.  But when you are dealing with over 6,000 I guess 10 isn't that big of a number!
FHE was very nice - taught by the Andersons with a pumpkin dessert.  Sometimes it's hard to remember we are in Mexico!

Lunch at La Onda's
Fajita like meat with guacamole and flour tortillas! 

Looking out the window of the insurance office we visited!  Just a few buildings! 

Tuesday Dec 9th - Happiest day of my mission so far!  Why? you ask, well because the RS president of the english speaking ward came and picked me up and took me all over town. She took me to a home of another sister in the ward where we cut up fleece and made baby blankets (over 120) to take to a nearby hospital for the babies.  Some hospitals here make you bring your own bedding and such if you are to stay in the hospital!  Sad!  So now there are 120 moms who will have blankets to wrap their babies up in when they take them home!  Happy!  The home where we were making the blankets was hanging on the side of a hill - like billions of other homes around here!  It is huge with a brick ceiling and big huge sea shells above all the doors.  Not sure how old the place is, probably around 100 years old.  The family that lives there - the husband works for the embassy.  The people that work for the embassy usually live in one place like Mexico for around 3-5 years.  We have alot of these kinds of people that live in our ward.  I can't believe their stories about living all over the world!  Some of these young families haven't lived in the US for many years!  I couldn't handle that!  A sister came to help with the blankets that also lives in the ward.  Her husband works for the FBI and sometimes he disappears for days on end!  I couldn't handle that either!  They are a cute young family!  Wow!  Living in Mexico!  The sister that lives in the home - Lindsey - has tried to put together a group called the newcomers.  She organizes a service project every month for all the ladies that want to serve, not necessarily LDS women.  Two of them showed up, but if not for the church ladies, the group probably wouldn't last!   Anyhoo!  I had tons of fun making friends with the ladies that were there.  One of the sisters - Kathy - I was visiting with looked very familiar to me!  We never could figure out where we might have met.  She is from California.  During the conversation she was talking about her sister that lives in Alpine!  I said my sister and brother in law live in Alpine!  She had been texting with her sister on the phone so she asked her if she knew Lane and Steph!  Voila! They are best friends and close neighbors.  Their kids are good friends as well!  It really is weird how you can connect all these church dots.  It's fun to do! 

 Actually I have even a better story!  The first time I walked into the ward, the RS president - Susan - came up to me to welcome us to the ward.  We both looked at each other and wondered where we had met.  She looked so familiar to me and me to her.  We started connecting those dots and come to find out there are plenty of dots we connected.  She lives in Arizona, Gilbert to be exact!  She lives next door to the OB/GYN that we became friends with long ago when we lived there.  Dr Dahl's office was next to Greg's office.  Dr Dahl delivered Richie!  He is almost 29 now!   I worked for him as a nurse for awhile!  THEN, I changed Dr's and started going to Dr. Seal.  I had known him when he was a resident at LDS hospital when I worked there!  I started working for him a few days a week!  He delivered Spencer and Beka and did my surgery!  SO - while I was working for him guess who was one of his patients??? Yep you guessed it!  - Susan.  I was there when she delivered her 9th child and took care of her in the office!  Oh my heck!  That is good dot connection don't you think!  She had #10 a couple of years later with Dr. Beck who was Dr. Seals partner!  My son Scot was good friends with his son Rusty!

The fun never ends!  Susan is one awesome lady!  We became fast friends.  Her husband works for the church here in Mexico in the legal department.  They are not on missions!  They have lived here for 3 years and will be leaving sometime later in 2015!  Sad!   Incredible people that's for sure!

Because I was so busy all day, this is our dinner, leftovers from the ward Christmas party! 

So, after the baby blankets, Susan had to drive toward downtown to go pay a friends rent and Christmas bonuses to her maid and other helpful people.  That friend moved to Salt Lake.  We finally made it to her place.  A cute little Mexican opened the gate and we drove into the parking area.  We walked to the elevator and had to use a key to get the elevator to go to her floor!  When we got to the 14th floor the elevator doors opened to a front door! - No hallway or anything!  We unlocked that door and walked into this huge, huge home with a living room and dining room twice the size of mine.  It had 3 big bedrooms, a big kitchen and living quarters for her maid!  The dining room table had chairs for 16!  Just think of that kids, we wouldn't be jammed in our little room!  The home had floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the park ( can't spell it) and towards downtown.  Very awesome!  I wanted to take pics, but thought that might be an invasion of privacy!  Unlike the manger scene to my kids!  So she doesn't have any neighbors!  It's weird that every floor of this building is one big home!  The building has 18 floors, so 18 homes stacked on top of each other!  Go figure!  Not my kind of living!  Where would I put my chairs out front??? And who would I bug when they walked by!  Yep not for me!  If I'm not bugging my kids, I have failed!

Sorry that was a long blog, but it really is amazing how all these people have met somewhere before, years ago and now are back together in Mexico!

PS Susan and I are making big plans for playing after she gets back from Christmas!  And with the other friend Kathy as well.  She has a full time driver that takes her wherever she wants to go, so we will be using him!  Our wish is his command!  Who wants to come to Mexico now and play?  I guess I can't spend all my time playing, I do have some missionary work to do,  But there is some time!
Hasta Luego!