It's Heating Up in Belize

This screen shot of my weather app was taken on Thursday of this week.  All I can say is, "please pass the water!"  

The Santa Elena Branch Relief Society held a successful Women's Retreat this week... 

...and no, we were not photoshopped into this picture! We're standing outside of our conference room at the Maya Mountain Lodge in Santa Elena.  

I was asked to teach a class on ministering, Elder Magnusson on self-reliance, and together we taught a class on successful marriage. Other classes taught by the RS presidency and branch presidency included domestic violence, self-confidence, home safety, and women's health.  We also enjoyed the delicious luncheon and getting-to-know-you games.  

The organizers were Relief Society president Kay Pérez (right) and secretary Stacey Cadle (left)...and yes, that watermelon tasted as good as it looks. 

Margaret Robinson has been a Catholic missionary living in other countries of Central America and now in Belize for many years. We met Margaret on one of our morning walks. What a wonderful humanitarian and follower of Christ!

This lovely young girl came up to me while I was playing prelude in San Ignacio Branch last Sunday. She reverently stood by my side and watched me play until it was time for church to start.

We enjoyed attending the baptism of the son of Noel and Janet Chi Saturday afternoon.  He has grown and matured so much since we moved to Succotz just 6 months ago.

One of the Bible stories we studied in the "Come Follow Me" manual this week is found in Luke 10:25-37.  The parable is of the Good Samaritan.  I'm inspired by the message and the portrayal of the parable in this video.

From the manual:
It is helpful to remember that the parable of the good Samaritan was Jesus’s way of answering a question: “Who is my neighbor?” As you read this parable, keep that question in mind. What answers do you find?

By Jesus’s day, the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans had lasted for centuries. The Samaritans were descendants of Jews living in Samaria who had intermarried with Gentiles. The Jews felt that the Samaritans had become corrupted by their association with Gentiles and had apostatized. Jews would travel miles out of their way to avoid passing through Samaria. (See also Luke 9:52–54; 17:11–18; John 4:9; 8:48.)

Why do you think the Savior chose a Samaritan, someone who was hated by the Jews, as an example of compassion and loving one’s neighbor? What does this parable inspire you to do to show more mercy to others?

I enjoyed seeing the perspective of this parable from a child's eyes.  In this video, the children were asked to tell the story of the Good Samaritan in their own words.

The Good Samaritan by Dan Burr

Our daughter, Lisa, sent us this picture of the eggs she dyed for Easter.  Our friend taught us how to do this method over 25 years ago.  You make them using eggs, onion skins, leaves or flowers, an old nylon stocking, and string.  You can learn how to do it by clicking onto my recipe blog here.

As you can see, each egg is beautiful and unique...just as we all are, as children of our Heavenly Father.

Semana Santa - Holy Week

It's Holy Week, when all Christianity joins together to commemorate the greatest event in history, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and His Atonement for the sins of all mankind. In nearby Benque Viejo, the townspeople decorate the streets and lanes with exquisite artwork of colored sawdust and sand, an expression of faith and devotion to the Savior of the world.

We enjoyed walking through the streets of Benque and seeing the colorful sawdust artwork.

You can watch how they make the beautiful designs by using stencils. 

The nighttime Good Friday processional in Succotz passed by our house--a somber and moving scene presented by the local Catholic Church.

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square honor the Resurrected Lord in their majestic 3 min music video He Is Risen.

Local church leaders visited Camp Oakley in Burrell Boom, 30 min north of Belize City, as the probable site for this year's youth camp. It includes cabanas, a mess hall, a small lake, and restrooms/showers. We remember the excitement of last year's camp experience--too bad we'll miss this one!

We love gathering with all the missionaries who are serving in the country of Belize every 6 weeks for zone conference. We learned this time how to better teach the principle of repentance.  

It was the final zone conference for Elder and Sister Jensen of Cardston, Alberta. Sister Jensen's lunch of Hawaiian Haystacks was enjoyed by all the missionaries.

The young missionaries practiced teaching Jesus Christ's message of repentance and redemption.

One Voice Choir, a 36-voice, high school-age choir from Richfield, Utah, came for a week to renovate a school library in Cayo and to perform free Easter concerts. Here they perform in the Succotz chapel. Afterwards, they meet Sister Thompson and Sister Donakey and were excited to ask them all about their experiences as missionaries in Belize.

In Corozal, (from right to left) Branch President Francisco Peña, District President Hilberto Casanova, Sergio Escalante, Abner Grey Jr., Lindbergh Foster, Paul Woods, 1st counselor in the district presidency.

Sergio, Abner, and Lindbergh were just ordained elders.

On Monday in Corozal, we couldn't pass up going to the market and getting fresh produce. 

The scriptures teach us that all things testify of Jesus Christ. Certainly nature in springtime, with the rebirth of these flowers we found in Corozal, is an example of Christ living again. And we will, too. 

Happy Easter!

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice and Hear the Word of God

Our grandson set a good example of listening to the prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, as he watched General Conference from his living room.  

We watched General Conference with the members from the Bullet Tree Branch.  Here we are in the English transmission room with Austin and Adia Tackitt.  

The Bullet Tree Chapel streamed conference in Spanish as well as English. We enjoyed the branch's potluck lunch between sessions.  Below, is the scene of the 21,000 congregation in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Our daughter, Rachel, was able to attend the Sunday morning session there.

You can watch all the sessions by clicking here.

As we were reviewing conference, we happened to check out the American Sign Language interpretation of Elder Gerrit W. Gong's address.  The first 35 seconds of him counting sheep, as an intro to his message, is hilarious! 

You can hear his entire talk with the interpreter by clicking here.  

His talk is titled, Good Shepherd, Lamb of God.  (This message is good, and timely, too.)  Elder Gong holds a special place for Belizeans because he visited Belize only a month before he was called as one of the Twelve Apostles.  

I love watermelon...and we enjoy having some everyday! Here I just bought a very sweet melon from this Mennonite vendor driving his horse-drawn cart in Santa Elena.

This was the end of the semester for our two BYU-Idaho on-line Pathway students, Lloyd and Shaneel. We've enjoyed meeting with them weekly as they report on their progress and teach each other.

Our friend Frank Ross, from Caye Caulker island, came to visit us in Succotz. We liked hiking the magnificent Xunantunich ruins just across the river. Here, on top of the El Castillo temple, is a beautiful panorama across the Guatemala border.  To get to Xunantunich we cross the Mopan River on the hand-cranked ferry.

Frank is a stalwart in the San Pedro Branch, serving as Elders Quorum President, branch clerk, and Sunday School teacher. Thanks for the visit, Frank!

Elder Magnusson can't miss taking the missionaries' photo at district meeting in Belmopan.

Smart and Regineia Omoruyi (far left) just completed our temple preparation classes. They plan to go to the Guatemala City Temple to be sealed as a family. Having lived in different parts of the world, the family speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English. The scriptures were read in all three languages during our classes!

April's here...no foolin!

Every six weeks we get to join with the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in Belize City as they participate in their all-day Mission Leaders' Council meeting, originating from El Salvador. They counsel together on how the missionaries will best teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people here.

I got to prepare the lunch--Sloppy Joes! 

Sister Donakey and Sister Thompson serve with us in Succotz.  After the meeting we had in Belize City, we took them by the Belize sign at the seaside for this photo-op before our 2-hour drive home.  

Fidelina Pérez of San Ignacio had a birthday this week. We enjoyed celebrating it with her along with Elder Glines, Elder Chiesa, Floyd Lemus, and her daughters: Zuli and Madison.

We thought it would be fun to bring Fidelina our favorite taco dinner--American style, of course-- as well as the cake.

Missionaries come to Belize, and sometimes they come back to Belize! Sister Mineli Gómez, of Belmopan,  just completed her mission to the Utah St. George Mission, serving primarily in the St. George Temple Visitor's Center. Her parents, René and Minelia, are very proud and happy for her return.

Elder Magnusson and I have enjoyed studying our Sunday School lessons from the new New Testament manual together during the week.  This past week we read the story of Peter exercising faith in Jesus Christ by walking to Him on the water.  You, too, can learn from the lesson manual the teachings found in the books of Matthew 14, Mark 6,  and John 6 on the topic of faith.  I like how the manual asks thought-provoking questions that we can discuss as we read the scriptures. 

Jesus Christ invites me to set aside my fears and doubts and exercise faith in Him.

Picture in your mind the details of the scene described in Matthew 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52; and John 6:15–21. Imagine how Peter and the other disciples may have felt. What do you learn about discipleship from the Savior’s words and actions in these verses? What do you learn from the words and actions of Peter? What is the Lord inviting you to do that might be like stepping out of the boat? What do you find in these verses that gives you courage to exercise your faith in Jesus Christ?

This painting titled, Against the Wind, by Liz Lemon Swindle accompanied the story in the lesson manual.

Enjoy this short video about what we learn from reading and studying the Bible.

You can also see the video by clicking here 

Let the Fiesta Begin!

The annual, three-day Succotz Fiesta kicked off on Friday. This nearly 100-year village tradition boasts rides, food vendors, fireworks, games, DJ and dancing nightly until 4 AM right across the street from our house! Fun!! 

Experience Fiesta live!

Fiesta begins with the coronation of the Queen of the Fair by last year's queen, Marianne Lopez. She is attended to by Queem Omoruy and her sister, Karine Lopez. All three are members of the Succotz Branch.

Our Cayo missionary district met this Wednesday in the Succotz Chapel with three missionaries new to their areas.  We set new goals for this six-week period, under the direction of our new district leader, Elder Hicken (far left).

These missionaries are at the airport preparing to leave Belize to return either to El Salvador for more service, or to their homes, having completed their missions  Their service has been extraordinary. They admit that the growth in themselves is nothing short of a miracle.

Elder Aaron Varga, from our home ward in South Jordan, Utah, is welcomed this week to El Salvador by our mission president and Sister Adams. Hopefully, Elder Varga will be able to experience a transfer to Belize during his mission!

We hosted the patriarch from Guatemala City, Brother Lynn Justice, for several days in our home as he met with members from the Cayo District.  We share our love for eating watermelon, and especially this very sweet melon that he helped pick out.   

The Escobar's from Benque Viejo is a special family whom we enjoy visiting and reading the scriptures with. They're originally from El Salvador where Brother Escobar was a sergeant in the army.

The Succotz Branch recently held a Returned Missionary Expo, where members who have been missionaries shared their experiences in the other countries where they served. A common theme was their love for the people, and how much they grew and matured as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

Youth Camp is coming! Our first planning meeting of leaders for Camp 2019 was held, with great enthusiasm felt by all. From right to left- Evelyn Woods, Ardis Allen, Amin Salazar, Hilberto Casanova, Tyron Thompson, Paul Woods, Elder Magnusson.

Super Moon in a Super Week

This past week in Primary we read from Matthew 12:10-13 about how the Pharisees questioned Jesus on why he healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath.  The answer is found in Matthew 12:12 which reads:  Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

We talked about what good things we can do on the Sabbath.  Then the children drew their ideas on a coloring page.  We also learned about how to prepare for the Sabbath by learning the song, "Saturday Is a Special Day".

With one of my young friends, as we stand outside her mom's small store on the hill above our house.

As we were visiting with her mom, the daughter asked me to play with her.  When I said, "Okay, what should we play?" she suggested that we could collect bottle caps. We decided to stack them.  

One of our opportunities is to teach the seven classes to church members who are preparing to do temple ordinances for the first time.  Brother Martinez was baptized just a few years ago. A widower, he is looking forward to receiving his temple endowment in the Guatemala City Temple, and to being "sealed" for eternity to his wife of 52 years who passed away three years ago. The  knowledge of this sealing opportunity is found in Matthew 16:18-19  and has been restored to the earth in these latter-days. 

This video below contains a brief explanation of sealing couples and families in the temple.

The Lopez family is a strength to the Succotz Branch and to the entire village. Leovany Lopez (knelling) is branch president. He and his wife Jenny (second from the left) are parents to four wonderful children. His mother (standing behind him) and several more of her children are active members of the branch. Our sister missionaries join in the photo.

Did you see the "super moon" a few nights ago, occurring with the spring equinox? In Succotz, the moon was very large early in the evening, looming just above the horizon, beautifully illuminating our street.

Elder Chiesa and Elder Price, our super zone leaders, continue their super work under the super moon. Elder Chiesa is from Uruguay, Elder Price from Utah. 

We still try to go on a walk each morning. The back road behind Succotz cuts through the bush and is hilly enough to give us a welcome workout. Why do I wear a skirt, you may ask?  It's way cooler!!

Our son Sam and his wife Makelle recently visited Elder Magnusson's mother who is almost 93. Grandma Magnusson was a senior missionary herself with Grandpa 30 years ago. She says she's anxious to see us again...and, we are to see her!   

Modern Apostles Testify of Christ

It was fun to capture this lovely shadow as we walked along the promenade in Belize City last week.

We ended our week by attending the Belize City District Conference.  The messages were inspiring about ministering and the powerful effect of the Book of Mormon in our lives.  Here the choir is singing a beautiful postlude hymn as the conference concludes.

Our members gathered from Corozal, Orange Walk and Belize City to attend the conference.  The  San Pedro branch on the island participated via internet transmission.

Before President and Sister Adams returned to El Salvador, they were happy to meet Rodrick and Margaret Cardinez.  The Cardinez's have touched many lives through their service in the educational system throughout the years in Belize City.

Our neighbor Olivia Pat, who's the librarian in Succotz, and her daughter Katia gave us beautifully embroidered appliqué mats that they made.

Last week, in conjunction with the Rome Italy Temple dedication, today's living Twelve Apostles  and First Presidency posed for this historic photo in the Visitor's Center adjacent to the temple. They stand in front of marble statues of the Christus and His first Twelve Apostles. President Russell M. Nelson (center), whom we sustain as God's prophet today, is flanked by his two counselors.

This is what President Nelson said as he posted this picture to his Facebook page:  More than 2,000 years ago, our Savior Jesus Christ ministered to the world, establishing His Church and His gospel. He called Apostles and gave them the decree to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
In our day, the Lord’s Church has been restored. The Savior stands at the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As modern-day Apostles of Jesus Christ, the message we share today is the same message that Apostles shared long ago—that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ.....

The Church Newsroom posted this video of the First Presidency and each of the Twelve Apostles sharing their testimony of Jesus Christ:  As special witnesses to the world of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared their testimony of Christ by recording excerpts from the original document, "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles."   We enjoyed listening to each apostle as they spoke.

The Living Christ document was originally published on January 1, 2000.  It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ just over two thousand years ago.

In Succotz we live across the street from the school and community soccer field.  I always enjoy watching the different activities that go on from time to time. One afternoon I heard a lot of joyful laughter coming from the field.  I was happy to see the school children running around flying kites on this breezy March day.