End of July birthday party!

 The most colorful lizard we have seen here!

 Another celebration with marimba, dancing, bombas, and food. They said it would start at 2 but that usually means 2:30 at the earliest, not much going on right now.

 Dailyn turned two this week and her dad's birthday was today, so they had a big celebration!

 Everyone had jello, Dailyn loves it.

 Kids are ready to hit the pinata.

 Everyone went crazy for the candy, even the clown!

 They both got to take bites of a cake and his brother smashed his face into his.

 Eating tamales, horchata, and cake with Maricruz and Gilmer.

Dad sharing his hat and giving balloons to Gilmer.

Cubulco fair and Guatemala City monthly trip

We tried to have our sacrament meeting in Cubulco but they were just starting the parade in front of the church and we couldn't hear anything. We moved our meeting to the Relief Society room at the back of the church and shut all the windows and doors and it was better! We had two confirmations for baptisms from the previous week. It was hard to hear anything at all.

 Parade in Rabinal of pre-school teachers in all the towns of the state of Baja Verapaz.

 They had some pretty good bands.

 The teachers were all dressed up and dancing.

We went to the city to attend the temple and do our shopping for the month. We met Maria Rodriguez waiting for a lady from Costa Rico to take food to her daughter on a mission there. Then, Nahomi and Iris Sumale showed up as we were leaving. They used to be in our branch and moved away last January.

 We started home at 12, they had a semi truck turn over and block all the lanes. People began backing up and turning around and we began driving on the opposite side of the road into on-coming traffic.
Here you can see two cars facing each other. All lanes on this side should be the same as the semi.

Here we are on the other side. It was over an hour wait before we started moving.

Cookies and baptisms

The primary and youth came to make cookies. I made 3 different kinds and let them take 2 different kinds home with them to share with their families.

 Chocolate chip and no-bake, and they made peanut butter kisses.

 Afterwards they played ball on our patio.

 We went to Cubulco for 2 baptisms and got stuck in the mud on our way out to the river.

 We walked the last mile or so and it started raining.

 Everyone but Alan in the picture, that came for the baptisms.

 Elder Enamorado baptized Emerson-12 yrs and Elder Zabala baptized Marlin-10yrs.

 Ladies first

By this time everyone was pretty wet with the rain. We sang 2 songs while they changed, said a prayer and walked back to the truck.

Walking along the Cubulco riverbank in the rain and mud.

P day hike to Chilasco waterfalls

 Our district hit their goal for baptism dates and got to go on a hike together.

 We drove 2 hours and hiked down to the waterfall for almost 2 hours in a  lot of mud.

 We saw bugs, lizards, birds, cows, horses, and a snake.

 This resting station is about halfway to the falls, just before you go through the forest and down to the waterfalls.

 We took some pictures.

 Our turn for a picture.

Last one and we started climbing back up while the elders hiked all the way to the falls.

Lunch in Cubulco and soccer with Rabinal

 We went to Rene Ramos land outside of Cubulco and had a lunch activity with the group.
The elders took the youth up the mountain and talked with them.

 The women cleaned, cut, and prepared beef and veggie soup, rice, and tortillas.

 Maria Rodriguez and second in command cooking the soup.

The soup is ready!

Everyone is full and ready to go home.

 Later that afternoon we met at a local field to play soccer with members from the Rabinal branch.

Some of the players were not members. Also, several were less active.

 The kids got to play a little at the end.

Carla was so cute with this kick!

Food, climb, and baptism

Grandma Juana Osorio made "3 times cooked" (tres cocimientos) atol for all 4 missionaries. She was married at 16 to a man she didn't know, who was almost 12 years older. (She said if she didn't love him she could have refused.) they have now been married for over 60 years.

Atol with cinnamon, what you can't see is about 50 flies buzzing around.

For lunch all the missionaries went to Juana Morente's house and cut green bananas to fry.

We grated a ton of carrots and cabbage with lime juice, made salsa, and fried chicken. 

 It is a Honduras dish and was very tasty, we loved it.

 This morning we climbed the hill to the letters of Rabinal, we had to get through the gate first.

 Almost to the top of the hill.

 Rabinal

 We had about 10 minutes more to the letters but had to get back for a baptism. The letters are at the top of the hill to the right.

 We got back and showered and changed. Had our talks and songs and headed to the chorros in the mountain. Faustina (or Tina, who was baptized) and Elder Flores went into the water.

 Sang a song and had a prayer and headed back to the pickup that brought us up.

 31 people in our group for the baptism and 7 natives and the driver. When we hit bumps we scraped the bottom of the truck on the road.

 Missionaries in Rabinal and Cubulco.

There has to be a fun pic!