Let the Interviews Begin

 Yes, that says 100 degrees.  We left this morning to drive north and stopped at two small cities where we have missionaries to have interviews.  When we left we noticed the temperature and knew the summer had begun.

 These pictures may seem a little random but are a few things we encountered this time during 4 days of the eventual 10 we will have.  The elders get very creative in finding ways to work out.  These were made by the previous elder for weights.  Who needs expensive weights when you live in a city filled with cement and cinder blocks?

 Elder Ochoa and Elder Larsen live in this house now and are great zone leaders in Victoria.  The missionaries have not done as well in Victoria and we're hoping these 2 young men can help them get some zip in their step.  They've already met with all their zone and challenged them.  We'll see what happens.

 These posters are hanging in many places to remind the people not to drink the water because of cholera...

 but as we drove on the backroads to get the Mante, we saw this man using a bucket to get water from the canal.  Hopefully he's just going to use it wash his clothes.  This area is very poor. 
 Along this same road there is always this man selling car oil from his car. 

 In Mante, the zone leaders Elder Goff and Elder Botello were searching for an eagle that is hidden near one of the number 1's on the front on an American dollar bill that belongs to Elder Botello.  Elder Botello's home is Tijuana.  They live on a hill and can see San Diego from the house.  On the 4th of July they love to watch the fireworks from their house that are set off on the other side of the border.  When he went to the temple before his mission he had to go to the Hermosillo Temple because of the border restrictions.  It is a very short drive to the San Diego Temple but a 10 or 11 hour drive to his temple which is now the Hermosillo Temple.  The people in Tijuana are so excited for their temple to be built. 

 They invited us to go to a few appointments with them.  In this place a woman and her 3 children live almost alone.  The father is never there when she is.  It is more or less a shack but she seems receptive the gospel.  The gospel changes people's lives not just spiritually but also temporally.  They want to do better and become more.  It is an exciting thing to watch.

 After Victoria, Mante and then Valles we drove over to 2 small cities where we have a set of missionaries in each.  This is a newly refurbished House of Prayer in the city of Tanquian.  The mission hasn't had missionaries in this city for several years but they are a branch.  Since January of this year when we put 2 missionaries there the attendance in church has gone from 12 the first week to 40.  And they are baptizing. 

 Elder Merrill and Elder Herrera are the two serving there right now.  If you look closely you'll see that Elder Merrill has a bit of a strange haircut.  Before he cut his hair, his companion had already taken the attachment off.  Thus the strange stripe across the top.  It's good hair grows fast. 

 On our way back to Tampico on Thursday afternoon I saw this incredible field of sunflowers being cultivated off the side of the road.  Acres of sunflowers.  I love them so I yelled for Dad to stop and turn around so I could have a picture. 

 Almost home, we drove through Ebano and happened upon 2 of our elders on their way back from doing a baptism interview that was outside the city.  They had each purchased a watermelon and were walking to their house.  It was a great happenstance.  We gave them a ride to their house where the other 2 elders from that city were awakened.  One said his leg hurt so I guess they decided to take a nap.  BUSTED.

Tepache stands like this are all over.  It's a fermented drink made from the rind of the pineapple.  They let it soak in water for a long time until it ferments.  We warn the missionaries not to be enticed by the word "FRIO"  When it's so hot here, the word "FRIO" (cold) sounds pretty enticing.