Stake Conference in Mante

Today we attending the stake conference in Mante. They changed the Presidency and for that reason Elder DeHoyos of the Area Presidency and Elder Valenzuela came to preside. Elder DeHoyos asked Dad if he would pick him up at the airport on Friday and drive him to Mante, a city 2 1/2 hours away. Elder DeHoyos speaks very good English so they spoke English all the way to Mante. Dad dropped him off and drove back to Tampico so we could drive the Valles Saturday for another zone conference.   After that zone conference we drove back to Mante Saturday afternoon to participate in the Saturday evening session. 

After the session we went to our "hotel" in Mante.  The Hotel Mante is supposedly the best hotel in the city.  Oh, boy.  We usually stay at the JJ Inn which we aren't real thrilled about but the Hotel Mante is also not anything to write home about.  So why am I writing about it?  Sister Guerra, the stake president's wife, delivered a beautiful basket of cookies and fruit to the hotel for us.  She is an amazing cook and will be preparing the Christmas dinner for 32 missionaries in 1 month from the Mante and Valles zones.

This is a picture of their family after the Sunday meeting.  Does Pres. Guerra look relaxed and that a load has just come off his shoulders.  He has been president for almost 9 years and is only 38 years old.  Their oldest daughter, who passed away about 3 years ago, was a toddler and Sister Guerra was pregnant with their second child when he was called as president.  We love these people.

This is a family in Mante who has a son with Down Syndrome.  He is loving and affectionate and is always smiling and waving to us from the congregation.  He loves to hug us and is always happy and energetic. 

Sunday night we drove back to Tampico with Elder DeHoyos and Elder Valenzuela so they could catch their plane back to Mexico City.  They wanted to see the temple so we stopped and took a walk around it.

Then, took a picture of the 3 of them together.  Elder Valenzuela also speaks very good English.  He is an Area Seventy here in Mexico.  It has been a crazy and wonderful last 2 weeks (2 1/2 years) and tomorrow we will be leaving for Huejutla for their zone conference.  It never stops and seldom slows down but we are happy and feel so grateful to be so intimately involved in this precious work of gathering the children of God in a very real way.