What a weekend!!

These past five days or so had some highlights and some lowlights. I think the reason that it was hard for me was because I had so many hopes and excitement going into the week. We had planned a trip to the beach with the kids again this Thursday and we were super excited (we were only ready with sunscreen that was more than spf 15); in addition, we were going to the Guatemala temple early Friday morning – Saturday night. We had to get special permission to go because normally the volunteers are not allowed to go to Guatemala but seeing as we were going with the stake they gave us permission. Let’s just say we were going into the week with high expectations. On Wed it started to rain and when I say rain I mean down pour. We just thought "hmmm maybe this is just one of those huge down pours that will only last an hour." That wasn't the case... Then on Wed all our hopes were dashed when they announced that the beach trip was postponed because of the tropical storm. I had no idea there was a tropical storm coming!! When I lived in Florida you knew and were tracking the storms that "might" hit like a week in advance; here they don't even know until it's hit us...so typical :) For those of you who don't know a tropical storm is one step down from a hurricane. Well I thought "no biggie it's just rain" after all my experiences with hurricanes I thought that this wasn't going to be very bad--I was wrong. What would have been a minor annoyance in the U.S turned into a national catastrophe (It sounded funny to me that they were calling it a "national emergency" but considering the size of El Salvador it really was a national emergency.) With El Salvador being such a poor place these little shacks were all demolished. The rivers also overflowed and caused a lot of damage. It was sad to watch the news! To put the nail in the coffin the internet went out on Wednesday night! I never knew how dependent I am on the internet until I lost it for so long. Mark was equally devastated. Thursday we did an activity where they created little bugs with close pins and they loved it.(I'll post pictures on our blog.) Then we got the news that we wouldn't be going to Guatemala for the temple trip because in addition to the tropical storm a volcano had erupted there!! Poor Guatemaltecos as if having the brunt of the storm hit there wasn't enough! We were pretty sad about that but hopefully we'll be able to go later. Then on Friday and Saturday the kids weren't allowed to go out because the nuns didn't want them to get sick. So we were stuck in our little casita. I at least was able to finish two books during those couple days. After finishing the first book I asked Mark how long it had been since he'd read a novel and he couldn't remember. He said he just never has time so I told him of many quotes of general authorities and prophets that talk about the importance of reading books and that now was as good of time as any. So he took my challenge and sat down to read Wednesday Letters. It was such a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed so I figured it would be a good start for him. I truly believe that was the high of our weekend, getting Mark to read a novel. Not only that but HE LIKED IT!! Church was an adventure in itself. We called the bishop Saturday night to see if there would still be church and he told us yes, so….. we walked in the pouring rain to church. Luckily some falling apart little pick-up truck invited us to sit in the back on the sides and then dropped us off to church but I don’t think it left me any less drenched because it was raining so hard and water was splashing on us. We both got to the chapel with water dripping from us everywhere. Mark told me that we should start hitching rides with these dumpy little pickup trucks everywhere we go because he said, “ I bet we could pay them 10 cents and save money (the bus fare being 20 cents!!!)” I told him that his cheapness was going a little far if he was willing to put our lives in danger for 10 cents saved. Church was pretty cool but interesting because after starting 40 min late there was only 10 of us! Finally by the end about 15 more people showed up. The rain had started to dissipate by the time we were to walk home so it wasn’t that bad. Then we read some more and prayed some more that the internet would come back on…to no avail. Luckily we were able to play with the kids last night which helped a little of my cabin fever. This morning we woke up to the biggest blessing ever THE INTERNET WAS BACK. One of the definite tender mercies of the Lord while I’ve been here is that although the internet has gone out quite a bit, every time I need it to work to turn in an assignment for my class it’s worked! Just a little blessing of God letting me know he’s there. We love you all and miss you!

Super-Hero trashbags!!

So last night Shanna had the idea of a trash bag fashion. We took trash bags and different colored duct tape and went to town... by the end it had turned into a super-hero fashion show because that is what the kids wanted. They all found some way to participate whether it was by cutting tape and trash bags, decorating bags, or a majority of them playing/dancing to music while we made their costumes. It was such a blast! The kids were so hilarious as they danced. Then when they got their costumes they would run around the comedor (lunch room). At the end of the night Shanna and I were tired from laughing so much. We love these kids and the pure joy that they bring to everyone they meet. ~MARK
This is a group picture of them all dressed up. And Mark in the background!

Maria is so cute! She is the "mothering" person here and is always taking care of everybody and getting after those that don't behave. She wouldn't dress up -I think she really wanted to but didn't want to ruin everybodies view of her as the stern one haha- but she did insist on always cutting the duck tape for me. Also she made sure everybody was lined up for pictures and was helping all of them with their costumes. I just love her! She'll always come up and give me a kiss on the cheek.

This guys is HILARIOUS!! He thought he was a "luchador" or fighter with this stuff on and was attacking us and throwing tables and chairs (well he was trying to) then he would growl and do a pose! I could not stop laughing at him because he's normally quite reserved. Also whenever a song came on that he liked he'd throw his walker aside and start getting down! I think he might have watched a bit too much dirty spanish tv because his moves sometimes immitated that of Michael Jackson/go-go dancer.

These two were the very first ones I did and they were so happy being this way and didn't want to take-off their costumes at the end of the day.

Jimena was the last person I did and I think she felt bad and thought that we weren't going to make her a costume so I told her I'd make her one unlike any of the others. So basically she is sporting a Jim Carrey The Mask/Hulk look I think what suprised me most is how willing they all were to let us do it and keep it on.

Black and White day

So our day today was a perfect illustration of what El Salvador is...a stark contrast between the wealthy and poor. We started off our adventure taking different busses down to this huge mall that is like the gateway mall. The buses here are not like your normal bus in the U.S-at least not the majority of them- they are basically old-school vans that have been ripped up inside to put as many seats as possible in them. I never new so many people could fit in such a little space! Because we live on a mountain the ride down has been making me pretty dang sick lately. The driving here is enough to make you want to throwup but when you add in a narrow windey road dodging chickens and people all the way it's double trouble. This was our first time in the centro of San Salvador and oh man! was it an experience. There are about a thousand stalls crammed together and they sell anything from chickens to shoelaces to underwear. I had a guy trying to sell me anti-ich cream on one side and a women wanting to sell me rotten bananas on the right. I've been to downtown New York and it couldn't shake a stick at "the centro." I could barely walk to the place where we had to catch our next bus partly because of me being on the verge of throwing up but also because the cars were so old there that black smoke was pouring out of them in an inclosed space. Then this man with no teeth led us to the place where we would find the next bus. We finally made it to the mall about 40 minutes from leaving and it cost us a whopping 55 cents a piece total. I told Mark when we got there that either we get a Taxi or dramamine for the way back because I couldn't do that again.
Once we got to the mall it was like heaven!! There were pretty people dressed nicely and with teeth all around us. There were happy families with the parents holding hands, a whole slew of nice U.S restaurants, a big Cinemark, and very nice department stores that were actually the same price if not more expensive than the U.S. We ate at Bennigans where I had a bacon Cheeseburger then we went and saw Robin Hood(In English!!!) and it was only 4$ a person! After doing that we walked around and watched some dancers they have perform and ate some of the best ice cream i've ever had. I feel like I can face the world after having a "U.S experience." What was crazy to me was the people. It seems like there is no middle class whatsoever here it's either dirt poor selling rotten bananas or richi rich with a driver, dressing like your going to the grammy's and trying to seem as U.S as possible. We took a cab home and it cost us 12 dollars!! what a difference 55 cents versus 12 dollars. Trust me I'd pick the 12 dollars every time if Mark would let me!

Sorry I don't have pictures I would have been mugged bringing it out but one of these times I'm going to sneak it!

Beach Day!!

So I'm really sad I didn't take my camera because we went to the beach called "costa del sol" yesterday with some of the kids here at the orphanage and it was awesome! El Salvador is such an unknown treasure because of the civil war that ended about 10 years ago a tourism industry hasn't really begun and because of it we had a nice beautiful beach to ourselves. The kids came alive! Man you see them around the orphanage and they are just sitting there and quiet but once we got them to the beach they turned into fish. They would be splashing and jumping around (if possible) in the water without fear. We were all assigned an individual person and I was assigned Chusita who is physically completely able but just has a mental delay. I'll tell you what she had so much more energy than me. She refused to sit on the beach at all, even to dig a huge hole, but wanted to be standing in the water splashing herself. We stayed at that depth for like 2 1/2 hours and believe me by the end I was pretty tired because of having to hold her steady when the huge waves came. I kept looking out at the huge waves and wished that I knew how to surf or at least had a boogie board with me. A 16 year old boy with down syndrome was hilarious because he kept tackling Mark in the water and wrestling with him. He'd pin mark under the water and then would stand up and flex his arms for everybody to see! Then they'd go and dive (mark) and bellyflop (memo) in the waves. It was such a fun day but.......WE ARE SO SUNBURNED!! I swear the sun is so much brighter here. We put on dinky 15 spf (I know that was stupid) and as I'm typing this my hands are killing me because they're burnt on the top. There is an aloe plant outside our casita and we cut off some but it stunk so bad that putting it on might have helped the burn but it also would have made me puke! Mark rub an ice cube on his back and I put wet cloths on my hands and shoulders. It was worth it though :)

Some more cute pics

This is Carmencita, a young girl who has down syndrome, and she is hilarious! She'll always run up to us to give us a hug but then is off in her own world of imagination. Her and another down syndrome boy named memo are the DJ's because they love being in charge of the music and cd's and will sit there for hours!
The kids here love to play UNO. And they'll actually beat us at it and not because we're going easy on them! The ones that maybe don't understand as much will show you a card to see if it's okay to play it and you can shake your head yes or no. In this picture are Edwin, Mark, Lupita.
This is little stevencito he's 5 years old and he wanted his picture taken. I really have like 20 pictures of him because he was doing different crazy faces and poses.

such a hispanic thing!

Today I was sitting in Relief Society in our little ward and there were probably 7 hermanas (sisters) there and the bishop was teaching the lesson. Next thing I know I look up and 3 of them were breast feeding!! I mean right in front of the bishop and believe me they weren't trying to hide it at all! One of them even took her shirt half-way and went as far as taking her arm out of one of the sleeves. Can you imagine if someone did that during relief society in your ward! Haha At least I got to know the ward today :).....just a little more intimatly than I would like.

Left to right: Edwin, Giovanni, Lupita, and Walter

I could go on and on about each of the kids but I decided to pick one or two each time and talk about them. Today I wanted to talk about Giovanni and Edwin. They are brothers that both have cerebral palsy of varying levels. Neither can really speak so they've developed some pretty good facial expressions and signs. The last two volunteers started them on communication books that have different themes on each page and they can turn to the pages and point to things to communicate. While their bodies don't function quite like they'd hope their minds are definately going. They love to play card games and dominos (the picture above was taken right after Giovanni beat me twice in a row!) The orphanage houses kids that range from no disabilities to having only physical or mental to having both. When I first saw Giovanni I felt sorry for him because he had to be here and when you look at him he would be considered as an attractive person and if he didn't have this disease he could have married a beautiful wife, gone to college, driven a car, listened to an ipod, typed on a laptop etc... But does having those things really guarantee happiness??? I don't think so because I know plenty of people who aren't happy yet they have those things and more. Yet my saddness for them has definately been withdrawn because the more time I spend around them I see that they truly are happy. Every time I see them they have a huge smile on their face and are with their friends. Giovanni is always picking flowers and giving them to the other female residents and their faces light up and glow when he does it. The things that make him happiest are just playing and might I add winning games. When I see him each day the words joy, contentment, and happiness come to mind. He doesn't wallow about the cards that he's been dealt in life but instead has learned to use them as tools to love others. How many times do I think "when I do this" or "when I have that" then I'll be content and life will really get good. He's taught me that happiness is found in making the most of each moment and time...I hope it rubs off on me. I know that one day after this life I will see them in the celestial kingdom running and playing soccer or volleyball with big strong bodies and their trial here will seem as if a blink of the eye!

tour of our place

This is our shower. Brenton is this the kind that shocks you?

The funniest part of the place is that there are catholic pictures of Jesus and Mary all over the rooms. I'm really needing to ask and see if the other volunteers took them down because they kinda creep me out!

We're here-written by mark

We made it last night, and while we were on the plane we think we were talking ourselves out of how "third-world" El Salvador really would be but it is has met our expectations and passed a few. They don't really have driving laws that are enforced her (no speed limit, no blinkers, so following the lines) you just go with the flow. Also it has surprised me how all the homes have very tall walls around them with razor wire on the top of them. They have bars on everything... way more than New Orleans.

However, we have had some great tender mercies! A man by the name of Jay Porter picked us up from the airport last night in a Honda Pilot with Michael Buble playing on a CD so we didn't feel very far from home. We stayed at his house last night an got to know his wife who is from Sandy, UT the whole idea of working in the foreign services is actually pretty interesting. We were pretty spoiled staying at their house because the government definately takes care of their diplomats~ This morning we slept-in a little then ate breakfast with their weird carton milk down here (not as bad as we expected). Erin (jay's wife) took us grocery shopping and then dropped us off at the Hogar (the orphanage where we are staying). Funny thing... they didn't know we were coming... at least those that are here, they are having a field trip to the beach today so the lady that is usually in charge of us is gone. So we were stranded sitting in the reception area for a couple hours with all our stuff but It doesn't matter though because we are now in our little casita just relaxing in the humid heat (Cliff would die). It is soo hot that we wish this was a nude country-but then again nude would make for some painful bug bites!!

The only disappointment we have had is we found out we can't watch Lost because Netflix and ABC.com detect that we are not in the USA... Brenton talk to someone and figure out a way to rummy-jig our computers so we can watch it!!! We met a few of the kids briefly and there are some that just melt your heart. Life is good and we feel the Lord's protection. We are happy and thankful to be here... it will be a heck of an adventure.

Prelims

So it was crazy hectic getting everything ready to go up to the cabin. We ended up going to my grandparents cabin with my family and pretty much gamed it up the whole time! I love playing board games. I think going there made the transition to 3rd world a little tougher because it makes for a stark contrast when you go from the most comfortable, elegant, clean, relaxing environment to dirty, messy, bugs, sweat all your water supply out in 10 min. Another gliche that we ran into before coming here was that I was diagnosed with a seizure disorder just before coming. The doctors were nervous about me coming because they have to work out the medicine question but I think it'll be fine. We got to leave our beloved U.S country in style though by eating at the PizzaPieCafe and then playing lazertag!!!