Dia de la Madre 2013

Mormon missionaries of the young sort normally communicate with their families via a weekly email.  On Mother's Day and Christmas they can talk to their families on the phone, or sometimes a computer chat.  It's a challenge for them to set that up, given that the time must be arranged through a weekly email that will not be answered until the following week.  Missionaries aren't accustomed to planning several weeks ahead to coordinate something like that.  We helped facilitate a few of the calls/chats for the office missionaries, so we know how difficult this process can be.  The nurses were making their calls home around emergency medical calls from the missionaries here in the mission; the office elders still had weekend office duties and were placing their calls before and after obligations that popped up at the last minute.  Simply put, it's rough.

When the enfermeras came up to the apartment to have a few minutes on our laptop to talk to their families, they brought with them this adorable handmade card and some stunning Guatemalan flowers arranged in this gorgeous vase.  Imagine hauling that several blocks from the Demo to our apartment!  Everything is harder here.  It touched my heart that they were so thoughtful of me, especially given my love of handmade cards. 

Since Dia de la Madre was on Friday last week, it was the day Jaime drove us to the correo to pick up our mail.  He brought Rosy with him, so we had a lovely visit on the  way to the post office.  While we were busy inside the correo, they sneaked across the street and bought us some beautiful bread and a lovely Mother's Day cake.  Who could ask for nicer friends?!  Every moment we share with them is priceless. 

We chatted with our children and grandchildren off and on Sunday afternoon, sometimes when we had company here.  It was a challenge for us too, at times, but we have the privilege of talking to our kids anytime we choose, so it wasn't earthshaking for us.  We explained to our young grandchildren that we would be home in just four months, which seemed to please the ones who are old enough to understand.