We have talked about the various celebrations of the virgin. One is in Piedras Negras, a little town where we have a branch. It is about 90 minutes outside of Veracruz. The entire town turns out for this. They decorate all the streets downtown. Countless streets are covered with colored sawdust. There are many designs. Some are Christmas trees, some are camels and wise men, others are of a "virgin," and others of depictions of the several the so-called "stations of the cross" depicting steps along the way toward the Crucifixion. Bags of sawdust are delivered to almost every house in the town. The residents are responsible to color the sawdust. They they gather and decorate the streets. There is a float prepared with real flowers. At 8 p.m. on the 8th of December a procession begins at that Catholic Church. All the people walk in the streets singing and chanting. They gather at the Christmas tree downtown. Babies are blessed at midnight.


In the meantime, Mormon missionaries Buenfil and Ramos press on.