Generation 27Jul2009--Elders Young from Oregon City OR, Kohlieber from Simi Valley CA, Whitely from Lindon UT, Gutierrez from Los Alamos NM, Courtright from West Valley UT, Greenfield from Ogden UT, Valle from Nampa ID, Ruiz from Delta UT, and Bullock from Purcellville VA. We received no Mexican missionaries this time because the Mexico MTC was closed for remodeling.

This was a great July evening in Xalapa. The zone leaders organized what we call a "bauti-zona." That means that every companionship in a zone baptizes the same week or day. A bauti-zona is rare. In fact, in this one someone changed his mind about receiving baptism, so one companionship did not baptize. But, still it was a great evening. The service was very well organized, highly spiritual. They had special numbers featuring a cello and violin. The missionaries sang that Armies of Helaman Primary song. It was moving, all singing, happy, dressed in white. After the closing prayer, the second foto was projected on the screen in the stake center as the missioaries sang "Love One Another."

The missionaries are (back row) Elders Page, Gates, Vazquez, Menet, Holman, Castro, Martinez, and Zárate; (middle row) Elders Christlieb, Phipps, and Llanos, Sisters Pech and Sanchez; Elder Hernandez kneeling in the front.

This frame contains an amazing crosstitch. It is not a painting or a photo. It was a gift for us from the mother of Elder Ezra Blanco who went home to Mexico City the next day. Elder Blanco served faithfully as a missionary, was very successful spending the last six months as an assistant to the president. He was recently hired at the MTC in Mexico City.

This is the cool "taxi," the little pickup that came in from Isla. All the people in the picture loaded into the pickup--Elder Solano, his mom and dad, his brother and his unmarried wife, his other unmarried sister-in-law, two babies, and the branch president. They sat on the borrowed chairs from the branch building. It was a really miserably hot day. They drove all the way in from Isla, 3 hours, and then all the way back. Elder Judd from Mesa is modeling the seating arrangements.

Elder Eloy Solano Sosa. Some months ago the elders in Ciudad Isla called me and begged me to come meet him. They told me that he was a great guy who joined the Church with his wife a little over a year. She developed a fatal heart disease. I don't understand if it was fatal because their was no local treatment, no money for the treatment, or if it was hopeless. That aside, Eloy and his wife decided to be sealed in the Veracruz Temple and did that. Two weeks later she passed away. Eloy really wanted to serve a mission. Two problems. He was already 25 and he had been married. But, we went out and met him. What a great guy! So, I determined to plead for an exception to policy through the First Presidency. After time we got the word and he was approved to serve.

Elder Sosa was called to Uruguay, Montevideo. He had no money. But, he had a little pineapple machete. So, he went to work in the pineapple fields of Isla. He harvested pineapple for 14 hours a day, six days a week, to earn 120 pesos a day so that he could get ready to serve his mission. When it was time for him to fly to South America, his branch president loaded Elder Solano and his whole non-member family into the back of his little pickup and drove 3 hours with them into the mission office so that I could set apart the missionary. It was really something special to meet with them and set him apart.

You can see that they are far from wealthy. But, they are humble and the missionaries continue to work with them. They are trying to help the younger couple get married so they can be baptized.

One of the assistants, Elder Barrio, knows Eloy because he started his mission in Isla. He also knows the financial situation. He gave Eloy his own digital camera. Now he has none, but he knew that Eloy would never be able to buy a camera. "Besides," Elder Barrio told me, "I am going home soon and I already have lots of pictures." Mom learned of this and hurriedly contributed her new and unused USB memory chip so that Eloy can backup his photos. We have tried to help Eloy a little bit financially, but he is not very good at receiving.


He gave me a significant keepsake. He brought me his machete which he used to harvest pineapple and finance his mission preparations. It is hanging in the office in between my picture of Joseph Smith translating from the plates and the Lehi Stone which Dad gave me a few years ago.

This is Bro. and Sis. Sanchez´little girl. She loved the baptismal service.

Anton Lizardo is a place we have mentioned. It is about 15-20 minutes downcoast from Veracruz and is a destination point for weekenders, a fishing town, home of the naval academy, and a great missionary area. It is not yet a formal branch, but is a group dependent on a ward. The members of the group meet in the home of recent convert Juan Sanchez and his family. About 45 people are attending each week. The missionaries are baptizing many young men between the ages of 14 and 16. Here are two of them before they entered the water standing with Bishop Torales of the Veracruz Lomas del Mar Ward. The missionaries are Elders Rodriguez Vazquez and Rojo Schultz. Yup. That is his name. Elder Christopher Kevin Rojo Schulz from Mexico City. His ancestors emigrated from Germany a couple of generations ago.



In the Gulf, Elder Rojo is instructing one of the converts on how to place his hands for convenience while the ordinance is being performed. Bro. Sanchez went out into the water to serve as one of the witnesses to the baptism and to congratulate the young men after their baptism.