update from Swine Flu haven

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

Another week has flown by in our lives and we are writing to let you know that all is well with us here in Mexico City. You may have read of the concern there is regarding the flu and it has in some ways crippled the movement of people in many parts of the country. For example, here in Mexico City the Mayor has taken actions beyond that of the Federal Government and has required that all restaurants, churches, meetings of large numbers of people, movie theaters, sports events, etc., be canceled until next Wednesday. In order to comply with this action, there have been no church services this week or last week and we have been asked to not extend ourselves too far beyond home, eat good nutritious food, drink lots of water, get lots for rest and not to venture too far from home. This has provided us extra study time and allows us to make a great number of phone calls to our co-workers in the youth leadership program from all parts of the country. All of this regulatory action within the limits of the Federal District has noticeably shown a decrease in traffic and the number of people we see out and about. We are able to take some good walks each day as well. We anticipate by Wednesday things will be back to normal.

One of the comical things about the closure of all of the business activity in the Federal District is the stark contrast to what is happening just across the boundary between D.F. (Districto Federal) and the State of Mexico. We live about two blocks inside the Federal District and we notice as we walk out of the District everything is business as usual with just fewer people out and about. Stores are open, businesses are working and all the eateries are open for business. It would be similar we suppose to having everything in Washington, D.C. shut down, but over the bridge into Virginia or Maryland business as usual.

We were disappointed this last week to have our meeting with Elder Walter Gonzalez canceled because of the flu situation. We were really looking forward to meeting with him and hearing his message to us. Perhaps there will be another time in the future we will have this opportunity.

Next Saturday (May 9) we have been asked to participate in the Area Coordinating Council meeting to give a report on the Excellence in Leadership program to those attending. This meeting will include all of the area authorities and other invited guests. Preparing remarks on our program and also reviewing with these leaders the things we have been assigned to do with young single adults has been a challenge. In that regard we are so very grateful for Sister Daisy Bratcher the Secretary to the Area Presidency. Daisy is so fluent in both languages that it is a real treat to be around her and to enjoy her goodness. We asked her if she would translate the remarks we had prepared and she was most happy to do so. We told her she had done such a great job we would sound just like Mexicans rather than “gringos” next Saturday. The big task will be making certain we pronounce all of the words correctly.

We have been able to contact nearly all of the couples we will be working with throughout the country. They have been working with their committees to put together exciting “Excellence in Leadership” conventions for young people in each of the respective twenty one missions in Mexico. We have read some plans and find them very exciting. They are catching the spirit of these conferences or conventions as they call them by involving everyone in the six workshop themes we have asked them to prepare. The themes of the workshops are: Leadership, Spiritual, Cultural, Sports, Service and Social. We pulled our hair out with one plan that was written out on 19 pages of detail. The schedule was what really caused us to chuckle. They have the kids arriving from all over the mission (which in some cases will be an all night bus ride) to begin the activities at 7:00 AM and finishing up that evening at 11:45 PM. The following day the activities begin at 5:30 AM and finish up as late as 1:00 AM for those participating in the dance activity. We suspect by the middle of day two there may be a point where they will need a time out for some rest. The schedule for the third day calls for an activity in the morning and a testimony meeting in the afternoon. That may have to be rescheduled as nap time.

Another convention, which will be held in Merida, Yucatan, will last a full week. However, it will be held in a new convention facility and the kids will have activities centered around one of the workshops each day. It looks like a very well planned event.

Brother and Sister Hart from Rexburg have a few more weeks in the area than we do. They are the couple that live and work in the West Mexico City Mission home and office. Brother Hart is a former accounting teacher at BYU Idaho. We appreciate their friendship along with the Olson’s who are back in the states this week for their son’s wedding. We are hopeful they will be able to get back into Mexico without much hassle with the flu issue. We hear so much rumor about this matter and must depend on bulletins we receive from the Area Presidency and the US Embassy to get accurate news. It is interesting that reporting on the matter over the internet has dwindled to almost nothing. We suspect things will settle back to normal later this week.

We thank those of you who have dropped us a note now and then regarding your lives and happenings. They are fun to read and even though we are but a few weeks away from home, it is always good to hear from home and friends.

Tonight we were invited to a couple’s home for homemade ice cream and cookies. They were delicious. The couple’s name is Reed and they live here. He works for a company that builds and sells large scale telephone switching equipment and manage telephone systems for large companies here in Mexico. He is the only American person to work in the company here. Sister Reed is a Pediatrician and works on a voluntary basis at a clinic hospital. They are very nice people and we enjoyed our time there along with the Harts. There are a lot of people from the states that work down here and it has been fun to meet them and to see the many different jobs that are here to employ them.

Well, we are getting closer to the time when we will start our travels. We are anxious to get started knowing that we will have a better understanding of the problems that the couples might be having and the ways that we might be able to help them to be more successful.

We are so grateful for this opportunity. We love our Heavenly Father and our Savior. We know that without the atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would have no chance for the joy that we look forward to in the eternities. Our days have been fairly quiet and it gives us a chance to study and read and to learn more of the language. The Lord helps us in our efforts and we know that in each of your lives, you are blessed just as we are in your efforts to serve and to help in building the Lord’s kingdom here on earth.

We missed little Olivia on her birthday. We hope she hears us singing Happy Birthday to her. She is four years old and getting to be such a big girl. Have a wonderful year Olivia and Hayden, too. Hayden is seven years old and is excited that in just one more year he can be baptized.

Well, this is the letter until next Sunday. By that time we hope the flu bug has settled down and that we are back to normal with meetings, etc.

May the Lord bless all our family, good friends and neighbors.

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa

Dave and Elaine

Elder and Sister Smith