Our 2nd week in Mexico City

May 24 - May 29 , 2010. I am writing this May 29th, 10:30 pm. We have finished our 2nd week in Mexido. Each day there is something new. This has been a week of new experiences in the temple. Today is the last day the temple is open until June 15. We have spent this week memorizing, practicing, and participating in all that goes on in the temple. Yesterday was an unusually busy day and an extra session was added to accommodate the number or people seeking to perform service for their own family and the families of others. Our neighbor Elder Allen is the Sealing Coordinator. He spent 16 hours serving which is about four more than usual. To top it off he has skin cancer. We admire his dedication and determination. The people attending the temple are very reverent and respectful.

May 24th, I want to tell you about our Family Home Evening. It was at the Isom’s apartment. They live in Unit 5 next to Becks. He is a descendent of Hyrum and Jerusha Smith. They told stories they learned at a family reunion by Michael Kennedy a descendent of Joseph and Emma Smith. It was very interesting. One notable thing – there has been a search for the last 30 years for descendents of Joseph and Emma Smith. The searchers have discovered about 1500 descendents in total of Joseph and Emma Smith. Most have never even heard of their connection to the Mormon Church. Quite a few live in Australia. But of the same number of generations of Hyrum Smith there are over 36000 descendents. The Church Patriarch, Eldred G Smith is Elder Isom’s uncle. He is 103 years old and still giving patriarchal blessings. I believe he gave Daddy’s his just before he left on his mission but I cannot verify that for sure. He became church patriarch about 1927. An interesting book has been written by Elder Isom’s cousin, Eldred Gary Smith, called The Lost Legacy. People who have come forth claiming to be descendents of Joseph through other wives have been proven wrong through DNA tests. Polygamy was a hard thing for Emma to accept. Only four of Joseph & Emma’s eleven children grew to adulthood. The youngest, David, had a brain fever which left him mentally incapable.

Dad is speaking more and more Spanish and understanding it better. We both understand more of what people say. He is impressed that he is learning line upon line. We study a lot. We have made some flash cards with 100 of the most commonly used verbs. Dad is going to put the conjugation of the verbs on the back of the cards. We feel very safe here. We went out tonight after finishing up at the temple and bought a bag of delicious pastries from a street vendor. They are very light, fluffy and satisfying. Last night when we were returning from the temple after 10 pm there was a large group of teenagers in the street with a lot of music playing. We asked the security guards at the temple if it was okay to go out. They told us that they know the people and it is very safe. None the less they walked us to our apartment.