What a surprise!

Today we were traveling down to a baptism with the assistants and Elder Wennerholm.

As we were driving, I saw a tree along the road that I recognized.


It was a beautiful pink Plumeria tree, like the kind that grow in Hawaii. As we kept driving we saw more and more of these trees, in pink and yellow. On our way back, we stopped at one of the houses and asked if we could have a few branches. They were very generous and we now have FOUR Plumeria trees planted in our yard! I'll take pictures next year if they survive and bloom.

I also wanted to post a picture of our Christmas present to the elders and sisters this year.

Sister Hicken, in the Mexico City East Mission, gave me the idea and showed me how to make them. They are bookmarks, and the missionaries really liked them. Some of the rocks I purchased in Palenque, when we were there for our Seminar.

Thanksgiving in Mexico...

Apparently Thanksgiving is the same no matter where you are, as long as you can find the right food! We were very lucky in that we were able to have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots in brown sugar glaze, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and apple pie (the pies were courtesy of Costco). We even had sweet potatoes, even though we used a sweet potato grown locally, called camote. It turned out really good and the elders loved it!


We invited the assistants, Elder Tate and Elder Gonzalez, our recovering elder, Elder Wennerholm, the office elders, Elder Guzman and Elder Rainford, and the elders from our area, Elder Wiggington, Elder Rodriguez, Elder Bertha and Elder Hernandez over for dinner. We also invited Magdalena to stay for dinner. She attends our ward and comes over to clean the house four days a week. She also helps me to cook occasionally. It was really fun to have so many people for Thanksgiving. It almost felt like home.

Elder Reeves is Home!

I've decided that Home isn't necessarily where the heart is, but it IS where the parents are ... even if that's in Mexico! Ben left Chile Tuesday night, the 22nd, and arrived in Mexico City at 5 am this morning. Robert, Brian and I rode the bus into Mexico City on Tuesday night and stayed at the Marriott. We got up early Wednesday morning and took a taxi to the airport and waited till Ben got through customs ...

he finally came through the doors at around 6:30... what a great sight!

We took a few pictures...

then we went back to the hotel so Ben could shower and get some rest. But it never happened... It was too exciting for any of us to sleep, so we talked and visited till we needed to leave.

Sister Alvarez, the mother of one of our assistants, came to the hotel so she could drive us around the city and show us a few things.

We went to the art museum and walked around the park there.

We also went to the Temple and Visitors Center and listened to one of the presentations.

Then we headed back to the airport where we ate some dinner (our first meal of the day)

and caught an earlier bus back to Puebla.

Visiting Mexico City was fun, but I was sure glad to get back home.

WELCOME HOME BENJAMIN!!

Our House

We love the Mission home! Besides being really comfy inside, we have a fun backyard, too. It's not very big, but we have a fountain that attracts lots of beautiful birds. We've seen orioles, grackles, house finches, house wrens, hummingbirds, goldfinches, warblers and doves. In addition to the birds who come to visit the fountain and take a bath, we have lizards who like to sun themselves on the trees, a couple of cats who stop by from time to time and a squirrel, who may be living in the very large tree in our neighbors yard.

here are some pictures of some of the birds that we've seen recently...

Yesterday, the President and the assistants traveled to the Grajales Branch, which is Southeast of Puebla.

Elder Gonzalez

Elder Tate

Elder Wennerholm was along too. This was the area where he was serving when he got sick and had to come to Puebla to have his appendix taken out. He is still living at the Mission home while he recuperates.


President wanted to determine if we should put new missionaries in the area and so they traveled to see what it was like first hand.

This is President, Elder Rubio and Elder Gonzalez.

Elder Wennerholm was training Elder Petersen when he got sick.

No, this is not where the members meet for church, this is a Catholic church in the city.

This is Mount Orizaba and it is 18,000 ft. high. It is one of the three volcanoes that surround Puebla. This one is not active and is actually just outside of the Mission.

Preparation Day!

So what do missionaries do on their P-day? Among other things they wash the car! We have a missionary who is staying in the Mission Home, recovering from a recent appendectomy, and so the Assistants are staying here with him while he recoups.


Today they washed the car after we went shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.
It's so fun to have them here!

We love new Missionaries!

Has it been six weeks already? It seems like we just had our transfers!

On Sunday afternoon, the elders who are going home gathered at the Mission Home for interviews, dinner and a devotional. I love these meetings because the missionaries are so excited to see each other and they are anxious to see loved ones again after serving so faithfully.

We had a long night, and our devotional didn't end till midnight,
but it was good to be together and share our testimonies.


We will miss these missionaries!



On Monday we received three new missionaries... Elder Colmenares and Elder Galan
from Mexico in the morning and Elder Leifson from Utah in the evening. Elder Leifson
actually shared a Book of Mormon with a family that he met on the plane. Way to go Elder!

After picking up the Mexican missionaries at the bus station, we went to the Capu
(bus station)where all the elders who are being transferred come to meet their new Zone Leaders and head out to their new areas. It was our first time going to the Capu and it was
a lot of fun to see all the missionaries. There was a lot of excitement in the air as they
met and headed out with their new companions.

On Tuesday morning, our new missionaries came to the Mission Home for a yummy
breakfast and training. After that, the new missionaries were introduced to their
new companions, we took some pictures and they left for their areas.
Good luck to our new trainers, Elder Nielsen, Elder Foster and Elder Mendez...

In the mission, we have a program where each of our Native Spanish speakers are encouraged to learn English. Many of them learn English in school and speak English quite well. The Church has implemented a program where each of the missionaries can take a test to show their proficiency in English. These missionaries recently took the test before they were released and headed for home. They did very well on it. This will help them to get a job in their home country of Mexico where the employer is hoping to hire someone who has the ability to speak English.

Elder Nepomuceno, Elder Zamora and Elder Martinez

Bien Hecho Elderes!

I also have to mention that today is my birthday and we have the sweetest elders in the mission! I received many good wishes and the office elders and the President went and got a cake.


It was covered with fruit on the top and was beautiful!

There is a tradition here that the birthday person has to take the first bite
of the cake and usually someone else pushes their face in the cake...
the elders were very nice and skipped that second part!

As you can see, I did take the first bite and it was delicious!

We didn't have a knife, so yes, I am cutting the cake with a ruler...
at least we had plates! We enjoyed it a lot. Thank you elders for a great birthday!