The Mayas

The Zarates

It is a joy to work with missionaries and Senior Couples who greet each day--and challenge with a smile.  We lose Elder and Sister Maya this week, they are going home to Zacatecas and a family who have sorely missed them.  We will now be the ones to sorely miss them!  They have served 18 months, and helped us "learn the ropes" when we got here--and are still doing so.  Sister Maya walked me to two different tianguis to be sure that I knew where I was going and who sold the best fruits, vegetables and meats (the pork loin was great--not so sure about the chicken--I'll probably stick with Costco's frozed bag of chicken breasts!)  Besides leaving us short-handed, they will be leaving a large hole in the lives of all of us who are serving here.  We are having a despedida for them tonight, and expect a lot of tears.  Then there are the Zarates who arrived a few months before us.  They are from Oaxaca, and a little Puebla at that!  They are the parents of 12 children, and are about the most humble people you would hope to meet.  Never equate humility with lack of ability.  Both of Zarates are tireless workers.  They are not satisfied with working 6 6-hour shifts each week, they go out early in the morning on their Pday to work the streets, handing out pass-along cards, invitations to the Visitors Center, and setting up appointments to teach.  Elder Zarate has already had 4 baptisms after only a few months.  The two of them put the rest of us to shame!  Not really, because we are doing what we were called to do, but we have come to love and really appreciate the Zarates!  During the last spate of earthquakes, which hit their puebla, they took it all in calmly, telling us that in Oaxaca the earth shakes all the time and that they and their children were fine.  I pushed them to contact the family--they reported the next day that everything was OK, just like they'd said. 
The word that comes to mind is "unflappable", unmovable in their faith.  Sister Zarate has undertaken to help me with my Spanish, which is fine by me.
Our Sisters are marvelous!  We have changed a few things since we got here, not many.  Each change, though, is difficult because they are accustomed to doing things the way they were taught.  And the way they were taught was good.  Fine tuning, however, sometimes requires changes.  They have (not always cheerfully) embraced each change and made it theirs.  What a miracle to have such a spirit of obedience!  This week the change was one requested by the Mission President in our first conversation--a change in Pday.  After the inital confusion, they are adjusting and working it out.  The idea is to give them the opportunity to attend the Temple on their Pday.  Previously all Pdays for the Sisters were on Monday, when the Temple was closed.  Now half of the Sisters have Pday on Monday, half on Tuesday--leaving the VC staffed all week, and the Sisters with the availability to attend the Temple. 
We are looking forward to a visit from Salt Lake next week.  We are anticipating the possibility of more changes then.
Until next week!