Yesterday was Sunday so we got dressed in our Sunday best and went to church. That's the short version of the story. The long version goes like this: The Liahona school administrators asked us to find the nearest meeting house for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We found an address and gave it to the bus driver. Then, we got into our rental car and left to get there before everyone else. But, we got lost! We couldn't figure out the directions...and neither could Google Maps! We drove around and around but just couldn't seem to make sense of it!
Finally, I stopped and asked for directions. Before long, I had 6 Mexicans around me trying to tell me which way to go! We finally found it 15 minutes after the Sacrament services ended. Doh!
We were feeling pretty bad because the school asked us to do just one thing and we messed it up! However, as it turns out, the bus driver was familiar with the area. He understood the directions perfectly and got the kids there (with Danny & Brennah on board) right on time!
Danny & Brennah said it was unbelievably boring because the services were in Spanish and they couldn't understand a word of it! I guess now they know what it was like to go to the Catholic church a couple hundred years ago when the services were held in Latin. :)
I thought it was great to go to church. One of the nice things about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that it is the same no matter where you go. Ever since our plane touched down, everything has been so foreign...but the Spirit in church made us feel like we were home.
We checked out of the Hilton and went straight from church to a Bungalow in Uxmal. The rooms were not quite the same. Among other things...there was NO TV! I was like "SWEET!" because I can't stand it when the kids waste time watching TV, especially when there are so many fun things to do in this exotic paradise! Kathy took a look around and said "can we go back to the Hilton now?" She's a good sport though and she stuck it out. The boys liked it...especially the mini-bananas!
Kathy has a "No Swimming" rule on Sunday that I just don't get. I don't remember reading anything about not swimming on Sunday in the scriptures! :) But, I do believe that it is important to keep the Sabbath Day Holy and if that means not swimming to her than I support her 100%. We have been SO blessed to be able to come on this trip in the first place. We've been kept safe and protected along the way. We don't deserve this at all. We're so grateful to God for all the blessings we've received. The last thing we're going to do is complain.
So, we got out of our Sunday clothes and changed into something more comfortable which, for the boys, were pajamas. Then, we went for a walk on the beach to explore this new place.
One of the things that makes Uxmal so unique is that if features the 2nd longest reef in the world where the big waves break. Since the big waves break about 200 or 300 yards off shore, the beach is AMAZING! The water is calm and teaming with life! We just can't wait to snorkel here and see the sea turtles and exotic fish!
Fresh seafood is the name of the game in Uxmal so we tried it all. The kids weren't too thrilled with the Whole Fish...but it was yummy. Danny and I ate it up! It felt like one of our many camping trips.
I don't even know what this was called or how it tasted because someone else in the group ordered it. But, it looked interesting enough that I snapped a photo so you could get a glimpse!
After dinner, we went back to the room and called it an early night so we could wake up early and swim! Plus, I noticed that the windows in our room only had a thin, white shade that didn't look like it would keep out much of that bright, early sun.
The beds were hard as a rock at the Carribe Club Hotel in Uxmal and the heat and humidity was so thick you could cut it with a knife but I still slept well...most of the night. In the middle of the night, a plastic cup fell to the floor and made a loud noise as it bounced around. I laid there wondering what happened. Then, I thought I heard a scratching sound that sounded like mice. We brought quite a few snacks from Walmart and left them out on the counter. There were lots of mice and rats in the Dominican Republic where I served a two-year mission for my church...I don't know why I thought there wouldn't be some here! I got up and turned on the light and thought I saw them scatter...but...it may have just been my mind playing tricks on me. I looked at the food but couldn't see any trace of them. So I went to bed.
Turning the lights on and off woke Kathy. She was freezing! So she turned down the A/C. Later, she woke up hot so she turned it up again. By morning, we didn't really feel too rested. Let's hope the next day turns out half as good as the others!
So glad you guys felt good in church. My Mom and grandmother was the same as Kathy,they would not even cook on Sunday. They would cook on Saturday and that was what we would have on Sunday. So I can understand where she is coming from. Man that seafood looks great, I love good seafood. I must say that was the best thing I ate in Mexico. My wife says she thinks I could eat it seven days a week. You guys are in my prayer. Have fun and a safe trip back. Rob
ReplyDeleteGlad you all are having fun. Mice??? I am terrified of them!! I would have let them have the entire room.
ReplyDeleteKathy and my grandparents would have gotten along great. They believed Sunday was a day of worship and rest. At least for the men after the women cooked and fed them. If I had that no swim rule on Sundays, my kids would have quoted scriptures about baptisms and shown it to me with the argument that someone "might" have had to swim on a Sunday. Kids! Sometimes they are too smart for us. Stay safe, have fun.