Hello from warm, sunny, Oaxaca, Mexico! It seems almost impossible that we have been here a year, in fact today is the completion of our first year, Oct. 30. The older we get, the faster time seems to go by! I remember as a little girl just waiting for Sinterklaas to come, and it seemed like forever before the 5th of December arrived! Louky was the best poem writer in our family, and with each gift, there was a poem also! It's neat to have these good memories!

Wish we could pop in and be with all of you. It's neat that this Sinterklaas tradition is continuing, and we keep in touch once a year. We are realizing more and more in this great calling we have here in the temple, that the most important things in life are our families! It's really the only thing that we can take with us to the other side when the time comes! Let me share an experience we had the other day.

We had a family come to the temple for the first time. The oldest son had received his mission call, and the parents decided that this was the time they would all go to he temple and be sealed as a family for all time and eternity.There were seven children, the missionary was 21, and the youngest was 9 years old. They all traveled by bus for 7 hours, arriving in Oaxaca around 5 p.m. While the six children waited in the waiting room, and watched some videos, the parents and son received their endowments. After the session, the parents were sealed to each other, and then the other 6 children, dressed in white, entered the beautiful sealing room. As they knelt around the altar and placed their hands upon the handclasp of their parents, and then heard my husband speak the simple, but beautiful sealing ordinance for each of them, there was not a dry eye in the room. After that, the father hugged his wife and each of his 4 sons and 3 girls. He spoke to them in such a powerful, personal way. He told them with much emotion of his love for them, and how they all must keep the commandments to have this sealing come true. It was so touching and beautiful. The Spirit of the Lord was felt. Then they all got dressed and caught the ten oclock bus back to Salina Cruz. What a special memory for that missionary to have during his mission! What a blessing it is for us to work in such a holy place, no wonder the time passes by quickly!

May you all have a wonderful Christmas, and may we all remember the reason for the season! This little babe, born in a stable, can make such a difference in our daily lives! May we love and revere Him, and pattern our lives after His. We love you all!