Dear Family and Friends,

Sunday afternoon when we were returning by taxi from our training session with the Indeco Ward we were stopped at a stop Light and a young girl about 10 years old came by wanting to wash the taxi windows. She held a pop bottle with soapy water. The taxi drier told her no he didn’t want her to wash the window. This is one of the ways that the kids earn money here. The temperature must have been over 100 degrees and the little girl was, obviously, very hot, tired and discouraged. It was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and she probably had been there all day trying to earn a few pesos. She came to my window and said –aqua-- wanting some water because she saw my water bottle in my purse. She looked like she was going to have a heat stroke. I motioned that I would pour some in her bottle, but the driver reminded me that her bottle held soapy water, not drinking water, so I told her I was sorry, but no. When she walked away I could not believe that I had been so selfish, worrying about whether I had water to finish our short trip to our apartment or not. I hurriedly called out to her and she returned and I gave her my bottle of water. She was drinking with rapture when we drove away. My soul was so sad for her and her impossible situation and for me, that even for a minute, I rejected her in her time of need. I still have a long way to go. As we drove back the taxi driver took us through some of the areas where these poor, distraught people live. He told us how much better our lives were in the U.S. than the people have it here. We found out, too, that he was a member of the church. We hope all of us will thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness and kindness to us, because we were born of Goodly Parents in a Promised Land with the knowledge of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our lives are so prosperous compared to the people here. We are truly blest. The Gospel can and does make a different in the lives of all people, though, if they embrace the gospel and live the commandments.
The Youth Conference. We were amazed the events and apparent cost of this youth conference. There were over 3,000 youth that attended from the surrounding stakes of Tuxtla, Gutierra. We didn’t know that we would be going until the day before they left and the stake president invited us to go. We were excited and when we asked how much we needed to pay for hotel, food and transportation, he said –nada--. What a kind person he is. He –President Chiu—has tried so hard to make us feel a part of things and to help us enjoy Mexico and it’s culture.
We left at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning by very comfortable buses and arrived in Tuxtula about 7:30 a.m. The roads had more trucks on them than Wyoming freeways. They were also very slow going. This is going to be a short version of our experiences and if anyone wants the extended version let me know. The kids were involved in Basketball, soccer, racing, having a night of showing their different cultures in dance—this was my favorite—a youth dance, going to a natural science museum, spiritual training, and a service project. We heard LOTS of Spanish and interacted with the kids closely and really got to know them better. What a wonderful time we had. We returned to Villahermosa tired, but happy and got ready for our Sunday assignments of playing the organ and training the Correlation Council in one of the Wards.
We hope to see more of these youth in the next year and enjoy their great spirits.
Strat and Nita