Forbidden beans -- coffee and cacao

In Volcan Thursday, I was teaching Yiniva (pronounced like Geneva) and Rod started studying with her grandad.  He is a member, she isn't.  They looked at the family home evening manual, but it is too complicated for him.  He was interested in the book of gospel art and they started looking up familiar scripture stories.  Two old grandads together with the gospel.  Pretty sweet!

Wednesday in Puerto Armuelles we had the same two cancellations.  The music teacher, a man about 50, had a heart attack that morning and passed away.  Our student was at school with his hymnbook teaching some of his classmates a hymn for the service the following day.  Good excuse!  Anyway, we visited our friend, Elvira, and she and I peeled cacao beans while Rod took a nap.  She says you have to roast them and then grind them.  I need to get some more and try it.  I hope while Audrey is here, because I don't really want to eat chocolate, but I am interested in the process.
NOTE:  Chocolate is not really forbidden, or 101% of the Church would have problems.  I got a feeling once that if I didn't eat chocolate, I would be able to discern things better and Janell decided it was a good idea.  Neither of us has lost weight over it, to her disappointment.


Here we are appealing.  (I know, Rod makes the jokes)

This is a coffee plant from Rio Serreno.  She brought it years ago before she was a member.

She picked a red berry and squeezed it.  These two halves came out and separated.  She says they have to dry and then you can roast them.

This woman came by and asked for the coffee beans.  Elvira gave them to her.  She tried to convince us how healthy coffee is as a relaxant.  I told her we didn't drink it even so, because a prophet of the Lord asked us not to. I don't think either of us was convinced.  These beans were in various stages of ripeness.

This plant is in front of a student's home.  I thought the seed pod was interesting, many of them and so round on one stem.  I do love the variety of plants here.

Our compost pile.  It had flowers until today when a machete master came by and chopped them down.  It is kind of fun just to throw anything in there and it disappears. It is just outside our fence. The squash and corn are just from seeds we've thrown out with the compost.

We keep saying we can't add more students, but yesterday we added two more.  Also, our recent converts that quit from fear that they would need to play in church started up again after more than a month.  They could remember well.  It was wonderful to have them back.

We went to a training meeting with the Mission President on Friday morning.  He talked about sacrifice and used us as an example.
He mentioned how we don't have hot water, but his audience was young elders, none of whom has hot water.  They kept the puzzled looks pretty well to themselves.  He also likes to talk about our $80/month apartment with $10/ month electric bill (our prior one) when the people from Salt Lake call to get an idea of mission costs for couples (one couple pays $750/mo rent and likely $100 electric bill, so hard to compare or average).
I still say that it may be a sacrifice (not seeing the kids) but the Lord is compensating us and we love our life here together.  It's satisfying to be engaged in worthwhile work in a cause you know to be true.



The missionaries in our area were having training and the mission president asked a question none of us could answer correctly.
It was:  What lesson that you teach is most effective in keeping members active in the church -- persevering until the end?  (assuming they follow it -- naturally)



There were a lot of good answers -- listening to the spirit, prayer...


However, he said it was the law of tithing.  That if the converts / we pay our tithing, it shows a commitment and is reinforced by Heavenly Father (Malachi 3:10) with blessing so great we have an overabundance [I don't think we get to choose what overabundance we get].  Good point for the missionaries to emphasize and all of us to consider.  I was told once by a stake leader that he didn't know of a family on Church welfare that was paying their tithing -- I know of one or two, but not many.  The habit of paying the Lord first causes the blessings (and good habits) to flow over into the rest of our lives. We learned this after we moved to Idaho Falls. (Pretty late, actually)  We would save our tithing checks (in case we didn't have enough -- What Faith!)  Finally we just decided to do it at the first.  We have always felt we were able to live much better on 90% than 100%.



We had the temple president come to speak.  The timing was wonderful, just after a branch trip to the temple.  He said that when we pray, study the scriptures daily, and hold family home evening we receive, not blessings, but strength to endure the tests that are part of the purpose of life.  After the tests come the blessings.  An interesting twist for me.

He asked us for "inspired questions", then he followed Elder Packer's advice and answered the questions we "should have asked".  He tried to relate each question to a principle, and was very effective.  We can't remember the question asked, but in the process of answering one question he pulled 3 rocks out of his pocket.  One was clear, one was white like an agate, and one was a plain old rock.  He talked about the effort required for the brother of Jared to prepare the rocks, that the Lord just solved two of his three problems (steering, air and light), but he wanted Jared to put forth effort on the last one. He pointed out that the Lord  could touch the common rock and make it be light as well as the other, but that WE are blessed when we put forth effort -- as much as we are able to do, then he may do the rest.  He taught that the Lord recognizes not only results, but efforts.

He said that they are trained to provide in the temple the best experience possible for all involved.  He said they were told each ordinance should be done as if it were "for your own son", that each person involved should have time to  savor the spiritual experience.