Elder Larkin on Christmas

Here are a couple of photos we took of Deric while we were talking to him via Skype on Christmas. Do you like the headset and microphone? He kept taking off one earphone at a time because they were too tight. The microphone piece kept falling off so he had to hold it in place or just hold it to his mouth. The internet cafe is basically just a room off of the manager's house. The manager is a member so he let them use the computers on Christmas even though it was closed. It was pretty quiet, but Deric said that was very unusual. There is an air conditioner on the wall behind him. He said it was over 80 degrees and it was strange to be so warm on Christmas.



Deric showed us what Honduran money looks like. They have limperas. The photo on the money is the Head of the Treasury, we think. The exchange rate right now is 19 limperas to 1US dollar. He is holding about $8.50 in the photo. He's wearing his new tie from Mom and Dad for Christmas. What else do you send to a missionary besides a new tie? I am happy because he looks healthy and happy. Can't ask for more when you're the mom of a missionary. We had a great visit with him and now we look forward to Mother's Day in May.

Deric's Christmas Gifts

We got to use Skype to talk to Deric for almost 2 hours on Christmas. His internet connection was slow and something was going on with the webcam on our end so Deric couldn't see us, but we could see him. Because he had no video, we weren't able to show Deric his gifts.

Grandma and Grandpa Flinders went to South Africa for a temple trip at the end of October. Since the 2010 FIFA World Cup (soccer) is in South Africa, they bought this hat for Deric. He is a real fan right now because soccer is the only sport in Honduras. It's nice that the US and Honduras will both be competing in June and July.

The mask and the cuff links are from Mom and Dad. I found the mask outside the Uchumi (market) a few days before we came home. It looks very African and I thought Deric might enjoy a fun souvenir. The cuff links are from the Kazuri Bead Factory. They are made out of clay. Women, mostly single mothers, form and paint them by hand. They are fired in a kiln after drying in the sun and then again after painting. The women then put the jewelry together by hand. They were stringing necklaces and bracelets when we went on the tour. It was very interesting.

Now an update on Deric. When we asked what he was doing for Christmas, he said that he had been eating. He showed us a tamale. It was the size of a large burrito here in the US. It took up most of the plate he had. He ended up eating about 10 of them over the course of a few days. He really likes the food and has stopped losing weight. He thinks he might even be putting a little bit back on.

Deric and his companion were both talking to families. Elder Fernandez was on the Internet phone talking to his family in Chicago. Deric was on Skype with us. The only problem was that the microphone piece kept falling off of his headset. It was quite amusing. He has promised to buy his own headset before we talk to him for Mother's Day.

The work is continuing in Honduras. They had to teach a lesson on Christmas afternoon. They had a baptism scheduled for the next day. Transfers were on December 30. Deric was pretty sure he was going to be transferred, but it was his companion. We don't know anything about his new companion yet. We will get information on Monday, January 4.

We did take some pictures of Deric on Skype. We were using Felycia's computer so we still have to figure out how to get them into the blog. We will work on it this week and see what we can come up with.

New Nativity

This is my African Nativity. It is made of banana leaves. It is small and seems quite fragile, but it is actually quite sturdy. The creche is actually a storage box. Convenient and functional. Works for me. I like it because it is so unique. It was a gift from my Mom. She sent 3 sets home with me for all three of us girls.
The holy family

The shepherds with their sheep


The wise men with their gifts

Noah's Ark

While we were in Africa, we visited the Nairobi Wood Carvers Market. It is an amazing place. There are little shacks/tents set up in the large lot. Each craftsman has his own area where he works at making beautiful pieces. My mom has a larger version of this Noah's Ark in her flat and she knew that I would want one, too. I bought it from Stephen, a young man my parents know, for about $40 US. Not much considering the craftsmanship. All of the pieces are hand carved and finished. Most of the pieces are made from jackaranda wood. The elephants and hippos are made of ebony. It is easy to see the difference. It was so interesting to watch the men using huge tools to carve the intricate details in so many of the pieces. Another interesting thing is that they use shoe polish as a 'stain' to add depth to the color of the wood.

Much of the painting was going on while we were there. They just line up dozens of the same animal and paint the same thing over and over and over. It looked like every piece was identical to my untrained eyes. I'm sure there are slight differences, however, the finished work is absolutely beautiful.