"Echoes of Eden" Dayle King Searle

One of the projects I’ve been working on the past couple of weeks is the final report on the Giving Machines. Among other items the leaders in Salt Lake asked for in the report was accounts of people’s experiences with the machines, so I have been collecting those. One day when we were at the machine in Rosario, the Moderno family from the Palmas Ward came. We wanted photos we could use to help promote the next campaign, so since we had Pat Frandsen with us, we asked if they would mind if we took photos of them. They said that would be fine. However, we need signed release forms from them to use the photos, plus I wanted to hear their story of going to the Giving Machines. The Lomas Ward is the Spanish speaking ward we sometimes attend, so Ron called them and asked if we could take release forms to church for them to sign. Victor, the dad, said how about you come to dinner instead. That sounded like a great offer to us, so Wednesday we did just that. It was fun to play with the kids. D...

Last Saturday when we got together with the Senior missionaries at the manzana, we had a fun surprise--Alan and Kathy Manwaring stopped in. At first, it just seemed normal to see them there, since they were missionaries here up until just a couple of months ago. They had come back to Mexico City for a visit as “civilians.” Their stay that evening was brief, but on Thursday, they came to the office and went to lunch with us, the Wrights, and Pat Frandsen. We had lunch at a little place we found in the pueblito that makes pretty good hamburgers and fries. It was fun to catch up with the Manwarings and hearing that there is life after a mission. However, they are already planning to go on another mission, so “life after a mission” may not last long for them! We weren’t able to spend a lot of time with them when they were serving in Mexico because they lived near the temple, which is quite far from Teca Once, but we always enjoyed their company and their example of positive, devoted servic...