Mom's bbb

The Rededication of the Mexico City Temple, November 16, 2008 We, along with the other 11 temple presidents and directoras (matrons), from Mexico were invited to attend the rededication of the Mexico City temple.  We felt so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to be part of this historic event, and to return to our beloved Mexico City. We got a late start from Tampico (10:30).  Two hours later we were in Vales and ready to start our climb up into the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains.  Toney wanted to take a new way through the mountains, and thought this would be shorter than the one we took last January to Mexico City.  It wasn't.  Twisty two lane highways with trucks, buses and occasional cows, burros, goats and pueblos with their ever present "topes" (speed bumps), don't lend themselves to fast travel.  In one town with a population of perhaps 50 residents (if you count the dogs and donkeys) we counted five topes! This new route however, was beautiful.  And with spectacular vistas and deep gorges it kept things interesting.  After five hours of lush, verdant mountains we immerged into high arid plains.  Mountains still loomed as we descended, but they were rocky ridges covered with cactus and cedars instead of banana, citrus and tropical pines. As Dad is fond of saying, when one of Cortez' conquistadores returned to Spain, he was asked to describe to the King of Spain (Philip I believe) what Mexico was like.  He asked for a piece of paper, wadded it up in his hand and threw it on the table. Eleven hours after beginning our trip (it took us ten last January) we pulled onto "temple square."  It felt good to be "home" again.  Nancy had arranged for us to have a room in the dorm designated for temple patrons. Saturday:  We enjoyed talking to Pres. y Hna. Cruz of the Tuxlua Temple, and Elder and Sister Waldo Call, who are our neighbors in the dorm,.  After breakfast we had hoped to go to the Visitors Center, Distribution Center and Zarahemla (the local Deseret Book Store).  To our disappointment, everything was closed.  So we headed down to the Zocalo (downtown) area.  We went to our favorite market and wandered around.  To Dad's joy, and my amazement, we didn't even find anything we were interested in buying!  We already have everything we want or need! We ate at a restaurant advertizing "Argentine cuts of beef."  Ours was not an Argentine cut, nor an Argentine meal (with the steak came refried beans and enchiladas).  By three o'clock we were on our way to Aztec Stadium which holds 100,000 people.  It was a good thing we had three hours before it began because we sat in traffic for two hours, and once we arrived we walked kilometers trying to find our seats.  In the process we did see the Littlefields (mission pres in the city until a year ago), Doxies (doctor with the embassy), Hna. Ivonne Riiz (one of our instructors), Hno Lopez (CCM administer), and five or six returned missionaries who came up to us and said they had been in the CCM with us. We thought we would be sitting outside like the rest of the people and I had dragged two coats (it is cold here).  However, our tickets were to sit in the glassed in restaurant area with the general authorities!  We were even served soft drinks and nuts!  It was fun to see the Machucas (an area seventy who was one of Dad's counselors in the CCM), the Taylors (who were the temple president and our neighbors when we lived here) the Elder Cardenez, Elder Alanzo, Elder Torres, and other Mexican Seventies and friends we have known over the years.  Tom Colburn and Kent Arrington were also there from the Temple Department. Because of the heavy traffic, Elder Mickelsen with President Monsen and Pres Eyring were about 25 minutes late in arriving. When they did walk in a cheer went up, and white handkerchiefs waved. Meanwhile the youth had lined up about 10 minutes before 6:00 to be in position for the prophet's arrival.  The temperature was nippy and some of them were in scanty Aztec costumes and clearly very cold when things finally began.  The program tried to cover the Book of Mormon, colonization, revolution down to the present day.  It was obviously too broad, but the dancing was wonderful and the costumes were gorgeous.  According to what was printed there were 7,000 participants!  President Monsen was darling when they did the "old man dance"(where the boys with canes dance) he got up and did a little jig with them which of course brought the house down. The most touching moment for us was at the end when first the girls, and then the boys of the church school, Benimerito  come out singing Michael Hick's arrangement of As Sisters in Zion, and Armey of Helaman.  They were joined by the full time missionaries walking on singing Called to Serve.  A sea of white handkerchiefs waved as President Monsen and Eyring left with the area presidency.  Ann Dibb was accompanying her father, and I would have loved to have said hello, but we were behind them two rows and over to the side. Leaving the stadium we got completely lost.  It took us an hour to find our little white car in the sea of hundreds of busses.  At least as we walked around and around we kept hearing, "President Bentley, you were my CCM president."  All total there were an amazing number of people who recognized us.  Once we found the car, it took us another almost two hours to get back to temple square!  This is a BIG city, with too many cars for the road system; and it didn't help that we were on the opposite side of town and made a few wrong turns. Sunday:  What a wonderful day! We visited in the morning  with the Cruz' and Calls,.  All of us had our tickets for the second session at 12:00.  We were ushered into the waiting room of the temple at 11:00.  After a few minutes in walked Alfredo and Amada Miron!  What a tender mercy.  We had tried to call them without success, and thought perhaps we wouldn't have the opportunity to see them.  After the session we invited them to eat lunch with us at the cafeteria which they did and it was so nice catching up on their family, talking about the temple, family history etc.. But, back to the dedication.  About ten minutes after our arrival, we were escorted to the celestial room and it was filled with mission and temple presidents, area seventy, stake presidents etc..  We sat quietly until 12:00.  It reminded me of the powerful lesson on reverence we were taught in our temple training.  As I sat there I thought of all those on the other side of the veil who might be in attendance, Dad's ancestor's who settled in Mexico more than one hundred years ago, Spencer W. Kimball who loved these people, and the many Book of Mormon prophets.  This temple is such a great heritage and blessing for these people.  They had a fabulous organist and music conductor.  Nancy (our secretary in the CCM, and one of our "daughters") was singing in the choir.  Their hymns were memorized, perfectly on pitch and were absolutely beautiful. When they sang the Anthem and the rest of joined in the Spirit of God  it was so powerful, I am sure the angels of heaven were singing with us.  It was glorious and I think the best music I think I've ever heard (including the Tabernacle Choir). As we walked around temple square we kept running into people who remembered us and greeted us with fondness, our missionaries three of our instructors who had been with us at the CCM (Hno. Lopez, Hno. Vazquez) In the evening Nancy (the CCM secretary) came over to visit, and then we walked her home.   Monday:  We woke up at 2:30 and left by 3:00.  There were some "white knuckle moments" as we crossed foggy mountain passes, but we may good time and were in Poza Rica by dawn.  Now we are on a familiar highway and this time Dad was correct we did find a shorter route (seven hours).  It is nice to be home in time to unpack and get cleaned up before needing to be at the temple at noon. Great trip and the only loss was leaving our strong, good black mesh bag with our food at one stop.