WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JIM HOGAN
You guessed it Colonial Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico. Not only did they allow Jimmy, or as he was affectionately referred to for 4 days, Paco, to have passport they also let him on a plane 4 times. What is this world coming to. We flew down to El Paso, Texas through Phoenix, Arizona. Good thing I got rid of my first class a_ _, Gina and I always joked that it was, because it would fit in a first class seat very nicely, but it was a pain in my butt because I couldn't afford first class so I squoze into a regular seat and used a lovely extension for my seat belt. I was so excited to have some wiggle room and plenty of seat belt left over after buckling up. Then we drove for 2 hours along the Mexican border west through Texas and into New Mexico then crossed the border at much safer spot than Juarez that everyone hears about on the news. We continued driving South for 4 hours into the middle of Mexico and stayed in Colonial Juarez.
Ed & Gale Whetten, the LDS bishop and his wife who we stayed with and they organize all the projects, eyeglasses, dentist, orthopedic surgeons, all kinds of specialists that volunteer to go down and see the people of Mexico, and their house and out buildings can house up to 80 people. They fed and took us everywhere including picking us up @ the airport in El Paso and driving the 6 hours in big vans to their house and then back again to El Paso the last day. 10 minutes before we flew out to come home we found out their daughter in law who lives down there also, her dad is Ken Pugh's cousin, an optometrist in Orem, so they totally knew where Bluebell, Utah was. Small world. You can learn more about their projects and their school for the disabled @ laborofloveinmexico.blogspot.com.
We sure weren't in any tourist locations and saw from one end of the scope to the other. The above picture is from the stake center foyer we did the project in and below is an old hocienda that some of the people in Colonial Juarez still live in. It didn't matter where you went though, except in the house we stayed in, they didn't want you to flush the TP down the toilet and had signs even in the nice places asking you not to. But did they have a garbage for them to put it in? Oh, no it was on the floor on the toilet seat and they had not only been going #1 :0( We put a sign saying out of order on one of the stalls in the stake center and that's where we all went so it would stay clean, because even in that gorgeous stake center the toilets were filthy by the end of the day, and I thought Coy's bathroom was bad.
Hogan's Hacienda took on a whole new meaning in Mexico. We only wish we lived in this Hacienda. The family we stayed with, their uncle owned this hacienda that Poncho Via had owned. They've spent $400,000 restoring it. Laura Bush has even stayed there.
Jason & Christina Kowallis, Cade & Kelsie Kowallis, Sue & Dr. Scott Kowallis, Me & Poco, John & Rachel Jason's classmate @ optometry school
This is the Academy the LDS church has in Colonial Juarez for the members children, there is a high school and elementary. The first half of the day they are taught in English, the second in Spanish. They must be fluent in both to graduate. The boys are allowed to serve a mission when they turn 18 if they are living in Colonial Juarez, I think they said it is because it is so easy for them to get into trouble if they wait too long. They have enough people to have 2 wards in the town and only have 3 or 4 inactive families. Someone must be doing their home teaching and visiting teaching. Needless to say they weren't too anxious to invite Jimmy & I to live there, they must have heard how we brought down Bluebell's % when we moved here.
This is Laura, pronounced Louda, she is a native Mexican that the family we were staying with took us to her house where she hand makes this incredible jewelry. Her house was like unreal, so bright and colorful, just like her, I could just see her as a movie character she didn't speak any english but she was incredible. They later told us that Laura's husband was the nicest man, but if he started drinking he would be mean and beat her. She told him once that the next time he did she would shoot him, she did right in the stomach with a shotgun. There are no police in Colonial Juarez so she didn't get in trouble, she just loaded him in her car and drove him 30 min. to the town we did the project in to the doctor. For some reason he never drank again.
You guessed it Colonial Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico. Not only did they allow Jimmy, or as he was affectionately referred to for 4 days, Paco, to have passport they also let him on a plane 4 times. What is this world coming to. We flew down to El Paso, Texas through Phoenix, Arizona. Good thing I got rid of my first class a_ _, Gina and I always joked that it was, because it would fit in a first class seat very nicely, but it was a pain in my butt because I couldn't afford first class so I squoze into a regular seat and used a lovely extension for my seat belt. I was so excited to have some wiggle room and plenty of seat belt left over after buckling up. Then we drove for 2 hours along the Mexican border west through Texas and into New Mexico then crossed the border at much safer spot than Juarez that everyone hears about on the news. We continued driving South for 4 hours into the middle of Mexico and stayed in Colonial Juarez.
Ed & Gale Whetten, the LDS bishop and his wife who we stayed with and they organize all the projects, eyeglasses, dentist, orthopedic surgeons, all kinds of specialists that volunteer to go down and see the people of Mexico, and their house and out buildings can house up to 80 people. They fed and took us everywhere including picking us up @ the airport in El Paso and driving the 6 hours in big vans to their house and then back again to El Paso the last day. 10 minutes before we flew out to come home we found out their daughter in law who lives down there also, her dad is Ken Pugh's cousin, an optometrist in Orem, so they totally knew where Bluebell, Utah was. Small world. You can learn more about their projects and their school for the disabled @ laborofloveinmexico.blogspot.com.
We sure weren't in any tourist locations and saw from one end of the scope to the other. The above picture is from the stake center foyer we did the project in and below is an old hocienda that some of the people in Colonial Juarez still live in. It didn't matter where you went though, except in the house we stayed in, they didn't want you to flush the TP down the toilet and had signs even in the nice places asking you not to. But did they have a garbage for them to put it in? Oh, no it was on the floor on the toilet seat and they had not only been going #1 :0( We put a sign saying out of order on one of the stalls in the stake center and that's where we all went so it would stay clean, because even in that gorgeous stake center the toilets were filthy by the end of the day, and I thought Coy's bathroom was bad.
Hogan's Hacienda took on a whole new meaning in Mexico. We only wish we lived in this Hacienda. The family we stayed with, their uncle owned this hacienda that Poncho Via had owned. They've spent $400,000 restoring it. Laura Bush has even stayed there.
Jason & Christina Kowallis, Cade & Kelsie Kowallis, Sue & Dr. Scott Kowallis, Me & Poco, John & Rachel Jason's classmate @ optometry school
This is the Academy the LDS church has in Colonial Juarez for the members children, there is a high school and elementary. The first half of the day they are taught in English, the second in Spanish. They must be fluent in both to graduate. The boys are allowed to serve a mission when they turn 18 if they are living in Colonial Juarez, I think they said it is because it is so easy for them to get into trouble if they wait too long. They have enough people to have 2 wards in the town and only have 3 or 4 inactive families. Someone must be doing their home teaching and visiting teaching. Needless to say they weren't too anxious to invite Jimmy & I to live there, they must have heard how we brought down Bluebell's % when we moved here.
This is Laura, pronounced Louda, she is a native Mexican that the family we were staying with took us to her house where she hand makes this incredible jewelry. Her house was like unreal, so bright and colorful, just like her, I could just see her as a movie character she didn't speak any english but she was incredible. They later told us that Laura's husband was the nicest man, but if he started drinking he would be mean and beat her. She told him once that the next time he did she would shoot him, she did right in the stomach with a shotgun. There are no police in Colonial Juarez so she didn't get in trouble, she just loaded him in her car and drove him 30 min. to the town we did the project in to the doctor. For some reason he never drank again.
This is Laura's kitchen, the knobs on the cabinets were all forks and spoons!
This was Laura's living room. So many little knick knacky things but it was spotless and no dust anywhere, I guess you can have someone come clean your house there 2-3 times a week and it is only about $20 a week !! 
They said you've never been kissed until you've been kissed on the swinging bridge so Jimmy had to share his gift of tongues, if you know what I mean ;0) Left me a little weak in the knees!!
For some strange reason the interpreters from the high school the LDS church has in Colonial Juarez thought Jimmy reminded them of Larry the Cable Guy, (like that's the first time he's heard that) , more pictures are on my other blog.
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