When we arrived for our mission Pres. Durrant told us to enjoy seeing some of Texas while we were here. So we got permission from him to go to San Antonio for a few days. It was a nice trip for us, and I thought it was such a beautiful place.
We enjoyed seeing the San Antonio Temple. It 's a small temple but absolutely beautiful! The stained glass windows are breathtaking and they told us it has more stained glass than any of the temples. It sits on a ridge looking out over some beautiful homes in the city. I wish everyone could see the celestial room. It''s one of the prettiest I've seen.
The City of San Antonio created a river walk that is so beautiful! You can walk along the river for 14 miles. In the downtown area it's lined with big buildings, restaurants, and shops and sidewalks. We took a boat ride and the landscaping along the river is beautiful. Sis. Hulse has trouble walking very far so I'm glad there was a way for us to see it. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks from downtown.
We enjoyed seeing the Alamo and two other missions. The San Jose Mission is still being used as a church. We were told that people do have weddings there, but the wait is two years. The protective walls around the mission were actually the homes for the people who stayed there. They did not have it easy. They worked hard to grow their food, take care of each other, and protect the mission. The missions are beautiful, but carry sad stories of war and hardships. I liked this Cypress tree in the center of the compound. The trunks were just laying on the ground. The greenery around the mission is pretty. It's fun to see how different the landscaping is compared to Seattle. For some reason it seemed strange to see cactus and palm trees growing in the same climate. I always picture palm trees in Hawaii or California, rather than in a desert like climate.
