Dear families and friends,
Our life just keeps getting busier and the weeks are flying by! Although the weather is hot, it is also the rainy season--at least 4 or 5 times a week, it rains--usually at night, or whenever we have laundry hanging outside that is almost dry! The streets have become like rivers in many areas--it is still possible to walk to places, but we get wet. If we have to cancel a meeting or activity, we just reschedule it for the next day and it usually goes OK.
Our Outreach room at the church now has an air conditioner! Hallelujah!! And ceiling fans have been installed in the other rooms. Now we just need an electric piano that works--the one in the chapel has electrical problems and most days does not function, or it quits during a hymn. There is an older one in the Primary room that I use for piano lessons, and some weeks it gets carried upstairs to the chapel for meetings by strong young men. A new one has been ordered from Portugual because the current one cannot be fixed (many repairmen have tried already). One of the branch presidents in our building has a magic touch, or kick, actually. He gives the piano a bop with his foot just before church begins and it often will work throughout most of the meeting! Of course, he can't do that during the meeting because it would not be dignified....
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we will be on another island, San Nicolau, to distribute school kits and hygiene kits to the school districts there. The reason it takes three days is that the planes do not fly every day of the week--so we go on Monday and return on Wednesday with no flights on Tuesday. Oh well, we need a little vacation! We visited that island last year when we first came--it is very beautiful, lots of green mountains and beautiful beaches.
We are looking forward to General Conference--it will be shown live in the chapel in Portuguese for the members, but the missionaries like it in English (those that speak English), so we will probably have them (about 10 or 12) at our house to see it via our computer with a projector to show it on our living room wall. Of course we will have goodies to snack on. Times are 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. both days. You are very blessed to be able to see it at home or at the church or in SLC. We and all the missionaries cry when we first see the opening pictures of the Conference Center, the Choir, and the prophet and apostles.
Since school began last Monday, we have been very busy getting school kits to the branch presidents to give to needy members, and to other groups who help schools. The kits are in boxes in a warehouse downtown, and some days Larry has gone there three different times for different groups. We also received some stuffed animal toys and dolls(all new) from the Humanitarian Center in SLC, so we spent an afternoon with our Outreach Presidency delivering toys to some daycare centers in town and we stayed at one to play games with the little kids. It was lots of fun.
How were the birthdays, Joe and Marie? Our anniversary was also remembered by a little surprise party from our Outreach presidency--very sweet. 37 years seems like a very long time to them. It really is not that long!
We have a party for Relief Society and Elders Quorum tonight, an old-time dance (I don't know yet how old!) At least there will be good food!
We love each of you and pray for you every day.
Love and hugs, Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Elder and Sister
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