Dear families and friends,
Our rainy season has begun, but it is thus far not as much destruction as last year. It has rained 3 times in the past week, but in between it is sunny and warm.
Last Thursday and Friday we had planned to visit the island of Santo Antao by boat, and get a van and drive to the other end of the island to deliver school kits and hygiene kits from the Salt Lake Humanitarian Center. Our young adult committee of 3 and one of the church leaders would be going with us. Sadly, early that morning we got a phone call that the rain during the night had washed out the roads to that part of the island, so we should not come. The months of August, September and October are unsettled in weather, and yet they are the months when we travel to other islands for helping schools before and when they first begin. We will need to schedule another time to go, and hopefully it will work.
We will be traveling to the island of San Nicolau on the 27th--29th of September to visit two school districts for the same reason as above. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative. Access is by airplane (regular jet type), so we can get there, but then we have to drive a van around the island. It also requires three days of our time because the flights do not go every day, so we will have some time to be "tourists". We are friends with the welfare director on the island, so we will at least know someone to go around with, and we visited there last October and enjoyed our time.
Last Monday morning we attended an opening ceremony for activities, games, etc. at the prison. They schedule a week of sports and other activities at the end of summer. We were two of three invited guests and were seated on the stage area at the front of the big group. It was like sitting on thrones as a king and queen, and Larry was asked to give a talk (at the last minute). He talked a bit about religion in our and their lives, and how it is meant to be an everyday part of each of us. The exciting thing is that the other guest, a Naval official whom we had met before at other ceremonies, came up to us afterward and asked to make a time to talk together to answer some questions he had about our beliefs--he was very positive and seems to really want to know.
The water project is progressing through the government officials (they really are helpful), and after the rainy season, work will actually begin on providing hookups for families who do not have water in their homes. Some are too poor to pay the monthly charge, and some are living in new areas where pipes for water have not yet been laid. All of this should be taken care of through our project.
Two weeks ago an air conditioner was installed in the Institute room of our chapel where we hold Outreach activities. It is SO NICE to be able to cool off during our meetings--until this time we would be "bathed in perspiration"--not just us, but everyone here.
Most of our work in the past few weeks has been distributing school, hygiene, newborn kits to organizations who will give them to the individuals who need them. We do not give out the kits; schools, Red Cross, hospitals, etc. do this. Thus we are protected from mass groups of people gathering to get something; it works very well this way, and the people who need the kits can go to their local leaders to get them. School and hygiene kits for Church members are distributed through the branch presidents who know which persons are in need. The kits are just for those in need, not for every person.
A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned that the seminary age youth had gone to the big island for EFY. Late one of those nights, we got a phone message from their leader to "pray for the kids at EFY." So we did--many other leaders also received this message. When they returned at the end of the week, it was Testimony Sunday. Every youth bore testimony of the marvelous spiritual experience that happened when they prayed in deep faith for their friends there. Several youth said they felt a great peace and a light around them, and the Spirit was very strong, assuring them all that their friends would be all right. Apparently several kids had gotten sick suddenly and had to go to the hospital--not knowing the cause, and fearing for the safety of their friends, the ones who were not sick spent a long time in special prayer together, and said it was the greatest spiritual experience of their lives thus far. The sick ones were soon restored in time to come home at the end of the week.
Happy Birthday to Joe next Sunday and to Marie on Thursday the 23rd. It will also be our 37th wedding anniversary on the 20th. We went out for a special dinner last week to celebrate, not knowing if we would be traveling somewhere on that day.
Hope you all are happy and well. We pray for each one of you every day. Thank you for the letters you send us; we treasure them.
Love always Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Elder and Sister
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