We are learning that hugs and kisses are coming our way from every angle and getting used to giving them out as well!
This last week we had to say “good-bye” to Cameron and Dani and send them back to Utah. That was not as easy as it sounds! After a fun day at the Alamo, we took them to the San Antonio airport. Earlier we ate at the food court at Riverwalk—after a disappointing delay. After waiting for 40 minutes, the restaurant finally told us they did not have shrimp after all! That was only the first disappointing delay. Just as we parked at the airport, we got a text message that the flight would leave 40 minutes earlier than scheduled. Jim checked with the counter to make sure that all was well for the flight to Dallas and then on to SLC. Reassured that our “kids” would be taken care of, we left the airport and traveled on to Laredo. About a half hour into our journey, we got a call from Donny alerting us that Dani was panicking because of an announcement that the flight was over-booked. We tried to calm everyone that they had boarding passes with assigned seats. Finally, they were off to Dallas. The next thing we knew, we got a call from Denver where the plane had been diverted to pick up fuel after circling and circling the SLC airport. Weather was the culprit this time! Dani and Cam landed around 3 AM and the journey was over. Cam is not so sure he wants to come again!
We are the only senior missionary couple in Laredo, so it falls to us to inspect apartments. Mostly we make sure the smoke alarms work, spray for bugs, make sure all the essentials are working, check for emergency water and 24-hour kit, etc. Some missionaries are real neat-nics, but a few obviously came into the mission field never having had to clean up after themselves. They need a little lecture on keeping things neat and clean (especially with all these BUGS).
We taught Ingrid her first temple-prep class. She is an amazing young woman. She wants to receive her endowments before she goes back to school. Her family is not LDS, so she has to be a little sensitive about their needs. We are hoping nothing stops her from serving a mission because she REALLY wants to go. Her mother has had cancer in the past and is having a checkup in Mexico this week.
Besides our Institute lesson on “Chastity” that we taught on Thursday, we had to help out in the branches all day on Sunday. July is when everyone leaves Laredo for vacation somewhere NORTH. If you watch the news, you know that America’s SW is like hellfire. It was probably 113 degrees yesterday, according to our District President. WE just stay where it’s air-conditioned. I never do well in the heat—just too Scandinavian to live in the summer Laredo temperatures. People tell us that NEXT summer will be better. I remember how sick I got in the heat in Budapest—thought I was having heat stroke! We have had to minister to two missionaries who ended up in the hospital with heat issues. The lessons are: (1) Drink your water! (2) Replenish your electrolytes!
We have one person in the whole District (Lorraine Correa) who can play the organ/piano. The branch organizations sing along with a phone, and one of the buildings has an electronic-programmable piano. You can see why I am teaching piano lessons! I’m teaching two teenagers and the wife of a branch president. I hope we can get more pianists to serve here. Sister Correa fractured her shoulder last week, so I am on the organ for first branch for a few weeks. I already was filling in for primary chorister/organist for a couple of weeks—which was really FUN! I went to the nursery to sing with the one little boy who was there this week—a precocious, talkative two-year-old. He kept telling me he wanted to sing “The Skeleton Song.” He sang with me “Popcorn Popping,” “Once There Was a Snowman,” “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock,” “Pioneer Children,” etc., but kept requesting “The Skeleton Song.” (Because, he said, he really likes Halloween.) Finally, I said, “I don’t know that one, Clark. Why don’t you sing it for me?” He then sang a version of “Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones.” What a little character—SO smart!
Jim helped with the YSA service project on Saturday. It was clearing some property on a ranch a ways out of town. I was sick Saturday morning, so didn’t go—which was probably good because of the heat. He met the Gonzaleses who are about our age. I’ll post pictures of the cacti. Jim got to taste the fruit off one and brought home a bag of unripe lemons from the Gonzalez lemon orchard.
We are looking forward to the District Temple day on Saturday in San Antonio. We are grateful that Brother Orozco finally got his legalization papers and he and his wife will be riding with us to the temple. This experience is stretching us. We are building compassion and love for the good people here. We are working hard on our Spanish and can now pray en español! I really could understand FHE last night, given in Spanish by Sister Orozco. We love the gospel and you!
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