CCM--A men's chorus in the Area

This is a men's chorus in the area that sang patriotic music and hymns.  In the last picture, the quartet, the two on the right, are the mission president's boys.  One just got back from a year at BYU and will turn his papers in soon.  The other one is in high school and will got to BYU soon.  They spoke to us after in English.  They learn it here in school.  Their mom speaks a quite a big, and the mission president is trying, at least with me.

Love,

Mom & Dad

Happy 4th of July---Let's Get together next Year!!

Hi, how are you all? HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO YOU!!

     Monday night at FHE the seniors celebrated the 4th of July.  The Temple Matron, Sister Bair, had some of the men stand and give quotes from the founding fathers, some history of what happened to some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and then she spoke of them appearing in the St. George Temple to Wilford Woodruff, who did their work.  Sister Bair is a descendant of Wilford Woodruff.  Then we ate dinner, barbecued beef, potato salad, etc.  I was assigned to bring Apple Crisp.

     Today being the Fourth of July, Dad and I got up early and made two cobblers, an apple and cherry (next year I'm adding blueberry) and took it to the Mission Office with cool whip.  Six young elders, the Clawsons and Dad and I had it still warm for breakfast?  Then we went to a Consejo --a council of zone leaders.  In another room we oriented 3 new missionaries that arrived yesterday from the Provo MTC.  Dad gave it in Spanish and I followed in English.  We ate with all the missionaries the usual Dominican chicken, rice with chopped vegetables, candied banana or guineo and coleslaw of cabbage and carrot.  Then we did picture taking.  I took the new missionaries with the President and his wife.  Then the president wanted a group picture of he and his wife with all the zone leaders--plus 3 new sister leaders to preside over the sister missionaries in the mission.  The missionaries were kind of a rowdy bunch, enjoying each other.  It was fun. 

     On the way home we took the Clawsons, a new senior couple from Kaysville to the spot where the land was dedicated.  We got a phone call there, there was a crash and the Elder needed his passport.  We went back to the office, got the passport and headed across the city to the police station. (We know just where to go.)  This elder Elder Arana is from Virginia, Woodbridge, yellow line, near DC, is bilingual and has just been driving here for 2 weeks.  He took Elder Reeder's place. 

     We made a bank deposit on the way home, entered temple clothes sizes back at the office, recorded the deposit, sent out mail, did bank work with receipts and charging to the missionaries accounts.

     That was the 4th of July.  We were "independent" of tradition.  Oh well, it was fun, everyday is and we'll see you later.  Hope you had an awesome day!! 

Love,

Mom & Dad  Oh, I wore red, white and blue, and some of the missionaries at the meeting asked me if it was La Dia de Independencia.  Si!

Thank you from the Brother Missionaries

A big THANK YOU for the fun entertainment and refreshments for Father's Day!

You might enjoy this little highlight of the event:  http://youtu.be/IwhJADpWaF0

-- from the Brother senior missionaries to the Sister senior missionaries in Santo Domingo

A great remembrance!

This was the elders surprise on my birthday! From left to right, Elder Klein from Arizona, Elder Chinchilla from Guatemala, Elder Aguiniga from Mexico City, Elder Pitti from Panama, Elder Reeder from Logan or Hyde Park, Elder Scharman from Taylorsville.  (The iron gate is outside our door.  It has to be locked coming and going.)

Thanks all of you for the nice birthday.  The elders came calling and the 6 of them represent each one of you!  Also thanks for all the other wonderful things!  Sure love you!

     Sunday they asked me to give the opening prayer in Relief Society.  (There were 3 of us)  They called on me to read during the lesson.  In Sunday School the teacher wanted to sing a hymn to go with the lesson, she looked at me and asked me if I could lead (as she motioned with her hand.)  Soon she went down the row and I had to read.  In Sacrament Meeting as I played the opening song, as we finished the chorister was staring at me and looked like "what happened, how come you stopped."  So I assumed that must have been verse 3 and there was one more.  I looked like okay, one more, so I started and she led.  When we finished.  She was staring at me again.  I thought, no, I couldn't have miscounted that bad it had to be four.   

So I looked away, then back at her and she sat down.  I was nervous because I had to give a talk, but when we finished the meeting, Jim said we did 5 verses, we did the 4th verse twice! Yuk

     Then I spoke on Asister a la Iglesia--Attending Church.  I will send it along, in English and Spanish tomorrow.  One of the elders said his mom keeps getting nursery leader.  I said I've never done that one, but I should--Playing blocks on the floor is probably the one thing I am good at!!  (If you disagree with me, don't respond.

     That night the 6 elders came to transfers dinner along with a senior couple who have been here just a week.  They are from Kaysville.  They live near those ponds right by the freeway.  I said a little further on the freeway and you can see our home.  He has worked as a recruiter in Latin Countries to help kids get educated.  She is from Mississippi, his 2nd wife, speaks no Spanish, and is black.  In the temple today, she looks like the people here and she was not offered a headset to listen in English.  They served another mission in Texas in a Spanish branch, he the president and she a teacher.

     Anyway, we had two elders leave, Elder Pitti from Panama, I made a heart shaped chocolate cake with his initials on CP for caring and people, his greatest traits, for Elder Reeder from Logan or Hyde Park, I baked chocolate chip cookie dough in the heart pan and wrote #1 since he was our first missionary, our trainer, etc.  What fun we had for an hour then they left to call the missionaries their new assignments of companions or area.

     Monday, we had meetings and more chocolate chip cookies.  Oh, and today Dad and I stood at the pulpit at the transfer chapel, he gave a financial point in Spanish, they I said it in English since we have so many English speakers who have come from the MTC.  They've studied Spanish, yet when Dad said to open your packet in Spanish, a lot of them sat there.  They he said to open it in English and they laughed and opened them.  Then there was a luncheon of Dominican food, same one each them, then we went to the temple to pull their temple clothes and hand them out to the 15 missionaries going home, and went to the session with them.  Wow, wonderful.

     Oh, on Monday night at Family Home Evening they asked us to each relate an experience that changed our life.  Dad told of the auto accident he had with his parents. They were injured badly and the church came in to help.  This got him active in the church.  I'll let him expound on it sometime.

     I said going to college changed my life.  I had 19 roommates, and made many friends--one of them was dad.  I was active in my singles ward, had great religion classes, and had some amazing spiritual experiences with the scriptures.  I studied elementary education, child development and family relations with a kindergarten certificate which, opened my eyes to people and family.  I was in a campus service club where we had service opportunities all over Provo as well as being in a 6 girl, 6 guy singing group that performed on campus.  Oh, and I was crowned  (I never told them this, I just remembered) Miss Heritage Halls, a contest where 24 dorms each sent in a girl to represent them.  We had a competition each day for a week and the winner and her attendants were announced in the grand ballroom, the girls at the top of a winding staircase and they came down to meet their date.  We sat on 3 big throne chairs on the stage, then with our date danced in the middle of the floor to begin the second half.  Bruce & Jo, and Aunt Janet were in the balcony cheering (since our families were notified that we were finalists).  Anyway, the three of us road on a big float in the homecoming parade.  Cool huh--you didn't know, right! No, the coolest was to ride to Salt Lake, go to the Church Administration building and meet the prophet.  David O. McKay was sick that day, so Nathan Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney were the substitutes.  I  sat in President Tanner's chair and had my picture taken with he and Pres. Romney on either side.  Now that was cool!!  (Anybody see the picture floating around somewhere?

     Anyway, how is the house coming?  how's it going with school out?  How's the eating solid foods coming?  How was the concert with those celebrities?  How is your company/house guests doing? , and how was Disney World?

Love,

Mom & Dad 

Six on a cycle--lots of motorcycles in the Dominican Republic

La Reunion de Distrito--District Meeting and our choir

Pictures: Our choir, Elder & Sister Zivic, on the guagua

   Today we rode on a bus or guagua to Bani for District Meeting which is like stake conference I guess, we got a new district presidency.  Our mission president, President Rodriguez conducted.  Visiting was Elder Zivic and his wife from the First Quorum of the Seventy.  Our choir practiced for 2 hours yesterday, we drove an hour to get to Nizao and an hour back and I think they went through the 2 songs three times at the most.  The rest of the practice was standing and sitting.  Then we had to be there this morning at 8 am to catch the bus.  We loaded the bus at 9:40, the meeting began at 10 and was a half hour away and we were singing the prelude!  Oh from 8 to 9:40, we sat, waited, and went through the songs twice at the most.  The bus driver drove crazy to get there.  These buses are all beat up, dirty, have the door tied open and rattle the whole way.

     We wore white shirts or blouses, dark pants or faldas (skirts).  The boys or men blue ties, and the sister missionaries made blue flowers for the girls or sisters to wear.  We arrived at 2 minutes to 10, headed for the stand, somebody was already at the piano/organ.  The Mission President got up and told the missionary to move because I was to play the prelude.  This elder from Los Angeles learned the piano when he was young and he and I traded places, he the opening and closing song, and I the prelude and musical number.  The prelude was Abide with me Tis Even Tide (I got this song Thursday night and it's not in the simplified hymn booklet.  Tengo Gozo in Mi Alma (There is sunshine in My soul today I got Sunday.  For someone with my abilities I need a lot of time to practice.  We didn't get a miracle, but I didn't mess up too badly.  I play the best when they are singing and the worst when it's the prelude or interlude when it's just me.  Oh well, all these things will give you experience and will be for our good! right.  Elder and Sister Zivic shook our hands.  He was Brian Jensen's mission president in Spain.  Nancy and Ray met him when they went to pick Brian up.  I have a few pictures: (I may have to send them separate)

Love,

Mom

Hi, how are you all doing?

Hi kids and grandkids!  They had Mothers Day for the Spanish World this past week.  I, with the Mission President's wife had our pictures in the mission newsletter, honoring the only 2 mothers in the mission!:).  I'm grateful to be the mother of each of you!  You are so awesome!  And grateful to Dad that I could be a mom.

Did I tell you this: 

The last few weeks I can read the bulletin boards in Relief Society and Sunday School!.  Up until then I guessed what the lesson was on.  I finally got wise and would look up the lessons in English before I went, so I wouldn't be totally in the dark.  In Relief Society a couple of weeks ago it was on the organizacion de la Sociedad de Socorro.  Then the president asked, cuando?  Everyone sat there.  Then people were surprised when I raised my hand and said, diesisiete de marzo.  Then she asked the year and she handed me the chalk and I wrote on the blackboard next to her 17 March, 1842.  I didn't know how to say that in Espanol.  (mil, ochociento, cuarenta y dos.?)  I wanted to tell them that Martha McBride Knight and daughter Adeline were part of the 20 (veinte), but that wasn't to be. 

     Anyway, for weeks or months I just listened, lucky to pick up a word or two.  Not being able to understand or say anything, I have mostly just smiled, thanked them for their leccion (lesson) or message (mensaje).  I guess I can just cheer them on.  After all they learn by participating, and I obviously wasn't sent here to expound or impart much of anything.  A few times they would say something and look at me, and I would bare my testimony on the subject. I have a testimony of families.  They are central to God's plan.  Or when it was on temples.  I would simply say I have a testimony of the temple, my family many years ago helped build the temple in Lago Salago (Salt Lake)(I should have said Kirtland and Nauvoo too, oh well.)  Then I added that my husband and I were married there and each of our kids.  The ladies (only maybe 5 or 6 would smile and then the teacher would go on with the lesson.  At home later, I read the lesson in English and it mentioned the building of the SL Temple, etc. which I covered in my brief testimony, not sure what I should say or what few words I knew that I could use. Anyway, I got help.

     They call on me to offer prayers, in Relief Society or Sunday School and I do my best from the seniors manual from the MTC.  They often read and go down the row to each read a verse, and I just read, trying not to slaughter the language.  One day in Relief Society they were reading from Joseph Smith history, going down the row and reading until the president stopped you.  We got to the part of Joseph Smith seeing the Father and the Son (thank goodness I know some scriptures so well that I knew where we were.  I could have quoted it in English, but I had a hard time pronouncing the words but she didn't stop me and expected me to go on and on,  The Spirit was so strong, and I had a hard time with my emotions, but I read it to the end though not very well.  Then I said, "lo siento." (I'm sorry) and they all smiled or laughed.

      Also I'm beginning to pick out peoples names.   For a long time I couldn't hear one person's name, because the sounds were all garbled together as they talked.  When Brent and Judith came, I think they could understand why I couldn't tell peoples names. 

      One thing I notice is that I can understand the sisters when they give comments, because they are just like in English, they are laughing or complaining or crying about their roles, their families, etc.  I can get the gist of that! (smile!)    

     

     So anyway, life is hard and sad and fun and happy, right.  I guess we just keep going.  All this will give us experience, and will be for our good, right. 

     Hey, we had some amazing French dip sandwiches in the office this week.  It was Elder Pitti's birthday.  He is from Panana, a senior couple will soon replace him, but I used Aunt Nancy's recipe and we just ladeled out the juice into Styrofoam bowls, took out the meat from the crockpot, Dad sliced/shredded it, and the elders went down on it with pickles, olives, tons of chips, cantaloupe and fresh pineapple and potato salad that Annette was making.  I'm making those sandwiches for all of you when I come home!!

Love you all so very much!

Susan