Hi all you loyal followers of our blog. It is Sunday afternoon here and we are home from our 2 hour block and 1 hour piano lessons/goin' visiting with the elders. We've had a tuna sandwich on the best bread with real lettuce for lunch. Actually that's nothing new, we have eaten a lot of tuna sandwiches since we've been here because it is familiar and comfort food for us.
We are having a very cloudy day---haven't seen a bit of blue sky and that is unusual, I've learned in the 10 days we've been here. It is muggy hot and the thunder is booming. One would think we would have some rain but it hasn't happened yet.
This afternoon we will be continuing with our training. The Asia welfare specialist is here in town from Hong Kong for about 3 days just to train us. They are staying at a nearby hotel and we pick them up there and bring them to our home for the training. We ate dinner with them at the hotel last night. I will be fixing dinner for the 4 of us this afternoon. Believe I'll fix chicken and rice, foot long beans, green salad, melon, and I bought a cake that looks kinda good.
Yes, the beans are really about 18 inches long. I sure hope they are good. I've never cooked them. I finally got a rice cooker as my little propane stove cooks quite hot with little adjustment. I don't even dare use the oven which has 3 settings. I don't know what the settings are so it is best if I don't get too adventurous or I'll be burning the place down.
Bill is getting pretty good at getting around. He actually is driving like he knows what he is doing. AND we didn't get lost going to church today. :)
When we go out at night there are lots of little gecko lizards out there on our tile entry and on the walls of the house. They are looking for bugs. I happened to disturb some lizards out back when I moved some old mops and stuff and now I know what is meant by 'leaping lizards'. They actually do jump and they do move fast. Kinda cute.
We are learning a lot and much of what we are learning goes back to "Your mission is what you make of it" and "DO WHAT WILL WORK!!" The last is really important. We can't expect anything to work like we are used to so we have to adapt and then things will happen.
I found a local craft store and have purchased a carved wooden mask and some of the hand woven fabric they are known for in this region. Those two items are decorating our walls in the dining room. I also found a little nursery about half a mile from here and plan to make a visit there to see if I can find some house and outside plants. I just have to have a little dirt to get my fingers into. There are no plants out in our yard. All our neighbors have beautiful flowering plants---next door he grows orchids on his patio---and we have squat. This next week I have to find someone to cut our grass and clean out the ditches that surround the house. I've been told that will help prevent an invasion of rodents of the rat kind. We don't have a very large lawn. In front it is about15 by 20 and about double that in back. I've seen my neighbor ladies out cutting their lawns with hand clippers and putting the clippings in a garbage sack. Don't think I will be doing that. It's too hot.
Bill is taking his Sunday nap but it is time to get Elder and Sister Smith to continue our training so I'll have to wake him.
No photos this posting. Lets hear from you. We check email every day.
4 comments:
a nursery? I didn't even imagine you'd get to plant something mom.. that is great.. orchids? I bet those are so pretty! cutting their lawn with clippers? ugh.. not fun!
the geckos? they would not be cute to me..
glad dad is figuring the driving out! that would be a challenge for sure.
Good to hear things are going better and better! Take a picture of the geckos. :)
Oh Ellen, I feel for you. I know what a great gardener you are and it must be painful for you not to have your little garden up to par. Knowing you though, it won't look that way for long.
Yuck! Rats and lizards. Well at least the lizards eat the bugs so they are useful in that way.
Love hearing about your mission and think of you guys often.
Love,
Connie
Exciting to see that you're doing missionary work and not just vacationing. Lynn was telling me about the things you would be doing and it sounded more like a vacation. HA HA. I like what you were saying how you are providing a lasting base for the people to be self reliant and sustain themselves. I guess the church has always done this unpublicized. I learned the same thing on my mission when we tracted out an ambassador to Germany during the rebuilding after WWII. He told us that the church always sent people to teach, people to help, and instead of sending meat for instance, would send herds of breeding stock of cattle that would last forever. He was in charge of distribution of many of these things and noticed every time the church's name was on something it was of the best quality and the most lasting for the German people. Tracy and I are very proud of you helping these people and loved feeling your testimony of your mission. Til next time.
Love,
Randy
Post a Comment