Powerful :)

6 on a cycle - not my photo but we have all seen it
Elder Leavitt got the picture

Hola family and friends . . .                                                July 5, 201

HAPPY DAY AFTER THE 4TH!

Dunfords had us and others over last night for wonderful enchiladas for the 4th and an early birthday cake for me! Always so fun to be with good people and eat great food! 

Chuck playing the thumb piano w/Dunfords

I was thinking how lucky we were to not have been sick in 10 months - then Sunday a week ago dawned.  What a miserable day I had throwing up etc. Monday I stayed hunkered at the apartment even missing a fun "talent" night at Family Home Evening.  We were to play the kalimba with the Dunfords - a crude little handmade instrument from a gourd you strum w/your thumbs.  Chuck went ahead and performed . . . the whole evening was ENJOYABLE I hear . . . you must remember senior missionaries are usually easily entertained!! 

Our internal lunch clocks are at least an hour ahead of everyone else in the office.  We are amazed at how quiet it is when later they are all down in the lunchroom.  Open that door and it sounds like chaos however . . . it is a truth what we hear that when two or more Dominicans are gathered it is usually a party!  For the most part they are a jovial, fun loving friendly people.  Most here in the office speak some English.  We have a friend named Socrates that when you ask him how he is - he always gets this huge genuine grin and says "powerful!" 

One afternoon last week we picked up Orosco our assistant for the east part of the country and took him to get trees to plant for his home.  We got a lemon, mango and avocado - he was so thrilled and happy!   He works hard and is great at this church assignment he has but his income is very small for his family to live on.   This is the case with all of the Auditor Assistants but they sure are good men. 

Orosco family and new trees

Chuck has been to two training sessions the last two Sundays w/out me.  The first one I was sick and last week I went to a concert of the acapella men's group that performs here - we had heard them at Christmas.  They are wonderful to listen to!!  This time they did several "barbershop type" arrangements - I loved it!  Chuck's trainings were very successful and well attended by multiple stakes - he was very pleased with how things went. 

The nursery where we got the trees.
House of the family that runs the business

We apparently are in a rainy season - it has rained everyday at some point for the last two weeks then often clears up quickly and is lovely but clouds can come in fast.  I love the changes!  We are warm but nothing like the temperatures we see are going on in the west at home - hope our house isn't melted!  We had a wonderful pre-4th of July bar-b-que dinner for FHE on Monday - my baked beans were sorta delicious!  There was a program on the history of the writing of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence - all very interesting and patriotic.  God bless America, my home, sweet home! 

We continue to wait for #15 to arrive - otherwise known as the "tie-breaker!"  Jera and Jordan are waiting on the old fashioned way to know if it is a boy or girl.  Either way as of now we have 7 boys and 7 girls - 7 redheads and 7 other!  Anytime now Jera . . . .

We love hearing about all of the summer activities going on . . . We love you and miss you so much  XOXOXOXO  Mom and Dad, Chuck and Vickie, Grandma and Grandpa