Family Elders

45th Anniversary - the office people  were so fun to stop, visit, get candy and think it incredible to be married so long!    

Hola family and friends . . .                                               September 15, 2013

The audit period is coming to a close and we are looking good - West Indies, Haiti, Santiago DR, East DR are all finished.  Puerto Rico, Jamaica and West DR are almost there. 

We are still really warm here in the DR and ready for cooler weather . . . however, we haven't noticed a whole lot of change this last year in the temperatures.  It seems to be more which fruit is in season! 

There was an outbreak of cholera that the Crismons (Welfare Couple) have been dealing with and trying to have some buckets put together of cleaning supplies for families - possibly 3,000 of them.  It is in a very poor area that the people struggle to have clean water.  It seems to drag on as they try to work with the agencies here.  Sorta scary stuff . . .

Their is a team of doctors/specialists here from the states this week to give Neonatal Resuscitation Training.   Dr. Jensen is the head of the team and we worked with him in Argentina.  Such wonderful people that donate their time and knowledge to come and help others.  We had them over for dinner and it was a fun visit! 

It is a joy to be here to welcome Elder Neeley and Elder Buehner to serve as missionaries here in the DR.  Elder Neeley is the grandson of my cousin and Elder Buehner the grandson of my brother.  Fabulous young men - happy and excited to serve and working hard to learn the language and all else they need to know to go out and teach the gospel when they leave the MTC.  Elder Neeley and his companion have been assigned to us on Mondays for their 4 weeks of training to teach in Spanish.  It would of been great to have Elder Buehner also - not to be - he is on a different schedule.   We will try and keep them supplied with some treats! 
  

Us with Elder Buehner

Us with Elder Neeley

We visited some underground caves with the Dunfords about an hour out of the city.  "Cueva de las Maravillas" was really pretty and interesting - such a marvel what can occur under the ground.  The caves were discovered in 1926 but just opened to the public in 2003.  There were many Taino Indian drawings - we have to admit to questioning some of their validity . . . but, the caves were gorgeous with well lit paths and railings.  

It was sad to learn of the missionary from here in the DR that was killed while serving in Colombia.  His stake president works here in the office and said his family was of course devastated.  He was their youngest child.  Chuck had sat in church by the DTA (Director of Temporal Affairs) for our area the Sunday after it happened and he reported having been up most of the night trying to arrange for the body to be returned home.  Hard, unexpected things.   

I have been asked to serve on an Area Communications Committee - I have to admit it seems a little overwhelming - but there are people coming from Salt Lake City to train in what they would like to see happen.  All I could say was . . . "I will try."  They said they needed my English input . . . ya think, it certainly wasn't for my Spanish! 

We know fall is in the air for some of you . . . ENJOY!  LOVE TO YOU . . . be good to each other  XOXOXO Mom and Dad, Chuck and Vickie, Grandma and Grandpa

I need a recipe for what to do with a cow head . . .

The guys on cycles scoot in, out and around and squeeze through traffic  . . . this guy came to a fast halt!