Update From Grandma (9/25/17)

We have been super busy!  I will back up a couple of weeks to cover everything.... 

The 7th of September was Independence Day here, so we rented a car with another couple and headed to the beach.  A lot different than the Caribbean and sooo packed with people. We didn´t stay long.  While we had the car, we also went to Embu, which is a town full of paintings, arts and crafts. We had a blast looking at everything.  We didn´t buy much, but I´m looking forward to going back.  We did pick up a small woven navy blue rug for our apt.  It was perfect to match the pillows Papa found for our couch.  Another couple let us borrow 2 bedspreads for our beds, so our apartment is looking really cute!  We also drove around Santo Amaro to find where we lived from 1976 - 1978 (Our home was gone, but we did find the church!) and then to Morumbi where we lived 1978 - 1980.  We have a friend here living in the same building we did back then. We were on the 19th floor and he lives on the 25th.  We hope to get to visit him before we leave. We went by where Shannon went to school. We also drove around where Papa worked for 4 years and up to the top of the highest peak (3,724 feet high) in Sao Paulo, Pico de Jaragua...beautiful views.  That night we went to the Salisbury´s apt to have birthday cake.  It seems like every night there is something going on.

Once a month the ¨Sisters¨ have a girl´s night out. For this month we were going to discuss our favorite conference talks, but ended up just chatting and eating.

Things at the office are starting to get busy.  Assignments are starting to come in. I have been asked to translate missionary applications before they are sent to Salt Lake for assignment.  I will also check that everything is done correctly.  We have 2 doctors serving here and their wives do the same thing for the medical part of the application.  I will be trained soon!  Should keep me out of trouble!  Papa continues to keep super busy with our projects.

Sept.16th and 17th was Stake Conference,  Saturday night was difficult for me.  I wasn´t doing well at understanding any of the speakers and it was very warm in the building, so I decided to go outside and cool off.  I was having a little bit of a pity party for myself.  I sat there and prayed for help and to know that we were doing the right thing, being there.  I felt a little better, so I went back inside and Papa was holding a little girl that was about 8 months old.  She just sat there staring at me for quite awhile.  Finally she leaned towards me, so I took her.  I sat her on my lap and tried playing with her...she continued to stare!  No smile, nothing!  And then I held her close and she laid her head on my shoulder and patted me on the back!  Tears filled my eyes as I really felt like I had just gotten a hug from my Father in Heaven! I felt God´s love for me!! Special experience!

Sunday the 17th of September we flew to Petrolina, with stops in Bahia and Salvador!  We had 1,600 codornas being delivered the next morning as part of a project there.  We arrived at our hotel at around 1 am... all the lights were out!  Very simple and plain, with beautiful views, BUT no 110v electricty, just 220v! Couldn´t charge cell phones or use Papa's ¨Noo-Noo¨.  (We got a converter the next day).  The shower was an electric one... I almost decided to stick with cold showers!!  The wind blew like crazy every night we were there.

Monday morning we headed to the church at 9am to meet the 27 families who would be receiving the ¨codornas¨ (a type of quail). We had an hour to find and purchase codorna food (40 kilos for each family).  After driving all over to get 3 bids, we purchased the food and returned to the church.  The people continued to wait.... all day!  The birds didn´t arrive until 9 pm that night!  The people waited happily and no one got angry!!  We did a training with the people and reviewed what was expected of them to fill the time!  The people were all so nice and  humble.  Little Albert was my favorite.  He is a very intelligent 9 year old... he became our best friend!  He was learning Spanish and English in school, so he shared with me all the words he knew. One of the sisters was asked by a member of the Stake Presidency to go and prepare some food for the group that had waited all day without food.  She returned at 7pm with something like a sloppy joe made out of hot dogs, cake and soda.  Everyone loved it.  The codornas arrived, not by truck as thought, but inside and in cardboard boxes tied on top of a small car!!  It was a long trip and they ran into a rain storm, so had to find shelter until it ended.  The quail were separated by sex, so they added the 15 male to the 35 females and the boxes were handed out. For the next two days we visited the homes of some of the 27 families who received the quail.  They needed to have or build a room to use just for the quail.  The walls and floor needed to be painted with lime.  They had the cages mounted on the walls, hooked to a watering system.  They used chicken wire to cover any window or other opening.  Pretty impressive!  Some used existing bedrooms in their homes, other created a new space outside. Some we visited were less prepared.  

We returned home late on Wednesday and on Friday we headed to the beach area about 1 1/2 hrs away to meet with 5 families receiving gardens.  They served us lunch and then we had a meeting with Elder Anderson giving wonderful instructions and counsel.  We returned home about 6 pm... we left at 6:15pm to meet up with the other seniors heading out for Mexican food.  

Saturday morning we got up at 5 am to head to the airport to pick up a new couple, the Barretts, who were arriving.   We got home about 10 am and at 12 we took the Barretts shopping.  We all met for a pizza/beans and rice dinner at 6:30. (Tradition when a new couple arrives.) 

We are finally back at work today with lots to catch up on!

Happy birthday to Anna, Kevin and Lizzie!  AND happy anniversary Ryan and Laura!  We love you!

Thought for the week!

¨Faith is not by chance but by choice!¨

Love to all,

Papa and Gma

Game at FHE tonight!

Home sweet home in Petrolina!

Hundreds of Small green parrots pairs come to the trees between the office and the temple everyday to spend the night.  They leave by morning. Quite loud little birdies.

Papa is instructing people who will be receiving gardens.

New home for the tiny little Codornas.

Move Over Coke, Petrolina Cajuína May Be Next in Line at BYU! (9/23/17)

From Papa:

As BYU recently acknowledged, labels can be deceiving.  This is illustrated by a refreshing, home-brewed, non-alcoholic, carbonated soft drink ("Cajuína") made in the rural "Nordeste" town of Petrolina  Brazil.

"Cajuína" is made from juice of the Caju fruit. It is very similar to Guaraná (made from a berry in the Amazon), but with a mild Caju flavor.

Last Wednesday afternoon, two leaders of the Codorna Project and I celebrated successful project implementation with a glass of "estupidamente bem gelada" (i.e, so cold slush forms when the bottle is opened) Cajuína.

My Senior Companion snapped a photo of the event, as well as the Cajuína bottle.

Notice the name emblazoned on the bottle, above the Cajuína label. See some things are what they appear.

To save money, the local company that makes Cajuína collects discarded beer bottles.  After washing and sterilizing the bottles, they are filled, capped and labeled for distribution of the upcoming Brazilian soft drink.

The bottle may have to be changed for distribution on BYU's campuses, but it would meet both letter and spirit of the honor code.

If there any BYU entrepreneurs out there that are up for a new product marketing venture, count me in!

Here's too Petrolina Cajuína!

P.S. The small print at the top of the label clearly confirms the beverage is a soft drink.  Moral of the story?  "Never judge a bottle by its appearance."

The Times, They Are A Changin' (9/21/17)

"Then and now," compliments of one of the YM in our ward in Santo Amaro (now in a Branch Presidency of the São Paulo MTC).  Fabio Couto published the photo on his FB page.

Unbeknown to us, Shannon and I were part of a video documenting the Regional Conference in the Ibirrapueira Park Event Center in 1978.

Shannon and I are both still young, but she has definitely outgrown riding on my shoulders!

Brazil has played a big role in our branch of the Handerdum Clan. We are glad we are here!

Luv,
Papa

"Cordona" Anyone? (9/19/17)

From Papa:

Our first "hands-on" assignment in Brazil was to deliver and buy feed for 1,600+ Codornas (type of quail) for a humanitarian project sponsored by LDS Charities in the "Nordeste" border town of Petrolina on the São Francisco river, between the states of Pernambuco and Bahia.

A month ago, we didn't even know what a Codorna was.  Now we are learning how to raise them jointly with 27 humble, happy, self-reliant families!

 Let us know if anyone would like to know how to tell the males from the females.

Apartment Tour (9/10/17)

Looking down and across the street.  

The "volleyball" net covers the windows so people and things don't fall out.

Second bedroom/utility room. We use a clothes drying rack on top of the twin bed for extra clothes that don't fit in the closet. Papa's desk will go in here too.

Hall bathroom

Our master suite! The air conditioner is in the corner with the tubing on top. The problem is, there's not enough room to hook it up!

Our home for 18 months!  To the left behind the tv is what you can see of our bedroom. Small hall with a bathroom between the two bedrooms. Front door is straight ahead, with the kitchen to the left of it. There is also a second bathroom off the "master".

Soap and Water (9/6/17)

From Papa: 

Two Senior Missionaries in Brazil were invited to dinner with a humble family that lived on a small farm outside of São Paulo.  They killed one of their chickens for dinner.

As an appetizer, the farmer's wife served boiled chicken feet to the Sister Missionary, since she was the guest of honor.  The Elder was served the chicken head for the same reason.

The Missionaries noticed that the plates and silverware didn't look very clean, so the Sister quietly asked the little girl in the family how they wash their dishes.  The little girl whispered back, "we always use soap and water."

Greatly relieved, the missionaries had a wonderful home-cooked chicken dinner, served with rice and beans, and a fresh salad from the garden.

The missionaries were so full that they couldn't eat everything on their plates.

The mother of the home asked her daughter to clear the dinner plates to do the dishes.  The little girl got up from the table, picked up the Missionaries's plates and went outside.

Just as the missionaries were taking a big bite of their "doce de leite" dessert, they heard the little girl call out "Here Soap!  Here Water!"

Soap and Water were the family's two pet dogs! 

P.S. This is just a joke we heard.  In reality, even the humblest Brazilian families are very clean and conscious of personal hygiene.

Email #2 from Grandma (9/5/17)

Well, my Monday letter didn´t make it..But Tuesday isn´t bad! Right???  

I guess we were a little busy yesterday.  Started with an 8 am meeting that about killed me!  We are a 15 minute walk from the office, so we have to leave by 7:45am  -  yes, we ran yesterday!  Made it just as the meeting started!  The old ¨Brazialian time¨ thing isn´t true anymore!  

We had our first meeting with our team today.  There is a Brazilian senior missionary couple that just arrived, our boss, his assistant, an intern and us.  We all have different assignments. We will be responsible for Wheelchair projects throughout the country and food (garden) projects.  Also refugees and emergencies as needed.  Papa has started on assignments, but I`m still just trying to get things in order.

Everyday we go out for lunch with someone...great places to eat.  Many days we all stop for dinner as well.  Just experimenting now with everything... food has been great - tooo great! It is hard to remember that we are in Brazil, not the US. Things have really changed!  The Church is strong...strong leadership!

Each Monday evening, we have a senior FHE like we did in the DR.  Every other week is a potluck!  Our turn to cook is next Monday.... I haven´t had much luck in the cooking department!  Made brownies on Sunday to take to work on Monday.  Well,  when the temperature said 350, I put the brownies in the oven... 15 minutes later the kitchen was filled with black smoke...a lot of it. We pulled out the brownies and 1/4¨ on the bottom and sides were solid BLACK - Checked the temperature and the oven had jumped to over 500!  So next time I bake (If I ever do!) I will stay close to the oven.  I cooked dinner in a borrowed crockpot Sunday, but it wasn´t done until 10 pm so we ate it Monday night.  Another couple came home with us after FHE and we had a yummy dinner. Success #1.  Papa has invited a family over for dinner next Tuesday (One of his YM that is old now)  Have no idea what I CAN (literally) make... no brownies!

Saturday a bunch of us went to the feira about 2 miles away... heavenly!  The fruit is soo incredibly yummy!  Papaya and these huge, strange looking oranges are my favorites.  We bought sooo much - our bags were so heavy.  One of the seniors had a car for the weekend and so we got a ride.  After the feira, we went to SAM`s club...it was so exciting!!.  Very few american products, but tons of great things to buy.  There wasn´t room in the car for 2 of the Elders, so Papa stayed home.  He did his own shopping and got us set up in our office.  We had no supplies, so kind of a necessity!

Sunday was an adventure.  The mother of one of our YW from the past is in our ward. This YW (Nandiara Kidd) is now one of our neighbors at the ranch.  They are the ones that sent the mugs, S&S. She and her grandson invited us to walk home with them for dinner.  We told them that we were still fasting, but that we would come for a visit. Rachel went straight to the kitchen to start dinner when we arrived!  She had no kitchen table so she put dishtowels on the coffee table with plates and forks.  We helped ourselves from the stove top.  Pretty tasty. Georgie, their dog, stayed close by waiting for any droppings.  Rachel is soo cute and funny.  A nurse by profession...told me how to cure my cough!  Her family is Jewish and they converted many years ago.  Fabio is her grandson, Nandiara´s son.

No more progress in our apartment, but they are now talking about putting in central air, because our bedroom is too small to fit a room, floor unit!  We`ll see!

Send favorite photos to my email so I can print them.  I need more for my office wall.

Thanks for the emails and calls!  Love them!  Keep us posted on your lives.

We love you all!!

Papa and Gma

Update (9/3/17)

New friends (Priscella, Latif & daughter Sara) we met at the outdoor "féria" last Saturday morning.  Good example of latter-day saints of the "Church of the Lamb" that aren't yet Latter-day Saints.

Our neighborhood (Villa Progredior)

Our neighborhood has lots of cute shops and restaurants.  Like neighborhoods in other large cities, it is a self-contained village with shopping, restaurants, dry cleaning, shirt laundry, bread stores, shoe repair shop, etc. within walking distance.

Our apartment building (Condomínio Chamonix, Rua Jose Jannerili 125, #25). Our apartment is the one with closed windows/blinds on the left, just above the building name.

Old friends (Celia & her mom) we ran into in the Walmart grocery store.  Celia was one of the young women in the Villa Sonia ward that used to babysit our children when we lived in Portal de Morumbi in 1978-80.

Our desks

Our shopping ("feira")

Fresh fruit and veggies

Our transportation. (Seniors -over 60) ride free!  Younger people give up their seats for "geezers, pregnant women, over weight people and "portadores de deficiências" (handicapped people).  It is very impressive to see young people willingly give up their seats for my "Senior Companion."  I try to decline offers to take someone's seat because I'm never sure what category they think I fall into (i.e. age, weight or senility).

From Papa: Our first assignment has been to help our manager put together a report for the Presiding Bishopric regarding the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis in the northern city of Boa Vista (Roraima State). LDS Charities is assisting with food, housing, health and sanitation to care for over 30,000 refugees that have fled Venezuela in the last 12 months.  Approximately 30 new refugees are crossing the border into Boa Vista every day.

If any one has doubts about the end result of "progressive" social and economic policies, look no further than Venezuela.