8.3 and Counting... (4/16/18)

Well, we are officially done with 8 months and 9 days of our mission... but who is counting!! I like to think of it as 9 months and it feels better!

Today I discovered some exciting news... ready??  Papa and I are related (besides being married)!! We are 11th cousins, once removed, through our dads. He, he, he! I love it.  I downloaded the app, Family Tree and if someone near you has the app too, it will tell you how you are related!  Fun!

I also discovered something exciting this week... You all know that I have been intrigued (obsessed really) with my Grandmother´s second husband, Albert Phillip Jenkins.  Well, in doing some research this week, I was reading memories that were entered in Family Search on his line.  From there I got an email address of someone willing to share information about that line, so I wrote her.  I had an email by the next day!  We have had some fun exchanges, but little new information... BUT, I was invited to the Jenkins Family Reunion this summer in Logan.  Lots of people are supposed to be there, so if anyone is interested in attending and looking for information, let me know!

Since I wrote last time, we made another trip back to Riberão Pires to visit their Garden Project this time.  Elder and Sister Barrett went with us.  They are Mental Health Missionaries here.  APRAESPI asked if they would come and talk to their psychologists.  They were interested in knowing how the USA addresses some of the issues they have here.  After shopping for the project, taking a tour to see the progress and eating lunch, we met with the team from the school.  There were 10 of us.  We met for about 2 hours and discussed issues that the 2 countries have in common.  It was very interesting.  I was able to share information from my years of teaching, too.  Brought back a lot of memories!  People seem to be the same everywhere, with the same kinds of problems!

Sister Dow (Wheelchair Specialist, that we work with from the States) and I have been planning to give our friends at APRAESPI a special gift.  Sister Dow went home and made 6 aprons, bought 6 bags of chocolate chips and 6 gift bags.  They brought them to me on their last trip here, a couple of weeks ago.  I added 2 crocheted pot holders, a recipe to make chocolate chip cookies, and a little bag of the finished cookies to each bag.  I was able to deliver 5 out of the 6 bags, and they loved them!  They have done so many nice things for us, that it felt great to do something special for them.

Papa continues to work on the Wheelchair Projects...among other things....., still "pushing the string up the hill"!!  Papa and I have also been asked to teaching the Marriage and Family Relationship class at church.  Sunday was our first week.  Actually, Papa does all the work and preparation, since it is in Portuguese, but I was able to participate just enough!

I´ve spent a lot of time on the finances for our missionaries at the border with the "Venezuelano" refugees.  Trying to reconcile $10,000 dollars worth of cash receipts.... Everyday is a new adventure!!

We are loving life and are grateful to be able to serve with these wonderful peopled!!  

Love to each and every one of you! 

Papa and Gma  

"The direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are at the moment!" - Marvin J. Ashton

5 minute rain storm in São Paulo!  We ducked into a restaurant and the water was gone by the time we were done!

APRAESPI's new garden project... they have two goats at the far end to keep the grass "mowed"!

New shed built by APRAESPI (with their own funds) for the project

Meeting of psychologists... and us!