Cordona Video (2/26/18)

This is the best video we have so far showing the first, second and third generations of our cordona project. I sure hope our family likes cordona eggs and meat. We could grow a lot of cordonas in our basement!

Beco de Batman Pictures (2/24/18)

Beco de Batman. Everyone knows who this guy is! 

Lots of people come to mingle and stroll through the paintings. Paintings change every 3 months. 

Huh?

Bright colors abound!

Loving the hummingbird!  “Beja Flor” (Flower Kisser) in Portuguese.

Remember “Petey the Peacock?  He is famous in Beco de Batman!

Have you ever seen a Gma Peacock?  She’s beautiful!

See.  Peacock’s are nice! They (the painted ones at least) don’t bite!

Beco=alley. Is that Batman flying?

“Beija-Flor” 

This is a Gma “Parrot-Kisser.”

Notice “Mamão” (Papaya) tree in background.  They grow like delicious weeds!

Yes there is green space in SP: Praça de Por do Sol - Sunset Park (aptly named). 

Nice place to stroll on a late-summer eve. 

Carnival (2/21/18)

This was an interesting week with things shut down for Carnival!  We took advantage of the time to get together with the other senior missionaries.  Every night this week we got together... lots of dinners and watching of movies in our apartments.  One night we had a great game night with lots of treats!  Many of the women and some of the men here are great cooks, so we get lots of tasty goodies.

This past Friday we were able to visit Ribeirão Pires to see our new garden project. They were so excited to show us how well their garden is growing.  They love their plants and are so thrilled with what is happening there.  The special needs students love working on the garden and take pride in their work.  They kept giving us gifts... a little "tree" that will become a beautiful yellow flowering tree in 30 years, a small palm heart tree and a tree of friendship!  Fun to have them in our apartment for now, and we will find them a good home when we leave in 11 months.  We were given lots of seeds... one tree´s seeds they rub together to make a stain they rub on themselves for an instant tan!!  I got a lot of those .... they must think I am a little too white!

Monday night was our turn to do FHE for the senior group. We had fun talking about “companionship survival”.  Fun night!  If you want to watch a great U-tube video, google, It´s not about the nail!  And prepare for a good laugh!

Yesterday I spent the day getting everything in order for our trip to Porto Alegre for a wheelchair project.  Porto Alegre is in the region furthest south in Brazil and our next trip, after that should be to Macapa, way up north.  We have just scheduled another 2 week wheelchair training there.  Our wheelchair specialists and 2 trainers from the states will join us for that one.  

Lots of birthdays to celebrate in Feb.!!  Happy partying to Emilee, Miles and Jason!! We´ll eat cake in your honor!  We are looking forward to seeing Ryan on Saturday!  

Have a great week everyone….you are loved!

Papa and Grandma

“The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced you are unemployed!”

Green is good!

Leo (She is a biologist and one of the four siblings who run the school) with Kauan, the garden manager. The bins are full of seeds to plant. 

The garden crew!

Elder Anderson teaching how to double dig a "French intensive method" garden!

Cordonas, Yum! (2/11/18)

Wow, what a week! We left São Paulo Wednesday at midnight for Petrolina. It was time to check on our codorna project there! Thumbs up for codornas! They are alive, well and I vote that the project has been a success so far. We'll see. When the feed is no longer provided... codornas might become just dinner! Elder A. was treated to a codorna lunch one day while we were there.... he loved it! I'll stick to chicken!

Our hotel this trip was a lot nicer than our last one! It just happened to be next to the shopping mall! When Papa was out visiting families,I enjoyed some shopping time. It was way too hot for me there!

Sunday, the Stake President invited us to his humble home for dinner. We had a great visit and enjoyed being in their home with their 3 young kids. We miss our grandkids!

We returned to São Paulo Monday... 6 am flight, so we were
exhausted when we got home. We did make it in, in time for FHE. I had to help with the dinner so I went and bought a lot of fruit and made a fruit salad. It was funny--everyone was thinking like me and we mostly had fruit for dinner!

The rest of the week was a blur of meetings, trip reports and saying goodbye to senior friends heading home. Two couples went home this past week, but 5 new couples are coming in the next few weeks, and we are excited for them to get here.

Big hugs to all!

Papa and Gma

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves!"

Beautiful “Codorna” owner family.  Oldest daughter just received an impressive scholarship to college!  She will be the first in the family to ever attend college.

Codorna lunch!

Visiting codornas ... and their families 

They don’t have much, but they have tv.

Flying back into São Paulo!  Buildings go on forever!

Goodbye dinner for the Andersons--19 of us!  President and Sister Thomas are the first couple.

Short week (1/30/18)

Hi Family!

Short week to report on!  Heading to take care of the codornas in Petrolina tonight... doubt if we'll have internet until next Monday. 

This first picture is of Nilza.  The Church provided her with materials for a garden. She wanted us to see her new growing plants and to join her for dinner.  She's a great cook and sent us home with lots of extras! By the way... Nilza is short, but not as short as she looks... I'm on a step!!

Here is my quote for the week: "It's good to be seen and not viewed!!  - Elder Kim Passey

Nilza

Papa was in charge of games at our High Priest Group social.. he taught them how to play Pickleball! They loved it! We also played handicap soccer (women won, of course), and some get to know you games before a pizza dinner. Everyone had a blast!

APRRAESI had a surprise birthday celebration for Papa's 69th birthday

That's a big flame on the cake!

We love our APRAESPI friends in Riberone Pires!

1 1/2 Week Letter from Grandma (1/24/18)

Time flies when you are having fun!!!  So we must be having a blast!  We have been very busy! .... A lot of driving, so I haven't had time to write, but I have done a lot of thinking!
I've been thinking a lot about where we are and what we are doing!!  I learned on our last mission that what I was asked to do required me to climb a very steep learning curve... locals could do many of these things faster themselves, rather than them having to teach me so I could then do it!  BUT what I learned was, we are where we are and learning what we need to learn for a reason... it's okay not to be able to figure out all the "whys!"  We are all part of God's plan for this earth and rolling his work out!  He knows and will put us where we are needed.  At home, at school, at church, everywhere!

In the D.R., Papa happened to be waiting in the right place to able to save a young man that was drowning and after had the opportunity to share his powerful testimony with him!  That young man will never forget his words!  Who knows what will happen next for him!

Recently Papa got approval for a way to fund humanitarian projects through out Brazil.  He was the right guy in the right place for this to happen!  Before, we would need to travel to the area in need and use our credit card to buy things, like 10 bags of dirt!  Makes dirt very pricey when you add travel costs!

It is easy to see the difference Elder A. is making... My contributions are very small, but that's okay as long as I am doing what I am supposed to be doing!!  That's my prayer everyday!

Our Wheelchair Closing Ceremony in Batatais was perfect! 355 chairs were delivered.  We had the local church leaders representing the Church, but the TV station wanted to interview Papa!  His interview was broadcast the next day! His message was well received!  What was also cool about this closing ceremony was APRAESPI had about 7 of the physical therapists that were in our W.H.O. (World Health Organization) training a few months ago there to make sure the chairs fit properly and to instruct everyone on their new chairs!  (All part of our training program they graduated from!). It was so good to see these friends again!  Both of our wheelchair providers sent representatives to the closing... I was a little worried about that because they are competing for our business, but they got along well!  That evening we were invited to a family's home for dinner!  Great evening....great food!  Papa had a blast playing soccer with the 11 year old Down Syndrome son!  They are best buds now!  We also received a large bag of a speciality coffee as a gift from another woman!  (Our guard loves us now!)

One cute lady that was there told us her story.  She developed a debilitating illness not too long ago and now needs a chair.  She has to wear a neck brace because of the pain.  A year and a half ago she started painting to help with her physical therapy.  She learned how to paint on the internet!  She had her work displayed at the Closing - She's pretty good!  One of our wheelchair reps surprised her with an electric chair.... so sweet!!

We next headed to Franca for meetings with FEAPAES, another partner organization we work with.  We had great meetings and met some sharp people!  Things are happening!!

That evening we headed home.... We got tired, so ended up stopping in Ribeirao Preto for the night....great stop as there was a Sam's club a couple blocks from the hotel!  I sweet talked Ray into stopping the next morning!

We were able to go into the office the following day... and it was so quiet!  Almost all the senior couples were on trips and our good friends, the Moore's had return home to the USA to help care for their daughter and a premature granddaughter - we'll miss them!

Saturday Ray spent preparing a talk for Sunday.... he did a great job.  After church we had a new senior couple over for dinner!  5 more couples will arrive in the next 2 months!

This week we traveled to Ribeirao Pires to get a garden project up and running.  Did a lot of shopping and wrapped up a few loose ends in São Paulo today....we head back there on Friday.

We are happy we are home for Papa's birthday!  Yes, he got his breakfast in bed... papaya, banana, raspberry smoothie!  We had a feijoada lunch with 10 senior missionaries... I made a Texas Sheet Cake for dessert! It's been a good day!

Love and hugs to all,
Papa and Gma

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes!" - Jim Carrey

Ana Lucia (in orange) organized the
entire Closing Ceremony!

2 of our favorite W.H.O. Graduates

Papa telling the Relief Society President she was on the Closing Ceremony program to speak!

Our artist friend and some of her work

Our artist friend with her new electric chair - with Rodrigo, the wheelchair rep.

Our physical therapist doing a demonstration at the Closing Ceremony.

With Jonathan (wheelchair rep) in Batatais

Birthday breakfast in bed! 

Birthday lunch with senior friends

Our new friends at FAEPAES. Working with our partner organizations in Brazil is a highlight of our mission assignment. They do the "hard work" of identifying the poor and needy that have mobility needs. They also provide integrated rehabilitation services to prescribe, fit, educate, and follow-up with wheelchair recipients to help them become more self-reliant, happy and productive.

From Papa: Your mother’s orchid is fully bloomed and beautiful. Fourteen blossoms in all. They will bless our mission apartment for 90 day then gradually make their way to compost and orchid heaven. I “feel” the orchid plant would make 14 wonderful corsages and has definitely made us happy. It was our first orchid plant ever!

Letter from Grandma (1/15/18)

Hello everyone!

We are in Batatais for a wheelchair closing and delivery of over 300 chairs tomorrow!  We are excited! We will report on this next week!

This past week's highlights were:

Buying and delivering garden supplies to a very cute widow, Nilza. She is so sweet!  We had a great visit with her.  She loves her garden!

Papa's HUBAS (HUmanitarian  Budget  AllocationS) proposal was approved by Salt Lake!  Humanitarian financial needs can now be handled by local leaders and we won't have to drive 3 hours to use our credit card to pay for dirt!  Love it!  Way to go Elder A.!

We attended a meeting with the Area President and ended up with an assignment to propose a plan to help increase the desire of the Brazilians to fast!  This has been a great assignment, because we are learning so much!

My latest challenge is to put together a cookbook!  I am collecting recipes and my VERY biggest challenge is to make it into an electronic copy! Where are my kids when I need them???!

We send our love to all!
Papa and Gma

Dinner at a Japanese restaurant at the soccer stadium after physical therapy