Epistle #12

Epistle #12 July, 20, 2011

Dear Family and Friends.

I can’t believe how fast time if flying these days. We are staying very busy as the country has had a “changing of the guard” here. 12 mission presidents and their wives and families left after their 3 year callings and 12 new ones arrived on the 29th and 30th of June. 7 of the old Miss. Pres. were English and only two out of the 12 new ones are English. That gives you an idea of how changes are being made here. The last two weeks have been spent helping these great people get oriented to us and what we do to help them with their missionaries health problems. Some of the wives were so scared, especially the Brazilian ones who don’t speak English. We even skyped a few of them and it really helped to have them see us and hear Rick’s wonderful command of the language. I’m the one they get on the phone, with “hello, goodby, or one moment please, Elder Call is in the chuveiro (shower). They are the sweetest people and what little I can speak they are so nice to keep the talk very simple. He takes his “ear cricket” (phone) with him everywhere he goes and people in the grocery store and out on the street seem to understand. He has to take the calls even when we are driving. (mostly back and forth to the MTC).
Our Area President Elder Soares also left for Africa so we are going to get Elder Costa coming August !st. from the Seventy. They had a big devotional in the Stake Center next to the Area Offices and we Senior Couples got to be the Choir that sang for him his favorite church hymns. He loved it and of course we sang it all in Portuguese. They did a slide show of his life here as the Area President. They had pictures of his wife and family and all the general authorities who came to visit and his Halloween party and the funny thing was, they must they chose for it was “Mandy” sung by Barry Manilow. We all kind of smiled when it started because it seemed kind of out of place to play for a general authority, but He must have liked the song. The Brazilians love American Music. You hear it in the grocery stores and malls all the time.

The missionaries in our English Branch are great young men and women and are so anxious to serve. They learn a lot in the 9 weeks they are here. We get to go to the temple with them on Wednesdays when they have an English session just for American Missionaries. There are some big new changes now coming on August 1st. For the first time they are calling Brazilian missionaries to go to Spanish speaking missions here in South America. So we will have Spanish tutors for them as a real first. Also there are Japanese missionaries coming from Japan to learn Portuguese here starting at the same time. There are a lot of Japanese people here in Brazil, so I can see some wonderful things happening there too. It will be so fun. I don’t think they will be in our branch. We have 4 branch presidents right now who are Japanese Brazilians, so I have a feeling we know where they will be changing to. Wow, the gospel and missionary work continue to adapt to everyone. Isn’t it great. It is such an exciting time in the church right now.
Every district from our branch that leaves for the field gets one last exit interview with Rick and the presidency before they leave and I get to make them brownies for one last American treat. Grandma June’s brownies are a hit with them all.
You will hear me talk about Elder and Sister Wilkinson. He is a retired judge from Orange County California and she is a Nurse. He is working in the legal office at the Area and she is helping Rick and Dr. Hill with some of their jobs. She is also going to give Elder and Sister Dille, he is the nurse at the MTC, a break on their P-days on Friday and I will go with her. We have been about 3 times now, driving through the streets of Sao Paulo and all the motoboys(people on motorcycles driving between the cars and busses on the streets. She has done very well, talks a lot and I have to remind her where to turn and how fast she can go. She checks out the car like Rick does at the area office and takes it back when we are done. I check in the missionaries who have health issues and she sees them. Then we leave at about 3:00 to beat the rush hour. It takes us about 30 minutes to get home. She brought her sewing machine with her along with fabric. Smart. There is always down time. Not much for us though.
Celebrated our first 4th of July out of the country this month and it was rather quiet here. (Of course) On Sunday at the MTC, it was Mission Conference so Pres. Clark had everyone stand up and sing the US National Anthem. The Brazilians did a pretty good job. It was really great to be able to celebrate a little bit. For FHE on the 4th we played word games about US history and then had hot dogs and potato salad and watermelon for dinner. Fun.
We have some new next door neighbors from Kansas. He just graduated from law school with Steven Jones and is here doing an internship with the legal dept. in the area office till August 10. They are so fun, LDS and she is a 3rd grade school teacher. Todd and Megan Thomasin. So now when I bake I have someone to give things to and they have been out to Embu with us on a Saturday (P-day) and have even been coming to FHE with us older folks. They are coming over to dinner on Friday night and hopefully will stay and play some games. I miss the grandkids and all the games we used to play so they are stuck with me on Friday.
Elder and Sister Hill will be leaving in two weeks to go home to Idaho and we are going to miss them. Sister Kerma never wanted to learn Portuguese but has tutored many of the Brazilians and Americans in crochet and knitting. She is quite the crafter and helped me make a crystal bead temple. She is the one who brought her Bosch bread maker with her. She only makes whole wheat bread and cooks a lot like Lisa R. Lentils etc. Great people, we have learned so much from them.
Don’t think I have much to teach anybody except may a few 50’s songs and dances. Ha. I do miss our Medical Melody trips to the nursing homes. I did find some here, but could only go by bus. Will not have a chance to anything like that till the next Doctor gets here. We are going to be swamped for a while.
Well must go for now. Will have more to say next epistle I am sure. We are happy and healthy or were until tonight when I didn’t want to cook dinner so made pancakes and we ate them all. Ugh. And for lunch we ate all veggies and fruits. Bad Missionaries we are. (Yoda talk, or hobbit?)
The weather has been great this month 75 to 80 and mid 50’s at night. Lovely, like California.
We love you all and pray for you always. You are also loved by our Father in Heaven. Do what is right and remember to……..wash your hands, brush your teeth and say your prayers. (We tell the missionaries that too.) And thank you for your prayers and support.
Love,
Elder Rick and Sister Sue