christmas display at the mall

this was an amazing Christmas display at one of the large malls in Sao Paulo. Inside the mall it felt like Christmas but outside with the the warm weather, green trees, flowers and summer clothes it is hard to think it is really going to be Christmas in 10 days

Happy birthday Jennafer

We have been trying to call to wish Jennafer a happy birthday but we have been getting ". . . unavailable" each time we call.

I was thinking today how birthdays would be different if we made each birthday a re-birthday. I I would look forward to birthdays if I anticipated being new again rather than just one year older. Once you turn thirty, I think Birthdays ought to be a day of regonizing all the good that we have done. Think how wonderful it would be to anticipate wiping the slate clean of all the things we´ve done that make us or others unhappy. How grand it would be to have a day to begin a new; a day to start doing a little better; a day to look hopefully again to the future.

Happy Birthday Jenna! We wish you a re-birthday too. Love Mom and Dad.

Happy Birthday Txanton

My father always said he felt old when he had a daughter that was sixty. We are feeling old with a granddaughter turning 19 today. Txanton we hope you have something fun planned for your birthday but don't get married before we get home. We would like to be able to put all family milestones on hold until we get home but we realize that is impossible. We love you lots!

Happy Birthday Matt

Thank you for all the good you have done and are doing to support and help Jennafer and the kids. We hope the next forty years bring you even more happiness. This life is full of challenges but for someone who is willing to work hard and not give up there are blessings beyond measure. Love from Brazil Mom and Dad.

Thanksgiving in Brazil

We joined President and Sister Ellis (a member of the Brazil area presidency) at their home for Thanksgiving. Here we are outside of the commons area of the condominium. We felt like we were in a large park, a large oasis in the middle of Sao Paulo

This is a gated community. You feel very safe in this peaceful environment

The food was plentiful and very American . We all brought something. Turkey, dressing, gray, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, fruit salads, vegetable plates, homemade rolls etc.
Here you can see the touch of Brazil. Every table had lots of the national favorite soft drink, Guarana

The full-time missionaries serving in the area were also invited. It was a special treat for me because Elder Gun (the blond elder) and I spent nine weeks together at the MTC learning Portuguese. Doctor Doug Wilson and his wife, Glenna (I called her Sally when I introduced them first on the blog. Sally is President Woodward's wife) Glenna and Doug grew up in St. George. This is where Elder Gunn grew up and they had a good time figuring out who they both knew.

The room was filled with full-time missionary couples, mission presidents and their families, and American church member working in Sao Paulo. Anyone that has lived away realize how quickly these new friends become your family and you relish every opportunity to get together.

President Didier gave a very nice talk about how he liked to refer to this day as a “Feast of Thanksgiving” rather than Thanksgiving Day. The food was very good. I always want to eat and eat but find that I get full way too soon.

The cafeteria here at the CTM also prepared a lovely Turkey dinner for the missionaries. We went down and took some food to support them and oooow and aaaah a little before we left for the Ellis's home.

I brought some food up to our apartment to have later. My favorite part of the Thanksgiving dinner is always the left overs. I have some turkey and cranberry sauce and dressing and mash potatoes in the frig to eat tomorrow.

Happy 6th Birthday Caleb

Caleb turned six years old this year. His birthday was Sunday. He is going to school this year. We love him so much and miss him lots. Lots of love, kisses, and hugs. . .grandma and grandpa

A musical to Celebrate the Temple in Sao Paul

Saturday we enjoyed attending a musical production celebrating the temple in Sao Paul. I could not understand a word but loved the music, the costumes and the staging. It was very professionally done and the children in the play were just delightful. I took lots of pictures but these were the only two that were not totally out of focus.

2 new doctors and 4 new friends!

Dr. William Halls and his wife Helen They are the new missionary couple called to serve here at the CTM We learned that they lived in Grants New Mexico and were neighbors and good friends with my sister Nancy and her husband Paul Taylor. They have quite the story to tell. He was a chemist working for Philips and hated his job. One of his co-workers said why don't we apply for medical school. So they did. At 28 most of the schools told him he was too old and wouldn't even look at his application. He finally got excepted into medical school, think it in Colorado. He said the dean of admissions didn't even look at his application either but they found that they had some mutual friends in Monticello Utah where he had grown and she told him he was in. They had five children at the time and made the sacrifices necessary to reach their goal. We enjoy them immensely

Dr Doug Wilson and his wife Sally are from Tacoma Washington. They stayed with us here at the MTC while he regained his strength back from open heart surgery and until the Halls arrived. In just a short time we grew to love them and miss them now that they have moved over to the area office. He will serve the missionaries out in the field. We still get to be with them on Sunday because Dr. Wilson was called to serve in one of the Branch Presidencies here at the MTC. He too has quite the story to tell. He stuttered terribly and knew he would never be able to be a doctor even though that was his dream. He was called to serve a mission in Samoa and as he learned to speak Samoan and sacrificed his all for the work among this people the Lord blessed him with the gift of tongues and never stuttered again.

It is strange to me that this computer- digital-text messaging generation love to get hand written letters more than anything. Every day the missionaries swarm around my room anxious to see if someone in their district got a package of a letter from home.

I often deliver the mail during lunch or dinner time. The missionaries watch through the windows of the cafeteria and cheer and clap when a letter is dropped in their box and sigh moarnfully when their boxs are passed by.

We have a new policy now that I can not forward food or candy in packages that arrive after a missionary leaves. So periodically I have candy to hand out to the missionaries. I had collected quite a stash and was able to give out trick-or-treats for about three days in October. Now I am collecting again for an extra Thanksgiving treat.

Elder Stanely, from Cottleville Missouri going to Londrina, is on the far left he is one of my "Musical Missionaries" he is working on an original arrangement of "For the Beauty of the Earth" that the choir will sing on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. His companion Elder Hyte, from Kaysville Utah also going to Londrina, is on the far right. He took the picture. The rest of the missionaries from left to right are Elder Tengaio from Laie Hawaii going to Londrina, Elder Kelly Cheever from Orem Utah is going to Porto Alegre North. His twin brother Daniel is also here but in a different district. Elder Maxfield from Gilbert Arizon is going to Londrina, Elder Porter is also from Gilbert Arizona and going to Londrina, Elder Wright is from Salem Utah and he too is going to Londrina. Elder Doty, from Bothell Washington going to Rio de Janeiro is peaking in over his shoulder.

These missionaries are exception and I fall in love with everyone of them. This district will be leaving in two weeks on Tuesday the 2nd of Dec. They are so excited to move on and really start the work they have been called to do. I will say good-bye and try to hold back the tears

At the Gunns

This is the beginning of a very pleasant trip to the Atlantic ocean, about one and a half hours from Sao Paulo. We had been invited to visit the home of Ron Gunn. He had just been released as a branch president at the MTC here. He had served for 7 years and had invited us for a lunch some time ago. As part of the trip we had to board a ferry which we are about to do here.

This is the front of their home in Guaruja, a resort town near Santos.

To the right of their home is this beautiful home. All along the back of these dwellings is a very steep drop off with a magnificant view of the bay.

This is a very inviting hot tub on the uncovered part of the balcony.

Ron Gunn reminiscing with President Arlan Woodward.

Sister Gunn and Sister woodward

Ron is a avid golfer and has the trophies to prove it. He is a semi retired investment adviser specializing saving foreign companies from having to pay more taxes to the Brazilian government than is necessary.

Another view (on an overcast day) of the the bay from their home.

Ron flanked by his wife and Jerry in front of their home

Home directly in front of their home.

The Christoperson and the Gunns

Sister Gunn in front of an orchid which her husband had given her. She attached it to this palm tree and it is thriving. She was born in Egypt and came to Brazil as a young girl. She and Ron were very gracious host and we thoroughly enjoyed our outing.

Elder Scott visits Brazil

Elder Scott came to Brazil. Elder Scott:
Study the Book of Mormon and the Preach My Gospel manual for the duration of you mission. . .Throughout the remainder of my life I will seek to learn by what I hear, see, and feel. I will write down the important things I learn and I will do them. Do this consistently as it is dictated by the spirit. Re-read what you write. Study what you write. Pray if what you wrote is accurate as to what you felt and what the Lord is trying to communicate with you. Ask if there is more. Often you will find that if you write down the impressions you receive more direction will come. This will help you to learn to recognize the promptings of the Spirit in your life. The choir prepared a special number to sing during his visit. We had three practices during the week and 154 missionaries sang with us. It was marvelous. We had a missionary play the violin with the choir (right now we have four elders who play the violin). We also have a very good flute player who played along with the choir (he is leaving on Tuesday Nov 4th and I am praying for another missionary who can play the flute. It adds such a wonderful sound. I am praying for his replacement. Elder Fielding who conducted had never lead a choir before but was magnificent. I feel very good about what I have done in having the missionaries conduct the choir. For some this may have been the first but most likely not the last experience they will have leading, singing, and organizing the music in the wards and branches and cities where they will sever here in Brazil. a quartet sang one verse. It was glorious. Rather than take time for the choir to move from the traditional spot off to the side of the congregational seating we had the choir in three semicircles in the back of the hall. The missionaries stayed in the choir seats during the whole meeting. The performance went beautifully and all who participated and all who experienced the singing of the missionaries were touched by their power of their performance. Elder Scott took notice that we had more in the choir than were in the congregation. Elder Scott also took time right before he spoke to invite everyone to come up and shake his hand. It was nice that the choir was invited to come up first.

Happy Birthday Seth

I hope you are having a happy day today. Please send me some pictures of your party. Grandpa and grandma Chris. . .love you lots.

beach vollyball Brasil style

These are firemen playing soccer volleyball on the beach right behind the fire station. They build up a little mound of sand, place the ball on top of it and kick it over the net with their foot. The net is a little lower than normal volleyball but the players kick the ball with their feet, hit it with their heads or chests but no hands are allowed in trying to get the ball over the netThis is the fire station with a helicopter pad we could see it from our hotel room in Rio. Our room was on the tenth floor We really enjoyed our time in Rio and especially hearing the waves brake against the shore all through the night. The best "white" sound in the world. Breakfast was provided by the Hotel and for lunch we enjoyed going to the local market and buying fresh baked whole wheat rolls, avocados as big as cantaloupes, oranges, mangoes and bananas. We especially enjoyed eating on the balcony. Watching the wind surfers from our apartment was also great. We decided that the Windsurfing boards must be somewhat like snowboarding boards. Sometimes the surfers are air born when they jump over the waves headed out to sea but the board stays with them. This is a view from the beach with the colorful kites lined up along the shore. The beaches are beautiful here. The general public usually fill the beaches on Saturday and Sunday but Thursday and Friday they are almost empty. This is some of the wedding party on the beach the morning before the wedding This man is fishing with a net. He never caught anything while we were watching and his friends on the pier kept telling him to throw the net out further.

The days we spent in Rio were perfect. We enjoyed every minute of our brief R&R (rest and recuperation) from our missionary work. We were grateful that we were allowed to take the trip. We road the bus rather than fly. I was so impressed with the buses. They have three levels of buses. We took the second level which was very comfortable. The seats stretch out like a lazy boy recliner, leg rests and all. The company provide all the passengers with a very nice blanket and pillow and a box of treats and a bottle of "Guarana", the most popular soft drink in Brazil. They also show a movie. I can't quite imagine what the first class bus offers.