Dear Everyone:
I don't have a lot of inspiring things to tell you this week: it has been a week of "glitches", ranging from humorous to dangerous to very upsetting. Just a normal week in mortal life, in fact!
To list just a few:
Morgan started a fire in the microwave heating up some take-out that was wrapped in tin foil inside it's styrofoam box.
I spattered the wall, the counter, the floor, and myself with chocolate milkshake when I used the hand mixer and didn't have a tight enough grip on the bowl, which spun madly until I could get contol. (I was laughing too hard to handle the situation properly.)
After one of our brief power outages, I reset to alarm clock to pm instead of am, so it didn't go off for seminary. I woke to our daily Hadedas screeching overhead, thinking "They're early today..." only when I looked at the clock, they weren't! I guess it's a good thing they're so predictable - 5:45 am every single day.
An elder rolled a car (no injuries, thanks to seat belts and heaven's protection, not necessarily in that order) and ended up against a concrete house, which now has a crack in the wall.
I dropped my glass, 1-cup measuring cup and it smashed on the tile kitchen floor. This may not sound like much to you, but I've never seen a 1-cup glass measuring cup here: only 4-cup and occasionally a 2-cup. So Hayley sent it over 'specially!
An unnecessarily hard slam to a cupboard door resulted in the glass breaking all over. It's one of four formerly matching doors with design on the glass: I imagine all four will have to be replaced.
Steve's computer fried, requiring a new hard drive. Although he was able to replace a number of his documents from other computers and his flash drives, a lot of important things were lost, or had to be rewritten.
On the flip side, there were some good things this week, as well.
I got to substitute for seminary, as our teacher was out of town for business. Although the subject was Isaiah, it was fun, and I learned a lot. Teaching for only 4 days was just right - it reminded me of doing art mom. It was easy to breeze in for one day a month, new face, new activities, funfunfun; teaching day after day requires a lot more stamina. I think once-a-week Sunbeams is about my limit. Fulltime teachers: you have my full respect! And thank you!
Another good thing this week: I read John Bytheway's Righteous Warriors.
Excellent! I especially liked chapter 4, and his comments about Lehonti on (and off) the mountain, and his discussion of "types" in the scriptures.
Another book I can recommend highly to those of you who would like to better understand the world our missionaries are working in is Stories of AIDS in Africa, by Stephanie Nolen. It was loaned to us by Elder & Sister Smith, our Seminary & Institutes couple. In spite of the subject, it is readable, interesting, and even upbeat. It will also introduce you to a life far removed from the Wasatch Front, but much more extensive.
This will be another week of Steve and the assistants meeting with missionaries in their district meetings, and going out to work with them. He really likes doing things with smaller groups of missionaries, and one-on-one (or I guess it should be one-on-two, companionships). He hardly ever saw his own mission president, so he know how important it can be for elders to know the president's interest in and concern for them.
It's hard to believe it's almost summer (here). Apparently we have only two season: winter and summer. Temperature-wise, I definitely prefer winter. The last few months I have noticed lots of red and orange blossoms - now we're getting pink, and yellow, and lavender. It's really nice to have all these flowering trees and bushes. Idaho may look a little drab when we get back!
I learned a very good lesson in Sunday School this week. The teacher had expressed some views on the lesson that were not quite accurate, but I didn't want to speak out and hurt any feelings, and as I worried about it, "Grandma" Wilford, a wonderful, longtime member, raised her hand and said she really liked this part of the Book of Mormon, could she read a few verses?
What teacher can refuse a request like that? So she read the verses, and clarified the error (for anyone who was paying attention). I was very impressed with using the scriptures instead of my own assumed knowledge to straighten it out. Well done, Grandma Wilford!
Today I was thinking about the blog as I drove the boys from seminary to school, and almost missed the turning. The boys caught my attention with "Aybo, Mom!" (I bo). It's going to be intersting when they get home and are sprinkling their conversation with zulu words and South African expressions!
Speaking of which, if a store here doesn't have what you want in stock, they will "source" it for you. And a new warning light has shown up on my dashboard: "Dipped beam bulbs faulty". I'm guessing my dim headlights? Do I have "dim" headlights? I only know regular and bright...
We are once again trying to promote greater family cooperation - threats and yelling just don't seem to work! We had a family home evening and went around made lists of what we "wish" (sounds less greedy than "want"). They ranged from family prayer to Christmas in the States to a tv in every room to regular dinners at 6:00. Then we talked a little about what they require, such as if the boys want to go to the mall on a Friday, I have to take the time to drive them. Next step is to assign values to the "wishes": if it takes and hour of my time to get them to and from the mall, then what will they do for an hour (or 1/2 an hour, we're still deciding) to earn it? I can't wait to see how this works out. Steve is convinced that I'll give in, as usual, but I'm determined to keep this a "cash only - no credit" effort. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Well, everyone take care this week - and make copies of the First Presidency Message in the March, 2008 Ensign to hand out if anyone asks you "Do Mormons believe in Christ?"
Love,
Mom/Grandma/Susan/Sue/Soontobetoughmom
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