tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81967982822757514452024-03-14T03:50:54.575-07:00Our Mission Journal: Trust in the Lord...Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-71755862230256097072010-01-28T16:01:00.000-08:002010-01-28T16:03:19.089-08:00Let's all enjoy a moment of silence...... in celebration of the anniversary of our arrival in Brasil!Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-4505261132894682742009-11-22T09:45:00.000-08:002010-02-01T09:48:08.122-08:00Looking back... January 28 to February 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv_shzxxRI53PvKeiTorbeQ2xEAvIRBqlc49p5r0Doi3N0I75tsBb4fXbZFGAjkF6vcuVbklYbwctKjnyEQSPSUkLfDdvKiHWHJ4XqqF6GgJfkwpLTyKsRO0X1acIA5Rfv80atavCQxWb/s1600/the+chic+but+expensive+hotel+Entremares.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv_shzxxRI53PvKeiTorbeQ2xEAvIRBqlc49p5r0Doi3N0I75tsBb4fXbZFGAjkF6vcuVbklYbwctKjnyEQSPSUkLfDdvKiHWHJ4XqqF6GgJfkwpLTyKsRO0X1acIA5Rfv80atavCQxWb/s320/the+chic+but+expensive+hotel+Entremares.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406991262692337346" border="0" /></a><br />After a <span style="font-style: italic;">bem vindo</span> lunch at the Galleria Gourmet, Presidente Bezerra, Sister Bezerra, and the assistants dropped us off at the chic but expensive Hotel Entremares, where we stayed until we found a place to live.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I found these pictures on their internet site. The bedroom is pretty much a duplicate of the one we had.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWxxJMNDxOax7vsxjE-fjlvVSYrx3ARpa1tpHZxefX-VCOHQKD-aKRFjSNnPHNIx4b7_gYeN1EqOWdgOS5HbimtZZZ3hIvry9s1wh1gCsQTVL7jRupywvG9Zj1ulxuA2lh1bY_9GGIr21/s1600-h/apartamento1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWxxJMNDxOax7vsxjE-fjlvVSYrx3ARpa1tpHZxefX-VCOHQKD-aKRFjSNnPHNIx4b7_gYeN1EqOWdgOS5HbimtZZZ3hIvry9s1wh1gCsQTVL7jRupywvG9Zj1ulxuA2lh1bY_9GGIr21/s320/apartamento1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433333041400936178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This picture can't begin to give you an idea of the wonderful free breakfasts. We ate the most delicious fresh fruits -- pineapple, mango, watermelon... with tiny fresh french bread sandwiches and fresh orange juice every morning-- not a waffle or scrambled egg in sight.<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/201475%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-13.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGCSACyRFyO5Sx7mvp_PgtxeuRmRaZpCEjSMYIpAI2BXQ3vghK0UaRO-O6UD_aVg9b4Kgh_QMHsUi44IugX8LAVENO5wMf3zNrdEspbmYXWTHLxFctmaasfwUlaRFyLHhUvKk4QEXwwBx/s1600-h/brazilian_breakfast_buffet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGCSACyRFyO5Sx7mvp_PgtxeuRmRaZpCEjSMYIpAI2BXQ3vghK0UaRO-O6UD_aVg9b4Kgh_QMHsUi44IugX8LAVENO5wMf3zNrdEspbmYXWTHLxFctmaasfwUlaRFyLHhUvKk4QEXwwBx/s320/brazilian_breakfast_buffet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433332560552702578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dDqj_ttl3oU/Stom6y1pkfI/AAAAAAAAAFw/tYinX9gltzk/s1600-h/gastronomia.jpg"><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/201475%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.jpg" alt="" /></a><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/201475%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-12.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ-Va8h0-rKi3IcobV9z8IdQTc8FRZ3u20bNyPS_8f1bG6K45HKBInUF5vBmA8K1B2zoDCbitc65cy_SBwp6505oufeJOVFI2f1iJLMsoJfi5RQinKeqWXHI1PS4o6DW_Sr_xoY2XfTma/s1600/R&R+at+the+Hotel+Entremares+1IMGP0075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ-Va8h0-rKi3IcobV9z8IdQTc8FRZ3u20bNyPS_8f1bG6K45HKBInUF5vBmA8K1B2zoDCbitc65cy_SBwp6505oufeJOVFI2f1iJLMsoJfi5RQinKeqWXHI1PS4o6DW_Sr_xoY2XfTma/s320/R&R+at+the+Hotel+Entremares+1IMGP0075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406994305267029634" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The hotel was perfect for the R&R we needed<br />after a long day of training at the office. Dad would turn the air conditioner on high, and we would read and visit and prepare for the next day.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Meanwhile, negotiations were going on for the rental of the apartment we found, thanks to Elder Brayner and Elder Hill!Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-67137860949621992752009-11-12T08:45:00.000-08:002009-11-22T09:44:55.533-08:00Celebrating Whitney...Twenty-seven years ago today, Whitney was born into our family.<br />At this moment there is nothing I want more than to put my arms around my girl and tell her happy birthday. Sometimes being six thousand miles away really stinks.<br /><br />I wish I had my pictures here in Brasil, but since they are all sitting in a box in Nevada, mere words will have to do. These are just highlights, and by no means a complete list of my favorite Whitney moments.<br /><br />She was the most perfect and beautiful baby I have ever seen. Seriously.<br /><br />I loved how she looked in the morning, standing up in her little white nightgown, one hand holding her bottle and one hanging on to her crib.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> and the way she used to crawl in her Sunday dresses, feet and hands only-- she hated the feel of the carpet on her knees!<br /></div><br /> and the way she stretched her arms out and clenched her fists whenever she was happy or excited. If you look at her wedding pictures you will see her doing that very thing as she comes out of the temple doors with Brad.<br /><br />**about age 2: standing in the corner with Stuart (she didn't want him to be lonely)<br /><br />**teasing Dad by running to sit in his chair if he left it for any reason<br /><br />**telling me I was her best friend when she was three<br /><br />**"going to school" (almost 4) with her backpack and ballet clothes on<br /><br />**carrying her Cabbage Patch doll (Amanda) by one foot. When I protested that she would hurt her baby if she let it drag on the ground like that, she responded, "Mom, it's a <span style="font-style: italic;">doll</span>."<br /><br />**telling my obgyn (who had just said the baby's heartbeat sounded like a boy)<span style="font-style: italic;"> that's not a boy, that's my sister Kristen!</span><br /><br />There are a million more -- and someday I will write them all down! --but I hope it shows what we all knew from the very first: there is only one Whitney, and we celebrate the day she was born into our family.<br /><br />Happy Birthday, Whitney! Ours is a better and happier family because you are in it.Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-44374148702196187182009-11-07T08:01:00.000-08:002009-11-07T09:41:20.243-08:00It all started early Monday morning...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM37Ekd7AFyWnodt4qpY8WJc1JPw4o9GRKQTPWF9W0N87i9U32njTLoQAn_oAL7A2UrcryLAvBya53pAHJTdmM-DxUpTYG3lKDgTlgCDcfSoWR7Ql96N5DaF6SM8G6nCQKCjmmpGv-Rqmu/s1600-h/Apparently...421.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM37Ekd7AFyWnodt4qpY8WJc1JPw4o9GRKQTPWF9W0N87i9U32njTLoQAn_oAL7A2UrcryLAvBya53pAHJTdmM-DxUpTYG3lKDgTlgCDcfSoWR7Ql96N5DaF6SM8G6nCQKCjmmpGv-Rqmu/s320/Apparently...421.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401415154630558402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Not sure why, but I woke up at about three in the morning on Monday. I went into the other room so as to not disturb Dad:) For some reason I became very concerned about whether or not the refrigerator was work</span></span>ing, and began messing with the buttons.<br /><br />Then I went back to bed.<br /><br />Apparently, if you push in the button on the left, it starts your freezer de-frosting.<br /><br /><br /><br />All in all, it was a productive morning--I also washed Dad's white shirts and put a roast in the crockpot. That freezer needed de-frosting, anyway:)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKSGhRRwDpxHLBoF6rIxr4nk2XZqYD03ZqVEvi8hgPiiHJrTUeMrNekBZNVa1hyzcnvVrTQyqUaRiJ7499CB_1DHhc0eAvWqx7J5nd9o6aqAiCAKXu2EcdEkWlLBTaHyS04nPmVejrQZj/s1600-h/remember+these157.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKSGhRRwDpxHLBoF6rIxr4nk2XZqYD03ZqVEvi8hgPiiHJrTUeMrNekBZNVa1hyzcnvVrTQyqUaRiJ7499CB_1DHhc0eAvWqx7J5nd9o6aqAiCAKXu2EcdEkWlLBTaHyS04nPmVejrQZj/s320/remember+these157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401406097772104194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Remember these plants on the right?<br /><br />A few weeks ago, we noticed that one of them, closer to the entrance of our building,<br />began to look different from all the others.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyO3jOfLQWy7j4KCmrlaEnSk2oM_VAlErf8rfD7jM-Ee7iEQ30R_BeRrDvobCSMSQyvtaZ5PV4wtuMPWvd58MHQ1nWxvkO-EX3uqd1iGCzZrja0S9qnPzOAW2xx9pL0lqxQcLq4s9nh7oL/s1600-h/a+surprise%21415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyO3jOfLQWy7j4KCmrlaEnSk2oM_VAlErf8rfD7jM-Ee7iEQ30R_BeRrDvobCSMSQyvtaZ5PV4wtuMPWvd58MHQ1nWxvkO-EX3uqd1iGCzZrja0S9qnPzOAW2xx9pL0lqxQcLq4s9nh7oL/s320/a+surprise%21415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401407676784731794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Suddenly this cool column started to rise up from inside the plant. Fascinated, we have watched it grow from day to day until it reached this height.<br /><br />You can't see very well from this picture, but the tips of the leaves were gold.<br /><br /><br />Back to Monday... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGbxme62fMLzrBPtVEsOm3DpGp_BY4wZvsmNYVyw09Qt9hWhMya8Cu5MFfHYL47m9RhEWUtyOcp-ggJ7PpJxDEFoRdTvxAfj7cKCtpCmfYtm_sDbvn3cKr6iqLc8vTXyg0ouXKguyTiKB/s1600-h/sidewalk+Monday+morning429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGbxme62fMLzrBPtVEsOm3DpGp_BY4wZvsmNYVyw09Qt9hWhMya8Cu5MFfHYL47m9RhEWUtyOcp-ggJ7PpJxDEFoRdTvxAfj7cKCtpCmfYtm_sDbvn3cKr6iqLc8vTXyg0ouXKguyTiKB/s320/sidewalk+Monday+morning429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409035793219314" border="0" /></a><br />This is how the sidewalk looked when I walked<br />to the bus Monday morning...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And this is how it looked when we came home!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjPjoJA3o5ad-2AXMgHSUv6jjoktgSP1UdDfoktvwIT3Kab0qsA5GHHkeBwyMtGzUANAjzzL0VQ1tqo5weTEaCytq2nCsOw9RKIqG_lH_vXDGaK_wSqNe6Vk_M3kDCQbVCCL9ntGC_rnS/s1600-h/that+night...426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjPjoJA3o5ad-2AXMgHSUv6jjoktgSP1UdDfoktvwIT3Kab0qsA5GHHkeBwyMtGzUANAjzzL0VQ1tqo5weTEaCytq2nCsOw9RKIqG_lH_vXDGaK_wSqNe6Vk_M3kDCQbVCCL9ntGC_rnS/s320/that+night...426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409974670245922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIvE3YSp_GqPWzYYkeoEHne0qnoCHieYgMgBhEdqqmtr7OEUMd6OR2ZcZKLUYogh_j5IaqqoEufQxKJuBgu3kBgEcyy8DUFshMmwsoFmgEPl7_NpU3pVaP-zQPDZWAv71GZl0-WQmtTPw/s1600-h/Saturday+morning430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIvE3YSp_GqPWzYYkeoEHne0qnoCHieYgMgBhEdqqmtr7OEUMd6OR2ZcZKLUYogh_j5IaqqoEufQxKJuBgu3kBgEcyy8DUFshMmwsoFmgEPl7_NpU3pVaP-zQPDZWAv71GZl0-WQmtTPw/s320/Saturday+morning430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401412363731613250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Saturday (this morning) it looked like this...<br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br />"Localized Earthquake Hits Rio Sidewalk?"<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-78385921792574471672009-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:002009-10-27T12:11:22.141-07:00It's the rainy season...<span style="font-family:georgia;">We thought the spring months in Brasil would be like at home, and that it would just keep getting hotter and hotter until it became unbearably hot :), but it hasn't been like that at all. It rains almost every day, and actually feels cooler some days than it did in July (the dead of winter).<br /><br />In Rio, there is rain and then again, there is <span style="font-style: italic;">rain.</span> One morning Dad put on his older pair of shoes, and the puddles of water were deeper than usual crossing the street....<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">If you had looked into the office a little later that day, this is the sight that would have greeted your eyes!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEk-PIBABebb6pD30yI5KyEPN-wLsrRTGikDeKKMRaSox4yE9Dkz88jAbMAcjpHhUE3g8zPx4q8mJqj0PLB6uOIYWJf66plOZXgS23Oa1kZdb_KwwTZ1zIgaXjAu2FhHR0JTXNIHi0VLj/s1600-h/drying+off380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEk-PIBABebb6pD30yI5KyEPN-wLsrRTGikDeKKMRaSox4yE9Dkz88jAbMAcjpHhUE3g8zPx4q8mJqj0PLB6uOIYWJf66plOZXgS23Oa1kZdb_KwwTZ1zIgaXjAu2FhHR0JTXNIHi0VLj/s320/drying+off380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397356555428376242" border="0" /></a><br />Take a good look; it gets funnier the longer you look at it!<br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-5359248276208336922009-10-25T11:51:00.000-07:002009-10-25T12:13:16.674-07:00Do you feel safe on the streets?<div style="text-align: left;font-family:georgia;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >My friend MaryLee emailed with the above question; this was my answe</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >r</span>:</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-style: italic;">Absolutely. They say there is lots of crime in Rio but we don't ever see any sign of trouble;</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > I think we're at home in bed when it happens.</span><br /></span></div><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">So you can imagine my shock the other night when we heard the sound of a single gunshot right here in the office. I didn't know if we should all stop, drop, and roll ( no, that's if you are on fire:) or run, or what. Elder Lemos came out of his small office; Elder Novello rushed in from the other office and we all stared at each other, wondering, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >what in the world? </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Next we all started calling for the other office missionary, Elder Edvalson, but got no response.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >We searched the office: no gun, no gunman, no Elder Edvalson! Maybe something had exploded in the microwave, and Elder Edvalson was the victim, was our next thought. Elder Lemos went into the little bitty kitchen, and said, <span style="font-style: italic;">hace que não</span>.... Approaching the refrigerator as if it were a wild dog or a bomb that might go off, he carefully opened the door...</span><br /></div></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq6gyrmkXpXWCPHt5EkFc-fkwv4H_848NPMuY021LP9gh4g7w7OM5Gn4Pa4plftQfEuLR7QRSR7KA_ABH1-0ZOKr0HW0C2rJn96xRXmfSSUNsxU2nexQcARfNu01d7bEc9Xff3svm9WAz/s1600-h/the+frig+2++392.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq6gyrmkXpXWCPHt5EkFc-fkwv4H_848NPMuY021LP9gh4g7w7OM5Gn4Pa4plftQfEuLR7QRSR7KA_ABH1-0ZOKr0HW0C2rJn96xRXmfSSUNsxU2nexQcARfNu01d7bEc9Xff3svm9WAz/s320/the+frig+2++392.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396603653650698050" border="0" /></a><br />A<span style="font-size:85%;">bout this time Elder Edvalson strolled out of the bathroom, which is right next to the frig,</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">having heard </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >nothing--<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QG4xlxHsdZqn0p5Bm7tUrxaV4F_DY-HQoHPSbM40BajgHdDQpmF_gDawRULCsF2rYV2NyWmI0TNzOnElvyCiAHDeiTwj7c5ekGb8coTQHnyUaSuCqhmdWYf4UCj4RMaJhCwhvHEzA3Go/s1600-h/Elder+Edvalson365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QG4xlxHsdZqn0p5Bm7tUrxaV4F_DY-HQoHPSbM40BajgHdDQpmF_gDawRULCsF2rYV2NyWmI0TNzOnElvyCiAHDeiTwj7c5ekGb8coTQHnyUaSuCqhmdWYf4UCj4RMaJhCwhvHEzA3Go/s320/Elder+Edvalson365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396600180197498834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >For days the Elders had been trying to perfect a homemade rootbeer recipe, and he had put a 2 liter bottle of </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">agua com gás</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> in the frig to get cold.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Unfortunately for the experiment, the temperature in the refrigerator was just a little too low.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">The carbonated water began to freeze and expand</span> </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">and freeze and expand</span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">until it couldn't expand any more!<br /></span></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIoyFceUHRfGZzw_jerN4ZWget4dfRWgMBQVkMX5kdjyJGrzq7vCn5z68_R4_eD_TZ4wn7PMULUzunW1_rKFCePLcmzE-_-_nVMn6BQK0W-SL6QQyBjZm5Od9_Y3Djj9MFtFY_pYDZ2dW/s1600-h/The+shattered+remains393.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIoyFceUHRfGZzw_jerN4ZWget4dfRWgMBQVkMX5kdjyJGrzq7vCn5z68_R4_eD_TZ4wn7PMULUzunW1_rKFCePLcmzE-_-_nVMn6BQK0W-SL6QQyBjZm5Od9_Y3Djj9MFtFY_pYDZ2dW/s320/The+shattered+remains393.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396605164486175938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> I<span style="font-style: italic;"> thought </span>that bottle looked like it was getting bigger..." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> Elder Edvalson</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >So apparently my answer to MaryLee should have been yes, we feel perfectly safe on the streets; it's in the office that we have to watch out!</span><br /></span></span></span></span>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-33905198642405927552009-10-13T11:34:00.000-07:002009-10-13T12:05:36.797-07:00Nine Months later...It is one of those inexplicable things in life that time gets away from a person the way it does. Exactly nine months ago today Elder Humes and I walked through the doors of the Provo MTC. I was about to say, where we started this journey, but on reflection I have to say it was only the start of the latest leg of our journey together! Dad was pondering the other morning and asking himself-- how did I get here? It's a good question to ask. And the answer is: by putting one foot in front of the other.<br /><br />So what do we do with the next eight months, two weeks, and three days of our mission? The best answer to that one is: leave it all on the court. That means nothing left undone. Serve with every ounce of faith, good cheer, and trust in the Lord you've got. Make every minute count. Serve, in short, with your whole heart.<br /><br />That is what we intend to do.Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-67573915514703090662009-10-12T13:40:00.000-07:002009-10-12T16:51:13.578-07:00Looking back...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YaDlzBp_GsVrvJB4pGIEjgbBYXLZY0RZFm9VGhonmZtkqR3_59fCGTWpFNtiOtrhaqOWk90YSVgMveXLEoaZOXyqPWuUX6HEg7iJxw_CmKpzaMlayPKqkiTZlyJjp5DnAswxoA6DPvM8/s1600-h/Sears+cornerIMGP0383.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YaDlzBp_GsVrvJB4pGIEjgbBYXLZY0RZFm9VGhonmZtkqR3_59fCGTWpFNtiOtrhaqOWk90YSVgMveXLEoaZOXyqPWuUX6HEg7iJxw_CmKpzaMlayPKqkiTZlyJjp5DnAswxoA6DPvM8/s320/Sears+cornerIMGP0383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391847746929001090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday we went to church at <span style="font-style: italic;">Ala</span> Botofogo. It was fun to listen to Dad remembering his missionary days. He says there used to be a Sears store on this corner.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uaGmouJtMrbSgCu81mKe_Qby-2LAlXdskksZjaHna55ctqstxyMzF15yWd8KwU5_3yk4lVCJ_YAuGd9FHQ4k_-xUDkfjw1cwFkBQ9X2UMFktLkgLopLrFMpVlqELcEm3bqwYZXimJuYO/s1600-h/street+signsIMGP0384.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uaGmouJtMrbSgCu81mKe_Qby-2LAlXdskksZjaHna55ctqstxyMzF15yWd8KwU5_3yk4lVCJ_YAuGd9FHQ4k_-xUDkfjw1cwFkBQ9X2UMFktLkgLopLrFMpVlqELcEm3bqwYZXimJuYO/s320/street+signsIMGP0384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391847743115159522" border="0" /></a><br />Dad spent a lot of hours on these two streets 40 years ago.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_71IKOfJOQsPJmKD4vrnaxmAoZpIrbiqfjMaAKbJCH1njRluWwF0e5lxD9p92MROqM7RVkuF-bUrEwMlbz3LnY8hF-aee4kCK-agOPbZOMWWDUK4_ShH4RmpDG6lAaiSV7G-08SsYb42/s1600-h/the+missionary%27s+returnIMGP0385.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_71IKOfJOQsPJmKD4vrnaxmAoZpIrbiqfjMaAKbJCH1njRluWwF0e5lxD9p92MROqM7RVkuF-bUrEwMlbz3LnY8hF-aee4kCK-agOPbZOMWWDUK4_ShH4RmpDG6lAaiSV7G-08SsYb42/s320/the+missionary%27s+returnIMGP0385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391847733481160962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The missionary returns! </span><br /><br />It was wonderful to watch Dad navigate the streets and remember everything. It was fascinating to know where he lived (just below the <span style="font-style: italic;">favella</span>). It was amazing to see the growth of the church in that area, to see a ward full of priesthood leaders, with so many families.<br /><br />Forty years ago the members met in someone's house, and now they meet in their own chapel. It is the biggest ward by far we have seen in the mission.<br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote></blockquote></div>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-6754276931804097502009-06-13T10:27:00.000-07:002009-06-13T11:59:55.625-07:00our first friends in Brasil...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAi1X_Ei8pj-csdlhhzYDVmuezHJ0cfZkeTR29vY5O0gx1TB2OyanbCxDvyE6nHpeOYbPL3tE5xC9i0Gno_yIdsVjSyo7p5YZfhna_5bdiaV28khSFb8Ke4SnzMvkX52aoHFq0kfg7nHPm/s1600-h/with+President+and+Sister+Bezerra.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAi1X_Ei8pj-csdlhhzYDVmuezHJ0cfZkeTR29vY5O0gx1TB2OyanbCxDvyE6nHpeOYbPL3tE5xC9i0Gno_yIdsVjSyo7p5YZfhna_5bdiaV28khSFb8Ke4SnzMvkX52aoHFq0kfg7nHPm/s320/with+President+and+Sister+Bezerra.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346884463340866898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Presidente and Sister Bezerra met us at the airport with the two assistants, Elder Ashton and Elder Melo.</span> Elder Humes had the time of his life trying out his Portuguese with Presidente and Elder Ashton. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and tried to get the gist. Elder Melo, was in the back with the luggage. Every time I looked back he would try to make me feel welcome by speaking a little English and smiling. He has the best smile in the world! Elder Melo was my </span>first Brazillion friend.<br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-SaBz8SaQYhGe1_HLuBxO8bOwpPo-boY2qVGYD00PPYAmgBCIkG6VKM4OD3Ra3iK9RS59wzJu66mYD4vD_GeAfoReu22H2vkFpSi-5UTigMCZzF4Hvze-MmeIMuQ39ymIzqJa0aPd0vz/s1600-h/Our+first+friends+in+Brasil.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-SaBz8SaQYhGe1_HLuBxO8bOwpPo-boY2qVGYD00PPYAmgBCIkG6VKM4OD3Ra3iK9RS59wzJu66mYD4vD_GeAfoReu22H2vkFpSi-5UTigMCZzF4Hvze-MmeIMuQ39ymIzqJa0aPd0vz/s320/Our+first+friends+in+Brasil.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346884462134859026" border="0" /></a>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-54792385773808179412009-04-25T09:49:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:31:44.916-07:00We are really leaving....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaf4qsz313oyRSDjtZvRWqBMZyKI92nb0NmBMOM56DzfZIpwNCEoBoGB20TMDlanSvAlGCJdYxgGtYy_uDW4v_VAeQO2cF3X5Hc08yqP7-ltKVBFlse2FEJUVu9Bv2-o4TWH49i64PUUH/s1600-h/Leaving+on+a+jet+planeIMGP0065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaf4qsz313oyRSDjtZvRWqBMZyKI92nb0NmBMOM56DzfZIpwNCEoBoGB20TMDlanSvAlGCJdYxgGtYy_uDW4v_VAeQO2cF3X5Hc08yqP7-ltKVBFlse2FEJUVu9Bv2-o4TWH49i64PUUH/s320/Leaving+on+a+jet+planeIMGP0065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328675131218080946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Tuesday morning (January 27th) we boarded a plane at the Salt Lake airport, bound for Rio de Janeiro Brasil by way of Atlanta Georgia. Brasil was in the air, so to speak-- in Salt Lake we met a sister missionary bound for the CTM (the MTC in Sao Paulo), in Atlanta we met a Brazillian family who were members and a young returned missionary sister who was also going to Brasil for a visit. Dad talked to the family and I talked to the young sister for a couple of hours. When we boarded the (huuuuuuuge) plane for Rio we sat with a young businessman from São Paulo named Cassio, who was gracious enough to let Dad practice his Portuguese on him. It was a long flight, and when we finally arrived on Wednesday morning we couldn't believe that a mere 24 hours could take us<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">from this...</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa7sKTYj4Op7LVdSYg3sfxwupgK10qua29AMcBc2_yQv4LJZmT1zAaiYYa800Sw553HnF3VZs98eP4kP0FadIylivNlxCORiv8EHTzZz6O8ZP4HJT0yNJTigxHC0XsVgX2cNg14CPbXsV/s1600-h/From+This1+Picture+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa7sKTYj4Op7LVdSYg3sfxwupgK10qua29AMcBc2_yQv4LJZmT1zAaiYYa800Sw553HnF3VZs98eP4kP0FadIylivNlxCORiv8EHTzZz6O8ZP4HJT0yNJTigxHC0XsVgX2cNg14CPbXsV/s320/From+This1+Picture+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328675125235347250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />.<span style="font-size:130%;">..and this...</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRS3Ae8FutHMV6Ab3A7ZUlbKVIOgpgVmXc15nG1M5K5KV-240nNoynRkXTwDKJrzQ1jpI48PKSSFIZvdThxIkuSHkELWerDsX6hhC2rOVWAgdHqsxiLvbRhLqo9LumpufgEp_zcPvw11W/s1600-h/From+thisPicture+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRS3Ae8FutHMV6Ab3A7ZUlbKVIOgpgVmXc15nG1M5K5KV-240nNoynRkXTwDKJrzQ1jpI48PKSSFIZvdThxIkuSHkELWerDsX6hhC2rOVWAgdHqsxiLvbRhLqo9LumpufgEp_zcPvw11W/s320/From+thisPicture+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328675117684739074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">to this...</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oNzaR7ecJoQiSd15ByTlGlMpGe918wbjjTzWOuO2EcLHzzPAzl9x-aIq66EJjxM8TE9hvxzIN21qvDvcNc-Vgb_8iarj16RqFU_MAKoI0HuZ2f9rXD-Pf0p9l6ANnd2rk6Bd3nEt0Kum/s1600-h/IMGP0071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oNzaR7ecJoQiSd15ByTlGlMpGe918wbjjTzWOuO2EcLHzzPAzl9x-aIq66EJjxM8TE9hvxzIN21qvDvcNc-Vgb_8iarj16RqFU_MAKoI0HuZ2f9rXD-Pf0p9l6ANnd2rk6Bd3nEt0Kum/s320/IMGP0071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328675111732943586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">...and this...!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3yMQ6aewVEDNh3LloSOPFrSInxRDwZVOiXIyImQHz4Wsnv9p29H3XyaArC0z-33Jc-t_SkgCyrUkSu7QPiCzl-F-0pUwnpAip77OPd4rb1KgG-P6XKVTegA3Yl2RFWhU4pipidlvJzdk/s1600-h/IMGP0148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3yMQ6aewVEDNh3LloSOPFrSInxRDwZVOiXIyImQHz4Wsnv9p29H3XyaArC0z-33Jc-t_SkgCyrUkSu7QPiCzl-F-0pUwnpAip77OPd4rb1KgG-P6XKVTegA3Yl2RFWhU4pipidlvJzdk/s320/IMGP0148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328675109091683378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">(It was actually about 40 degrees in both places!</span></span>)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The miracle had really happened. We were on our mission<br /> for the Lord in Brasil, Rio de Janeiro.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-75550917551626643092009-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:002009-04-25T08:58:32.902-07:00The Perfect Storm...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlby9Ygc86R0LlK09HmaYipeCC9V_Hl0HYNRplMprUE-RzrbwDb54RecfvQFHVExvLIEXhJRhBQf0MaRV1avjXBVU4wwUrBR2vdpkVqaraCxSgAOXoWRxgv-gTdTeyNMgLM5f2DJv0CLX/s1600-h/more+snowPicture+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlby9Ygc86R0LlK09HmaYipeCC9V_Hl0HYNRplMprUE-RzrbwDb54RecfvQFHVExvLIEXhJRhBQf0MaRV1avjXBVU4wwUrBR2vdpkVqaraCxSgAOXoWRxgv-gTdTeyNMgLM5f2DJv0CLX/s320/more+snowPicture+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327589672739228690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There were two storms our last few days at the MTC: one was white and beautiful, and the other brought us to our knees. Dad had a terrible headache, not like any he had ever had before, which would not go away. To make things<br />worse he could feel a migraine coming as well. The pain was unbearable, and we knew we needed help....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Prayer, a priesthood blessing, and a trip to the ER in Provo made it so that we were only one day late leaving for Rio... We had more thoughts about opposition, and felt grateful we aren't in this alone.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-1779327410600681342009-04-22T10:27:00.000-07:002009-04-25T08:55:12.602-07:00At the MTC...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMIOeqZTpsPTLG3uo7vdHKGYjlE1MbB_HZb83lue9cjdNp7Vn2oHQ3LKP6K_SCeriFXGJ-6mQwMs-9vFNcTiS3zc-iO1kQ_tu4HgsXy_OPGsyX9clSN-76QCh-nXlMxpSOn8nx-fH-hW_/s1600-h/Office+TrainingIMGP0054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMIOeqZTpsPTLG3uo7vdHKGYjlE1MbB_HZb83lue9cjdNp7Vn2oHQ3LKP6K_SCeriFXGJ-6mQwMs-9vFNcTiS3zc-iO1kQ_tu4HgsXy_OPGsyX9clSN-76QCh-nXlMxpSOn8nx-fH-hW_/s320/Office+TrainingIMGP0054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327580448795337778" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Office Training..</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span></span><br /></div> Brother Manis was one of our teachers the second<br /> week. His mother was our Gospel Doctrine teacher<br /> when we were in the Morning Sun ward in Las Vegas!<br /> I think he said he was three at the time...<br />boy, are we old!<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr19r0whyphenhyphenygslgZvYPRNBmONUiGmtbzo_3Qo-1p-5IytHVY1f0mon7k0NgS3hFWit0oPNQ_WrIaEhG4yk2OF6Y_WpRYgwnYhjL0_1tuHKsGo36IhPMvEq1Ilm-J1KHpBKP6TuBTaNjiqB/s1600-h/MTC+KenPicture+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr19r0whyphenhyphenygslgZvYPRNBmONUiGmtbzo_3Qo-1p-5IytHVY1f0mon7k0NgS3hFWit0oPNQ_WrIaEhG4yk2OF6Y_WpRYgwnYhjL0_1tuHKsGo36IhPMvEq1Ilm-J1KHpBKP6TuBTaNjiqB/s320/MTC+KenPicture+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327572219534701218" border="0" /></a> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >A face from home...</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We loved seeing Elder Ken Matheson at the MTC<br /> and couldn't wait to tell his Mom he looked wonderful<br /> and absolutely ready to go out and teach the Gospel!<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6qNHPAu7dfgQ9JN-GrK3ulYX4EjZPUDGan9dKN3NC4ShxpBsgvPwPxSDYVdFMFq8HWQFK-UheI_l6l3vQRL1092kOdB8G-mc6rcZJ93_lODafIwK2dp4UXf__xoZ_vJMhuBG_WzC5z3_/s1600-h/Brave+SistersIMGP0051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6qNHPAu7dfgQ9JN-GrK3ulYX4EjZPUDGan9dKN3NC4ShxpBsgvPwPxSDYVdFMFq8HWQFK-UheI_l6l3vQRL1092kOdB8G-mc6rcZJ93_lODafIwK2dp4UXf__xoZ_vJMhuBG_WzC5z3_/s320/Brave+SistersIMGP0051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327570998307894722" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">My brave sisters...</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> Sister Brooks, (Australia) Sister Beauchamp, (Cape<br />Verde</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Island off the coast of Africa)<br />and Sister Morris (Omaha, Nebraska)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> What faith!</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-77251608796518545922009-04-04T12:25:00.000-07:002009-04-04T14:59:27.362-07:00Set apart...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4GODIs6-9Ij5AYMhlX6LjFQ8yf8V2uZ7cqTiXHeE4Y8p29UJglKRa-HkHgWeG4eTgI8hPxCQmVqQ82AbCRnkyQhszKNqXQQBrpMfQfzZix200XCt30IKGds2HxdeTyCOQJ4hj6d86ybc/s1600-h/Set+ApartIMGP0050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4GODIs6-9Ij5AYMhlX6LjFQ8yf8V2uZ7cqTiXHeE4Y8p29UJglKRa-HkHgWeG4eTgI8hPxCQmVqQ82AbCRnkyQhszKNqXQQBrpMfQfzZix200XCt30IKGds2HxdeTyCOQJ4hj6d86ybc/s320/Set+ApartIMGP0050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320940033651054082" border="0" /></a>the day we dreamed of...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Within a very short time of the decision to serve a mission, our applications were submitted. While we waited, Dad worked by day and practiced his Portuguese by night, reading O Livro De Mórmon and listening to his tapes!<br /><br />Dad was inspired to sit down with me and tell me he felt we should prepare ourselves for obstacles.<br /><br />We agreed that we would not allow any such obstacles to deter us.<br /><br />It is well that we had that conversation, for there were indeed obstacles of every kind-- financial, physical, mental, and spiritual. But we also had our children's joyful support, their prayers for us, unexpected financial blessings which came when those we planned on fell through, and best of all, on October 3rd, 2008, a large white envelope came in the mail. The Lord had a call for us!<br /><br />Words can never express the way we felt or describe the look on your Dad's face when we read that we were called to serve in the Brasil, Rio de Janeiro mission!<br /><br /></span>Did I mention that Dad had put January 10th as our availability date? We were set apart by President Asahel Robison January 11th, 2009.Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8196798282275751445.post-89131547424114409112009-04-02T07:58:00.000-07:002009-04-02T12:41:29.405-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiSzIBNlGhXBuTRKc-wzoWoAQ9Jt8EV7QzbjG-X0SCPop8s8TdMKA5lrkOC-zissdo2NWCbPA9wL6E_ymNKOEvyPlkhK2PULXZf_u-nklYO7LbmYTjHZIf7XgBgGBtAnii08WnNwtx926/s1600-h/2blogIMGP0364.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiSzIBNlGhXBuTRKc-wzoWoAQ9Jt8EV7QzbjG-X0SCPop8s8TdMKA5lrkOC-zissdo2NWCbPA9wL6E_ymNKOEvyPlkhK2PULXZf_u-nklYO7LbmYTjHZIf7XgBgGBtAnii08WnNwtx926/s320/2blogIMGP0364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320179064462853682" border="0" /></a><br />August 3rd, 2008<br /><br />On this Sunday morning I was looking at lds.org, the website for the church. Just for fun I clicked on the link Mission and Service opportunities.<br /><br />With a few more clicks I arrived at the page which lists all the missions in the church and the cost to serve in each one. Little did I know those clicks would change the course of our life.<br /><br />Dennis asked me what I was doing, and when I told him, he said print a copy of that for me (which should have been my first clue, but it wasn't). Minutes later he said, Judy, maybe we've been doing this backwards. We keep talking about going on a mission as soon as we get our affairs in order. Maybe we should tell the Lord we are willing to serve a mission, and let Him help us get ready. Why don't we make an appointment with Bishop Messer and tell him what we're thinking, and ask him to pray with us this week and ask the Lord if the time for us to serve is now.<br /><br />We met with Bishop Messer, who agreed to make it a matter of prayer. I think we even said we would meet again next Sunday.<br /><br />That day Bishop initiated the Missionary Online Recommendation.<br /><br />By the end of the week, Dennis had: <br />*applied for his passport <br /> *renewed his driver's license<br /> *started filling out mission papers online<br /> *made an appointment to see his doctor<br /> And<br /> *ordered two Books of Mormon- <span style="font-style: italic;">in Portuguese.</span><br /><br />Meanwhile, I was praying about it.Judith B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02899986756439095272noreply@blogger.com0