Sunday, August 14, 2011

We might fly today .....

When we first arrived here all we wanted to do was to be able to travel around the mission as we needed to. We were so frustrated at first because we were not able too. We found out quickly that we must be patience with this because the harder you try the harder it gets. We have tried for several weeks to get back into Malawi to see our missionaries. We Have booked our trips several times and have even gone to the airport and the flights were cancelled. They called us once last week the night before we were to leave and said we might go, but we don't know for sure. We are determined this next week to make it happen. We go to Johannesburg on Tuesday for a meeting with the area Presidency. We are looking forward to hearing from them. We will return on Saturday and then we fly into Malawi and if we make it we will stay for a week. We have so much to do there. We are aware that the country is gearing up for an other round of protests. Last time they have several days of unrest. We are in touch with our security detail and we have our missionaries ready to run for cover like last time. We have asked them to please prepare for a week of being locked down. We hope and pray that this time we won't have as much trouble as last time. As the mission grows we have been on the hunt for more apartments for the missionaries and bigger places to hold our meetings we have almost outgrown the buildings we are using. During this last week we have held zone conferences in Zambia. I have had time to interview all of the missionaries. They are a fine group. They work so hard and bring joy and peace to all they see. We have learned that being able to translate my words from how we see things and speak of things into words they understand is a challenge. It is so wonderful to see their faces when they do understand. It makes all of this worth while. We strive each day to make life just a little more peaceful. We were told this week that we might be getting two senior couple to help in the office. We sure hope so. We are pretty buried with the paperwork, and we have such a need to get the office up and running. The power just went out again. It goes off a lot. Most of the ti e for an hour or so. Hope it comes back on soon. It's just one of those things you get use to. We have really improved our grocery shopping. When we first got here we had a tuff time finding the things we needed, now we have it down pretty well. We found some spray starch yesterday,
we bought four bottles. When you find it you buy it. The cost for groceries is expensive here. Besides the cost they apply a 16% tax to
everything. All in all it's not to bad. We have the things we need and we are happy for that. If you had the ability to open a Super WallMart here you could rule the world. Last week we read a poem to our missionaries entitled "A Box of Crayons" this poem fits the way things are here.
While walking in a toy store the day before today.
I overheard a crayon box with many things to say.
"I don't like red!" said yellow. And green said, " Nor do I!"
And no one here likes orange, but know one knows quite why.
"We are a box of crayons that really doesn't get along,"
Said blue to all the others " something here is wrong!"
Well, I bought that box of crayons and took it home with me
And laid out all the crayons so the crayons could all see.
They watched me as I colored with red and blue and green
and black and white and orange and every color in between.
They watched as green became the grass and blue became the sky.
The yellow sun was shining on white clouds drifting by.
Colors changing as they touched, becoming something new.
They watched me as I colored. They watched till I was through.
And when I'd finally finished, I began to walk away.
And as I did the crayon box had something more to say ...
"I do like red!" said the yellow and green said,"So do I!"
"and blue you are terrific so high up in the sky."
"We are a box of crayons each of us unique,
But when we get together the picture is complete."

We love you all and miss you more, be good to each other.
Xoxo M

1 comment:

  1. You two are angels. Just FYI, parts of your previous post were read in Stake Conference, there were at least a couple of references to y'all. You're still our heroes, and we still pray for you, maybe even more now that we know what you're going through! Love ya!

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