Continuing=

We've had dramatic moments as one elder fainted on a bus and was admitted to a really, really horrible hospital. Just short of the end of our Friday Zone Conference we found out that this Elder was in the Roosevelt Hospital. The Mission President, the two nurses, Kim and I, and an elder left zone conference. President Alvarado knew what kind of a hospital this was. We didn't! When we got there it was an unbelievably grim place. We had to stand at a fence to be admitted. We never could go in, but finally one nurse was able to go in and search for him. She was pale when she came out only to tell us that the Elder had checked himself out. We watched the Mission President pray silently for the hour we were outside. When we found out the elder was home we saw President Alverado smile for the first time. We went back to the ward house for clinic and it was early in the evenng when we finished, so we took the nurses to the Marriot Hotel for dinner, which is a plush place with a great buffet. We had a father call from Salt Lake, worried about his son, a missionary with nerve problems very similar to Multiple Sclerosis, hundreds of back and knee problems, foot fungus (as in many places the missionaries never have dry shoes), colds, a heart problem which required a senior missionary to need to be sent home, and on and on. There is never a dull moment. To underline all that we have lightning and thunder, rain mixed with beautiful skies, and clouds that drift in and out of these hills and valleys. Dad and I took our Sunday dinner up to the roof and while there, had rain, sunlight, cool and warm temperatures. The weather is never boring! We need to shop for food as we haven't had time to do this for 10 days. Our pantry is getting very bare and we are scraping the cupboard for essentials when we get home each night. We are trying our best to eat in the way we encourage our missionaries to do, but we understand why it is so hard. There is no time!

We have asked the local Lion's Club if we can volunteer. We went to a breakfast meeting a few weeks ago and they told us about their main project and asked us if we would go to view it last night (Monday). I couldn't go as we had invited a family with four teen-agers to come to FHE, but dad and another couple (the Bawdens) went. This facility is about an hour and a half from GC and is a place for orphaned, abused, neglected, nutritionally challenged children under 8 years of age. We will help, and do what we can for these children. We are trying to figure a way to do it.

We have 300+ pair of glasses...well on our way to a Thousand By Spring. However, we have a hitch. A stake nearby has asked us to come to their chapel on Saturday and test and dispense glasses to some of the older people in the stake. We are so excited to do this, but now know we will have to keep a running tally of where the glasses go...even if it isn't Spring. Thank you, all of you, for your efforts to go to All a Dollar stores and send glasses down to us. There are always people coming and going so getting them to us is certainly possible. I know who is coming and when. We are getting another hundred in November so any of you with Sub for Santa's, Eagle Projects, etc. think about this project. All of you...thank you! The people in these little hillside villages, highland areas will never be able to afford even cheap glasses, neither will they be able to actually see a doctor or an optician. These glasses are a blessing, and so very needed.

I must say a word about the very able, talented and spiritually strong senior missionaries. We love and honor them and have been so grateful for their support, friendship and example. We have lots of fun activities...and always with food. This is great because lots of us have little time to do big meals for ourselves.

Sights and sounds, colors, and contours of hills, roads, canyons, valleys fill our eyes and ears. A feeling of love for the Gospel and for these young men and women fill our hearts, minds and souls. There is a completeness to our days, short as they seem to be. We are blessed!