Jan. 7,2010

We have been hearing about the wonderful opportunity of having an
apostle at Blackfoot Northwest Stake conference. We hope someone will
fill us in about all the details. It is so exciting to be apart of
preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior and to hear from the
general authorities is direct revelation of what we should be about
doing.

We have had another wonderful week here. There are definitely ups and
downs but no way will the adversary keep us down longer than for us to
catch our breath and decide what needs to change and how to make the
change and "do it". We have been attending the temple prep class in
the Kingstown branch and it is going very well. The instructor is a
gifted man and prepares well and invites the spirit. Both branch
presidents are encouraging a temple trip this year. It is definitely
a challenge to prepare both spiritually and temporally. Those who
have made the commitment are excited and will lend support to each
other, as will we.

We have had another interesting week visiting members in the hospital.
Brendon and Cardian, who were baptized in October, went to the
hospital on Monday to have their baby. They were still there on
Thursday.
When we arrived about 4 pm Thursday afternoon, they had decided to
take the baby cesarean. They both looked exhausted. Elder Wheeler
gave her a blessing and we left the hospital. Brendon called us just
before 7 pm and the baby and mom were doing great, what a relief! We
went the next day to see them and found two other members in the same
ward. The Trumpets are expecting and are waiting in the hospital for
her to be approved for a cesarean delivery also. Sheena Providence,
who was baptized a few months ago in the river, is expecting a baby in
June and had an emergency appendectomy. So, we had a chance to
encourage and show our concern for all of them. Amazing, that you can
walk into a hospital and find that many people in the same ward.

We have been wanting to go to Young Island since we got here. It is a
small island just off the beach at Villa. It is a private resort and
we decided to take the ferry and check it out to celebrate our being
here for six months. It was "all that and a can of Spam" as our sons
would say. We had a lovely dinner on the beach in a thatched hut.
Very romantic and a memory for the journal.

We attended the Kingstown branch's meetings today for the first time
in several weeks. It was great to meet with them again and their
meetings were very good. There was a good spirit there and about 100
in attendance. It is the larger of the two branches here. We serve
in a shadow-leader relationship in both branches and it is much easier
in the Kingstown branch. We checked in with Calliaqua before coming
back to our apartment to end our fast. Calliaqua had a super week
last week with 65 in attendance, a new high, and today they had 34.
We smile after each week in Calliaqua because it is like a box of
chocolates (you never know what you are going to get). Plenty
challenges!!!

We love you all and hope all is well with you. Our computer kicked me
off a few minutes ago and when I got back on, it was on the Church
web-site. It reminded me of the message for Christmas. "What will
you give for Christ(mas)? I knew there was a reason that it put me
back there. Good thought for all of us to remember all year round.
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