Grandma is on a Mission to Puerto Rico!: January 2015

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Beautiful weather in PR!

I am so grateful for the continued cooler weather - this is definitely the prime time of the year for a visit to the Islands! It is usually low 80's during the day and 70's at night. On Jan 8-10, we had a Senior Missionary Conference that began with dinner at the Mission home on Thursday evening followed by breakfast & lunch , interactive program, sightseeing at El Moro and dinner at Raices Restaurant in Hato Rey on Friday. The gathering continued through noon on Saturday. This was a great socializing/fellowshipping opportunity for all of the Senior Missionaries in the PR San Juan Mission. Those couples assigned to the Islands were able to fly in and join us: Elder/Sister Ray - St Kitts/Nevis; Elder/Sister Wright - Tortola; Elder/Sister Starr - Antigua; Elder/Sister Berger - St. Thomas and Elder/Sister Larsen - St. Croix. Sister Boucher, wife of the Mission President, outdid herself again providing all of the food except for the Friday PM dinner.

We welcomed more new missionaries on 1/13 and sent home more outstanding young folks on the 15th. Included in the 'young' missionaries returning home was my good friend and occasional companion, Sister Kathie Allred of Sparks, NV. We always joked that we were companions only when we wanted to be since we each had our own apartment. I am grateful for the eternal friendship that we continue to enjoy. We were, also, sorry to see Elder and Sister Wentzel leave us on the 22nd. They have been a great strength and Sister Wentzel is "Queen of Photography"!!! I look forward to seeing them again, as well!

I was asked to accompany the Stake choir again for Stake Conference on 1 March, so will be spending Sunday afternoons with them for practice. It is always interesting since the practices are in Spanish - my 'emergency Spanish' skills generally serve me pretty well. Otherwise, I continue to serve as Primary pianist in my ward.

Nothing major on the medical scene - just the usual rashes, sprained ankles/knee pain,GI upsets, ingrown toenails, allergies, etc. We had some missionaries with suspected food poisoning, so they were miserable for a few days. No recent cases of Chikungunya - approximately 40 total in 2014.

I usually try to attend at least one baptism each Saturday and, generally, find some missionaries who are ready and willing for some "Wendy's Therapy". The AP's send a weekly email to the Sr. Missionaries with a schedule for the baptisms for the weekend. We enjoy the opportunity to show support for the local units and missionaries.

A Caribbean Regional Conference will be broadcast for SLC on Sunday, Feb 1st at the Stake Centers. We are looking forward to that as well as Stake and General Conferences in the near future.

El Moro

Another View

Great Puerto Rican restaurant in Hato Rey, a San Juan Suburb

L to R: Sis/Elder Porter, Elder/Sis Starr and Elder Lee

My dinner - Mamposteo Rice and Churrasco Steak with Chimichurri sauce

Baptism in Isabela with Sisters Rivas/Shaeffer

Monday, January 5, 2015

More random photos......

Windmills in Santa Isabel - south coast

Brother Steve Kingston - Cornish Game hens for Thanksgiving

View of the Atlantic Coast from Arecibo Sisters Apartment

Lunch with Elders Denton and Paredes in Mayaguez with Kris/Family

Grandkids swimming in pool at Rincon Guesthouse (taken from 3rd floor)

Feeling guilty...Need to update :o)

Yep - I am feeling guilty....so much fun and not sharing it with you! Time is flying and I am down to about 6 months left on my mission. Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone with many choice experiences. Elder/Sister Hugo Martinez of the Area Presidency were here on a Mission tour, we had a fun day on Thanksgiving and Christmas with the other Senior Missionaries, Elders/Sisters came and some went home, Kris/Family came to visit for Christmas and lots of sightseeing & beaches, and we enjoyed Puerto Rican Christmas music, lights and fireworks! I will share the story in photos, mostly! To add to the fun, Kristian was bitten by an Iguana at El Morro in Old San Juan. We had the opportunity to have dinner at the mission home with the Mayaguez Zone so the kids had many opportunities to enjoy the missionaries, young and old! Photos loaded out of order - sorry! Have more that I will try to load - Happy, Healthy New Year to all!