Tout est bien

Tout est bien.  All is well.  I learned a new phrase this week!  We were singing "Come, Come ye Saints", (in French of course) and this phrase stuck with me.  And things are going well.  We are managing to keep our head above water!  Last week was carnival so there was not a lot we could do for several days.  We all had to stay away from the parades, etc and all the stores were closed so we stayed pretty close to home.  I was grateful that a member, Juliette Doumbia, lent me her sewing machine!  Oh!  How wonderful it is to mend a few things!  I had almost forgotten what it was like to be able to do that!

We had to run some errands downtown and had to kill some time one day so we went to a Mexican restaurant!  Can I just tell you how hard it is to order Mexican food from a French menu?!  It turned out pretty good tho!  We took the one picture just for Kristi & Peter because of the New Mexico connection.  (Can you see it?)

Grandpa wanted me to show you a picture of the outside of the restaurant.  It looked scary to me and I refused to go to it for several months.  It's amazing what hunger will do to a person!

The other day I looked at my shoes and noticed that they are getting pretty worn out.  I wear them almost every day and realized that it had been 11 months since we had left home!  We are so grateful for this opportunity of serving a mission and hope that each one of you will have the same opportunity in your lives!

We hope that "all is well" with each of you.  We pray for you daily and appreciate your love and support.

We love YOU!

Rose Colored Glasses

When we went to the Seniors Conference recently, a new friend gave me these rose colored glasses.  I love them!  If you are unfamiliar with the term, to wear rose colored glasses means you look at things in a happy, optimistic way.  I was glad my new friend thought to give them to me.  I wore them when my other friend was kind enough to cut my hair.  It was so nice of her and so desperately needed!

One of my favorite scriptures is found in D&C 123:17-"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

There are three parts to this scripture that I love.  The first is to be cheerful!  I have never been accused of being too serious (as you all know!), but I have found that being cheerful is always the best approach to problems.  I have had trials and stresses, but by choosing to be cheerful, things seem to go easier.

The second part I like about this scripture is to "stand still".  I am not very good at that.  I think we should all take more time to just be still.  To stay on our knees for a few seconds after the amen and just listen.  To wait patiently for the Lord to answer our prayers.  To understand that not all blessings that we desire will come in the time frame we think it should.  We need to stand still, and wait for the Lord to help us in His time.

The third part is to have "the utmost assurance" (faith) that his arm will be revealed, (His will be done.)  I have looked back on many instances in my life when I thought things should go one way and the Lord had them happen another way.  I am so grateful his way won!

I hope you, too, will look at the world and your lives with rose colored glasses.  Not everything will be perfect, but look for the good things and the good things will increase.

And always remember that we love YOU!

Ketchup flavored toothpaste?!

Can you believe that they have Ketchup flavored toothpaste here?  I bet Kristi would love it!  Well, maybe not, but I bet Peter would!  Should we bring some home for all of you to try out?

What if I told you it wasn't really toothpaste?  Would you believe me?  I mean, it looks like a toothpaste tube, doesn't it?  Have you ever seen ketchup in a tube like this before?

One of my favorite scriptures is Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Sometimes we have to have faith in others because they might know a little more than we do.  The prophets know more than us, so it's a good idea to follow their counsel, even if it is something we have not heard of before. 

Will you have faith in me?  I can promise you that this is not toothpaste.  It is ketchup in a tube.  Even though you (and I) have never seen it done this way before, that doesn't mean it can't be true. I have seen the "evidence" that this is ketchup.  You have not, so you have to have faith in me.  And we have to have faith in those lead and guide us.

So, that's the lesson for today.  Trust your parents, your Bishop, your Primary teachers and leaders of all kinds.  And then you will see the evidence of our faith in due time.

We love YOU!