somewhere in my youth...

On New Year's Eve, even backwoods and remote Quelimane drinks itsef into something of a very unhealthy stupor. So we advised the young missionaries to get off the streets relatively early. We invited them to our home to play a couple of games and watch a movie to celebrate the new year.

I don't suppose you can tell which movie it was from this screen shot, as a hint, Debbie and I did find ourselves singing along and twirling with outstretched arms as if in an alpine meadow from time to time. The Elders had a good time and so did we.
On Wednesday we were primed to meet the mission President and Elder Cook of the Seventy (major church honcho for non-lds). This was the first ever visit of an lds general authority here so we were excited, as were our local members for his planned meeting with them. Well, his flight was cancelled so his very tight schedule fell to pieces. We had to cancel his meeting with the members which was a major disappointment. I finally picked him and his wife and daughter up at 2:30 a.m. the next morning.




I found myself called to translate for Elder Cook for an hour or so while others spoke in Portuguese. I don't have a lot of experience with live translation and it is definitely a skill that takes some work to acquire.
Despite the logistical challenges, the zone conference with the missionaries was very good. The young ones revel in the opportunity to rub shoulders and "sit at the feet" of and learn from good men like President Kretly and .elder Cook. We put on a very American lunch for all of pizza, potato salad and fresh fruit salad.





Though he missed the member meeting that was planned, Elder Cook kindly invited my counselors and I to meet with him over lunch ( he didn't comment on the improvised table made of speakers and a desktop). This was a rich experience for Amizade and Rui to get some training from someone far wiser and a far better teacher than their branch president. We then rushed our visitors to the airport, having spent only about 11 hours on the ground with us.

Miracle of miracles, Debbie and I were eating lunch out one day this week and we discovered that our little restaurant had actual ice cream. It has been months and months since I have had a taste. The experience was enhanced by the fact that it was unbearably hot and humid (as it has been somewhat constantly of late). Very very nice.
Last night I was sitting at our desk and I felt something crawl up my leg, inside my pants. I confess, that I would have freaked out had it been a cockroach. But it being only a lizard, I did not scream like a little girl.