Goodbye Mariana, Hello Elders!

 I started this letter a week and a half ago but it's been kinda
 nuts lately so.......guess "better late than never...."
 
 Hey Young'uns,
 Monday was transfers so we made 3 trips to and from the airport,
 picking up and dropping off.  One of the elders that had been here
 before said, "I'm home," when he came out of baggage claim and when I
 asked another elder if he was happy to be back, he said, "I was so
 excited when I saw the transfers. I thought, "I'm going home to the
 Snelsons." Our surrogate sons - we Iove 'em.

This was late drop-off so they were all in their PJ's

 One of the elders that left Beira was Elder Tuegamala, from Laie, Hawaii. He's got a tender heart and was kind of emotional about leaving. His mom had sent him a package with some lava lavas for him to give to each of his companions. He was giving one to his comp when we went in their house and then he gave me one. He said, "You're leaving right? So, I won't see you again." I told him that we were, but his mom had sent them for his comps. He told me to go ahead and take it and that none of the guys would wear it anyway because it was pink. It was so sweet of his mom to think to do that and sweet of him to give me one! So, here's me and Elder Tuegamala with my pink lava lava on.

Mariana flew to Provo, Utah today!

 

 

 I can't wait to hear what she has to say about it. I sent a package to her via the APs last week with clothes from the women in Brooke's ward.
Here's a story: when Mariana went to the Provo temple the person who instructed her was Marsha! I was so excited when Marsha wrote to tell me that! It was definitely a kindness and tender mercy that Heavenly Father had one of my good friends meet and help my African daughter with her first time through the temple. Here they are after the session:

 Tuesday, I woke and Jessica was here with Isabel. It wasn't a good time for her to come because staff meeting was all about planning for the visit from Elder Clayton in a couple of weeks. Here she is "helping" us cook dinner. Isabel told her to peel the garlic. She did - and dropped the peels on the ground. Because that's how it's done here...

 At my English class, I taught about the different types of
 transportation. They wanted to know the parts of a car so I did that too. I asked how many of them had driven a car. Out of 25 people, only one had driven a car and one had driven a motorcycle. I smiled. I don't know why they were so interested to learn the names of parts of a car when they're not driving one....We made more trips to the airport with missionaries - guess they could've come along for practice....;)

On one of our trips, we stopped at Manuel's so Dad could be measured for a shirt. He works in a garage and you try your clothes on in the corner behind a shower curtain.

 Wednesday, dad and I went to the bus station to buy tickets for the woman who had been beaten up by her common-law husband. She's going to go to another city, with her two girls, and live with an uncle to get away from the guy. Here's Dad buying the tickets from Abdul:

 

Here's the bus station. The people sleep here overnight to catch the 4 am bus that leaves the next morning. And they walk in with all their things on their heads.

 

Thursday, I we went to Manga so I could practice the song that the missionaries are singing for Elder Clayton. We just found out a couple of days ago that he wants a choir for the missionary meeting, so we're scrambling to get ready. They helped me do a birthday pic for Aubrey and then they did one for Elder Houston because it was his b-day. Silly guys!

 

 I came home and went to English class. After class, I met  Vasco the woodcarver there with his son. He set up the things so I could look them over.

 Friday, I met the Beira elders at their chapel at 9 am to practice with them. After practice, Sandi and I went to Natalia's house to pick up and drop off some items. She and her husband, who's one of the branch presidents, live in a 5-story walk-up apartment complex. It was a hike - Sandi was gasping by the time we got up there!

Here's Natalia:
 

 When we were leaving, somebody was starting to cook lunch at the bottom of the stairwell,
 

 After Natalia's, we headed over to Johnny's to pick up our full-blown African dresses. They weren't ready (ofcourse), but we got to try them on to see if they fit!

Here's the room at the back where he keeps his supplies. It's also where we try on our clothes. Crazy huh?? It makes the third floor look organized! Haha!!

Here's a third little room where his wife was cooking lunch. Where the counter is, is where the opening is. It was about 3x5 feet. The wooden thing on the ground is a coconut scrapper. It's what I used to scrape coconuts when I made couve. Hard work!!

 Saturday was our monthly Seminary and Institute teacher training. There wasn't any electricity so we had to wing it a little but your dad had downloaded one of Pres. Monsen's Conference talks so we showed that and they were glued to it. They won't get the DVDs to watch it for a few weeks. We told them this was our last training, because next month is graduation and the next month, we're gone. (Hard to believe!) I told them this was also their last 'bolo' (cake). They said, "No Sister, just one more...!" So, I made a deal because half of them always come super late. I told them that I'd make one more for a quick training before the graduation but only the people that were on time would get a piece. We'll see if I have the heart to stick to it. I'll probably modify it and just make the late-comer's pieces smaller. ;)

Dad finishing up the class
Our little band of teachers. They're all Young Adults except for one married couple.
 

 Sunday, I decided to visit the YW. I walked in and their were only 3 girls with the President. But she wasn't teaching, she was preparing her talk for Sacrament Meeting so the girls were just sitting there. Eye roll /Sigh.... So, I made up a lesson on the spot. I taught them what I'd taught to the teachers the day before - making your choices now, before you're in the middle of the situation and the pressure's on. ('Decide to Decide') I pulled out my "For Strength of Youth", went through the different topics with them, and told them to write down what their personal standard was for that topic. It went pretty well. They got it.

 

*Side-story* I asked them how old they were. The girls were 15,16, and 14. I wrote that on the board. Then I asked them how old they  thought I was. The President said 40. The girls talked together and said 39. I laughed and told them that they had made me very happy. Then I wrote 55 on the board and they kind of gasped. I guess by the time you're 55 here - if you've made it that far - you're worn to the bone. Kind of like I'm feeling (and looking) these days. Ha! I added their ages up and told them that I was older than all three of them combined so I had a lot of experience. Then I told them a couple of my teenage experiences. We had gotten there late and I ran out of time so I asked the Sunday School teacher if I could come in the last 10 minutes and show a video. He said sure. I headed to Primary and helped teach in there. I taught every Sunday for 9 months in the Dondo branch so now that we're in different branches, I can do the same lesson for each branch. I love it! It saves me hours of preparation, translating, etc. This week, the teacher was there and she did a good job. She had them singing their little hearts out! I video-taped them, so I'll send it to y'all.

 I had the teacher finish the rest of my lesson and ducked out to go back to the Sunday School class. They don't divide them so they were all together.
 (Primary isn't divided either - there aren't enough people to teach or classrooms to meet in.) the teacher was still teaching so I sat down and waited, he was teaching from the For Strength of Youth - the same thing I'd taught on-the-spot and was tying into the video I was going to show the Young Women. It was about temples and I wanted to emphasize the importance of making good choices - not giving into the moment and giving up better things in the future - to get there. I didn't know what the Sunday School lesson was going to be when I chose that topic but when you follow the Spirit, things work out. Here they are holding up their For the Strength of Youth books.

 After church, we gave the bus tickets to Luisa. Her older girl, the 9 year old, kept stroking my hair. Then she asked if I liked mangos and her mom gave us a sack of mangos to share with the elders that are teaching her. It was a "thank you" for helping them.

  Well. count your blessings because we are indeed the 'lucky ones'.
 I love you, mom

Our Internet has been really awful for the last few weeks so I couldn't send

 this last one without deleting a few pictures. Here they are along with the Primary video.

 It took me a minute to figure out what song they were singing because the motions and sound

 effects were so different - and funny!!!

 
 At Johnny's trying on our bono fide African dresses

Vasco the wood carver

Climbing five flights

 

Random pictures:

"Bread on the head"

Johnny's cute little boy following me out the door. His wife thought it was hilarious that he wanted to come with me. I had one woman ask me to take her baby back to the U.S. Kinda kidding, kinda not...

The road we walk along sometimes- we call it "Death Row" cuz the cars whiz by within inches of you.

A bus stop. Look at all the smashed water bottles on the ground. The Mozambique govt. would make a fortune if they ticketed for littering. ;$

I LOVE seeing the crazy things people carry on their heads!!

Master race-car driver!

It usually feels like a combination of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" and "Tower of Terror".
We always take a deep breath when we arrive at our destination!
I told the older woman that I wanted a picture of her dress, but I really wanted the one of her daughter putting the baby in her back. 

The mom was flattered though and gave me a toothless laugh and a squeeze.
The shoe salesmen. One of my favorite displays on the street.