Pioneer Day

Hola my son!  So good to hear from you last week, and sorry to hear about the bug poison in your apartment, and the water situation.  Wow, you really are in a different world, it all sounds so strange. Is Honduras going through a drought, is that the reason for the lack of water? Well, just make sure you are drinking plenty of liquids, you don't want to get dehydrated like you did your first week in Honduras. 

We were so happy to hear that Vivian was baptized, she has been on our prayer list for awhile, great news for her.

And now we are on the other side of your year mark.  That makes me soooo happy!  Unlike you, I hope the time continues to fly by, it won't go quickly enough for me!  But I am glad you are happy and making the most of your time as a missionary. 

This week was great, the highlight was a Temple2Temple 5K we ran on Pioneer Day, all five of us.  There were over 10,000 people in the race, it started at the Provo temple, and ended at the Provo Tabernacle which is about 70 percent completed.  Remember, the tabernacle was gutted in a fire a few years back, and is being rebuilt.  Those two temples are exactly 3.1 miles apart!  It was fun, there was an opening prayer, then we all shouted, "Hooray for Israel!"  and the race began.  Dad ran it in 23 minutes, Stefanie was about five minutes behind him.  Rachel, George and I were somewhere in the middle of the pack and just happy to finish. We all decided we loved it, and we want to make it a yearly Pioneer Day family tradition. 

Much of my week was consumed by apricots!  The Hancocks have a large apricot tree in their yard that produced a bountiful harvest this year.  Several of the branches hang over onto our side of the fence, and Sister Hancock offered all the fruit from those branches to me.  Stefanie picked it, and I made eight batches of apricot jam, and could probably make that much more! The freezer is stocked, and I have given away several jars.  It is yummy!  There is no way we will eat all that jam in a year, so I'm sure there will be plenty left for you next summer! :)

 
Yesterday (Saturday) we had a little Kindred family get-together.  Todd planned it, it was at Antelope Island on the great Salt Lake.  We had a picnic, then played on the beach and in the lake.  The lake is so salty that it is impossible to sink… you can only float!  If the water splashes in your eyes or mouth it is awful, and any little cuts, nicks or rashes on your skin sting like crazy in that salty water.  But it was lots of fun.  All my siblings and their families were there except for Margaret, all your cute little cousins are getting big!  It was good to visit and get caught up with everyone, they all say HELLO! 

Well, that is it for this week!  I love you!  The church is true!  So glad you are serving the Lord.  Love, Mom