DEAR FAMILY June 4 to June 15, 2016 (Stories 149 to162)
This week surely went by in a hurry: we had company at our apartment for 4 different dinners, watched the Journey of Faith CD again, attended 2 dinners at other people's homes, worked many evenings and at the office on the presentation (II Internal Evidences), had a dermatologist doctor appointment for George at the Military Hospital, and found out the recommendations from that appointment, plus told about my fall a week ago, but I am OK.
George took and sent 12 Photos for this week
1-Hummingbird photo at Richards home
2-Blowing out the one candle Laluna (Downs syndrome child)
3-Sol (email friend for Madison) and her cousin daug. of Area 70
4-Katherin's mother (the Area 70's wife Katherine) their two children Richardo (gd son)
5-Gabriell's family for Sunday dinner and Journey of Faith CD showing
6-Journey of Faith CD
7-Photo of one of the dogs we feed on the way to the office.
8-A Chilean home decorated for Father's Day for Rodolfo
9-Margaret showing their dog "Bee Doo" in his "Winter Clothing" outfit
10-Photo of Marta and Rodolfo and Goga, our dear friends (also) Investigators
11-Four power point presentation COVERS- working now on No. II Internal Evidences.
12- Photo of school lady Raquel and girl studying at Harvard
STORY 151(My parents 80th Wedding Anniversary) Married June 5, 1936 in the Salt Lake Temple. My father Merrill Pehrson Fawson, died October 8, 1985, but if he would have lived longer, they would have celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary 8 months later on June 5th, 1986. That was such a sad day for the whole Fawson family. He was only 76 years old, and the same age George is at this time. Plus my father also died on our daughter Amy's 8th birthday, as she was born on October 8th in 1977. My father died a month or so after the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, who also died in 1985.
STORY 149 (Ricardo Sr. and his Hummingbirds) Saturday June 4 We went to their home for lunch at 1:30. If you recall this Ricardo Sr. is the father of the former Area 70 who left Chile and moved to Ely, Nevada. His daughter Carolina is the one who sat and listened to George tell about the Book of Mormon lands in Guatamala for over an hour "rapt with attention" and who is also a baptized member, but inactive. When we arrived we went to see if the hummingbird was there, and sure enough it was. George took some photos. This Chilean house has a long kind of hall way in the back about 10 feet wide and 20 feet long. They have a clothes line and a high wall in the back with a row of Chilean kind of trees and bushes, plus TWO hummingbird feeders. They said they have about 4 to 5 different hummingbirds coming weekly. This was a red throated hummingbird (photo) but the red does not show. (See Photo 1 bird)
Ricardo has hummingbird at his home. Of course he has a feeder as well
STORY 150 (The Chilean Birthday dinner and the Yahtzee Game) The Chileans love to barbeque. They had Chilean big kind of hot dogs, chicken legs, and steak. Then on the table was also cut into cubes potatoes, tomatoes with onions, cut up corn, avocado mashed up. These were all in small cereal bowl size dishes (serving 10) but people only took small portions. Then they had rolls purchased from a bakery (not the grocery stores) and they were really exceptional. Then they had a purchased lemon and apply pie that they put ONE large candle in and sang Chilean birthday song, and the American birthday song. The little girl Aluna who is a Downs Syndrome child blew out the candle. (see Photo 2) Then we showed the 4 children at the dinner the Yahtzee GAME and gave them 5 dice. The grandfather joined in and they loved it. Throwing the dice and laughing and having fun. Many and all children are on the phone or game pads constantly so we told them this was a good BREAK away and fun family time together. The parents were very pleased. We are warming these two families up to get ready for serious church discussions. We invited them all to our apartment next Sunday. We will be serving 12 counting us. (See photos 2, 3, 4)
Birthday dinner for Ricardo. La Luna helping him blow out the candles.
Sol with her cousin at the dinner.
Ricardo and his grandmother at the birthday dinner
STORY 152 (2 PM Gabriella's Family and the Spanish Investigator) Journey of Faith CD showing. Gabriella is the woman (who incidentally served at the same time as Jon and in the same mission as Jon). She has been helping us with our Spanish so we invited her family (husband and 2 children Ben and Vania). She did not marry until she was 37 and had only these two children who are now ages 14 and 16. Then we also had a woman who cleans in our apartment building MERCEDES who just happened to come by our door area cleaning when Gabriella was leaving so we also invited her to dinner. She is from Columbia and said she would like to learn about the church and infact will attend church this coming Sunday at the Quito Barrio. After the meal she left but the family stayed and wanted to watch the CD Journey of Faith. (see photos 5 and 6) Thanks again to Laura for purchasing and sending us the CD)
STORY 153 (6 PM Marta and Rodolfo and Goga return for Sunday dinner) Sunday June 5, 2016 We had committed them to read the 1st Book of Nephi, so this evening will be particularly important to see if they did it. They came and we had a nice supper together and then I left George at the table with Marta and Rodolfo, and I went to play with Goga (Gustabo) while they talked. George had a very meaningful discussion with them. We were both surprised that Marta had read 9 chapters. He asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost at the time they were baptized into the Evangelical Church. They said no, they were just baptized. They also did not understand the Atonement, so they had a big discussion on that. It was a very good evening. We both have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book again in depth this past week in preparation for this evening together.
Gabriela Trigo and her family at our home for dinner on Sunday.
Another picture of Gabriela Trigo and her family.
STORY155 (My fall out in the street in front of our Apartment last week) This took place last week and George took a photo of the big street covering that my foot got caught on a handle deal that literally threw me to the ground face first). I thought I was knocked out, but could not believe I didn't knock my front teeth out. It did skin up my nose and it was bleeding. The construction worker (Edwardo) rushed over and took my pulse, and other ladies came and handed me a wet rag for my nose. I just laid face down in a pile of loose dirt for about 10 minutes and then told them I was OK and I got up and walked to the office, and didn't notice my yellow shirt top was covered with dirt too. It was a scare but I am OK. A big blessing, not far from where I fell was a broken bottle and sharp glass pieces, I am glad I didn't land on that! George had gone to the office early, that is why I was walking alone. He was surprised when I arrived, bleeding nose, puffed up lip and dirty clothes.
STORY 157 (Lunch with Edwardo who is a Constructor Worker) Monday June 6 George then invited this man (now this week) who came to help me when I fell, to lunch. He talked such fast Spanish that neither of us could understand him, but he loved the lunch and we enjoyed having him over. We never walk home for lunch but did this day so we could feed him at 1 PM.
STORY 154 (Dog who now doesn't bark at us) He comes and finds us if he is out of his gated area and wags his tale. George drops food on the sidewalk. He has 3 dog friends now who really like him a lot. We buy dog food and he keeps it in his black carry bag. These dogs will really miss George when we go home. (see photo 7)
STORY160 (Fathers Day supper at Martas and Rodolfos June 9) Marta called and invited us to a Surprise Dinner for Rodolfo. She is flying with Goga to Brazil on Monday and would not be here for Father's Day so wanted to celebrate it early. She had really decorated up her living room. It was so wonderful to be in their small condo home. She had taught her son (Goga age 4 in July) about four sentences to say to his father when he walked in the door. He did as instructed, then came back and said "Do I say any more?" Rodolfo loved it. She had "Subway sandwiches" a lovely drink, avocado drink for Goga, nuts, cookies, salami and cheese. Chilean's eat so different than we do. She said if you take an (almond, a piece of cheese and salami) and roll it up together it tastes so good and this is how Brazilian's eat it. (see photos 8 and 10)
Photo 9 is of me and their dog"Bee Doo" in his "Winter Clothes". Chileans have NO central heating, so they dress up their animals in clothes.
STORY161 (Four Chilean and Brazilian Recipes from Marta) Marta is an excellent cook. She is from Brazil and is flying with Goga on Monday June 13 for 17 days (returns July 1) to visit her mother in Brazil with their son Goga. I watched her make the following drink for her son and he drank his whole glass. ALso are other things she makes.
1st Recipe Avacado Drink
2 Big and ripe avacados
1 cup coconut milk (fresh coconut blended with milk)
1/4 cup brown sugar
another cup of milk
BLEND this all together in a blender until thick almost like a thin milkshake. It will be light green color. It tastes very good. It is a favorite in Brazil.
2nd Recipe. Black Bean (get them in a package at a store)
Soak them in water (half a bag) if a normal size small bag and not only cover the beans but add two times more and leave soaking over night. In the morning boil the beans until they are tender (takes about 30 to 40 minutes) Then cut up one very large onion and brown it in butter along with cut up green or red peppers, and add some copped up garlic and some cilantro cuttings. Then chop up some ham. Then all all of this to the beans and simmer for about 15 minutes. Then put in containers in the refrigerator and eat at evening meals, etc. It is very very good. Black beans are used almost daily in Brazil.
3rd Recipe. Coconut Milk
Purchase a coconut. Drill two holes and drain out the watery part inside. Saw = yes saw the coconut in half and then cip out the coconut. The coconut will come out easy and then in small pieces put it in the blender and add 1 1/2 cups milk and blend for each 1/2 of the coconut. It will be a thick kind of paste (coconut and milk). Then add it to pancakes, drinks, or pies or whatever. It is very good.
4th Recipe. Tomatoe Salsa
This is also used in the states (USA) but very common here at almost every meal I have been too where a Chilean woman prepared the meal. They chop the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, very very fine. Plus the juice of a lime (not a lemon). They mix them together and sit in the refrigerator and then bring out in a small cereal bowl (not too large). It is very very good. I have made it too, and George has too, the cutting is the hard part, but we both like it a lot.
STORY 162 (Raquel from the Elementary school and USA Harvard Student Akriti Bhamb) Friday evening June 10 We invited Raquel and she brought a student (from Harvard University in Boston) with her who is living in Chile for 4 months and volunteering at a high school teaching English. This person Akriti was born in California but her parents were from PUNJAB in India. (see photo 11) A very pretty girl, age 28 who is working on a Masters degree in International Education Policy at Harvard. Her father is a medical doctor at Bakerfield Hospital in California. Her brother is studying medicine at the Rush Medical School in Chicago. Another brother is studying someplace else. Very nice people, but let us know they were not interested in religion. Akriti said she was raised with NO religion at all in her home. She also learned Spanish in high school and speaks very well. We asked about the excellent PIANO student who attends the elementary school where Raquel is the assistant principal. She said he has a scholarship to a music school and attends it part of the day (4 hours) and practices the piano at this school, but he does not have a piano at his small home. We found where Sergio lives, and he lives in the same area as Marta and Rodolfo. We told her we want to go to any program where there student plays. She invited us to more school programs and also will invite us to her home but said "NOT to talk about religion." (see photo 12)
CLOSING Well this is our LIFE for the past week. Missionary work report - 1) Still working with Marta and Rodolfo, 2) picked up Mercedes as a new investigator, 3) George picked up 3 more names that he gave to the office missionaries,4) we had two people reject our message (Raquel and Akriti), 5) are still friend shipping Edwardo (construction boss), 6) have 4 dinner appointments for past investigators coming up for Sunday through Thursday of next week, and leave for Calama on Friday. We LOVE sharing the gospel, and just wish more people would care about learning about the restored church. It seems to be the poor and humble people are the ones who want it.
STORY 158 (A Different Kind of Story about Alonda and her daughter who speaks English) We had their names on a three by five card and had not written where we found them. We emailed them and invited them to dinner. They emailed back and said they wanted to come. We sent them instructions on how to find our apartment and said we were across the street from the LIDERS grocery store. I got the meal all ready. They called George on the phone and said they could not find out apartment. He gave more instructions, even walked down and outside waiting for them. Then he walked over to Liders store and waited in front. Then after several more phone calls he found out they were in IQUIQUE and we were in ANTOFAGASTA both at a Liders store, in two different cities. A lot of running around for both George and them, and no dinner guests here. Many apologies and told them we would entertain them when they come to Antofagasta in the future.
STORY 159 (No Company - so we Worked on the slide show presentation this evening). The bishop friend Evon, who lives in Calama called and George to do another presentation in Calama June 18th, the evening before this ward's Ward Conference. Therefore, we are spending every spare minute trying to (revamp) his earlier power point presentation so it be in SPANISH plus add more photos. We have our bus tickets to leave the office next Friday at 4:30 and the bus leaves at 5:30. We will send more on this next week. Evan called from Calama and is working on getting a translator for George. We are excited to go and do this. (See photo 11 of the four cover pages that will be scanned to start the presentations. We are now only working on II Internal) We worked on these here and at the office, but it took away from our Spanish study.
Sending much LOVE and Prayers that we say for all of you and for All you are doing. We know Hannah is counting the days until she enters the MTC. We are so THRILLED for her to go on this mission and so PLEASED that she has such a strong desire to serve. We also are so pleased about her jump start on SPANISH, something we are still struggling with. Also Happy birthday to Nathan Talbot on June 15th. We LOVE your emails, and hope to hear back on any dermatologist advice on the cream treatment. We truly do appreciate your prayers.
Mom and Dad in Antofagasta, Chile
PS Did any of the grandchildren want to read a book in the Book of Mormon this summer?
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