Cashew Heaven -- they went thru the inferno for us

Today, was a first for me.  I was having a younger brother of the piano student read.   He was having trouble pronouncing all his r's as if they were double r's, so I was teaching him the rule and I think he was starting to get it.  Fun.  I feel sorry for his teacher if he picks up some of my bad habits. 

Some of you have asked about Emma, our investigator, hairdresser friend.  We are still meeting with her.  She believes that the Book of Mormon is true, but I am not at all sure that she understands where that might lead her.  We talked today about the Joseph Smith story and the advantages of the true church.  She mentioned that a friend said that all churches are alike (good enough).  She also said that each priest in her church (catholic) teaches different doctrine.  We mentioned the need for ordinances and that the Savior taught that there was one way.  She said that she would pray about it, and she invited herself to church.  

She truly wants to do the will of the Lord and feels the Spirit of peace as we talk and testify with her, so things should work out.  I don't have a picture of her because Sunday is her day of rest and she doesn't do her hair. That's her choice.  I wouldn't mind.  I need to visit in her shop so we can get a photo.

We have discovered that we are better as a team in missionary work, too.  Rod is good at explaining and remembering key points even if he has trouble expressing.  His Spanish is much better than it used to be.  We gave Emma the Elder Oaks talk about two lines of communication with the Lord.  She loved the part in it where Joseph couldn't translate because he was upset with Emma.  It was fun to her that it was her name, but she had had similar experiences and was impressed.

 This fruit is the opposite of cashew heaven.  I waited months to try it, it looked so interesting -- like a corn dog hanging from the tree.  It has a hard shell and when you crack it with a hammer you are rewarded with a completely dry, powdery substance (that sticks to your teeth when you eat it) surrounding hard black seeds.  What a disappointment.  They said you can put it in water and make a drink of it, but we didn't.

Our friend Jaime returned home from the hospital last Tuesday.  We had a cancellation on Monday that allowed us to drive his wife to the hospital to visit him.  Rod gave him a blessing, and he came home the next day.  It was easy to see the hand of the Lord.  We've been praying for him for a while, and I am really grateful.  We had a mini family night, consisting of a hymn with his granddaughter Leydi playing, and then Jaime bore his testimony.  I really love this family.

 

 The Jordans were in the midst of preparing cashews when we arrived.  Now is the season to pick up the nuts (they call them pepitas).  They had a fire and a piece of tin roofing on top for a pan.

 You have to use a long stick to stir the nuts because they pop and can burn you badly if you are close.

 The nuts actually catch fire and burn the outer shell.  

 
Everett had a spot on his face where the oil popped, ran down and burned.  I would have had to feel guilty because I had the long stick, but it happened before I came.

A feast of really fresh cashews.  It is hard to get all the nuts properly cooked.  I liked the toasty brown ones, but the burned ones aren't bad.  If they aren't cooked enough the shells stick and are hard to remove.