Moved and back connected (Thank Heaven for the Internet)

My prediction of early death for a baby bird fed bread and cream didn't materialize.  He's growing fine and getting feathers.

 This bird is an adult like the baby bird.  It can say "run" or "corre" in spanish, but it chose not to the day I was videoing.

 We found a new fruit stand in our area that I'm very pleased with.  I bought several dollars worth of produce and then the owner couldn't make change, so I told her she could give me grapefruit instead.  She filled a bag with horrid looking grapefruit, but they were delicious.  I found a sprouted seed in one, and look, it is a "Middle SEED".  Bad Rod joke.  It did look like a note [maybe not middle C], though, so it was fun to find.

One day when we were driving, this lizard ran across the road and up a wall.  The wall is made of full sized cinder-blocks, so you can see that he was pretty big.

We have decided that it was a blessing to be 'forced' to move. The assistants to the president came to our house on Sunday night with the other couple who moved into our house.  They put their things in the upstairs bedroom.  I had hired a sister to come help me clean and Rod had dismantled the bed, so we were ready.  Monday morning the elders came for breakfast at 7:00.  By 9:00 we were moved into our house here (everything was in) and we were only 5 minutes late for our teaching appointment.  Those elders were magic.

Water is a problem here.  We expect to have little or none during the day.  One morning Rod was taking his shower when the water went away.  He'd just soaped up.  I had filled a bowl earlier just in case, so I helpfully poured it over him.  What I didn't realize was that this water was several (SEVERAL) degrees colder than the water coming from the shower.  He had his eyes closed and it was quite a shock. Unplanned vengeance for his holding Myles up with the garden hose to get me in the shower when Myles was 4 or 5. Some things one doesn't forget.

It's hotter here, and we're upstairs with the metal roof, so it has been hard to sleep some nights.  Also we are in a "zona roja" or an area of the city that is considered dangerous.  Our neighbor told us that people break out the windows of cars when it is raining hard because with the noise of the rain on the roofs no one hears them. We're trusting the Lord to take care of us -- and we are more vigilant and take everything, including the radio out of the car.

 There are GREAT things about being here, like being able to come home for meals and when students cancel.  Before we just had to sit in a hot car, not our idea of fun. Our mornings are a bit less rushed because we don't have to drive half an hour to our appointments.  And it's very nice not to have to drive half an hour home on our 8:30 p.m. days.

We hosted young adults for a week end activity Thursday and Friday nights.  We were privileged to have Mihally, our favorite student from Chitre who introduced us to the chord method, come to stay with us.  We also got a family, as the activity was for marrieds as well.  There was a 3 or 4 year old little girl.  Her parents are musicians, so my guitar got played WELL for once, and we had fun with the piano as well.  We sang from Myles' songbook and I gave them one.

They paid a price in comfort, as they had to sleep on a tile floor with only our exercise mats, and Mihally had our two cushions in a corner.

Mihally was our connection (like Hansel and Gretel) to bread crumbs that led from her to Sister Brown of Saint George to Brother Theobald of Saint George.  He taught Janell the method we use -- which turns  the church music approach upside down.  Instead of teaching music and then learning to play, we start playing and with each hymn learn a bit more music.   Instead of 5 or 10% of the students sticking with it (which is where we were headed) we get close to 50% earning their keyboard (play 10 hymns ready for church and learn a new one on their own).  We are glad Mihally kept going and wanted to learn more so we could discover a better way.


Apartment
We grumble about the downsides of the apartment and had to learn a bit of obedience to come, but it is working out well and so don't listen to all the grumbling and there are real upsides.

[Rod] Speaking of washer person,  just before we moved my back starting acting up again.  This would be bad with our students to not be able to sit.  Therapy is to lie down or stand up.  So I was worried and realized it was probably from not shifting the heavy water rinse buckets properly - the prior wash day.   I explained in prayer my situation and that I would appreciate His help in resolving the inflammation as we needed to finish and help our students stay close to the Church (music is secondary, we think).  I felt a sensation go over my body, somewhat like washing clean.  At any rate, I could move freely and after a few days even the warning twitches have been greatly reduced.   Lovely blessing.

Also, this week one of our students asked me if I were an apostle.  I'm not sure if it was my dignified manner, comportment or ...  probably since she comes from a small branch, Boquete -- she doesn't know any other old people who wear ties and do church work.  Anyway, nice that I can be mistaken for an authority.



Sensitive plant
Do you like my new socks?  They are more visible than the plant's movement.


In this Easter season, we are especially grateful for the atonement of Christ.  I can't imagine living at peace with myself if I didn't know there was Christ's help to straighten out my mistakes.

Happy Easter