From Mom to Kevin

Dear Kevin-

Wow, your mission chart is now half filled in!  Time is flying by. It is hard to believe that you have been in Brazil for a year now. It is so good to hear from you each week and of your hard and dedicated work.  Keep it up and you will continue to be blessed and find happiness in the Lord’s work. You must be a great missionary, if you were able to train your greenie well enough for him to be a trainer!!!!!!   Tell us about your new companion and area.

 This week Rachel had 3 lacrosse games.  Her team is doing very well- they are undefeated!  This is their last week with 2 more games- we’ll see if they can hold on to that title.

 The weather continues to be crazy here- raining, raining, and raining, then a sunny day. We are starting to wonder if they will ever be able to pour the cement where they ripped out our sidewalk.  We call it the moat now, because it is always filled up with water.

Me and Jessica have been working a little on building a structure in the back yard that Jennifer and I started when she was here out of the wood from the 4 trees we cut down in the front.  It is starting to look like something finally- and hopefully with the sun out this week we can finish it.  It is an arbor-gazebo type thing we are building on the cement.  We still have lots of tree branches stacked in the backyard- I’ll have to come up with some more projects to make with them or we will just have lots of firewood to burn this summer!

Rebecca came again for FHE on Monday- and the Elders came too.  Dad gave a nice lesson on one of the general conference talks, sent Rachel off to lacrosse practice, then played some liars dice.  Rebecca and Jessica looked up institute classes, and went to one on Tuesday night.  Jessica looked pretty excited to get out and do some socializing- she’s been home a couple weeks now and getting a little stir crazy.  She has been enjoying cooking and trying out new recipes.  I enjoy her cooking- and her cleaning up the kitchen!  She continues to apply for jobs, but hasn’t had any luck yet.  She has done some babysitting though.  Jessica went to Tanasborne Ward today.  Rebecca wasn’t able to- dinner schedule with her folks didn’t make it possible, but she met up with Jessica later for the CES fireside.  Jessica came home happy- had a good time at the singles ward, then dinner linger longer, then the fireside.  Things should pick up socially as the college students start coming home for the summer.

 The Relief Society had a birthday party on Thursday- They had a Jeopardy game, and I was the host.  It was fun.  They also had a cake decorating contest.  At home when trying to decide what cake to make I dug out all our old kid cake pans.  The girls voted for the Cookie Monster.  So I baked it, Jessica made a giant cookie for him to hold, and did most of the decorating.  It won the most creative.  When I was asked to tell about the cake I told them that I had bought the cake pan for your 1^st birthday.  And what a coincidence- it was your mission 1yr bday too!  So here is a picture of your cake:          

HaPpY 1 Year on your Mission!

We thought of you as we ate it.

  Well, Steven W. is now married.  We went to his reception at his parents’ house last night.  He looked good, and Kristi looked very happy.  We enjoyed the refreshments- cake pops (cakes rolled into balls, put on lolly pop sticks and dipped in chocolate). They are quite the rage here now.

Well, that is all I can think of for this week.    Keep up the great work; we continue to pray for your safety, and success. And have faith in you and your new assignment as Zone Leader. You’ll do great.

 Lots of Love,

MomJ

 PS.  Do you get to call home for Mother’s Day?