Bank Experience

Hello family:
Well, we've been having those darn power outages again. Tonight we've had one and then the generator just stopped on us. I really do love lights and power. Our water pump shuts down, I love water also.
Alan and I had an experience today. Alan had to go to the bank and change some other country money into dollar bills. We got there right at closing time and they let us in. The bank was packed with people so we waited in line. Finally we got to the teller, and Alan told him what we needed. He just said, "Why don't you go to a grocery store and change them in and get your money". He just wanted to go home and not help us, but he did help us. It took us 55 minutes in the bank. Alan had to show his passport and visa. We had to sign documents with all our information on it. Just to exchange one currency to an other.  Then the teller told us that the money from Botswana is useless, just because they have a new president and the money doesn't count anymore.  We walked in with about $900, and walked out with $74.00. What a deal. So we passed the "old money" out to the elders in the office as a souvenir.
This morning I went outside to put some clothes in the washing machine and our gardener was outside. He was begging me to hire his wife to clean our flat. That was a first! He said that she used to clean for the other couple who lived here, so I guess that we have to hire the maid and gardener when we live here. So much for the "Help" comment in  the other letter. I've not met her, that comes next Thursday. I have to clean my own clothes! Believe me, I'm not getting spoiled. Just helping a family out.
 I took pictures with Ayonda and her mother today. They came into the office to say their good-byes. She is so cute. I told her to stop by and visit some weekend in Elk Ridge. Our next door neighbors just returned from a week vacation. They saw Victoria Falls and then went to Botswana for a jungle excursion. That sounds so fun. We just need to hook up with the right people and go on an adventure!  We've down sized in our truck. Actually, it's a four door truck, it looks so the type to be a terrorist!  I just need to take off the back cover and put 30 men in the back. Some Sunday, this man in our ward wants us to come to his home. I can't wait to see what it looks like and how the people live. A busy week this week so far. We had mission zone leaders conference, marriage class tests with a dinner, Friday is another dinner, and Saturday is the Harare Coordinating  Council meeting and dinner. I get to plan all the dinners, and invite all the men to come to the meetings. I don't know what I'm really doing. They get the same chicken dinner at every event. So much for a variety of life!!!!
Happy Birthday Robert! Hope you had a great day. We loved seeing the dancing Hailey video. She sure is cute! Lindsay, we are craving some of the comforts of life, like chocolate, Maybelline powder blush, Loreal mascara, Loreal pencil eyeliner, warm light weight clothes (!), and Mapleline flavoring, so we can make syrup for pancakes.  I'm glad I wasn't one of those Isrealites wandering in the desert for forty days and nights. I would have been shot for complaining.
Dad looks forward to watching the Mentalist every Wednesday night! Something from home. So how are you all doing? How is the Payson Temple coming along. Today this young girl came into the office to pick up her white mission call. It's been sitting in the office for way over a month and today she finally came to get it. I asked her if she was ready to go on a mission. She just softly said yes, sort of!   That girl was in for a shock! She leaves on her mission on the 18th of this month. She is going to serve in her country of Zimbabwe. I hope she is ready for that shocker....   We had 5 months to prepare and that wasn't enough. Next week the mission president is going to organize two new branches. That will make 17 branches in our mission with 10 zones. Just way too much stuff to remember!!! The mission president is over those branches plus all the missionaries.
Every night when we go home from the office, along  the sides of the roads, people are lighting fires and roasting their dinner. There are also neighborhood garden stands that the people go and purchase their food. It's just amazing how it's a neighborhood event. This morning a bishop from one of the wards here stopped and talked with me for a while. He asked how I liked the country so far. Then he asked where we were from, I said Utah in the United States. He told me that he went to Utah and Idaho a couple of summers ago. He said that it was so hot," I remember that summer". He said how he loved temple square and how beautiful the temple was and the mountains. I told him where we live. He mentioned that we have so much in the United States. I said that we really do have a lot. Then he said that if I go out into the rurals I'll see that kids don't have shoes to wear to walk to school, or nice clothes. Then when you come closer to the city, you see people wearing shoes and I asked why they don't have shoes! But he said, that they are so happy with less. I told him that he was right. The people here are so happy, they don't have hardly anything. But they all talk about having money! Our branch president has a job of cleaning the mission vehicles every Monday morning. On Sunday he talks about the rich people and their money. It gets rather annoying, just talk about the gospel and how it can better people and make us all happy. I' m off my soapbox!
Sure hope you're all doing well. Remember we have Skype open every Sunday night. Also on Saturday night. Just  drop us a line and we'll work out a time. We love you all and pray for you all.
Love Mom and Dad
Just wandering around in Africa!