Well we have had our fun and now it is back to work. We had conference this week. Last Spring I didn’t come prepared on Sunday. With just a 45 min break between sessions we don’t have time to go home and eat lunch so we had to do without. This time I made us sandwiches and packed them in cooler. It made for a little more enjoyable afternoon session.

Hanging out between Conference sessions

We had FHE on Monday. This is always fun and enjoyable for us. The young people are a joy to be around and entertaining and teaching them in our home is something we look forward to.

We went out to the school this week and taught them how to make a book with a single piece of paper. We are looking for activities that are simple, inexpensive and either fun or useful. Keeping in mind that we are working with about 70 kids. We have spent the last couple of weeks studying YouTube videos to learn how to do this. We picked one that is simple and yet seems most like a book. All it took was one piece of paper and one cut of scissors. It was surprising how much these children enjoyed this simple activity.

The children with their books

We have a lot of studying to do this week because we have to teach our Eternal Marriage class and a Temple Preparation class on Sunday and Sister Hind will also teach a Personal Progress class that day. So we really have to hit the books.

On Wednesday morning we had District Development Meeting and then we went out to the school to watch the elders get beat by the kids at the school. The young men at the school are quicker and fitter than the missionaries and they also call everything in their own favor. But we had a good time watching them.

 In the evening we taught our Eternal Marriage. We are also preparing for a youth activity on Saturday so Elder Hind is busy building a corn hole game and a paper stomp rocket launcher and something to act as a volleyball net. 

On Thursday we took the rocket launcher out to the school. Some of the elders came so we could have extra help with making the rockets. We tried to simplify the rocket making process so it will go smoothly but we couldn’t have done it without the elders. The children enjoyed making the rockets but they were amazed at how high and well the stomp rockets actually flew. They really had fun and we had fun watching them.

These boys had big ideas but unfortunately there is not enough propellant in
an average soda bottle to make that big one fly. It was a bit of a dud but we were happy
to see them try something different.  

People are always amazed to see how stomping on an empty pop bottle can make
a paper rocket really fly high. We had lots of fun doing this with the kids.

On Friday we went out with the Madadeni 2 elders again. This will probably be a regular thing. We love it and the elders love it. Of course these are our bike riding elders so they may love it just because they get to ride with us in our car on this day. Whatever, things are really happening in Madadeni 2 and we are enjoying watching it happen.

Saturday was a marathon. We were in charge of the youth activity at 10:00 am. We brought the corn hole game, the rocket stomper, stuff for a water balloon volleyball game and the makings of banana splits. We did not have a great turnout but the kids that came had a lot of fun. We will plan another one in a couple of months and we know we will get more kids out. Meanwhile the corn hole game and rocket launcher will keep.

After the youth activity we had a baby shower at the chapel at noon that I was helping with. It started at noon. I made lemon bread and pink and blue sugar cookies, others brought muffins and punch. I had brought some cute paper cups for the shower. After the shower one of the ladies asked me what I was going to do with them. I said, "Just throw them away." The next thing I knew she was washing them. I asked her why, and she told me she would save them for another activity.

The woman seated in the middle is expecting her third child in December

We watched another session of conference and then topped off the day visiting with a family in Newcastle.