High humidity week!

There has been a almost constant cloud cover all week which makes for the humidity. We have had very little rain out of it and even though the temperatures have been in the high 80s, it feels so much hotter than that. I am sure we are in for much, much more in the approaching summer months. If anyone reading this feels creative, a shower cap that has something to do with our early morning walks would help. Actually I am kidding, but I am not kidding about wearing a shower cap on the humid morning walks as it saves me time on the hair-do.

We continue to have new people in our office every day as well as a few coming back to check for more options. Some of these think we actually do the hiring but seem to be accepting enough when we show them how we search for resources for them. The ideal way is through net-working which will become better the more people we get to know outside of the Employment Center. Also we are gradually meeting with the Bishops and their ward counsels to get their help and what we have to offer as far as workshops, etc. It's a process so we just need to be patient with ourselves and with others.

This last Friday was a unique experience that will take place every 6 weeks. We got to visit eight apartments of missionaries for cleaning inspection. We really enjoyed getting to know the missionaries and they didn't seem too nervous about us looking at their cleaning job. One apartment even baked a german chocholate cake which was either for Elder Averys birthday(the day before) or to 'butter' us up. We turn in our 'pick' of all of them, which are compared with the other inspections, and then on zone conference the winners are awarded.

One of the unbelievable things that takes place with the missionaries is the purchasing of a 1,000 pound bale of ties of every color and design imaginable. Believe it because I saw the pile of ties in the office missionaries garage. This doesn't happen often but it happens enough. I saw pictures of a hammock made out of ties and sisters have made skirts out of them. Very interesting!

We had a great sabbath day in attending the Hidalgo 2nd ward. We arrived a little early so we drove a little ways to view the Wall that is going up on the border which was only about 100 ft from us. Anyway, back to our meeting. A newly baptized member was confirmed and she was one of several this month. A new missionary to the area was asked to share his testimony . Then a young man in the ward spoke and shared his strong feelings about the church but said several times during his talk that he was ready to serve a mission yet. A young father spoke next of the three- fold mission of the church and spent most of his time on all of us needing to be missionaries. He shared that serving a mission was a commandment for all worthy young men and I really hope the young man that spoke earlier was listening with an open heart. A return missionary in that ward spoke next which hopefully went to this young man's heart also. The missionary had just served in the Orlando, Florida area and shared a personal experience when he first went into the mission field. He and his companion had been having rejection after rejection and he told himself that he didn't come there for that and he was going home. His companion encouraged him as they continued to another place where they met with a man who said he was an atheist but invited them in anyway. The discouraged Elder thought, "here we go again", but as they shared their message, this man said he he believed them. This spiritual experience was the turning point for the Elder. What a testimony of how the Lord is part of our lives every moment. Bishop Hulse took a few moments and shared an experience that Miguel (the return missionary) had shared with him. Miguel and his companion had a dog sent after them by its owner and as the companion started to run, Miguel grabbed his shoulder and went to his knees and his companion followed in an attitude of prayer. The dog soon was letting them pet it much to the aggravation of its owner. With the energetic gifted piano playing of an elderly man and the young man who administered the sacrament interpreting the whole meeting for his mother, we were certainly spiritually fed this day.

Love,
Los Averys