Many Blessings!

It was delightful to skype Saturday evening with Ruth, Cooper, and Avery. What joy all of my grandchildren bring to me. Cooper and Avery told us they were going to have a baby brother. Now it is too early to tell that it is going to be a brother, but Cooper has been saying, for probably close to a year now, that he is going to have a brother and then a sister. Aren't children simply wonderful and innocent! Cooper was born when we were on our first mission and we will miss another birth on this one, but they come as blessings whenever they come. President and Sister Judd just had a daughter give birth to her first baby. Thanks to technology, they were able to experience it right through delivery. My family needs to be prepared to help these two 'old fogies' get updated on all the latest and greatest so that if we do another mission some day, we will be able to be in touch better.

Angela graduated from UVU this Spring in Behavioral Science, with a focus on parent/children counseling(she needs to correct me if I don't have it quite right). She has been working at facility called "Kids on the Move" and has advanced in positions in her employment there. She recently applied for a position that is for parent/child counseling and we just received word that she got the job. We are so happy for her and Dave and feel this a great blessing in their lives. She and Naomi both have recently attended Girl's camp and I just feel blessed that they sacrifice their time to strengthen the youth of their wards.

Jason just graduated from SUU in the nursing program and passed the State test soon after. After a back-packing trip to unwind from the intense schooling, he applied for jobs(even in Caliente), and was hired at the Red Cliffs Health and Rehabilitation in St. George. He will be in orientation this week and will update us more to his responsibilities. He is excited about the vocation he has chosen and we just feel blessed as his parents.

Nolan has advanced the motel to where people can make reservations online now. Those who are familiar with Caliente and his and Teva's motel, would be in awe of the improvements they have made. The office remodeling is a dream come true of mine and actually better than what I dreamed. They have continually made improvements and I feel blessed to see a family business, that my parents started, be of such high quality.

Ryan will soon be starting his last year of his Master's program. I need to have him put in writing the details of this program because I am not remembering. He graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Psychology, so it is in that field somewhere, even if I don't have it quite right. I am so impressed with his continuing with school to accomplish his goals.

I appreciate being able to talk about some of my children and could go on more about all of them and their accomplishments. My grandchildren have amazed me with their abilities and how they are applying what they are learning to their lives. I just feel so blessed and I just needed to share it.

We attended the temple Saturday with the Senchi Branch. They had two sisters and one brother who received their own endowments, and 15 youth who did baptisms for the dead.There were many who attended the session also.What a choice experience for them and for us. What an accomplishment to come that far to attend the 10:30 session, with all that that entails, and then the trip back in trotros. The branch plans these trips twice a year and that is challenging for them financially. But it could be much farther, so what a blessing to have a temple this close to them.

 Lucas and Agatha Dovi, who were baptized last week with their three sons,Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were all confirmed today. Lucas and his sons received the Aaronic Priesthood today and then after meetings, Lucas was able to baptize his daughter Esther. With the gentle encouragement of Elder Dayley, he did a great job. Lucas and Agatha need to have callings as I see such potential in them and they speak and understand English well. With the primary president not attending for so long now, and the second counselor so sporadic in her attendance, we can give others the opportunity to serve. It would take time to train them, but if it helped them grow in the gospel and they would be there every week, it would be so worth all the time it would take. It seems like the children are understanding me more and more and love the stories from the scriptures and singing. Sister Duodu is enjoying teaching the small group of young children using the nursery manual and I see how much more confident she is becoming.

Well, it has been a good week, went fast, but was good. It was good to have the Scovilles arrive safely. They may be moving to another apartment, as theirs was broken into while they were gone and had quite a bit stolen. It was quite isolated, but having never been there, I am not sure what that means. We will have to visit them sometime and see what is up in their 'neck of the woods'.

I know I have said it before, but I am learning so much from this experience and it has changed me in so many ways. Even though I miss out on so much with my family, I am glad for the opportunity to better myself and which I probably would not get in any other place than here in Africa. I just simply feel blessed!

With love,
Sister Avery (mom,grandma)