Our visits to the missionaries this week. We had scheduled two visits to Elders apartments this week - we found only one house!
With very few street signs and no numbers on many houses or wrong numbers it is a challenge to find the place where Elders live. We call on the phone as we get closer and have a google map in hand and still we miss the target sometimes. The Elders are not sure of their address (street and number). They were once upon a time transferred in and the other companion knew how to get them home at night. Then one gets transferred again and the other can lead the new Elder home but has no clue of where they are as they walk home from the bus stop. So they try to lead us in without the aid of street names or numbers. We ask them to stand out in the street and guide us in. We have to find them at home before about ten A.M. or we miss them that day. We check to see if the house is clean and they are dressed, studying and ready for the day. The picture above was taken with Elders Christensen and Ribas (pronounced Heebus) in front of their very blue front door (that was our landmark), they live up the stairs behind in a very basic apartment. Their refrigerator had such a buildup of ice in the upper freezer area I'm not sure how they got the door shut. There was a circle of space open about the size of a round 5" ball. That was probably why there was no freezer door on it at all. Elder Christensen is a new elder, here only a few weeks from Yakima, WA and Elder Ribas is from Sao Paulo and is the trainer. In front of that blue door is a running storm drainage/sewer ditch they have to step over each time they come in and out. It's quite smelly and I understand the elders all have boots to wear in rainy weather when the ditches and roads become flooded. I understand that the rainy season hits hard in June. I think we'd better start looking for boots before it gets here.

The other pictures above we took today on our P-day excursion to Olinda. Nathan and Heather and kids, you're going to love this spot when you come visit in December. The old town is so colorful with bright colored house fronts. It was settled in the early 1500's. The dutch burned a good part of it when they invaded Brazil in the 1700's and it was rebuilt by the Portuguese and Brazilians after that. The many cobblestone streets shake your teeth out as you drive up and down the hills of Olinda. There are more artists and craftsmen there than anywhere else in Brazil. We purchased a small wood carving picture and a watercolor from the artists lining the streets. Dad was looking at the beautiful hammocks they have there for sale. Didn't buy one... yet. We wouldn't have time to enjoy it here anyway and nowhere to hang it at home in Utah. I think he's going to buy one before we leave for an extended rest when our mission is over.

They were boasting about how many churches Olinda has. We didn't tell them that in Utah County there are churches on every other block. A gentleman showed us through the church in the picture above and told us all about it. There is a real effort in several Brazilian cities to preserve their historic landmarks. As usual today was very warm and we cut our excursion short as the sun was intense.

Tomorrow we are going with the elders in a different area to teach a couple about eternal marriage and the blessings of the gospel. It should be fun.

Three months out - but who is counting?

Entering the coastal town of Ponta de Pedra on a P-day recently.

Some answers to common questions asked of us in emails:
I am happy to report that bugs have not been a problem. Once in awhile we have a few tiny ants in the kitchen but if we clean up after each meal they are pretty much not around any more. A few flea bites (I think from the beach so near). We have a fairly new apartment so even cockroaches are rare. Boy, my first mission they were big and in abundance. We have no screens (45 years ago I asked the same question Why? no one knows - they just do not use them). Fortunately very few flies and any other bugs at least in our apartment. We have A.C and so keep the windows closed most of the time and that helps a lot. - The Elders love to visit both the office and our house for that reason. They suffer the humidity 24-7 except at church. We have great buildings here and they all have A.C. in the chapel and the cultural hall. I would join up just for that reason alone! We visited some Elders today in a pretty run down area and hands down the LDS church was the best most beautiful building in town. The church has spared no cost in building somereally nice facilities. We also have a beautiful Temple here that is in my opinion the most beautiful building in Recife. Also right next to the temple is a large building with dormitory rooms (with air) and a very large kitchen area where families can cook and stay up to a week in the rooms. Only requirement is that they attend the temple each day. These are people who come from the interior and stay in what for many of them is the nicest place they have ever stayed in. The temple to some of these people surely is like being in heaven on earth. It is pleasing to know that the most humble of members can experience such wonderful facilities.
We have felt very safe here. We are most likely a little naive but on the other hand there has not, to my knowledge, been a mugging or a Sister or Elder having been bothered. We are warned to use good common sense. No flashy clothes or costly jewelry. Even my Mickie watch stays home on walk days. The mission office is located in the heart of a hospital district. We are told (Jessie visited one of the sisters in the hospital) that the medical service is first rate. Notwithstanding, I am not anxious to try it out. The one thing that is sort of is a trial to my soul is the lines everywhere. The store, the bank,and everything you want or need to buy - you wait in long lines and they seem to move ever so slowly. Jessie reminds me that we are talking about more than 4 million people living in the greater Recife area and that is more than the entire state of Utah. Of course there will be lines! People are very friendly and eager to help you out and they are patient with our lack of good (sometimes no) Portuguese. We miss certain items that just are not here - like good milk that is not powered and peanut butter and mapleine for syrup. Small sacrifices indeed and over all the food is just fine. Ice cream is good. We do have to buy water for drinking and cooking and toothbrushing, but it is delivered. Usually by a guy on a bike with up to four five gallon jugs on the front and back.

Driving is a real kick - picture a school of fish that moves fast but almost never runs into each other. That's what we drive in. Anything goes - no rules ( at least that anyone pays attention to), get in and go for it! For a guy pushing 69 years old I am keeping up with the guy next to me even if he turns in front of me and makes a left turn from three lanes over! I have not learned any Brazilian swear words yet and intend not to. The potholes are something else and you hope not to disappear in one when it is raining like all get out. We have not run out of meds yet but we found out that medicine can be purchased without a prescription from the drugstore over the counter. It sometimes is not the same type or quality of medicine we buy in the states though.

The office Elders were over yesterday for lunch and some of Jessie's famous homemade chicken noodle soup and hot biscuits and it was fun to see how they loved it and just how much they can put away!

The language is still a huge source of worry for both of us but we try to remember that we are doing our best and must leave the rest up to the Lord. Sometimes I will hear someone give a talk in church and say to myself, "wow, I understood just about 100% of that talk" - then the next person will get up and with a heavy Recife accent, talking a mile a minute and I will be lucky to catch 50% of what he said. I am getting better at bluffing through a conversation - like yeah, I am getting all this stuff and I smile and shake my head in agreement - inside I am saying - what the heck is he talking about anyway!!! All in all life is good and as long as we have each other and the help of heaven - we will enjoy this wonderful experience and appreciate each day.
Abraço a voces.
Elder and Sister Ivey (Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad)

Happy Mother's Day

The last couple of weeks have been busy, except for 1 P-Day excursion, at the office and with assignments to speak at firesides. We took our first excursion out of the city to a place called Pontas de Pedra about 1½ hours north of Recife, that President Emerick told us about. At low tide you can walk out in water below the knees for a quarter mile. We walked out a little ways in very warm water. Had a picnic of cheese and crackers bought at a little local store with Guarana to wash it down. It’s a Brazilian drink that is quite good. Our little car ran very well and was able to dodge potholes all the way.

It is still very hot here even though it is supposed to be Autumn. One of the elders told us that there are two seasons here, verao (summer) and inferno (which is a Portuguese word for hell, winter really translates into inverno). We had to laugh. A week ago we were asked to bear our testimonies at a fireside for couples to encourage them to prepare to serve missions. It was frightening but everything turned out o.k. Ed spoke off the cuff in Portuguese like he was born to it and Jessie read hers, and according to Ed, did a great job.

A week ago we had a brand new group of 11 missionaries arrive from the CTM in Sao Paulo. Half were Brazilian and half were from the U.S. We are feeling compassion on the one from Alaska. This heat must be overwhelming to him. There were two from the state of Washington. The other two were from Utah. Even though these young Elders from the US have been in the country for two months, arriving in Recife where it is much warmer and being assigned a Brazilian companion to live in a small apartment with no air-conditioning is a real adjustment for them. They are real troopers and we know if they can get through the first couple of months things begin to get easier. We had one Elder who came in April who wanted desperately to go home this transfer. He was in the President’s office talking to his Dad long distance and his Dad refused to let him come home. He was given an American companion and was sent out to a new assignment and we are praying that he will stick with it. We had one Sister in the hospital with Kidney stones who Jessie sat with while her companion went with Sister Emerick to get items for her from their apartment. We’re grateful she’s better now and working hard again.

We had what they call a Tour of the Mission last Thursday and Friday. One of the local Seventies who lives in Sao Paulo (Elder Araujo, who was the former President of a mission in Portugal) spoke at 2 conferences for the missionaries, at each one he spoke for over 3 hours. We tried to understand all that he spoke and were exhausted at the end of that day. The Recife area missionaries attended one session and the missionaries from the interior towns came to the other.

In the last month the mission baptized over 180+ people, of which we processed all the paperwork. We also took a test to certify our ability with the English language to become Proctors for a BYU administered online language test, that the Brazilian missionaries can take to demonstrate English proficiency. With that ability and the certificate they receive,they will be able to receive better jobs after their missions. It is amazing to see that most of the Brazilian missionaries who have been here awhile can speak English quite well. The mission president has challenged them to learn English while helping their companion learn Portuguese.

All in all, we keep pretty busy for an old couple. We’re beginning to understand more and more the value of the work we are doing and enjoy it more each week.

We wish all you Mothers out there a wonderful day today. All the Elders and Sisters have planned a time today to call home and talk to their Moms. To celebrate the day here, yesterday Jessie taped up a little hand mirror on the bathroom door to see the back of her head and gave herself a permanent (a little out of practice, it's been years), then worked up all her courage and went to a little cabeleira down the street from our apartment where she got her hair cut. It was quite an experience. First one lady washed her hair, then she was turned over to a long haired gentleman who was an artist at work, carefully cutting and styling her hair. When she asked him to cut a little more around the neckline in back, he refused. It was obvious to him if he cut more she would not like it! So it's a little longer but it's o.k. She came from the shop having paid $R 80 for a much needed redo. And she survived one more new and terrifying experience with a certain measure of grace!

Happy Mothers Day

We Have Wheels!

It's been 3 weeks since we entered a blog and how the weeks have flown. Well, it didn't seem so as they passed, just looking back it seems that way. Yesterday was our 2 month anniversary since our mission began. As we considered the past two months, we've thought about what has transpired and tried to evaluate where we stand. We set some goals last Sunday (about time, right?) We've felt kind of like we've been in culture shock, or numb with all the changes we've been absorbing. Long work days, language problems, transportation difficulties, a change in our focus, hot muggy weather, strange food, everything we try to do takes a major effort. Everything about our mission life has been hard to say the least, but we've been blessed tremendously through it all.

Though we've been tempted several times to throw in the bag and go home, we're still here. That is a blessing of the Lord! We love the Elders we work with and the Elders and Sisters who pop in and out of the office are always so eager to get to know us and we feel their love. The Lord has helped us to adapt to the weather (air-conditioning is also a true blessing). The other missionaries have fans pointing at their beds as their only relief. President Emerick has really tried to make everything about our mission as comfortable as possible. We get up each morning with energy and optimism even though when going to bed the night before we think we'll never be able to get back up again. The strange food has been good for us. What a blessing! We worried that we'd get sick and lose a-lot of weight at first, but it looks like as long as we drink bottled water and are careful where we eat we'll not lose a pound.

We are enjoying mission work. This last week was zone conferences again. Ours was on Thursday. They are inspiring and enjoyable. The President asked us yesterday if we would speak at the next zone conference, topic unknown yet. That looks like a daunting challenge as of now. Maybe if I write it all out with a lot of help, then I can read it. He told us to take 30 minutes.? I'm glad Elder Ivey knows the language better than I. Also, on May 2 there is a fireside for couples in all the Recife Stakes encouraging them to prepare to serve missions. The Area Authority will be speaking, Pres. Emerick is speaking, and he asked us to speak there also. I hope it's just a testimony bearing opportunity. I think I can do that, with the Lords help.

This picture is with Elder Gama (pronouced Guma) who is one of our favorite Elders. He has recently been released as an Assistant to the President and always brought fun into the office.

The majority of our time in the office is spent entering baptismal records into the church system. There was a backlog of baptisms and confirmations that have been done, but the records have not been delivered by the missionaries to the office for recording . So we are trying to round up those records and get them entered. For some reason the missionaries forget the importance of handing those papers in after a baptism and confirmation. Converts may be baptized but they're not on the records of the church until we actually type the information into the system. It feels like sacred work we're doing.

Also we will begin visiting and inspecting mission housing starting this week. We've been searching for a car to purchase for the last 2 weeks. A week ago we found a little silver 2003 Citroen, cute as a bug, with only 34,000 km and we started the process to purchase it. What a process that has been. During that time we thought several times we might be making a mistake buying a car, the process was so difficult and frustrating, but the President kept reassuring us and, a week later (yesterday) we drove it home, all paid for. It won't be in our name (not sure who's name it will be in) because we are not permanent residents here, but we can drive it. It is sooo nice to have the freedom wheels give! Another blessing from the Lord. We named it "Tartaruga". That's Portuguese for Turtle. Some of you may remember the last turtle we owned. We're sure this one will serve us better than the last one since it's on the Lord's errand.

Those buses were getting old. Standing with the crowd on the sidewalk, waiting for the right bus, discovering we caught the wrong one and trying to figure out how to correct the problem, digging in pockets for the right amount of reais to pay the fare. One time it took us 1 1/2 hours to get home from the office. We may never ride another bus again as long as we live! YEA!

It's nearing the end of another P-Day and so we'll end this epistle for now. Tomorrow we're going to the Boa Viagem ward to help the Elders there with the division of their ward. Our preparations for the week ahead are finished. Time to call it a day and get ready for tomorrow.

You have to love "P" day!

President and Sister Emerick and their son Mateas.

The Ocean at Olinda.

Jessie hard at work in the office.

After working all week in the office it was fun today to go with the mission president and his family on a trip to a city called Olinda. Beautiful and lots to see and explore. We drank coconut milk from the coconut and ate the coconut. The view from this old city around the seaside was awesome. Our president and his family are Brazilian and speak very little English so we got plenty of opportunity to work on our Portuguese. We ride the bus to work each day and depending on traffic it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour. It is still very hot 24-7 but I think we are growing used to it. Although having AC in our apartment is heaven sent and we are most grateful. The young missionaries just tough it out! We received 5 new missionaries this week and 12 went home. It is fun to help out. We have been surprisingly healthy and have good energy considering we work a full days all week. Jessie was tagged by the Bishop last Sunday to play the piano and he was all smiles to know we are going to be in his ward. The President said when the two Elders assigned to this ward are transferred out in five weeks he is not going to bring in new ones - we are it for the ward! So life will even get busier in the near future. We are happy and loving it here notwithstanding the never ending summer. Boa Noite to all - Elder and Sister Ivey, Dad and Mom, Grandma and Grandpa, or just friends!

Settling In

It's Sunday again. We attended two wards this morning trying to find out for sure which ward we are geographically situated in. Last week we went with the office Elders to Boa Viagem Ward but were told that we are not living in that ward and since Pres. Emerick said we should attend the ward we live in, we went to Setubal II Ward this morning. Then we found out from the Elders in that ward that we should be in Setubal I Ward which met at 10:20, so we stayed and attended that Sacrament Meeting. The Setubal I Ward Bishop said that we don't live in his boundaries and should be in Setubal II ward really. . . We're still not sure what ward we're in, everyone else seems to know for sure but they all contradict each other. . . Oh well, we were able to partake of the sacrament twice, which is a good thing, right? And with Ed translating for me we got along just fine. I even volunteered to play the piano for Sacrament Meeting; can't express myself verbally but through music was able to participate almost fully.

We are settling in somewhat. Our duties in the office are somewhat limited but feel that in time they may be expanded. In other missions the Senior Couples fill the duties of Financial Secretary and Executive Secretary to the President. Our Mission President has young elders filling those positions and so they are sharing parts of their responsibilities with us (in other words, we're lightening their loads).

We:
1. are the "official mission historians",
2. file mail and packages which arrive to be held until Zone Leaders pick them up or they are
delivered at Zone Conferences,
3. input baptism/confirmation information into the Church IMOS computer system, (there are 300 baptisms every 6 weeks in our mission, so there are several records to input each day),
4. file all weekly letters from the missionaries to the President, and,
5. will be inspecting the missionaries apartments, to be sure they keep them clean and in good repair. We've been told we should arrive unexpectedly to inspect so we can catch those still sleeping, thereby encouraging them to arise on time and get to work studying, etc. We'll find out how much fun that might be.

Occasionally, we've had time on our hands at the office with nothing to do. We're not very good at that, so, it won't be long before we find things to do, or make things to do. When talking to the Bishop this morning we offered to help with activation so, if there's not much to do in the office we'll start working on that. At the Zone Conference a week ago, we were told that "to rescue is as important as baptizing" (or some words to that effect). We agree with that and are anxious to serve in that way. In the meantime in our free time we've been studying the language and studying the map of Recife and surrounding areas trying to locate where the Zones are and learning about the missionaries in our mission.

We love getting your comments and hearing from everyone at home. Our internet service is sometimes spotty but we've found that skyping works quite well. So good to see faces and hear voices from home and family. You are all missed.

Two Weeks in Brasil

We have been in the mission field exactly 2 weeks today. We have a nice apartment 1 block from the beach with a view from the roof of the entire city and the ocean front. We are learning our duties in the office and enjoy interacting with the elders and sisters that come to the office. We had the opportunity to attend a zone conference last Friday that was inspirational. We were asked to bear our testimonies there and enjoyed meeting some 80 missionaries from the Recife and surrounding area. The two church buildings we have attended are beautiful buildings and thankfully there is air conditioning in the chapels. It is very hot and humid but we are adapting. Our apartment has partial air-conditioning and we are hoping to get another unit installed for the living and kitchen area. Jessie does not enjoy cooking while sweating in 85 degree F. heat. We are well and happy. Get home exhausted each evening and have been enjoying our kindle before bed each night.