A Brief Moment in Time

Mes Chers Amis et Famille, (Dear Friends and Family, obviously)

It is time for another report from Frere et Soeur Heap in our little rubber raft out in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  Sometimes I feel like we are living on another planet; for example, a while ago we had been so busy and so needed a relaxing evening; just the two of us doing something remotely familiar.  I told Brent, "We are going to do something marvelous tonight!" So I got my trusty computer, logged onto to Netflix anticipating the joy of settling in and watching a movie together, only to have the following message come up on the screen:  We are sorry, but we don't operate in your part of the world.  Really;  I thought Netflix was everywhere!!!!! On to more meaningful matters.

We are blessed with two new missionaries; one, Elder Seifert, has been serving in Madagascar with ten months left to serve.  After he arrives, we found that the French government here will not give him a permanent visa, so he will serve for three months on a temporary visa, but will then have to finish his mission on Madagascar.  We get so frustrated trying to help work out the problems, but because he didn't get a French visa in San Francisco before he came, there is no way they will let him stay here for more than three months.  It was not a good situation.  I was so sure we could get around it somehow!  The other, Elder Mariteragi, is from Tahiti and fresh out of the MTC.  As always, we pick them up from the airport, orient them, feed them, have their new companions pick them up and try to keep them awake until time for bed so that they can begin to make their internal time change.  We did realize something that helped a lot though.  Always, in the past, all of the above was done at one of the churches; but this time, I suggested that it might be warmer and more relaxing - and much easier for me with all of that food - to just come to our apartment and do everything here.  It was so much more comfortable for those exhausted elders; while the mission president welcomed each one over the phone, we encouraged the other one to put his head back and catch a quick nap.  Brent interviewed each of them, I talked with them briefly, the zone leaders oriented them, and then the eating began...boy, can six elders put away food!!! (New elders, zone leaders, new companions).  I wish I could show you their photos, but they were the ones I couldn't download that I mentioned last week.  Next, I want to share a  experience that I know you will relate to.  It is very personal but strikes a chord for us all.

It was the beginning of the Saturday morning session of General Conference here; Temple Square came on the large screen in the chapel, the choir started to sing, and I was suddenly in my home in North Ogden, with family snuggling around me getting ready to listen together, great smells of dinner wafting from the kitchen, pillows puffed up on the couches and on the floor, and just that wonderful "conference-weekend-feeling."  Feelings of homesickness were almost overwhelming with my eyes tearing up and my heart in my throat; I almost felt ill.  The thought came into my mind, "Don't do this.  Your time here will be brief.  Stop and look around at the people here; cherish the differences, the many skin colors, the varied stories that you have been told, the young missionaries with whom you serve.  Live in and love this moment."  It was enough; I still missed conference at home, but for now, home was conference in a small chapel on La Reunion with fifteen others in attendance.  Missionary work is a blessing on so many levels, and that moment was certainly one I will never forget. We will both reference it often.

Highlight of the week:

Thursday we had a south district meeting in St. Paul.  The district leader and his companion came in with grins on their faces and something wrapped in tin foil...they like to cook.  After the meeting, they unveiled a KEY LIME PIE and was it ever delicious!  Everyone wanted to kiss them, and I asked for the recipe.  There are a lot of limes growing here and, evidently, fresh limes make all the difference.

Lowlight of the week:  This week we actually have three...are you ready?

First, we are going into summer here, so it is getting light earlier.  The roosters, which used to wake up at 6:00 AM are now stirring at 4:00 AM.  There is one close by (it sounds like he is perched on our windowsill) who must be the size of a St. Bernard because he is SO LOUD, SO EARLY and wakes all the others up.  When he starts, Brent and I just groan.
Next, did we ever tell you that we have NO outlets in the bathroom?  It is a good thing that Brent shaves with a blade.  I have to get ready in the guest bedroom...Brent actually loves that.
Last, we have a gecko who lives with us, or did.  We don't bother him because he is cute and eats all the bugs.  Saturday, Brent was doing his Saturday morning vacuuming (he is meticulous about floors), moved his briefcase and ran the vacuum there (tile floors) and, too late, saw the little gecko a couple inches in front of the vacuum, and whoosh, he was gone.  We both had to sit down for a minute we felt so bad.

Joanie running the stairs for her morning workout (little pink dot trotting 3/4 the way up).  I wish I had the legs of the two guys bounding up behind me.

Even though we now arrive at the workout park at 6:30 AM, Brent can never seem to get through a workout without AT LEAST one phone call.  Sometimes, I wonder why we came, he is on the phone so much.

We had a cyclone warning last week which made the surf high on our usually serene ocean.  We were coming home from appointments and stopped briefly to look at the waves, when the sun broke through the cloud,s and I was lucky enough to snap this beautiful photo.  See the cliffs in the distance.  The island highway stretches along the bottom of those cliffs.  It is a spectacular drive that we make several times a week visiting the branches on the west side of the island.

The St Denis soeurs wanted help getting ready for a fireside they were hosting and we met at our apartment.  They needed a pattern for a big smiley face and wondered what to do.  I told them, "I have a tire in the closet."  Perfect!  The fireside was a huge success.

Soeur Hartley, front right, had a family tradition that every General Conference, on Sunday morning, they would eat biscuits and gravy.  Her roommates wanted to surprise her this General Conference, so the two on the left came at 6:15 that Sunday morning and we made a surprise breakfast of...you got it, biscuits and gravy, to be served at 7:00.  It was really fun and really good!

The zone leaders have to come to the apartment on Sunday evenings to go over reports and use the computer.  They looked hungry, so we whipped up some crepes and fried eggs.  Look at the smiles.  Elders are always hungry.

The first full P-Day we have taken since we got here.  We went up to the National Park - Plaine de Palmiste (a forest of palm trees) - and enjoyed some hiking.  These lilies were growing along the trail, and the blossoms were as large as salad plates.  Incredible; there must have been a hundred blossoms, just growing wild.

The palm tree forest.

 To those of you who have tried without success to comment on the blog, don't worry; they are not very user friendly.  Kellie has a blog and I have never been able to leave a comment.  To those of you who have been successful, thank you.

Love to you all!  Au Bientot...

A Season of "Firsts" and "Finally's"

Hello All, ca va bien? (How are things?)

It has definitely been a season of "firsts" and "finally's" for us on the island lately, and I thought it might be interesting to share a few of the more unique ones with all of you.

FIRSTS:
We received our first TRAFFIC TICKET for making an improper left-hand turn, which is interesting because we had no idea we were doing something wrong.  The streets here have arrows painted on them telling you which way you can turn, where to enter, all kinds of information, but the traffic moves so fast and the drivers are making such crazy moves that looking at the street arrows is almost impossible.  Also, when the-powers-that-be change their minds about what should be happening, they don't remove the previous arrows, they just paint another one someplace else on the street.  No one really pays any attention to the arrows, but occasionally the police show up and start pulling people over and handing out tickets, which is what happened to us.  Brent spoke only English to the officer, but it didn't work...he spoke English back!

We also found our first COCKROACH in the apartment and he looked well fed!  Actually though, that isn't the best part of the story.  The zone leaders stopped by our apartment to go over some mission matters and brought us some cake wrapped in tin foil.  I ate some and told Brent how good it was. but he was trying not to eat that late at night and passed on sampling some.  I double wrapped it in tin foil to guard against ants. (We never see them unless food is left out, but if we drop a crumb, they show up by the hundreds.  Little tiny ants, no bigger than the dot of a pencil lead.  We are paranoid about crumbs..."You dropped a crumb; hurry, hurry clean it up!!!!) Anyway, I wrapped it up nice and tight, and we went to bed.  In the middle of the night, Brent got hungry and padded into the kitchen in the dark, unwrapped the cake, and took a big bite.  He immediately felt ants all over his hand and arms, flipped on the light, and sure enough, the cake along with his hands and arms, was covered with ants.  There was a lot of jumping around, water running, and spitting into the garbage can going on when the cockroach emerged...probably fascinated by such energetic movement.  Brent would have stepped on him, but, of course, his feet were bare and the little critter got away.  Every time I open a cupboard door, I peer carefully in before putting my hand anywhere.

I encountered our first LIZARD in the kitchen. (Summer is coming and so are the critters.  Everyone talks about the lizards because they make little clacking noises at night, but we have never seen any.) I was wiping off the counter top, moved a container of wooden spoons, and saw a little gray dob which I promptly tried to wipe up.  The gray dob sprang to life, his fat little fingers, or toes, who knows? spread out and running towards me.  He looked like a body full of joints; I have never witnessed so many working parts as he ran over the top of the counter and disappeared behind the stove.  Another reason to look carefully before putting anything anywhere.  We have never seen either of them again, but it does give one pause.

Our first time not being able to enjoy GENERAL CONFERENCE live.  It was the middle of the night here when conference was broadcast.  We have watched it in segments on our computer, but General Conference won't be viewed here by everyone until next weekend when we will watch it - in French - on the DVD's the church sends out to all the branches.

FINALLY'S:

I finally found BAKING SODA.  It comes in little packets like yeast and is called Chimique, (now who would make that connection?) so now I can bake cookies.  Do you think the cockroach and the lizard will be impressed?

We finally have turned a little corner with the LANGUAGE.  Both of us are feeling more comfortable - Brent, of course, is way ahead of me - but we both have had our struggles with understanding everything and with speaking it ourselves; we are now seeing some progress.  Even though the people speak so rapidly, there are times when I can understand whole sentences.  It is absolutely such a blessing and such a relief.  Don't misunderstand, there is SO FAR to go, but just being able to understand some of it fills me with gratitude.  Brent has been blessed with the level of language he needs to complete his many administrative responsibilities; times when full use of the language has been needed, it has been there for him, and he recognizes the source.  The blessings are immediate and obvious.

And FINALLY, we wish to share an experience we had this week that brought home the purpose of why we are here and how the simple things are the most important.  We drove about thirty miles to the town of Le Port where we met the missionaries who then directed us up the mountainside, I don't know how many miles - we drove for a long time - to the home of a handicapped sister who needed her temple recommend signed.  Brent had a very touching interview with her while I visited with her very lively ninety-three year old mother.  This sister will probably never be able to use her recommend, her handicaps are severe and the closest temples are either South Africa or Switzerland, but she was thrilled to have it, realizing the importance of that little slip of paper in her life.  The drive home was a quiet one as we appreciated the privilege of meeting with her and being able to be a part of the joy that having a current temple recommend brought.  (You might be interested to know that the mission president, who is 500 miles away is the only other person who can sign a temple recommend for the members, and his visits here are only about every two months, with limited time to accomplish all that needs to be done.  It might have been impossible for her to meet with him, and challenging for him to be able to travel up to her home, so far away, to meet with her.)  Again, what a blessing to be here and to be able to serve.

Highlight of the week:  Hearing from so many of you; WE LOVE IT!!!!!!

Lowlight of the week:  Trying to download a new set of photos that I couldn't wait to include on the blog this time, and having my computer not recognize them as photos.  I'm helpless; any suggestions?  I can view them on my camera, but that doesn't help you see what I wanted you to see.  Fewer photos this time, but good ones.

Couldn't resist because of the matching colors.  If you look to the left...yes, it is a McDonald's...we didn't realize until later that it was part of our picture or we would have included the whole name.  Even the missionaries won't eat there, which tells you that it is REALLY bad.

This is the prefecture where we spend so much time making sure all the visa requirements of the missionaries on the island are met.  We get a knot in our stomachs every time we have to go there; it is like the arrows on the streets, changes seem to be made randomly, just to complicate everyone's life.

This photo was taken on a Pday, which we didn't take because we were furnishing an apartment in a new area.  A very hectic day, with a lot of running around. (One of the elders who will live there is at least 270 lbs....trying to find a twin bed strong enough to hold him was tough.) Later in the day, we drove by the biking velodrome where we could see mega activity.  Didn't even hesitate.  We parked, got out, and "went to the races" for a couple of hours before going back to work.  It was glorious!

This was a Wednesday morning after our weekly trip to the outdoor market.  I always scrub all purchases carefully before putting them in the fridge.  They looked so fresh and beautiful that I just had to snap this photo.  (FYI - the lizard was just to the left of the lettuce.)

Our best to all of you.  Thank you for who you all are and all you do to make a difference for good in the world.

Au bientot!

The Jumbo Jet of La Reunion

Ca va bien to all those we love at home,

Occasionally at 8:40 in the morning, when I am here, I glance out our sliding glass doors to catch a glimpse of the silver jumbo jet finishing its descent over the ocean just before it lands at Roland Garros and remember how it felt ten weeks ago when we were aboard.  We think of all we have experienced, agonized over, rejoiced about, prayed about, and labored over and can't believe all that has happened in just ten weeks, and yet, we still feel like we are figuring out what we are doing because the needs here seem to change weekly, if not daily.  Yesterday, Brent either made or accepted thirty-two phone calls between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and some of them lasted thirty minutes.  He was at the work-out park when they began and he had difficulty getting out of his workout clothes and getting dressed for the day.  I could see that the day was going to be complicated, so I sequestered myself in the office and worked on some documents - accounts of events that we had been part of here -  that Elder Cook requested during his visit.  In between, the zone leaders had several items that needed clearance, there were emails from South Africa needing attention, and people calling for recipes!  I know, it was crazy, but today has been even crazier.  We have had to split up tonight, I going with the sister missionaries on a teaching appointment that we were both scheduled for, while Brent handles an emergency situation.  One thing is for certain, we NEVER get up and think, "What shall we do today?" We are anticipating the time when we will be able to take a full Pday; so far, we are content with three or four hours away.

We have found something absolutely amazing here...it is called the Fortuna Market and is held every Wednesday morning down in the Caudron.  I had complained to someone that the lettuce I bought at the store only lasted two days and they said, "Oh, you never buy vegetables from the store, we all go to the Wednesday market," so we found out where it was and headed down there.  It is the most amazing experience!  Rows and rows of tables COVERED with all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, some that we had never seen before,  gorgeous exotic flowers, fresh fish with the eyes still attached, hand-made items, food cooking, vendors yelling that their merchandise is the best and trying to get your attention.  The senses are overwhelmed with all the colors, odors, sounds, sights.  It was difficult to shop our first visit there because we both just walked around with our mouths open.  That first day, after I would make the purchase at a stand, I would just open my hand full of coins and let the vendor take what he or she needed, but now I can actually understand what the cost is and count out the money myself.  (At first it sounded like everyone was talking with a mouth full of marbles.  The sound of  numbers in French is like a long string of z's to my ears.)  I have included some photos, which are good, but really can't capture the magic of the market.

Great, great missionary story for you this week!  A few weeks ago, the sister missionaries were going port-to-port (door-to-door) and came up to an apartment where a whole group of family members were sitting outside (a very common thing here) and, when they saw the missionaries, they called out, "Allison, there is someone here to see you," and sent the missionaries inside.  When they entered the house, a girl of nineteen came around the corner, stopped, and said, "You found me!"  The sister missionaries were frozen, realizing that there was something really special happening.  She then went on to tell them that she had a sister living in Lehi, Utah (married to a former missionary on La Reunion - as George Durrant said about marrying his wife who was a missionary from his district, "We never did anything inappropriate, but I DID have an electrifying handshake"), and when she was fourteen, she came to Utah, lived with her sister for two years, was baptized, was active in the church the whole time, "I even went to Girl's Camp", and had been thinking about the church lately as she realized that her life had definitely taken a downward spiral and missed what she had felt, and been, in Utah.  Making those types of life changes is never an easy thing, and the missionaries have been meeting with her as much as possible, but she would never commit to come to church.  I think she wants to, but worries about feeling accepted and worries about her lifestyle.  The missionaries made an appointment to bring her to our apartment on a Saturday night.  The minute she walked in, I fell in love with her - it's the Young Women worker in me.  We all talked, laughed; she told me all about herself, and then we all made cookies together.  As we were measuring and mixing together, I saw a look come into her eyes.  I said, "Allison, what is it?"  She said, "This reminds me of being with Jane (eyes teared up); I miss her so much."  Jane, of course, was her Young Women advisor in Utah; one of those marvelous women who saw a need and constantly filled it for Allison.  They still maintain contact, but Allison missed her physical presence right then, making cookies, in our little kitchen.  It reminded me again of how much caring and reaching out really matter, and that it is the small and simple things that bind themselves to our hearts and allow the spirit to reenter, in a kitchen far away from Lehi, making cookies.  When we were through, I asked the sisters to ask her if she would like a blessing to help her with her challenges.  She would.  Brent had been in his casual clothes, so he went in and changed into missionary attire for the blessing.  When he came out, Allison's eyes lit up and she said, "Oh, you look cute!"  I think it took him by surprise.  Brent talked to her about herself, the blessing, what she needed, and what would happen.  The minute he laid his hands on her head and began, there was a tangible feeling of total love that surrounded all of us, and when he was finished, she was sobbing.  We can't wait to see her again.  I so hope she can remember what she felt and what she was promised.  A night like that was worth all the cramps endured on that silver jumbo jet!

Highlight:  Besides Saturday night with Allison, a terrific zone conference.  (We meet with the two districts of missionaries here weekly, one on Thursday morning and one on Friday morning, and we have a combined zone conference monthly.)

Lowlight:  Realizing that I had accidentally thrown away my cleaning ticket - no name given, just a number on a ticket - and wondering if I had lost three items of my already limited wardrobe.  I told Brent that it was my error and that I would solve it by myself, but, in the end, he helped me and we were able to get my blouses back.

Some photos for you...and we live HERE!

We thought you might enjoy seeing the picture "behind the blog".  This is the interior of the island called "The Cirques."  We are arranging for a member ,who hikes the interior often, to guide all of us on a Pday hike...a must before two of our missionaries leave for home in December.

These little stubby bananas are incredible.  The small pineapples barely visible on the end of the table, are peeled, sliced, and eaten entirely.  The middle is as soft and sweet as the outside.  We eat the slices like cookies.

These vegetables - legumes in French - will last a whole week, just as crunchy as when we bought them.

Remember the old Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers, where his butler, Kato, would jump out from behind the curtains and put karate moves on him?  Well, Sister Viatua is my Kato; I never know when she will put a wrestling hold on me.  We are NOT hugging; she is trying for a takedown.

Sometimes we have to remember that they are just kids in BIG bodies.

That's better...aren't they wonderful?

Flowers - and the most incredible orchids - by the yard in every color you could ever imagine.

Elder Heap enjoying the La Port Talent Show.  Isn't he handsome?

Allison making cookies.  By the way, they don't bake cookies here, or pies; no one even knows what a pie is.

So yummy.  The scary part is that I have to light the oven on my hands and knees.  I light the match, turn my head the other way, and stick the match underneath the oven and hope for the best.

One of our sister missionaries has been struggling a bit, so we hosted a dinner for all of the sisters (soeurs) and had them tell about their arrival on the island.  It was so fun and, hopefully, brought back the joy and anticipation of becoming a missionary.  They all wanted to take a picture of the dessert, so we took one too.  A lemon tart.  I have to say, it WAS GOOD, and so was the afternoon together.

Thank you jumbo jet for bringing us here.

AU BIENTOT NOS AMIS!