Wednesday, December 18, 2013

JOYEUX NOEL

Joyeux Noel Nos Amies,

It is Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere:  Twinkling red lights loop our balcony railing, the music of the season fills our few small rooms, Mr. Gecko is sporting a Santa hat, and we have six gorgeous red and lime green anthurium, the size of salad plates, on our dining room table.

We will celebrate Christmas with the missionaries on Monday, December 23, with a very special dinner, secret Santa gifts, a program, and the showing of The Christmas Devotional on a large screen TV in the St Denis primary room (more intimate).  Christmas is wonderful wherever you are in the world; as a friend of ours always told her children when they were away at Christmas, or any other time, "Make it special.  Create happy memories; it is up to you", and that is what we are trying to do.

Brent and I need to assure that each missionary is set up for that "all-important" phone call home, either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The members are generous to share their homes, computers and telephones with the missionaries, but occasionally there will be a companionship whose arrangements fall through; we want to make sure that isn't a problem.  Holiday invitations have been warmly offered to us, but our first priority is to be a back-up for the missionaries, so we will be home in case they need to come here.  Later, on Christmas morning, one of he branch presidents has arranged to have all those in his branch, who are alone at Christmas, come to the branch to be together and enjoy a Christmas brunch.  His wife is cooking; they wanted to provide for their flock...probably five, who will be without anyone, (many people here have families in Madagascar) so we will happily share that time - and some of the preparations - with them.  After that...who knows? but it will be a Merry Christmas as WE also make OUR all-important phone call home.

May the warmth and wonder of this most blessed time of year fill your hearts and your homes.  Thank you for your prayers for the missionaries, and parents...THANK YOU FOR YOUR MISSIONARIES!

                                                    MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

PHOTO GALLERY:

At this time of year the Flamboyant - the tree of Christmas - blossom, and they are stunning!  The natives say, "We don't need to decorate for Christmas; the island decorates itself. " The tree down the road from our apartment is on a corner that we round several times a day.  This picture does NOT even begin to capture the beauty of it; I was so disappointed.


 The next two pictures are from Le Port; we took these pictures after district meeting.


This last picture is from the St Denis church parking lot.  If you look closely you can see our little white Yaris in the background patiently waiting until I find the right angle.  Notice how the fallen blossoms decorate the ground.  It really is so beautiful.


Now, we bring you the fruit of Christmas...the letchi.  You peel the top off the outside shell, squeeze the bottom, and this absolutely amazing flavor-filled ball pops into your mouth.  It has a seed the size of an oblong marble in the middle.  In late November, when they first appear, they can be as high as 10 euros a kilo, but now they are only 1.50 euros per kilo.  This morning, we bought 2 kilos...a big sack, soon to be eaten.


We wish we could send some of these home to you; we guarantee that you would love them.  You buy them in bunches still on the stem, OR if you are really feeling extravagant, you can buy them without stems.
Finally, let us introduce you to... the people in centre ville, enjoying the season, shopping, talking, and some school children taking a field trip, all dressed in red and white.





      A little holiday cheer "chez nous" (at our house).  Three of the sister missionaries live just above us.          They actually have a tree with lights, but it wasn't on when we took this picture.

WE'RE DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

WITH MUCH LOVE AND GRATITUDE,

THE CASTAWAYS

Monday, December 9, 2013

The Way It Works

Bonjour a tous,

Brent and I just finished a HUGE missionary week ... our last major assignment here.  We will have three missionaries arriving in January just before we board the jumbo jet for home, but other than that, it is now just our daily-business-as-usual for the next four weeks. Nothing too out of the ordinary as far as being demanding; nothing too stressful; do we really believe - or want - that?

Elder Dale Renlund, our Area President, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, toured the Madagascar Mission.  Because Mauritius is part of that mission and currently has only two Elders and a Senior Couple, they were all flown here to be a part his time with us.  On Tuesday afternoon, we picked the Mauritius couple up at the airport, brought them to our apartment for a light dinner, took them to their hotel, and then went to the church for two hours to set up for the next day with the Zone Leader and his companions. We then picked up President and Sister Renlund and the Adams at 10:40 PM that night.  The next morning found us up bright and early, putting together the final touches for the 9:00 AM Zone Conference:  handouts, electronic equipment, people needing transportation to the church, lunch for 28 which had to be taken from our fridge to the church fridge.  Group photo...inside or outside?...chance of rain; is everything ready for the special musical number?   Incredibly tight schedule needing to be navigated smoothly.  We have sterling missionaries here who constantly amaze us with their ideas, their willingness to do anything and everything, and their talents.  Yes, it all went well on our end thanks to many hands, young brains, and the constant, gentle guidance of the Holy Ghost.  There were so many times early in the week, when we thought, "We don't know how we are going to manage all of this. I'm not sure that much food is even doable in my kitchen; how will we handle this in that time frame?"  But thoughts would come of how to accomplish what needed to be done; thoughts that we knew WEREN'T ours because we would have never have done it that way; thoughts that made the undoable, totally doable.  That is the "Way It Works" in the mission field; the ONLY way it could work.

The "other end", the end the Renlunds and the Adams were responsible for, was a spiritually rich and memorable day for all of us.  With the opening prayer came the strong assurance of the Lord's love for those valiant missionaries and when President Reunlund stood before the group to welcome them there, he said, (condensed) "I have three things I want to tell you."  He looked at all of them, and in a voice which wrapped his arms around each of them, personally and individually, he slowly and softly stated, "Merci, merci pour toute choses que vous avez donne. ("Thank you, thank you for all things you have given").  That simple and heartfelt "Thank you" expressed with such love meant the world to young elders and sisters who fight an uphill battle here.  He meant it; they felt it; it validated their efforts.  He then went on to tell them that they all needed, if they hadn't already, to obtain their own personal revelation that their mission call here was inspired, issued by an apostle of the Lord, that personal revelation being their base as they daily serve.  Another affirmation.  Lastly, he assured them that President Adams was their inspired leader, who loves them, serves them, and leads them in all things.  Appreciate him; follow him; love him.  A final affirmation, and this was just his welcome to the conference.  We wish we could share the entire day with you; the teaching was inspired, covering topics that were needed specifically on La Reunion, topics that would not only lift them, but also give them something to think about - and apply - as they approached lessons, difficulties with investigators, and personal challenges.  Not a head nodded; every eye was riveted on the person teaching all morning.  It was not a meeting that required a bathroom break; no one wanted to stop listening, including me, and I knew that lunch was to be served promptly at 1:00, following the closing prayer.  I kept thinking, "I don't want to leave at 12:30 to warm the sweet pork for the sandwiches!"  A thought came.  I went to the kitchen during the special musical number, tried something I had never done before, returned to the meeting, slipped out only briefly once to make sure it was working, and voila! after the prayer I hurried down to the kitchen.  Everything was done to perfection and I put it on the table along with the salads and other sides and WE ATE.  That is the "way it works", and I know that it will never work like that again at home.

After clean-up, we drove the mauritius missionaries to the airport and returned to our apartment where the Adams and Renlunds would arrive for dinner at 5:00.  That is one of the perks associated with all of the work...a quiet dinner and conversation that filled our hearts with gratitude for the opportunity.  I wish I had the capacity to express what we witnessed and what we felt, from both Elder and Sister Renlund, but it will have to remain a blessing experienced in the spirit and in the heart.  After that, off to an island fireside for all of the members.  Again...amazing.  Elder Renlund is responsible for 13 missions in an area 3 times the size of the United States.  Think of all the traveling, all the problems to be solved, all the needs to be met, yet, you would have thought that these missionaries on our remote little island were the ONLY missionaries he was responsible for.  Thank you, our new friends, for showing us "The Way it Works."

Lowlight and Highlight of the Week:
Lowlight:  On Monday, before everyone arrived, Brent and I were hurrying to an evening appointment.  Brent had told the family we were visiting that we would bring pizza, something we NEVER do, but later, realized that Brent had truly been inspired by his offer.  I went in to pick up the pizza, put it in the back of our Yaris, and hurried to get in the car.  In my rush I put my head forward BEFORE I got the door totally opened and WHACK, the top corner of the door and my head collided!  I was momentarily stunned, got in the car, felt my forehead over my right eye, and a HUGE goose-egg had already popped out.  "Oh, no, I'm going to have an ugly bruise and possibly a black eye for the meetings!"  We immediately applied some ice with a "car-made" ice pack.   Highlight:  Wednesday and Thursday came and went...nothing.  Could I really have been so lucky?  NO.  I got up Friday morning...Whoa...a first-class shiner, that continued to grow and darken both Saturday and Sunday.  No matter; I'm counting my highlight blessing of no black eye on Wednesday!

PHOTO GALLERY:

Here we are, with the sun in our eyes.  The other direction was too dark, but at least it didn't rain as forecast.  How we love all of these people!

When I got to the church, I found I had a helper...Mr. Gecko.  We carefully deposited him out in the grass.

Our dear friends and mentors, Les Adams.

Lunch is served, they loved it, and there was enough and to spare.

Fun after clean-up.

After dinner photo with President and Sister Renlund... an intellectual and spiritual power couple!

Now part of our family, President and Sister Adams

Waiting at the church the next morning while the men were in interviews, before going to the airport

There is always a good laugh before heading for home.

Brent shared some Winston Churchill quotes with me today; one reminded me of these wonderful young people here and also of our friends and family at home:
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

Miracles happen when we move forward in faith, when we act in spite of our fears, when we take that step into the unknown because we know it is the right step...that is....The Way It Works.

Our love to all of you who are the great blessings of our lives,

A bientot!

The Castaways





Sunday, December 1, 2013

With Hearts Full of Thankfulness

Bienvenue, nous sommes tres reconnaissant pour vous tous qui nous souvient,
(Welcome, we are very thankful for all of you who remember us)

We hope you had a memorable Thanksgiving holiday, that your leftovers lasted for more than just the second go-round, and that you are now settling in for a sparkling, wintry Christmas season, focusing on those things most important and dismissing all of the "must do's" the secular Christmas season emphasizes. Please don't misinterpret...I'm not getting preachy; it is just that here, it becomes clear and simple, and although I always knew what really mattered, there was much time spent on what really didn't.  I hope it is still that clear when I return home, but I know that will be difficult.

There are times when we feel like our hearts cannot contain the feelings of love and gratitude we experience.  This has been one of those weeks.  Last year a friend sent me a little package containing Thanksgiving napkins, some small table decorations, and two large plastic Thanksgiving tablecloths...it didn't arrive until Christmas... but, undeterred, I gratefully tucked them all away for this year.  On Monday, when our missionary force gathered at 4:00 in the St Denis Primary room for Thanksgiving dinner, hungry and beaming in missionary attire, their eyes popped as they saw the tables looking so festive and appealing.  The sisters from upstairs were in charge of set up and they truly worked magic.

Everyone placed their assignments on the long serving tables and the results of eight hours of cooking in our postage-stamp kitchen, with one tiny oven and two feet of countertop space, began to disappear.  Turkey cutlets - no whole turkeys here - stuffing, cranberries, (I simmered craisins in orange juice and added orange zest, not bad really) potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, ham with peach sauce; the missionaries provided all the rest.  I could have cooked twice as many mashed potatoes (and I cooked ALOT) but otherwise, there was ample food.  It made us think of a favorite quote by Albert Enstein, "There are only two ways to live your life.  One is though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle."  Dinner for 20 hungry missionaries, cooked with love at home and transported to the church, was indeed a miracle and we realized, once again, that Heavenly help always comes when we just jump in and get to work.  Heartfelt prayers of gratitude, hymns of thanksgiving, expressions of newly recognized blessings, realization of what we all mean to each other (we are each other's family here), the blessings of sharing Thanksgiving together, and the opportunities of being missionaries on La Reunion...all of the right sentiments were present because the spirit was present.  Throats were cleared and eyes blinked as they talked of their families at home and their love and new appreciation for what they left behind. Brent and I love Thanksgiving with our family; we missed them and wistfully thought of their day, as we always do, but this Thanksgiving, cooking for and spending the day with these marvelous young people will be a memorable Thanksgiving forever.  Games, with much laughter, concluded our evening, and we sent them off...all of our cups and stomachs filled.

The work is very difficult here.  The missionaries work incredibly hard for seemingly minimal results.  Finding people to teach is challenging; baptisms are infrequent.  Our valiant missionaries put in long, hot, or rainy, days going door-to-door, or street contacting, occasionally being chased by feral dogs, as they search for receptive hearts.  We have felt their despair as investigators fell away; it would be easy to give up and quit trying, but they don't.  Their  strength is a testimony to us of missionary work and missionary blessings.  We emphasize, "Your mission success doesn't depend upon how many baptisms you have, it depends upon your total obedience to mission rules, the quality of your daily effort, your willingness to help your companions, your love for the people here, and your consistency in serving the Lord with all your heart.  You have a short time here; don't leave any effort wanting, fill your days with selfless service, and you will never have to wonder if your mission was a success."  They may not really believe that until they look back a couple of decades, but we can easily see how true it is. They are forging the path of their future, and we are grateful to be here and to be a part off their faith and their efforts.

THANKSGIVING PHOTO GALLERY:

The gathering.

The feast begins.

The Reunion "family table."

The Heap grandparents.  I know...I look tired...I was.  It is not so much the work, as it is the worry of "Will this all really work out?"

The Soeurs of St Paul

The Elders of Le Port

The other Elders of Le Port

The Elders of St Denis

The Soeurs of St Denis, a little blurry, sorry.

The Elders of St Pierre

The Elders of St Marie

The "Game" and the predictable comment, "Elder --------, I think you are making up the rules as you go along!"

Some can't resist a flair for the dramatic.  He couldn't just "throw" the sticks!

The closing song with Elder Heap.

"The unthankful heart discovers no mercies, but the thankful heart sweeps through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some Heavenly blessing"
Henry Ward Beecher

With hearts full of thankfulness and testimony for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the missionaries on La Reunion, and for cherished family and friends at home, we send our love and best wishes for the magical December days ahead.

A Bientot,

The Castaways
















Monday, November 18, 2013

Boots on the Ground


BONJOUR!

PHOTO GALLERY

A friend we have made at the outdoor market.  If we miss a week, she asks us where we've been.  All the best apples, oranges, grapes, and kiwi's come from her stand.  She's a worker and a wonder!

The mornings here have been so clear and beautiful.  We look out over the ocean and feel like we can see forever.  The rainy season needs to start soon because we are in a drought.  It is hard to believe that you can have a drought on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean, but we can really see a difference from last year.  We need those torrential rains again.

After  church with the former branch president, a member of the grand council, and an investigator.  My seat is the bare spot.

Sunset in St Pierre.  I tried to zoom in, but it made the picture fuzzy.  Still, I wanted you to get an idea of the spectacle we witnessed.

Same photo, full view.  We arrived in St Pierre to attend the Young Women in Excellence evening a little early - you ALWAYS have to allow extra time for traffic - so we drove along the beach, which turned out to be a great idea.

AND here are most of the young women of La Reunion Island.  A very special night as they shared their talents and their fun personalities.

JoJo relaxing on P day....a rare event indeed.
Bonjour a tous,

Surprise, surprise...photos first; stories later.  Like our life here, things keep switching, changing, rearranging.  As our time here is speeding toward the finish line, we are struck with a great feeling of urgency and a little anxiety.... which brings to mind many of our earlier struggles here.

First day:  Arrived at 9:00 AM, and were met by President and Sister Adams.  We dropped our bags off at the apartment, cleaned up a tiny bit after 30 hours of traveling and were whisked off to lunch.  Oh...did that ever taste good... a REAL meal.  We then spent all afternoon in meetings, and Brent had more meetings in the evening.  Our heads were spinning; our eyes drooping.  The next morning President Adams set Brent apart as a counselor in the Madagascar Mission presidency and then they were off again to Madagascar.  What is next?  No other couples here....

We laugh as we remember our first few weeks.  We didn't really know what we were supposed to be doing.  We didn't know how to get where we wanted to go; addresses made no sense at all to us.  We didn't know where to buy what we needed.  Funny story: There are beautiful pharmacies everywhere, and we kept wondering how the people here could possibly need that much medicine. Only last month did we discover that all of the good, nongrocery items that we had been used to buying in the grocery stores at home, were sold in pharmacies on La Reunion.  Contact solution, (I had been very stingy with mine, thinking that I would run out) waxed dental floss, Listerine, EVERYTHING that we thought we couldn't buy, we found because we needed some ibuprofen and finally went into a pharmacy.  It was like Disneyland for us...LOOK AT THAT...I can't believe it!...and we found all this out fifteen months too late.  I can remember Brent going into a store that would be equivalent to AT&T to buy service for his IPhone...couldn't understand a word they said and came out devastated.  The missionaries laughed when we told them about it, "Hey, don't worry Elder Heap; they weren't speaking French; they were speaking Creole."  What a relief, but still, at first, the language was difficult and talking on the phone...IMPOSSIBLE.  I thought of that a little while ago when Brent went to the Toyota dealership to purchase a new car for the missionary fleet here and was so fluent and persuasive that he saved the church 5,000 euros.  I guess we are what you would call "Boots on the Ground" here now.  We finally know our way around, know the members, know how to get what we want and need, understand what we are supposed to be doing and, for the most part, how to do it...and it is ALMOST over!

However, many of the things we have learned LATE (like grocery shopping) will benefit others.  We have many missionaries here who take an interest in cooking, like to eat healthy meals, and want to make their euros last, sooooo Joanie has a new focus...helping the missionaries with their culinary skills.  I can remember feeling sick to my stomach when I would enter the grocery store.  I assumed, when I came here, everything would have the same name, just in French.  Not so.  I soon realized that I had no idea how to find what I needed, didn't know what I was buying, couldn't look everything up in the dictionary as I shopped because it took too long, and that half the items I used at home didn't exist here.  We ate a lot of fruit, bread and cheese at first.  I digressed, sorry.  I have learned the art of substitution, have learned what things are, and have learned how to make dishes taste like home...somewhat.  Each week at district meeting, we pass out 3-4 new recipes to everyone: healthy, quick, and cheap.  Finding them has been so much fun for me and, because we know the missionaries likes and dislikes, one of our elders even likes quinoa, a favorite of ours, the searching for "the perfect recipes" has become a quest. (It is my "end-of-the-day" unwind.) Those darling missionaries are so grateful, anxious to see them, try them, and report their success.  SO FUN!

This has been a lighter post, but we do want to share something that has touched both of our hearts in a special way.  There was a convert baptism the first of September.  A single, older gentleman, quiet, with a patch over one eye.  Brent and I have watched his transformation as the gospel has enriched his life.  He supports everything:  each baptism, each activity, each meeting.  His manner is more relaxed; he talks and laughs more, and enjoys conversation with other members; he now sings in the branch Christmas choir.  When General Conference was shown here, he and Brent sat together during the priesthood session, and he told Brent after the meeting, "You don't know what all this has meant to me.  I love these meetings; I love this Gospel."  We watched, three weeks ago, as he stood at the sacrament table, now a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, ready to bless the sacrament.  His face beamed (even though we could see he was a bit nervous) and he looked so good in his white shirt and tie. It was easy to see what performing that ordinance meant to him.  Sometimes, we can appreciate the gift of the gospel more fully when we stand back and observe its blessings through the eyes of someone who has just received it.

Highlight of the week: When we attended church in St Pierre, a young boy came up to us after Sacrament meeting with a picture he had drawn for us.  It showed a BIG airplane on the tarmac, a square man and an even squarer (?) woman flashing huge smiles wearing name tags, with text bubbles:  "I am Sister Heap;" "I am Elder Heap;"  and his name signed with love.  He was so excited to give us his drawing; we felt like his grandparents.

Lowlight of the week:  Brent opened the "pantry" (which I created in part of a hall closet) and saw the gecko running around on the wall.  "Hey little friend, let's get something straight! You are welcome under the couch and behind the curtains, and even under the bed, but you are NOT welcome in the pantry!"  Now everything that is not in a can, is in a plastic zip baggie.

                             "Boots on the Ground" and loving ALMOST every minute of it.

                                                              A bientot, with much love

                                                                     The Castaways



   

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Dressed All in White

Bonjour encore mes tres chers amis,

District conference, the weekend we both anticipated and prepared for, is now behind us.  Another whirlwind weekend, with missionary interviews on Friday,  Priesthood and Auxiliary leadership training on Saturday afternoon (Sister Adams and I were in charge of the auxiliary session...another story for another time...one of those "OH NO!" moments), followed by Saturday evening and Sunday sessions of conference.  I mentioned before that Brent and I both had to speak in the Saturday evening session, something I knew Brent would do wonderfully, but I was filled with anguish anticipating a ten minute talk in French...that is A LOT of French, with no idea how my brain and my mouth would coordinate under stress.  We had numerous messages of support from family members, a random "love you and wish you well" email  from a friend at home who didn't have any idea what what was happening here (which really made us smile and appreciate her), an extra kindness lovingly given from a friend here who DID know what was happening, and, most importantly, needed blessings from Heaven.  When we sat down on the stand and looked out on all the faces that have become so familiar to us and so much a part of our everyday lives, any feelings of fear were immediately replaced with feelings of peace and love.  Fulfilling that assignment was a wonderful blessing and will be a treasured memory as we recall those faces smiling up at us and the love and support we felt from them.  I also have a "snapshot of the heart" from the Sunday session, as I watched Brent bear his testimony, hands outstretched on the pulpit, elbows locked, head cocked a little to the side, trying to contain his emotions, as he, in his own conversational style, bore his witness of what he knew to be true.  It was all so familiar to me; I have seen it happen for years at home, and yet to see it here, spoken in French, possibly for the last time in a formal setting, filled my heart to overflowing.  For me, it was the realization of a line in my Patriarchal blessing that I had always wondered about, and never completely understood; now I did.  When I was fifteen years old, Heavenly Father knew that I would come here and He knew how it would strengthen me.

President Adams conference message contained a thought that was brought strongly to mind as we attended the Primary program in the St. Marie branch this morning.  He said, "When you look at someone, no matter what their circumstances or their past, visualize them dressed in white, prepared to enter the temple.  See them for who they really are."  As we entered the chapel, the children were all seated on the stand... dressed in white.  I don't know how they did it, but eighteen children were dressed in white, the girls in long white dresses with white flowers or bows in their hair, the boys all in white shirts.  As they sang and gave their talks, they RADIATED.  They looked and felt special.  Primary songs have always made me teary,,,yes, I know, it doesn't take much...but the French language has such a beautiful, musical cadence, that a whole meeting of French primary songs was just incredible.  They sang of the temple, which leads me to something I have wanted to talk about for a while now.

Almost every Sunday, Brent signs temple recommends after church.  Many of the members here will only attend the temple once, if ever.  It is something they save for, plan for, wait for, and dream about; the greatest desire of their hearts...literally. The Johannesburg temple is 1,770 miles away and the trip is very expensive...BUT...there is something called the Temple Patron Fund, and that is where all the rest of us come in.  When we fill out our tithing slips, there is a donation line for the Temple Patron fund.  After the members here have done EVERYTHING they can to go to the temple, the church will help subsidize the trip for their initial endowments, a one time trip.  A dream that we can help make happen. A dream we knew you would be interested in assisting with.

Highlight of the week:  Two weeks ago, we had two elders with birthdays, one from the south district and one from the north.  We always celebrate with birthday cakes and ice cream after district meeting, so we had parties two days in a row.  On the following Sunday, the zone leader had to come to the apartment to file vehicle reports on the computer.  It was fast Sunday, they had worked all day, and I knew they wouldn't have eaten, so I told them to plan on dinner.  When they entered the apartment, one of the zone leader's companions (the one who just had the birthday) said, "Sister Heap, is that lasagna I smell?"  "It is Elder; do you like lasagna?"  "Sister Heap, do you know that for as long as I can remember, we have celebrated my birthday with a lasagna dinner?  My family sent me a picture of them eating lasagna on my birthday."  I had cooked a HUGE pan of lasagna; they ate and ate and ate.  I can't count the times he thanked me and kept repeating, "I can't believe I am EATING lasagna!"  (I have only cooked lasagna three times here in sixteen months.)  My heart was so grateful for the unrecognized prompting to fix lasagna; a great young elder, doing his best, was blessed with a little taste of home.  Unbeatable!

Lowlight of the week:  We had decided, with the Adams, that we would not take a major hike on this visit.  They arrived late Wednesday; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were HUGE days and none of us wanted to be tired, so we collectively said "NO" to anything more than a mild workout.  Early Thursday morning we reached the trailhead at the top of Mafate that led down to the tiny mountain village of La Nouvelle (you remember, established by runaway slaves; only accessible by foot or helicopter).  The view from the top is spectacular - the reason we went up there - and our intentions were to hike down just "a little way" to enjoy that majestic cirque and its beautiful scenery.  No water, no food, no need, just a little hike.  Four and a half hours later we again reached the trailhead after completing the entire hike - down to the village, where we were able to buy a bottle of juice and water, and back.  We should have known we wouldn't stop!!!!!

PHOTO GALLERY:
My weekly indulgence, fresh flowers from the marche.  We can buy a little bunch for one euro; two, or three bunches makes a beautiful arrangement.

The end of the south district's birthday celebration; missionaries working, visiting, and talking things over with Elder Heap.

The birthday boy from the north district.  

After dinner fun with some stalwart members from St Pierre.

A little fuzzy, but the "highlight" lasagna  birthday dinner.  What a delight!

This is just a part of the flower section of the marche.  If you turn to the left, it extends twice as far as this photo, on both sides of the aisle.  Again...my indulgence.

A little of our local flavor.

Looking through the cabbages, (chou); just beyond are the chou choux,. One our favorite foods here is chou choux au gratin. (with cheese)  You have to take a number at the cheese counter.  I once counted eight different varieties of blue cheese alone.

Don't you just love it!  I can't believe I was able to snap this photo with no people.  The aisles are always so crowded.

This has to be one of my mission highlights.  The sisters found Jean tracting, but couldn't teach him because they have to be accompanied by a female adult.  They called and asked if I could go with them on a Friday afternoon.  When we arrived, there was a party going on in the small courtyard in front of his house.  Loud music, loud people.  I wondered if I should even allow the sisters to go in.  We went in the house; he immediately told the party goers to turn down the music and hold down the noise.  I relaxed.  After the lesson, I asked the sisters to schedule me in each week because I never wanted to miss an opportunity to meet with him. Something just clicked with us, and the gospel message resonated with him.  They taught him; I asked them to give me a small part of each lesson.  He was baptized on Saturday morning.

"See them dressed in white; see them for who they really are."

Each day, for all of us, is a gift.  May we gratefully recognize what we have been given.

Love and best wishes from...

The Castaways