4 July 2010 Sunday
May you all have a joyous Fourth of July! Although it will be just another day in St Lucia we will be well aware of what it means to us.
We now have air conditioning for the chapel. As branch President Nicholas has been out of the country all the responsibility of getting it installed and running has been placed in the hands of Elder Faux. The installation was included in the purchase price except for the brackets needed to support the units on the outside wall so he had to work with the church and the installer to arrange for this extra amount. Then came the electrical part. He had so much advice on what should be done and what not to do his head was swimming. While talking with the landlord (church building) he suggested, Keith, his handy man to do the electrical. In visiting with him about the job and relating the many do and don’ts received it was soon evident Keith knew what he was doing. Elder Faux is thankful to have found him as he did a great job. Another plus with the air conditioning is with the windows and door closed it is surprising how much the noise from highway in front is reduced. Sister Faux once again prepared a Preparation Day lunch for the elders since they would be here doing their e-mails. Her menu included chicken, corn, green salad, mashed potatoes and gravy (a big hit) and cake for dessert. It delights Sister Faux to see them enjoy their meal as much as they do. Later in the afternoon we received a call from senior missionary Elder Treseder, who is in Castries, telling us a member in their branch has a sister who has been hospitalized in St Jude’s, the local hospital, for nine days with a broken neck. At his request we told him we would pay her a visit. When we arrived at the hospital the receptionist was gone for the day so we enlisted the help of a security guard to find the nurses’ station. When we told them who we were there to visit they had no idea who we were talking about. They had no one by that name and especially not for nine days with a broken neck. We related this information to Elder Treseder and in his follow up he found out t it was a totally fabricated story. So it goes.
Sister Faux: Last week I talked about things I miss and my daughter Amy wrote and ask me what things I would miss from the mission field. I have been thinking about that some and do have a few things I will miss ---these things are not in order of importance but just as I have thought about them. Some things I will miss, some things I will NOT miss.
1. I will not miss being the oldest couple in the West Indies Mission. 2. I will miss our branch members of the church. I think of them as pioneers in this country. At times it is hard for them as other people do not understand the church. They are good people and we love them. 3. I will miss our branch president and wife. He is a good man and the members and investigators love him. 4. I will miss Brother Hippolyte and his family. I will miss seeing them grow and change in the church. Miss his jokes. 5. I will miss Jeanette and Davis Thomas. Jeanette is one of the favorite people in my world. 6. I will miss the William Family. Almost every Sunday night we have spent with them having family home evening. Evans is now the elder’s quorum president and Betherlie is the Relief Society president. It is fun to see them take their responsibilities seriously. We have learned many nice things about the islands from them. They are parents of Merlisa, Evanella and Swancy . They are the family that has been raising Boom-Boom-our very favorite little person. 7. I will miss all of our members and could write a story about each of them. 8. I will miss all of our elders. We have been blessed with so many good young men, all 19 of them. Some have come out saying they have never read a book in their life but now can repeat the scriptures and information that I could never remember. They are great young men. 9. I will NOT miss my clothes I brought with me. I can’t wait to leave them behind. 10. I will miss the ocean and the beautiful parts of the island. 11. I will miss the e-mails that I have received from so many people. If everyone saw how often I check for a new message they would write me every day. 12. I will miss the interesting ways the lessons are taught. 13. I will miss seeing how clean and perfectly pressed all the people are. Their clothes are the whitest I have ever seen. 14. I will miss our three room apartment as it is fairly nice and so much easier to keep clean than the 10 rooms in our house. 15. I will miss the hugs and kisses from our member/friends at church. 16. I will miss the few senior couples that we have met. We will miss the Treseders’ and the Collins’ that have lived on St Lucia. 17. I will miss the sunrise as it comes up in the southwest each day. I know that is wrong, but that is the way it seems to me. Will miss the gorgeous sunsets, especially those out at Betherlie and Evans home on the beach. 18. I will miss the many, many beautiful babies; this is a handsome race of people. 19. I will miss understanding some of the language—English with a different slant. 20. I will miss drying my clothes our on a clothes line. They smell so good. 21. I will miss the wonderful rain showers. 22. I will NOT miss the weather report – HOT_HOT_HOT. 23. I will miss seeing the homes built on top of the mountains. How do they get there? Walk? 24. I will miss Josephine at the outdoor Saturday morning market. A very fun and nice lady. 25. I will miss seeing people carrying large packages on top of their heads. 26. I will miss the lush green country sides. 27. I will miss seeing groups of people sitting along the road doing nothing. 28. I will miss the BLUE skies and the fluffy clouds. 29. I will NOT miss the cars passing on almost every curve on the road. 30. I will NOT miss seeing trucks packed with passengers in the back, standing up or sitting on the edge of the truck. 31 I will miss seeing the fruit and vegetable stands all along the roads. 32. I will miss the beautician I found in Castries. 33. I will miss driving through the rain forest, very pretty. 34. I will miss the nice green grass in our yard that has never been sprinkled except by rain. 35. I will Not miss seeing the old junky cars all along the roads…Waiting for the green grass on trees to grow and cover them up. 36. I will NOT miss the coconut water in coconuts—instant heartburn. 37. I will NOT miss breadfruit or macaroni and cheese.38. I will miss learning things about myself. I found I can do many things I had no idea I could do. I have learned that many simple things make people happy. I have sewed and repaired many things that I had no idea I could do. 39. I have learned that it is very easy to love people. 40. I have learned the beauty of black people. 41. I have missed our family very much. At home I talk to my daughters that live in Idaho and California almost every day. Families are most important and I love and am proud of each one. Proud of the kind of people that they are. They are all different from each other and their lives are different but they are all good kind people. I am proud to be their mother. 42. I have learned once again how blessed and lucky I am to have a good husband such as Elder Faux. He is a very gentle, kind man and is absolutely the very best thing that ever happened to me. He has served a wonderful mission and I feel very proud to be his companion. I know there are other things that I will miss but this is just a start. Have a nice week. Sister and Elder Faux