Raindrops keep falling on my head (Deja vu)

     One thing Ann cannot abide is water dripping at night…she can’t sleep.  Years ago in a small “cheap” hotel in Paris water began dripping from the roof in the middle of the night.  Unfortunately it was sewage from the upper floor and our bed was underneath.  Friday night we heard dripping water again.  “Oh no!” was our first thought.  Sure enough, a steady dribble was coming from the roof right onto the foot of our bed.  This time, however, it was water from the air conditioning system.  Improvement?  We think so!  But we spent the night trying to sleep with our feet pulled up to avoid the wet bottom.  The room was way too small to move the bed and that floor has been slated for renovation this coming month.  They may have to start early there!

     Saturday morning we moved with the help of the Kleins into Alema Court, our permanent residence for our stay in Africa.  This apartment has been newly renovated with new paint, appliances, extermination of pests and sooooo clean!  We were delighted with it.  It is on the second floor so we will even get some exercise, despite our best efforts to avoid it. 

     There are 8 missionary couples in this apt. complex and we were invited for dinner on Saturday evening to the Warner’s home.  Terry and Susan are from Utah and he used to teach at BYU.  She used to serve on the Primary General Board.  The Africa she used to visit then is much different from the one where we live now.  We had quite a discussion on letting church leaders meet with the “common” member and not just those that are well to do. 

     Sunday we attended the Medina ward which has a lovely chapel, but just open windows and fans.  That makes for warm meetings!  We were so impressed that despite their circumstances, these sweet members show up on Sunday to church dressed in their finest clothes.  It ranges from a white and lavender tuxedo on the person conducting, to pants and t-shirts…all clean and pressed.  John mentioned that when they sing it is just one part, but loud and enthusiastic and sounds much like the timbre of the voices in the movie, “The Mission” that we like.  We noticed that when the young men serve the sacrament they stand with their left hand behind them at attention like the military parade rest.

     We had the opportunity to participate in two blessings today one for Laura Nyaabire who will go into surgery tomorrow to have a growth removed from her face.  She was a street child befriended by a Senior Missionary couple, reunited with her family, started school, and now has an appointment with a prominent maxilo-facial surgeon to try to make her look more normal so she can have a future.  The second was Milly, a young lady from Pocatello, Idaho who was here visiting her husband.  He is from Nigeria and they have been married for 18 mos.  She is trying to get a visa for him to the US.  She fell and hurt her knee and was in a lot of pain.

     Tonight we had dinner with Elder and Sister Taylor.  They are both lawyers and are here working in the legal department.  This next week they are hosting a big international conference for lawyers around the world on International Law and Religious Freedom.  We also met a young man, Paul Semeh, who started an organization to help street children to get them off the streets and back in school and then employed.  He is definitely fighting an uphill battle.  There are amazing things going on here in Africa and we are delighted to be a part of it.  Tomorrow we get to work!