I missed posting on the blog again last week. Just had too much to get done. We are really enjoying teaching in the English Connect program, as I mentioned earlier. We have about 30 students in total and there is a very wide spectrum in their ability to learn. Some of them didn't have much formal schooling when they were young, and others have college degrees. We even have one man that was a Professor of Literature in Columbia in our class. It has been very hard to try and design the lessons so that those that are having a difficult time can still learn and progress, and so that those who are very advanced don't get bored. As a result, I use the basic outline in the lesson manual we have, but I put power point presentations together in a way that I think will present the material the best for both ends of the spectrum. It takes me about 5 hours to put one lesson together that I am comfortable with to help all those that attend the class. I am convinced that it is much easier for an English speaker to learn Spanish than it is for a Spanish speaker to learn English. It is very rewarding to see these people progress in their ability to learn English. 

I was looking at the security camera feeds recently and noticed that some of the trees are blooming and the grass is so green. I hope that our well can produce enough water without getting plugged up with mineral this year. I also was looking at pictures on my phone from last summer and came across some pictures that Velyn and I had made for our mission:

I thought if I made the picture longer but the same width, it would make me look thinner, but it didn't work.

This last Saturday we were able to attend the baptism of Finn Recht who is the son of Velyn's niece, Carly. Carly is her sister Deana's daughter. Deana and her husband Paul are in town so we got to see them at the baptism and then have dinner afterwards at Carly's house. We took Bianca with us. I talked about her in a previous blog. She needed some family time and enjoyed being able to attend the baptism and the nice meal afterwards. We went to Carly's ward on Sunday and got to spend more time with Paul and Deana. Carly also invited back in the afternoon for a Mother's Day dinner. It's really nice to spend time with some of your family when you are away from home like we are.

We enjoyed being able to visit with Adam and his family on a Facetime chat for Mother's Day. We also got to visit with Sarah, Joseph and Katie on Mother's Day. It was so nice to visit with family on such a special day.

May 7th was Velyn's 39th birthday. We worked all day at the Employment Center and then taught two classes at English Connect. I went out and bought some cupcakes to share with the other missionaries at the Employment Center. They were extremely tasty. Velyn told me to not spend any money on her for her birthday, so I didn't get her a present. I thought the cupcakes would be a nice surprise, and it certainly will be when she see's the bill! I probably could have bought 4 big cakes for what 2 dozen cupcakes cost! Anyway, they were delicious and everyone enjoyed them.  Unfortunately, I was forced to bring over a dozen of them home with us, and I had to make a huge sacrifice and eat half of them over the past week.

Kelsey sent some beautiful flowers to Velyn on her birthday so we had to have them delivered to the apartment offices since we were at English Connect. They were happy to enjoy them for a day before we could pick them up. Sarah sent some beautiful pick roses from Colombia. They were somehow preserved by freeze-drying or some other process. They look and feel like fresh roses, but don't need to be watered 

I worked with a man that was a project manager at the same company for 18 years. His manager got fired and he got caught in the cross fire and lost his job as well. He has never had a need for a resume before, and now it is a necessity. At the same time this happened, his wife had their second child and had major complications. She ended up back in the hospital for 1-2 days per week for 4 weeks after their baby was born. So, he lost his insurance coverage when he was fired, along with no income. This poor family is really struggling to make ends meet. 

It has been very rewarding being able to help these people that so desperately need to find a job, and be able to provide them some hope. It is also heart-wrenching to see the difficult circumstances that so many people are in to no fault of their own. We have recently lost some close friends, found out that one of our good friends from El Paso has serious cancer and also his daughter that has 4 children. Another has developed dementia. No matter how bad a person feels, or how difficult they think life is for them, it is not hard to find people that have much more serious trials but at the same time maintain a positive attitude about life. Every one faces their own trials in life, but they can receive the help and strength they need to make it through those trials from the Savior if they but ask. I can feel the Savior's love and am blessed to receive the strength to endure the health issues I have, even though they are quite insignificant compared to many others that I know. We really appreciate all of the love and support that we have received from family and friends. It is so nice to receive a phone call, an email, a text, or even an old-fashioned card or letter from loved ones. (hint, hint)