Once again I have had some heart-rending experiences this last week. The first one was an older Hispanic man that needed help putting together a resume. He is 68 years old and still has to work to supplement the Social Security that he receives. He kept telling me that he couldn't believe that we did all this work to help people for free. While we were working on his resume, we started talking about his life. He told me that he had two sons but one was killed several years ago in an accident, and that he just couldn't get over it. He thinks about how much he misses his son every day, and that he is mad at God for taking him away from him. I asked him if he really felt that God purposely took his son, and after a few minutes he said no, but He could have prevented the accident from happening. We talked for quite some time about how all men have their agency to make choices and that God does not constantly control everything that we do.  He allows the natural processes of nature to occur. He does not purposely cause someone to get cancer, or die in an accident. I told him that God loves him and that he is a son of God. He told me that he hasn't been to any church for many years, and now he does not want to because of his anger toward God. After we spent almost 2 hours together, he said that he realizes that he should start going back to church but doesn't know how he would be able to on his own.  I told him that I would be happy to go to church with him so that he would not feel uncomfortable and alone. He said that he would think about it, and as he walked out he said that this wouldn't be the last time I saw him.  I know that I need to follow up with him to see how he is doing, and at least be his friend if nothing else.

The second person was desperate to get any kind of job. Before we started working on his resume, he told me up front that he had been in prison and had been out for about a year. I have had several other job seekers in the same situation and it is extremely difficult for them to get any kind of job, especially if the employer does a background check. He is trying his hardest to turn his life around and be a good person, be productive, and provide his own way. He has started going back to church and it has made a big difference in his life. We talked about applying to Deseret Industries and working there until a more permanent job could be obtained. Deseret Industries can train him on the forklift and give him a certification so he would be more likely to get a warehouse job driving forklift in the future. He registered for one on one help and I assigned him to me to be his advisor. I feel strongly that he is trying his hardest and just needs a chance to prove that he is honest and a hard worker. 

We have some very special people in our English class this time, just like last time. There are two middle-aged men that are friends, and you can tell they have very special spirits. They seem so humble, always have a smile on their face, and are always willing to help those around them. One of them is named Enio. He missed last Tuesday's class but he asked his friend, Carlos, to make sure that I new it was because he was required to take a refrigeration class at night. He was there on Thursday and told me again why he missed class. Both he and Carlos have a strong desire to learn English, and realize that they will be able to get higher paying jobs if they are bilingual. These men are from Venezuela, and there are 3 others in our class that are also from there. Those poor people have suffered so much, and only want the ability to have their families be safe, and to be able to provide for them.  I have so much respect for what they are doing to make sure that their families needs are met.  Carlos and his wife took in a young lady from Venezuela that arrived with nothing and had no place to go. She is also coming to the English class. Carlos told me that they had adopted her into their family and now consider her to be their daughter.

We are still teaching Abelardo and his friend English for 2 hours after Sacrament meeting each Sunday. Luis and Xiomara are also coming to church and are taking the missionary discussions. Xiomara is taking our English class over again since they started close to the middle of the class on the last series of lessons. So we get to see her at class besides every Sunday at church. The people in the Spanish speaking ward are very friendly and really make an effort to make these people feel welcome.

There is a little old lady that comes into Deseret every morning when they open at 9 am. She loves shopping there and can't wait to see what new things have been put out on display since the previous day. She drives an old Mercury Marquis which hasn't been manufactured for many years. I have never seen her drive yet, but if her driving is similar to her parking skills, I don't want to be on the road at the same time as her. Below is a picture to prove my point on her parking skills.

There is only 1 handicapped parking spot in that area, but if she parks closer to our office, there is two handicapped parking spots and she takes up both of them. This makes it hard for Sister Simpson since she is currently in a wheelchair and has been for about 3 months due to a knee surgery. We don't want to say anything to this sweet lady about her parking because we don't want to take the chance of offending her. If Deseret Industries lost her business, their sales would go down by 50%!

On a very sad note, one of my very best friends, Dr. Gene Boomer, passed away last week. He was 79 years old. We go back a long ways and used to travel to Mexico together every month when we lived in El Paso. We have known each other for over 35 years. Several years ago, we spent a week together working on dairies in Ecuador. It was a very special experience for us to be able to spend this time together. I will surely miss him. There will be a celebration of life for him in Kansas City on November 2nd, and we are planning on attending if at all possible. My life was blessed by having him as my friend.

We had two days of cool weather this past week with the highs in the mid 70's. It really felt good. However, it is back up to 90 today so the party is over. Houston is actually in a drought at this point, and we haven't really had any rain that amounted to anything since the first week of September. I am sure that we will enjoy the warmer winter. That is the blessing we get for having such a hot and humid summer.