November 21, 2010 " Catch up and a Little of This and That"

The last two weeks have been pretty full.  Our wonderful Sister Hatch turned 80 last week and Brother Hatch took everyone out to eat for her birthday.  Everyone means a lot of people; all the senior missionaries, mission, temple, and ccm presidents, plus quite a few others.  He had asked me to get a musical number ready to sing to her. I had to first find some stories about her from her kids.  She is so fun.  I wish you could all know both of them.  They are amazing people to know.  They were childhood sweethearts and joined the church early in their marriage.  I suspect they worked really hard and made quite a good living, and then served whenever and wherever they were called.  They have done a lot of things, mission president, L.A. temple president, etc. and then he just wanted to go on a regular mission without a title.  So they came here.  He just turned 82 and now she is 80.  So first, we sang, Daisy, Daisy . . . then Paul made up words to the song Trailer for Sale or Rent that told some funny stories about her.  It was great but he said his career as a songwriter is over.  The fun part was the big surprise.  She thought maybe one or two of her children would surprise her and then she was really disappointed because the time for the arrival of the early morning plane came and went and no children (the plane was late) So at 8 o'clock the senior missionaries were lined up at her door ( I had made orange rolls at 4 o'clock that morning) and as we sang happy birthday to her, one by one her children came filing down the stairs into the group of missionaries.  It was so fun to be part of that surprise.  

So along with our clinic work, we worked on that and had practices in the evening.  We also had  Zone conference for Senior Missionaries and I "got" to play the piano because I am such an amazing pianist so I spent all the rest of my spare time practicing for that and for the primary sacrament program and another song I was supposed to teach the young men. When you really don't play the piano, it takes a lot of hours to learn a song.   Paul rushed home from work and picked me up just as I got home from Spanish class on Thursday to teach the song to the young men ---guess what?  They weren't there and had already gone to camp.  However, we ran into the Primary President who informed me that the bishop had moved the primary program forward to this Sunday and would I come and practice with them on Friday afternoon and would I play for the program since Sister Johnson wouldn't be back in town.  After Paul picked me up off the ground, I said yes, of course. 

 The next morning, I gave my pumpkin presentation in spanish class.  Thanks to Brian and Paul it was a success.

 

 Brian made me a monster mash video and put all our old pumpkin party pictures and some of  Blaylocks, Widdisons, Atlanta Fillmores and Las Vegas Fillmores.  I played it before and after my presentation with the music and  without music while I talked in spanish and cut the pumpkin.

  I spent the rest of the week-end practicing and cleaning and cooking for company.  This morning we had the sacrament program and let's just say, it went--not well but it is over.  There were 7 songs and I did okay on 5 of them.
So, what have I learned:  There will always be challenges wherever you are and you can say no, I don't know how, or I can't do it, or you can grow.  The growing has definitely been uncomfortable but a little exciting and a little fun also.  I have to say, I won't ever be needed to accompany anyone when I get home but I can certainly play better than when I came to Guatemala.  Sometimes, I am all there is and someday you will be all there is.  Those of  you who plan on a mission  "SOMEDAY" . . .
Whatever, your talent, if you want to be more ready than I am, work on it now.  If you quilt a little, learn to do it and to teach it.  I never once learned how to do that from beginning to end so I am no help there.  If you do crafts, find something fun and useful to teach.  I don't do that either as my children and friends know well.  If  you have a little bit of language skill, brush up on it now.  If you play the piano, practice now.  You will undoubtedly be needed.  And someone out there--please do a simplified version of some of the more difficult primary song like "He Sent His Son, I'm trying to Be Like Jesus, the Baptism Song, etc."  I mean really simplified.  Take out some of those extra notes.  And don't tell me to just play the chords.  We non-musicians don't know how to play the chords; we don't even know what they are.  We are trying to teach keyboard to some of the young people here and they can't play those songs and they need to be able to play them to help the wards and branches here.
We did take out a little time Saturday for something fun: 

 

I know,

it's a little early

                                               The tree is a little smaller than usual!

 
Paul thinks his meals are suffering a  little!

But I think some days he is lucky to get a meal.  Don't You?