It's Darwin writing this time.
We have missed a lot of our friends in Great Falls, so yesterday we were glad to see Lola Tracy for a little while. She has been traveling in Idaho, Oregon and Utah. She was in Boise for a day and we had a wonderful visit late last night. She updated us on a lot of the folks in Great Falls. It's good to know that most of the people we care about are doing well.
Craig Michelsen, another of our dear friends is now the bishop in the Great Falls Fifth Ward. I'm sure he hit the ground running. The Fifth Ward is in good hands.
Vicki's aunt Alma is having a birthday party on May 3rd. She'll be 90. We'll go to the party if there's any way we can. It's the day after Ben's graduation, so the scheduling will be tight. Ben, Kirsten and Kate are in Phoenix. Alma is in Orovill, CA (near Sacramento). We should be able to make both events if we're not already in the mission.
We're continuing to have fun with the Spanish Group here in Kuna. Every Sunday I learn something new. I realize that right now it's a lot of work for me to speak Spanish. Some of the gringos in the group don't seem to have to work at all to speak the language. I'm hoping that after a few weeks in the mission it'll be more natural for me, too. Vicki and I really love the Hispanic members of the group. Vicki has an amazing ability to communicate with them, even though she doesn't really understand the language. She seems to be able to communicate on a spiritual and emotional level. The members love her.
We expect to get our call this week, but we don't know for sure. We are speculating that Vicki's interview last week was the last step before the paperwork went to the missionary committee where the final decision is made. We'll be checking the mail on Thursday. That's usually the day when the calls arrive...