Happy Birthday, America!

We love the 4^th of July.  We are very grateful to live in this country. 

The morning of the 4^th, we went to one of the zone conferences to meet the new Mission President and his family.  They happened to park at the same time we did so we walked in together and chatted a bit.  What a wonderful family!  President Schmitt is 41 years old and is an attorney.  His wife is a doctor.  They have 4 children, ages 6 ¾ (we were told not to forget the ¾) to 15.  Each member of the family gave a talk.  Clayton, the youngest, was barely tall enough to see over the pulpit.  We could only see his forehead.  They all were terrific.  We don’t usually go to zone meetings and we really enjoyed it.

The other day one of the zones played basketball with the President and his oldest son.  Two district leaders came in to the Battalion that evening and I asked them about it.  They said the President was a very good player.  I asked if anyone fouled him.  One of the Elders told me he was on the President’s team and he was pretty sure he fouled him.  Oops.

Our Director said we should have a barbecue on the 4^th.  No arguments from anyone.  The Battalion was still open, but the Sisters not on shift were done for the day at 7, so everyone met at the Battalion then.  Craig was in charge of the grill.  He is an expert griller so that worked out for the best.  The Sisters were so happy they got to wear pants!  The senior couples brought the food.  Hamburgers and hot dogs with all of the fixings, chips, three kinds of summer salads, several different desserts, and homemade lemonade. What’s not to like?  The Sisters on shift took turns so they could all come back and eat.

We laughed, ate, took lots of pictures and about 8:30 we cleaned up and then headed up on the roof of the Battalion to watch fireworks all across the city.  One of the Sisters who went home in May came by with her family and they joined us up on the roof.  We could see 5 different shows!  Three of them were synchronized.  The Sisters had the best time up there.  The fireworks lasted a good long time.  When it was over, we all climbed down and said goodnight. 

Sister Brown and Sister Bermudez waiting for our Cali Burritos

Evidently, someone invented California Burritos.  They have carne asada (sometimes they have chicken), cheese, pico de gallo and French fries in them.  And you can also order them with guacamole.  Definitely do that.  I have lived in California almost my whole life and just heard of them sometime in the last year or so.  The Sisters were shocked that we had never had them.  Sister Bermudez and Sister Brown wanted to be there for our first California Burrito experience, so we made plans to go on their P day.  They told us the best place to get them and we picked them up because now we know Sisters like to ride in cars besides the mission cars.  You know, California Burritos are good!  We were a little skeptical, but were pleasantly surprised.  It is best to get a little of everything in one bite.  Craig and I shared one and it was plenty.

Summer means busier times at the Battalion.  We are having high numbers every day.  The school tours finished up on Monday, but we still get some year round schools coming in.  We do get lots and lots of family reunions.  Craig spends a fair amount of time managing the parking lot.  We are tired when our shift is over.  It keeps us out of mischief.

Sister Recinos holding an iguana (I think). 

Today we spotlight delightful Sister Recinos from Rhode Island.  She attends BYU-I majoring in Biology.  She has the best smile ever and a laugh to match.  She is wonderful with people when they come in to the Battalion.  She is patient, cheerful and smart. What a great combination!