4th of July Celebration

Thought you might like to see a few pictures of our 4th of July celebration. We were on the committee who planned and carried out the whole shindig and it really was quite a good party! Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Brots, potato salad, drinks, etc.

One of the senior couples told us they thought it was just like a good old back home 4th! And it made them very homesick!

The best part of the whole thing was the childrens parade which helped open the whole thing. Sister Caldwell was in charge of that and the kids had a blast! Love the balloon hat.

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And the Marine color guard leading the way was a nice touch, too! We had the Marine band there playing for nearly all the party!! They had their Pop Rock Band and the Dixie Land Band there (bet most of you didn't even know the Marines had such groups, did ya'!). The whole orchestra was supposed to be there, too, but half of them got hold of some bad food the night before!

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A couple of our missionaries helped do some of the cooking. They did a great job!

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Oh, we can't forget the desert baking contest. This one took honors for the best looking. Didn't taste bad, either!

And the weather cooperated very well, too. upper 70's, low 80's maybe. And a few clouds to keep sunburns away!

It was a fun but very busy day.

Out With the Old, In With the New

We have a new Mission President!

On June 30th, we bid a fond farewell to President and Sister Andersen. Such changes are unavoidable, we know, but we will miss them.

They leave behind a great legacy of service and sacrifice. He was the right man, at the right time and in the right place. That can be said of all mission presidents -- including the new one.

We will have many cherished memories of their service here and of our opportunity to share some of it with them. They have touched many lives and will be missed.

The new mission president and his wife (President and Sister Mecham) arrived on June 29th. Yes, that time is a bit unusual, as far as we know. Most commonly changes in mission presidents takes place on July 1st.

We are thrilled to welcome the Mechams and have already witnessed the Spirit strengthen and mold them as they begin their service here. We already can see the wonderful leadership they will, in their turn, provide here.

We will only have two months to get to know them and work with them before it becomes our turn to leave. That brings an interesting mix of feelings.