We returned to the India Visa place and we were granted our visa to go to India.  We will be leaving for India on March 7th and returning on the evening of March 9th.
The big event this week was getting to met our mission president and his wife. They are Randy and Andrea Funk.  They are from Colorado.  They came to visit with us on Saturday, March 26th.  We had a great visit and I prepared lunch for all of us.  After lunch Ajith, a van driver, came and took us to Negombo.  Negombo's new church is complete and they were holding an open house.  The members did a wonderful job of sharing their church with the people of the community.  The auxiliary leaders furnished a display for their organization that showed what they do.  They also had ward members answering any questions.  Elder Meyers and I were asked to be in charge of the material table.  We had lots of books, pictures, fliers, and handouts for the visitors.  Many less actives came and lots of the community supported the open house.  At the end of the tour the people were treated to cake and punch. At 7 pm there was a program.  President Anton told about the Church history of Sri Lanka and President Royce shared the history of the Negombo Branch.  It was very interesting for us to hear many of the facts. The Primary Children sang "The Chapel Doors" and the Branch Choir shared "Love is Spoken Here".  These people are so remarkable and humble.  The Lord has truly blessed them with this beautiful building. President Funk gave the Dedicatory Prayer.  The Spirit was so strong!  I once again had my testimony strengthened as that prayer was given. We left Negombo with Ajith and the Funks.  Ajith dropped the Funks off at their hotel, The Colombo Hilton, and then brought us home.  It was a terrific day! 
Today was Sunday.  We went to Church as usual.  While I was visiting with the sisters in the hallway before church, President Kolitha asked me if he could visit with me.  I asked him if I was in trouble.  He just laughed.  We went to his office and he asked me to be the 2nd Counselor in the Primary.  He said they also want me to help the children learn the new songs for their Sacrament Presentation.  I asked if he had talked to my husband.  He said he had.  When I went out in the hall I told Elder Meyers and he said he didn't know anything about it. President Kolitha did talk to him before I was sustained in Sacrament Meeting.  I'm excited about the call! I love Primary!! This just means that Elder Meyers will get to teach the Temple Prep Class during Sunday School by himself.

The Church is true!  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do live.  They love each of us and want us to be happy.  They know us by name and desire that we come unto then and we will be happy!!!!

New Negombo Chapel



Assembly meeting room

 

Primary room




Young Women's room





Sri Lankan cutie



Sister Ann, Pres Anton, Bro Kumarasamy, Pres Funk and Sister Funk



This week we had to stay in a lot because we didn't have a current visa.  Our visa expired on February 11th and we weren't able to get a new one until February 17th.  We went only to places that we had to go.  President Anton left town and went to Singapore.  He came by our apartment and said, "If you get arrested call Ann and she will get you out of jail."  He laughed but I didn't think it was too funny.  Staying in gave me some time to experiment with my cooking.  I made flour tortillas, homemade bread, chocolate crinkle cookies and taco soup. When President Anton got back in town he brought over our passports with the new visa.  He was so excited.  He thought that we would be granted a one year English teaching visa but we were granted a one year visa for religious workers for the Church of Jesus Christ.  He said that was a great step up for the Church in Sri Lanka.  We felt we were free at last!!
We have been invite to attend Zone Conference in Bangalore on March 7th.  On Friday we went to the India Visa place and applied for an India visa.  Michael went with us to apply for his too.  He will be flying to India with us.  President Funk will set him apart for his mission then Michael will fly on to New Zealand to the MTC.
We go back this Friday to see if the visa to India will be granted.
I had made a large pot of Taco Soup for lunch today.  We thought that Fluckigers were coming for lunch.  They decided to go home early and so we were left with a big pot of soup.  We invited Sandi and her two kids, Garrett and Riley over for lunch after church.  Nishan, Sandi's husband, came and ate later when he finished counting the tithing.  We had a good time together.  The kids made us feel right at home.  They reminded us of our wonderful grand kids.
This evening we attended a charity dinner for the Humpty Dumpty Charities.  They invited three Buddhist Venerables and several from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  These two groups were invited because they help sponsor the charity in this area.  Several of the representatives from the United States were here touring the area, looking at their past projects and overseeing a new medical project to vaccinate workers and children in the highlands.  They gave us a tour of a realistic Sri Lankan village and explained what life is like in these villages.  Then we were treated to an authentic Sri Lankan buffet.  The chef guaranteed it wasn't spicy hot.  He answered all our questions about the food.  Most of it was good!  It was a wonderful evening and we learned much.

Guide explaining rice storage



Village home



Village pond with 5 flowers

      

Chef with our buffet



We were thrilled to hear that our friends, Nancy and Larry DeGrange, have received their mission call to the Philippines.  We actually called them and visited with them for a few moments.  They were really excited and we are excited for them.
Last Sunday, February 6th, was Fast Sunday.  On Fast Sunday all the Young Single Adults from Negombo and Colombo meet for a special meeting.  We meet one month in Negombo and the next month in Colombo.  We meet in Colombo this month.  We were in charge of arranging the meal and a speaker.  Sina and Nathan Jones, a couple from the United States, offered the use of their home and their cook prepared the food.  I have never seen a pot of rice so big!!  It was the size of a canning pot.  I think all of it was eaten. 

Sandi & Riley

After the meal Sister Sandi gave a fifteen minute talk on prayer and fasting.  She was very nervous about doing this but she did a great job!  She ended her talk by sharing an experience that happened a few months after her marriage.  She and her husband wanted a child but Sandi was having some medical problems so she went to the doctor.  The doctor told her that he thought that she would never be able to have a child.  Sandi and her husband went home and prayed and got a blessing.  A few weeks later they returned to the doctor.  He repeated that he didn't think that she would be able to have a child.  He also scheduled surgery.  Sandi returned home and told her husband what the doctor had said.  They decided to fast and pray.  When she returned to the doctor he told her that they would need to do some blood work before the surgery could be performed.  When they tested her blood they discovered that she was going to have a baby.  Sandi tearfully expressed her gratitude for the great blessing that she and her husband had received through prayer and fasting.  Of course their was not a dry eye in the group when it was over.  The Spirit was very strong.  It's things like this that make it worth while to be here serving a mission.
Tuesday  and Wednesday were English Classes.  We had eight new people show up.  One lady brought her two children and she decided to stay and join  with them.  She was trying so hard to do what we asked of her.  I finally discovered that she was unable to read.  I was so glad that I had worked with children that struggled to read.  It made me aware of her situation and I was able to make her feel comfortable.
We also had our first experience with the Post Office.  We went to mail a card to one of the kids.  When we went in, there were about ten people leaning on the counter.  We assumed they were all together so we just stood back and formed a line.  In a few moments an elderly gentleman who had been at the counter finished his business and came over to us.  He asked, "Are you from England?"  We replied, "No, we are from the United States."  He said, "Push you way in or you will never get waited on."  So we pushed in and got the task completed.  The same thing happened when we went to the bank to sign our signature cards.
Niwantha Michael Seneviratne finally got his visa to enter the MTC in New Zealand.  He will enter on March 10th.  He was suppose to enter the 27th of January but his visa did not return in time.  Michael is so excited and we are excited for him.  He has only been a member for a little over a year.
We have included some pictures from our roof top, if you look closely to the west between the buildings you can see the ocean.  Hope you enjoy!



South



West

 


 

Northwest



North

 


 

We are finally getting into a routine.  We are able to get around the city a little more and actually know where we are.  We spent a few hours this week paying our rent, cell phone bill and finding our way to the various banks so that we could cash a check to pay for our one year visa.  President Anton had us fill out our paper work for our Multiple Entry Resident Visas to teach English.  He then took our passports, papers and money. He took everything to the people who will process the visas.  We hope all goes well so we can continue to stay here in Sri Lanka and do what we have been called to do. 
Anura is our favorite tri-shaw driver.  Here in Sri Lanka they call tri-shaws, tuk tuks or taxis.  Anura is the branch clerk.  He is a quiet

Our favorite Tri-shaw driver

gentle man.  When we went to the bank to cash a large check, Elder Meyers put the money in my backpack.  I laughing told Anura that he was my bodyguard.  He said, "Take that backpack and put it in front of you."
When we went to Church on Sunday, a member of the Branch came up to us and introduced us to his friend.  He said, "My friend wants to get baptized."  We were shocked.  We looked at each other and I said, "I think we might be able to help you with that."  As we talked to the young man that wanted to be baptized we realized that he didn't speak much English.  We told them that we would talk to the Branch Mission Leader and get something arranged.  When we went to look of the mission leader he wasn't at church.  That will give us something to work on tomorrow.
After church there were two eight year olds that were baptized.  Their names are Shamitha and Haran.  I was asked to play the piano for the services and Elder Meyers was a witness.  These people are so humble and loving.  After the baptisms we were all treated to some Sri Lankan cake.
The big happening of the week was holding our first English Class.  It was awesome!  We only had five people attend but everyone seemed to really enjoy the class and we felt good about our teaching.  A couple of the businessmen asked if we could meet on another day so we will have a class on Tuesday and also one on Wednesday starting this coming week.
Here in Sri Lanka they have at least twenty five holidays.  When it is a holiday, everything closes down.  We are told as foreigners to stay in our apartment.  On Friday it was their Independence Day. So we had a long day filled with things that we needed to do right here in our apartment.   

We are finally feeling like we are settling into life here in Sri Lanka.  We get up around 6:30 am most mornings and walk up six flights of stairs and then take a half hour walk on the roof of our apartment building.  There are usually a couple of other people up on the roof walking or exercising at that time of morning.  If you don't do it early it gets too hot to do it later. 

Negombo Chapel


Last Sunday, January 23rd, we went to the branch in Negombo.  It was very interesting to us.  They would make the announcements in English then translate them into Sinhala. Some speakers spoke in English and some in Sinhala.  Needless to say our gift of tongues did not work for us.  During Primary I was asked to help with the singing.  Singing is good because they all sing in English.  The kids are just like at home, very active and full of life. Sister Fluckiger taught the lesson in Relief Society in English and another sister translated it into Sinhala. After church was over we went to the Fluckiger's apartment and had lunch with them.  It was nice to talk to someone that we could actually understand and they could understand us.  I'm glad that we will be doing most of our work here in Colombo where all the meetings are held completely in English. 

Elder Meyers and I have helped a couple of missionaries that have received their call. Brother Michael is going to New Zealand. We worked with him in "Preach My Gospel" on Wednesday afternoon.  On Friday evening we started Missionary Preparation Lessons for Vino who has been called to the California Santa Rosa Mission.  He is the first one from Sri Lanka to be called to the United States in fourteen years.  Vino is very excited.  He is scheduled to enter the MTC in Provo in May.  It will be our job to help get his visa and prepare him with the Missionary Preparation Lessons and the Temple Preparation Lessons.

We also got our first hair cuts here in Sri Lanka.  Sister Ann came over and cut my hair and also Elder Meyers' hair.  She did my eyebrows with something she called threading.  She used regular sewing thread and wrapped it around her fingers and rubbed it back and forth.  When she was done, around my eyebrows was nice and smooth.  The only place that hurt was above my lips.  It was something I had never seen or heard of before.  It was nice to have her come to our apartment.  She didn't want to charge us but we insisted that she take what we would pay our people at home.  She seemed happy when she left and we told her we would have her over to cut our hair again in the next five weeks.

Our English classes are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.  We have some materials to work from.  We are a little nervous because we have to be so careful what we say.  We can't say anything about the church or have prayer.  I guess one of the men that attended last session was a monk. He would try to get them to talk church and that is against the rules.  If they want to talk church they are suppose to be invited to come for a different class.

Today we were in charge of a Young Single Adult Activity.  There were around twenty five people who said they would be there so we had Sister Ann order rice packets for thirty.  We only had twelve show up all together.  Sister Ann ordered five wimpy rice packets for the Americans.  Those weren't spicy like the other ones.  They were actually pretty good for $1.70.  They were so big that Elder Meyers and I only ate half of ours.  We played games, sang songs, 

YSA Activity

had a spiritual thought and then ate.  We were disappointed that more didn't show up but those that were there seemed to enjoy being together.

 

My Dad did pass away shortly after I made the last entry in our blog.  Shortly before he died I called and my Mom told Dad that it was me.  She put the phone up to his ear and I said my good-byes and told him that I loved him.  I told him to find Asher and give him a hug and kiss from us.  Of course he couldn't respond but Mom said when she took the phone away he looked at her and blinked as if he understood.  I felt that was one of God's tender mercies that he was allowing me to feel.  The three kids went back and everything worked out like clock work.  I am grateful that they were able to go home and be with my Mom and brothers.

Colombo Chapel



We went to church in Colombo on Sunday.  Elder and Sister Fluckiger from Negombo came up and attended the Branch Council with us.  They were representing the District and had been assigned to speak in Colombo.  Their Branch Council was very organized and people were very talkative.  Elder Meyers and I were asked to share our testimony in Sacrament Meeting.  I was pretty emotional since it had only been a few hours since I knew that my Dad had died.  There were about 80 people in attendance.  They were very friendly and always gave me their Sri Lankan welcome.  That is touch right cheeks and then left cheeks. That's how they say welcome and good-bye.  After Sacrament Sister Primali, a sister that is in the Primary Presidency, asked me to help with Sharing Time.  She gave me a piece of paper that had some ideas on it and I quickly prepared something.  The hardest part was finding the supplies that I needed for the activity.  I found the janitorial closet and found a blindfold, a broom handle(to use as my iron rod) and a picture of the Savior.  It all worked out great!  After I finished my 20 minute Sharing Time, Sister Primali asked me to do about 20 minutes worth of singing.  So I did.  I guess that's what you call a minute woman.  After church the Fluckigers walked home with us and had lunch. 

One morning we went into the kitchen to begin breakfast and to our surprise something runs up the wall. 

Scary


 Elder Meyers and I both jump back to see, what in the heck is happening.  We discovered that we had ourselves a little pet chameleon.  We named him Scary because he sure scared us!
We held our first Seminary and Institute Class today.  So few students come that we hold the classes together and teach from the

Three young men in our first seminary


Seminary Program.  We had four students attend today.  Two seminary students and two institute age students.  We wished more were in attendance but we felt good about how it went. 
Life is interesting here. I miss not being able to jump in my car and go where I want to go.  Even if I had a car here I definitely wouldn't be driving it. I discovered okra at the vegetable market.  I was so excited about that! Many of you probably don't know what that is but the people of South Carolina will know what I am talking about.  The Sri Lankans call it Lady Fingers.  It was sure good fried up.  Elder Meyers even ate some. We also discovered where to get peanut butter.



We're finally in Sri Lanka!!!

We left the MTC on Monday, January 10th.  We went to Salt Lake Airport on a bus with several other Elders and Sisters. We all went our separate ways.  We landed in San Francisco and had to take the air train to our next terminal.  That was interesting trying to figure out where we needed to go.  Thank goodness we had a three hour lay over to figure things out.  We got out of San Francisco around 4:30 pm their time.  The next part of the flight was interesting.  There were about 500 people on this huge plane.

Plane to Dubai

We had around 11 infants aboard and 30 other children between the ages of 2 and 10.  The flight to Dubai was around 16 hours.  We were so glad to hear the announcement that the plane would be landing in Dubai shortly.  We got a little sleep during the night, but it seemed some infant was always crying.  When we got to Dubai, we had a 7 hour lay over there.  The terminal was beautiful.  

Dubai Terminal

It was so clean.  There was an attendant in each rest room.  The attendant was constantly cleaning up after people.  Our last plane took us to Colombo.  When we landed we had to go through immigration.  Then pick up our luggage which seemed to take forever!  As we walked out of the terminal we were ever so happy to see two white faces smiling back at us and they actually had name tags on from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  That was Elder and Sister Fluckiger.  They walked us to the curb and introduced us to President Anton and his wife, Sister Ann.  They had their two nieces with them, Cody and Milly.  It was great!  A van soon arrived at the curb and we quickly loaded in our suitcases.  We were so excited to go to our apartment so we could get some rest.  To our surprise we were going to go to a wedding reception. We stopped by Fluckigers apartment in Negombo and freshen up a bit.  We were so sleepy we weren't sure where we were.  After about a half and hour we headed to the reception.  The people here in Sri Lanka call it a Home Coming.

Bride and Groom

The couple had been married the day before at the chapel.  We waited for the bride and groom to arrive.  It was suppose to start at 11:30 but it was after noon before they arrived.  I guess time isn't too important to the people around here.  We did get to meet and visit with several members of the church.  They treated us like royalty.  Many of them were

Sri Lanka saris

dressed in their saris.  They were beautiful and very colorful.  The bride wasn't dressed in her wedding gown but she was dressed in a red sari.  I am told the bride always wears red at her Home Coming.  We finally arrived at our apartment around 5:30 pm.  President Anton had to go to work.  He is a doctor. Sister Ann got a trishaw and took us shopping.  She was very helpful.  We got just enough to get us by for a couple of days.  At last we are in our apartment alone.  We are exhausted!!! At 7:30 pm we collapse on our bed and fall asleep.  We wake up around 2 am and get up and unpack our suitcases and organize a few things and climb back in bed.  We woke up at 7 am and got going.  We felt a lot better after a little sleep.

The next day President Anton came over and answered many of our questions.  We still aren't sure exactly what we are doing but President Anton says he will go over things in detail with us next week.  President Anton is the District President. 

We also have a CES Director.  That is Patrick Cheuk.  He is in Hong Kong.  We skyped with him and he also said he would get back with us next week.

President Funk is our Mission President.  We haven't heard from him yet.  He is traveling this week so he will probably get in touch with us next week too.

Our apartment is great!  We have a large living room with a balcony off of it.  The balcony has two picnic tables and chairs.  We had breakfast out there yesterday.  We also have a dining room, small kitchen, laundry work, cleaning room, office, two bedrooms, the master bedroom has a balcony off it.  There are drying racks on this balcony.  We have a small washer but no dryer so we hang our clothes on drying racks on the balcony.  We have 2 and 1/2 bathes. The apartment building is a 7 story building.  We live on the first floor but there is a garage underneath us.  There is a gym upstairs a on the 7th floor and patio the length of the building.  We go up there most evenings and walk around.  No one is allowed up to our apartment unless the downstairs attendant calls and ask us if it is OK.

The country is nice and green.  It has lots of trees and shrubbery. The scariest thing is the driving.  They have a 3 lane road and you look up and they are making it a 5 lane road.  Motorcycles are dodging in and out.  Elder Meyers and I hold on for dear life.

We have ventured out a couple of times by ourselves.  This morning we walked a few blocks and discovered a fruit and vegetable open air market.  We were grateful to find that.  We purchased some fruits and vegetables.  Now we feel we might actually be able to survive.

We were without computer access for a few days.  We were so happy when we were able to Skype our family and hear their voices and see their faces.  We were informed that my Dad was near death.  The doctor expects him to go in the next few days.  He hasn't eaten or taken a drink since Monday.  My heart aches that I'm not there but I know I am where I need to be.  When he passes away three of our children, Jason, Mandy and Parker are planning on attending the funeral services in South Carolina.  I was suppose to do the Eulogy but our daughter, Mandy, has agreed to do that.  I wrote it and now she will deliver it.  Scott was suppose to dedicate the grave but our son, Jason will dedicate the grave. We are grateful that these children are able to attend the service and represent my side of the family. 

The Church is true!  Hurray for Israel!!