Our Branch visitors, sent to us twice monthly to break the monotony of just "us" for Sacrament Meeting, brought their 4 darling children aged 9 to 1 1/2 years with them to Church. The parents were the speakers and as mom stood up to speak I whisked the baby from her arms and took him outside where we had a great explore for 45 minutes and was as happy as could be dropping tiny pebbles down a watermain cover. I came in just in time to hear the testimony of the dad and play the closing hymn. Jack said that both of their talks were great and referred to Sister Smith's talk on "forgiveness" several times during his Gospel Doctrine lesson.

It was our Pot Luck luncheon after Church today and as unimaginative as tuna fish sandwiches are, those plus chocolate chip cookies were my contribution. The sandwiches were eaten by both young and old and no longer is my "self concept" damaged by gorumet dishes that aren't eaten. For months I made pilaf, which was a huge success, but cleaning up the rice mess on the floor created by the children got very old and I switched to sandwich quarters. We always have Pavlova and triffle amongst the desserts.

No more driving lessons for our Fillipino mother until she passses the written driving test. We set her a date for March 15 to be prepared for the test...

Our week has been eclipsed by the help that Helga has needed after returning home from the hospital to nurse her burns. Though she is provided a home nurse to bandage her hands 3 times daily plus domestic help I have been the back up and spent much time helping her. I have done everything from bathe her to do her laundry. It is really wonderful to be able to help her. She is determined to be as independent as is possible and she is doing very well. Everyday is an improvement.

I have avoided weather commentaries 'cause most of you are being clobbered by a wicked winter but we used our fireplace on Wednesday to battle the cold then three days later we couldn't sleep for the heat. Saturday night it was 92 in our house at 9:00 pm. Our wee island can't capture enough of any kind of weather to make it endure. We are very susceptible to a variety of weather in a single day. It makes it very interesting.

We love you and pray for you...
Love, Dixie and Jack

Though we are few in numbers our spirit is as great as that of General Conference with the Prophet and Apostles. Jack was the sole speaker (and because he was the only priesthood holder when Church began, he also said the opening prayer and adminstered the Sacrament). His talk preparations prompted him to speak on "keeping the Sabbath holy" and it was gentle and powerful. The entire world is suffering for the lack of obedience to God's commandments and in particular the holiness of the Sabbath. Amen. It was a great discourse...The grandmother from South Africa had a terrible accident and "cooked" 3 fingers on her left hand and burned the right hand with smoking oil from a pot, which she, in a panic to douse the flames, applied running water which caused it to explode on her hands. She went to 3 hospitals, remember Gore is tiny and had to eventually be flighted to Christchurch (7 hours north by car), but enroute to hospital #2, she stopped here for a priesthood blessing. With her hands wrapped in glad wrap (new burn treatment) and in a state of shock she exhibited great faith. I just spoke to her in the hospital and she said that she new she would heal after hearing the blessing. The surgeon has already told her that no surgery would be necessary. She is also programing her brain to help her heal. We are being blessed. She is an artist and needs her hands.Mary, my 12 year old Y.W., and I drove to Dunedin on Friday afternoon to join Y.W. in another branch in making gingerbread houses. We had more fun than we were allowed, ate too much candy and enjoyed every minute of it.Our plan was to stop at a second hand store afterwards but between the one way streets and the bay, we never made it to the right street in the 20 minutes we had so we headed home. A detour to a dirt road, caused by a car that was flipped while towing a trailer on the highway, created an exciting time as my car fish tailed at what I thought was a reasonable speed. At one point coming around a bend, heading downhill at a narrow point on the gravel road, with an open trench on my side and a car coming up I experienced a brief moment of panic as we fish tailed again but we were blessed to arrive home safely. We have had some vicious rain storms and the noise sounds like a freight train coming around the bend. Our corrugated roof really enhances the sound effects and I am sure exaggerates it but most storms sound serious and capable of raining for hours. I timed one of these fierce storms...4 seconds. Yup. It does rain hard and long but we have our share of 4 second storms...The Church is true and being obedient to the gospel principles blesses lives. Love each other and take care of everyone...Love, Sister Sloan
hasEML = false;


Jack's harvest of broccoli flower and chopping the stem with a hatchet.jpg

blue hydrangea at the neighbors house.jpg

happy making gingerbread houses.jpg

YW home builders.jpg

looks aren't everything.jpg

daliahs for church

Though we are few in numbers our spirit is as great as that of General Conference with the Prophet and Apostles. Jack was the sole speaker (and because he was the only priesthood holder when Church began, he also said the opening prayer and adminstered the Sacrament). His talk preparations prompted him to speak on "keeping the Sabbath holy" and it was gentle and powerful. The entire world is suffering for the lack of obedience to God's commandments and in particular the holiness of the Sabbath. Amen. It was a great discourse...The grandmother from South Africa had a terrible accident and "cooked" 3 fingers on her left hand and burned the right hand with smoking oil from a pot, which she, in a panic to douse the flames, applied running water which caused it to explode on her hands. She went to 3 hospitals, remember Gore is tiny and had to eventually be flighted to Christchurch (7 hours north by car), but enroute to hospital #2, she stopped here for a priesthood blessing. With her hands wrapped in glad wrap (new burn treatment) and in a state of shock she exhibited great faith. I just spoke to her in the hospital and she said that she new she would heal after hearing the blessing. The surgeon has already told her that no surgery would be necessary. She is also programing her brain to help her heal. We are being blessed. She is an artist and needs her hands.Mary, my 12 year old Y.W., and I drove to Dunedin on Friday afternoon to join Y.W. in another branch in making gingerbread houses. We had more fun than we were allowed, ate too much candy and enjoyed every minute of it.Our plan was to stop at a second hand store afterwards but between the one way streets and the bay, we never made it to the right street in the 20 minutes we had so we headed home. A detour to a dirt road, caused by a car that was flipped while towing a trailer on the highway, created an exciting time as my car fish tailed at what I thought was a reasonable speed. At one point coming around a bend, heading downhill at a narrow point on the gravel road, with an open trench on my side and a car coming up I experienced a brief moment of panic as we fish tailed again but we were blessed to arrive home safely. We have had some vicious rain storms and the noise sounds like a freight train coming around the bend. Our corrugated roof really enhances the sound effects and I am sure exaggerates it but most storms sound serious and capable of raining for hours. I timed one of these fierce storms...4 seconds. Yup. It does rain hard and long but we have our share of 4 second storms...The Church is true and being obedient to the gospel principles blesses lives. Love each other and take care of everyone...Love, Sister Sloan
hasEML = false;


Jack's harvest of broccoli flower and chopping the stem with a hatchet.jpg

blue hydrangea at the neighbors house.jpg

happy making gingerbread houses.jpg

YW home builders.jpg

looks aren't everything.jpg

daliahs for church from the neighbor.jpg

> Is a "9-ring" circus 3 times as busy as a 3-ring> circus? That is what it felt like during Church trying to> keep the grandchild of a member quiet with only paper and> pen which I provided. We did well, but it took everything I> could muster; then teaching the same grandchild and 2 non-> English speaking children a song during Primary; then moving> on to Gospel Doctrine with the same grandchild and paper and> pen, again. I think Church was really nice but I was tired.> > > We drove to Dunedin for a Zone Conference which turned out> to be just interviews... so we took advantage of the> situation and ate lunch at an Indian restaurant and invited> the owner to sit and visit with us. He was> "turbanned", had his grey beard wound in a knot> tucked under his chin and wearing several gold rings when he> shared with us a most interesting story. He is a Shek (?)> (very devout) and told us about a dream he had one night of> Jesus Christ. Prior to the dream occuring he had been to the> doctor for a weeping sore on his back that would not heal. > His wife dressed it daily but for months it persisted with> oozing pus and no improvement. The doctors were unable to> help him with it. In the dream, Jesus asked him 3 times if> there was anything to be done for him. Finally the 3rd time> he replied "only because you keep asking, yes, I have a> persistent wound that won't heal on my back." > Christ placed his hand on his back and he was healed. In> the> morning it was healthy flesh on his back where the> infection had been. True story. We asked if was a Christian> yet...and he said "No," so this is to be> continued...> > Now that we had been filled spiritually we went for> something wild and crazy. We knew that in a wee town> outside of Dunedin there was a dairy (think 7-Eleven) that> sold really great ice cream with hot chocolate sauce (hot> fudge sundae.) We knew because one of the families who> travels to Dunedin from Invercargill to District Conference> twice yearly, stops there with their children to top them> off before arriving on Saturday for the conference sessions.> With the bit of information we had we scoped out the town> of Milton and discovered only two dairies. I had a> delicious but small soft vanilla cone and Jack had an> expensive chocolate cone. Indications were that we were in> the wrong dairy so at the other end of town, 6 doors down> and even on the same side of the street, was the> "Granny's in Heber City" dairy. Well, yours> truly had, for the first time in her life a second cone on> the same day; not only that, it was within 10 minutes of> finishing the> first one. But it was worth it. The cones were 1/4 the> price and 4 times the the ice cream...that makes it a 16> times better deal. Each scoop was the size of two fists> together...Jack had a double and I had a single. Jack says> he learned from me to not wad his napkins but instead to use> one side at a time but the mess he made of himself, his> mouth and hands was no evidence that he had actually learned> how to use a napkin, except in a wad. We laughed and had a> good time. > > One of my service projects is teaching a Filippino how to> rive...Factoring in her poor English skills, zero> understanding of turning, steering, or going straight> coupled with the only car she has ridden is with her husband> who learned to drive with only one lesson and is a hazzard> on the road, it is a miracle we didn't crash. However,> at 3 miles/hour we are always okay. MOre than once we were> heading for a ditch, tree, lampost and she continued> straight for it, sometimes steering in to it. Maybe it is> poor teaching on my part. I will visit that possibility> next time... I had no concept of how much is absorbed by> just riding in a car for 16 years before learning to drive. > > Yesterday in the middle of a cold and gray rain storm we> received a bit of sunlight from our Bountiful Ward. Some of> my darling Primary children had spent time learning of> serving others, like King Benjamin taught in the Book of> Mormon, and had written and drawn things for us. It> brightened everything significantly. Thank you for learning> of service and making us feel so appreciated, missed and> loved. Your thoughts warmed our hearts. We love you and> miss you!> > We are planning a "summer party" for the branch> but our South Affican member is wondering when it will be> summer, so we dropped the "summer" and are calling> it a party! It will be in February...whether it is summer> or not.> > Love to you all,> Love, Sister Sloan
hasEML = false;

Happy Birthday Grant! Big guy, you are six years old! We love you! Granny and Grandpa!