Week of December 26-January 1, 2017 (New Years)

This is a sight you do not see in Colorado in December; flowers and a hummingbird.





This week there were a couple days that the temperature was higher in Parker, Colorado than here in Bakersfield, California. Interesting! It rained all day Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening. We even had to break out our umbrella. All that rain cleansed and cleaned the air so that Sunday morning the mountains around Bakersfield were visible and pretty.

It is always kind of a let down right after Christmas when the holidays are over. Things look kind of bare at home and at the office without the few Christmas decorations we had. The bright spot is that we noticed the days are already getting longer and it is not dark any more when we leave the office about 5:00 pm. Yeah for more daylight!

Our car didn't start one morning. The battery was dead, so we got a new one and were back in business.
The other car news is that the mission received the fourteen new Chevy Malibu's that James had been waiting on forever. The office staff and a couple drivers from the dealership helped drive the cars over to the office parking lot. Then we had to take them to Sound Waves where the TiWi's were installed. The lucky missionaries who get the new cars are so excited! Below are five of the cars all neatly in a row.

The missionaries are always so appreciative of any little thing we do for them; from making a phone call for them, delivering them a package from home, getting them supplies at the office, etc. We had the opportunity to really help a missionary the other day and were thankful that we were in a position to do so. She has been thanking us every since. We told her to just concentrate on her missionary work now, and when she has an opportunity some day she can pass it on.

I turned 66 on Thursday and had a nice birthday. All the texts, birthday cards, and phone calls made me feel special. We went to a movie, and then the Ball's treated us to dinner to celebrate my birthday.

We rang in the new year playing games with the Ball's. I had to twist James' arm to get him to play games, but he really enjoyed it and got into it. He won Phase 10 and I won Five Crowns! 
We ate too many sweets and toasted in 2017 with glasses of "bubbly" Martinelli's.
(FYI:  Martinelli's is made in California near Monterrey Bay.)

Sunday at church we met Mario who was baptized last April and just moved into the ward. He is twenty-eight years old and spent ten years in prison. When he got out and was on parole he accompanied a friend to church. He loved how it felt there and how he felt inside. He had to wait until he was off parole to be able to join the church. After church we took him home so he could change his clothes and then we dropped him off at his job at a rehabilitation place for ex-convicts. He used to be a client there and now that is where he is employed. He grew up in southern California in a dysfunctional family that is into drugs, drinking, gangs, and prison. He told his mom he loves them, but would have to love them from a distance because he has changed his life and doesn't want to be influence by their lifestyle. He is also getting laser treatments to remove his tattoos. Mario is a big, big guy and barely fit into the front seat of our VW with the seat all the way back.

We want to wish you all JOY & PEACE in the new year.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!