Boston, Here We Are!

Some things look a lot like Recife but not these houses! 

We ended up very grateful for two days in Missouri to rest up, wash clothes, and pack the car. We decided to plan a shorter drive on arrival day so we'd have some time to unload and get some food, so with the help of handy computer programs and maps we found a spot to stay about 4 1/2 hours out and then split the rest in half. We thought back to how much we enjoyed being in a nice Hampton Inn when stuck in Wyoming so we reserved rooms at Hamptons and were glad to have our evenings set. It was a very long drive with lane closures all through Pennsylvania. Very glad for Google Maps. 

Elder Merrill (yep, another one who can't spell) and his companion are in our apartment complex and met us with keys and helped with the first load, the big suitcases. Then we went up and down (4th floor) emptying the car, learning how the doors to the elevator area need keys and how to find our way to the right hall. Sister Thorpe had the apartment set up very nicely and they left some basics including some food so we don't have to look to buy salt shakers or baking soda, etc. In Salt Lake they were very definite about not leaving any food at all, but I had the feeling to wait and see what was here before putting together a grocery pick-up order. It is a nice place and good-sized for a one-bedroom apt. We are near the airport but the planes aren't very loud and we will  get used to hearing train whistles in the night. You can even google Parkside Commons in Chelsea for a look at the complex. We can walk to a Home Depot, Chili's, Starbucks, and more. Obviously not on the side viewed in the photo. 

The Living-Dining-Kitchen, sofa has reclining end sections and faces two large windows with the view pictured. I'm glad we aren't facing the commercial side to see backs of restaurants and fronts of stores.

With a lot of help from google maps, we went to a WalMartSupercenter and got produce and a large pick-up order then came home and made a list of more things we need. I brought some favorite spices and a few hard-to-find things but somehow we couldn't find the raw cashews. We went back and searched the car. In the afternoon we went to set up internet (so much easier than in Brasil! no arguing about the proper government ID, etc) and it was next to Trader Joes where we found raw cashews. Then we came home and found the bag we brought packed into the Instant Pot. 

Easter Sunday was our first time to really start doing something missionary-like. We found our way to the chapel (the "Binney Building"), again with much help - Durk deals with the traffic and I assist Google in getting us to the right lanes and turns. The gates were open to the parking level under the building and we found our way up . The Brazilians were super welcoming, very excited to have us. We have a dinner invitation this evening and the Branch President said they would have us over soon and feed us --and then hit us with all the things they want us to do. They had the Primary (about 12 children) give a presentation on Easter. Each had a small visual aid and part (which they had memorized) about the entry into Jerusalem up to the resurrection. We had a couple of musical numbers and were glad to see they had arranged a pianist from the English ward to be prepared to accompany everything.  I understood the gist of the first speaker, a fair bit of the second but the third was more like I heard occasional words and what sounded like shshshsh a lot. They actually offered translation - we had some using headphones, two were parents of a former Brazilian missionary who were visiting for the Marathon tomorrow. The second English ward had lots of visitors for that, many in tennis shoes we heard.

Our building has Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese branches and two English wards. There are two chapels, one smaller upstairs for us and Spanish. Its a lovely building, looks relatively new. The second floor has windows in the hallway looking down into the cultural hall.

We had an appointment to meet the Mission Leaders (president and wife) on Monday morning but I tried to figure out how to avoid the Boston Marathon closings and gridlock without success, so I messaged asking if they knew how to figure it out -and they said they will change it to another day. So no transponder/toll pass yet. Even going to church is a toll each way so the guys at home will start getting bills for tolls. No cash, they photograph your license plate and mail a bill. 

The young missionaries (Elders) in the branch have got us a couple of appointments to join them this week helping new members learn about the blessings of the gospel and living it and what that means. And a commitment to help get one new member to the temple to do baptisms plus we will probably go on the ward baptism temple trip this Saturday. So we begin filling up our days.... The calendar on our wall sys "zone conference - food" on Wednesday so we are trying to find out what whether we are responsible for helping with or bringing food for the whole zone!

After the Portuguese church meeting we visited with members and missionaries and eventually the Spanish branch people started arriving. We not only ended up attending their meeting also but when they were ending on the early side they asked Durk to come up and bear his testimony. He mostly did it in Spanish even - we are going to be so Portuñol here! So many people around us in the apartments, streets, restaurants, speak Spanish. I hereby resign to the fact that I will just try both as needed and let it be a mix-up. Seems like quite a few of the people in both branches speak a fair bit of English too. The Spanish branch pres said he has begged for a senior couple so we might end up helping out there a bit more than just me playing the piano, we'll see what the mission president says. But my language study time (which I really need to ramp up) will be Portuguese. Our office missions had office schedule but hopefully this one we can be on more of a missionary schedule with personal and companion study time, language study, exercise time (walking mostly)  - I guess our next job is working on that so we have a definite schedule that of course we will be changing all the time due to appointments and meetings or helping people out.

We didn't sing much in the way of traditional Easter Hymns and Durk and I didn't do any special foodstuffs, so we are mostly getting Easter through church videos and music. All the same, it is a wonderful time to join so many in the world in feeling particularly grateful for a Savior and Redeemer. What a privilege to serve Him full-time for a while.  Here's a good one (music video) and here's one of my very favorites  (I have been planning a graphite-lettering booklet with pages of various responses to "because of Him......" from conference talks.)