Well I'm back! I have not been hiding out, we have been having trouble with our Internet connection here at the condo since Friday morning. I did get on yesterday and had some business to take care of, I thought I would blog last night and, there was "no signal" again. It's 7:47 AM on Tuesday 3 August 2010. Not taking any chances.

We're watching Tropical Storm "Colin" with the rest of the Caribbean, hoping it is in fact a "fish Storm", never making landfall anywhere and not even coming too close. Please pray for us, as well as all of the islands especially Haiti. The weather is starting to turn already and it is starting out as a stormy day.

Well we are still waiting to sign the contract on the new job, supposedly today or tomorrow. It has been finalized, just waiting for all the parties to sign. Seems that's a real problem down here, nobody wants to put their name to paper first. Rick would gladly be the first, but they don't want his signature until last.

Vehicle is still a problem, we have to give the borrowed truck back today. We have found a (what we think is nice) car, a Ford Focus station wagon. The rental car agency that we rented from is selling some of their fleet. This would be a good vehicle for us and the price seems fair, we have not taken it to a mechanic yet, to be checked out, because $$$ are still the sticky point. We seem to have exhausted all of our possibilities for a personal loan, so we'll have to see what comes along.

Have to admit that I have felt a little overwhelmed the last few days and maybe you all were spared from hearing my whining. My calling in the church seems totally overwhelming and I really don't know where to start. I have come to the realization that there is not a minute that I can do this without the help of my Heavenly Father. Just to add insult to injury, I had to teach on Sunday in Relief Society, it was a combined lesson on Visiting Teaching in general (more specifically Why do we go Visiting Teaching?) and the Visiting Teaching message for August (on the importance of having a Temple recommend and going to the Temple) not an easy lesson to teach sisters who are 2 islands and a $450 plane ticket away from a Temple. Anyway...I prayed and prayed and worked really hard on that lesson, we got up and got ready for church and went out and had a flat tire, Rick went to fix it and found one of the lugs was stripped. It took forever to get going, we did go to church, late. I did teach my lesson. It was a good lesson and hopefully someone other than myself got something out of it, but I guess if not, it was just for me. Have to admit it did help me rely on the Spirit and find a way to present this lesson that could have meaning to the sisters here.

With all the discouragement and feelings of being overwhelmed, I still know that we are where we are supposed to be. I keep trying not to succumb to the notion that, if I'm doing what I should be doing, it should be easy. Trying hard to adopt the philosophy that the things worth doing, are NOT supposed to be easy. I know that I will remember these times and I hope I can remember the lessons learned.

I do feel your prayers for Rick and I. Keep it up, we need it. I promise also, to keep praying to pray harder and to pray for all of you.