Dearest Family, February 17, 1998

I have trashed all the mail I have written and all that has been sent to me and I can't even remember when I wrote last or what I told you. Vicky received a Valentine card from her family and we kept getting the notice that we didn't have enough memory left to download her message and we needed to trash some of it so we all just trashed everything!!! HONESTLY!!! The card ended up being about one sentence long and she had already talked to them on the phone.

ROY MELLOR FAMILY - Thank you SO much for your Valentine “Teddy Bear” card - I love it and have it hanging in my room. PATRICE - thank you for your long and newsy letter. I'm glad you received the pictures with Chan - I hope I get to see her again before I leave Thailand. I may get to go to Srisiket again and if I do it is possible I could get to her home - I would like to meet her family and she has invited me. Emily - what you do in your church and for the homeless is definitely “serving a mission” - we are told over and over again that it isn't necessary to leave our homes to serve missions - the young men are asked to leave their homes but older people and young women can serve honorably in their own homes. I am happy that you are going to play soccer again - I think that is ideal exercise and such a good way to make lifelong friendships. I can just see Timothy playing basketball - he is a “natural” athlete in softball and soccer so I am sure he is in basketball too. I hope SO much that the children will keep practicing their piano and do their very best - if they win a gold cup that is special but even more important is that they love it. Jesse - I would LOVE to have you teach me how to play slap jack - you taught me when I was with you but I have forgotten already!!! I hope Emily gets to go see “Titanic” - she would enjoy it and I think it is a very important part of history. When we went to Nova Scotia with Chris and Wayne we went to the Titanic museum there and it kinda' brought it all to life.

JOHN - Thank you SO much for your message on Valentine's Day. You haven't said anything about my income tax - have you been able to find everything you needed? I got the letter from the church saying “Barbara Jean Mellor served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints during 1997. While serving she devoted all of her time and attention to the Church by proselyting, teaching doctrine, and/or strengthening the current Church membership. The Church provided no goods or services in consideration, in whole or in part, for the services rendered.” In the instructions it says that those missionaries who qualify as being “away from home” as that phrase is defined by the IRS and who incur and pay duplicate housing expenses can deduct reasonable costs for meals, lodging and other out-of-pocket expenses. I will save this letter and have it available in case we are audited. Did you ever get the Social Security letter I sent to you? Julianna - my friend Anne Smith, wrote and told me you brought a beautiful “treat” for Relief Society - I'm wondering if you made your delicious brownies. She surely does like you and she says she seldom sees John - Ha!!!

BOB - Thank you SO much for your letter too. I agree that companionship problems should be the easy part of a mission - especially with the seniors.

JEANNIE - Thank you SO much for your Valentine message too and your long and newsy letter. I feel as though I have had a visit from all of you when I receive your letters telling me of all your activities. It was exciting to hear that you went to Logan and saw the Sunburst Dancers perform - Logan will always be special to me and Barji's friend boy sounded fun. Glen Miller was the dance band of my generation - do they have a special show now? It's hard for me to imagine a snowmobiling trip - I hope Ricky had a good time - he won't be able to do things like that on his mission. Mary Ann - I am so anxious to hear you play with your groups - what a wonderful experience you are having to be able to play in the Tabernacle - I'm proud of you!!! Sarah - you will look very different when I get home with all the tooth surgery you have had - what does it mean to have a tooth “Tightened”? I want to know what color contacts you are going to get. Barji - congratulations on your acceptance in the National Honor Society. I hope Boyd does well in his golf tournaments. I had a WONDERFUL e-mail letter from Mel and Ellen Mae - they sent me a “clean” joke - Ha!!! They are all busy planning our 55th High School Reunion - it will be held the week before Peach Days so I will miss it - DARN!!! You asked when a good time would be to visit.

I am going to give you the “Seasons” for Thailand again. SUMMER: March, April, May and June. RAINY: July, August, September and October. WINTER: November, December, January and February. The rainy season can be VERY bad - they have had monsoon rains quite often - last year it was quite mild. It will always be HOT and it may rain other times - just like everywhere else. BUT they even put a rain coat on the Emerald Buddha and he is on a throne under shelter - Ha!!!

WOOLLEYS - I hope you had a GREAT time in St. George. My companion has a home there and she loves it. Did Susanna go also. Is she going to Jerusalem? Annie - I believe it will be safe to send my prescriptions to this address - we have a guard at our gate and he gets our mail. 33 Ruamrudi Court, Soi Ruamrudi Pathumwan BKK. 10500 Thailand Thank you SO much for taking care of this for me.

I am doing GREAT but this companionship problem is something I will never forget. We now have the sister who has caused all the problems living with us. It has been her “design” all along to get into this apartment and she was going to do everything in her power to make that happen. She claims that her doctor says the only solution to her high blood pressure is to move in here. We now have five in here and three in the apartment where I used to live. That one isn't even air conditioned except for one bedroom. I simply can't believe the Priesthood couldn't solve it better than they have. Pres. Goodman called me and asked me what my husband would have done - I told him that Lynn would never have let one woman cause such a fuss. She is very pretty and he says she is so fragile - she is 55 years old and is not qualified to be here. She has been a teacher's aid for 25 years and doesn't even speak good English. They had to give up the apartment those two sisters were in and they have moved all their “stuff” in here - a washing machine, mattresses, etc. It will be interesting to see what happens - they have told us it will only be for 3 - 4 weeks. I am thinking they are trying to get some more teachers from America to come help. PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!!!

We had a WONDERFUL time in Lopburi last weekend. “Nurack” met us at the train station again and took us to his sister's store where he had cooked another lobster dinner for us and his mother. He always buys us ice cream and does everything he can to make us happy - he had his maid fix us an American breakfast on Sunday - ham, sausage, eggs, orange juice, toast & marmalade, mangoes, etc., etc. The new members of the church were there and they are doing good. Helen and I taught some missionary lessons - it was fun. A member of the Stake Presidency visited the Lopburi Branch and his wife called and told Nurack that she was worried that he might fall asleep coming home. SO Nurack drove him back to Bangkok and brought us with them and then Nurack took the train back to Lopburi - he is such a good man!!!

The train experience reminds me of the way things were in America about 50 years ago. The trains are mostly wooden, they are very, very old and dirty with nothing on the windows and people just throw all their trash out of them when they are eating. The attendants are all in uniform and I have to tell myself that we are not at war and they are not soldiers. IT REALLY TAKES ME BACK IN TIME. This continues to be such an experience of contrasts.

The school work is going good. Yesterday we finished up at one of the schools and they gave us beautiful clocks with counted cross stitch in the background. They just go all out in preparing delicious meals for us. We started another new school today and it went well too - I started to sing a song and forgot the tune but just went ahead and I could see Helen laughing - the children don't know the difference - Ha!!! We are teaching 1st grade (Pratom) so I taught “Here's a Ball for Baby” and they loved it - the first graders in America would think that was too babyish but it worked well here today.

Jan Asper (one of my roommates) asked me to take her place teaching tonight at Channel 9. They have a group of executives who want to improve their English. Things like that used to just terrify me but I am getting used to it now. The young woman I used to teach on Monday and Tuesday Evenings hurt her neck and isn't able to come this week.

Well - there is no way you will read all of this and I don't blame you. I will trash it as soon as it is sent so I may repeat what I have said in my next letter!!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma Bxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooo

Dearest Family, February 17, 1998

BOB - I forgot to thank you for sending me the article in the Church News about the new Stake President in North Little Rock. I couldn't access the bottom part of the article - I tried everything I knew how to do. I got the top part that said North Little Rock and then the name of Williams but it wouldn't go any further down. I also got a letter from Beverly Culwell in Little Rock and she said they were going to FINALLY release George Wing but she didn't know who it would be. You mentioned a Brumfield so I'm betting that Pearl Brumfield's husband is in the new Stake Presidency. I don't remember anyone by the name of Williams, do you? Two of my roommates go to the Asoke Ward on Sunday and they get the Church News but it is a week late so maybe I will find out who it is this Sunday. THANK YOU SO MUCH BOB!!!

GUESS WHAT I DID TONIGHT??? I just came in from swimming and it was WONDERFUL. The pool is very nice and I wore a culotte set I have and it worked just fine. We just dog paddle and don't get our hair wet but it is wonderful exercise.

My class with Channel 9 tonight went very well and they sent me home with a big bunch of bananas and some honeyed bananas that are heavenly. They also gave me a beautiful Thai calendar.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B