Dearest Family, May 20, 1998

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SARAH TOMORROW!!! I have been trying to figure out old you will be - I didn't bring my calendar with all your ages on it BUT I believe you will be a brand new family teenager - is that right??? PaPa and I came home from our Montana Mission in 1985 and you were a little tiny baby and since it is 1998 that would make you 13 years old. I hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday - I wish I could be there to take you for a hot fudge sundae or something. I love you very much and I'm very proud of you!!!

ROY AND PATRICE - THANK you so very much for your beautiful Mother's Day card and those darling pictures. I was thrilled to see all of you in Gulf Shores with Chris and Wayne. I had the sweetest letter from them telling me how much they enjoyed having you with them - Chris wrote it and she said that Roy reminded Wayne so much of Lynn. You all look SO good on the beach and when I showed the pictures to my roommates they all said, “Where is Patrice?” so you must send one of you the next time. That little Emily is getting tall isn't she? She looked very graceful even playing soccer. Timothy and Jesse look ready for some big waves with their life jackets on. You never did complain about the heat while you were there so it must not have been too bad. I loved seeing the table Chris had set for your dinner - was it on their patio?

Early this afternoon our gate guard came running up the stairs and knocked on our door very excitedly. When Helen opened it he said, “Sister Barbara must come down and sign” - he doesn't speak English but with his pantomiming we knew that was what he said. We looked out our window and could see a man on a motorcycle with a package in his hand. I hurried down and I was so excited to get your package Bob and Claire. I CAN'T BELIEVE THE BOOKS BRETT AND KATIE HAVE MADE - THEY ARE WONDERFUL!!! I will enjoy showing them in my classes to the teachers - in fact, I showed them to the two teachers who came for lessons tonight - they both teach English - one in Pratom 5 and the other teaches in Pratoms 3rd, 4th and 5th. They were very impressed but they also said that wouldn't be possible here. I love the pictures you sent - your family picture is beautiful and so are all the others - Laura - WHAT A GLAMOUR SHOT!!!

Brett - thank you so much for your letter. I am very proud of the good soccer player you are and also your book and your science projects. One of my roommates used to be in charge of all the elementary music programs in Davis County and she asked if you were in the “Spectrum Program” - are you? I hope your tree fort is finished by now - I would like to sleep in it sometime.

John - thank you SO much for your letter too. I had a phone call from the man who works for NuSkin here in Bangkok and he told me that Bishop Patch wants to take me to breakfast in the morning. He will only be here one day - I believe he came in late tonight and he is staying at the Marriott Hotel that is close by me and the one Bob, Claire and Michael will be staying in. My roommate and I will go meet him at 7 a.m. and it will be SO good to see him and get caught up on news from the ward. My friend, Anne Smith, wrote and told me that the pruning you did in the front yard looks professional - GREAT!!! Dean Christensen is a character isn't he? I appreciate your suggestion that I just use the ATM's to get my money - if that won't foul you up that is what I will do. It would probably be better than to have to rely on the Elders to get my money from the bank and then see that I get it. (I had written to John and told him that the couple working in the office will go home this week and they have been responsible for getting our money from the bank and then to us - they can't get a couple to replace them so they will have the Elders take care of it.)

Annie - thank you SO much for your letter too. I'm glad I can talk about Grandpa Russ' marriage now because I think it is WONDERFUL. His new wife sounds terrific to me and I will be anxious to see the pictures you took of their wedding. I know you and Ron and the Weinerts are overwhelmed with all you are involved in with graduation exercises and all that goes with it. Please don't feel like you have to write - I truly do understand!!! Don't worry about my medication either - I will probably have enough to last until I get home if you send me some more pretty soon and I will be home the last of September. I really think that Dr. Anderson could just call in another prescription but I'm not sure.

Weinerts - I had an e-mail message from Ellen Mae and Mel and they told me about an article and picture of Ricky playing golf - or was it tennis? They said they would save it for me. I am proud of you Ricky. I can't believe I am missing all the graduation exercises for you and Barji and Jessie - I am anxious to just be a “Grandma”!!!

Helen and I have been busy trying to get our workshop material all prepared. We decided to re-type all our songs, games and stories in a smaller type so they wouldn't take so much paper. We have spent this entire day typing and will have to do the same tomorrow. I AM TIRED TONIGHT - Ha!!! Helen went to the hospital one day last week and she was diagnosed as having bronchitis - she has been sick with a bad cough ever since I moved in here. She is on medication but I don't think she is a whole lot better.

Claire - maybe, if you haven't already bought the Utah t-shirts, you had better get half of them extra large. These Thai people look so tiny to me but I know everyone likes the shirts to be roomy. Thank you for your flight schedule - you will go to Seattle - I went to Los Angeles. I can hardly wait for you to come and I believe the weather is getting a little cooler - we had a BIG rainstorm.

We went to a Relief Society “Mongolian Bar-b-que” on Tuesday morning. I was completely over whelmed with the beautiful home and all the sisters who were in charge. We were invited to go with another sister so we met her at the hotel where she and her husband are living and it is very elaborate - he works for Procter and Gamble. THEN we went to another sister's home who had prepared all the food and it was SO very beautiful. This sister is grossly overweight - probably at least 300 lbs. and she owns three homes - in California, Phoenix and this one in Bangkok. Her husband owns an electric company. Her maids did all the preparation. It was a fun, fun morning and I decided it would be wonderful to live in Bangkok if your husband had a good job and you had a nice place to live. Her home was actually too cold and it was at least 100 outside.

I know I have forgotten to tell you something or answer something in your letters. It is past my bedtime so I will close for now. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL LETTERS.

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