Dearest Family, August 22, 1998 9:40 a.m.

SUSANNA - WHAT A THRILL TO HEAR FROM YOU FROM JERUSALEM!!! I think your idea of coming to Bangkok with you sometime in the future would be So MUCH FUN. I would love to see if the construction going on over here will ever get finished and especially here on Ruam Rudi road - they tell us this is one of the prime pieces of real estate in Bangkok. I'm thrilled you have met my friend Liesel McBride - she was my first visiting teacher in Orem and after she left my home I thought “That woman is not for real - I know she won't continue to be so vivacious and happy and smiley” - BUT, I was wrong!!! She is a very outstanding woman and she has a wonderful family - her son and his wife and three little children (they have new twins) live in their old home in my neighborhood. I'm sure John and Julianna have met Clarence McBride and his wife. What a marvelous experience you are having - walking in the area of Christ's life would surely make the New Testament real for you. I hope you get to go to Egypt - your Mom's last e-mail said you might not be able to go because of the turmoil going on in Afghanistan.

PATRICE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL LETTER. I don't copy many of the letters I receive because we are trying to conserve on ink but I couldn't resist copying yours. Your trip sounded like it was at a “Dude Ranch” - was it? When we used to travel around in that area we would see places like that - I am SO glad and also SO surprised that Roy would ride horses like that. WHAT A MARVELOUS THING FOR YOUR FAMILY. As I have said before I LOVE for my family to spend time outdoors like that. I think all the cultural things in New Mexico are very interesting - I love the Indian jewelry!!! Your experience of going by the Murrah Federal Bldg. in Oklahoma would be very sad, I'm sure. I am VERY hungry for some good Mexican food - I want an enchilada with lots of cheese when I get home. It's hard for me to believe that school has started in Little Rock. I'm SO happy you like the children's new principal and their teachers - that makes such a big difference. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU VEGETABLE GARDENERS IN MY FAMILY!!! I have LOVED all the fresh vegetables here in Bangkok and there is nothing like the taste of them when they come from your very own garden. My Orem neighbor wrote to me and told me that neither the Johns or them had planted a garden this year - I wrote John and told him I hoped that he and Julianna had some very nasty tomatoes all Summer - Ha!!!

BOB - I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE KEEPING ON TOP OF THE CONDO THING!!! I hate for it to take so much of your time but I love getting excited as I think about it. I also appreciate the time Rick and Jean are spending with you as you try to choose the right one. THANK YOU FOR THE PICTURE MAP OF THEM. I got out the brochures you and Jean brought to me and compared them with that map and I think maybe the number 2 is too close to the road. I also feel like it would be best to have the larger one (200 square feet) if we can manage it. I don't really care about the north-south vs. east-west view - you guys choose and I will be happy!!! Right now all I want is a modern bathroom and a good bed to sleep on. I'm SO glad you and John will be together this Saturday - an outdoor show is like the things Daddy used to go to. MICHAEL - How was your trip to Ft. Worth? Your new job, building computers sounds fabulous!!! Our computer works SO much better since you and your Dad worked on it - it almost makes me angry when I think how long we went with so many problems.

ANN - THANK YOU FOR YOUR NEWSY LETTER TOO!!! I am SO glad you have the computer back - it is so much handier than having to go to Ron's office. I agree with Susanna that e-mail is a real miracle for those of us who are so far from home. I am very much aware of how people look at us with some disdain - they think all Americans are very rich and with their economic circumstances being what they are they resent us and I can understand that - even though we are volunteering our time and money to try to help them.

I wish I were not SO busy!!! Helen and I don't work on Fridays but with this new move and change I decided to go to school with Janet and Darlene yesterday. They were teaching in the school where I will be with the demonstration school. The superintendent of that zone came to see me and he promised me that he would find us a good townhouse to live in - he said, “Don't worry - I will help you”. That entire calling is very scary to me - I will be training the new lady missionary in an entirely new zone with material that I haven't worked on. Janet and Darlene have used a lot of paper sack puppets and they are very good but I have never taught with them. My classes will be large - 15 - 20 teachers and I will not have Fridays off. Much of the success of my last two months will depend on the companion I have - I hope SO much she will be happy and congenial.

Yesterday at school the Director asked us if we would like to go to a jewelry store where she could get us a 50% discount. Janet and Darlene really wanted to go so I explained to her about my wallet being stolen and all BUT we went and it was fabulous. I have NEVER seen SO much jewelry BUT I didn't see one ring I liked better than the ones I got or the one Claire got and I didn't see a pendant that would compare to the “Heart of the Ocean”. I did have them put a ring away for me but I don't have to get it if I decide not to. I love the “Princess” rings they have here - they used to be called “Queen Siriket” rings and they have nine different stones built up with a diamond on top. I have looked before for one but couldn't find one and this one is quite “gaudy” - I wish it were smaller and more delicate. ANYWAY - the stones are semi-precious stones and the gold is 14% and it cost 14,000 bahts and with the discount he said he would sell it to me for 6,500 bahts. I will be working with this Director for the next three months so if you want me to get you anything just let me know - she said she would take me there anytime I wanted to go. She has an “in” some way but I don't know what it is. They have fresh water pearls that Janet bought for her daughters and for herself and even Darlene bought a ring yesterday - SHE DOESN'T OWN ANY GOOD JEWELRY AND NEVER HAS WORN ANY!!! They also have a lot of silver jewelry in the store. I wonder if I should ask Ellen Mae if she would like me to buy some for her - I HATE TO CHOOSE JEWELRY FOR HER!!! The jewelers here are desperate to sell their jewelry.

I got home last night about 5:30 and my students came at 6 and Vicky came at 6:30 so I didn't get to write letters. Vicky comes in a taxi every Friday night and she went back to the village this morning (I couldn't talk her out of it) and then she will come back tonight and go back to the village after church tomorrow - that is very expensive for her. What a time she has had ever since she got here - Marc keeps reminding her how unqualified she is - I would go home. She is a very unusual woman but she makes some excellent visual aids. She is being moved from the village to the zone where I have been working and Marc has asked Helen to train the new missionary until she leaves Oct. 17th. I wouldn't have Marc's job for all the money in the world and he is a volunteer!!!

Ricky - I think about you all the time. IS THE SPANISH LANGUAGE DIFFICULT??? I know you miss Boyd but I'll bet you have made lots of new friends. Do you like the food at the MTC. When we had new missionaries come into the Montana mission they all were very hungry for some good Mexican food - we fed them tostadas with all kinds of toppings and they ate like there was no tomorrow!!! WORK HARD!!!

We are having a Monsoon rain storm - it's fun because I am inside. Janet and Darlene have gone on a trip (the same one I went on last week) and Helen is waiting for a friend to come get her (she is stuck in traffic). I'll bet Sukhumvit is very flooded - I'll never forget walking along that road with water up to our knees with Bob and Claire.

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