Dearest Family, Sunday, September 13, 1998 5:20 p.m.

First of all I want to thank John for helping me on Friday with my money situation. He has sent me a new Visa Card so I could get my money at the ATM but it has never come and he sent it over a month ago. I finally had to tell him to wire me some money - HE WAS WONDERFUL - he called Friday morning and told me he had wired me $1,000 and I could pick it up at the same bank where I got it the last time. WELL - I had to go out to the new area where I will be assigned so I couldn't get to the bank here. I made the mistake of telling the Director of the school that I had to go to the bank and she called the Superintendent of Schools and told him - so he sent the District Van and Driver to come get me and take me to the bank. He called them first and gave them the transfer number that John had given me and they said it was all correct. We both thought we could just go into the bank and in about ten minutes have the money - WELL - we waited over an hour. I about died because this Superintendent wouldn't leave me and he is one busy man. I didn't have any problems at all when I went to the bank close to Ruam Rudi and the one John told me to go to - I just made a mistake in telling the school about it. THEY ARE SO PROTECTIVE!!! IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE MONEY AGAIN - I NEVER WANT TO BE POOR!!!

JOHN - The second card that you sent me came yesterday - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING IT TO ME. (Visa always sends two cards - one for Barbara J. and one for Jesse L. and John sent me Daddy's card the second time.) I don't dare use it though. I will call the Visa people here tomorrow and see what they say. The weirdest things are happening here and I am worried that the first card has been stolen and people are using it - will I be liable? A lady at church today told me that someone had used her mother's Visa card to get money from the ATM and they got 40,000 in one day - that is unreal because the most I can get is 10,000 and she has never lost her card - they think someone at the bank has figured out a way to get the money. I had a package come from Aunt Carol and it had been broken into - she sent me some crocheted house slippers, a little scrubbing glove and some “body scrub” - they had put one of those apologetic letters on the package saying it was damaged in the mail but there were no outward signs that it had - I think maybe someone opened it and saw there was nothing of value in it so they just put one of those printed forms in it. Carol said she had sent me some fruit leather too and that wasn't in there but I doubt anyone would take that. People are getting pretty desperate here!!!

JOHN - Thanks for your letter too and I'm glad you are enjoying the tomato and cheese sandwiches and the fresh corn. That would taste SO good to me. We were invited to the home of the Relief Society President today for lunch and she had Doritos and Mexican Burritos with salsa and it was just heavenly and then she served warm brownies with hot fudge sauce, ice cream and whipped cream!!! We eat every day at the schools and it is delicious but we are ALWAYS unsatisfied because we MISS American food.

BOB - Thank you so much for the wonderful picture of Laura and Sarah - talk about “Mutt and Jeff”!!! They are such beautiful young women and I would like to stomp on them to keep them from growing anymore until I get home. THEY LOOK DARLING IN THEIR CHEERLEADING UNIFORMS!!! I'm glad you feel good about your allergy examination - I know you did really well!!! We are still having monsoon rains so they haven't left Thailand. The home we were at today had a video of President Hinckley talking to Larry King - he is a remarkable man and when I see how quickly he can recall things like the proverb quotation I realize how very dumb I am. He didn't mince words about Pres. Clinton did he?

JEANNIE - Did Barji come home for the weekend? I remember so well how much I loved to come home just for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and to be all by myself for a few days. Who is Rachel? Ricky's letter is a masterpiece and I have copied the message about “My Mission” - such inspirational thoughts and so appropriate because not everyone is going to be kind and receptive to the missionaries and when he thinks of that message it will help him. I'm thrilled that he likes his companion. I'm surprised they have changed to more free time rather than P-Days - that's quite a change!!! THANK you so much for sharing parts of his letters with me.

I believe I will sign the contract for a new townhouse this week. I kinda' feel like I am starting my mission all over again. The townhouse is okay - it is a little nicer than the one I lived in at the Village but not nearly as nice as the apartment where we are living now. It has three bedrooms, two of which are air conditioned, a living room with a couch and chair, a television set (I don't know what we can get on it though), a kitchen without a stove but they are going to get a new refrigerator, a hot plate, a microwave and a “hot pot” for hot water to sterilize the dishes, two bathrooms with showers, a sink where we will wash dishes but it is not in the kitchen and a washing machine. It has quite a large front yard with a little plot of ground if the couple that is coming wants to grow some vegetables and it has clothes lines. The kitchen has a nice table with four chairs. The downstairs is not air-conditioned!!! I hate the position I am in of choosing something for someone else to live in for 18 months but Marc seems to think I should “grab it” so I guess I will. It will cost 15,000 Bahts per month and with the exchange rate of about 40 now that isn't too bad but if it goes to 25 again that will be quite expensive. This will be my new address after October 6, 1998:

62 Thana Place Soi Ladpraw 71 Ladpraw Road, Ladpraw Bangkok 10230 Thailand

I will have to let you know the telephone number later.

They tell me it is very close to the “Weekend Market” - I know the Bob Mellors will remember that place. I am going to have to get a new map so I can really tell where I will be living. I will leave every Saturday morning to go to Lopburi where we will teach and then stay for Sunday Church and do missionary work.

We are being “wined and dined” until you wouldn't believe it. We spent all day yesterday (Saturday) on a trip - we went to Hua Hen (The Beach) and stopped many places enroute to see sights. We saw the Sea Palace of King Rama VI and it is simply gorgeous - right on the beach. It is a museum now - they have completely renovated it. We left at 6 a.m. and got home at 8:30 p.m. Today we went to dinner at the Relief Society President's home and it is just beautiful - they are renting and it is just like a home in America.

Helen and I only have three more days of teaching together. The schools are going to take us to dinner every night after our school. I have been asked to teach on Saturday at a school and it will be four different classes - 30 minutes each with 25 students in each class - Darlene is going to help me. We had a family come to our apartment this morning at 6:30 - they wanted to go to church with Helen and Janet so they stayed and read scriptures with us and had a bite to eat for breakfast - they just walked right in - our door was unlocked - the Thai way - Ha!!! The man had entered into the Monkhood about three months ago.

My dear friends, Beverly and Doug Jenkins, are going home this Wednesday. Doug is having real problems with his back and the doctors have warned him that any jolt to his back could do some permanent damage. They have done some super work here and I feel bad they won't be here for the farewell dinner but I also think they need to go home. They have had a lot of intestinal problems too.

I have lost this letter twice and answered phone calls and typed with one finger so I hope this makes sense - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP.

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