# 19 Al Ain ~ Motorcycle/Primary/Congrats/Badminton

⚠️ WARNING - A couple pictures in the first collage might be disturbing.

Gabriel is a wonderful member from Ghana who joined the Church, here in Al Ain, in January. He has been in the UAE for almost three years, but during that entire time, he has continued to send almost all of his money home to his wife, Sandra, and their two daughters. This has been a little problematic because he would only keep enough money for his rent and gasoline and went hungry much of the time.  With the Food Storage here at the Villa we have taken care of at least that part of the problem.

Gabriel drives a motorcycle and is a food deliverer. One day he was on his way to deliver some food when he entered a roundabout and unfortunately, an oil truck had spilled oil on the street and Gabriel slid on his bike and skidded several feet. The ambulance came and took him to the hospital but because he missed his delivery he was suspended from work 🤯. There was also no compensation from his work or from the truck that caused the accident. He tore his pants and ripped his shoe and he ended up with a deep hole below his knee and two deep holes on his foot. We were in Abu Dhabi and couldn't get back until that evening so we asked Louie 😊 to go pick him up from the hospital. The next morning we went to see him. He had never picked up his antibiotic prescription and had instead gotten some medicine from friends 😕 to keep the infection and pain at bay. Of course, that made us all a little nervous. So, we spent the next few days going all over the place trying to find somewhere that would fill his prescription. Some of the hospitals won't fill prescriptions with the 'economy' insurance, which makes everything even more difficult. We had to take him back to the doctors twice and each time he wanted them to tell him that he wouldn't have to wear the bandage wrap anymore because he couldn't wear a shoe with it (and couldn't work). He was disappointed each time when they told him he still needed to wear it. His sores were just so yucky and deep. Anyhoooo, it took a few weeks for him to get better and then he got suspended again because he had been off work for more than three days. His contract says he is supposed to have 15 days with pay, 20 days at half pay, and then more days with no pay. No one seems to follow the UAE's rules.

Through all of this, Gabriel has just been such a good sport. He is always thinking about his wife and daughters back home and trying to get back to work so he can continue taking care of them. It has been hard to watch him go through all of this, especially knowing how much he sacrifices for his family.

Now the great part about this story is that Sandra has saved all that money that Gabriel has been sending home for the last three years and is now able to open a bakery! But the really beautiful thing in all of this is what Gabriel has been able to do for his family spiritually. Because Gabriel has been sharing the Gospel with his wife, she was baptized at the end of May! And then, just last week, his oldest daughter, Blessing, was baptized too. His youngest is still little, so he'll be able to baptize her in a couple of years when he is back in Ghana. He has been working so hard and sacrificing so much to provide for his family, but he isn't just sending money home; he is sharing the Gospel with them and helping his family find the same joy he has found. Gabriel's goal now is to save money until the end of the year (or next year 🤔) and buy a car so he can be an Uber driver back in Ghana. Cars, especially used ones, are hard to come by in Ghana because everyone hangs onto them and doesn't seem able to ever upgrade. So Gabriel has figured out how to ship a car from here back to Ghana at a better price.

Above are a few pictures of: the Sisters and Elders teaching Blessing the missionary lessons/ Blessing's baptism (which Gabriel was able to watch on FaceTime)/ the sign that Sandra is using for her bakery/ and a gal's order for 350 cookies! The bottom picture is the driving school that Billy has taken Gabriel to around a dozen times to sign up, take the test, practice lessons, etc. It took him three times before he passed (let's just say we were all very happy when "they" let him finally pass 😒 - need I say more).  On the other side of the street from the driving school is the designated area where churches that can get permission can build. It still hasn't happened with us, which is so discouraging. When we meet together for church or any activity, it is absolutely so wonderful. There is just something really special about all of us being together and I wish we could do it more often.

We joined Leena and Jacob at another Indian restaurant and it was so delicious! It’s always so much fun being with them. Leena is so funny and has the best sense of humor. One night, Leena wanted to make dinner for one of our Branch activities. She gave me a shopping list but a few of the items were a little difficult to find, but after hunting at 3 different stores I was able to get everything. Talk about scrumptious! It really was delicious. I only wish I had taken a picture of the finished meal! I also had Leena over for a lesson and afterward we watched the Relief Society devotional together. It was fantastic and I really enjoyed spending that time with her. I’m so grateful for the friendships we are making here and for the opportunity to share these spiritual moments together. 

At Primary today, we invited Alma to join us even though he’s not quite old enough yet. He had a blast. Even with only Kahleia and him, it was a little hard for him to sit and focus for the full two hours. It was still so much fun though, and it’s always good for Alma to get out of the house! Whenever the kids miss Primary, we save all the pages and activities we used that week and try to drop them off to them; Kahleia is always more than happy to work on her pages! We try to make copies for little Alma and Elli, too; they’ll get to join us next year in Primary. 

Two movie dates: Billy and I went and saw the sheep movie then passed them on the road ^^^ 😂! Then we took the gang out (YM) and they watched one movie while Taonga and I watched the 2nd Prada movie! Then a little dinner at the food court 😋! Just threw in my Mango and sticky rice, which is exactly the same as in Thailand 😋.

A huge congratulations to my Marce! She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Fashion, with an emphasis in Costume Design and recently walked with her class in beautiful San Francisco. Over the past few years, she has worked so hard; taking classes, balancing everything life brings and slowly but surely making her way to this incredible accomplishment. And she did it! We could not be more proud of her. What a beautiful achievement! I wanted to send her a gorgeous bouquet to celebrate such a special milestone. I carefully picked out what I thought was the perfect arrangement (with yellow Daisies), so I have to admit I was a little disappointed when what arrived looked quite different from what I had ordered (picture). I’m trying to let that go and remember that, in the grand scheme of things, the flowers are just a small part of this very big celebration. And I shouldn't let my disappointment override her pleasure in receiving them (but I was gravely disappointed ~ hmmmmm, I think I am still having a little problem letting this go 😯)! 

We went and visited Mary, who we found out lives the very farthest from us or anyone in the Branch.  She is an absolutely adorable sister and it was a delight to meet her.  Some of her friends had come out and we had a large feast of every kind of Filipino food that there was! It was a real joy to be with her. The bottom picture is of Mike Howard who is the DTA - Director of Temporal Affairs here in the Middle East/North Africa Mission and Joseph who is the financial guy of some sort (didn't get all of his info 🤔). Joseph shared his conversion story and all I have to say is: WOW! We are going to ask him to come speak in one of our Sacrament meetings and share it with everyone. It is so inspirational and fascinating! It was a wonderful visit and delicious authentic Thai food (yep, I got Mango and sticky rice)!

Another Primary day! We talked about Esther and how brave and courageous she was and how her whole life led up to her going before the King to save all the Jewish people. Both the girls' families came with them to primary (everyone enjoys hanging out at the Villa together).  I told them if the girls came out because of their FOMO they were to send them back into the Primary room! The girls behave so much better when the parents aren't around cuz they think that if I do the 1... 2 ... 3 ... ~ I really will spank them on THREE 😂😂😜! 

While we were having Primary, Josh fixed everyone pancakes and they really are soooo good. He has mastered it and we all enjoy them.  He cleaned up everything which was so thoughtful of him; and really appreciated! Sophia and Teena walked from the bus stop after work and enjoyed some pancakes with us, too.  We dropped them off at Teenas before we met Christine at Chili's for a visit. Christine is the cutest girl ~ ever! She is about 5' (maybe a little shorter 😉). She laughs so much and is so fun to be around. She has one of the better paying jobs as a laser technician.

I know with each Sunday collage it seems like a repeat of the last but I do love it so much. I take pics of the screen shots because it is like my notes or a handout from the amazing teacher ~ this is one advantage of online church.

The RS lesson was taken from the talk by Elder Dale G. Renlund, "Because of Jesus Christ". Rochelle did such a fantastic job. I love all our RS and SS teachers and, of course, the Sacrament speakers!

Far Left: Victoria, Front Row: Ram, Rob,Carla, Prince, Jamie, Sheila, Taonga, Charm, Louie. Back Row: Rochelle, Sunshine's friend, Alex (in blue), Hygine, Billy, Sunshine.

What a fun time playing badminton! Victoria is not only our YW’s President, but she is also our wonderful Activity Chair, with Adrena as her assistant. They plan such great activities and this one was definitely a favorite! Everyone joined in and had a great time and there was so much laughter and fun. It was a memorable evening together!

Sometimes it's difficult to remember that hardship can produce growth, endurance can produce strength  and difficult seasons can ultimately contribute to a good life. That is what we are experiencing in Al Ain with these phenomenal people!

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 — “Two are better than one… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.”

Proverbs 17:17 — “A friend loveth at all times.”