#10 Al Ain Sunday Gathering/Health Crisis/Teaching

I truly love our Sunday meetings. Sacrament meetings are so spiritual; I genuinely feel the Spirit during each Sacrament meeting every week.

I often wonder why it touches me so deeply. Is it because this little branch radiates such spirituality every time someone gives a talk? Is it because I come prepared to listen "spirit to spirit" as they speak? Or is it because we know the circumstances and humble hearts of these brothers and sisters, making their messages even more meaningful? I'm sure it's a combination of all these things, but whatever the reason, I always look forward to our Sunday meetings.

I am especially looking forward to (again) having Sunday School and Relief Society every week. Personally, I would happily return to the three-hour meeting schedule, especially here in Al Ain. Our teachers are absolutely wonderful. They prepare diligently, are incredibly knowledgeable and consistently provide inspiring and meaningful lessons.

I am continually humbled by their faith, spirituality, and devotion. They do not take their membership, the Priesthood or their callings in building up the Kingdom of God, lightly. They are such examples to me.

Moroni 6:9 And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.

We are still only able to have church on zoom so sometimes we'll have everyone who can make it, over to the villa in the afternoon on Sundays. Because of my headaches, we haven't hosted as many gatherings recently, but I hope to start them up more regularly again. These get-togethers are always fun, lively, and a wonderful opportunity for members to visit and strengthen friendships with one another.

Fortunately, since I retired from kitchen duty several years ago, Billy and many of the branch members happily pitch in to prepare our Pancake, Spam and Egg dinners. I think if I were responsible for the cooking, it would be a disaster! Not only would it wear me out, but we probably wouldn't have many returning visitors either; I’m so out of practice that I'm not sure I could make anything truly edible anymore 😂 😂😜! Oh, I should mention that I do contribute one thing every Sunday: Fruit Salad! The members, especially the Africans, absolutely love it. It always makes my heart happy to play a small part in the joy and smiles that Sunday brunch brings 😜!

The saddest and hardest thing is that since everyone works 10-14hr days and they only get one day off a week, many of our members have to work on Sunday. Even when they request having Sunday off it does not happen. They all try to tune into at least Sacrament meeting while at work but for many this is impossible 😢. Billy has begun tape recording our speakers so they can at least watch them after work.

    The youth had the opportunity to participate in a temple trip to the Thailand Temple (upper left hand picture). Through the kindness of a very generous member who anonymously covered half the cost, each participant only needed to contribute the remaining portion. It is inspiring to witness such Christlike generosity; individuals willingly giving of their means to help these young people experience something they may never have imagined possible. For many, it was the fulfillment of a dream and an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord. The trip was a deeply meaningful and spiritual experience for everyone involved ~ leaving lasting memories and strengthening faith. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples?lang=eng

I've been driving now for a few months and I can get to almost all of the member's homes safely without GPS and even to some of the malls!

These are our cute friends Jacob and Leena from India. We've gone out with them and their adorable daughter, Gianna, to Indian restaurants a couple times. Did you know in their culture they like to mostly eat everything with their hands.  I think this had slipped my mind but it was so fun to do! Leena loves the church and all the lessons she has had but feels a great loyalty to the Christian orphanage, where she was raised with her siblings, and the fact that they brought her to an understanding of Jesus Christ. So at this time she just wants to enjoy the fellowship of the Saints and we love having her around us!

Here's our cute little primary class working on gifts for their Mom's (and other significant women in their small lives). Zoe, the oldest, is so very generous and would sacrifice all her cookies to make someone else happy. Kahliea, far left, top picture, is very attached to her family and no matter what she made or colored it needed to 'stay in her family'! And Zuri, the youngest, is just a rascal and keeps the rest of us laughing.

Pictures I took upon our first couple weeks here in Al Ain. I have gotten used to our beautiful city and it feels like home. I have also found that it is much more beautiful than I had first imagined.

So much has been going on. It seems like every single day there's a new emergency, crisis, or impossible situation that somehow lands on Billy's desk/text/email. At this point, we're beginning to wonder if we're being filmed for some kind of reality show 😂.  This week alone, all within four days of each other:

    Louie started having heart problems. His wife called, and Billy had to meet them at the pharmacy and pay $250 for his medication (which he'll need every month). If we hadn't been there to cover it, he literally would have died.

    Friday night at 11:00 p.m., we got a call from a young sister whose husband had punched her in the face, slammed her head into a wall, kicked her, and tried to strangle her. So naturally, we brought her and her kitty 😦 to the villa, comforted her, and put her to bed.

Saturday morning, I spent over an hour with her while she explained that she definitely wanted a divorce because this wasn't the first time he'd done this. Then that evening, when she was feeling lonely and missing him, I spent another three hours talking with her about Heavenly Father, self-worth and what her husband would almost certainly do the next time. But in the end, she decided she wanted to go back to him. So less than 24 hours after rescuing her, we drove her home. Fortunately, he promised 😒 he'd never do it again, so we're all set there 😣. Good Grief 😰.

    Then yesterday morning, we discovered that one of our sweet sisters had been in the hospital for the last two weeks with a blood clot in her brain 😦. We'd been trying to contact her the entire time, but she never responded; we had already decided we would go check on her today since she lives out on the vegetation hydrophobic farm and rarely comes into town. Then that morning Billy got a text from her saying she'd been in the hospital. So off we went to visit her there. She had surgery and is doing ok; there is still a little leakage so they are monitoring her closely. The temperature was 113F outside and as we were walking from the car to the hospital I literally thought I was going to pass out. Wow ~ I've been in a lot of hot places but this takes the cake (our shower and water temperature is hot even when we turn it on cold)! After our visit Billy left me inside the hospital and went and got the car ~ he is even taking care of ME full time 😉. 

The funny thing is that these three incidents sound like an exceptionally bizarre week. But honestly, they don't feel exceptional anymore. This is what life seems to be like Each day. Every week. Every month. But as I have mentioned before ~ this is what we are here for!

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not 😉." Galatians 6:9 

Sunshine, Gabriel and Rob/Ram and Alma/Kennedy/Louie, Bill/
Louie (lumie-dog),Rochelle, Mag/Jamie and Alma/Little Lehi!

    The good news (always good news to be had) is that Sunday was actually really nice. After Sacrament meeting, Billy asked the Sunday School president, "Who is teaching today?". He was informed that it was the fifth Sunday, which meant Billy was teaching. Fortunately, I had just started a Patriarchal Blessing WhatsApp group for the twelve members who haven't received their blessings yet and Billy had recently listened to President Monson's talk on patriarchal blessings. So between the two of us, we were able to pull off the hour without a hitch. I am loving learning about each of our lineages through the 12 tribes of Israel; it is so fascinating to me!

    Then we had everyone over to the villa for brunch at 5:00 p.m.  I picked up Mag and brought her and the two baby boys to the Villa. Billy picked up Sunshine and Hygiene. A few others came as well, (those that had cars) and it turned into a truly lovely evening. Unfortunately, Mag's husband, Kennedy, raided our refrigerator and drank my entire carton of grape juice (a rare luxury that I had been saving) along with Billy's Snickers bar. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they're separated now, so that's another little situation we're helping navigate. Billy is also working tirelessly (literally 6 to 9 hours weekly) on getting birth certificates for their two babies and then passports so Mag and the boys can eventually return home to Nigeria.

At 6:30 we slipped out so we could watch our Grandson, Jude York (Mindy's 3rd), give his homecoming talk. He served for two years in Guatemala. His two brothers flew in from BYU to surprise him. Their Dad, Jakob, conducted the meeting, then Luke spoke, then Kobes and Jude was the concluding speaker.  Needless to say, it was phenomenal. Tate, the youngest, gave the closing prayer (fyi - I snapped his pic before he started praying 😇). Tate will be serving in Brazil next month for 2 years (same exact mission where Marcie served)! #cutiepatooties

Then on Monday 3 members needed some food from the food pantry (can't understand why they forgot to grab it on Sunday 🤔); we bagged up some items and ran by the store and delivered it to their door. Besides being a Taxi service we have become an Uber Eats driver as well ~ only difference is our tips are in blessings ! While we were at the mall we ran across these sweet little muslim girls all decked out in their Khimar (head covering) and Abaya (a long loose dress). Beautiful! Also, Billy found a Thai restaurant where I'm indulging weekly in some good ole Mango and Sticky Rice . . . Dilly-icious 😋. 

We had our 2nd lesson with Kath (pronounced Cat). Kath is a nurse and her husband, Joshua, is a member and they have 2 children, Kahliea who is in my primary class and little Kyler who is turning one.  You would never know that she wasn't a member because she attends everything and loves everything about the church.  She has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and helps anytime she is needed. I think she just wants to learn more and understand more. The lesson went well but I think another of her hesitations is that her family is Catholic and the allegiance to her family is very strong.

This is just a glimpse of our MAY calendar (I am still behind on my emails so things might not be corresponding exactly with the information above):

 

Fri 5/1/26 6pm- FHE at DeLeon's James candy/headache /Sheila visit w/billy 

Sat 5/2/26 MIGRAINE /Sinclair Swim Raymond 34 BAPTISM 

Sun 5/3/26 church Fast/testimony meeting. 

11 Hospital 5pm neurologist/headache1hr ~ no pain 

Mon 5/4/26 ~ 7am Kennedy JAMES Bday 42, SHEILA/CARLA,  little headache/Sacrament boys/carla

Tues 5/5/26 - 10:15 Billy surgery CANCER thigh /4:15 - Teena, Gayon patio/priesthood lesson/ aura headache/5pm Zoom w/welfare 

Wed 5/6/26  Dubai airport /Food/headache

Thurs 5/7/26 PRIMARY cookies/necklaces/ Cheza 7pm Raymond priesthood/ food/headache 

Fri 5/8/26 10:30 Dermo Billy Cancer appt / 12 pm Visit Kat/headache  

Sat 5/9/26 headache rest all day

Sun 5/10/26 Mother's Day/headache fuzzy 

Mon 5/11/26 10am CARLA Embassy & CAR Abu Dhabi / 6pm Joshua Sacrament. headache fuzzy

Tues  5/12/26 4:15 Teena/Gayon put out pest sprinkles/sheila money/headache

Wed  5/13/26 BDAY Mary/Miles '17 headache

Thur 5/14/26 BDAY Isla - Van Morosels visit /Marcie GRADUATION /piercing headache

11:45 Dermo  7:30 stake activity virtual / 4pm PRIMARY Grandma's 

Fri  5/15/26 5pm pastor Samuel/baby headache 

12pm Kat and Josh ??? 6pm Sheila/Carla sleepover

Sat 5/16/26 8am/12:45pm Sheila airport / 7pm Brian/jennifer Bday BRANCH ACTIVITY/baby headache

Sun 5/17/26 Jay talk in church Conversions/ SS Deuteronomy 6:1–9;

Mon 5/18/26 BDAY Kenny '89 /3 delivery Food/ tiny headache

Tues 5/19/26 12:30 dr Dermo Billy/12:30 jamie neurosurgeon /gave$200 dirham to Teena

Wed 5/20/26 headache rest

Thur 5/21/26 9am Weir zoom, Mag signature? 11:40am ophthalmologist, EYE DROPS LEFT EYE, BDAY Scarlett /  4pm PRIMARY 

Fri 5/22/26 BDAY Willie - 1984 Sheep movie

4:30 youth&leaders water activity

Sat 5/23/26 BDAY Malcolm '24 Abu Dhabi - 11:30 Armando patriarchal blessing. 

Sun 5/24/26 - Church-High Council /Brian Jennifer dinner

Mon 5/25/26 - Billy Louie medicine 

Tues 5/26/26  Billy Kennedy- mag separated. hygiene temple lesson 6:30 zone meeting

Wed 5/27/26 - Billy Kennedy 

Thur 5/28/26 -4pm PRIMARY 

BDAY Emma- 2019 MOVIES, Taonga, hygiene, ram, rod, Raymond, Prince. 

Fri 5/29/26 -1pm Ram/Rod and 4pm Taonga 5pm park youth activity 

store for Sunday, PICK UP TEENA violence 11pm

Sat 5/30/26 - SHOT, 11:30 Billy stitches out. Lulu, patriarchal WhatsApp group, Teena went home

Sun 5/31/26 - Jude homecoming, Sandra baptism, fast and testimony 4pm Dinner at Villa 8pm BISHOPRIC MEETING.  Hygiene interview Kofoed/Billy. Mag/Kennedy, Brian/Jennifer, Gabriel, Sunshine, Ram/Rob, Rochelle/Louie.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58

#9 ~ Al Ain: Miserable Migraines / Peaceful Primary / Kahoots

Primary girls sending a video to me explaining  how to help my headache get better! Zuri had on  slippers like mine ~ told me to stay warm 😉!

Wed, 4/8/26 ~ full blown migraine, then headaches nonstop for the next 4 weeks. I had another migraine, Sun, 4/26/26 at 1:30 after church ~ what the heck? And then between these 2 migraines I got 3 vision migraines; Thur 16th, 17th & 18th. What's even crazier is that for the last 5 years, right before a migraine and right before my head starts pounding, I smell "cotton candy" ~ like real yummy cotton candy (not every time but many)!  Sometimes with aura and sometimes without. No one else can smell it, just me, but then 💥 the headache begins. I've got less than 10 minutes to get some meds into me. 

I had finally gone into a clinic in the morning and was seen by the GP then a Specialist and was hooked up to an IV then ended up going to the hospital to a neurologist that night and was hooked up again with fluids, and a stronger pain killer.  After 45 minutes the neurologist came back in and said, "your headache is all gone." not a question but a statement.  I said, 'No, not really".  He said, "ok, 80%." I thought, "ok, time for a different neurologist". He sent me home with a week's worth of painkillers that I was to take everyday, which I did, which did not help my headaches, at all.

It had been a week since I used my own migraine meds and on the 26th, knowing this 2nd migraine was going to be a doozy, I took my own medicine. His medicine only lasted less than 2 hours for my daily headaches and only made them a little better but I knew my meds would at least stop the full blown migraine, vision, nausea and exploding headache.  

I'll have to check out all the new and different Migraine meds that are available. Marcie takes Ubrelvy along with a daily pill but hopefully mine won't get that consistent.

The Branch, our kids and everyone  (fasted and) prayed for me and then a little miracle happened. After we came home from seeing the GP to get a referral for the 2nd neurologist ~ I actually had 1 hour, around 2pm, where, all of a sudden, I had no pain whatsoever - it was as sooooo weird and wonderful 😳😦😄. I thought, "maybe I don't need to go back for my 5pm appt cuz my headaches are completely gone", but I think Heavenly Father was giving me a glimpse of how it will be soon and not give up and have hope and to know once again how much the prayer of others work. 

Everyone's prayers were heard and were answered. 

One hour, just all of a sudden, no headache ~ nothing, pain free, just for a little over an hour. It was amazing. Then after an hour full blown headache again. If that's not a miracle I don't know what is. I hadn't taken any pain killers for the last 4 days before that (and just got one a couple hours after at the hospital). 

But, regardless, we still felt we should go to the neurologist and I'm glad we did. 

In the meantime, life went on (just did it with miserable daily headaches).  On the brightside we found a new favorite market right by our home.  It is a bit more expensive but has everything we need, even some dried fish for snacks 😜.  Billy also found a pretty good foot, shoulder, neck and head massage place for me but it's $70 for an hour . We thought maybe it would help with my headaches and I did like it but my shoulder hurt for a week afterwards when it hadn't before 🤔. Billy discovered a Carl's Jr but it was really a Hardees, who knew we would be Hardee's fans! Last but not least, a member from the Abu Dhabi Ward, Charlie, had an interview here in Al Ain so we had our first sleepover guest!   

I was in bed with my migraine so I didn't get to meet him but Billy said he was really great and hopes he gets the job and is able to move to our little Branch!

We have to leave early to go to Dubai tomorrow to get our car exchanged cuz something sounds weird. They'll fix it and give us a loner. Unbeknownst to us, even though I asked the guy as we were leaving, this SUV only had 5 seats not 7 like he said there were, which caused a real issue at our next 2 big activities 😏; making Billy make 3 runs picking up everyone instead of the regular two. 

We need to get a bus or move to a villa that's closer to one of the malls (which I am sure neither will happen)!

Such a fun Primary class today ~ I usually keep them pretty busy for about an hour and a half; we just have too many fun things to talk about, color and do! Today we talked about the many trials Joseph went through, then glued the scriptures onto his coat to make it many colors. After that we colored a separate coat then on the back side we used some foam clay art and made another beautiful coat for Joseph. I do love Primary and these little bundles of joy!

The girls' Mom, Victoria (top middle), arrives around 5:30 and then they all hang around for a bit. Charm, in the middle, and Jenny center bottom, come with the girls and usually take a nap in the living room.

Status Migrainosus

Back to the hospital we went to see my 2nd neurologist (again) and they pumped me up with oxygen, steroids and a little codeine/tylenol. They've prescribed some heavier meds: Nurtex; every other night for a month, Codeine; as needed and sleeping pills for a week. I was hoping this would take care of the migraines and the daily headaches 🤔.  The weirdest thing about this whole situation is that I have never had continual daily headaches after my initial migraine, nor have I had so many migraines in one months time. I think what might have happened is that when I start getting a migraine, I pop in my medicine and it takes care of it.  But what my body is needing is for me to slow down, rest and just turn off my brain and regroup.  But since my medicine had always worked so well (with just a baby residue headache after the migraine) I just kept going 110%.  With the worry and stress that I have for our little Branch and all their many problems I just didn't take a moment off to regroup, reset and rest my body and brain.  I think the Lord has helped me my whole life in shutting my body down and resting (because I wouldn't do it for myself).  In HS it was cramping once a month where I literally was in bed for a day and a half, then migraines after I had my 2nd baby where I had to stop because I was pregnant or nursing for 11 more years and couldn't take medicine, then when I got migraine meds and wouldn't slow down, I jumped into 2 separate depressions in my 30's that knocked me out for a few months. After my bouts with depression I actually began slowing down. but I'm afraid that I obviously forgot when we arrived here in Al Ain. So I am grateful that Heavenly Father is more aware of my needs than I am.  It truly has been a blessing and hopefully I'll be better at taking care of myself from here on out.

Soooo, yes, that combination seems to have done the trick and I'm doing much better today! I've got a bucket load of meds by my bed which I won't end up using. One interesting thing was that the 2nd neurologist told me not to take my migraine medicine during the aura phase (or cotton candy phase, whichever it might be) but wait until my head starts hurting 🤪, but I know what happens when I don't take it immediately and I was not going there. Doctors are sometimes "interesting". Sometimes I think that when they are doing their internship someone needs to hit their head with a mallet and ask them to not take any medicine until they can see clearly 🤣🤣🤯! 

As many of you know, whenever I have surgery or any major medical thing going on, it isn't too far behind that Billy goes in for something 😝! So here we are at Billy's dermatologist appointments; he has had 4 spots cut off and sent for a biopsy and then a zillion frozen off. We've gone to Billy's dermatologist 6 times; I'm not sure why the doctor didn't just remove all 4 spots at the same time? He would remove one then a week later he would take out the stitches and remove another, etc.  It's not like they were making a lot of money since we were only being charged less than $5 each time 🤔.  Anyhoooo, everything looks good now 😅!

~ KAHOOTS ~

Our little Branch had a kick playing Kahoots on Zoom with all the women in the Abu Dhabi Stake (all in the UAE - roughly the size of South Carolina).  It was so fun to see everyone that is still in the UAE at our Stake Activity and some joining us from the US. Carla, from our Branch here in Al Ain, took 3rd place out of 40 ~ we were so proud of her (she said her boys were helping her 😜). I've already been embarrassed by this game but the good thing is it didn't show all the scores, just the top five.  I think that I was 28th out of 40, but I'm hoping no one else noticed!

I hope you are doing well and life hasn't thrown you too many curve balls ~ if so, remember these two wonderful scriptures and have hope and faith just like I tried to practice this last month 😉!

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” Psalm 55:22

"All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” D&C 122:7

#8 Al Ain ~ Temple and Family Search Gathering - Abu Dhabi

Hellooooo, 

I'm so sorry that I haven't written in a while. I don't know why it is so hard for me to write but perhaps we get so crazy busy that by the time I'm ready to write I just crash instead.  

We are very safe and it truly is business as usual.  Even making a few trips to Abu Dhabi and Dubai hasn't raised any red flags (more about the trips to follow in other emails).

Today (4/9/26) Billy took Kennedy (from Nigeria) to Dubai to work on some Visa items.  I should have gone with him but he let me stay home which was extremely wonderful of him! My back has flared up again and I'm afraid riding in the car, especially on long trips, may have contributed to it 😥.  

For the last couple months we've been in the process of visiting everyone in our darling little Branch ~ which is proving a bit difficult as they live all over the city. Al Ain's municipality is closer in size to the State of Connecticut if you consider the region's total land area, but where everyone lives in the city area it’s more comparable to Seattle, WA. But if you look at different census' it could be more like San Jose, CA; which can make it very time consuming to reach out to everyone! But this is what we are here for and we are excited to serve . 

On Friday (and Saturday in February) we traveled to Abu Dhabi for Billy to be set apart and then Saturday to bring Carla (1st counselor in RS), Cheza, (Relief Society Teacher) and Cheza's son, Prince (12 ~ Deacon Pres) to the Stake Temple and Family Search Training. It was a fantastic day and especially fun getting to know these sweet members. Cheza has an adorable story about her name: her name is Cheza Pril, her sister is Chez May. Her father loved chess so he named his daughter's Chez for his love of Chess and the month they were born in as their middle names. So they call her Cheza with an A[pril] and her sister Chezmay ~ 😂😂😂 how cute is that!).

    Since we had an hour & a half each way with Cheza, Prince and Carla driving to Abu Dhabi we wanted to know all about them! They are from the Philippines and talked about growing up with typhoons, hurricanes, etc and when catastrophes happened the whole city, town or village would work together and everyone would have their roofs put back on by nightfall. The LDS Church in the Philippines is growing by leaps and bounds. I think they serve each other so much and are so strong and charitable that they are taught the love of Christ from birth and they are very receptive when they hear the Gospel truths. 

Wow! What an amazing training session. Those involved with the planning and execution of this phenomenal event were Rod and Jan Degillios (over the whole program), Janet Larsen Roberts (fun teacher), Dorie Tarrobago, Lori, Carey and Karla Sharp (Karla was in the hospital because of her asthma 😢 so she had to miss the activity even though she had planned so much); so many helping hands that made this training so great. We left with a huge beautiful gift basket ~ incredible and the best fruit ever.  I wish I could have written down their last names but I don't know many of them. They truly motivated us to go home to our members and get them excited to get a name ready for the Temple and to work on Family History. All the way home our sisters and Prince told us about the genealogy games the Filipino Ward had been in charge of and how these would be fun activities for us to bring home to our Branch. I was able to visit and get to know Lori (Carey) Holgate and Lori Wallentine, both from Dubai, who are a delight! Others in attendance: Baher Marcous, Sergei Antamanov, Pinky Vicente, Sally Ustare, Mark Kenneth Yaqui Ustare, Stephen Oghide, Goodluck Akanama, Kate T. and Mahasin Saleh.

The above picture is of our Stake President, Pres. Kofoed who resides in Doha, Qatar (he must have had a heyday during Covid 😉)! He is adorable and he looks like he is about 32yrs old but I think he is really 55 😜; a spiritual giant if there ever was one. We picked him up at the airport in Abu Dhabi and then he set Billy apart as the Branch President at the Patriarchs home.

Above is Sister and Patriarch Woodhouse’s apartment where we joined them for this ordination.  Such a beautiful view looking out on Al Maryah Island. I cannot believe I didn't get a picture of them 😔.

Above is a quick look at a few of the architecture buildings leaving Abu Dhabi and below are some of Dubai (more to follow, I'm sure!).

Ok, I've got to get busy on these emails because I have taken so many pictures and I should be writing every single night because it seems like a week is crammed into each day; it’s as if we have already been here a full year whereas it's only been a couple months 😆!

    And for those that are thinking of visiting, December through April will definitely be the best months here; the weather is absolutely perfect, Utah summer-like! 

    And a quick heads-up for future travelers coming through Chicago O'Hare International Airport (friendly reminder: it was 9°F in January 🥶). Once we got off our plane we hustled to the shuttle bus meeting place to take us to the international terminal (which was definitely in a weird location and only left twice each day); this was most interesting and the longer we sat in the 'shuttle' section the weirder I felt. The workers were very, very rude and they shouted at anyone who got in line too early and then yelled at the people when it was time for us to finally get in the line. We were commanded to stay to the left and to stand in a straight line. I was seriously worried that she might have a ruler hidden behind her back and would smack us if we weren’t obedient.

    After checking our ticket we were sent down the deep, dark stairs and a second woman loudly reminded us (multiple times) to refrain from going outside and to definitely not block the door.  I must say that we were all looking at each other like, "Are we really going on that shuttle because perhaps it is taking us to a concentration camp?". Fortunately, and to the relief of us all, we ended up being taken to the other terminal where we actually boarded the plane for the 13 hour flight to Abu Dhabi. Just FYI ~ it was slightly terrifying 😳.

Malachi 4:6
“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…”
I love this verse because it is especially meaningful for genealogy and family history because it speaks directly about reconnecting generations and restoring family bonds.

#7 Al Ain ~ The UAE: Before and After

Hello, again 😁,

This scripture (below) was supposed to go with the last email #6 so just let's pretend I had attached it. I copied it from a Senior couple's weekly email who is serving in Cyprus  ~ (thank you, Steve)! Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”

I bet you're surprised to get 2 emails back to back (and some of you, all 7 at once 😳). But these are just fascinating pics that I found that are truly incredible. To see the UAE building and constructing their countries in such a small amount of time, is so incredible. 

All these fascinating pictures are from Gulf News  https://gulfnews.com/uae/the-stunning-transformation-of-the-uae-1.500088360  except the first one, which I took while visiting the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the second, which is from Reddit, and the last, which comes from WorldAtlas.

These images are truly mind-blowing. It’s amazing to see how, in just a decade, from the first commercial oil well in March 1960 to the construction of the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi in 1970, the country began its transformation. Over the next 50 years, the UAE developed into the remarkable nation we see today. On the left, you can see “before” shots, with the progression shown on the right.

Wow! Right! Crazy Cool ! 

I'm ending with a quote from Abraham Lincoln “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

#6 Al Ain ~ Primary, FHE and Our Enchanting Ramadan Experience

Friday, 3/13/26 ~ Just wanted to let you know we are safe and sound.  Living in Al Ain, which is close to the Oman border, we are far away from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi and we have not had any missiles, hostility, debris or signs of war. There was a missile in Oman but we are 12 hrs away from that landing so we are good. There is a military base here but it is small and Arabic so we are not anticipating any attacks.

It truly is business as usual and we have not had to stay indoors (out of harm's way as they are doing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi). There have been some couples that were closer to Iran that were moved out at the end of January and others who felt more comfortable leaving who have since left. Many are remaining in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They feel safe and are just taking shelter and using caution each day.  The Church News indicates that all of the Senior Service Volunteers have left but there are still many here in the Middle East/Africa North Area. The News media are sending out many old pictures of other situations and AI pics are exaggerating the situation and most of it is just not true.

Let’s first start with Wed, 2/25/26 when we were invited over to Joshua and Kats house for FHE.  It was wonderful and Joshua gave a fantastic lesson on families. We watched a short video and had delicious food that we all gobbled up. 

In attendance along with Joshua, Kat and their 2 kids, Kahliea & Khyler there was Joshua's cousin and her friend, Victoria & Zoe, Zuri and Jenny and Charm. 

Afterwards . . .

There is a market (Mahran Hyper Market) by their home which is now my very, VERY favorite! It is the least expensive and has everything. The cutest and funniest was that Zuri, the 4 1/2 year old, handed me a grape and I popped in into my mouth without even thinking (and it was scrumptious), but as I looked down (lower left hand picture) I noticed that her pocket was full of grapes 🤣🤣🤣. I’m not sure if they were paid for or not but regardless she was very generous giving them out 😜.  Before we went home Victoria told us about the Ramadan feast so we decided we'd all go tomorrow night after Primary. 

Thurs, 2/26/26 Primary focused on Abraham and Sarah and the reminder that the Lord always keeps His promises. We also talked briefly about the sacrifice Abraham (and Isaac) were willing to make. After waiting so long for the promised son, Isaac, Abraham still showed his willingness to offer him on the altar, trusting completely in the Lord.

We have learned so much about Ramadan and it is truly fascinating. It is such a celebration and the streets are decorated just like ours are at Christmastime. We had such a wonderful time experiencing the spirit of this occasion.

The starting and ending of Ramadan this year was the evening of Tue, Feb 17, 2026 through Thu, Mar 18, 2026 ~ the exact dates are contingent upon the sighting of the moon

We had such a lovely time during Ramadan's 'Break the Fast'. The atmosphere was amazing; it was beautiful, felt peaceful, and was truly a spiritual experience reflecting community spirit. Generosity of the Muslim community is truly astounding, they prepare and feed thousands upon thousands of people each night of Ramadan.  The cost is very high but the generosity of time, energy and effort is mind blowing. Muslims and people of different religions gather at sunset and are served a huge box of either lamb, beef or chicken. Bill and I received delicious chicken both times. In our boxes are fruits, scrumptious dates, water, milk & juice, and the best rice I have ever had. The place was filled with love, unity and generosity. It really was so cool.  When we went back the 2nd time the guy who was setting the boxes on the plastic tableclothes recognized both Bill and me.  He was so nice and welcomed us back.  Everyone we sat around greeted us and although the little children were shy the men and women spoke and visited with us.

Left hand bottom picture are some amazing, vacuumed sealed, fresh dates from Joshua; he is always so kind and giving. 

We were at the largest mosque in Al Ain ~ the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mosque (Al Ain Grand Mosque). The Mosque opened in 2021 and can accommodates up to 20,800 worshippers 

Islamic Relief Worldwide explains that if someone is unable to fast during Ramadan for a valid reason, they should make up for the missed days by fasting after Ramadan. If a person is physically unable to fast at all, they must instead feed one poor person for each day missed; this is called Fidya, (Charitable compensation). However, if someone deliberately breaks or skips a fast without a valid reason, they may be required to perform Kaffarah, (Penalty) that involves feeding 60 poor people for each day missed.

I need to interject here with an awesome experience. We visited a family whose daughter, Sophia, (20) has been doing pathways but wanted to get a job to help her family. There is a place called Grandma's House (where Teena works) where parents can drop off their kids for $7 an hour for childcare (or $10 an hour if they also want the kids to receive juice and snacks, throughout the day). Anyhooo, we picked up Sophia and took her there for her interview.  The boss, Ola, who is from Syria, is very nice. We had met her before, so she knew us and seemed to liked us.  She is somehow affiliated with Muslims, and even though she asked about the church, we explained that we couldn’t really discuss religious topics with Muslims because it is against the law here.  After Sophia went to the play area with the kids, I sat down in the little café to read and enjoy a thin chocolate shake. A sweet Chinese lady, Courtney, and her husband were sitting nearby. I commented on how cute her little boy was, and before long she pulled her chair over to my table and we started visiting.  

She had only arrived a couple of months ago, and somehow our conversation turned to her grandfather’s death. She explained that in China many people believe that once you die, that’s it, you’ll never see that person again. As most of you know, that’s not what we believe. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know there is life after death.

I mostly listened, and then she mentioned that she knew “Mormons” believed she would see her grandfather again. Up to that point she knew I was Christian, but after that comment I smiled and said, “I’m Mormon!” That led to a lively discussion. Billy came in partway through, and we ended up inviting her to join us that evening for the Ramadan's 'Break the Fast' (with the gang). She said she would love to go. There are pics of her below and a shot of just her in the lower right hand corner ~ Courtney Hu.

I’ve talked with a few different Muslims from different countries, and they told me that the details of fasting practices can vary somewhat by region. One woman mentioned that for every day a person is unable to fast, they might give the equivalent of about ten days’ worth of food or money to help others.

Learning about these traditions and experiencing the generosity first hand made our Ramadan visit truly unforgettable. The whole place was filled with love, unity, and generosity. It was honestly such an amazing experience.

Ephesians 2:19
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”