#21 PI Day/Ferrari World/TeamLab Phenomena/PB/Misc

We do find time to have lots of fun in our Branch! Here are a few more enjoyable activities here in Al Ain!

We are at the Sinclair's for a PI day Party (yes, I am a little behind in my entries 😛)! Both Gayle and Seth are teachers, Gayle teaches at the HS and Seth is a Professor at the University so they are both really creative in getting everyone engaged in the activities. As you can see everyone brought all kinds of Pies, both dinner and dessert pies ~ Completely scrumptious 😋!

After all the eating and visiting we got down to some serious games. We've played these games with our family back home but just so you know it was way more competitive here and that is saying a lot if you know our kids 😜! We played a game like Kahoots but I can't remember what this game was called.  All I know is that I was in, pretty much, last place the whole time (I think I passed Zuri, age 7, once or twice 😂). Anyhooo, it was great fun and I did learn a thing or two! There is nothing better than to get together, play games, eat delicious food and visit with wonderful friends.

The top pics of Billy are more trips to doctor's appointments ~ mostly for my eye (it's still ok) and his skin cancer (also, looking good). We found a fun Japanese restaurant which is in the mall and happens to be next door to See's Candy 😃. Unfortunately, I won't be able to visit there too often as it ended up costing $35 for that little box of chocolates ~ and let me tell you I did enjoy every. single. bite. of those decadent treats! 

With many of our members traveling for their yearly "month off" we did make a few runs to Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports. The bus takes 3 hours and the taxi's take $100 so if we are available we will take them there! We took Josh, Kath, Kahliea and Kyler to Abu Dhabi for their month in the Philippines. Many times there have been some miscommunications (pic of text) between Josh and me over our texts but each month it seems to be improving 😉!

Wow! Wow! Wow! Brian and Jennifer took us to TeamLab/Phenomena and it truly is a Phenomenon. I mean it was the most amazing place I've ever been to. It blew me away! We first walked into a forest where the trees looked like they were moving and designs would climb up and down the trees and change into amazing scenes. It is so hard to describe but a must see if you are ever in Abu Dhabi.

Another absolutely cool thing was this huge area that has all kinds of creatures all over the walls, floors and ceiling. You get to design a creature with your name on it and then it appears in the room and roams around.  Mine is the lizard ~ you can see it if you look real close! After looking all over I finally found mine and kept following it and watching it dart back and forth and travel every which way. Crazy cool!

It's really hard to describe this place so I've just taken it from their website: "TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is an immersive digital-art experience where light, sound, movement, and interactive installations transform the space around you. It’s designed to feel more like stepping inside an artwork than visiting a traditional museum." (source: T teamlab.art). 

It's one of those places where you just have to see it to believe it! We spent hours and hours there because there is so much to see and experience!

Afterwards we went to Ferrari World where the DeLeon's (pictured: Zuri and Victoria) were spending the day and we (Brian, Jennifer, Billy and me) met up with them for a visit. There are definitely some cool places in the UAE. And, as you can see, I took 1st place in the race! I think, perhaps, if I had never gotten married I would have liked to have been a race car driver 😎😏😛!

Patriarchal Blessings

Your Patriarchal blessing usually contains personal and inspired direction and counsel from Heavenly Father. A patriarchal blessing also includes a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel or as a descendant of Abraham. 

We’ve made two trips to Abu Dhabi for Armando and Taonga to receive their patriarchal blessings from Patriarch Woodhouse. Because of everyone’s different work schedules, it can be difficult for them to get the same day off and make the trip to Abu Dhabi together. What a sacred and special experience this has been for both of them.  We always stop on the way home to grab something to eat and take some time to visit and talk about their experience. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to reflect together on this beautiful and personal blessing from Heavenly Father.

Adrena's parents brought her up and made it a wonderful celebration. The bottom left picture is the Abu Dhabi chapel ~ it is gorgeous and right across the street is one of the Labor camps (bottom right pic) where many of the workers here in Abu Dhabi live.

Because we had three more members lined up for blessings this past month, instead of making three individual trips to Abu Dhabi, Patriarch Woodhouse traveled down to Al Ain to give the blessings here, which was so nice. Teena was first, then Gabriel, and last, but certainly not least, Prince. What an amazing gift this is to each individual member of the Church. It’s like having your own personal letter (like scriptures) written just for you from Heavenly Father.  I love it! There is something so special and sacred about receiving personal guidance and knowing that Heavenly Father knows each of us individually and has a plan and purpose for our lives. I’m so grateful for these beautiful experiences and for the opportunity to witness each of them receive their own special blessing.

It was a busy, fun-filled and spiritual day at the Villa. My two bodyguards, Hygiene and Sunshine, were just hanging out, studying Pathways and taking a little break for a few laughs. These two truly keep me laughing! They may be my bodyguards, but they’re definitely not very serious about their job 😆!

For their summer vacation the Sinclair's (bottom right corner) went to Thailand and bought themselves a retirement home! Fortunately, they will still be in Al Ain for a few more years until they actually retire! Above them the Deleon's went to Disneyland both in China and Japan. We took Hygine (left pics) to the airport as he was going home to Nigeria for the month and Taonga (middle) is actually going home to Zambia for good.  After just a few weeks she decided this was not the place she wanted to be. The expectations are never what they think they will be and their employers don't follow the rules that the UAE has set up; no one checks on the employers to make sure they are following the rules so it is always a surprise to those that move here. Taonga was such a sweet woman and we will miss her. She said that she is still grateful that she moved out here because she learned a lot more about the Gospel and she also received her Patriarchal Blessing. Her husband and 4 children are very excited that she is coming home as she has been away from them for about 6 months. 

Another Misc collage: the 1st pic is our friend, Innocent, from Pakistan who we went out to the far western part of Al Ain to visit. He was interested in learning about the Gospel but he ended up going home to Pakistan to get married. Hopefully he will contact the missionaries back in his homeland and learn more about Christ and His Gospel. The 2nd picture is of our 'laundry' man! He and his co-workers are the sweetest people you'll ever meet. It only cost $1 per item which is amazingly fantastic. The funniest thing is that they will come out to your car and grab your laundry. There is even an older man that will come out in the heat and I will tell Billy that he can't let that old guy come out and carry things back in when the temp is 114F; he's going to pass out or have a stroke. Billy reminds me each time that he is also an old man 👴! We are not quite sure how they remember to keep everyone's clothes separate and in order cuz he'll just grab them all with the car next to us and take them all in together. So far we've always gotten all our clothes back cleaned and in order!

The 4 lower-left pics are: 1)Three bags of groceries we’re delivering today. 2) Passing one of the many camels we see riding around in the backs of trucks. 3) Piles and piles of termites infesting Billy’s office 😵😱😧. 4) And the last one is me pointing to one of the four corners where LOTS of ants keep finding their way into our house 😠. We’ve had the pest guy come out three times and after much complaining, he finally brought the owner over. They’re now going to, hopefully and finally get rid of those little buggers!

The last 3 pics on the bottom right show our “accidents of the week.” First, we got a call from a sister who had a bump sticking out of her wrist after whipping up desserts at the cafe where she works (ice pack and ibuprofen to the rescue)! Then another sister had a little carpal tunnel surgery and last but not least, a brother had a pretty serious cut below his thumb. Just a totally normal week of injuries 😂!

The picture above the 'accidents' is just the parking situation at our favorite grocery store. There are absolutely no rules or lines to follow, so everyone just parks wherever they want; even if it means completely blocking someone else in. Pretty bizarre 😂!  When we got back from Norway, I went back in to shop and it honestly felt like I was a celebrity. Everyone was so nice and so happy to see me! One of the little workers followed me around the whole store, helping me reach things on the high shelves and directing me to anything I needed. At first, I thought he was following me because he suspected I might steal something 😂, but after a few minutes I really got into it. I decided I quite liked having my own personal shopper!

The middle bottom pic is of a bird who decided to take up residence on our window ledge. We actually have another bird who is a permanent figure outside our bathroom window, but there’s a pane of glass between us, so we can only hear it singing in the morning. This bird, though, I was seeing every morning, but the minute she saw me, she would fly away. And since the window was at the bottom of our stairs, she would see me each morning. Clearly, I was a little too invasive for her liking 😂!  She didn’t get many sticks gathered for her nest before she must have gotten tired of me and found a new location to build her nest. It really was fun seeing her each day and I miss her.

I don't have a picture of this next paragraph (for obvious reasons) but here in Al Ain, during the summer months when the weather reaches anywhere between 113F to 120F, we go without . . . cold water 💦😰💦. We do have warm water that will come out of the faucet and shower for approximately 45 seconds. After that it is just scalding hot water. Billy is unaware of the first 45 second rule so he usually lets the water run before he gets in ~ for this reason (on the days that I do shower 😉) I always try to get in before him, that way I can take advantage of those first 45 seconds to get completely wet then step away from the steam and wash. The rinsing gets a little hard but somehow we manage. But this isn't even the funniest part ~ our toilet water is the same way. For most of the summer months the water in the toilet is HOT, I mean actually hot. When you sit down it's like having a little steam sauna on your bottom 😳. It is definitely a bit strange, but I'm just glad to report that we are finally able to enjoy some less-hot showers and slightly cooler bathroom visits now that our weather is starting to cool down to 106F - 112F; who would have thought we'd ever consider that temperature refreshing 😜?

Doctrine and Covenants 110:11

“Now, this is the word of the Lord: the gathering of Israel is one of the greatest events that shall take place in the latter days, and it is the work that is now going forth.”

#20 Al Ain ~ Sinclair's Game and more Games

 I know I have mentioned it before but the Sinclair's are the Best Game Family EVER ~ bar none! I'm a little behind with my emails but soon you'll see how many fun, crazy, spectacular games and activities we have with them! Tonight they were in charge of the Branch Activity and we had it at the Villa.

We played SIGNS which is my all time favorite. It is really interesting to me that the younger you are the easier it is to understand. I think past age 60 people just have a harder time with the concept - go figure 🤔.  It's just a good thing that I learned to play it the many years we were cast team leaders at Hill Cumorah or else I would have missed out on many big time, deep belly laughs!

To tell you the truth I don't particularly like being in the middle.  I feel self conscious and sometimes frustrated BUT I've found a super secret power that has helped me get out of the middle fast. You'll have to invite me over sometime to figure it out 😜!

It is so wonderful playing games and seeing each other laughing, giggling, getting caught and/or playing innocent. I still love games and will forever and ever!

We had a little extra time so we played a version of MURXXDER that I had never played before.  It's always fun to learn a new game, whatever it is!

I have to mention that when our own kids play Signs together they are so dang fast that they will have their sign be a noise; this should help the middle person hear whoever has the sign at that moment. But, unfortunately, the problem is that they do it so rapidly that they will send it to one person, that person accepts it and then sends it on to the next person (with all their noises) with so much speed that the one in the middle still has no clue who has it by the time it is passed around and around 3 or 4 times. Of course, when our kids do it it is so instantaneous that they are never caught! It is a blast to watch them and it sometimes makes me a little dizzy if I'm in the middle 😂!

I have a few misc collages and here is one of them: 

The first picture is a picture at Chili’s where 2 other Senior Service Volunteers, our wonderful friends from Abu Dhabi the: Van Moorsels and Hatton's, came up for a fun visit. We had such a good time with them. We ate, laughed and talked forever. So happy we got to spend some time together. 

Then we have Louie, who was at home and sent me a picture of his dinner of noodles and sardines. We've discussed how I don't really care for sardines so there was absolutely no danger that he would accidentally make enough for me. I appreciate that kind of consideration in a friendship.

Then comes the picture that best represents my current nutritional philosophy. My diet here consists primarily of pumpkin seeds, pralines-and-cream ice cream, Magma almond ice cream, black cherry yogurt, lemon-mint and kiwi-lime drinks and those little melon hard candies. I realize that list may raise some questions but I throw in as many protein drinks as needed to make it healthy! This is all it takes to convince myself that it qualifies as a balanced diet.

Next we have the picture of Pastor Samuel at the Pakistani restaurant we went to. Billy is trying to figure out how we can possibly get a meeting place for our members and there is an evangelist church that hosts 50 other churches.  They do not want the "Mormons" because they don't believe we are Christian. I am sure that is one of the main reasons that President Nelson encouraged everyone to not refer to the members of the church as Mormons but rather use our full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Even though they can tell we are Christians I think as soon as people join the church from other religions the leaders of other Christian churches just don't want our presence around their congregation 😏! Anyhooo, if it were up to Samuel we would be welcomed anytime but unfortunately, he has no say whether we get included in their building or not.

And finally, we have Sunshine, who made us a famous Nigerian breakfast: pudding, eggs with spices and wonderfully soft, yummy bread. It was delicious and always fun to try food from other countries. That was so kind of Sunshine. Also, the other day Sunshine cleaned my kitchen floor ~ it has literally never looked so good, he scrubbed it and cleaned every nook and cranny. Much better than any woman has ever done it 😛! 

I'll also include an incredible FHE (Family Home Evening) night we had at the Sinclair's home so you can see how much fun we are actually having over here. Sometimes our (Billy's) everyday schedule is so ridiculously crazy that we (Billy) get so caught up with the individual members' needs that it's hard to see that there is any light at the end of the tunnel. Then twice a month - (1) FHE and our (2) Branch Activity comes along and we usually don't have to plan or do anything but show up and have fun; these are the nights we (Jamie) look most forward to!

Like I've mentioned before, the Sinclair's are great ~ they combined a wonderful spiritual activity with loads of fun, games and learning. Even with all the excitement, the spirit was there as the purpose and lesson were intertwined with the games! Sooooo awesome!

Little Lehi was having a great time being passed around for lots of love and cuddles. He, Alma and Elli love to be around our big gatherings as it feels like a family reunion each time.

We did five different activities with each group of about six people. For each one, we would do the activity first and then talk about what the purpose was and what we were supposed to learn from it. After that, one of the group members would go over the lesson and explain what the takeaway from the activity was. I really enjoyed how the activities made the lessons more interactive and gave us a chance to think about how they applied to our own lives.

Spiritual Gifts 

Finding Christ 

Walk by Faith

Enduring Trials 

Divine Guidance 

A memorable, spiritual and epic evening that took Gayle, Seth, Adrena and Eli many hours of preparation on our behalf. It was fantastic and we appreciate them so much!

Psalm 133:1 — “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

# 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.”