Another Week in the Work

We travel all over the mission and see sights that are difficult to look at and other times we catch a glimpse of the beauties around us. The fish farms have made some people wealthy, so new homes are going up in these areas.

This was a striking new home on their fish farm pond.

I don't understand the fish farm process, so I don't have any comments on the fences.

This is a shop where they build side-carts for bicycles. Some towns have their streets filled with these pedicarts. They are less expensive than using a motorcycle trike. We see them hauling pigs, chickens, sugar cane, coconuts, bananas, and lots of kids... sort of like a SUV at home.

A nice foot bridge over the river inlet waters. This is a river island near the mouth of the river that flows into the South China Sea.

We got bananas growing in our yard by our front gate. 

These bananas will be ready in a few weeks and we'll have to eat a lot or just share them with everyone. The big reddish fruit under the bananas is called the heart of the banana plant and it is edible too. We see them for sale in the grocery markets.

This cow was not use to seeing a car in her domain, but thankfully the road was wide enough here we could pass the trike and the cow without any problem.

This is a family we went to visit and invite back to church. It's actually the grandfather and grandmother watching their granddaughter while her mother was at work. When we arrived they were all curled up on a wooden square on the ground. It was hot and humid and a perfect time and place for a nap. We visited for a while and then went on our way. I asked where I could turn the car around and he pointed way down the road, over a bridge that I was not comfortable traversing, so I picked the widest spot on the road this side of the bridge and made a lot of back and forth maneuvers and finally got the car turned around. When we came back the family we visited was waiting to wave good-bye to us. I leaned out the window and took their picture. 

A friendly caribou, taking a rest from work in the rice fields this morning.

Rice fields with a "hay stack" on the far right. That is food for the caribou.

A look at a home, fields and hay stacks as we passed by.

White A-Frame chicken shelters on the hillside above the rice fields.

They plant string beans on the side of the fields and the beans climb these poles.

We visited a family with a new baby. The mom took a break fro doing the washing (by hand) to talk with us and share the smiles of her little girl.

We got our first packages from home! They were pretty well beaten up and had been taped to keep everything inside, but we got everything.

When we went to district conference they gave each of the speakers and leaders a rose. We got one too!

President and Sister Jensen were there. We always love to see them and share our experiences with them.

This was the view of  the yard at the end of May...

...and this is the view of the yard yesterday. The banana tree is about 6 feet taller, the trees have filled out, the vines have covered the fence and the goats were moved across the street.