Fun Phone Call

Our phone rang a little before 8:00 am. There was a recording to accept charges for a collect call. It was our missionary. ElDeric was calling from the airport in Dallas/Ft. Worth. What a fun thing to talk to him for a little bit. He is traveling in a group of 18 missionaries. One sister and 17 elders. Four of the elders are heading to Nicaragua and the other 14 are going to the Honduras San Pedro Sula Mission. Last night, a group left the MTC to head to the Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission. The work must be going well in Central America.

ElDeric admitted that he is nervous but excited. He didn't get much sleep last night because of packing and then leaving the MTC at 3:00 this morning. He did sleep on the plane though and he has two more legs of his flight to sleep.

ElDeric told us that he loved the MTC. What a great time he had. One of his favorite things was working in the call center. He answered phones and did the live chat from Mormon.org. He was able to be a host a few times. He did say that he wishes he could see Dr. Sanders right now. The chairs at the MTC are not exactly ergonomic. Neither are the beds.

Well, his next adventure starts today. We are excited for him. I reminded him to follow the rules and he reminded me not to worry about him because he is in the Lord's hands. (That is how we always close letters to each other.)

Felycia texted me while we were talking to Deric so she got to ask questions and get in on the conversation. It was lots of fun.

Conrad already has a letter on its way to Honduras and mine goes in the mail this afternoon. Conrad used the pouch system and I'm going to see how long it takes to send things right to the mission office. I'm sure e-mail will be the best way to send things. I just have to figure out how to send posts from other blogs as attachments. That way, our missionary will be able to keep up with others in our family.

A Tangled Mess

This is the price of technology.

Felycia has to plug in her computer,

printer, microwave, cell phone

charger, network cable,

camera battery charger

and a small desk fan.

Next time we are there,

we will have to teach her

how to use twist ties

to organize all the wires.

Felycia's Dorm Room

This is Felycia's desk. She has her computer, printer and microwave.

Here is her bed. It's up on risers so she can store things underneath. Notice the pillow and blanket at the foot of the bed. Felycia picked out the fabric, I put it together, and my MiaMaids tied the blanket as a service project at Mutual. We had a great time.

The Cuckoo's Nest is Empty

Well, it's day one of an empty nest at the Larkin house. Conrad is gone to early meetings and I am by myself. Felycia is in her dorm. She is going to the broadcast of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication this afternoon. Deric is in the MTC for about 19 more hours. He leaves at 3:00 am. Yes, that is AM. In the morning. His flight leaves SLC at 6:00 am. We will be talking to him on the phone in just over 24 hours. I am very excited for that.

Felycia has taken pictures of her room and she is sending them to me today. I will post them tomorrow.

Happy Birthday

Today is a big day at out house. Felycia is 18 and Annalee is 42. Tomorrow is go to college day. Six days until school starts. Six days until Deric goes to Honduras. WOW!!!!!

College Life

Felycia checks in to the dorm at Dixie State College in one week. She is very excited. She has been getting all of her things together. Deric's room has become college central. All of her stuff is on the floor in there. We are making a quilt and pillow. They are almost done. Just a few more minutes worth of sewing. We'll post pictures next week.

What's up in Provo?

ElDeric is still doing well. He loves his mission. A few weeks ago, ElDeric had a pen explode in his pocket. Red ink all over his shirt, garments, and tie. He sent the stained things home and asked Mom to get the ink out. Well, I found a magic combination to remove set in ink. Clorox bleach and Spray and Wash Dual Power. Put both things on and let it dry overnight. It took 3 times of doing this, but then the ink was gone. I couldn't help the tie, but the other things are being sent back to him clean.

They have ugly tie days at the MTC. ElDeric finally got some ugly ties. He is really excited and sure he can win. Cristi found the ties at the Deseret Industries.

ElDeric has now been at the MTC for 7 weeks. Last week, he started a new planner. This time, it is in Spanish. He thinks that is so cool. He is supposed to leave the MTC for Honduras on August 24. Travel plans were given out today. We will know on Tuesday. Hopefully, we will be able to talk to him if he has a layover at a United States airport.

ElDeric got his new scriptures today. The Church is coming out with a new translation of the Bible to be released in September. ElDeric wanted to make sure he had the scriptures he wanted before he went to Honduras so I ordered them and had them delivered to the MTC.

MTC News

ElDeric's latest letter says it feels like there are only 30 hours in a day. At one time, it was 40 hours in a day and only 4 in a night. They are not allowed to teach in English anymore. All of the lessons have to be in Spanish. Deric has Spanish scriptures but they are indexed. He doesn't like the indexed ones.

Deric has been able to speak with two people from Honduras. One said to get a mosquito net and a fan as soon as he gets to Honduras. The other one told him about the exchange rates for money. There is 19 lempira in $1 US. 1 lempira buys about the same as $1.

Deric has heard a little bit about what is going on in Honduras with the government and asked for more information. We have hesitated to tell him about the coup because he needed to concentrate on studying and learning. He has been watching the newsroom page for the Church and is worried about being reassigned. I think he already loves the Honduran people and wonders if he will need to learn to love others. I have already sent the information I know. The church leaders will know what to do to keep the missionaries safe. I told Deric to stay close to the Spirit and follow the rules no matter what and he will be safe.