A few of the things that bring me joy on our mission:

• Looking into the faces of our students and feeling their love for us and for the Lord.
• The giggles of a bright- eyed little boy and girl as we play "ring-around-the-rosy" over and over!
• Associating with the dear, dear temple workers, many of whom come from long distances and sacrifice a lot to be able to pay for a bus to get here.
• Institute students lighting up when they see us.
• Lots of daily hugs and loving words from students and others.
• The thoughtful acts of my wonderful companion, Reed!!
• Hearing the people sing the hymns with such enthusiasm and love even though many times it is off-key.
• Clerks in the store or students at the Institute burst into song spontaneously.
• Wonderful friendships with other senior couples.
• Strangers calling me "mi amor".
• Hearing the angelic singing of the CCM missionaries on the floor above us.
• Miguel Angel, a young man with one leg and a gigantic grin who washes our windshield at a stoplight.
• A kind doctor that says to call day or night and means it.
• Coming home at night to the temple all lit up!!
• Isidro, our security guard at the Institute who is one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met.
• The joy of someone receiving his/her mission call!
• The weekly emails from missionary "sons and daughters".
• The beauties of God's creations.....brilliant colored flowers everywhere.....the gorgeous blues and greens of the sea.....all kinds of palm trees.....a tiny geiko staring at me from the wall....huge fambroyant trees in full bloom
• How excited the students get about general conference!
• Watching a young man with the build of a wrestler click his heels in the air as he is about to enter the baptismal font.
• Darling little girls with braids all over their heads held with all colors of beads.
• Holding precious  and cuddly black-haired babies.
• Three neat things happened on my walk the other day.....at the top of the incline towards the temple, there were 2 black spots on the sidewalk that looked like eyes and a curved stick was below them making it look like a smiley face.....it made me smile every time I came around to that spot.  There was also an absolutely breath-taking sunrise bursting forth behind the clouds!  The third thing was a conference talk I was listening to as I walked by Elder Eyring that seemed just to me.  He talked about trusting in God and being willing to be totally obedient.  I've been really struggling lately with being willing to go wherever the Lord needs us on our next mission because I want so badly to extend this one instead of putting in our papers for a new one.