The heat is the killer. It is not Arizona heat but its intensity takes it to you. Parker knows because he is living in a place bathed in humidity. We were two or three days last week at 102 or 103, then early Thursday afternoon, when the temperature was 95 and climbing, our part of the coast was hit with a strong sea breeze from the west and the temperatures dropped ten degrees. The last couple of days have been almost nice.
We skipped July 24th. Well, it came. But we noticed it little. We were waiting in our apartment (again) for a plumber who was promised but did not show. Actually, we warmed up for the 24th by spending ten hours on the 23rd waiting for the same plumber. With no luck, of course. Finally, we were told that he would be here yesterday (Saturday) at ten a.m. sharp. At 9:30 I walked over to a small shop to make a couple of purchases and there the fellow was, sitting with his toolbox and waiting for ten o’clock. I waved at him, indicating that I was coming back. I was back in five minutes and led him upstairs (on the lift) for the last round of repairs (we hope).
On Monday, after being escorted to our apartment and after our luggage was fetched from our hotel, one of the SVs took us to IKEA and other assorted stores in his rental car. It was a festive occasion. We bought and we bought. A microwave, a printer, a smart phone for Grandma, a hot spot for internet access, and bedding for a king-sized bed that is to be delivered this next week. We even bought some grocery items, including a couple of big bottles of water for drinking and cooking. One of the stores is like a Walmart with all kinds of merchandise under one roof.
Every evening we have gone out for dinner. We have picked out a couple of restaurants that we like. But we can’t keep going back for the same meals over and over again. Right? We are not losing weight.
Yesterday we went looking for the kind of card that allows a person to ride the Metro around town, the trains, the ferries, and the busses. We found a tourist information office and the lady sent us a mile away to find a kiosk that we never found. We went to a Metro station office that sells tickets and, through our broken Turkish and the two fellows’ broken English, we succeeded in buying to metro cards that have one ride each on them. So we will get somewhere and not be able to come back home. Fine. We went back to the tourist office and the same lady sent us a half a mile in a different direction. We finally bought the right kind of cards and, we hope, we will be ok with them. We may experiment as early as tomorrow and learn whether we do or do not have the right items.
We are almost across the street from the US Consulate. But no flags fly and I see no one going there for consular assistance. We were told that it is open only on Mondays and Tuesdays. We cannot see cameras anywhere though they are supposed to be in the neighborhood. Also, I was told, police are at stationed nearby. So we are safe, apparently.
Our Sacrament Meeting this morning consisted of three persons: your mother, an investigator, and myself. I had written an email to several who occasionally come to services from the general neighborhood four days ago (some are hours away from here) informing them of our regular meetings. A couple of members who are out of town let me know that they would not attend for a week or two. I was urged to call this young woman whose two older siblings have joined the church. So I called her and she promised to come. True to her word, she showed up. We enjoyed getting to know her a bit and then held the meeting, complete, first, with my talk about Jesus' healing of the quadriplegic after he was let down through someone's roof and, second, one of the recently released Bible Videos that played on your mother's iPhone. I offered the closing prayer from something that I had memorized. Hey, you have to begin somewhere. The young lady, who is fluent, said that I did fine, although she heard a couple of words that she said she didn't understand. Oh well. So a first Sacrament Meeting, with an investigator, is under our belt.
Now the next thing is to learn how to carry on a service with several persons via Skype. I am hopeful that this medium will open up the possibility of many participating from distance, not obliging them to climb on a bus five or six hours before our starting time.
The biggest achievement of the week was when Grandma connected to the wireless component of the new printer. It was tough, but she hung in there until she could print from her phone, my phone, her iPad, and the laptop. Hooray!
I love you and pray for you.
Grandpa
