Portland in June = Heaven

 As I have said many times, I really do think that Heaven will look like Portland on a sunny day.

On this particular June day you could see both Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens.

Of course our favorite sights were our dear friends.

Rich and Chris Marsee

And our dinner group friends 

Ron and Linda Matthews, Dave and Debby Lynn Day, Kathy and Kim Whitman, Martha Helmandollar, Allison and Phil Graham.

Being included in this dinner group, just after we had moved to Portland in 2010, really helped us develop friendships and feel a part of the ward.

I am so grateful for the invitation and happy that it is still going strong.

But best of all was spending time with Scott.  He's had a rough few months with some BIG kidney stones but he is back to normal now.

And thriving!

One of the amazing things about the big city of Portland is Forrest Park.  Right in the middle of the city there are 5,200 acres set aside for the native plants with more than 80 miles of hiking trails.  

We hiked up to Pittock Mansion.

George and I made the same hike back in July 2010, before I had moved to Oregon.

I have a hard time believing that it has been 14 years since then.

Time flies!

Isabella's Baptism

 I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain

And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away,

And I can be forgiven and improve myself each day.

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

Isabella Makayla Lewis

Baptized on

1 June 2024 in 

Meridian, Idaho

Overland Ward

Paul and Claudia Wasser; Monica and John Lewis, Isabella Lewis, Marilyn Lewis, Karen Lewis, George Lewis 

Friends in Kenya

 One of the best things about having gone to Kenya lots of times is that I have friends there.  I love seeing people that I have known for years.....as well as making new friends.  

At Mgalani Boarding school, sweet Luvuno is the accountant.  Rinda met her when she was about 6 years old, a little girl leading her class in a rousing song.  Her skills, even at that age, marked her as a leader and no one was surprised when she did qualify for a Kenya Keys sponsorship. She completed college and got a certificate in accounting. Her bright smile lights up the room.  You'd never know that she is a single mom of a child with special needs and also the sole support of her mother and sister.  Luvuno is a woman of steel and I love and admire her!

Jospeh Mbotte has been our driver on each of my 7 Kenya trips.  He has one of those Kenyan megawatt smiles.  Last year I met his sweet wife Mary.  This year it was so fun to meet his daughter, Joy.  I've heard about her since she was a 5 years old and now she is a Form 4 or what we would call a 12th grader.  Joy says that she has heard about me all of her life and was excited to meet me!

Joy is the perfect name for this young woman! She's mature and personable and just a total 'joy' to be around.

I have been praying that she did well on her all-important exam and can study either nursing or IT in college.

I've been friends with Abdallah Ruwa for many years.  Last year I met his entire family.  On this trip I was visiting a 3rd grade listening to a rousing rendition of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" as a part of a lesson on domestic animals.  The teacher who just radiated happiness was Abdallah's wife.  Lucky students to have such a joyful teacher.

When I was in Kenya in 2019, our whole team noticed a young girl at Egu Primary School.  She was a talented dancer and gave several animated dramatic performances.

She's the dancer closest to Kenya Keys staff member Clemence.  

When she danced and performed at the Girl's Conference, in front of several hundred people, she had a problem with her skirt.  The button had fallen off and she had to hold it up with her hand, not an easy task while dancing.  Two of our team members managed to find her a safety pin and saved the day.

Her expressions were priceless as she recited a story to us.

Unfortunately I couldn't remember her name but I did have a photo of her from that 2019 trip so I asked Clemence, who grew up in the same community, about her.  Turns out she is attending secondary school at Mackinnon Road, which is a school we planned to visit.

Clemence got her out of class so that I could chat with her.

She is not a Kenya Keys sponsored student.  Her illiterate father is managing to pay her school fees.  He's a man who values his bright, talented daughter.  That's not always true in Kenya!  The school principal told me that she is excelling in her studies and is the star of the drama department.  No surprises there!

Did you know there is an International Friendship Day? 

I didn't until I googled and found these perfect quotes.

 If you want to celebrate next year, it's July 30th!

Friendship is the passport to a borderless world.

In the tapestry of life, friends are the most colorful threads.

Global hearts, united by friendship's art.

Friendship knows no distance, only connection.

A true friend is a gift that transcends oceans and skies.

 

What A World!

 My good friends the Schwendimans were in London the week before the coronation.  I had asked them to bring me a commemorative mug and a tea towel.  They did!  I have mugs from Charles and Diana's wedding, William and Catherine's and from the Platinum Jubilee. 

The most amazing thing is that on Tuesday morning May 2nd I was sitting at my computer in Eagle, Idaho while I was

Texting with the Schwendimans in London to pick out a mug

Watching a funeral over Zoom that was being held in Salt Lake City

Following a soccer game in Spain on my I-Pad

and 

Receiving photos over What'sApp from Kenya!

What a world we live in!

Kenyan Friends

We carry a little piece of each other in our hearts, and that is what we really care about, not this distance. 

It's a great privilege to have so many Kenyan friends!

Let me introduce you to a few of them.

First Joseph Mwengea, the Executive Director of Kenya Keys in Kenya.  Along with Rinda Hayes, he is a founder of this organization that has been such a force for good in the Taru area.

He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever known, with an interest in everything from construction to politics. I honestly believe that he could tell you the life story of each of the 900 sponsored students from the last 17 years.

Every team member who has ever gone to Taru will tell you that Joseph's wife Mwaka is a brilliant hostess, a caring mother, and a truly beautiful person.  Can you imagine preparing food for groups of foreigners who have totally different tastes and preferences from what is normal in rural Kenya?  She does it with grace and a smile.

Everyone falls in love with her!

We all agree that Mwaka is awesome!

Behind Mwaka is Gloria Hope, once a shy secondary student now an African celebrity who ran for political office, went to Cairo to an African Leadership conference and works hard to improve lives of girls and women in Kenya and the Sudan.

It is a privilege to know her.

Mwaka doesn't make our stay in Taru so pleasant all on her own.  Masaika and Rukia also help to cook and clean and wash and make us feel so at home.  These two have also become friends and we love to laugh and have fun together.  They are the two women on either side of me.

Mariam and Ann - both Kenya Keys board members in Kenya.  

Ann is a secondary school principal who has turned Taru Girl's School into something to be very proud of.  The campus is beautiful with new buildings and a verdant garden. The students are happy and achieving great success.

Mariam is a widow who has become a very successful business woman.

Stephen, a formerly sponsored Kenya Keys student, he is a very successful business man in Taru who employs several people.  I love the advice he shared for others who want to be successful in business.

Start small and be patient.

Be consistent and willing to sacrifice.

Look for opportunities

Connect with people

Learn to communicate

A young man who is definitely going places!

Daniel, also a Kenya Keys board member.  He is a pastor who has gone through many hardships but is now studying computer tech and has started a tea shop with his wife.  Their hope is to have a TV so that during the World Cup, customers can come in to drink tea and watch games.  If I were in Taru, I definitely would.

And his little girls are just the cutest!

Halima was also a sponsored student.  During the summer before she started the university, she volunteered at the Kenya Keys Community Library and we became friends.  Now she owns several successful businesses.  I love her mega-watt smile!

Iris - a nurse and a long time friends of Kenya Keys.  Her adorable little girl was abandoned at birth.  A policeman found her naked in a field with the umbilical cord still attached and took her to Iris.  It was that little baby's lucky day to be taken in, loved and cared for by Iris. The little girl's name in Swahili is actually Malaika, which means angel! Iris has some major health challenges but still has a smile and a warm hug for everyone she meets.

Raphael Mangisi - another Kenya Keys board member.  He was the driving force behind the only stand alone library at a primary school in the area.  Anyone who loves books and supports the reading culture is a friend of mine!

Do you see that small man on the right side of the photo in the light colored shirt?  That is Charles, one of my heroes.  He and his wife left their jobs in Nairobi to start an orphanage for AIDS orphans. Currently several of the children were rescued from human traffickers. I admire how he makes the children at the orphanage feel like family. They are his family.

Audrey - We became friends when I met her son way back in 2012.  5th grade James had read every book in the community library. You can read James's story. A great investment  After I met him, he went home and told his Mom that he had a white lady who was his friend.  Now we chat on Facebook and always make it a point to see each other when I am in Taru.  Currently James is  studying water management at the university.

Another good friend is Abdallah Ruwa.  He was the very capable teacher/librarian at one of the primary school libraries.  We got to know each other years ago at library meeting and felt an instant bond because of our dedication to our two religions.  You can read about this first encounter here.  Their Story is my Story

On this last trip I had the privilege of going to his home and meeting his family.  It meant so much to me that he took public transportation from the new school where he now works back to Taru just so I could come over and spend some time with his wife and children.  Abdallah recently got a promotion and now has his dream job teaching humanities at a secondary school about 30 miles away from Taru. 

Such well behaved, friendly children and a wife who is also a teacher!

I consider it a blessing to call them all my friends. 

Last but not least - Joseph Mbotte - our driver and safari guide. 

He stole my heart on my first trip when I arrived alone in Mombasa late at night after 20 hours of travel.  I walked out into the chaos and heat, not sure if someone would be there to pick me up.  As I scanned the crowd, I saw a big smile on a man wearing a Kenya Keys T-shirt!  Trust me when I say that I wanted to hug him! And I have felt that way ever since!

This trip it was a pleasure to introduce George to him and to also be introduced to his wife Mary! She's a primary school teacher/principal so we felt an immediate bond.

Education Week 2022

When we moved to Boise in 1988, I was blessed with a great group of friends in our church congregation.  We had kids of similar ages and shared many of the same interests.  These women had gone to BYU Education Week for many years and they invited me to join them.  I'm not sure how many times I've gone since then, but I am guessing about 25.  

Education Week is held on the BYU campus during the week between summer classes and the beginning of fall orientation.  From the website "At Education Week you can choose from hundreds of classes on a variety of subjects, including education, religion, marriage and family, finance, health, personal development, family history, communication, and much more. Come enjoy dynamic presenters, evening entertainment, and the Spirit you’ll feel on campus with friends and family."  This year marked the 100th year of this unique program.  I'm not sure there is anything quite like it in the world.  

The theme this year was

100 Years of Instruction and Learning

Of Things Both in Heaven and in the Earth

This year the attendance was abut 16,000 people which is close to pre-pandemic levels.  Prior to the Covid pandemic, the total attendance was closer to 18,000; in 2020 the event wasn't held and last year the attendance was 13,000.  900 classes are held. 53% of the attendees were in the over 63 age group so we felt right at home.  Our group stayed in the dorms but I know people who stay with friends, or rent houses, or stay in hotels.

I'm lucky to have gone with a group of women I've known since 1988.  Even though we don't see each other often like we once did, our friendships pick right back up.  We are instant besties! I truly love these women.  They make living the gospel of Jesus Christ easier.

Here we are about to listen to the devotional in the Marriott Center.  Notice my dress.  Now take a look at the dress that the soloist is wearing. 

Yep, same dress!  The really funny part is that at least 5 women stopped me to say, "Hey you are wearing the same dress as the soloist.  I have it too."  From then on I noticed this dress or others in the same style but with different fabric every where I looked.  Way to market Old Navy!  It was inexpensive, cute, modest and comfortable and even has pockets.  Perfect for summertime!

I attended 38 different classes on a range of subjects from marriage to family history to prayer to church history.  The classes start at 8:30 in the morning and go until 9:25 at night.  I did take a dinner break each day but other than that, I sat through class after class.

Wednesday night we attended an top rate performance entitled 

'Timeless: The Golden Age of Broadway'.  The two excellent vocalist entertained us with some of my favorite songs from the old Broadway shows.  Some Enchanted Evening, Sunrise - Sunset, Edelweiss, To Dream the Impossible Dream, I Could Have Danced All Night .....ending with one of the most beautiful songs ever - Bring Him Home from Les Miserables.  A wonderful evening!

A side benefit of going to Education Week is that I get to see friends from Portland.  Ron and Linda Mathews were driving through on their way home and stopped for dinner.

I just love them and miss them so much.

Friends plus learning plus feeling the Spirit.

New goals set!  Feeling renewed and refreshed!

It is a life changing week.

I hope I get to go many more times.

Old Friends

 I've written so much in the past about how I feel about the Lonoke High School Class of 1971 that I don't know what else to say. 

  These lines from the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song will suffice for our 51 year class reunion.

You can't make old friends.

Can't make old friends

It was me and you, since way back when

But you can't make old friends.

EVERYONE

THE SPOUSES

Dwight Southerland, Jeanette Stroud, Deborah Brown, Jimmie Johnson, Jan Pack, Sheree Wallace, Sam Curry, Marci Pack, Bubba Gentry, Barbara Fitzhugh, Danny Chivers, Debbie Smith, Ray Rankin, Terry Masching

THE BOYS

Lloyd Shepherd, Jimmy DePriest, Steve Brown, Ross Moore, Roy Rice, John Sims, Kelly Castleberry, Kirk Fort, Richard Fletcher, Tom Smith, Amos Pack, Ronnie Wallace, Jim Fitzhugh, Jerry Watson, Terry Stroud, David Luneau, Ed Willman, Gary Elmore, Richard High, Mike Pack

THE GIRLS

Deltis Glover, Marilyn Montgomery Lewis, Vicki McCann Ingle, Shelia Childress Johnson, Barbara Barnes Monroe, Pam Cordell Landis, Linda Pool Gentry, Barbara Jones Chivers, Laura Beth Williams Rankin, Carolyn O'Bannon, Cindy West, Jeanne Cole Harlan, Karen Lewis Masching, Caryn Ellis Southerland, Laurie Clement Curry

When St Peter opens the gate

And you come walking in

I'll be there waiting for you 

Cause you can't make old friends. 

1st Flight in 17 Months

 The last time I was on an airplane was for our exciting trip home from Dubai through Ethiopia in March 2020, right in the early days of the pandemic when no one knew if the US borders would close, if all planes would be grounded....if we'd be stuck in Dubai or Addis Ababa. Never in my adult life have I gone this long without flying somewhere.

Now I have four pandemic flights under my belt with 4 more scheduled in the next few months.  Wearing a mask for so many hours is not my idea of a good time but I am happy to do it in order to travel again.

My first trip was to Portland (only about an hour flight plus time in the airport so probably 4 masked hours) so that I could help our friend Martha after bunion surgery.  I arrived on Monday with surgery scheduled for Tuesday morning.   Just as Martha had finished giving me all the instructions I would need take care of her and of her house, the phone rang.  It was the hospital reporting that for the 1st time in 20 years the doctor had to cancel and reschedule her surgery.  And it was scheduled for the day AFTER I had to leave. Luckily she had another friend coming to take over when I left, so she was still going to be well taken care of.  Change of plans no more surgery or care giving, now it was just a girls' week party and it was great!

I caught up with my walking buddies.  Oh how I miss them!  It seems that we never run out of things to say!

I celebrated my birthday with a delicious brownie and a FaceTime rendition of "Happy Birthday" from George.  

That sweet guy even had flowers delivered to me.

I got a guided tour of Scott's new basement apartment.  It is roomy and well appointed.

I think he is going to be very happy there.

That apartment is at the stables where he works so it's very convenient.  I can report that his horse neighbors are very friendly!

I was thrilled when I found out that the famous Burgerville onion rings were on!  They are only served  when Walla Walla onions are available. Most delicious onion rings I've ever had....made even better by the Garlic Aioli sauce.  Yum Yum! At 750 calories per serving, I hate to admit that I had them twice!  Oh well!

To celebrate my last night there, we ate at one of our favorite Lake Oswego restaurants which is right on the lake.  A wonderful evening with good friends, delicious food and a beautiful sky!  Isn't Martha the cutest???

FYI, I'm going back next week now that she has actually had the surgery.  This time I will be caregiving and not just vacationing!