THE GOOD AND BAD OF THIS WEEK

First the bad.  For about 3 weeks we have worried that Mike had Pancreatic Cancer.  After a routine check the Dr. here found a 2 inch tumor on his pancreas.  If you research this cancer it is pretty much a death sentence.  We waited 10 days to see a doctor that spoke good English, which was a mistake because it gave us too much time to think and stress.  On Thursday we found out that it is a fatty tumor on the outside of the pancreas and is not affecting the surrounding tissues.  It is still a bit of a worry and next week we will know more about treatment, but for now we don't have to go home immediately.  So this is the bad and ultimately the wonderful all wrapped up together.

I lay on my bed to rest this week with a constant prayer in my heart, I dozed a little and when I opened my eyes this rainbow appeared in our bedroom window...a symbol of hope I needed.

 This is the view, from our office window, that we see while on the computer.  I decided that the Canaries have 2 seasons, Summer and Spring.  Trees have been blooming for the last month.  The bougainvillea bloom profusely all year long.  Since the rain started a month ago the hills in La Laguna are covered with a profusion  of yellow flowers.  We are looking forward to warmer days but the signs of spring have been around for some time.

Yureny is our 4th young adult baptism in the almost 6 months we have been here.  She is the aunt of Adriana, on the right.  They moved here together a few months ago, Adriana from Venezuela and Yureny from the small island of El Hierro.  Recently another cousin of Adriana's, Legna was baptized.  They all attend our JAS activities.  We were with the missionaries the night they committed Yureny to baptism and it was a wonderful experience.  Elder Larkin and Bohne taught them.

Luis, one of our young adults from Los Cristianos left on his mission to Barcelona this week and we were able to attend his setting apart.  He has been an active missionary while waiting for his call. 

This is our darling recent convert, Isabel.  She is teaching us how to make an African desert.  You mash bananas until smooth and mix in some flour but more bananas than flour, add a little baking powder and drop them in hot oil to fry.  They were very tasty.