We have had a fun June so far.  We are enjoying our seminary/institute class each Saturday in Meganagna.  We went to dinner at the new Alebnanny Restaurant (Lebanese) for Father's Day the Saturday before.  Then Elder and Sister Moses invited us over for dinner and games on Sunday to celebrate.  We skyped with Jeff's, Julie's and Jamie's families the next morning, which was Sunday night in Mesa.  Jon's family was in California and sent us these photos.

Last week we had the Hansens here from Uganda (Public Affairs couple) for a couple of days and then the Caspersons (1st counselor to Pres. Chatfield) also from Uganda.  He came to do temple recommend interviews  for the 10 members in the District going to the Ghana Accra Temple next week.  We took the Caspersons to The Face of Addis (Belvedere Italian Restaurant) for yummy food and a GREAT view of Addis Ababa!

Jon's family was at the Los Angeles Temple Visitor's Center 

Father's Day weekend and look what they found!! 

This is Jeff's Cooper, who just turned 2, wishing 

Grandpa Wold a Happy Father's Day on Skype!

Almost every night after 5:00 pm we have a basketball 

court full of TALL Sudanese guys! Two are members 

of the Meganagna Branch.

These two little girls were having a blast sliding

down this dirt hill outside the Belvedere Italian Restaurant.

They were covered in dirt!

Lunch with Elder and Sister Casperson from Riverton, UT

at the Belvedere Restaurant overlooking Addis

He is 1st counselor to our mission president and they live in Uganda.

Views from the Belvedere Italian Restaurant

If you look straight behind the building with the LG on it,

you can see the Meganagna Chapel with the steeple.

Addis Ababa from the Restaurant ~ The Face of Addis

(It was a little hazy and rainy that day so you can't see the mountains.)

This is the view of the Ethiopia Mission Office where we work

everyday and the basketball court next to it,  from the window 

of our seminary/institute classroom upstairs in the Meganagna Chapel.

Here are some of our seminary boys who attended last Saturday
and one institute student in the orange shirt.  The two on the right
 and the boy 2nd from the left are all from Sudan.

One more photo... this one is from our table at the Belvedere 

Restaurant today (Tuesday, June 24th), when we took President 

Habtu to lunch for his birthday.  He chose the Belvedere. 

Habtu (Esubalew Alemayehu Biru) is our District President

and also our Ethiopia Mission Office Manager.

Our friend, Tariku Addis Zamon (14), holding his

journal with a picture of Jason, who started the

home for 20 boys found alone out on the street,

where Tariku has lived since he was about seven.

He is in his school uniform.  

Tuesday, June 24th was the last day of school! 

This is a common scene on the way home from the office...

wheelbarrows of bananas and oranges for sale.

Another fruit stand on the corner of our neighborhood.

Just inside the entrance to our neighborhood on one side

It always makes me smile seeing guys wearing 

just the hood to a hooded jacket. 

I had to post this photo. This is the FIRST police car we have

ever seen in the whole country of Ethiopia!  It is brand new.

We hear there are seven of them!

Here are some more photos that I haven't posted yet....

These beautiful children are nieces and nephew of Salem in Debre

Zeyit.  We were at her house celebrating her 17th birthday but I

didn't get a good picture of her.  My battery died....

Josias, Sedona and Bitaniya

Salem's sisters, the cute moms of the three kids above

Bad hair day... but here we are enjoying dinner with them.

We tried skyping with Jamie's family and Blake 5 and Bryce 3,

turned on the computer and found us!! 

We have a big tree in our compound with about 7 of these cool

nests.  Four of them have come down with the windy days we

have had..... This is just ONE with 2 "rooms"!

Me at my desk in the Ethiopia Mission Office

Our friend, Tariku, in the Meganagna Branch made this for

me to put on my desk.

We have NEW trash bins across from our neighborhood right at 

the end of our street.  Every morning, people and animals are there

going through all the bags of trash... 

Every Wednesday we go to lunch with the other

senior couple serving here, Elder and Sister Moses.

Elder Moses is enjoying his "Mix-ed".

More photos at the Haile Resort and on the drive home.....

This was written with some kind of black seeds

on top of a white tablecloth in the restaurant. 

Another view from the reception area….

We took the Awassa elders out to dinner at the Haile Resort

They are (L-R):  Elder Payne, Elder Self, Elder Clement

and Elder Keith (from Queen Creek).

Awassa is FULL of bajas.  They are EVERYWHERE!

Little shops along the road on the drive home

Some homes in villages along the way...

Handmade stools for sale on the roadside

As we drove through Debre Zeyit, this little guy was having a

ball running down the street with a plastic bag hanging from a

stick. 

Almost home.... sunbeams were shining down

 on Addis through the clouds.  So pretty!

We are in Awassa for the weekend, visiting the branch for Church

tomorrow and bringing mail and packages to the Elders down here.

We had planned to meet with our Institute teacher here but he called

as we were driving down and said he had to go to Addis! : / 

We took the elders to dinner at the Haile Hotel tonight, where we are staying.  

We really enjoyed being with the four of them!  

Here are some photos taken on the 4 1/2 hour drive and 

from our hotel balcony overlooking Lake Awassa.

I took this of a bunch of boys playing soccer ("football" here)

with a herd of cows right next to them in a field.  I missed the

game but this shows how TALL the cacti are down here!!

You just NEVER know what will be on the road in front of you...

Some views from our room on the 2nd floor....

The view from the restaurant on the first floor

My pretty avocado salad with lemon and rose dressing...