Blog Post 2 - We invite you to our place...

Our front door...

Our one room, one bedroom apartment...

Our place has the cutest little parks on either side of the block where we live. Norman is thrilled that one of the parks has basketball courts--and just this week got himself a ball. Our multicultural area is a quiet little neighborhood of families and good hard-working people. Some charms new to us are the nearby church bells announcing each hour of the day and the train horns in the distance. We rarely hear an airplane or heavy traffic. It is quiet.

  

Last Sunday there were 33 "friends," people who wanted to come see what our church was about. Some spoke English, others Portuguese or Portuguese Creole or Spanish or French Creole, but all seeking Jesus Christ and peace in their lives. Two weeks ago we brought two beautiful young women to church with us that the sister missionaries (pictured above) had invited.  The young women were cousins, ages 11 & 18. These two girls have decided to get baptized as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was delightful for us to see their joy and excitement as they attended church with us again this week. It seems that many people in this area have an excitement and interest in religion and a love for Jesus Christ.

This is the Boston Temple in the Belmont area of Massachusetts. It is situated next to the freeway but you would never know it. The temple is surround by its own peaceful forest. 

The Bishop of our ward is a professional photographer. Last night when we were in the temple with him, he showed us the beautiful stain glass windows. Earlier in the summer, he was in the temple and noticed how the sun was hitting the stain glass. He quickly got outside and was able to capture this picture of the temple. The Stake leaders made a postcard of his photo for all the Stake members, inviting them to serve in the temple.

I fell in love with these stunning trees of giant drooping flowers on the temple grounds. They are called Angel's Trumpet or Brugmansia (if I looked it up correctly.)

There are seven languages spoken by members of our Pawtucket Ward congregation. Everything is printed in three languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish. The announcements in the Ward Bulletin and all posters or signs on the walls in our church building are in those 3 languages. We also have 3 sets of hymn books--a set for each language; so you pick up a hymn book of your preferred language before going into the chapel. In our meetings, more than half of the congregation wear headphones to hear the translations into Spanish or Portuguese that the missionaries provide. If the speaker is talking in Spanish or Portugues, they provide someone standing by the speaker to translate for us English speakers. Singing hymns together as a congregation is fascinating. Norman and I will be singing English words while behind us we hear Spanish and down the row Portuguese. We have 3 boards on the wall announcing the hymn numbers for each language. We all sing the melody. I don't hear any other parts like alto or tenor. 

BROWN UNIVERSITY - front gates - with Elder Norman BROWN 

Brown University is only about 3 miles away from us. We might have to break down and get one of their t-shirts or hats since we are now neighbors. Wikepidea said this about the University,

 "One of nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution  (chartered in 1764), it was the first US college to codify that admission and instruction of students was to be equal regardless of the religious affiliation of students." 

This building on the large square at Brown University was built about 1778. 

Our little area here in Pawtucket Rhode Island is what D&C115:6 describes as 

"And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stake, may be for a defense, and a for a refuge from the storm...."  

We are blessed to be in a little piece of Zion here in our Pawtucket Ward, 

a defense and a refuge from the storms of life.