Partying with Taysoms

You know that you have wonderful friends when they travel half-way around the world to a third-world country to see you. That's what Beverly and Dave Taysom did this weekend. We had a fabulous time!

Here are a few high lights:

Christmas in May

The Taysoms arrived with a whole suitcase full of treasures from them and others at home-things we needed, can't get and have dreamed of having again. There was a whole pile of things from Costco (for some reason the brown gravy mix made me cry every time I looked at it). There were books, See's chocolates, coconut, brown and powdered sugar, a comb, chocolate chips, pills, lipstick, music, M and M's and just too many things to name. And there were pictures and cards from some of our kids and grandkids. It was one of our best Christmases ever!

Transfer day

Taysoms arrived on the day of transfers. It's was a crazy time with 13 missionaries arriving in Lubumbashi. Taysoms pitched right in and helped. It was so fun to have them share this unique monthly experience with us.

Dave drove all over town with Brent as they took elders to their new apartments, while Bev and I visited with, took pictures of and got information from others of the newcomers.

The process lasted from 6:30 am to 4:00 pm. It's a busy, busy day, but the Taysoms were helpful and involved and made it fun. Our elders are still talking about our wonderful visitors.

New Dresses

Here in the Congo women wear colorful, uniquely styled dresses. Each dress is custom designed and made. Bev wanted one. The only problem was that they were here for only four days and you don't just buy a dress here. Rule #1 even applies to getting a new dress.

First, we had to go to town and buy the fabric for our new dresses. We went to downtown Lubumbashi and shopped for just the right material.

That evening we met our friends, the Mongas, at the stake center. She took us to her neighborhood seamstress to be measured and pick out our style of dress.

In a tiny room of their small house, the whole family works sewing. They had pictures of dresses and we discussed what each of us wanted. They promised to have our dresses in three days.

On their last day here we went to pick up our dresses. They were perfect! We had so much fun trying them on and enjoying them with the family of seamstresses.

That evening we dressed in our new Congolese dresses and went out to dinner. We felt like a couple of 16 year-olds on our first prom date. It was so much fun!

Church at Kasumbalesa

Sunday we needed to go to Kasumbalesa for the confirmation of 10 people, who were baptized last week. It's one of our very favorite places in the mission. We are still working to get approval for this little group to become a branch.

The Taysoms enjoyed this unique experience as we drove through the bush to get there and met in a tiny schoolroom with the faithful members of Kasumbalesa.

Ties for "tout le monde"

Dave had the idea to bring ties from his home ward members for the people here in the Congo. He told the ward and their friends about his plan and he had over 100 ties, both adult and children's ties donated

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After church he gave a tie to each man and boy in the group at Kasumbelesa. It was so exciting as Dave gave a new tie to each member and showed some of them how to tie them. What a great gift of love from the members of a ward in Arizona to the members in this tiny group in Africa. It was a very touching experience.

Ice cream cones at Brioche, Congo-style light bulb changing and Souvenir shopping

For four fabulous days, we spent our time just talking, doing missionary work, going about our normal life and enjoying each other's company. We just had just fun no matter what we did!

Go ASU

The last day we discovered that Dave would literally "give you the shirt off his back." We went outside to find that Dave had given his shirt to Robert, our guard, who was proudly wearing an ASU T-shirt. (which he has not had off in the three days since the Taysoms left.) Just one more proof that nobody has a bigger heart than Dave Taysom.

We will always remember our time with the Taysoms in Lubumbashi, DRC Congo!