I spent the first 11 days of January in the USA visiting great churches in Arizona and Louisiana and then traveling through Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi searching out the latest advances in rice and crawfish production at the state and federal experiment stations. I always pick up great ideas. I did have the pleasure of spending a few days with my friend of 50+ years ago, Tom Xerri and his wife Laihing. Tom was in Laos when I did one of the smartest things ever on January 17, 1970; I married Soumountha, the princess born in a Cambodian hospital but raised in Laos.