Week 50: A WonderFULL Week

Missionary cars lined up in camp parking lot

This week was another "full" one. It's sometimes a little overwhelming to decide what to say and what photos to share. I'm actually sitting here feeling like I'm perhaps spending too much time choosing photos and trying to figure out how to best describe events and experiences, Probably going to have to change things in the blog area. For now .... here goes.

Some of our terrific Spanish-speaking Elders

The big event this week with the missionaries was our trip to Zion's Camp -- an 85-acre camp owned by the Church. It's beautiful. And because it is dedicated property, the spirit that mother nature exudes is magnified. 

Missionaries in the southern Zones attended on Thursday. Those in the north came on Friday. They went to various stations on a "ropes course" and applied what they learned to missionary work. Though both days were rainy, the rain stopped long enough each morning for them to complete their outdoor activities.

Whirley performs at "camp" -- again.

We fed them lunch, they changed back into their proselyting clothes, and then watched a movie -- a special showing of Meet the Mormons. 

I was especially thrilled when Sister Blatter asked during the planning stage if it would be possible to make popcorn to serve during the movie. It was an easy "Yes!" Whirley Pop came on this mission, too! The opportunity for Whirley to serve arose and we were glad to oblige. And, ... because I'd converted Sis Harwood to Whirley Pop early in our mission, we had TWO Whirleys to get the job done. Twas a pleasure indeed. -- The movie was good, too, by the way. 

With Sister "K"

Anyway, it was wonderful to again be with all of the missionaries this week and especially to be with them in such a beautiful setting. 

Before Test

We had a sister missionary from Thailand spend the night with us on Friday. She will depart the mission in November and plans to attend BYU Hawaii. In order to complete admission requirements, she needed to take an English test. 

After Test

We took her to Kirkland (near Seattle) on Saturday morning to take the test. We enjoyed spending this time with Sister K. She helped us order some delicious Thai food, too.

Cheese

With Anya

More cheese

While in the area we took advantage of the opportunity to meet up with our granddaughter Anya who lives in Seattle. We took her to breakfast and had a great visit. She loves Seattle and seemed to be happy.

Also found a fun grocery store near the testing center. They had some really fun cheeses to sample. I thought they tasted wonderful, but they were very expensive -- about $19 a pound! Good thing I was FULL from breakfast or I would have succumbed to the urge to buy!

Sister missionaries that serve in the Tacoma Stake

Attending the General Women's Meeting was the icing on the cake. Wasn't it terrific! The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have attended with my daughters, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters. Put it on the calendar for next year girls!

Feeling blessed. Life is good ... oh so wonderful!

Week 49: From Fair to Forks and More!

Full and fulfilling week. Delightful Week. We were given some tickets to the Washington State Fair, so off we went Wednesday night to the fairgrounds in Puyallup.  There were lots of interesting things to see ... and lots of food choices. 

Twisted Tators

We shared a corn on the cob, a corn dog and a hamburger. I was especially excited when we found a vendor selling "twisted tators" -- kind of like homemade potato chips. It was a gigantic portion though; probably the equivalent of 2+ bags of chips. We ended up giving half of them away to a cute family. Then to counter the salty chips, we ended the evening with a funnel cake! We definitely got our fried food "fix" and made ourselves sick. Made for unpleasant dreams as well.

 This is a photo of Sister Hardy & Sister Combs while they were out "street contacting" just prior to meeting me for dinner. They are an inspiration to me. Even at Jersey Mike's Subs they shared a spiritual message with me -- a lesson about putting "new wine into old bottles

Elder Hadlock with Elders Burt & Fuller in Port Angeles

With Sister Jenkins & Sister Brady

Best part of the week was getting to take a little road trip. We were able to leave the office a little early on Friday so we could make a trip around the Olympic Peninsula.  Dropped things off to three sets of missionaries while we were at it. And .. we made time for lunch on Bainbridge Island with Sister Jenkins and her companion Sister Brady. Beautiful place. Stopped in Port Angeles to deliver a box of Book of Mormons to the Zone Leaders.  Rode up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Offered some stunning views of the Olympic Mountains as well as the coast line along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

At Hurricane Ridge

Then it was on to Forks, Washington. Along the way we drove around Lake Crescent -- absolutely breathtaking.

 Forks, Washington -- made famous by the Twilight books is a small town of about 4,000 people. We have a set of missionaries there, but they also cover most of the western side of the Olympic Mountain range. These missionaries live the farthest away from the mission office. Only the most trustworthy missionaries are sent there; they're really on their own. I took a panoramic photo of their apartment complex. It was pretty interesting.

Our Forks missionaries: Elder Hughes & Elder Brandow

 We stayed at the Forks Motel and Saturday morning visited the LaPush area -- a cool place called Rialto Beach. The beach was made up of lots of smooth flat rocks -- perfect for skipping, but the ocean waves were way to big to allow that.

Missionaries live here!

Lots of huge driftwood logs near the beach as well.

Made several more stops as we made the loop back to Tacoma. We went into the Olympic Rain Forest on the Hoh Indian Reservation. We hiked to the the Hall of Mosses, and saw some huge, huge Sitka Spruce trees, a huge Cedar tree. Because of the rain fall, these trees get big fast. The rain forest was very interesting. We went to another gorgeous beach -- Ruby Beach before having to head inland. Our last stop was at another beautiful lake called Lake Quinalt. We'd like to go back there and spend a night at the lakeside lodge their some time. It was so peaceful.

 We are grateful that the weather was so pleasant for our trip. No rain, which is unusual. , it was a great adventure for sure. We are so grateful that we are able to take time to see this part of the country while we serve our mission here in Tacoma.

It's simply been a wonderful weekend. Now back to work! Tomorrow we'll be busy with a fireside and then the next few weeks will be a bit hectic. No more long trips on the horizon. But we enjoy our missionary adventures just as much as the sight-seeing adventures.

 Life is good.

At base of Cedar Tree

At Lake Quinalt

Week 48: What! No Title?

Happy about their new car!

Let's see ... what can I report about this week? Well, the weather here has been gorgeous -- absolutely delightful. We are mindful of our Utah friends who have been affected by floods and an unusually wet summer. It has been unusually dry and hot here.

President Blatter shared a story about a man who was baptized last Saturday. The Sister missionaries had "found" him when he was sitting in his car in a parking lot.  The man had felt earlier that he just needed to go to his car. These missionaries are following the counsel of President Blatter to "Open Your Mouth" -- talk to everyone!

Everybody is happy!

Elder Hadlock made some missionaries happy by delivering new cars to them. I got to go with him to Belfair to deliver a new 2015 Toyota Corolla to Sisters Wilcox & Smith. Took them for McFlurry's then handed over the keys to the new car.

We drove their "old" car back to Tacoma. Timed it just right I guess. The next morning it had a flat tire! Oh well. Better Elder Hadlock have to figure it out than these Sisters.

Elders Arneson & Clark

Also enjoyed taking the Elders that serve in our ward out for dinner. We went to a place called Steamers. They serve mostly seafood. But the best part is the view. It's right on the Sound, near a park, a train, and has a great view of the Narrows Bridge.  We often have the Elders just come to our apartment for dinner. But while the weather is so nice, we wanted them to have the waterfront experience.

Sister Nelson --- reminds me of my mother.

Elder Hadlock bit the bullet and paid for a membership in the local YMCA this week. His joints (particularly feet, elbow, and wrist) have been aching and giving him fits for quite a while.  He has been trying to use weights he has collected, but decided it's time to get some serious exercise. I am having a hard time making the YMCA commitment. What I'd really like to do is just go for a good walk every morning, but I don't want to go alone. Having a hard time finding another woman nearby who is able to do that.  I really, really miss my walks with Brenda & Shavon.

Any guesses what this is?  Call if you know!

We took it easy on Saturday.  We went to a Ward Picnic where I was able to get a photo with a sister in the ward who really reminds me of my mother. We did a little grocery shopping,  Elder Hadlock did the laundry and fixed us a yummy steak. I spent time working with personal finances as well as my mother's affairs.  There are a certain amount of "temporal" matters that require attention. Senior Couples are able to still do that. We can call family members as well. In fact, it's time for some Facetime -- and popcorn. See ya later!

Week 47: "Touched" in Many Ways

New missionaries

As I pondered this week and what I would write about, there was not one particular event that stood out. --although it was a busy week because of transfers.

There were, however, several "small and simple things" that touched my heart and made an impression on me.

I was touched (as I often am) by these amazing young missionaries we serve with. The new ones arrive with a little nervousness as they're not sure what to expect. What will their first companion be like? Where will they be assigned? But they're also eager to learn and get to work.

Departing missionaries at the Temple

I was particularly touched by testimonies shared by the departing missionaries. They bear powerful testimonies of the Savior and His Atonement and how they have come to know Him. They share how a mission has changed them for good. I was touched by statements like:
 -- "It's hip to be square. It is good to have boundaries, corners, and lines that keep us where we need to be." 
 -- "Write down who and what you want to be and be it." 
 -- "The WATAC is where my heart is. This is the place where I have come to know the Savior, to trust God, to love. God has taken weaknesses and turned them into glorious outcomes. Here I have seen the grace of Jesus Christ." 
-- "It will break my heart to have to take my missionary tag off. But we need to remember that a name tag doesn’t make you a missionary."
-- "For 18 months or 2 years you get to do everything your parents told you not to do: talk to strangers, and accept food from them."
--"Who you are is defined by how much you love the Savior, how much you trust and believe in Him."
-- "Obedience is not something that should be mocked because it makes us become more like the Savior. " 
-- "Last week at the Temple, I was praying, asking the Lord to please accept my mission. The answer I got was, “You are not done.” I will continue to spread the gospel. "

Elder Walkenhorst in middle

It was "touching" to be with the missionaries for a minute at a Labor Day BBQ held at the Mission Home. We got to see Elder Walkenhorst. He comes from Kamas. His mother and I went to school together. We are impressed and touched by his desire to serve.

I was touched in Sacrament Meeting today when I noticed tears streaming down the face of a recently baptized woman as we sang Nearer My God to Thee.

I was touched by a lesson on agency taught by the two missionaries serving in our ward. I was reminded that I may have learned to choose good over evil, but I can make better use of my agency by learning to choose "best" over "better" or "good."

And in Relief Society we talked about keeping covenants. I was touched by the teacher's challenge to us that we try to look at life's events, challenges, and decisions through the lens of covenants we have made.

It came time for Devan to "retire" his car (a 1998 Buick LeSabre fondly named Katinka Ingabogovinanana) and buy a new one. I was touched this week when he said he had a tear in his eye as they took Katinka away. He and that car have been through a lot together. It used to belong to my mother. Perhaps when she died, part of Katinka died, too?

Selfie at the Temple

My spirit was touched and renewed as we attended a session at the Seattle Temple. A bonus was getting to see four of our Sister missionaries who were there with converts doing baptisms. One of those was Sister Jenkins from Vernal. We weren't able to get a photo, but it sure was good to see her. She says to tell her family she loves them. I am touched by her sacrifice and faithful service.  

We ran into her again at the nearby Deseret Book store and Sister Jenkins said that this Greg Olson painting entitled Worlds Without End was one of her favorites.  I am grateful she pointed this one out to me. I think it will be one of my favorites, too.  Thanks Whitney.

Worlds Without End by Greg Olsen

I am always deeply touched when I take time to notice and appreciate this beautiful world. I like how Alma says it: "..yea and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44)

Truly we have a Father in Heaven who loves us very much. I am touched and overwhelmed by His goodness, patience, long-suffering and mercy. We have been touched and blessed by so many of you who have extended your love and support in recent weeks. Thanks for "keeping in touch" with us. God bless you. And may you all keep in touch with God.