Week 54: Always Something New

Smiling because of the popcorn?

So it's 11:20 p.m. Sunday night. I'm giving myself 30 minutes to put something on the blog tonight. Here goes.

We're up late because we went to a Fireside down in Olympia tonight. We were again uplifted and inspired by testimonies from six recent converts and music sung by young missionaries. 

We came to the apartment long enough to pop some popcorn and take it over to the mission office where we shared it with the Office Elders and APs. They were there gathering "numbers" and doing their weekly reports. I had to show the Office Elders how to do a mass email to the missionaries.  

A few new things to talk about this week:

Went to the Family History Center at the Stake Center this week--something new. Did a batch of indexing while Elder Hadlock went next door to the YMCA.  While there, someone called the Family History Center wanting to invite some missionaries to Thanksgiving Dinner!  They handed me the phone; how convenient. Anyway this woman (not a member) is having her sister and nephew (members) come for Thanksgiving Dinner. She thought it would be nice to also invite some missionaries to dinner.  The area she lives in happens to be the area our Office Elders (to the right) are assigned to. They'll be delighted for the opportunity! Trouble is, our next transfers are two days before Thanksgiving. One of these Elders will likely be transferred. Oh well, they'll still have the chance to go meet this woman prior. Might be an opportunity to teach?
The Lord works in mysterious ways. 

Speaking of mysterious, I've decided that clams are a mysterious creature. One of our neighbors went clam digging and filled a 5 gallon bucket with fresh clams from the beaches of Anderson Island.  I was fascinated to see all these clams with their little "eyes" or whatever sticking out.

We stopped to visit with them just as they were getting ready to cook the clams. We ended up with a bowl of steamed clams -- A real delight for seafood lovers. I decided that maybe I'm not as much of a seafood lover as I thought. I really like clam chowder, but I had a really hard time eating these creatures right out of the shell.

Just wasn't too sure about eating the sum total of all the parts of a clam in one gulp. Even dipped in lots of garlic butter I had a difficult time. Van actually seemed to like them, but we both agreed that the after-taste was terrible. 

A new eating adventure, but I think I'll take clam digging OFF my bucket list. 

Saw something else we have never seen before -- a monkey tree decorated with Halloween pumpkins ornaments. The monkey tree is fascinating in and of itself. The added decorations made it all the more interesting.

Well, my time is about up. I'll just make mention that we were able to go to the temple on Saturday. The weather has been very rainy and the lesson in Priesthood and Relief Society was great.

 The lesson came from a talk called "Living After the Manner of Happiness" given by Jeffrey R. Holland at a devotional at BYU-Idaho in September. There's not time to go into details so I'm just going to add a link to the talk. It was very good:  http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2014_09_23_holland.htm 

Someone contributed this thought to the lesson:  "What you focus on, you get more of."  I do not want more clams. I will not focus on clams. There are more delightful things to focus on.

Oops, it's 12:20 a.m. Took longer than planned. It's the photo stuff that's a stinker. Better focus on getting to bed.

Week 53: Takin' Notes

Missionaries honorably released this week

 Another transfer week. Six weeks goes by pretty quickly.  One of the things I do is take notes of departing missionaries testimonies so we can put some highlights in the monthly newsletter. (Shorthand classes are coming in very handy!) Anyway, I thought I'd just share some of the notes I took.  These young missionaries continue to inspire us.

Awesome Elders -- The one in the middle is in cousin Jill's ward

“There are no secrets to being a missionary. It’s all in the scriptures and Preach My Gospel.” 

“You will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” That was actually a quote from Dr. Seuss that one of the missionaries shared.

“God has you here to save His kids – your brothers and sisters.” 

“I want to be able to love the Gospel enough to share it with people. I want to love people enough to want to share the Gospel with them.” 

“Fear of knocking doors really isn’t fear. Real fear is standing here and feeling like I haven’t prepared myself for the next step.” 

How to feed Elders -- Donuts & Panda Express

“Leave every area stronger than you found it.” 

“I didn’t focus on changing myself. I focused on others and it has changed me.” 

“A mission is a perfect time to receive personal revelation – you need it, your investigators need it. Ask and ye shall find.” 

“God will put people in your path or put you in theirs. God knows where they are so ask Him.” 

“God calls us in our weaknesses, but He makes us stronger.”

“If a missionary wants to baptize a few, talk to a few. If a missionary wants to baptize many, talk to many. If a missionary wants to baptize everyone, talk to everyone.” 

Elder on right is grandson of Grammers in Vernal

“Serve the Lord with the same energy you would give to sports, or video games, or other things you did back home.” 

“Nothing you do or will do will make Heavenly Father stop loving you.”

“The reason I came on a mission is because someone bore testimony of Joseph Smith to me. The reason I have stayed is because I have born that testimony to others.” 

“It’s easy to quit; it takes courage to finish” 

Cute Sisters

“Abide by the commandments and the White Handbook. Be worthy to have personal revelation. If we don’t love a commandment, we really ought to abide by it until we do.” 

"The message is bold -- and we send 18-year olds to deliver it. Sounds like the worst business plan ever. …. but it works."

"The way you make others feel says a lot about what kind of person you are." 

And a note from our Stake Conference:

"Hastening the work doesn't mean we need to go faster; it means we need more people involved."

We feel uplifted and encouraged by our young missionaries. They are amazing! We certainly have a greater love and appreciation for missionaries everywhere.  

They are good. Life is good. God is great.

Week 52: One Incredible Year

Shores of Lake Steilacoom

This week (October 7) marked one year since we left our home in Vernal, Utah to embark on an incredible journey as full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Time has passed quickly. Yet, in some ways, it seems like forever ago that we were at home in Vernal.

In the hour I have before going to a meeting, I thought I'd just reflect and mention a few of the things that we've learned in the last year.

This certainly not a complete list. Nor is it in any particular order of importance.

Our lives revolved around ourselves, our family, the community and Ward we lived in.  As important as each of these is, we've also learned to love and appreciate many other good people. The members here are amazing. They are strong, articulate, and accepting.

There are many good people (our brothers and sisters) who are searching for religious truth. The worth of souls is great -- both in terms of time, money, and effort spent to save even one soul. Wonderful things happen when we accept one another, appreciate differences and diversity, and love without judging. Even a Catholic priest can be touched by the love and spirit of missionaries. We've been touched and changed by the strength of new converts.

Missionaries work hard, especially the young ones. They have commit to a rigorous daily schedule. Much is expected of them. They face opposition, discouragement, and mean people often. Yet, they rise to the challenge with optimism, faith, and love.

Faith is the power. Love is the motive. Obedience is the price. The Spirit is the key. The Restoration is the message. Members are the means. Christ is the reason. Baptism is the reward. Joy is the reward.

Contention extinguishes the Spirit-quickly. Life is not good without the Spirit. Having the Spirit and maintaining good relationships are more important than proving ourselves right.

I am more keenly aware of my sins and weaknesses. Yet, I am more hopeful that I can conquer through daily repentance and the merits, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

Preach My Gospel is an inspired manual for missionary work and for tuning in to the basics of the gospel.

Mission Presidents (and their wives) have an enormous responsibility for the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of hundreds of missionaries. They attend a lot of meetings and conduct A LOT of interviews.  They get asked a lot of unusual questions. Mission President wives wear many hats: nurse, psychologist, mother, teacher, and more. Mission Presidents certainly receive inspiration and direction from God.

The Lord qualifies those whom He calls. We are given abilities beyond our own natural capacities. We can do hard things. There is much joy in serving. Prayer is important. The power of prayer is real.

We miss spending time with our family on a regular basis. Facetime was invented for grandparents. We are grateful when we get to talk to loved ones on the phone, too. Letters in the mail from family & friends are treasures. Young missionaries love letters, too.

Even while serving, we face challenges, trials, and heartache. Life doesn’t always play out like we planned; I miss my mother – a lot. But there is much hope and comfort in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God never abandons. He is always there to help us through whatever life throws at us.  Everything will be OK.

It's been an extraordinary year. Life is good, incredibly good.

Week 51: Simple Truths from God and His Prophets

Elder & Sister Petersen

Relatively "normal" week at the office for me. Elder Hadlock seems to have had a "rash" of fender benders and the like lately.

On Friday, we took an Elder and a Sister to the airport who have been here a few weeks while waiting for their visas. The visas came Thursday and off they went Friday to Taipei, Taiwan.

Elder Steed and Elder Johnsen

Also enjoyed dinner at BJ's with the Harwoods and Petersens Friday night.

General Conference was the highlight of the week, of course. We were able to watch from our apartment by streaming through BYU TV internet. We had a recently baptized member join us for Saturday afternoon's session and then dinner afterward. It was fun to make chili, homemade bread, and bake a cake for the occasion. Conference and food -- some of life's simple pleasures.

The AP's joined us for dinner between sessions on Sunday. Again, it was good to be able to fix a roast, and all the fixin's for some hungry Elders. Then we went to the Stake Center for the last session.

Lest one think that I spent the weekend in the kitchen, .... I actually  did watch Conference. Did a little tatting though to help me stay awake! (Thanks Nena Caldwell for being a patient teacher) And during the Priesthood session I worked on a jigsaw puzzle of Mount Rainer.

Believe it or not, I managed to take a few notes, too. There were some messages that were just for me. Not enough time or space to review my favorites. It would be fun to have a  "post-Conference" review with family and friends to discuss what each liked and learned. May have to make some phone calls!

We did get to participate in a fun discussion Sunday night though. Some Sister missionaries invited us to a Book of Mormon Book Club. In attendance were the Sisters, two Elders, a couple of members  a a couple of investigators. We discussed 2 Nephi 4. Verses 15-35, often referred to as Nephi's Psalm, are some of my favorite. It was fun to review this chapter again.

I must say that there is simply a distinct, sweet, comforting spirit that accompanies the Book of Mormon. Elder Hadlock and I accepted President Blatter's challenge to read the Book of Mormon by year's end. It's blessing our lives in simple, but noticeable ways.

It has been a simple, but simply nice week. Hearing and reading the words of God just make life more enjoyable.  Life really gets good though when I give heed to those words.

May I close by quoting a verse from Nephi that had particular impact this week: "May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilth thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!" (2 Nephi 4:32)