Week 28: A Holy Place and a Holy Holiday

It was a great week. It started off on Monday with good news from Ben (Elder Hadlock). A man he has been teaching for several months decided that he was ready to be baptized.  The man has been attending church and participating in activities for a couple of years. Ben has felt a special connection with him and seemed pretty excited about this turn of events.  We think the baptism took place this weekend. We are anxious to hear all about it in tomorrow's email. Thanks to all who have been praying for Elder Hadlock.

On Tuesday, we were able to be in the Seattle Temple with about 80 young Elders & Sisters and four other Senior Couples. The young missionaries get to attend the Temple just once a year here. Four zones went on Tuesday, four on Wednesday, and four on Thursday. It was a sweet experience to be in the Temple with these humble, pure, chosen young people. They were so grateful to be able to experience the temple again.

We were particularly impressed with their reverence. Picture a group of 90 or so people who are fairly acquainted with one another attending the temple together. Surely they would want to visit and share experiences. Not this group. Not a word spoken in the chapel. And afterwards as all were gathered in the Celestial Room, you could have heard a pin-drop. There wasn't even a whisper. These young missionaries set an example for us that we will never forget.

Sister Sandau (Bishop Sandau's niece)

We made the trip to the Temple again on Wednesday, but we were responsible for helping with lunch that day. Still a treat to be with them.

Two days out of the office made for plenty to do on Thursday and Friday -- but worth the trip to the Temple. Great way to start off the Easter week!
 On Thursday morning we got a surprise text from the Davis family saying they were going to be in Seattle for a night and hoping we could get together. Of course we were thrilled with the opportunity to see this sweet family whom we've grown to love.

We met up with them later that evening at the Rainforest Cafe that is in Tukwila (about 30 miles north of Tacoma). We had a delightful visit with them. So glad they invited us to join them.

We "celebrated" Easter Sunday by watching a recording of the Tabernacle Choir broadcast and several videos about Jesus on the lds.org website.

We highly recommend that all view the new video called "Because of Him" that can be seen on lds.org.

After church, we got together with two other couples (the Harwoods and Fillmores) for Easter dinner. Though we missed being with family, it was a beautiful day (and week) here in Tacoma.

We have certainly noticed that the more focused we are on spiritual things -- especially the message of Jesus Christ -- the happier we are. We know He lives! And because He lives, we will all be partakers of immortality. And because of His Atonement, we all have the opportunity to have an Eternal life if we will come unto Him, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end. We are so thankful that God so loves the world that He would send His Only Begotten Son to save us. -- And that His Son, even Jesus Christ the Redeemer, would willingly do what He did. Greater love hath no man than this.

Week 27: Inspecting and Sightseeing in Washington

 Spring Cleaning time for the missionaries. Each Stake has a couple whose calling is to make monthly inspections of missionary apartments in their area. Twice a year, however, Senior Couples get to do this. Friday was "the day".

 Elder Hadlock and I inspected apartments in the Tacoma West Zone. We enjoyed this assignment. We have some delightful young missionaries who inspire us. We were pleased with how well they are taking care of their apartments. It was fun to see where they live and "how" they live -- which is very simply. And they are happy! I'm posting photos of the missionaries we visited.  

Biggest jar of Nutella I've ever seen!

It was a gorgeous week here in Washington. We got rain on Tuesday, but other than that, we experienced blue skies and sunshine. My brother Dale, his wife Cheryl, and their daughter Cheyenne visited us this week and are convinced that we've been making up stories about the "rainy, wet, gray" Washington weather. We are glad they

View of Seattle from ferry we rode from Bremerton

 brought the Utah sunshine with them -- come again!

Gum Wall on Post Alley in Pike's Market

We were glad to be able to take a little time off to do some sightseeing with them. I'm posting some photos of some of the places we visited. My favorite was probably the tulips in Mt. Vernon -- Skagit Valley. It was like looking at something out of the Wizard of Oz! Just absolutely stunning. 

Snoqualmie Falls

Near Fort Casey

Well, there's just a lot of beautiful, interesting things to see just within a couple of ours of Tacoma.  It was fun to get out and enjoy the good weather and be reminded again of how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ must love us to have created such a beautiful world.

Photos don't do this spectacle justice

Just breath-taking!

 I would like to write more, but I am so very frustrated right now with trying to get photos arranged on this blog. I would love it if someone would tutor me on this! If you know the secret, call or email me!

Time to get ready and go to a missionary fireside anyway. As much as we enjoyed the sightseeing, we are anxious to set our sights and minds back on missionary work and what we've been called to do.

Kind of in heaven.

A story for another day!

Cars waiting to get on the ferry

Week 26: Pass the P's Please

1000-Piece Puzzle

 It was a typical week with General Conference being the high light of the week. As Sunday draws to a close, I've wondered just what I could write this week that wouldn't detract from what we learned from Conference.  On a whim I decided to play around with one of my favorite letters: “P”.

Some of my favorite things start with the letter “P” – Popcorn, Pie, Peanuts, Peaches, Pioneers, Puzzles, Pearls, Prayer … just to name a few. 

Priesthood in our apt today: Elders Hadlock, Smith, Johnson

Today I shall start with two that were connected for me this weekend – Prophets & Puzzles.  You see, I decided to start a jigsaw puzzle while watching General Conference in our apartment.  It’s very relaxing for me, but I knew it would also help me stay awake (pay attention). I kept paper & pencil at hand so I could write down thoughts and impressions that came as Prophets spoke.

I suppose there’s an analogy here, and I could really go into depth. For now, I’ll keep it plain and simple. Life can be a perplexing puzzle full of uncertainty and challenge. How can we best put the pieces where they belong? What’s the secret to figuring it (life) out? Today—this weekend—we found help via Prophets (President Thomas S. Monson and the Apostles).

With Pretty awesome Sisters: Wilkinson, Jenkins, Walker, Noun

I heard them talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of Christ, prophesy of Christ, that we may know to what source we may look for a remission of our sins. (see 2 Nephi 25:16).   This life is our “ four-minute time to perform.” – a time to prepare to meet God. I liked Elder Bednar’s analogy with the truck:  It’s the “load” that provides spiritual traction in our progression.  

Conference weekend is always a time of evaluating priorities … and especially -- Do I practice what I preach and believe? I pledge to do better.

Well, with Van’s help, the puzzle is finished. It was fun and rewarding. So was General Conference weekend. So is life. But, life is not finished. I’m still trying to put the pieces together. I am so grateful for General Conference and the perspective gained by listening to Prophets. It gives us peace and a renewed determination as we continue to persist, persevere and “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, ….”  

Let Us All Press On …

I shall now proceed to pop some popcorn!

Week 25: Stories and an Earnest Scripture

It's Sunday night -- 11:00 p.m. We just got home from a missionary fireside which was in Sequim, about an hour and 45 minutes away. We left at 2:30 this afternoon; we took five Elders up. The fireside was just awesome. The spirit was strong as missionaries sang and shared their testimonies.

I want to share a couple of stories from the fireside. There was a woman there who had been baptized about 22 years ago here in Washington by an Elder Baldwin. Elder Baldwin's daughter, Sister Baldwin just arrived in our mission on March 18 and happened to be in one of the zones invited to sing at the fireside. Sister Baldwin had never met the woman and didn't know she was going to be there. But this woman had heard about Sister Baldwin being in her father's "old" mission field and came looking for her. She presented Sister Baldwin with her father's name tag (she collects missionary name tags) from 22 years ago. It was rather touching to witness this encounter. A coincidence? I don't think so.  

Next story -- told by Sister Weaver as related to her by one of our Spanish-speaking missionaries. This Elder comes from a family that speaks Spanish. In fact, his mother speaks very little English. This mother, as do most missionary mothers, went with her son to help him buy missionary clothes. Of course, they had been told about how rainy and wet it is in Washington. At the shoe store she, in her limited English, told the salesperson that her son needed shoes that "walk on water."  Of course, we chuckled, but you know -- how appropriate that a missionary be compared to "walking on water."  We love these sweet, sweet missionaries.

Last, I'll end with something I learned from the scriptures this week -- something many of you probably have noticed, but it was new to me.  My "discovery" came as a result of reading in Preach My Gospel -- a section on the Nature of the Holy Ghost. In addition to some suggested scriptures, it suggested reading the topics "Earnest" and "Holy Ghost" in the Bible Dictionary. I wondered what "Earnest" had to do with the Holy Ghost. 

Well, earnest is "A pledge or security.... a commercial term denoting the deposit paid by a buyer on entering into an agreement for the purchase of anything." I thought of "Earnest Money" that is often paid as part of an offer to buy real estate. But what does this have to do with the Holy Ghost. So I turned to Paul's use of the word "earnest": "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, see also 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14)

So, now back to the Bible Dictionary: "it [earnest as used by Paul] means that the Lord gives us his Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord's surety that he will fulfill his promise to give eternal life to the faithful."  

I am so grateful that a study of "earnest" was recommended in this study of the Holy Ghost. I've felt the Holy Ghost at work in my life in the form of comfort, peace, joy, and especially as a witness of truth and a witness of Christ. If these workings of the Spirit are God's "earnest money" or assurance of promises that He has and will fulfill, if this is just a "taste" of what's to come,  -- That's enough for me. I'm "sold."  

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have certainly kept their promises so far. My heart is full of love and gratitude for Them. I believe this is the Spirit speaking -- in earnest. I  trust that They will yet fulfill their promises as I do my part -- in earnest. 

Week 24: Green to Spring, Plant a Seed

Green is  my favorite color so I always enjoy St. Patrick's Day. We had fun with it in the Mission Office with green treats and green attire. Even made a few dollar rings (my children will know what that's all about).




Maybe some of you can plant some peas in my behalf.

Plant a seed and then read Alma 32:28-43, one of my favorite scriptures.

Notice in verse 28: "...Now, if ye give place, that a seed (the word) may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief ..... behold it will begin to:


These words (Swell, Enlarge, Enlighten, Delicious) describe how I feel when I read the scriptures or hear the truths of the gospel taught. The Book of Mormon is true. It is delicious. Plant a seed. You can't pick the fruit without planting AND nourishing the seed (the word).

Speaking of delicious, I wanted to share this photo of a few of our children eating delicious food at the Melting Pot. They are celebrating Heather's 40th birthday and Meagan's 30th birthday. They are wonderful daughters -- beautiful inside and out. How appropriate that we celebrate them at a time of the year when we also welcome & celebrate Spring. Heather and Meagan give new "life" and equilibrium to our family through their examples, wisdom, and love.

We were a little sad that we couldn't celebrate with them, but so grateful that they could all get together. Please keep gathering.

Happy Birthday girls. And Happy Spring to everyone. Plant a Seed

Week 23: Sunshine & Seniors

View off Point Defiance

Raccoon on the Five Mile Road 

Boat Garages at Point Defiance

 We enjoyed several days of sunshine this week. It was absolutely delightful. In fact on Wednesday when we left work, instead of going straight to the apartment, we went for a ride down to Point Defiance. They have a zoo there and a “5 mile road” that takes you through a beautiful mini forest – moss, ferns, and big trees. Also get to see views of the Sound, Gig Harbor, the Narrows Bridge and Vashon Island.

On the trail at Chambers Creek

Van the Man

We went for walks after supper on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday after doing our chores, we went to the Chambers Bay Golf Course area. (Site of the 2015 U.S. Open) 

They have a walking trail that goes around the golf course and right next to the Sound. It was a bit chilly at first, but by the time we made the 3 ¾ mile walk up and down hills, we were warm, tired ... and invigorated. So good to be out in  the fresh air and SUNSHINE!

The Harwoods

The Clarkes

The Clarkes came up at about 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. We visited and played a game of "Ripple” with them before joining some other Senior Missionaries for dinner at Black Angus. The Clarkes will be leaving to go home next Tuesday. As of yet, no one is coming to replace them. 

This brings me to what I posted on Facebook earlier this week. In case someone didn't see that post, here it is:

The Binghams

We currently have 15 Senior Couples who are serving full-time missions here in the Washington Tacoma Mission. Between now and the end of June, seven of those couples will be leaving. And, as of yet, we have not received word of replacements. We were told recently that for every Senior Couple that submits papers to serve a mission, there are 6 "openings". 

The need is great, and the blessings are immense. There is such an array of possible places and ways to serve. Here in our mission, Seniors serve in Member Leadership Support, Military Relations, Zions Camp, CES, Records Preservation, and in the Office. But there are many other types of missions as well. Most will serve 12 or 18 months; some have come for 6 months. Check out this website:   

https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/senior?lang=eng

We invite all to give serious consideration to serving a mission. If you are not already doing so, begin making preparations now. It would really be awesome if a couple we know could even come serve here in our mission. You can often choose you know. 

SENIOR COUPLES NEEDED -- to help scatter the SUNSHINE of the Gospel. The rewards are great.

Week 22: Daylight Savings -- Saving Light

Disclaimer: The week was "routine", but the weekend was busy -- Stake Conference meetings and another missionary fireside on Sunday. We got back late that night and then Monday and Tuesday have been busy at the office so I am just getting to the blog.

Like it or not, we (like everyone else) moved our clocks ahead one hour and lost an hour of sleep. And though it’s darker in the morning, we gained an hour of daylight on the other end. This is such a welcome blessing to missionaries who are out “finding and teaching” every night from 5-9 p.m. We worry about the safety of our missionaries – especially when it’s dark outside.

But I’ve decided I just like light in general. The rainy days here are prevalent. And I don’t mind the rain so much; it’s the sunshine I miss because rain clouds are forever present.

In Utah, the weatherman refers to “mostly sunny” days with a possibility of “scattered showers.” Here it’s “mostly rainy” with a possibility “scattered sunshine.” And they call blue skies “sun breaks."

Well, back to the term “Daylight Savings.” I’ve been giving that a little extra thought. How appropriate that daylight is connected to "saving." Light Saves. Jesus is the “light of the world.” He saves us. He said, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

Consider these references to the Savior and light:

   I will be a light unto them forever;” (2 Nephi 10:14)

   I am the law, and the light: (3 Nephi 15:9)

   I am the light which ye shall hold up (3 Nephi 18:24)

   I am the light, the life, and the truth (Ether 4:12)

   I am the light which shineth in darkness (D&C 6:21)

   Truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ (D&C 84:45)

   The Lord is my light and my salvation;” (Psalms 27:1)

And in our Stake Conference this weekend, we “happened” to sing “Our Savior’s Love” (Hymn #113):

Our Savior’s love

Shines like the sun with perfect light

As from above

It breaks thru clouds of strife,

Lighting our way,

It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay

To share eternal life.

I will forever look at Daylight Savings in a different light (no pun intended). And no matter what the “weather of the world” holds,  I can always count on the Light of Christ. "The Lord is my light and my salvation" (Psalms 27:1) “He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. “(The Living Christ)

May everyone have a deLIGHTful week. May your life be filled with "light" in every sense of the word, particularly the light and illumination of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. That is all. Amen