Week 16: Drawing a Blank, Playing an Ace

I'm really late with the blog. To be honest, I just didn't feel like it!  So ... I'm going to just post a couple of pictures this time -- and a short story.

We are able to get together about every six weeks for this.The video, if it works, is of the Senior Missionary Elders singing at our FHE last Monday. -- Actually, it's not going to work, and I don't want to figure it out or fix it. So ... just enjoy the pictures.

I will mention a bit about the activity we had that night.  Everyone was given 25 beans. Then each person took a turn telling something that they've never done. For instance, someone said (to my amazement), "I've never been to Disneyland or Disney World". Then all who HAD done what that person said they had never done, had to give up a bean. The idea was to say something that you thought most people had done, but you hadn't, so you could make as many as possible give up a bean. One of the sisters said, "I've never been ordained to the Priesthood." -- That meant all the men had to give up a bean. An Elder said, "I've never had a baby." Sisters were giving up beans that time.

Van's turn came up and he smugly said, "I've never turned 60." --You should have heard the "roar" of disgust. All the other senior missionaries had to give up a bean (except me, of course.) My turn was next. I'm afraid I took advantage of the situation as well. I said, "I've never turned, 56."  More beans tossed!  Kind of a fun game. Van and I felt a little guilty later. Didn't want folks to think we were bragging or anything like that. We were just "Playing our Ace!"

Sister Jenkins, Sister Hadlock, Sister Brady

A photo of a couple of my favorite Sisters. And last, but not least, a tender mercy from home -- drawings from our grandson Jackson Wright.

From our grandson, Jackson.

Week 15: Always Learning

I am posting a bit early this week because tomorrow (Sunday) will be a very full day. We’ll be participating in another missionary fireside – this time in Gig Harbor – and probably won’t get home until late Sunday night. I’ll report on that next week.

Sister & President Weaver

We have an office meeting with President and Sister Weaver each Monday morning. We look forward to them sharing mission miracles -- I'll share some of those another time. Other than our Monday meeting, we really don’t see them much during the week-- just briefly here and there. But we've grown to love and admire them very much. 

This month they will interview each missionary. They also try to go out with missionaries to teach or knock doors several times during the week. They have lots of meetings with local Priesthood leaders in addition to the Zone & District meetings. President Weaver also finds time to read and respond to each missionary’s weekly letter. Sister Weaver handles all the medical issues with missionaries. I honestly don’t know how they have the stamina to do what they do. They truly LOVE each missionary. They give their all to helping these young missionaries hasten the work.

 Now on a lighter note -- for  P-Day we took off for a little adventure about 45 miles north of Tacoma. We and three other couples went to the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA. It was interesting – and free! One of the senior missionaries, Elder Clarke, served on a submarine so it was of particular interest to him.  

They had lots of interesting displays about ocean geography, underwater exploration, diving, and of course navy submarines. 

I took a picture of this fish on the wall because I knew Sam would appreciate it. It's made out of old CD's.

Then we went over to Poulsbo, another city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Poulsbo is known as “Little Norway” because its early settlers were Scandinavian The water front village shops exude a Scandinavian and Viking spirit and, of course, attract a lot of tourists. We enjoyed a nice lunch and a little shopping. We had heard a lot about Sluys Bakery in Poulsbo so we had to make a stop there. I’ve never seen so many beautiful pastries. We enjoyed the few we bought. 

Harwoods, Hadlocks, Petersens, Clarkes in Poulsbo

Good day, good week. I'll end with a couple of photos I took on this excursion that give good "food for thought."  

Be Astonishing!

Which reminds me of a quote by Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

And of utmost importance is remembering: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." -- Phillipians 4:13

Week 14: R & R and more R

Van had a lot going on with cars this week. On Monday, he was asked by President Weaver to help “Relocate” five or six elders. It was a bit tricky, and took nearly all day (he didn’t get home until about 8 p.m.), but he got to see some pretty country. During the week he had a couple of cars come out of the shop that he delivered back to missionaries. 

Friday night he got a call from some Elders saying their car had been stolen. They had called the police, but couldn’t remember the license plate number. So we had to go to the office to look up that information. While at the office, we got another call – “Oh, Elder Hadlock, never mind. We found the car. It was down the street.” – They’d actually just forgotten where they had actually parked the car. Car Recovered.

They were embarrassed and quite apologetic. We just laughed. Oh … and the Elder said: “We’re past curfew now. Do you think we should call the President?”. Van laughed and replied, “No, just get home.” We love these missionaries.

Other than that, the week was fairly Routine. We get home from the office, fix dinner, clean up, study for a while, maybe do some laundry, read a book and fall asleep watching an episode of The Andy Griffith Show (via Netflix.). Aahhh -- Relaxation.

Study time includes Reading from the New Testament, Ensign—Conference Talks, and Preach My Gospel. In addition, we’ve each been reading a “novel”. Van just finished "The Seventeen Second Miracle" by Jason F. Wright. I just finished "Two From Galilee" by Marjorie Holmes. We both liked our books so I guess we’ll switch now.

(Did throw in a couple of BYU Basketball games this week that were broadcast live on the BYUTV website.)

Rain, Rain, Rain, was the weather story this week. Rainy Saturday made for a great time to go to the temple. We made the trip to the Seattle Temple in Bellevue and enjoyed Remembering eternal covenants, blessings, and promises. Renewal for the soul for sure.

Helaman 5:12

 The letter "P" has always been a favorite of mine. I'll save that explanation for another day. But, perhaps "R" takes a close second -- good Routines, Relaxing, Reading, Rain, Renewal, and of course, Remembering  our Redeemer.  

"Oh, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of god, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you, to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon when ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fail." -- Helaman 5:12.   Any other favorite "Rs" out there?

Week 13: Solution Resolution

Elder Webster and Elder Hadlock

Ben indicated in his email on Monday that he was going to get to stay in Lakeland, TN. We think his companion is still Elder Webster. They have worked hard and finally have some promising investigators. They had seven come to church a couple of weeks ago. We are praying that Ben gets to see the fruits of his labors. This is a photo taken by Christine Caldwell Thomas (her father was raised in Vernal) who is a member of the ward where Elder Hadlock is serving. His address is: 9345 Triumph Circle #203, Lakeland, TN 38002. I know he loves letters.

Our week started off with a baptism. Monday after work, we attended the baptism of Israel Jesus Blancos, Jr. His wife, Cheyenne, was baptized the first week we were here. They both serve in the military. Israel has been in Korea, but has been home on leave for a couple of weeks. He was also confirmed on Monday because he had to return to his post in Korea before Sunday. They have a daughter who is about 7 months old. Cute family. It will be fun to watch them grow and progress. I think this is the fourth baptism in our ward since we’ve been here. We are grateful to be a part of these events. We love our service in the mission office, but don’t often see the “fruits” of missionary work

On New Year’s Eve we invited four other senior missionary couples over for dinner and games. Our neighbors, Elder & Sister Quillon loaned us their dining table and chairs and we had room for all. Our apartment is small, but certainly big enough to gather, eat, and laugh. We even made it to midnight.

 A trip to the temple fell through on Saturday so we spent the day catching up around here, but we did make a memory in the Sears store at the mall. As we spoke to a salesman there, he noticed our badges and recognized us as missionaries. Then he snidely said: “Well, I hope you get over it.” Well, that set Van off. Welcome to a scene from “Van Meets the Anti-Christ.”  It’s usually me who gets “fired up” and ready to pounce, and Van has to calm me down. Different story today.  One thing led to another and we soon found ourselves in a rather heated discussion – going nowhere. What this fellow was trying to tell us we believed was so off the wall and ludicrous. I’ve not seen Van this upset in a long time. Well, of course, this was a battle that no one would win, so we made our exit, but we didn’t like leaving mad and upset. A learning experience for sure.

 On a more pleasant note, I just couldn’t let the holidays pass without indulging in a jigsaw puzzle. This one was special. It is titled “Pioneer Trek” -- an Eric Dowdle depiction of the Martin’s Cove area. Martin’s Cove has been the setting for some wonderful memories and experiences with youth and people we love. This puzzle is a “keeper” for sure. Only problem is that the puzzle was completed all too quickly. 

Then, Van and I, have also been indulging in Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles each evening. – thanks to Christmas gifts from our daughter Heather who is concerned about keeping our minds sharp. We started with the “very easy” crosswords, but …. we’ve had to sneak several peaks at the solutions in the back. Ah .. there’s a lesson here:

 I supposed navigating life can be “puzzling”, but we are given solutions They are found in holy writ and the words of modern day prophets. And it’s OK, even recommended, that we peak at the solutions--often. Though it may take a lifetime to put all the pieces together, there is greater progress and more joy in the journey by following the plan of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

So ... one of my resolutions is to seek for solutions -- in the scriptures, through words of living prophets, and by listening more carefully to the Holy Spirit.  Can't go wrong there. 

Week 12: Celebrating Christ and Technology

For Family Home Evening we went with three other Senior Missionary couples to the Spanaway Fantasy Lights. Light displays are set up in a park in Spanaway; you drive through in your car to see them.  It was pretty good, but a little snow on the ground would have helped. 

Sister Garmin

We spent much of Christmas Eve on the road. One of the mission cars got out of the body shop on Christmas Eve. We decided to deliver it to some elders in Chehalis (about 60 miles away). To make the trip even more worthwhile we took packages to missionaries who are in the southern part of the mission – stopping in places like Centralia, Elm, Olympia, and Lakewood.  Thank heavens for technology and “Sister Garmin”. It was dark, and we had no idea where we were.  We were glad, though, to serve our missionaries in some small way.

A Christmas without snow was a first for us. Van even said he kind of misses shoveling snow. A Christmas without family was a first, too, but … we were glad to have each other. We read together the Christmas story from Luke and opened gifts from home. And what a blessing to be able to Facetime with family members, including Elder Benjamin Hadlock who is currently in Arlington, TN. Technology is wonderful. Quiet, peaceful day that ended with a movie. We went with another couple to the movie Frozen – excellent movie. Another blessing of technology.

Back in the office Thursday and Friday -- using technology to generate letters and information to soon-to-depart and soon-to-arrive missionaries and their parents. 

 Thanks to my brother Dale, the office armadillo, now has a companion. 

Sister Gurr and Sister Graves

On Saturday, we traveled south again with Elder and Sister Harwood. Elder Harwood is the Housing Coordinator for the mission. He found out about some sisters who live in a member’s “pool house”. It’s a nice pool house, but there are no curtains. They are in a rural, gated community – very beautiful actually. The owner doesn’t have curtains in his house and he did not want to put curtains in the pool house. Elder Harwood decided that privacy screens might help, so we delivered them to these cute sisters. They were very appreciative.

I believe they are very good missionaries, too. I was impressed with this bulletin board in their apartment. Looks like they know how to plan, prepare, know and "feed his sheep" -- even without technology.

  

Rokie Tarbutton & Elder Hadlock

Made a stop in Spanaway to find a couple (Tarbuttons)  that Van’s brother Kent had baptized in Hawaii. We didn’t know for sure where they lived, but tried an address we found on a Google search – turned out to be the one. Technology helps again! 

 

Saturday ended with house cleaning and grocery shopping – and a new, used, lamp. Van found a lamp in the dumpster. We’ve been wanting one so he decided to see if he could fix it. And fix it he did – with a little effort and duct tape, I now have a lamp to read by. Isn’t technology wonderful. 

But, even better, isn't the birth, life, and infinite atonement of Jesus Christ the most wonderful gift ever.

Week 11: New: Missionaries, Snow, Adventure

Armadillo found its way to the office

Transfer week. Van and I drove the mission van to the airport on Tuesday to help pick up eleven new missionaries (10 elders, 1 sister). We enjoy getting to know them. Makes for a long day by the time we pick them up, feed them lunch, do a little orientation, help them meet their new companions, have all the other missionaries come in for transfer meeting and testimonies of departing missionaries, and ... then we go back to the office so I can email parents of newly arrived missionaries to let them know their missionary arrived safely. -- Love it. Departing missionaries leave on Wednesdays, but we haven't had to go to the airport for that.

We woke up to snow on Friday morning. Not much, but kind of a big deal for here. It was enough for Elder Hadlock to make a snowman in front of the office. A jolly little fellow -- made by a jolly senior elder. 

Rain and warmer weather later in the day came along and washed the snow away. It was pretty, but we certainly don't miss the hours of shoveling.

Despite the rainy weather and gray skies, we decided to head south to Olympia on P-Day -- to see what we could see.

We met up with Elder & Sister Clarke who are serving as records preservation missionaries at the state capitol in Olympia. Olympia is located at the very bottom of the Puget Sound. We went to the Sound and saw a massive shipping yard full of recently cut trees that will be sent to Japan and China. I've never seen so many trees. Photos didn't turn out so well though. Use your imagination -- or come see for yourself!

State Capitol is in background

Elder and Sister Clark from Idaho

We went to a Farmers Market near the sound and took pictures on the docks. Van bought some yummy Blueberry Honey -- almost as good as Vernal honey.

We went to the State Capitol and walked around there. It really is in a beautiful setting. 

Took some pictures of more Washington wildlife on the way back to Tacoma. It's amazing what we see when we take time to stop and look.




Now it's Sunday night. Van has gone to be early; he's not feeling well today. I'm listening to Christmas music as I write and trying not to get too sentimental. Being far from home, family, and friends during the holiday season is just plain weird. But we remind ourselves often how blessed we are and why we are here. We love the Savior and are anxious to do whatever we can to help Him in His work. In many ways it has been good for us to have a little different focus this year and to set aside some of the "hustle and bustle" that we (I) so often get caught up in. Still we miss everyone and wish a very Merry Christmas to all.

Week 10: Parties for Young and Not So Young

We began the week with a party and ended with a party. Can't beat that.  The mission Christmas Party for the young elders and sisters was on Tuesday. It was a small feat to set up the cultural hall to create a festive atmosphere for our 217 young missionaries.  Sister Weaver had some simple, but fun decorations and Santa hats for everyone. There were Christmas trees and lots of poinsettias (left over from the Festival of the Nativity). The stage was filled and flowing onto the floor with Christmas packages that had been sent to missionaries from their families.  It was all quite a sight. We all love being with the missionaries.

Sister Harwood and I were in charge of the lunch, but we had lots of help from the other Senior missionaries. Experience with organizing Ward Parties, Trek, and Young Women's Camp is coming in handy.

Festivities began at 9:30 a.m. and went until 4:00 p.m. They exchanged white elephant gifts, sang, watched a mission video, had lunch, performed skits, and sang some more.  It was quite lively and fun, but all ended on a spiritual note. I'll write more about that later.

The night was a little longer for Van as he got to deal with an accident after the party.  A car full of elders was rear-ended on the freeway on their way home.  They're all fine, but the car was totaled.  He had to take them back to their apartments which were about 90 miles away.

Blair Ewell and Elder Hadlock

The rest of the week was a little less stressful.  On Saturday, we made a trip to Gig Harbor to visit former Vernal resident Blake Ewell and his family.  They live in a beautiful area. Had a delightful visit with them.  Shared a Swiss & Mushroom burger at The Gourmet Burger Shop then returned to our apartment to prepare for another party!

The Senior Missionaries (about 34 of us) were invited to the mission home for a Christmas Party. Our group includes couples called as Military Relations, Member Leadership Support, Records Preservation, CES, Office, and Zions Camp missionaries.  There's much to do in building the kingdom.  An opportunity and place for everyone.

We enjoyed a nice dinner and then did a white elephant gift exchange.  What a riot.  I tried hard to get this stuffed (taxidermied) armadillo.  I wanted it badly, but couldn't seem to hang on to it.  Van had a chance to get it for me, too, but he passed up the opportunity.  He said he wasn't hauling "that thing" back to Vernal.   I really was sorely disappointed.

Elder Hughes and Elder Rogers

 

Enjoyed having missionaries over for dinner on Sunday. They are fine young men and good missionaries.  They got to be the first to sample the Peanut Butter Temptations -- one of our Christmas favorites.  I made over 10 dozen of these tasty goodies to take to the office Monday. Missionaries like to come in for a treat on their P-Day.

Now ... lest you think it's just always a party here ... Both parties ended on a special spiritual note. With the young missionaries we gathered in the chapel and finished reading The Book of Mormon together--Moroni 10.  Then missionaries were invited to share there feelings about The Book of Mormon and/or Jesus Christ.  President Weaver extended the same invitation to us at our Senior Party.  We were touched by the tender feelings that were shared.  We are especially touched when we stand shoulder to shoulder in a chapel (or mission home) full of missionaries and sing hymns of praise to our God.  We want to share one of the mission favorites by inviting you to view the mission blog:  http://thebeautifulwa-tac.blogspot.com/.  You'll hear the missionaries singing Amazing Grace.  The message of this song is more amazing than any party.