Thankful for Thanksgiving

I realize that I didn't blog about our Thanksgiving and it was so wonderful I need to share it.

I already told about the great Thanksgiving Branch dinner on Saturday. Then the night before Thanksgiving a sister in the branch came by our apartment to bring her son because he needed computer help from Glen to apply for college. It was 7:30p.m. by then so I asked the sister if she was ready for Thanksgiving.  She said that she hadn't bought anything.  So I told her that we had bought way too much stuff for our Thanksgiving dinner and we would like her to take it because it was extra.  We gave her a turkey, rolls, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Then as soon as she left we ran down to Costco to get the items we needed to feed the missionaries the next day. It happened so smoothly and quickly that I know Heavenly Father sent her to us.

Then on Thanksgiving day we had thirteen missionaries show up for dinner or dessert.  That was so fun because two investigators came too!  We have some boys that live in the apartment that connects to ours.  They are here on football scholarships from Florida.  Well, I felt for two weeks that we were supposed to invite them to Thanksgiving dinner. But everyone is much more private here in California so it wasn't easy to run into them.  Two days before Thanksgiving there they were standing in the parking area!  I had told Glen earlier about inviting them so he went right over to them and did it. And we even warned them ahead of time that although the missionaries were their age, they were nevertheless missionaries.  But they said that was OK because they were religious, they were Baptists! It turned out great.  They talked to missionaries that will be using their own football scholarships as soon as the missions are over.  And they talked some religion.  And two of the missionaries went by the next day and made an appointment to teach them.

We were really blessed at this Thanksgiving holiday time!

A Day in the Life of....

Pick any day. Tuesday this week. We had to be down to Fresno (1 hour and 20 minutes) by 10:00a.m. to help with the Santa project.  We have 300 missionaries in this mission and they were all going to get gift bags of treats.  So Glen stuffed bags and Renee sewed buttons onto ear muff things for the sister missionaries.  It was fun working with the other Senior missionaries and felt like Christmas.

  Then we went and visited a Senior missionary that works in the mission office. He slipped on ice and fell and broke his hip. Yep right here in California! I thought I was going to get away from ice here.  Anyway he is recovering but not going into the office this week is killing him! 

Since we hadn't seen the Mitchells at church for three weeks we stopped at their house on the way home. It turns out that Martha's father had been ill and actually died on Sunday.  They had just gotten back into town right before we came and so we talked a little about his death and more about life after death.We were also able to tell their Bishop and the ward, and the Bishop went by that night.

We got back in time to attend our second ward missionary committee meeting! The Branch President, missionaries, and branch leaders are attending and it is so exciting to see the potential growth from doing things the Lord's way!

However, at the meeting we learned of an investigating sister who lives in a studio apartment and her heater broke-five days ago!  It gets down in the 20 degrees here at night (oh yeah, record cold wouldn't you know) and so Glen and I got a space heater and took it to her immediately!

Afterwards, we had to gas up the car since we went to Fresno Monday for the Senior Missionary Christmas dinner and Family Night (there are 15 couples in this mission) and we went Tues. and were going to go again Wed. for the Christmas zone conference with 220 of the missionaries in this area. While at the gas station Glen met a young man who he started talking to, showed him a Bible video (they are put out by the church and are absolutely fantastic and found at lds.org) and got his name and address to go by and teach more.

We got home at 11:00pm. That is a day in the life of these missionaries.  And we love it.

Thankful for Fiestas

We had five days to prepare for a Thanksgiving dinner and program for our Branch.  The President said usually 50 people will come.  Turns out over 80 showed up!  But I've done dinners before for the Spanish.  So when it looked like there wasn't going to be enough food we brought in extra we had hidden in our car.
Pies, gravy, potatoes, salad and dressings and rolls. Ha, couldn't fool us twice.

The food was fine but the amazing part was who came!  There were at least five investigators and 20 less active members. The missionaries were in high heaven!   We have referrals and some of the less active members haven't been to church in a looong time.  Not since we have been here for eight months anyway.  It was a huge success of what activities are for. We had made up flyers inviting people to come and took them everywhere personally and sent more around again with the young Elders. It was great.

But exhausting and time consuming and it just plain hurts this old body anymore. But still....precious investigators and less actives and members.  So much to be thankful for!

A Wonderful Problem

Tonight we have a baptism for Edgar Lopez, the husband who surprised his wife the day he announced "I am going to church!"  Now they will be a whole family in the church with a goal of being sealed in the temple for both time and eternity!  The only problem is that the other ward that meets in our building is also having a baptism today and so we have to take turns and ours is later tonight at 7:00!  We can stand having so many baptisms that they have to wait in line:)  I always wonder why the missionaries' biggest problem isn't trying not to catch pnuemonia from being wet in the font all day long.  The message of the restored gospel is the biggest event since Christ lived on earth!  But we baptize slowly, one at a time.

Glen was truly inspired a couple of months ago when he thought that it would be great to have the Spanish speaking Patriarch come up from Fresno for a Spanish fireside.  The response has been great.  The fireside is tomorrow night and we already have to open the church house early because three people have already signed up to receive their blessings before the meeting! The members who already have their Patriarchial blessings can use a refresher course and others can learn how amazing it is to have a personal message from Heavenly Father to guide them throughout their lives. As I get older it is interesting to see how those things mentioned in my own blessing have come to pass and will yet come to pass. I have a strong testimony through my Patriarchial Blessing that God knows and loves me.  

All Roads Lead To The Temple

We had a wonderful Temple experience last week.  As Relief Society President I wanted the sisters to see just how easy it can be to do Temple work for their ancestors.I actually have no idea how to do it myself.  But the Lord told me two things.  Have the sisters fill out family group sheets, and take them to the Family History Center here in Merced.

  So we did exactly that. I made a Family History Center night at the local Family History Center.  One sister found work that needed doing for her father, brother, and grandmother.  The great helpers at the Center printed her off the Family Ordinance Record papers.

The following Saturday we went on our Relief Society Temple day along with Glen and another male member and did the necessary baptism, initiatories, and endowments for all of them.  We will be going soon to seal the family together.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Fresno temple with sisters on Relief Society Temple day.

I Married a Missionary

Glen likes to serve people.  He could either be Santa Clause or a missionary.  He chose the latter. People have no idea how much fun it is to be a Senior Missionary with a spouse. 

You learn all kinds of things about your partner. For instance, Glen knows everyone's names immediately.  It takes me forever to learn a name.  Children love him because he calls them by name, compliments their eyes, hair, dress etc. He not only knows all of the names of the people in our Spanish Branch, but also all the people in the ward that meets in our building.  So when one man needs a job, Glen knows exactly who to call. Or when an investigator comes to either ward or branch, he knows who would be a great fellowshipper for that person.

And he never gives up!  When someone tells him they are not interested in his gospel message all he hears is "yet". One lady finally invited us in after he had called and knocked about twelve times.  Now we are teaching her and she says, he sure is persistent isn't he!  When he is assigned something he does it better than anyone else in the world!  His follow through is absolutely amazing.  He spends every waking hour working on something. And he remembers what needs to be done and who needs to be called.

I honestly can't say he is a good driver.   He gets too distracted by the other driver's eyes or a person on the side of the road.  But he is a fantastic navigator.  He sense of direction is mind boggling. If he has been somewhere once, he knows the place, period.

And he has learned to hear inspiration.  Of course with his callings and experiences in life he has needed to follow inspiration a lot.  But I am talking about he now hears the tiny thoughts and ideas that are given so quietly that if you don't listen really carefully you will miss them. This has been a huge help on the mission.  For instance, when he gets the thought to take a departing missionary over to say good-bye to a woman that said we don't need to come by anymore, it opened a whole new set of discussions with her.  Or a man wasn't progressing at all and Glen said lets explain that he can baptize his little daughter with the priesthood and it made a big difference. They are fleeting thoughts that he brings to life and so the Lord knows He can trust him to do things and so He sends more inspiration.

Glen's spirituality has grown because of the good habits he has formed on the mission.  We have learned to work in tandem and know that we can count on each other to do whatever is asked of us. We often finished each others sentences but now we finish each others thoughts. We don't take a break from missionary work because to us it isn't work.  It is really exciting and satisfying to be serving 24/7/18.  That is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 18 months. I enjoy my companion more, trust him completely, and love him and serving this mission together!

Baptism for the Mitchells!

Yesterday dad, Ryan, and mom, Martha, and daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Michael Mitchell were all baptized!  Michael is the young man that was on day 5 of a 40 day fast looking for "guidance" when the Lord directed us to them.

Today, they were confirmed. They are the newest members of the Merced 1st ward and they are so excited!
 The ward has done an excellent job of  fellowshipping them.  The Primary teacher went over, visiting teacher, Bishopric, ward missionaries, Relief Society and all of us full time missionaries.  Martha can't wait to be a visiting teacher and go over to sisters' homes to teach and help them!  She just can't hardly wait.  Puts the rest of us visiting teachers to shame. Two other children that are over eight are still taking lessons and then there are two other children four and six.  They are counting the minutes until they they are old enough and  can be baptized too.

How awesome is this?!!

So Grateful

Today we were able to hear Jon over the phone trying to say he loved us so much. We are so grateful for this.  You can't get any closer to death than Jon has been this past week, and live to talk about it.  He was so sick, in both body and soul.  We are so grateful to an all-wise Heavenly Father for His intervention in Jon's behalf. And we know that Jon's life was spared to give him additional time in this life for a very good reason.
We really appreciate the family that has supported him!  We have been so happy with the love they have shown him. We are very proud of what this says about them. And they have let us be a part of it even on this mission through texts and calls and skype. 
We are especially grateful for the support and inspiration Heavenly Father has given to us through this terribly difficult and challenging time.  We know that we can trust in Him.

And by the sweat of their brow

I

Sweet potatoe harvest employs many of the Spanish people in this area in the fall.They drive over an hour to get to the field that is ready, start work by 6 am, and make minimum wage. They have to wear masks and get covered in dirt. Then they arrive home again at 6 pm and do it all over again 6 days a week. It humbles me just to see this.

Five is a magic number

Today we had five investigators from five different families at Sacrament Meeting!
 
Edgar, the non-member, came with his wife and her less active sister that we visited earlier in the week!
Victor came with his wife and three children.  Victor is a non-member-so far!
Maria de Jesus is back from Mexico and she came.  She had a blessing for her legs last time she was here and they don't hurt her any more!
Alonzo is an older man investigating the church and he brought his neighbor, also not a member.
We had trouble seating everyone in our Relief Society room and the chapel looked great with all the people!

But like all good shepherds, the missionaries sorrowed over the ones who didn't come. With the four Elder missionaries and us in the Branch, everyone (investigators included) gets multiple visits each week. It is a great team to be on.

One of our members that recently moved to St. George came back to visit today.  All she could say to the sisters in Relief Society was "Utah is a whole different world!"  And she is right.

All of the Elder missionaries and Elder Pack sang "love at home" in Spanish for the musical number. They sounded really good.  They sang their hearts out for the Elder that is finishing his mission this week  and going home to Australia. We sure get attached to the missionaries we work with!



 

Funner than Disneyland!

What a great feeling it is to have the perfect investigator appointment turn out perfectly!

A Mormon lady started coming to our Branch and I learned she is living with her sister who hasn't been to church in 15 years, but who is a member. And the lady's husband has listened to the missionary lessons years ago but isn't a member.  So, we had our work cut out for us right?

Upon hearing that the husband is out of a job right now, Elder Pack went  through list of Mormon business owners here in Merced and called the most likely one for this man. We took the application over and helped him fill it out since his native language is Spanish.

I visited with the two women while Elder Pack helped the man.  By the time the application was filled out I had both sisters committed to coming  to church Sunday and bringing the Elders over to teach in the home this Friday!

Elder Pack was talking gospel to the man this whole time in addition to the application.  We also showed them a couple of the Bible Video movies which set a sweet spirit in the home.  But everyone, including his wife, was amazed when he said "I'm going to church Sunday". We love a good investigator and  you could just feel that he is such a good man.

We have very promising appointments for every day this week!  This is so much fun!  It's better than Disneyland!

The Numbers Add Up

Recently we were taught an interesting concept for missionary work. Everyone should be a part of the tidal wave of missionary work that is here now.  Joseph Smith said sharing the gospel is the most important work we can do. And here is an easy and effective way for members of a Branch of Ward to help.  That's you!

There are about 46 Sundays in a year where conferences of some kind are not scheduled. Generally, two adult speakers and one youth speaker are asked to speak. And oftentimes a musical number is included. 

And believe it or not, everyone knows someone in their extended family, neighbors or friends that are inactive or not members of the church. It might be hard to just ask one of them if they want to come to church with you.  But it isn't hard to say "I have been asked to give a talk, sermon, musical number, etc at church this week.  Would you come to support me?  Listen to me?  Give me feedback? Hear your grandkids or family?  That is easy!

And look at the numbers.  That means 92 friends of the speakers, 46 friends of the youth at least, and 46 friends of the person performing a musical number.  And THAT means 184 people there in God's house each year, feeling His spirit where an ordinance is taking place, being fellowshipped by everyone there, with questions that the missionaries (full-time or ward and branch) are happy to answer!

Numbers don't lie.  Thirty of the people invited will join the church. And you can do it all over again the next year!  Try it and be sure to ask for the Spirit's help in knowing who to ask this week.

Another Amazing Missionary Experience!

Yesterday was Zone Conference and we sat next to a man who had already been on a mission about 30 years ago.  He had only been a member 16 months when he got his mission call.  Since he is Spanish/Indian he wanted to go on a Spanish speaking mission. But he was called on a mission to Scotland!  Being new in the church he took his call to his Bishop and said he wanted to send it back and get a new one.  After the Bishop called him to repentance and explained that this was a call from the Prophet, the man named Tom DeDios, accepted the call and went to Scotland.

While there they found a group of refugees from Chile.  He was the only missionary in Scotland at that time that spoke Spanish!  And so he taught and participated in baptizing enough people that they started a Branch there in Scotland!

How fun it must be for the Lord when He orchestrates these kinds of miracles. I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord, I'll be what you want me to be.

Each baptism is special

We had a special baptism this past weekend!

Julian has read the Book of Mormon, Gospel Principles manual, and is on the Doctrine & Covenants right now.  He was an investigator for two months and is now the newest member of our Branch!

 Julian is retired and has a set income.  His wife is younger and she still works.  This is important because Julian pays a set amount of the bills and his wife pays the rest. Julian's wife is Catholic and isn't interested in joining the church-yet.  So when the principle of tithing came up Julian was sad.  He wanted to pay his tithing and obey all of God's commandments.  But after paying his share of the bills he only had $4 a month left. He wrote it all out for everyone to see.  He didn't know what to do.

As missionaries we tried real hard to teach this principle, along with faith. Julian said he had faith, but he didn't have money.  Finally, he talked to his wife about this. And a miracle happened.  His wife agreed to pay more of the bills so he could pay tithing.  She said, "I will do this for God and because Julian loves this church so much."

Julian's wife and daughters and two friends came to his baptism!  We served refreshments after for fellowshipping and they stayed to talk with the members and missionaries for another hour and a half!  It was a wonderful answer to prayers and faith.

The previous day we took three sisters to the Temple for our first Relief Society temple day.  One of the sisters hadn't been able to go for over a year because her car can't make it.  Another hadn't gone for almost that long. We discovered that to pick them up, go to the Temple, and come straight home takes six hours!
We were so spoiled living close to a Temple in Pleasant Grove!  It was a great experience though.

Pictures of Yosemite park and Tammy's visit

It was fun having Tammy here for a couple of days. We also took her on our missionary appointments and showed her off to our Spanish branch members. She could talk with them! They loved her.

Tammy came to visit and we went to see the giant sequoia trees. They are magnificent!

Grapes for the Welfare Farm

A carload of missionaries heading for the church welfare vineyard. Notice they are still clean and refreshed. The second picture shows the grapes they cut drying on the trays. The next picture shows five very dirty and tired missionaries. ...Yes, they are holding each other up. It took twenty Branch members five hours to harvest this row of grapes. And there are hundreds of rows on eighty acres for wards to harvest.

(4 photos)

Glen and all of the other Elders and members and their families went to give service on the grape welfare farm at harvest time.  It was HOT and backbreaking work and a labor of love for the Lord and his people.  You need to get under the plants to cut the bunches of grapes just so.  Then you lay them out on trays which are really papers.  They dry right there where they lay.  In two weeks you turn them over and as they dry they become raisins!  Then they are passed out through the Bishop's Storehouse.  Simple and beautiful.

Tammy came to visit

Tammy came to visit for the Labor day week-end!
The first night we took her to do a family night with us to a less active/part member family.  The visit went over really well.  The mother wanted to see Johnny Lingo because of the old memories it brought back to her from when she was active in the church as a teenager.  Tammy brought the movie with her for us.
Then we played "colors" which the children had fun with. And we served rice krispies treats which they Really enjoyed!  They are looking forward to the next family night with us.

We also took Tammy on our visits to less actives and she met Pedro.  His wife is working out of town so he really appreciated the visit and Glen could give him a lesson and leave a prayer there for him.

It was my turn to teach the Relief Society lesson Sunday-in Spanish of course.  I taught about prayer because the sisters here were confused on using Christ's name throughout their praying instead of praying to Heavenly Father and also about the difference of praying for group things in public and personal things in private. Also I used the lesson as an example of not having to try to cover all of a manual lesson or conference talk in one class time.  Rather, pick a concept and develop that. I think it worked out alright. The members here might not know as much as elsewhere but they are humble and accepting when they are taught. And they are all willing to pray and teach lessons in class!

It was fast Sunday and Tammy bore her testimony in Spanish and everyone loved having her there. She visited with the four Elder missionaries now assigned to our branch with us and they enjoyed that.

It wasn't all work and no play however.  We swam in the pool three of the days and took her to Yosemite Park and also to see the giant sequoia trees.  They were truly amazing and we rode around looking at them in an open air shuttle that made it even more fun. We also made it to the Cheese Factory for Tammy's birthday.

On the way back from taking Tammy to the airport we stopped at a farmer's market where Glen passed out three referral cards to some good people.  We also visited a less active/part member family and gave them a lesson on faith and the mustard seed except we used sequoia trees!  It went over real well. And then we gave two missionaries a ride to see the Mitchells because the missionary's bike had a flat.

It is always good to get back into a routine of missionary work and it is so rewarding and feels so great!

A Prayer for Protection

Doug Brinley, a couples therapist and author of a dozen books, is a Senior Missionary here with us. When he and his wife were set apart as missionaries to go to Hawaii a few years ago, his Stake President said that they would become closer as a couple and more in love.

When they were called last year to come to the Calif. Fresno mission his Stake President gave him when he set him apart, "a blessing for protection".

Yep.  That's our mission!  Elder Pack and I have already had a man try to scam us with the "I have an inheritance coming in November and just need some money until then.  I'll pay you back" scam.

We have seen drug deals happening and even had to report one that was hurting an investigating family.  (Luckily no one has come to break our knee caps on that one yet.)

One young missionary told the mission President that everyone here had tatoos, piercings, just living together without being married, was on drugs or selling them, or was a criminal or gay.

So what are missionaries to do?  Love them.  Teach them.  Invite them to come unto Christ.  The Gospel is for everyone and can help anyone. One successful missionary says whenever he talks to someone he just imagines them standing there in white clothes preparing for the Temple and then he teaches them. 

And the Lord protects us if we listen.  As the scriptures teach us:  Them that be with us are more than those that be with them. I have felt the Lord's protection here and I am grateful.  With the Lord on our side we go about doing His work.

Be careful what you pray for!

Be careful what you pray for because you just might get it!  Today is Sunday and Elder Pack and I are exhausted.  All of our prayers for the branch came true today.  That means the Mitchell family came to church and Elder Pack took them to the English speaking ward's Sacrament meeting and got them to their respective classes. Then he substituted for a primary teacher there that went to talk to the Mitchells about something their family was concerned about.  But he had to get a substitute for the substitute too because he had to go pick up another investigating family for the Spanish branch meetings.

That left Sis. Pack going to Correlation meeting alone to bring many items to the Branch President that needed his attention. And she had to read the Relief Society Declaration to the class in Sunday School.  Everything in Spanish of course.

In Relief Society all the chairs were full!  So exciting.  And then we had Sacrament meeting where we had "brother investigators" come with their families! There were 46 people there which isn't a record number, but did we mention all the men?!

After, Sis. Pack helped with commodity orders while Elder Pack helped the Branch clerk update the member records for the Branch.  He also went with the President to teach him how to give a live temple recommend to a sister who is going for her own endowment now that she has  completed the Temple preparation class!

It was a great Sunday but without the Lord's help it is difficult to cope with all the blessings He is sending.
Thankfully, he is sending us help all day, every day. And that is an answer to our prayers.

What is the Worst that can happen?

What is the Worst that can happen to us in our missionary work?  The investigator can say no.  They don't want lessons, they don't want visits, they don't want what we have to offer.

On the other hand, what is the Best that can happen?  Ah-- blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see  God through you. They will recognize the truths they were taught in their Heavenly Father's  home. They will be baptized, sealed as families, and have eternal blessings.

 What is that worth to us when we are tired and discouraged and dissapointed? Remember President Hinckley felt that way once and then made a covenant with Heavenly Father "I will lose myself in your service."  Isaiah had no converts recorded in the scriptures and yet Christ himself quoted him.When the Savior took his First Presidency with him to the Garden of Gethsemane they couldn't stay awake for him.  They missed an opportunity but went on to lead his church.

If you want to know who you are, figure out who you were.  What did the Lord see in you before and what does he see in you now. Were we afraid to talk to everyone about Christ and the Plan of Salvation in heaven? Did we worry that people would think we were weird? Were we afraid they would say no?

 What if Christ was almost obedient? Almost committed? Almost willing and successful in his part of the plan? I'm sure that in our premortal life we were exactly obedient, committed, and focused. Now it is time to do our part here.

Satan is satisfied if we do good things that distract us from doing great things. Step up and ask if someone would like to hear about the restored gospel here on the earth today.  What is the worst that can happen?

Busy or Productive?

We are really busy.  Hopefully we are productive too. 

Yesterday we had a district meeting and were gone from 10:00 to 2:00. Then I had a Relief Society Presidency meeting at 3:30 and then we went as a Presidency to visit a sister with a birthday and a less active sister.  Then at 7:00 we went to the Temple Preparation class at the church where Elder Pack does the most work entertaining about nine kids with DVDs while the parents are in the class.

So today I thought it would slow down.  And it did because I fit in the pool exercise first thing. But I had to make dinner in the morning and put it in the fridge because I wouldn't have time later. Then we drove around delivering invitations to the Singles activity, visited a less, less active and her husband, ran back to feed the District Elders before another appointment with investigators, and then lastly to an investigator who is actually getting baptized this month!

Every day goes like this.  Plus we are going to parties to get to know the less actives, and encourage them to "come unto Christ." Again.

Here are pictures of people we are partying with, partying for, and being friends with.  Its fun.

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Can you have Relief Society without a tablecloth?

I am so excited!  My little Relief Society group has been delegated to a little double classroom for forever!  This really upset me. Spanish often are treated second rate but not in my Relief Society! There were extra stacked chairs being stored, the windows looked out on the air conditioner unit, there were no decorations except for a tissue paper flower, etc. It was not inspiring at all.

So today my friend helped me convert it into a real Relief Society room.  I knew it needed a lacy tablecloth!  And my friend Jenny Vasanni (English speaking) measured, bought and hung floor length drapes.  She also made up a flower arrangement.  Yeah, she has the talent I lack.

Glen cleaned the chairs, disposed of the ones being stored there and hung all the pictures.  He also found a songbook holder so I don't have to walk to the other side of the building to the R.S. closet each week to get the books. He also downloaded the LDS hymns on my phone so I can easily pull them up as prelude music at the start of the class.  You can pretty well figure if we had nothing else we don't have a piano either. Course none of the sisters play anyway.

So what did I do you might ask?  I played Robin Hood and "relocated" pictures hanging in the church house, found a beautiful tablecloth in a closet, moved hymn books to the new stand and cheered everyone else on. I can't hardly wait for the sisters to walk in Sunday.  They are so worth it!

Its official, I'm a missionary.

This last week I was bit by one dog and peed on by another.  So yeah, I'm officially a missionary now.

We also had our first Homemaking meeting since I've been put in the Relief Society and we learned how to bottle fruit.  We started with apricots since they are on now and everyone is passing them out free around here.  There is a lot of free fruit when it comes on and knowing how to bottle it is a huge blessing for these sisters. Thank you Eulala for teaching me.

For the next six weeks we are having Temple preparation lessons. Everyone is invited to come.  Those still with us on the last lesson are the serious ones.  One sister has already asked me to be her Escort when she goes to the temple. These people are really accepting of Elder Pack and I.  

 Today we took the Mitchell boys  to see a baptism.  They asked if their friend could come.  We said yes and he came with huge hanging circles in his ears and rods sticking in his lips.  He lives in a foster home. When we got to the church he asked if this was a mormon church.  Apparently he is already baptized and ordained a Deacon!  He doesn't remember much about it but he did remember the songs. Maybe he will listen in on the missionary lessons when we are teaching the Mitchell family.

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Who is Adam?

Yesterday we had a great time doing a service project with the other missionaries. It was great because we took Michael and Daniel to meet the other missionaries and help in the yard.  They loved it.  Daniel, 16, said it was the best day he could remember having. Think of that. Weeding, painting, sweeping, caulking.  It was his best day because he was with people with the same values as him who had fun working for others.

 We were especially busy today taking Elders down to Chowchilla (30 minutes south) to help a non-member family move in. Then we raced back home (not literally) to change and go to Atwater (30 minutes to the north) to teach brand new investigators that Elder Pack found.

We took the sister missionaries with us because it is out of our area and in theirs and so these are more investigators that we have to wean off us and hand over to other missionaries. But Elder Pack really related well to this couple so we went to their home for the first lesson.

We were doing so well, talking about the prophets of each dispensation, leading up to Joseph Smith. So we said, "just as Adam was the prophet of his time, Joseph Smith is the prophet of this time." And that is when the lady said, "Who was Adam?"  I had no idea there were people out here who don't know the most basic of basics.  All I could say was "As you learn about God and his dealings with mankind, you are in for such an adventure!"

Then we visited a couple of chuch members on the way home that don't get visited much because they are farther away and once again raced back home so I could go visit some sisters in the Branch with my wonderful Relief Society counselors. I'm not sure what all was said in Spanish but I could feel by the Spirit that the visits went very well.

Prayers Work

Thank you, thank you to all of those who sent prayers for the Mitchell family.

  After meeting them Thursday we went to their home Friday and taught the first lesson about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  Then on Saturday we took them on a "tour of the church" so they would feel comfortable in coming Sunday. I never realized why we have particular pictures up that teach the gospel throughout the building.  But they were really beautiful to me that day.

Both of these times we included the English speaking Elders because this family speaks English and will be attending an English ward, not ours. We are turning them over slowly to these great Elders.

 So today, Sunday, we waited at the church.  And waited. And waited. But our faith never wavered and sure enough, about 30 minutes late they came. I know it was because of our prayers and yours that they made it.

And the ward was fantastic! I can not count how many wonderful people came up to say hi and offer their help with the kids and classes.  The investigator class filled right up with faithful members who came in to support the family.  A little girl of four came and took the hand of the Mitchell family's four year old and off they trotted to class. It was absolutely perfect and they are ready to come again next week!

After that ward's meetings Glen and I attending our little Branch, in the same building.  There they sustained and set me apart to be the Relief Society President.  I think. When I speak better Spanish I'll let you know:)

This is MY work...

Ever since hearing the quote on Thursday, "This is MY work and my Glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." all I can focus on is the Lord's statement that this is His work.  He can do his own work just fine.  All we have to do is our own.

For instance, today one of the companionships in our mission was praying to have a baptism prepared for next Saturday.  The answer they got was they would have a baptism today!  Well, they knelt again for confirmation of what they both thought they heard.  And sure enough.  The Lord said they were to prepare to have a baptism today and get down there to fill up the font.  So they did.  But having absolutely no idea who was going to baptized, they knelt at the font and prayed to ask who was going to be baptized.  They were answered a man called Junior and told where to find him.  The rule here is that an investigator has to go to church twice before they can be baptized.  Turns out this man had had the missionary lessons before and attended church before.  They went and told him he was supposed to be baptized today and he agreed and was baptized today!

The Lord can do His WORK.  We must be prepared to do ours.

A miracle

Tonight Glen and I were a part of a miracle. We had spent all day in an inspiring seminar about how the Lord can help us find those he has prepared to hear the Gospel. So we decided  to take a walk on Main St in Merced at about 8:30pm to see if we could find someone to teach.  We found one couple that was really nice and gave us their phone and address to come by.  Then we found an older couple and their 30 year old son and the dad had a lot of questions for us and is taking us to see the play (West Side Story) that their son is in Saturday.

Walking back to the car Glen saw a family that he really felt like we should approach. We dallied around for a minute and then thought of an idea.  We went up to them and asked what was in one of the nearby buildings.  The dad said it was kind of a pub.  So Glen said "is it somewhere we could go with us being missionaries?"  And the man said quickly, "No".  Then he said, "Maybe you can answer something for us.  Our son here has been fasting for five days." I looked at the 18 year old boy and asked, "What are you fasting for?"  and he said "Guidance." And I said, "The Lord just answered your prayer". It was amazing. He cried, his 16 year old brother cried, his 14 year old sister cried, his mom cried, and the dad had great questions for us. Glen was able to explain briefly about our Spirits and our gospel message. He told them about eternal families and that their familly was obviously special.   I told the boy "you can eat now because we are going to give you His guidance."  And he said OK.  The dad asked what we taught about America.  We didn't know what he was searching for so we just said we knew the Constitution was inspired of God and America wouldn't be free if it wasn't for God and the land was special for the restoration of His gospel. They wanted us to come tomorrow early and teach them.  I told the boy he must have an amazing spirit to have God send us to him. 

It was such a spiritual experience with the Holy Ghost that neither Glen nor I had strength to even go to the mailbox when we got home. We barely got in the door and our knees still are shaking and we have no strength.  We are so, so grateful to be led to this family and to be a part of sharing the Gospel with them.  God hears and answers prayers.  I know he heard this young man's prayer for Guidance. And I know he heard ours to be of service.  I know God lives and answers prayers.

Who am I really?

It is interesting to think back on our pre-earth life. There were a lot of people there. And just like here, some were fighting to convience others to be on Christ's side.  That means we were fighting for moral choice.  We were in training for what we would be doing down here on earth.  Every Priesthood holder was for-ordained to that office in that life. Every missionary was for-ordained to that call.

So, think about it.  Right now they figure in 2013 there are 7,123,497,504 people on the earth. And when they figured it in January of this year there were 58,000 missionaries.  So up in Heaven, Heavenly Father looked out over his children.  He looked over 122,819 of them and said "I will choose one to teach all of the rest of you about the Gospel on the earth.  One out of 122,819.  And apparently I raised my hand and said "here am I. Send me." And so did each missionary that has served, is serving now, or will serve.

In John 21:15-17 we read where three times, Jesus told Peter to Feed His Sheep. Christ died, was resurected, and came back to teach the apostles.  It was important.  Feed His Sheep.  What does the Lord see in us that we usuallly can't see in ourselves? 

He knows that when we were in the councils in Heaven and were asked who would take the fight down to earth to teach the people there, some raised there hands and said, "Here am I.  Send me."

Hurray!

We had forty people come to Sacrament meeting today!  I was so thrilled I thought about kissing their feet but didn't want to scare them off.

 We tried a new plan yesterday.  Besides visiting the Less Actives through the week, we took around a flyer Saturday with a scripture thought ( D&C 6:32) and the time schedule of the church meetings. These people can say they don't want to come but they sure can't say they didn't know about it.

Also the one Less Active we are working with down in the Chowchilla branch came today and is really doing great asimilating into the branch.  The fellowshipping of the ward/branch makes such a huge difference.

  I see some wards/branches where no one pays any attention to the person next to them. Everyone should say hi to absolutely everyone within arms reach.  You don't have to hug them like they do in the Spanish speaking wards but you do have to smile and shake hands.

 And then I see wards where everyone comes up and calls them by name and offers to take them to class and makes them feel wanted. These new people will come again.

As a missionary trying to reactivate Less Actives I can tell you that it is a real concern in wondering what the new people will think about the regular attenders in the ward.  Will they be friendly to them?  Will they be reverent around them? Will they accept them regardless of their clothes?  Will they draw them into the ward family and show the kind of love Christ would give them?

Try saying hi to twenty people every Sacrament meeting. That will be about ten more than is in your regular inner circle. It changes a good ward into a great one.

Can a leopard change his spots?

We have been visiting Less Activie members and finding investigators along the way. Life is so hard for some people and so that I can understand.  But others have it really good and still don't bother with having Heavenly Father in their lives. But this all can change and that's the nature of missionary work.

We have a wonderful AP.   He is an Assistant to the President of the mission. To be an AP means you were a missionary, District leader, and Zone leader first. It means you are EXACTLY obedient to the mission rules and what the Lord is requiring of us on the mission.  It means you love the Lord, and the other missionaries.  It means you conduct many meetings and teach many trainings and still find time to go out and do missionary work AND learn the new language (in this case, Spanish).

Like I said, he is amazing.  But this Elder has to always wear long sleeve shirts here on this mission where even Elder Pack wears short sleeves.  That's because his body is covered in tatoos.  In his "former life" he didn't know the Lord.  But the gospel changes people.  The trick is to turn around, accept the gospel and stick with it and the Lord will literally shower you with blessings. 

Navajo Missionaries

We met another senior missionary couple who are Navajos.  They put in their mission papers and requested the Navajo reservation.  Surprise, they were called to the California Fresno mission!  They accepted the call and came anyway.  They arrived and were assigned to Porterville, California. And they discovered there are some Navajos there.  They have already met the chief and got his OK to proselyte the people.  They also have found some Navajo members and are visiting them. The Lord has a plan and all we have to do is have the faith to follow it!

Party Animals

Glen and I drove around to 17 families' homes to invite these less actives and investigators to our Branch mother's day dinner on Thursday.  On Friday we had the dinner.  Not everyone came.  But some came!
One of the sisters hasn't been to church in over a year.  She brought her mom, sister, and four kids.  And says she wants to come back into the church.  Tomorrow will tell.

Another sister is an investigator that we saw for the first time this week with a member accompanying us. She brought her mom, sister, and kids.  The mom is 86 and when we visited Tues. she said she felt something telling her to ask this man (Glen) to give her a blessing. She has great pain in her legs.  So Glen did and I knew it was going to help her and it did!  At the dinner she said the pain is much less.

We also worked hard to get a family to come that had been offended by a church member and wasn't coming to church anymore.  And they came!

We also had district and zone meeting on Tuesday morning.  I was asked the day before to give a 10 minute talk on Accountability.  Giving talks is nothing anymore if I can just do it in English!  So I gave the talk and near the end I was talking about the accounting that is done in the Temple ceremony and I had the best experience with the Holy Ghost! It is so wonderful to be on a full time mission and have the opportunity to work so close with the Lord.

I would like to take a moment to wish my daughters and daughters-in-law a Happy Mothers Day. These mothers are the best mothers I know and I love them. Keep in mind that Adam called Eve the mother of all living and God agreed.  And this was before she had any children! And Happy Mothers Day to all you good women reading this too.

A much better Sunday

We broke 30 for our attendance at Sacrament Meeting Sunday.  Don't laugh.  That's a 20 percent increase!  One of the young men that we got there passed the Sacrament which is a big help.  And the sister we are working with in the Chowchilla branch (30 minutes away) who hadn't been to church for thirty years, came for the second time, stayed all three meetings, and bore her testimony in Relief Sociey on Fast Sunday.

The two less active families that we were helping move (along with the missionary Elders and some members of the branch) finally got moved!  Now we can move on to other things. But those two families were really grateful and now introduce us as their friends from the church. That's exactly right.

We sure do enjoy hearing that our children and grandchildren are doing well.  The family is coming along nicely and we really appreciate their support of our mission. Dana's family sent these beautiful flowers for Mother's Day a week early which really confused Lori so she fixed Grandma B a great mother's day dinner-yesterday.  Kind of funny really. But nice.

Do you have enough faith to NOT baptize?

Do you have enough faith to baptize?  Do you have enough faith to NOT baptize?  That is what our mission President Gelwix asks the missionaries here and I learned what that meant today when all the Less Actives we have been working so hard with still didn't come to church.  Not as much fun but we work hard again for another Sunday.

We had a fantastic Zone training Friday that lasted from 8:30-5:30 and I wasn't bored one minute of it. And then on the way home (which took an hour) we stopped at a fireside given by Doug Brinley.

 He was so informative and good.  He spoke about the Priesthood, Temple and Marriage.  For instance, our signature to our covenant contract with God is when we do the ordinance.  Like baptism. And covenants are what gives us power to live in a fallen world.
 The first Five chapters of the Book of Moses is the Temple endowment for Moses. (Ann would love this speaker!)
  He also explained that the twelve oxen holding up the baptismal font in the temples represent the twelve tribes of Isreal which we all know.  But then he explained we are gathering Isreal through the work for the dead done there.
 He told that we are to get married in the Temple so God can assign you the elect portion of the premortal spirits. (found in Mormon Doctrine).
Our homes are to be MTCs for our children.  (Everyone should be doing Family Home Evenings out of the Preach My Gospel book and the children should be doing the teaching.)
It was such a wonderful experience for another hour and a half.  And at the end he said, "If your parents didn't have any kids you probably didn't either". (That's for Taylor)

Egg Picking Party

We went over to Mike Hernandez and his wife Cindy's place to teach a first discussion.  What a place! They had chickens, and geese and doves and a peacock.  There were a couple of animals from the ostritch family and a tiny horse and a lot of dogs!

When we started to teach them the husband said he thought the Catholic church and our church were about the same.  To our credit we didn't even crack a smile.  We just asked if we could start at the beginning and maybe he would see where we were different.  By the time Glen finished the Restoration lesson and finished up with the Joseph Smith story, the man just sat there staring at him.  I think we can honestly say he will never say THAT again. He gave us a tour of the place and let me collect the eggs for the day.  He also g
gave us two  goose eggs. Haven't decided what to do with those yet.

Not a day of rest-but a great day!

We started by calling Christian for his birthday and got to talk with TJ and Jenny too!

Then we went to the branch in Chowchilla.  Mission Pres. asked us to scope that branch out too. It was Glen's idea to go today.  I personally would have waited until we got Merced going better.  But no, it had to be today.  The branch there is English speaking with real nice people and a few Spanish speaking using head sets. The meeting was very good with the High Councilman explaing why Korahor was wrong.  But after Glen caught this older couple leaving (yes, older than us) and that was the amazing part.

They had come because her son (about 40) had recently got baptised and he told his mom and step-dad to go to this Mormon church and just look for the missionaries!  They didn't find us but Glen found them and they asked us to come to their home this week to teach them.  You know, the thing missionaries dream about.

Then we came back to Merced and went to our own branch where 5 men and young men came to the class to learn about receiving the Priesthood. That would be so great.  And Pres. Estrada asked us to teach a Temple prep class!  This is looking better and better.

We are also enjoying the luscious fruit in this area and the great fruit markets. A lady vendor there asked us for one of our books!  Glen had to run to the car and get one. This is really fun.

Wow again!

Every day I think wow.  Nothing else describes what we are doing here and the help from the Lord that we are getting.

The Stake Pres. asked us to go teach the missionary lessons again to less actives.  And I mean less, less actives.  We went to four homes first.  Everyone of them said we could teach the lessons again.

Course you have to put something in the Trust Bank before you can make withdrawals.
 So for one sister Glen and the young missioanries cleared and prepared her garden plot for her. She was so happy.

 Another family had bought a computer but didn't speak enough English to understand the person in the Phillipines trying to explain it in very broken English.  So Glen took awhile and got it up and running for them.  They were so excited.

They are happy to see us now. And now we can invite the Spirit into their homes and that works miracles.

But the best one was the investigator family we have been teaching. We knew the father had been avoiding us and the lessons. So we said we would try one more time.  He was not a happy camper when we got there.  But by the time we left the Spirit was so strong that he was willing to give the closing prayer and ask God if what we taught was true.  And when Glen asked him how he felt he said he felt good.

So tonight I feel good.

Learning how to put pictures on the blog.  

We love hearing from the grandkids--and anyone else out there.
        

Let the Spriit Be Your Guide

The spirit is really helping us in this work.  Our Relief Society President was inactive so I felt to take another sister in the Branch and go visit her and say that one of the responsibilities of the RS Presidency is to teach the lesson once a month so would she come and teach the class this Sunday?  I was so nervous and prepared to have to convince her.  Instead she just said "Yes".  Could have blown me over with a feather.  And she did come and did teach and it was great. Then I was talking to a young man and the young Elders and they were talking about a young man in the Branch that wasn't going to come to church today so I said to go and get him.  They were surprised and said he wouldn't be ready.  I told them to wait for him.  So they did and right in the middle of my Sacrament meeting talk I saw them walk in-with him!  So that was two exta people that swelled our numbers to 25 attending Sacrament meeting.  But it was really rewarding.

The Stake President finally spoke with us and gave us our marching orders.  There is a program here where you pick some people and the missionaries (us and the young Elders) go and teach them the missionary discussions again.  This is for the less actives and the part member families.  We are excited to get started.

And yes, Elder Pack and I were the speakers in Sacrament Meeting.  Everyone said what a great job I did and no one seemed to notice that I skipped reading a line of the talk.  So who was really listening right?:)

Missionary Training in Heaven

We went to another fantastic meeting with Pres. Gelwix.  And when I say meeting I mean from 8:30am to 5:30 pm! 
Some thoughts from it:  The purpose of prayer is not to change the mind of God but to align our will to His.
                           Working for God on earth doesn't pay much but the retirement plan is out of this world.
                            God does what only a God can do.  He asks us to do those things that we can do.
                             When you feel like you are going to drown, remember your lifeguard walks on water.
 
 And my favorite missionary thought was found in D&C 138:56
"Even before they were born, they with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men."

We knew then we were going to be missionaries now.  How fun is that.

Catch the Wave

This session of General Conference was a wonderful time to be serving a mission.  Pres. Russel M Nielson said there is a wave of missionary work right now and we have caught the wave.  He also said this wave is not man-made.  The Lord has said "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time." The time is now.  How grateful I am for all those who support us behind the lines to make it possible for us to be here.

Neil L Anderson said our desire to share the gospel takes us to our knees and boy is that true.  The Lord really does guide us in what we do.  He really does put words into our mouths when our minds go blank and shows us what to say.  He quoted a missionary saying, "this isn't missionary work-this is missionary fun!". I have found it is both.

Between the morning and afternoon conferences we have a pot luck dinner at the Stake Center where we get to know the members a little better. I must admit that I cheated and listened to the conference talks in the chapel in English.  Elder Pack sat in the Relief Society room with the Spanish members. We had taken an English speaking young lady that had only been a member three months so this was her first General Conference.

The Branch President caught us and asked us to speak in Sacrament meeting this coming Sunday.  In Spanish.

We did it!

We taught our first full lesson tonight! Rather, Glen did and I smiled on que. The couple was Ricardo and his wife that we "accidently" found a couple of days ago.  They were way interested in the three degrees of glory. I don't know why.  She was nodding through everything we said and they wrote down where to find the scriptures we gave them.  After a little instruction Ricardo said the closing prayer and it was Great! Teaching is the most rewarding kind of mission! Course I haven't tried anything else yet but it is really great.

Glen passed out cards and got a promising couple's phone and email today.  He is really fearless and very good at this. I am great back-up:)

The Relief Society Presidency (not to be confused with the RS President because she is inactive) invited me to go visiting the sisters with them next week!  Glen and I visited about 18 member's homes this past week.  It has been very interesting.  So many good people everywhere. One little boy snuck up and handed me a grape as I sat there.  They share what they have.

One of the couples in the Branch invited us to dinner last night.  It was really hot but so kind of them. There weren't enough chairs for everyone so the wife stood the whole time serving us. I hope she ate something after we left.

wrong person turns out to be just right

This is so fun!  We made up flyers for the ward members to remind them about General Conference and to have a reason to go visit everyone. So we went to this one house and the person had moved away a year ago! Yeah, that is how our branch list is. However, Ricardo de Jesus answered the door and let us in! Glen taught our first lesson to a non-member, starting with the Apostacy. The man was full of questions. First he asked us how people get baptized in our church. When Glen explained immersion the man's eyes lit up!  Apparently that was the answer he was after! We have an appointment again for Friday night.

We visited two ladies in the ward who live together to share rent. It is hard for these people to come to church because they often work.  One of the ladies asked if I was married to Glen. Then she asked if he had been a good husband for these forty two years. I told her he was a good husband because he lived the gospel. And he is better now than forty two years ago.  Neither of these ladies had a good experience with husbands.

We also went to a less active member family that were really great.  Her mother was there too and cried when she tried to tell us how she felt about God. The young Elders were there too.  Glen bore testimony about our prophet and also Joseph Smith.  When they asked me to add something I told them that if they have a question in their lives and listen to General Conference, they will hear the answer.

Mind you, all of these things were in Spanish. I don't know how I understand most of what is said or let alone reply.  But it is way funner than teaching in English.

shopping for investigators

We have just the best time when we go to the store!  We went to WalMart today and Glen found a man with his son that was interested in our name tags.  So Glen talked to him and got his phone number.  He speaks really good English so we may send the referral on but maybe Glen will go with the Elders and see which language he prefers.  He has liver failure and is interested in learning more about God.
So while Glen was talking to this man, I was at the checkout and the lady there saw them talking and asked what ward I go to.  When I asked if she was a Mormon she said her family is but they are less active since her husband's parents both died and he has had a hard time with it. I gave her our number and a card.  We will be going back soon.
We went and visited a semi-active woman in the branch who has adopted four kids and has three of her own.  She goes through the Foster program.  She was impressed we had an indian foster boy and we have two adopted grandchildren. She said she will watch conference on the computer.
Glen and I made flyers up about General Conference and will take them around to as many families in the ward as we can this week.  It is a good way to get in the door.

Easter Sunday

Our first Sunday in our new branch was on Easter.  That is probably why our ranks swelled to 25!  Glen said the opening prayer in Sunday School and I said the closing.  We also ended up teaching the class.  Then I said the closing prayer.  Glen said the opening prayer in the combined RS and Priesthood class and I said the closing prayer. And since it was also Fast and Testimony Meeting Glen and I got up and bore our testimonies.  All this in Spanish mind you.  Now I have a new resolve to find and reactivate the members.  So they can take a turn! It was a great day though.
 After we had our district of missionaries over for an Easter turkey dinner.  Our district includes two zone leaders, two district leaders, two sister missionaries and us.  It was very fun and the sisters had a special message for us how the Savior didn't drink the vinager and gall that was offered to him on the cross because it was a numbing drink for the pain and thirst and He chose to suffer for us completely.
We can really feel the spirit with us.  Especially at the zone conference yesterday where Pres. Gilwix spoke to us of the Spirit's help we can call upon. He gave us a special blessing that I thought was just for me until I realized other missionaries there could use it too.  It was an amazing teaching and blessing.

Finally in Merced!

.
We finally got our internet installed and so we can get back to Blogging.
The MTC was a lot of hard work!  But we learned how to teach and commit people to the gospel.
We met so many wonderful people going to so many different places in the world. We would compare.  Like one couple was going to a Young Adult Center near London.  So they were given a chocolate fountain for the youth parties. Glen and I were given a blender, George Forman grill, washer and dryer, pool, etc.. One lady just looked at us and said that they were just told to bring flip-flops for the flood seasonin Indonesia. We were really inspired by the people who battle great odds to go on one, two, three--up to ten missions there.

We love  Merced.  It is about 50% Spanish which is great because we were called on a Spanish speaking mission.  Not at first of course.  We didn't know that until the Stake President layed his hands on our head and said California Fresno Mission Spanish Speaking.  Boy were we surprised. But it was a good surprise.

Apparently the people here have never heard of Senior Missionaries in this city.  The Branch President kept saying, "Why are you here?" When we told him we were here to help him he would say, "You left Utah and your family to help us?"  He kept repeating that.  He is a great man. Apparently we only have 20 active members in our Branch.  But we have a baptism Sunday and then we will have 21!  Glen and I have started visiting the members. They are amazed that an old married couple can be missionaries. The young missonaries are fantastic.  We are having the district over for Easter dinner. Yeah, I miss the familly.

we are leaving March 18, 2013

We were called to California Fresno mission.  We go into the MTC on the 18th. Our Mission President is Larry Gelwix.  He was who the coach in "Forever Strong" was about. We don't know which language we will be speaking but hope to use Spanish. Next week we give talks in sacrament meeting.  It is in our home ward on 1548 N. 900 W., Pleasant Grove.  It will be at 11:00 a.m. Wish us luck!

Mission Call!

Glen and I have received our mission call! We will be going to the California Fresno Mission starting March 18, 2013. Imagine our surprise when a language was NOT specified! We were also surprised by the timing. Just 29 days from when we opened the call. We had lots of family over to watch us open it with others calling in to see it by Skype. It was exciting and emotional all at once.

Since then, we've been packing like crazy and doing all the preparations that are required! Who knew you had to get so many shots or take so many online courses?!! It's also been bittersweet saying farewells to our loved ones in the Spanish ward we've been attending for three years. A growing experience that we loved and we know we'll come to love those we serve in California as well.



Tammy and Jason watching us open our call from a
rollercoaster line at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.