Sunday, October 1, 2017

Kensington presented a beautiful Fall day for General Conference although we heard there was snow in Rigby!!  We took a long walk this morning while we waited for Conference and actually needed our sweatshirts.  It is such a blessing to just turn on the computer and have these meetings come right up at our finger tips since we don’t have cable TV.  Conference was definitely spiritually invigorating.

Between paragraphs here, the Relief Society Secretary called and asked me to teach the Pres. Hinckley lesson on October 15, so preparation will fill any spare time that may have lurked in corners after organ practice and extra study hours at the temple.  It’s good to participate, but I haven’t taught for so long that I’ll be pretty rusty.

Another couple arrived last evening from Gilmore, AZ; and they know friends of ours from dental school days.  It is amazing how many connections we have with the missionaries here even though we are so far away from home.  It’s awesome.

Below are a few photos of our apartment.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Well, we’ve been here for a week now and it has flown by incredibly fast.  Today it was time for the usual Saturday chores—laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, and a little grocery shopping for next week.  We walked early and everything still looked gorgeous.  I’m a little worried about how this community will look when all the fallen leaves have left the trees bare and hope it isn’t melancholy. 

In this time zone, we can’t watch the first session of Conference until Noon since we can’t see it before it airs live!  😊  So, it’s 10:00 p.m. and the Priesthood Session just ended.  We drove to the Visitor’s Center to watch the first session and it was shown in a huge auditorium on a gigantic screen.  It was mostly missionaries who attended.  Near the end the satellite signal kept failing, so there were interruptions.  However, there immediately were devices all over carrying the speaker until reception on the big screen was restored.  We decided to watch the afternoon session and Priesthood session in our apartment on my laptop which has great speakers and a good-sized screen.

The Conference messages were inspiring as usual, but we really missed seeing and hearing from Pres. Monson.  His absence definitely left a void.

Pretty soon I’ll tire of showing cute squirrels if perchance the sightings lose their novelty.  This little critter keeps coming up onto our patio. 

Friday, September 29, 2017

This was the last day of cleaning and things really came together as tables, plants, chairs, couches, benches and all manner of decor found their way back to assigned places.  Everything looks fresh and so beautiful.

We returned to the temple in the afternoon for our first formal training meeting.  We saw a touching new training video we haven’t seen before that left us wanting with all our hearts to be more Christ-like in how we treat all of Heavenly Father’s children and to become sensitive to the whisperings of the Spirit as we officiate in our responsibilities.  We also toured the entire temple (except for the engineering and electronic floors).  There were only three senior couples plus the trainers so it was very personal and was a great afternoon of learning and spiritual uplift.

The temple is big enough that we are going to be lost for a while and be a little intimidated.  However, it will come a little at a time.  I was happy to see clips from the training videos that I had seen in Spanish for 23 months, and to hear the words in English.  I really learned a lot and realized that I had missed verbal training although visual training seemed to work just fine! 

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Today after our morning cleaning shift, we were set apart by Pres. Colton as temple ordinance workers.  The prayers were beautiful and included the promise of great blessings.  Our shifts will be Tuesday Morning, Wednesday Morning, Thursday Mid-day, Friday Evening and Saturday Evening during the five work days.  The Spanish sessions are Friday and Saturday evenings and any other time by appointment or demand and we will be available for those shifts as well.  We are really excited to get started!  I took the pictures below from the Visitor’s Center as we left the temple today.  The pictures of the grounds aren't the best and don't show how beautiful they are, but maybe I can get a few better ones later.

Volunteers are putting up Christmas lights.  They told us that this temple has one of the most spectacular Christmas displays in the Church.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

After the morning of cleaning in the temple, I went to the stake center with Sister Sudweeks—her husband is related to Natalie Peterson’s husband Lawrence Sudweeks—for an orientation on the organ.  I have been called to serve as a ward organist in the Rock Creek Ward.  It is a pipe organ and will be a challenge taking lots of practice.  But I am grateful to be able to use my music in service. 

We walked around our neighborhood again to get some exercise and loved the ambiance created by the old houses, narrow streets, and grand trees. There are already crunchy leaves on the sidewalks and streets although not from new fallen leaves.  It was still fun to stroll through him except for the fact that they were laden with allergens!

We stopped at the Safeway on the way home to pick up a few more items like cinnamon, cocoa, Honey Crisp and McIntosh apples, and granola bars—you know—necessities!!

There are lots of photos from our walk, but I couldn’t help myself!!  There are many more wonderful houses!

Looks like a charming library, and who would name "Noyes"!  Very Clever

So much fun to walk these streets every day.  

There are lots of squirrels everywhere!   Have you ever seen black ones?

There is a normal colored cutie sitting at the base of the tree, too.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Our first assignment in the temple was to help with the cleaning.  It has been closed for two weeks for the semi-annual cleaning and there is one week to go.  All of the missionaries help for one week of the closure.  Upon our arrival, we were given a white jumpsuit to change into and assigned to a team.  Our job today was on the second floor and we cleaned the chapel, the massive hallways, and some private offices.  It meant dry dusting all the walls, paintings, fixtures, and vacuuming.  It was a very unique experience to be in a temple in that aspect.  And now, we know our way around that floor!  We will continue cleaning from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Friday.  

This is the North end of our apartment building.

Monday, September 25, 2917

Glade accepted an invitation and played pickle ball this morning.  He liked it better than he did the first time he played in St. George, but the techniques are so different from racquetball that it takes quite a bit of adjusting.  He had a great time, though, and made new friends. 

We went to the temple to get a locker and take our clothes.   Since there was no one else there except the secretary and a few painters and engineers, we were privileged to get a personal tour that no one else got.  It is a magnificent temple and so beautiful.  There are seven floors and it is probably the largest temple in the world as far as square footage goes, and third largest in actual usage space.  (The secretary told me that this morning 😊).  It is definitely going to take a while for us to find our way around without getting lost. 

Later, we finished our shopping and I added a touch of Fall to our apartment with little orange lights and leaf garlands.  Glade told me to buy fresh flowers for our table and I found a Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle at Bath and Body Works in the mall, Now it looks and feels like home!  We just need cooler weather, taco soup, fresh rolls, and maybe a little hot chocolate.

Just about dusk we took a long walk through our neighborhood.  It feels rather quaint and quite old fashioned.  There are beautiful old homes that are huge and must have been mansions in their glory days.  The yards are big and filled with old plants, trees, flowers, and a few rustic fences.  Most things are neat and tidy and it has such a comfortable feel.  I just love it!  I can’t wait to see it in the fall.  Almost nothing is dry which is due in part to the humidity here and heavy dew each night/morning.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Fast Sunday was an opportunity to have a “grateful” fast.  We have had so many blessings in our family and in our lives that it felt like a good time and way to thank Heavenly Father for His goodness to us.  Sacrament Meeting was at 2:30 p.m. and included 60 senior missionaries and district workers.  Every fast day, each apartment building holds a break-the-fast potluck meal together with couples, and single sister missionaries, taking a turn to host.  The food was delicious and everyone stayed after for an hour or so to visit and get acquainted.  There are lots of new couples and so many of them are from Utah!

Saturday, September 23, 2017 -- Jeff’s Birthday

This beautiful morning coaxed us out early for a walk around our neighborhood.  We came upon a Farmer’s Market where we bought corn on the cob, a tomato, huge Honey Crisp apples for only $1.99/lb., a pint of rich expensive chocolate ice cream for Glade, and two loaves of the best Great Harvest Bread.  There is a franchise nearby and they sell fresh breads and baked goods every Saturday morning at the market.   These gorgeous red flowers appeared next to the Farmer's Market.

Our walk to the Safeway Grocery takes us right through a section of little antique shops across from an enchanting train track that is camouflaged by heavy plant overgrowth.

Shopping was next on the list and we found our way to a nearby mall and grocery store to get stocked up for a couple of weeks.  And guess what—the mall has a JoAnn’s Fabric Store!!  It made my day.  Glade was a very patient shopper and it was a great day. 

 

New friends invited me to attend a soup and bread dinner and the Women’s Session of General Conference at the stake center.  Powerful messages, strong testimonies, and sweet sisters to share it with, all made for a wonderful evening.  I thought of all my eight daughters and maybe seven granddaughters who were gathered in other places hearing the same beautiful messages and it made me happy even if we couldn’t all go together physically.

Friday, September 22, 2017 – We have arrived!

Today’s drive was again so beautiful.  The countryside was covered with leafy deciduous trees all bunched together and interrupted now and then by green meadows and small tidy farms.  Fall officially began about 4:02 this afternoon, and Mother Nature’s pallet is already spreading its autumn glory through the foliage.

We arrived in Washington DC about 2:30 p.m. after only one freeway construction hold-up where we advanced two miles in about 45 minutes.  Our prayers for the proper functioning of our car were answered and it experienced no other incidences since our prayers yesterday.  We feel very blessed and recognize many tender mercies on our behalf since we left home.  There is a feeling that comes over you when you are set apart as a missionary and you can see the Lord’s hand in your life and feel at peace. 

We were met in the parking lot by sweet missionary couples who helped us unload our car.  Luckily, our apartment is on the bottom floor so it wasn’t too taxing for these kind seniors.  People just kept coming and when they finished, several said, “Is that all?”  I said that we had been encouraged not to bring too much “stuff.”  So, we complied!  I think we have enough for six months, however.  Our winter trips to St. George initiated us as to how little it takes to live.  I did manage to bring my sewing machine, a three foot by two foot cutting mat, a large acrylic sewing machine accessory, a bag full of Fall fabric, and all the usual tools and notions. 😊

The apartment building is old but spacious (except for the small bathroom) and stocked with necessities.  We have Internet service and air conditioning so we are set!!  The view from our large living room windows/patio doors looks out on a pretty green yard with trees and plants that will soon be changing colors and dropping leaves.

View out our back windows and patio doors. 

The front of our apartment building

Our host couple had put fresh fruit in a bowl in the kitchen, clean linen on the beds, groceries on the counter, and milk and sandwich meat in the fridge.   They brought us a meal of chili and cornbread and then showed us how to get to the Safeway grocery store, the stake center where we will attend church, and the temple.  The temple—the 3^rd largest in the world—is spectacular and the grounds are beautiful.  Its appearance is stunning!

We put a few things away and were just starting some laundry after our ninth day away from home, when there was another knock on our door with an invitation to a surprise birthday party for one of the missionaries.  Glade went in his Star Wars PJ bottoms, but it was a fairly casual get-together and we met lots of people including a couple from Jeff and Emi’s ward in Salem.  It was a delightful, welcoming, and very friendly group.  It has been a great beginning!

Wednesday, September 20, 2917

After more three-lane truck and construction trauma, we stopped for gas in a little town in Indiana called La Porte, to get gas.  The Phillips 66 station ended up being about five miles off the freeway; but we found it, put gas in the car and were ready to roll again.  When Glade tried to start the car, the warning lights flashed and a message said "brake pressure low."  When we tried to drive forward, the warning notices wouldn't stop. So, we searched the owner's manual which said in this instance to call the dealer. 

Glade called Chris at our Lexus dealer in Utah for advice who instructed us to have it checked at a Lexus dealership.  Roadside Service dispatched a tow truck, but Glade told them we were in La Port, Iowa when we were actually in La Porte, Indiana!  We waited four hours for the tow truck.

Very nice people in a Chiropractic office next door let us wait there out of the heat.

Glade called and cancelled our reservation in Toledo, Ohio, for tonight and the good-hearted  man waived the cancellation fee.  The Triple A driver finally arrived and loaded our precious car onto the back of his truck and took us 40 miles to Mishawaka, Indiana, where thankfully and miraculously there was a Lexus dealership!  (One of many tender mercies)

En route we entered another time zone, arriving at 6:00 p.m.--closing time--instead of 5:00 p.m.  However, one salesman remained who set us up for service in the morning and helped us find a Hiatt two blocks away where we could spend the night.  At 7:00 a.m. Glade was there and they started the computer check of the car.  Guess what they found--absolutely NOTHING!

We were prepared to have to wait days for parts and major repairs so we feel very blessed that we were able to get back on the road by 10:30 a.m.  Although we had to back track, we made good time and were able to keep our reservation in Pittsburgh, PA tonight. 

We were on the Ohio Turnpike near Cleveland and stopped at a truck stop to top off the tank and get a sandwich.  After getting the gas and starting the car--the warning lights and flashers came on again!  We parked, had a sandwich at Panera, and got back in the car.  We prayed with all our faith over our car, pushed the ignition, and wallah--prayers answered--no warnings flashed and we drove on making it to our destination by 5:00 tonight just ahead of rush hour.  The traffic going out was bumper to bumper, but we cruised right in to the Courtyard Marriott in Cranberry Woods in our Eastbound lanes.  We are feeling very blessed and watched over!!

 Loading the car for the 40 mile tow.

 A place to stay at the Hiatt

 The trees are turning!!!  We had a great walk around Misawaka

September 14, 2017

Glade and I have been called to serve as missionaries in the Washington DC Temple.  It has been a flurry of activity getting ready to leave our home again, but not nearly as difficult as it was to leave for two years in Honduras.  Our call is to serve for six months until the temple closes for major renovation in March of 2018.  We are thrilled with this new assignment and will be able to assist with the Spanish ordinances.

Our first stop was in Utah to visit a few family members, get the car serviced at the dealership in Lindon, and attend a BYU football game.  On Sunday, September 17, we went to Church in Provo, Utah, and then began the long drive across the country to Maryland.

For the most part, the drive was uneventful, the roads were good, and we stayed on schedule.  Along the way we stayed in Rawlins, Wyoming; Kearney, Nebraska; Bettendorf, Iowa; Mishawaka, Indiana; Cranberry Woods, Pennsylvania; and then on to the final destination—Kensington, Maryland.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

        

Beverly wrote most of the blog posts, but Glade wrote the following message for the final entry.

Anytime in my life when I have served the Lord in a calling I have felt His power and blessings helping me.  I have also felt the adversary’s power trying to dissuade me in my efforts.  These two opposing influences were so strong and clear to me while on the mission that I knew and was strengthened beyond any previous experience in my life that what I was doing was very important to the Lord and I was meant to be serving the faithful Honduran and Nicaraguan people in the temple.

There was not a day of the nearly five hundred we served in the temple that I didn’t feel physical pain.  On the worst days I was brought to my knees, “Father, I cannot do this today.  Please carry my load.”   Without exception, on those days I was given clear and immediate strength and presented with evident opportunities to spiritually raise and share a member’s experience as he provided the saving ordinances for his family.  The Lord’s power and nearness was a confirmation so evident that my relationship with Him has changed forever.  I knew that He was in charge and was directing the work.

I was asked to officiate approximately four hundred and fifty endowment sessions throughout the mission, most of them accompanied by Beverly.  Attendance in many of those was at or over capacity.  In some there were few attendees.  I lamented that those sessions with many unfilled seats left me feeling a void of the spirit. During one of these sessions, burdened with my thoughts, my mind for a brief moment saw every seat not occupied by a mortal participant occupied by a beautiful Latino from the other side, dressed in white, and a face of radiating joy.  The Lord had taught me an important lesson about the temple by using the “imagination of my thoughts” and “mounting them up as on wings of eagles” as described in D & C 124: 99.  After that experience the size of the session mattered not to me.  I felt the spirit of the work from every individual member and from those present spiritually but not seen, waiting for their work to be done. 

When we submitted our missionary papers to headquarters to receive our call to serve I indicated that on my first mission forty-eight years ago I had gained a love for the Latin American people.  Upon arriving in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and for the following twenty-three months I realized how deep that love and motivation was imbedded within me.  I felt the Lord empowering me to smile and speak with, and often embrace those with whom I worked, attended church, and associated with in other ways.  I was touched by the Spirit while studying the Gospel in Spanish in ways that I had not felt in English.  While serving this people in the temple I felt the Lord guiding and telling me that I was exactly where He wanted me to be, doing what he wanted me to do and doing it at the right time of my life.  This gave me peace and a purpose of being that had too often been absent in my life. Following the mission I am still strongly pulled to the scriptures and other words of the prophets translated into Spanish.

Beverly had no Spanish experience prior to our mission.  In fact, she indicated on her papers that she would prefer not to learn a foreign language.  We submitted to the Lord’s will and indicated we would serve where needed most. Understanding nothing, Beverly resisted the language initially and I soon learned that if I were to be her sole source of understandable communication I could not cloud our relationship by speaking to her in Spanish all of our time together in the interest of helping her learn.  Our individual challenges and our common commitment to the Lord and to each other brought us closer than at any other time of our marriage. Her qualities of hard work, determination, commitment, and faith were to me very inspiring motivators. As down as she would sometimes be after not understanding anyone day after day, she would always bounce back with a fierce determination, relentless in her study of the language, always greeting the participants in the temple with a kind smile and eyes that said unmistakably, “I care.” Just like our marriage our mission could not have succeeded without the hardships and our covenants made forty-five years ago at the altar of the temple.  We have never known a more humble and faithful people than those whom we served on this mission.  The Lord knew our needs and provided us the experiences to strengthen our faith and humility. This was necessary for our understanding and love of the people.

We are blessed with eight wonderful children.  Each has chosen faithful, gifted spouses with whom they have been sealed for eternity in a Holy temple. They have all been blessed with bright, healthy children and are raising them to serve the Lord. What a blessing and joy that is to us! We felt the strength and blessings of their prayers throughout our mission and were empowered to do our best. By their encouragement and support spiritually and physically they manifested their love for us and their love for the Lord. Our mission was an expression of our love and gratitude to the Lord for the blessing of our family and to our family for placing their faith in Him. He is our Savior and Redeemer and the light of our life.

Sunday, March 15, 2015--The Final Entry

     We reported to the High Council at 8:00 a.m. and felt a warm welcome.  We shared experiences and feelings about our mission and then were asked to bear our testimonies in Spanish.  I was grateful to be prepared for that! In the past I have heard many missionaries report to the Stake Council and it was so different to be on the “reporting” side rather than the “listening” side.  My nerves were all crazy. 

Garfield 2^nd Ward Sacrament Meeting was at 11:00 at the Rigby South Stake Center and we each gave a 15-minute talk, ending with our testimonies in Spanish again.  Hugs and greetings from friends and family, ward and former ward members felt so good and we loved seeing so many familiar faces.  However, we knew very few families in our re-aligned ward.  There were a few people who used to be part of our ward who were included again in the new boundaries so that gave us a few more recognizable faces.

My sweet friend Clara, who helped take care of my kitties, came to church; and I so appreciated her support.  Loretta felt well enough to come with Alan, too, and it was wonderful to see her.  Becky and Elaine were also part of my email support and Marjory.  I love these friends for the time and effort they put in to keep in touch despite their very busy schedules and personal challenges.  Each one was a life-line!!   

Lunch at our house was awesome chaos!  It was exciting to have all of our children come home although we missed the rest of the Texas and Nevada families.     

We loved seeing other friends and family members including Grant, Mary, and Mandee; Sheryl came to Sacrament Meeting but couldn’t come to the house; Dean and Karen; Jordan and his wife and baby; sisters and nieces Stephanie, April, and Valerie; Max and Darla Lapioli—they brought us a Great Harvest cranberry orange bread loaf, stayed for lunch and visited, and she helped with the food clean-up; Faylene and four of her grandchildren; Shirleen—Meghan came to Sacrament Meeting with Ella, but couldn’t come to the house—Bryan and Bonnie who brought a favorite salad; and JoAnn and Camille who came from Salt Lake; so it was a lively houseful.

Christi June washed dishes and cleaned and wiped counters and did the lion’s share of the clean up after lunch and I so appreciated her help.  We took a few family photos and the kids all played outside in the spring-like weather again and expended their energy.  Then, one by one, guests and family began leaving.  Kevin and Barek had to make the nine-hour drive to Reno all in one stretch so Kevin could get home for work Monday morning.  Tracen and Melissa gathered children, packed up their necessities, made a space for Marc, and headed to Kaysville.  Mike and Christi headed to Boise with Damien and Dylan, and their three local kids went back to their apartments.  Last to leave on Sunday were Jeff and Emi and kids who piled into their van with all their “trip stuff” and headed back to Salem, Utah.

Emily and Scott had to trade time going back and forth to their house on Sunday because poor Amelia had a tummy bug and couldn’t be with us.   

Kristie stayed until Monday early morning and Justin left early Tuesday.  Scott picked them up early and took each of them to the airport on his way to work.  Alexis stayed until Wednesday so she could go out to dinner with us and Scott and Emily’s family for Glade’s birthday on Tuesday.  She and Emma left about noon.  Then the house was quiet and we could unwind and begin to decide what to do with the rest of our lives!!

This missionary experience was a great opportunity for personal growth and development as well as an opportunity to serve.  Our hearts and spirits have been changed by the things we learned, the sacrifices we made, the inspirational people we met in the temple, and those faithful saints who serve in the House of the Lord every day.  They are humble and their means are meager, but they are building mansions in Heaven as they follow the teachings of the Savior and keep His commandments.  They are filled with love and share it so easily.  It is not so easy for those with affluence to be humble and sometimes happiness is easier to find without all the “stuff” we acquire and then have to worry about and care for.  To simplify will bring blessings. 

It was a blessing for me to be able to serve with music.  There were no language barriers—at least none that weren’t overcome with focus and discernment—and the opportunity to play gave me a chance to share and offer something that was important to them.  I played for numberless choirs, individuals doing solos, Sacrament Meeting, Relief Society, duets, and special programs.  It was hard work to prepare to play in the recital with Gina, but well worth the effort.  It kept my skills honed and was a blessing to share the gift of music that Heavenly Father gave to each of us.  We loved playing together.  The greater the challenge, the greater the reward if one puts in the time and work to overcome.

Our marriage is stronger than ever as we shared the same space, the same routine, and many of the same friends and experiences.  We learned that we really were good at sharing a small apartment, house-keeping chores, and animated conversation about the events of our days.  When you leave behind your “former life” to serve a mission, the things that matter most come clearly to the forefront.  We bear testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and has made exaltation and eternal life available to each of us if we choose to seek it.  Our Father in Heaven loves us deeply, provides for our growth and learning, and showers us and our families with blessings and tender mercies.  Our faith has grown as we learned to lean on Him so that we could fulfill His work.  Now we will rest and prepare to serve again where we are needed.   

The Missionaries--Released

Our awesome kids!
Back left:  Mike, Kevin, Justin, Tracen
Front left:  Kristie, Alexis, Jeff, Scott

Kids with Mom and Dad

From left:  Bonnie, Shirleen, Bev, and Max and little David in the background.

Far left:  Mary, Glade, Karen, Dean, and Grant

Clockwise from the back left:
Bryan, JoAnn, Camille, Daynah, Tony, Shirleen Bonnie, and Emily

Bev and Corey's mom Faylene

Alexis and Justin!

JoAnn, Shirleen, Beverly

The good-bye.  Christi is going home to Boise
and son Drake is going back to Rexburg to BYU-I

Christi June and Kristie Ranae

Christi, Mike, and Kristie--more goodbyes

And All is Well.