Week 18 - Happy New Year!

What a wonderful Christmas week! The beauty of a senior mission is the flexibility we have to spend time with family. Sorry all you young missionaries - I guess they've found a way to give incentive to old folks and it works!

Sunday night Cheri invited me to the Murdock family Christmas party. All her siblings and their family were there. We had a nice dinner and had some fun activities. It was so nice to see all of them again. There are certainly advantages to living all in one state! Cheri decided that Michele and I look alike with our short hair and glasses. 

Monday Cam & Lori came to visit me at the mission office and we walked over to my apartment and had a nice lunch at the Lion House. My friends all think Annabelle is the cutest, and of course she is!

I spent Monday night through Saturday night with Coray and Mindy. It was so nice to be included in their Christmas celebrating and to spend time with Mindy's family.

I'm so grateful to be included and so welcomed. I loved talking to our three missionaries on Christmas Day! I'm so proud of all they are doing and grateful for their faithful service and example for all of us. 

On Friday I was invited to my nephew Gary's daughter Saydi's wedding at the Payson Temple. It was so nice to spend time with the Mangelson family and catch up with them. I went to the luncheon and the reception too. The picture of Marian and Nolan is of them "dancing" at the wedding. They won the honor of being married the longest - 58 years. I'm grateful to be close enough to spend time with them too!

On Saturday night, Cam, Lori & Annabelle, and Alyssa & Chad came to Coray & Mindy's for dinner and games. It was so fun to see them all for one more night together. I got a (few) cute pictures of Alyssa and Annabelle - my oldest and youngest granddaughters. 

I'm so very grateful to Mindy & Coray for taking such good care of me and welcoming me to their home. They were such great hosts, and I appreciate all they did to make my holiday so fun. I want you to know, though, that I really missed being with the Ashtons and the Wengreens this year! It's hard to be spread so far apart, and I'm looking forward to the next time we can all be together!!

Just a word about Come, Follow Me this year. I have loved reading the New Testament and studying the words of the Savior and the Apostles. I hope you have too! I am so grateful for this inspired program and for the motivation to read and study the scriptures. I have learned more this year than I ever did at my New Testament class at BYU. I'm grateful for your examples as you've shared with me what you're doing with your families. It keeps me going. I'm really looking forward to studying the Book of Mormon this coming year. If you have ways to inspire and motivate us all, please share them! 

Well, a decade is coming to an end this week and a new one is beginning! I hope that the 2020s will be happy and blessed for all of you, that you'll have many wonderful things to look forward to and learn from. Thank you all for being my greatest blessings and for your love and prayers. I pray for you all, and I'm so grateful for our eternal family!

Week 17 - Merry Christmas

I'm imagining many of you busily getting reading for Christmas, the kids grateful that finals are over or at least that school is finally over for the year. For us missionaries we carry on, and I'm sure in the case of Elder Wengreen, Sister Ashton & Sister Christensen you're sharing the message of the gospel of Christ and the beautiful promises of His birth and life, His atonement and His gospel. As President Hinckley said, "There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection." Aren't we grateful for this message and sure knowledge? 

I've had a very nice week! It has been quite slow at the office again, but the evenings and afternoons have been fun. Monday night was a party with my FHE group. I was in charge and we had a yummy potluck and gift exchange. We played it a different way with dice and passing the gifts around based on the number rolled. I think everyone had a good time. On Tuesday night, Coray invited me to have dinner with their family at a really nice Italian restaurant at City Creek. It was so great to be with them and be part of their traditional before-Christmas celebration. I'm mad at myself for not getting a picture before we parted! On Wednesday, Lori and Annabelle came to meet me at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They came to the office and got to meet my mission president. We walked around City Creek and had dinner together. It was so fun to be with them! Annabelle is such a cutie!

On Friday, I went to lunch with my cousins Kathi & Doug. They are siblings and children of my Aunt Frances, who was my father's sister. That was fun too because we just don't have chances to get together often enough.

And on Friday night Jenna and I met for dinner. A full and fun week.

Yesterday morning I decided to brave the Salt Lake Temple one last time. Since it's closing next weekend I knew this would be my last chance to go while I'm here. I knew that it would be extremely busy and that I might have to wait a long time to get in, but I decided that it would be worth it. I got there at 10:00 hoping to make it in to the 11:00 session. I didn't. The room was full, but I thought I might get in the next session. A few minutes went by and they started taking people to different rooms to wait for the next session. I barely missed getting in that one, but at the end they asked for three people. It was convenient to be a single person so I barely got in for the 12:00 session. I took a seat with a Bible on it, and started reading Revelation 12. Good way to spend my time! I was only in that room for about 30 minutes when they said it was time to go up to the Creation Room. I was pleasantly surprised - they had figured out that they could fill the sessions and keep them going without worrying about them starting on the hour. The 12:00 session actually started at 11:10. We had to wait a few minutes for rooms to empty at times, but it was a peaceful place to wait. I was so grateful to be there. The Spirit was strong and sweet. The worker who portrayed Peter struggled to keep his emotions under control at times. I'm sure he could feel the Spirit as well, maybe knowing it was one of the last times he would be participating in that way. I'm so grateful for the blessings of my temple covenants and for the sealing power which ties me to my family. I put each of my family's names on the prayer roll - hundreds will be praying for them this week! 

Church at the branch where I play the organ was really sweet today. The people there are so humble and good. I know many of them have had difficult lives, but they show their faith by worshipping together. "David" keeps coming. I watch for him and am grateful that the branch members have welcomed him. He's the man a while back who bore his testimony wearing two different shoes, saying that he was ready to come back to church. Nolan calls him "the disheveled man in church" and talked about him during one of his Sunday School lessons about the type of person the Savior loved and sought out while He was here. 

The beauty of two sacrament meetings on Sundays is that I get double the inspiration with beautiful messages of the gospel. Today was messages of the doctrine of Christ, the gifts of Christmas, and beautiful music of the season. Today the Relief Society gave Christmas stockings to all the young elders with messages from home. The picture is of them following strict instructions to line up to get their letters, pick a stocking and make sure that their Walmart gift card was inside. 😊 It was sweet.

My gift to you today is my testimony. I have a sure knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He came to earth as a precious gift from our Father in Heaven to accomplish the atonement that no other could do. He restored His gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith who gave us the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and complete gospel on earth today. The doctrines and teachings in the Book of Mormon guide us on our way back to our Heavenly Father, and the blessings of the temple will allow us to be together as a forever family if we keep those covenants. I'm so grateful to be blessed with my precious family! I'm grateful for their examples and their testimonies which strengthen me. Their lives are the greatest gift to me. 

Merry Christmas!

Week 16

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Temple Square is beautiful as usual. There are devotionals and concerts all around to remind us of the season. Last Sunday night was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It's so wonderful to be able to just walk across the street to watch these special events. I went with Alyssa & Chad and my friend Jenna. We sat in the midst of fellow missionaries. It was a wonderful night with inspiring messages. I hope you'll all take the time to watch if you haven't already.

That's Elder Bellos peaking around in this picture. He didn't think he needed to be part of it, but he's one of my favorites and Jenna was so cute talking with him.

My days at the office have been quiet. I've finished a project of documenting the names and dates for all the full-time and young elder missionaries serving under our current mission president, who will be released in June. It's to be included in the mission history, which will be nice. Only one new missionary couple to process this week. We did get at new set of missionaries from the MTC. They've been in training all week, and I've put their pictures all on the mission intranet and their assignments sent to the zone leaders. It has been slow with all of the office missionaries, and I expect next week will be even slower. Sorry that there's not a whole lot of awesome news!

I did get my hair cut this week, and Marian came in right after me. That was fun, and Nolan took us to dinner afterward.

Last night Jenna and I went to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. The guest singer was Kelly O'Hara. I hadn't heard of her, but she had one of the most magnificent voices I've ever heard. Richard Thomas, of the Waltons fame for anyone old enough to remember that TV show, was the narrator and told the sweet story of the young boy who surprised his father on Christmas morning by milking the cows. I think President Monson told the story once, and I didn't realize that the author was Pearl S. Buck. It was a really fun night!

As I go through this next week leading up to Christmas, I'm going to try my best to keep my focus on the reason we celebrate - The Savior of the World, Jesus Christ (which Elder Kearan reminded us last week). He was the greatest gift of all, "the gift that never stops giving," that Sister Jones talked about. We truly can have the peace that President Oaks reminded us of as we remember why we celebrate.

I also celebrate you and your sweet examples to me.
Love you all so much!

Week 15

I decorated for Christmas last Sunday night. I got my tree in September at the missionary swap meet. I knew I'd need one! It even had lights that work. I picked up some ornaments at the dollar store and Target's dollar aisle and voila!! The cute pillow that Alyssa made me really added to the festive-ness. I'm also grateful for the sweet scripture advent tree that Caryn made. The ornaments are all your favorite scriptures, and I call it an advent because I'm reading one or two a day so that I enjoy it all season. Thank you for sharing them with me!

On Monday night I drove to Salem for the Christensen "adult" Christmas party 😉 at Rod & Catherine's. It was great to be together and enjoy the company of these loved ones. They truly have become my brothers and sisters over the years, and I'm so grateful for them.

On Tuesday we were invited to a special Christmas devotional for the Family History Department. Elder Stevenson and Elder Bednar spoke, as well as Elder Hamilton and Elder Duncan of the Seventy. Elder Bednar spoke about the miracles in the "acts of the modern Apostles." He told the story of his assignment to RootsTech London, which was given many months earlier. He met the ambassador from Nicaragua there, and he mentioned that he would be going to Nicaragua in a few weeks on assignment (again given many months earlier). She promised to set up a meeting with "some of her associates," which he was grateful for but frankly doubted would carry through. Well, she emailed him several times and the meeting was set up for him to meet with several very important government officials. He was able to explain that he was meeting there about building a temple in Managua, Nicaragua. He explained to them why we build temples and how a temple there would not only bless the members of our church, but all the people of Nicaragua. This meeting has helped to facilitate what could have been very difficult negotiations to build a temple there. This was a sweet testimony of how the Lord guides His work and makes miracles happen along the way.

Yesterday I went to Orem to spend time with Marian. She had just had some surgery, and it had been a while since I had seen her. I asked her if there was something that I could help her with, and she was thrilled. When I got there, Nolan was setting up their Christmas tree and had brought the boxes upstairs. I got to decorate her tree and set up her nativity set. It was really nice to spend the day with her, and it let Nolan work outside putting up their lights and finishing the raking of leaves before the next storm comes. They both really appreciated it, and I loved spending time with them! At the end of the day I met Alyssa for dinner at Zupa's. It turned out to be a really great day to #LightTheWoirld by "performing an act of service for a family member" even though I didn't plan it that way!

Today's #LightTheWorld is to share a scripture with a loved one. Since you all are my most loved ones, I'll share my favorite scripture. I have loved reading yours on my scripture tree from Caryn and thinking about why you may have chosen them. Mine is Ether 12:41, and it happens to be Madeline's too - a sweet coincidence! It reads, "And now I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." I don't remember exactly when this became my favorite scripture, but I do remember being struck by the beauty of the words of Moroni as he tells us to seek Jesus so that we may have the grace of God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost to "be and abide in you forever." At this Christ season, it's easy to seek Jesus. I hope we'll all keep on seeking Him so that His grace will always abide with us.

Week 14 - Thankful!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving week to remember all we're thankful for! I'm most grateful for my family. Their lives and testimonies are so precious to me. I'm so grateful for their examples of strong testimonies and strength through adversity. There isn't any one of their families who doesn't have something tough they're going through, and I'm so grateful for their examples and endurance.

It was so wonderful to share Thanksgiving with all of them. It was wonderful to talk to our missionaries!! I'm so proud of Abby, Adam, and Madeline! We missed being with Cam, Lori & Annabelle! Someday maybe we can all just teleport for these times we want to be together! 

We did something fun with the Giving Machines. You've probably heard about the Giving Machines that the Church has set up in connection with Light the World. It's like a vending machine only it's things sent to various charities all over the world. On the opening day, I went down to the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where I work, and I bought 18 different things in honor of my 18 precious grandchildren. Then each grandchild got to open a card telling them what they gave - it was totally random, which made it more fun! Annabelle's prize was three chickens. Abby gave seedlings for a greenhouse. Madeline gave lifesaving nutrition (I think that goes to Africa). Adam gave polio vaccinations for 100 kids. Here's what everyone else gave: Mac & cheese, laundry detergent, a child's eye exam with glasses, farm-to-fork meal for kids, cleaning supplies, a backpack with school supplies, five basketballs, art supplies, 100 meals, a STEM kit, a mobile vision clinic, soccer gear, groceries for a senior, and glasses for a child. We are so blessed with so much to be thankful for! This Christmas let's all try to find ways to give to others. Thanks for helping me to do it! #LightTheWorld!

Week 13

A fun thing happened to me last week that I forgot to mention, so I will now. 😊 I was walking through the parking garage and saw two very important people walking toward me: Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg! For those who may not know, they were and are directors of the Tabernacle Choir. It was so sweet to see them together, first of all, because Craig left the choir quite abruptly. Anyway, I just had to stop them, so I bravely approached them and re-introduced myself. They both remembered me, even though I had to take off my glasses before they actually recognized me. They were both so kind and interested in what I was doing. Brought back many sweet memories!

On Thursday, my FHE group went to the production "Savior of the World." It's a musical production on the life of Jesus Christ they do in the Conference Center every year for the last nearly 20 years. I can't believe this is the first time I've seen it, but I highly recommend it! It was beautifully done and so moving - a great start to the holiday season.

As you all know, mine is a mission of Church and Family History. This week we had a conference where the speaker was the new director of the Church's Family History Department, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy. He gave us some pretty amazing statistics and background of the department and slight glimpses of what is to come. He pointed out that the rapid growth in technology in the world began it's steepest rise with the year 1830 - the organization of the Church. Probably no surprise to us that the Lord provides many wonderful scientific and technological advances to further His purposes. Here's an interesting statistic that kind of blew my mind - every week there are 3,000 new signups on FamilySearch from members of the Church. In that same week, there are 53,000 signups from non-Latter-day Saints. The interest in knowing our families and their histories is not exclusive to us, but the Spirit of Elijah is spreading throughout the earth. He said that the purpose of the Family History Department is to discover, gather and connect all people - past, present and future. He kept stressing that ALL means ALL. All 10 billion on the earth today, and all 100+ billion people who will ever live on the earth. ALL means ALL. 

President Nelson said this to the youth of the Church last year, and I believe it extends to their parents: "You were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth." He also said, "Anytime you do anything that helps anyone - on either side of the veil - take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that." 

Thanks to Abby & Adam & Madeline for all you are doing to help gather Israel! Thanks to all of you for going to the temple and helping to gather our ancestors - for the baptisms for the dead, the endowments and sealings you are helping to do to connect our family. Thanks even to the young ones who cooperate and support your parents in going. It's such an important mission that we can all participate in! If you can't get to the temple, then open your computers and index a batch or attach a record hint. It's all important!! We can all help - ALL means ALL! 😘

Love you ALL! As Thanksgiving is this week, I'm ever more grateful for each of you and what you mean to me! Thanks for your love and support and for your prayers. I certainly feel them and want you to know that I'm praying for you too. 

Week 12

It has been a very nice week. Do I say that every week? Probably!

I'm going to start with a story that is really shared with Madeline. Caryn texted me on Monday - "Not sure if Madeline told you about her crazy week or not but thanks for being part of her answer to prayer!!" Well I was in an all-day meeting and couldn't ask her what she was talking about! I called her when I got home, and here's what she told me, with a bit more detail. It was such a sweet story that I wrote it up for our weekly mission newsletter for the "Tender Mercies" section. Here's what I wrote:

"Last month Elder and Sister Hall came to our mission for a short time while waiting for their visas to Portugal. I was excited to learn that they would soon be in the same mission as my granddaughter, Sister Madeline Ashton. When the Halls introduced themselves in Sunday School, I knew that I needed to speak to them. So right after class, I told them to be sure to watch out for my granddaughter when they got to Portugal, never dreaming that they would actually ever meet her. Sister Hall told me that she was assigned to be the mission’s nurse and that there might be a chance; so she pulled out her phone, typed in Sister Ashton’s name and promised to give her a hug from Nana if she ever met her. Fast-forward two weeks. Today I got a message from my granddaughter. She was transferred last week, and somewhere along the way she picked up a nasty bug. After she spent hours on the bathroom floor, in tears and much distress, her companions decided that they should probably call for help. So, in the middle of the night the call was routed to dear Sister Hall. She was able to calm my granddaughter’s fears and give her some helpful suggestions, and then she said, “Sister Ashton, I have a story to tell you.…” A few days later, Sister Hall was able to deliver that hug at their zone conference. The Lord certainly is in the details of our lives and puts angels along the way when we need them most." Here is a picture of Madeline and Sister Hall. 

I love knowing that Heavenly Father is watching out for each of us and blessing us with the things we need most. Maybe not immediately, but we need to learn patience. I loved that reminder as I was reading in Come Follow Me Daily, a blog that I follow going with the Sunday School reading for the week. It's a quote from Elder Holland's talk, An High Priest of Good Things to Come: "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." This blessing for Madeline came soon - right when she needed it; but I know that many of you have had to wait years for the blessings you've prayed for, and some may not have received them yet. We learn patience along the way - sometimes the hard way!

Caryn shared this talk with her family this week. You might want to read or watch the whole thing. It's from the October 1999 general conference. At the end of the talk was one of my favorite quotes from Elder Holland. When Papa had the surgery on his neck and was in the hospital for so long, our stake president, Andy Horton, visited and brought him this quote. We kept it up on the wall for weeks as a reminder because it was so perfect for his situation: "Don't give up, boy. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead - a lot of it.... You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

Nothing comes without a lot of hard work and even more faith. Thanks to all of you for your example of that in my life. Congrats to Jonathan (and thanks for your example of hard work and faith!) for your first college touchdown yesterday! I've attached the great picture of it because many of you might not have seen it!

 

Here's hoping for another great week ahead! I pray for you all that you'll receive the blessings you're praying for. 

Week 11

My week was blessed with lots of family visiting! On Thursday night I braved I-15 and drove for an hour and a half to get to American Fork. Should have taken me half that, but it was worth the drive. I had dinner with Ann, Larry, Catherine, Rod, Lynda, Greg, Steve & Michelle at the Olive Garden in AF. It was great to visit and catch up. Everyone seems to be doing well. Ann & Larry are waiting for a mission call. Rod and Catherine are trying to decide about one - not yet for them. I think they would love it but they have to be ready. Saturday was fun too. I went to Jonathan's football game with Coray & Mindy. It was a nail-biter! They won in the last 30 seconds.

Caryn, Jon & Tyler came down for Hanna's dance recital and stopped at the game. It was a beautiful day for football - nearly 60 degrees. We left at halftime to go to Provo for the recital and listened to the rest of the game on the radio. We met Alyssa, Chad, Hanna & Mason at Brick Oven for dinner. That was so fun to be there again and eat my favorite mini feast. 

Then we went to Hanna's recital. She's in the Dance Ensemble. She danced beautifully, and of course the dances she was in were my favorite! 

We spent the night at Coray's and I left in the morning for my regular Sunday assignments. 

I'd like you to know about the Temple View Branch. I was asked to go there to play the organ for their sacrament meeting. It's a tiny branch in South Salt Lake and is served by the Inner City Mission, but my mission president likes to have service opportunities for our young elders. Two of them go there every week to help with the sacrament. One of the senior couples takes them, and I go to play the organ. The branch meetings are held in a little room that's part of their apartment building - low-income apartments for seniors. 

The room is about the size of a regular Relief Society room and is furnished very much like one, except there is an organ and a sacrament table. They are SO appreciative of my being there to play the organ. In prayers and testimonies I get thanked regularly, and the people are really sweet. Lots of walkers and wheelchairs, but it's not an assisted living. Just a place for poorer old folks. Last week was testimony meeting, and at the end of the meeting a man who had come in late and sat at the back walked up to bear his testimony - the last for the meeting. He had long hair and a scruffy beard, was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt with some sort of beer ad on the back, and two different shoes. He introduced himself - David I think - and said that he had been a member of the church, and thought he still was, that he had taken three of the five temple prep classes, and that he wanted to come back. After the meeting was over, I looked back to see if some of the branch members or Inner City missionaries had gone back to speak to him - I really hoped they had. I thought about him all week, that he would be the lost sheep that the Savior would ask us to find. I didn't see him at the meeting today until I was playing the postlude. There he was gathering up the hymn books. This time his shirt was plain on the back (inside out maybe?) and his shoes matched. 

I imagine that Adam, Abby, and Madeline are having regular experiences with lost sheep, but it's new for me. I love my mission. Most of what I do could be done by any church employee, but I feel like I'm serving and saving a few precious tithing dollars so they can be spent on better things. 

Week 10

I'm sure you've missed my regular laugh-at-myself moments. Well, here's a doozy! We have a little keyboard in the conference room where we hold our morning zone devotional. I play for the hymn singing. Well, it's small and doesn't play very loud without pounding, so I was trying to figure out how to increase the volume. I couldn't, so I put it back to the original setting for piano - or so I thought. Anyway, thankfully the person who gave the thought for the day talked about his birthday and the cards his grandkids made for him. It was pretty light and not as serious or emotional as some of them can be. Thankfully! because as I started to play the hymn, all the rhythms and beats and harmonies that I thought I had turned off started playing with "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." I gasped, turned it off and back on as everyone was giggling with me. We sang the song, but days later I'm still getting teased for the look on my face and the lively morning hymn. 🙄

Thursday I rode the elevator in the parking garage with Elder Rasband, but wait - it gets better!

I received a sweet blessing this week and confirmation to me that Heavenly Father is very aware of me and my "righteous desires." A few weeks ago, I told you that I had passed Elder Gong and really wanted to talk to him; but because of instructions we had received I decided that it wasn't a good idea to approach him just then. I hoped that there would be another chance for me to tell him thank you for the sweet message that he left on my phone when Papa died. He was a Seventy at the time and called me from Washington DC. I'm so grateful that I wasn't home at the time because I was able to copy and save the message. So on Friday I parked where I usually park, which is on a lower level of the Church Office Building parking near the entrance to the temple. When the door opened and Elder Gong was standing there, my heart dropped! I got on, we said hello, but then I took my chance. I introduced myself and told him that I was Doug's wife, and I told him how grateful we were as a family for his kind message when Doug passed away. He again said how grateful he was for Doug's service and all he did, and he thanked me for my service as well. We then got off the elevator and walked from the temple entrance to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building entrance, which was probably a hundred yards or so. He asked me about my mission and what I do, about the missionaries and how many were serving (I was glad that I had just looked that up!). And then it was over and we said goodbye. At that moment I thought to myself "Heavenly Father loves me." It's moments like these that we need to realize how aware Heavenly Father is of us and what is important to us. A few minutes later, Sister Gordon was giving the zone devotional and talking about the attributes of the Apostle Paul. Then I made the connection - I had just ridden the elevator and spoken with an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the same keys and carries the mantle that Paul did. It was a sweet experience that I'll always be grateful for.

Week 9

I just took Caryn & Camille to the airport after a very fun weekend visit. On Friday I picked them up in the morning, and we went to see where I work at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They got to meet some of the missionaries I work with, and then we went to lunch at the Church Office Building cafeteria. Then we did an endowment session at the Salt Lake Temple. 

On Saturday morning we went to the funeral for Papa's aunt Geneal Cahoon. She was married to Grandma Christensen's brother Glen. It was wonderful to see the family there that we otherwise wouldn't have seen, and it was really nice to remember the sweet lady that Geneal was. 

The afternoon was spent doing a little shopping and having lunch at the City Creek Mall. Then we drove down to Coray's to watch Jonathan play football. It's always fun to see him on TV! They won of course! It was also really amazing to get the updates from Jon, Hanna & Mason about Tyler's soccer game! Woohoo Tyler! - Eagle High State Soccer Champs!!! 

We had a mission conference this week where Elder LeGrand Curtis Jr. was the speaker. He is the Church historian and recorder and is over the Church History Library. He talked about how to get a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. He said that a sure way is to read it a chapter at a time, and at the end of each chapter ask yourself these questions: "Is this the work of a man - could any man have written this book?" and "Is this the work of God?" Those of us who have a testimony of the Book of Mormon already know the answer to these questions, and I believe - and he was saying this - that those who are struggling to get a testimony will know the answer if they put it to this test. He then asked for missionaries to tell him their favorite chapter of the Book. My favorites were mentioned - Alma 5, Ether 12, Moroni 10. He said that the great message of the Book of Mormon is this - "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." If you know of anyone struggling with their testimony, you might suggest they prayerfully try this test.

I will try this test for myself, even though I know that I have a firm testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I know that it was translated by the gift and power of God by the prophet Joseph Smith. It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will lead us to the path to eternal life. 

Ether 12:41

And now I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.

Week 8

Chalk up another week flying by! The mission work is coming along great, and I'm working independently now. It's a good thing because the sister I'm replacing is going home this week. I love what I'm doing and the people in the office. I'm so grateful to be here.

I love being able to go to football games and to visit Coray, Mindy & family. Tuesday was Will's last season game so I decided to take off a little early so that I could see him play. I got to see him score a touchdown and make a couple of first downs, so that was really fun. The weather was beautiful - hot in fact! 

Not true for Weber State's game last night! It rained almost the entire game. Thankfully it was at 2:00, so the cold didn't really start until we were soaked through. Even though I wore a poncho, I still sat in a puddle and was soaked clear through. I could wring out my gloves, and my blanket is still hanging and wet in one corner. But both games were won by a comfortable margin, and it's always fun to celebrate. I wish I could be to all the games and performances! I'm excited for Tyler getting to play in the state soccer tournament! Wish I could have seen Jonah and Julia's play and Matthew's band field show! Maybe next year!

I combined my half day for the temple with a lunch with some high school friends. Most of them I barely remembered, but it was fun to catch up with the ones I was close with. I've seen their posts on Facebook in the past, so I was grateful to be here and go this time. 

I went to the Jordan River Temple again. I must admit to struggling to focus during the session, and I was about to walk straight through the Celestial Room to go home when something said "not so fast - stay and enjoy the Spirit." So I did. I sat down and reflected on the beautiful blessings of the temple and how grateful I am for my eternal family. It was a great lesson to me. There was a bad accident on the freeway going home and traffic was a nightmare. It took me almost an hour to drive what would normally have been about twenty minutes. It wasn't until a few days later that I thought about where that accident was and the possibility that I might have been much closer to it - or even involved in it - had I left the temple without staying those extra few minutes. I'll never know of course.

Here's a question for you. My cousin - never an active member of the Church - posted this on Facebook "If money is the root of all evil, why do they ask for it at church?" She meant it as a joke of course, but it made me think about the blessings of paying tithing. I know why I do - because it's a commandment with a blessing (Malachi 3:10); because I see the results of the wonderful things the Church does with our precious tithing dollars; because, as Elder Bednar said, we get "significant but subtle blessings." But what do you say to someone who doesn't have a testimony of all the blessings we receive from paying tithing? What would you tell my cousin?

Week 7

It has been a lovely week - cold but very fall-like. The leaves are turning beautiful colors, as I imagine they are where you are too. Except maybe Adam and Madeline! 😘 I love the after-Conference glow, where people are still talking about their favorite talks and we can still feel the Spirit. I'm glad that the text of the talks is now available online because I'm wanting to review the ones I loved so much. At the end of this post I'm going to include a little document that I made for myself. On LDS Living they had One Promise or Invitation from Every Talk. If you're interested, it's there.

On Tuesday we had a mission conference with Elder Randy D. Funk, a General Authority Seventy, visiting the mission. He is in the area presidency and is touring our mission. Here's a fun and amazing fact he shared with us: Picture the Conference Center - all 21,000+ seats. That's how many baptisms there are in the church EVERY MONTH! Does that just blow your mind like it did mine? That's a whole lot of missionary work going on, and we're blessed to be a part of it in our family. 

On Thursday I got to have lunch with Sister Reyna Aburto in the Relief Society building. I served as her counselor in our stake Relief Society in Orem, and we have exchanged emails lately. She invited me to have lunch with her. It was really sweet to reconnect and catch up personally, but also wonderful to hear a little about her travels all around the world. She is also serving on the committee for the new Book of Mormon videos, so that was fun to learn some of the background of those. She walked me around the floor where the General Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women presidency have their offices. I also got to meet Sister Eubank (RS) and Sister Craven (Young Women). 

On Friday I had lunch with my cousin Kathi (Garff). It was wonderful to catch up and learn about a cool connection to my mission. Because Bob was a mission president, temple president and area seventy, they are being interviewed by missionaries from the Church History Library; and all their journals and letters are scanned in to be a recorded history of their work. Of course this is being done with lots of other prominent members of the Church. We are record keepers! That's all part of the Headquarters Mission. If I didn't have a great assignment in the office, I'd really love to be at the Church History Library. 

Also on Friday I took a tour at the Conference Center with my friend Jenna (she's a service missionary and leads tours on Fridays). I was amazed at the beautiful artwork there! I've seen inside and been on the roof and behind the scenes, but I had never taken the time to see the art. There are some beautiful and priceless paintings and sculptures there, including portraits of all the prophets and apostles, and the original Arnold Frieberg paintings of the Book of Mormon. Well worth the time the next time you're in Salt Lake!

I was asked to be the organist at a small branch here. It's really part of the Inner City Mission, but our mission president wants to have opportunities for the young elders to do service. They go and help with the sacrament.  Our mission secretary asked me to play the organ because the past organist is being released. One more great place to be a missionary! It's a very small branch of residents of an apartment building for senior citizens. I really enjoyed it today, and I'm glad to have a chance to play the organ again. 

I'm sure you've missed the "laugh at myself" moments, so here's another one. You know how at the end of emails you can create a signature that just shows up at the bottom of your email? Well, I created one for my office emails and have been using it for at least four weeks. Here's the joke on me - I pride myself in being a "chronic proofreader" and most people know that I'm pretty good at it. Well, my signature has my name and title, the name of the mission and the name of the Church. I was horrified as I was reading through it to see that I had typed "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Satins." For the past four weeks that's what people saw, and hopefully ignored. I was so grateful that it didn't say Latter-day Satans." Anyway, I fixed it! That's what I get for being prideful! 

❤❤❤ I send my love and prayers to all! ❤❤❤

Here are the the Promises and Invitations from Conference:

One Powerful Promise or Invitation from Every Talk in the October 2019 General Conference by LDS Living Staff | Oct. 09, 2019

Saturday Morning Session

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland | "The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude"

"I promise with apostolic fervor and prophetic conviction that He will hear you and will say, soon or late, 'Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.'"

Elder Terence M. Vinson | "True Disciples of the Savior"

"I plead with all who hear and read these words: Please, please don’t put your total commitment off until you get around to it at some nonexistent, future time. Get fair dinkum now and feel the joy!"

Brother Stephen W. Owen | "Be Faithful, Not Faithless"

"Whether you are a leader, a neighbor, a quorum member, or simply a fellow Saint, if you have the opportunity to touch the life of a young person, help him or her connect with heaven."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson | "The Joy of the Saints"

"With President Russell M. Nelson, I testify that joy is a gift for faithful Saints 'who have endured the crosses of the world' and who are 'intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ.'"

Sister Michelle D. Craig | "Spiritual Capacity"

"As you follow this eternal pattern ordained for our day, you will draw nearer to Jesus Christ—His love, His light, His direction, His peace, and His healing and enabling power. And you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of His hands in accomplishing His great work."

Elder Dale G. Renlund |"Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ"

"You will become more like the Savior as you always remember Him, follow Him, and adore Him. I testify that He is the firm foundation. He is dependable, and His promises are sure. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

President Dallin H. Oaks | "Trust in the Lord"

"We can all wonder privately about circumstances in the spirit world or even discuss these or other unanswered questions in family or other intimate settings. But let us not teach or use as official doctrine what does not meet the standards of official doctrine."

Saturday Afternoon Session

Elder David A. Bednar | "Watchful unto Prayer Continually"

"I promise that the blessings of effective preparation and spiritual protection will flow into your life as you are watchful unto prayer vigilantly and continually."

Elder Rubén V. Alliaud | "Found Through the Power of the Book of Mormon"

"My invitation this afternoon to each of us, regardless of how long we’ve been a member of the Church, is to allow the power of the truths of the Book of Mormon to find us and embrace us once again and day after day as we diligently seek for personal revelation. It will do so if we allow it."

President Russell M. Nelson | "Witnesses, Aaronic Priesthood Quorums, and Young Women Classes"

"You will remember that I have invited the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enlist in the Lord’s youth battalion to participate in the greatest cause on earth today—the gathering of Israel. I issued this invitation to our youth because they are unusually gifted in reaching out to others and sharing what they believe in a convincing fashion."

Elder Quentin L. Cook | "Adjustments to Strengthen Children and Youth"

"Dear brothers and sisters, I promise and testify that these comprehensive adjustments, under the direction of an inspired president and prophet, Russell M. Nelson, will empower and strengthen every member of the Church. Our youth will develop greater faith in the Savior, be protected from the temptations of the adversary, and stand prepared to meet life’s challenges."

Brother Mark L. Pace | "Come, Follow Me—the Lord’s Counterstrategy and Proactive Plan"

"Studying the scriptures with Come, Follow Me as a guide is strengthening our conversion to Jesus Christ and His gospel. We are not simply trading one hour less in church on Sunday for one hour more of scripture study at home. Learning the gospel is a consistent effort throughout the week. As one sister insightfully shared, 'The goal is not to make church one hour shorter; it is to make church six days longer!'"

Elder L. Todd Budge | "Consistent and Resilient Trust"

"I testify that as we commend ourselves unto the Lord and consistently and resiliently trust in Jesus Christ and His divine purposes in our lives, He will visit us with assurances, speak peace to our souls, and cause us to 'hope for our deliverance in him.'"

Elder Jorge M. Alvarado | "After the Trial of Our Faith"

"No matter the obstacles we face in life, we can trust that Jesus Christ will prepare a way forward as we walk with faith. God has promised that all who live according to the covenants they have made with Him will, in His time, receive all His promised blessings."

Elder Ronald A. Rasband | "Standing by Our Promises and Covenants"

"As an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I conclude with an invitation and promise. First, the invitation: I invite you to consider the promises and covenants you make with the Lord, and with others, with great integrity, knowing that your word is your bond. Second, I promise you, as you do this, the Lord will establish your words and sanction your deeds as you strive with unwearied diligence to build up your lives, your families, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Women’s Session

Sister Reyna I. Aburto | "Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!"

"Let us follow the Savior’s path and increase our compassion, diminish our tendency to judge, and stop being the inspectors of the spirituality of others. Listening with love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer, and we may be able to help carry or lift the heavy clouds that suffocate our loved ones and friends so that, through our love, they can once again feel the Holy Ghost and perceive the light that emanates from Jesus Christ."

Sister Lisa L. Harkness | "Honoring His Name"

"When we remember Him and His name we bear, we have no place for self-degrading comparisons or overbearing judgments. With our eyes on the Savior, we see ourselves for who we really are—a cherished child of God."

Sister Bonnie H. Cordon |"Beloved Daughters"

"You are literally the spirit daughters of Heavenly Parents, and nothing can separate you from Their love and the love of your Savior. As you draw closer to Him, even taking the smallest baby steps forward, you will discover the lasting peace that settles into your soul as a faithful disciple of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

New theme:

I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny. 

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in His holy name.

I will stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.

As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. With faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.

President Henry B. Eyring | "Covenant Women in Partnership with God"

"Becoming a covenant woman in partnership with God is how great and good daughters of God have always mothered, led, and ministered, serving in whatever way and place He has prepared for them. I promise that you will find joy in your journey to your heavenly home as you return to Him as a covenant-keeping daughter of God."

President Dallin H. Oaks | "Two Great Commandments"

"For reasons we do not understand, we have different challenges in our mortal experiences. But we do know that God will help each of us overcome these challenges if we sincerely seek His help."

President Russell M. Nelson | "Spiritual Treasures"

"I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed."

Sunday Morning Session

Elder Gerrit W. Gong | "Covenant Belonging"

"Along life’s path, we may lose faith in God, but He never loses faith in us. As it were, His porch light is always on. He invites us to come or return to the covenants that mark His path. He waits ready to embrace us, even when we are 'yet a great way off.' When we look with an eye of faith for the patterns, arc, or connected dots of our experience, we can see His tender mercies and encouragement, especially in our trials, sorrows, and challenges, as well as in our joys. However often we stumble or fall, if we keep moving toward Him, He will help us, a step at a time."

Sister Cristina B. Franco | "Finding Joy in Sharing the Gospel"

"Can we invite a friend who is not of our faith to come to church with us on Sunday? Or can we perhaps share a copy of the Book of Mormon with a relative or a friend? Can we help others find their ancestors on FamilySearch or share with others what we have learned during the week as we have been studying Come, Follow Me? Can we be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and share with others what brings us joy to our lives? The answer to all of these questions is yes! We can do it!"

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf | "Your Great Adventure"

"Strive each day to find Him. Learn to love Him. And then let that love inspire you to learn, understand, and follow His teachings and learn to keep God’s commandments."

Elder Walter F. González | "The Savior’s Touch"

"We too can feel the touch of the Savior’s loving, healing hand. What joy, hope, and gratefulness comes to our souls in knowing that He wants to help us be clean! As we come unto Him, God will come to our rescue, whether to heal us or to give us the strength to face any situation."

Elder Gary E. Stevenson | "Deceive Me Not"

"There is much we can learn from Moses’s mighty response to temptation from the adversary. I invite you to respond the same way when you feel influenced by temptation. Command the enemy of your soul by saying: 'Go away! You have no glory. Do not tempt or lie to me! For I know I am a child of God. And I will always call upon my God for His help.'"

President Russell M. Nelson | "The Second Great Commandment"

"Giving help to others—making a conscientious effort to care about others as much or more than we care about ourselves—is our joy. Especially, I might add, when it is not convenient and when it takes us out of our comfort zone. Living that second great commandment is the key to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ."

Sunday Afternoon Session

President Henry B. Eyring | "Holiness and the Plan of Happiness"

"Whatever our personal circumstance, wherever we may be on the covenant path home, may our prayers for greater holiness be answered. I know that as our petition is granted, our happiness will increase. It may come slowly, but it will come. I have that assurance from a loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ."

Elder Hans T. Boom | "Knowing, Loving and Growing"

"Wherever you are on the path of life, some of you might feel so overburdened that you do not even consider yourself on that path. I want to invite you to step out of the darkness into the light. The gospel light will provide warmth and healing and will help you understand who you really are and what your purpose in life is."

Elder M. Russell Ballard | "Giving Our Spirit Control Over Our Body"

"Brothers and sisters, please do not miss an opportunity to look into the eyes of your family members with love. Children and parents, reach out to each other and express your love and appreciation."

Elder Peter M. Johnson | "Power to Overcome the Adversary"

"My friends, I promise that as we strive to love God with all our heart, pray in the name of Jesus Christ, study the Book of Mormon, and prayerfully partake of the sacrament, we will have the ability, with the strength of the Lord, to overcome the deceptive practices of the adversary, to minimize distractions that limit our divine potential, and to resist the discouragement that diminishes our capacity to feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son. We will come to fully understand who we are as sons and daughters of God."

Elder Ulisses Soares | "Take Up Our Cross"

"May we choose to seek His help and take an important and difficult step by forgiving those who have hurt us so that our wounds may begin to heal. I promise you that in your doing so, your nights will be full of the relief that comes from a mind at peace with the Lord."

Elder Neil L. Andersen | "Fruit"

"If you desire to return to the tree and taste the fruit once again, begin by praying to your Heavenly Father. Believe in Jesus Christ and the power of His atoning sacrifice. I promise you that as you look to the Savior 'in every thought,' the fruit of the tree will be yours once again, delicious to your taste, joyous to your soul, 'the greatest of all the gifts of God.'"

President Russell M. Nelson | "Concluding Remarks"

"You may wish to begin your preparation [for next conference] by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price. Our course of study for next year in Come, Follow Me is the Book of Mormon. You may wish to ponder important questions such as, 'How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?' or 'How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?' Also, with the Book of Mormon videos now becoming available, you may wish to incorporate them in your individual and family study."