Week 52 - The LAST!

One of the blessings of the pandemic is the various ways that missionaries can serve. In my mission the full-time missionaries were given four options  - they could choose to be released early, they could work from their apartments until the offices and libraries are safe to open, they could go home to serve there with the expectation they could be called back when it's safe, or they could go home to finish from there. I guess technically I'm doing this last option. I came home five days early in order to see and hear Madeline report her mission. I'm so glad I did! She did a beautiful job!

My release date is Thursday, August 27, so this will be my last official letter as a missionary.

I had a very sweet exit interview with President Randall. In the short time I've worked with him, I have come to love and respect he and Sister Randall. He spent a half hour with me and was so kind in telling me how valuable my contribution has been to the mission. I told him about the process I went through in deciding to serve a mission, and he shared a sweet experience he had with then-Elder Eyring when he visited their mission in Japan. He told them of how a missionary is called, and he used Article of Faith 5: 

"We believe a man must be called of God..." That's when you know you are to serve a mission - before you get the actual call letter from the prophet. When I knew in the temple that I was to serve a mission, that was when I was called of God. 

"By prophecy..." That's when an apostle reviews the recommendation and compares it with the needs and receives that confirmation of where a missionary should serve. There are some wonderful conference talks about this sweet process - Elder Rasband gave one in April 2010. Because of the experiences I've had and the assignments I was given, I know that I was supposed to serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission at this specific time.

"And by the laying on of hands..." My stake president set me apart and gave me a beautiful blessing, and I believe that I have experienced all the blessings that he gave me that night.

Then President Randall read to me out of the D&C - first in section 31 verse 5: "Therefore thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire...." Then from section 84 verse 80: "And any man [or woman] that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail not to continue faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed. And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst." I have definitely felt all these blessings. During a global pandemic, I haven't had so much as a cold. My "limbs and joints" though weak and painful at times, never caused me to not be able to serve.

This end of my mission is definitely a bittersweet time. I am glad to be home, but I will truly miss my friends and miss the work I've been able to do. I know that I have helped many people and been appreciated for what I have done. I'm grateful that I can continue to serve as a service missionary - still assigned to the Family History Department and working with people I know, doing things I know how to do, and I'm happy that I can do it from home. I know that the blessings for my family will continue. Thank you all for your love and support. I never could have done it without the knowledge and reality of your faith and prayers for me.

 

Week 51

 Well I'm beginning my week of "lasts" - I can hardly believe it! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. I spent exactly half of my mission in the "normal" phase, and half during a worldwide pandemic. I'm so very grateful that I got to experience so many wonderful things while the mission was fully functioning:

• Attending the Salt Lake Temple almost every week while it was still open and functioning
• Attending church in the beautiful chapel of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building
• Working every day in the mission office of the same beautiful building
• Singing in the choir with Vanja Watkins
• Riding the elevator with Elder Gong and Elder Rasband
• Accidentally running in to Elder Bednar and Elder Uchtdorf, President & Sister Oaks, Elder Johnson ("every day, every day, every day"), Elder Soares
• Distant glimpses of others

It's amazing to me how this mission (along with so many others) has stayed functioning despite the difficulties of the world being shut down. The miracle of technology has kept missionaries here serving in many capacities and working on projects that would never have been attempted or worked on under "normal" circumstances. The Lord has truly provided a way for His work to continue on BOTH sides of the veil. 

Last night we had a special mission conference with Elder D. Todd Christopherson, his wife, Elder & Sister Texeira and Elder Schmutz of the presidency of the Seventy. Part of the meeting included a question & answer period with Elder Christopherson. One of the questions was from a missionary saying that she quit her job to serve a mission here and now she's spending all her time in her apartment. She feels like her time might not be useful and it sounded like maybe she regretted the timing. His answer was really sweet for all of us. He told us that the Lord will "count" our service as though we had done it in the libraries or offices, as completely as if there had been no interruption. He referenced King Benjamin's address when he talked of the poor who would give if they could, and that they would be blessed as though they had given. I'm sure this is true for all missionaries, as well as all of the members who are enduring through this time. The work is continuing as well or maybe better in some cases. 

I'm grateful to have seen it from both sides.

Our new mission president, Steven Randall, is a wonderful and kind man. We love Sister Randall as well. They are so very different in their approach to the missionaries. I'm grateful to have had even this short time with them. I was asked to give a prayer in the mission conference on Wednesday, and President Randall acknowledged my service and pending release twice during the meeting. I was surprised and grateful for his comments. 

Tomorrow I have to give the zone devotional talk. Our new mission theme is "Hear Him." President & Sister Randall have done many things to bring this theme to our hearts and minds. I'm going to talk about how I hear Him. Months ago right after General Conference we were asked to consider how we hear the Savior. My answer today is the same as it was then: through the Prophet, the Apostles, and other general authorities. The scripture came to my mind clearly that “...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” I am grateful for a living prophet who receives revelation and directs His Church. I know that President Nelson and those who have been called to serve with him are being inspired to give us the direction that the Savior would give if He were here. It becomes my responsibility to listen with an open heart and with the gift of the Holy Ghost telling me it is true. I'm so grateful for their inspired leadership. It’s my testimony that if we read and listen to the words of our prophet and his chosen servants, we can’t fail if we follow their teachings. We can find comfort and strength to our testimonies even in these troubled and unsure times. I know they are called of God and I’m grateful for this way we can all choose to hear Him.

My prayers are with you all!

PS - The Temples hosted a very fun dinner on Friday night. They flew in lobster from Maine so I could experience fresh lobster with them - hence the bibs. 😍 They are wonderful friends.

Week 50

 In my early morning musings today, I realized how much I miss church. Here I am surrounded by THE CHURCH. I'm in the shadows of the iconic temple and tabernacle and conference center, and yet I really miss church. I can study the gospel, I can read my scriptures and the writings of apostles and prophets, and Come Follow Me lessons. I can watch videos and listen to music. All of these things are important and good, but I realized that what I'm missing is the spirit of gathering together to worship. I miss feeling the spirit of others' testimonies. It has been five months since I have been to church and I miss it. I miss going to the temple too and the peaceful spirit there. I'm having to work harder on my own, and I guess I'm realizing how much I have relied on others for my spiritual strength. I'll be so grateful when it's safe to go back to church and the temple and feel the power of worshipping together!

We've been banished from the office again. There's another missionary couple who have COVID and so they're asking us to work from home as much as possible. My apartment seems to be shrinking, but I'm glad that there are things I can still do to keep busy.

By the way, I have decided to continue serving when I get home as a service missionary. I'll still be connected to the Family History Department and will be working with a woman I've known here. She is over all the senior family history missionaries in the world - nearly 6000 of them. I'll be helping her with one of the databases keeping it up to date and accurate, and then also responding to requests for information about family history missions. I'm excited to stay involved and continue serving in this way. 

And now for some fluff. 😍 Sister Burnham is the new mission secretary, and yesterday she hosted a "high tea" for me and another sister who will be leaving this month. It was just for the sisters who work in the office, and we're together a lot anyway. She even had hats for all of us to wear. The food was delicious, and it was really fun to escape for the afternoon.

Week 49

Have you ever felt that your prayers have been answered? I bet you all have! I really felt that this week - especially that prayers were being offered in my behalf. I know that I was praying, not only for myself but for all of you.

I had this dumb thing going on with my foot. I was so proud of myself for being able to walk to work every day and to go out with my friend walking in the evenings. Even though I could feel some pain, I plowed through. Until I couldn't. A serious injury was suspected, but after an MRI on Monday and a doctor visit on Tuesday, they determined that it wasn't the serious injury, but only over-use, wear-and-tear on an already weakened, old foot. What a relief! It could have been so much worse. Now with a few exercises and icing, and limiting my walking for a while, I can recover. Whew!

Then on top of that I had this low-grade fever all week. Of course I suspected the worst, even though I didn't have any other symptoms. I quoting Aunt Geralee to myself - Don't Borrow Trouble! Then after a few days I started getting a mild toothache. Another Whew! Low-grade fever could also mean some kind of infection. So I called my dentist and got right in. He replaced some old fillings that probably had decay under them that could cause an infection and pain. 

Alyssa also wasn't feeling so great, so she and Chad went for a COVID-19 test. We were all worried and praying for them. Thankfully, their tests were negative. Another Whew!

Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. We have all felt that this week. I know I have. I've felt it in the sweet assurance and comforting influence of the Holy Ghost. It's not always this apparent and sometimes the answer is no - or not yet. We then learn to exercise our faith and continue to pray for understanding and clearer answers. And keep praying.

Week 48 - Pioneer Day

As you probably know, Friday was Pioneer Day - a unique holiday in that only those in Utah celebrate it, but we all should! I always celebrate the lives of my pioneer ancestors. All eight of my great-grandparents, and a few of the great-greats were pioneers to Utah. Since we didn't have a parade here in Salt Lake, I decided to remember my pioneer ancestors by visiting the graves of those who were buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. I'm on a family history mission, so you're going to get family history today!

I believe you all know the story of William and Melissa Coray. They traveled together the entire distance with the Mormon Battalion as newlyweds. Melissa was one of only four women who made it whole distance. She had a baby boy in Monterey where they stopped on their way north to the gold fields. He was the first non-Spanish or native child born there. Sadly he died after a few short weeks. They stopped at the gold fields to make enough money to travel back to Salt Lake. They with about 40 other men blazed the route back through the Sierra Nevadas which became a major route for the Gold Rush. Sadly William died just a few short months later just days after Brigham Young came to their home to seal them for time and all eternity.

Their daughter Melissa was born just a month before William died. She married Douglas Archibald Swan. He joined the church with his family in Scotland and came to America at the age of 14 with his mother and five siblings. He learned the trade of making shoes from his father and grandfather in Scotland and became a carpenter when he arrived in Salt Lake. He worked on the Salt Lake Tabernacle when he completed his apprenticeship to the carpenter trade. For the first six months he did nothing but rip 2x4s lengthwise with a hand saw. He worked for the railroad after it came to Utah and learned telegraphy. He was called to be a missionary to Australia and left Melissa with a young child. He and his cousin/companion opened Tasmania to the mission. Douglas later became a banker and was appointed special bank examiner and had charge over three national banks in Provo.

George Swan and his wife Agnes MacDonald joined the church in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1863 he sent his wife and children to Utah and started on a mission in Scotland. Agnes often sang on the ship and did laundry to earn money for her family. She crossed the plains alone with her children and established their home in Utah while waiting for George to complete his mission. George opened a shoe shop but it wasn't very prosperous. He worked for the railroad and was the secretary until it was purchased by Union Pacific. He had a good education, was an excellent accountant and had excellent penmanship. He was very strict in all he did, but was also jovial and kind. At the time of his death he was the Salt Lake City Auditor. His son, Douglas Archibald, succeeded him in that position.

I also visited the graves of my grandparents, Charles Burton and Agnes Grant Swan. They weren't pioneers, but early residents of Salt Lake City. Grandpa ran the substation for Utah Power and Light in Weber and Big Cottonwood Canyons. Grandma loved nice clothes and always wore a hat. My favorite thing about them is that my grandmother was three years older than my grandfather, but she never told him. At some point many years after they were married he found out the truth, but out of love and respect for her he never told her. You maybe can't tell, but on her headstone when she died he put the same birth year as his. That's true love! 

I also visited Reynolds & Thirza Stiles Cahoon as well - Doug's third great-grandparents. Thirza was Reynolds' first wife. There is a lot written about them, as Reynolds was very prominent in the history of the Church.

I'm so very grateful for these pioneer ancestors who embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ and sacrificed so much and stayed true to their testimonies so that I may be a member of the Church. I'm grateful for their example of "Faith in Every Footstep - Who gave all their heart, mind, and strength to the Lord with wisdom and vision so clear; [who stood] as examples of virtue and faith, of souls prepared to hear, of knowledge sure, born of humble heart, and love that banished fear." 

Thanks for the pioneering that you're doing and for your examples of faith in every footstep as well.

Other pioneer ancestors: LOOK THEM UP AND READ THEIR STORIES!

Jabez and Hanna Danielson Faux

Thomas and Ann Taylor Faux

John Lawrence and Helen Larson Eliason

Thomas Torrance and Margaret Adamson Grant

Daniel Stiles and Martha Ellen Spencer Cahoon

John Henry and Hannah Rusk Kinder

Andrew and Mary Ann Fleet Morrison

William Dorris and Mary Jane Andrus Hendricks

James and Druscilla Dorris Hendricks

William Preston and Adeline Wilson Stewart

Peter and Emma Vier Loutensock

Nathaniel Stewart

Thomas Green and Sarah Copley Wilson

Milo and Abigail Jane Daley Andrus 😍 You love this one, Christensens!

Week 47 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday such a happy one! I loved the sweet messages and calls and most of all the very fun Zoom Party! I never dreamed that an isolated, long-distance birthday could be so fun!

My friends in the mission really made it a special day too. I was greeted with several sisters at the front desk singing happy birthday to me. 🎵 Sister Randall, the mission president's wife, brought in a delicious cake,🍰 and Sister Burnham, the secretary, brought in cookies. My friend Susan Temple brought in gifts and flowers, and two sweet receptionists, Sister Clark and Sister Stephens even brought me flowers. Susan bought lunch from Costa Vida for all the ladies in the office, and we ate together in the break room. 

Madeline even called me from Portugal. Abby called me last week, but I wasn't smart enough to get a picture! Annabelle FaceTime'd me (with the help of her daddy), and blew kisses. 

I absolutely loved the Zoom party! Thanks to all of you who humored me by participating. It truly is amazing how close we can feel by just seeing faces and hearing voices. Camille sent me decorations, we all had our own refreshments, and there was even singing involved. I loved the games, even if I didn't win the one all about me! I'm just too slow I guess. 

I spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday with Marian and Nolan. I taught them how to "Doordash" and we had a great dinner together. They are so very dear to me, and I'm grateful for their example of love and endurance!

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! I can't tell you how much I love you! I looked for a quote that might be appropriate, and here's one I found: "Today I am grateful for family who are friends and friends who become family." That is so true for me. I'm so grateful for your love and friendship, your patience with me for my mistakes and imperfections (so many!). I'm grateful for your examples of love and kindness for each other and within your own little families. I'm so blessed by your goodness, your testimonies and faithfulness. 

Week 46

I got an early surprise for my birthday this weekend! Alyssa and Hanna were sneaky by inviting me to lunch Friday afternoon. I was tickled that they would want to do that, and we arranged to get together over Hanna's lunch break. Cheesecake Factory was Alyssa's suggestion and I loved it. Chad brought her to Salt Lake with him, supposedly dropping her off before he had to get to work. Alyssa and I played cards and then ran an errand to the DMV. We then went to City Creek and got our table - me still oblivious to all that was happening. Hanna came in and sat down, then stood up with Alyssa's phone to start taking pictures. I looked up and there were Caryn and Camille coming down the stairs toward us! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I probably made more noise than was appropriate, but there weren't too many people around us to disturb anyway. They had put it all together on Monday and Tuesday, Camille drove to Caryn's on Thursday and they drove to Salt Lake on Friday. We spent a very fun weekend staying at the Residence Inn, shopping, eating, playing games, and even doing a fun craft. We had so much fun, and it was over way too soon. It was a much needed break for us all, especially me. 

It's a sad statement of the times that I even feel to say this, but we were careful. You can see by the pictures that we wore masks in public (cute matching ones that Caryn made); we sanitized and tried not to touch things. But darn it I hugged my daughters and granddaughters! They have been very careful at home as well. They live in volatile areas and have family members who absolutely can't get this dumb virus. I've decided that I can't live in fear, and if I'm cautious and careful, I'll be blessed and so will my family.

I read a talk today given by President Uchtdorf in 2017, "Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear." He said, "I don't believe God wants His children to be fearful or dwell on the evils of the world. 'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.' He has given us an abundance of reasons to rejoice. We just need to find and to recognize them. The Lord often reminds us to 'be not afraid,' 'to be of good cheer,' and to 'fear not, little flock.'" He also said, "We are, therefore, not ignorant of the challenges of the world, nor are we unaware of the difficulties of our times. But this does not mean that we should burden ourselves or others with constant fear. Rather than dwelling on the immensity of our challenges, would it not be better to focus on the infinite greatness, goodness, and absolute power of our God...? As His covenant people, we need not be paralyzed by fear because bad things might happen. Instead, we can move forward with faith, courage, determination, and trust in God as we approach the challenges and opportunities ahead. We do not walk the path of discipleship alone.... Let us set aside our fears and live instead with joy, humility, hope, and a bold confidence that the Lord is with us."

We can have confidence that the Lord will bless us, and that He is blessing us, as we obey Him and keep His commandments. I believe that also means we need to be smart and heed the warnings and promptings all around us that will keep us safe in these crazy times. I'm grateful that we have been so richly blessed!

Week 45

It seems like my posts lately have been photo journals, but that's the most interesting part of my week. I experienced the transition of a mission president this past week, and it has been sweet to watch. I was asked to help arrange for a lunch for our mission office zone. President Fenn wanted to say thank you to those who had worked most closely with him. We catered it from R&R Barbecue, and it was a wonderful meal. We also ordered fruit and cookies from the COB cafeteria for dessert. President & Sister Fenn gave a brief thank you, and everyone loved the lunch. 

I want to include this photo of Sister Vanja Watkins, who was released this week as the director of the Elijah Choir. She is the kindest, most genuine person, so sincere in all she does. Her music is beautiful - Families Can Be Together Forever, Press Forward Saints, and many more. She gave me a signed book of Christmas music that she wrote with Marvin Gardner. I can't wait to play it! 

On Tuesday, many missionaries went home. It was the last day for the young elders to be part of this mission, and they will be greatly missed. There was such a fun air of excitement as they all gathered in the mission office. At 15-minute intervals, their parents and families gathered in the reception area and were greeted by President Fenn. The elders would wait excitedly inside the office door and wait for the knock. They then would push through the doors and get that first hug from their moms with all kinds of cheering from family members and missionaries. It was such a bittersweet day. 

Several of the missionaries who have already gone home were also there. 💓

The missionaries who had worked with the elders were also released on Tuesday, as well as President and Sister Fenn. They left such a big hole in the hearts of us still here.

Taking off his name plate

Someone asked me recently what is going on with the temple. Here are a couple of pictures. They have torn down the annex where we used to enter the temple, as well as the little place where the brides and grooms came out to their cheering families. You can see that the spires are coming down brick by brick. We were hoping that someone has a good numbering system for when they go back up!

The Come Follow Me lesson for this week was such a wonderful set of chapters, particularly those relating to missionary work. In our Sunday School discussion today, someone pointed out Alma 26:27 - "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." I think this relates to all of us right now, in all that's going on in our lives. We have experienced so many changes and challenges this year, and we need to remember that "behold, the Lord comforted us," and we need to remember to "bear with patience [our] afflictions, and [the Lord] will give [us] success." We need to remember that He is in charge and has prepared the way for us to carry on - to be successful as missionaries and teach the gospel "from the rooftops," to adapt to a different way to go to church, to partake of the sacrament in our homes and still feel the Holy Ghost. We have been so blessed and we need to remember that! 

Week 44

Our mission president is going home on Tuesday, and it has been a very busy week helping with that transition. He has had some last minute requests for me which have really stretched my abilities. But I'm really grateful that he asked me to do them because I realized that my poor aging brain can still learn new tricks. One of the projects required learning how to edit, combine files, and attach links in Adobe PDF files. I had to do it from home because I downloaded the free trial week of Adobe. So my nights and weekends have been very busy. For his entire tenure there has been a weekly newsletter consisting of articles written by members of the mission presidency and their wives, "tender mercies" submitted by individual missionaries, and articles including "Elijah moments" which were experiences with family history. So each of those 150+ newsletters needed to be slightly edited by taking out the extra pages of announcements and fliers, etc. Then I had to combine these files in to one document. I learned that Google and You Tube are my friends! Then thankfully the editor of the newsletter had kept a running index of all the articles, but I had to take that and double-check that it actually matched the 970 pages. After fixing it I added it to the front of the giant document and learned how to make each line in the contents page jump to the actual page in the giant document. Then I decided I should probably check those links  to make sure that they all actually when to the correct page. Only one didn't, but I'm still glad I found it. Then I had to make the cover to match the newsletters and add it to the front. Whew! It will be an amazing resource with incredible doctrinal content and mission memories. All the missionaries past and present will get a flash drive with the newsletters ("The Vineyard"). In addition, the president has written a book while he's here called Doctrines of the Restoration. He has written about 30 chapters of various doctrines, and then he also added all the scriptures and conference talks in those same subjects. The book was finished, but he asked me to do the same with the contents by attaching the links. This will also be included on the flash drive as well as the mission history and 80+ photos that the young elders have put together. I'm excited to get it!

Friday and Saturday of this week involved transcribing the last mission conference from the video recording of the WebEx. I had been asked to do it at about the same time as the Vineyard project, but the counselor in the presidency who asked me to do it said that it could take second priority. I think it took me about 16 hours to transcribe a 90-minute meeting. I had the computer-generated transcript to compare to, but it still took a lot of editing. He was very pleased to get it for the deaf missionaries who will be able to read it. Tonight's conference will have an ASL interpreter, so hopefully that will take care of me not having to do it again! 

I'm grateful that all those years learning a computer by trial and error can now be used to bless the lives here on my mission. My friend in the office who just went home last week texted me that I was put in the office "for such a time as this." If that's true, I'm grateful to know that maybe that's why I'm here.

I've met some wonderful people while here. John and Susan Temple hosted a dinner last week with Jim and Kathleen Gordon who went home. They have become dear friends. The Gordons live in Rexburg, and the Temples moved here permanently from Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.

Susan & John Temple

Jim & Kathleen Gordon, Me, Susan & John Temple

Another dear friend is going home this week, Sister Robin Fuellenbach. We met my first week here because she is in the Training Zone, but we have become good friends in the last few months as we go on our evening or morning walks together. She lives in Salmon, Idaho, wherever that is! I'll really miss her and may not get get too much walking done without her!

Robin was the editor of "The Vineyard" for two years. She did an amazing job!

Last night was an outdoor walk-and-wave-goodbye for the President & Sister Fenn and the 32 young elders who will all go home on Tuesday. They will be greatly missed. Here are a few pictures from the night:

Sister McKnight & Sister Unger (wives of the two counselors)

President Unger & President McKnight (the two counselors)

Elder Bastian in the mask was one of our technical support elders. He was so sour and dark all the time but I softened him up. He's not smiling here, but I actually saw his eyes smiling above his mask last night. I keep telling him he's going to miss me!

Elder Dunn is one of the current APs.

Elder Eades is the other AP.

My memories & experiences here are priceless. I'll be home two months from yesterday - if they actually let me out of here!! President Fenn said last night, "If I were still going to be your mission president, I'd grab you by the arm and never let you leave!" It's nice to be appreciated!