Week 26

Well, if you do the math and know that a year has 52 weeks, then you can quickly figure out that I reach my half-way hump this week. It's all downhill from here! Actually I don't really feel that it has been uphill at all. I've loved serving a mission and being at the headquarters of the Church. There is a wonderful spirit here and many wonderful people. I'm so grateful for the prompting I received and that I acted on it to serve a mission. It has been a special growing experience. I've learned so much from some amazing people who have become good friends. My testimony has strengthened as I've been blessed to focus more on reading the scriptures and been exposed to so many great resources that have been shared.

Yesterday I attended a stake Relief Society event across the street from my apartment. I'm not really part of that stake, but the Temple View Branch where I play the organ is. Also my good friend Sister Susan Temple whom I work closely with in the mission office invited me to go. They live in the City Creek apartments, and it's part of her stake. Sister Susan Gong (Elder Gong's wife) was the speaker. She gave a great talk about sisters all over the world that she had met through her travels with Elder Gong. It was so inspiring to hear of sacrifices because of the faith of amazing and humble people.

Today was the branch conference at Temple View. The stake president gave a really good talk - directing it to the (mostly elderly) people in the branch. I guess I'm elderly, because I really thought it was good. He started by saying that this life is not a waiting room for the next life. He used the example of Joseph Smith, who first repented of his sins, and THEN was given the revelation. He said that we need to repent so that we will be able to receive the revelation that God is waiting to give to us. He said that building on the principles of the gospel will bless our lives and allow that revelation to come. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, and our role model is Jesus Christ. He quoted Alma 12:34 "Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest."

One more thing - I hope I'm not to preachy today! As I was reading the Come Follow Me assignment this week, I had underlined one of the scriptures because a couple of months ago it was our mission scripture. It's 2 Nephi 25:26 - "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." I'm so grateful for the example of my children and their partners who are doing such a great job of teaching their children these principles! I know that you're reading the scriptures together and bearing testimony often to each other. I'm grateful for my sweet, wonderful grandchildren who are learning these principles and participating in these chances to study and learn together. Parents - don't be afraid to preach of Christ! Children - listen to and follow the examples of your parents! This life is not a waiting room for the next life. It's the only time we have to prepare for the life we know we can have as an eternal family. I'm sure you can all feel Papa's influence and eagerness to have us all there together!

I love you all SO much!

MOM/NANA

Picture today: Elder & Sister Gordon's daughter Rachel played the cello at the branch conference, and I accompanied her. She reminds me so much of Brian's sister Anna! She's a really sharp girl and very talented!

Week 25

It's raining here today. I think it's supposed to snow later tonight, which doesn't make me any happier than the rain. Oh well! Spring is just around the corner, right? 🤨

At the little Temple View Branch today, two of the senior Inner City Mission elders blessed the sacrament. One of them hadn't done it in a very long time, and inserted a few of his own words the first time he gave the prayer. The branch president asked him to repeat the prayer, and his counselor pointed out where to correct. Yet again he added a little word, insignificant and barely heard, but still very significant in getting the prayer perfect. The third time he read carefully every word and got it right. It was a blessing to hear the prayer three times and allow me to think of the importance of the sacrament and what it means to me to renew the covenants of baptism. I thought of my sons and grandsons who may have had to repeat the prayer on occasion, or have fears that they might be asked to! I'm grateful for the priesthood power they hold which blesses my life and so many others as they perform this sacred ordinance. At the end of the prayer on the bread, we are told to ALWAYS remember Him, and we are promised that we may ALWAYS have His Spirit to be with us. ALWAYS means ALWAYS. I've thought of that a lot lately. ❣

The only pictures I took this week were of people I serve with, so I thought I would write just a little about them. The first picture is of my mission president, Jerry Fenn. He's nearing the end of his mission after serving here for three years and immediately before that for three years as mission president in Chicago. He is a true Book of Mormon scholar - I think he must have more than half of the scriptures memorized by the way he quotes them in meetings. The picture here was from the monthly Book of Mormon class he teaches. He started it for the young elders but gradually allowed the seniors to attend. I took the picture because I was sitting at the back and couldn't read the board he had written as an outline of the night. He's truly an amazing gift to the young missionaries serving here. 

The other picture was from lunch at the Lion House saying goodbye to two sister friends who will be leaving the mission this week. The two front right are Sister Unger (2nd counselor's wife, really fun lady) and Sister Fenn (mission president's wife, daughter of Elder McConkie, a lot more serious than her sister & my friend Rebecca). Next to her in front is Sister Wanda Silvers. We shared close quarters/cubicle walls. She's going home, after more than two years here, to sell their home and serve more missions after visiting family across the country. Next to her is Sister Susan Temple. We've become good friends. Her husband is the zone leader who is trying to get me to extend. I told him that if he would build me a garage I MIGHT consider it (not really, but it makes him happy). Next to me at the back wall in white is Sister Gordon. She's the mission secretary and a very sweet, pure soul. The mission 1st counselor's wife Sister McKnight is in the far back corner. She's a dear lady and so nice to work with. 

Singing in the choir has been a fun experience, but one that is very hard at the same time. It's not so much the extra time, or even the 6:00 am Monday start. It's just plain hard to try to sing and not be able to get out the sound that I know should be coming out. It makes me sad, but I was hanging on until Sister Silvers was through. She has been singing only for about six months with the choir because that's something she has always wanted to do. She has a hard time hearing the notes, so she asked Sister Watkins to make recordings of the rehearsal music and she practices a lot on her own. I was her security blanket, and now I can take a break. Maybe I'll start again, but if not, it has been a wonderful experience.

My prayers are with you all that you'll have a good week, be safe, and get over the nasty bugs making some of you sick. 

Moroni 10:31-34 - Coray's favorite scripture

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yours.elves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again  reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great  Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

Week 24

Well I made it home from Seattle on Monday, in case you were wondering. 😀 The flight was on time and smooth - enough. I waded through about eight inches of snow to get to my car and had to scrape it off. I'm really grateful for my windshield cover! It has saved me of many minutes of scraping. What a great invention! When I was walking through the courtyard to my building, a cute little snow angel greeted me. I imagine a nice young elder couldn't resist!

 

As you know, the Salt Lake Temple has been decommissioned and will be undergoing a four-year renovation. This decommissioning involves removing sacred items such as temple clothing, temple records, and other items used to complete the temple ordinances. Then it is no longer a dedicated temple and construction workers can enter without a temple recommend. This week someone came in to the office all excited telling us that the temple doors were open and they were taking things out. So of course we had to rush over with our phones to take pictures of this next step. It's not a sight I've ever seen through these doors. We guessed that they were removing some of the large paintings, especially since the one in my picture took six men to guide it down the board-turned-ramp. 

On February 6 of this week I was reminded by FamilySearch that it was the birthday of my great-grandmother, Melissa Coray Swan.

We all know a lot about her mother Melissa Burton Coray, but not as much about William and Melissa's only surviving child. Melissa was born February 6, 1849, just one month before her father William died. She was raised by her mother and step-father in Park City and later Salt Lake City. Melissa married Douglas Archibald Swan in 1873, and just two years later Douglas was called to serve a mission to Australia. They wrote sweet letters to each other, which of course took weeks to arrive because the only transport was by ship. When Melissa was in her early forties, she was stricken with arthritis, and struggled for the rest of her life. When she was in her early fifties, the doctor told her that if she spent another winter in Salt Lake she would die. So she went to southern California to regain her strength. She was able to return to be with Douglas that next spring and remained there until Douglas died in 1907. After making several trips to California, she decided to build a home there in Ocean Park, where she died in 1940. She is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Yesterday was a fun baby shower for Sharelle Baldwin. Lots of the Christensen cousins and aunts were there. It was fun to be with them!

One final thought - I played the organ for the little branch this morning, and two of the young elders spoke. A thought from one of the talks struck me, and I want to share it today. He was talking about the three pillars of the gospel - Faith, Hope, and Charity. He said that all three of these require action on our part. However, the Lord doesn't require us to be perfect in all things. But He DOES ask that we be perfect in our EFFORT. May your efforts be perfect this week!

Week 23

This week started out pretty normal, doing things I usually do; but it becomes a notable week when I see three apostles! On Tuesday I passed Elder Cook on the way to lunch at the COB (Church Office Building). He was walking with someone but paused to look up and say hello. Then on Wednesday I’m leaving lunch, again at the COB. I see through the sliding doors to the parking garage that Elder Bednar and Elder Stevenson are coming in just as I’m going out. So I pause to let them pass in front of me, but Elder Bednar stops and says, “No you come first.” So of course I did and thanked them. I know they’re regular people, but I still get a little star-struck because they’re really NOT regular people! They are apostles of Jesus Christ and it really is wonderful to be able to see them up close once in a while.

I love that the Church has made it so great to be a senior missionary! They want us to be able to serve without missing the kinds of things that parents and grandparents need and want to do. We can take leave for medical and personal and family reasons, and just have to get permission from the zone leader and mission presidency. Some people have done it a lot. This week was my first adventure. I’m in Seattle with Camille and the Wengreens! Matthew is getting his Eagle Scout award today AND it’s Camille’s birthday. Two great reasons to take a leave. It has been a fun-filled weekend. On Friday night I got to see Matthew sing and dance in the high school play Mama Mia. He did a great job and it was so much fun. 

On Saturday we went to basketball games for Jonah, Seth and Nathan, played games and had more fun. 

JONAH

SETH

NATHAN

JULIA & MINNIE

Today is the birthday celebration for Camille and Matt's Eagle Court of Honor.

I go back tomorrow. Hopefully! I got a notice from Delta that the weather is so bad in Utah that I might not get out. They even offered to waive the change fee. We'll see!

I’ve been reading the Book of Mormon from both ends since the first of the year. I was still in Alma, or maybe Helaman by then, and I wanted to finish to the end; but I still wanted to start with the Come Follow Me assignments too! So I read twice a day - in the afternoons when I study CFM and at bedtime when I read at the end of the Book. Friday I was reading what has become my favorite chapter - Ether 12. I read it with different eyes though. I didn’t realize it contains such a beautiful discussion about FAITH. Please add it to your reading sometime soon! It’s not that long. For instance Verse 9 reads Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith. And then of course at the end of Chapter 12 is MY personal favorite scripture, Verse 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." I have really come to love Moroni. I feel sad for him and his aloneness as he wanders across the continent before he can bury the plates. I’m grateful for his faith and endurance so that we can have this treasured book and the beautiful doctrines and witness of Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and was translated by Joseph Smith by the gift and power of God. It’s true! Read it and share your own testimony!