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.