Week 30

Happy Sunday. As we worship alone and together in our homes, aren't we blessed and comforted to know that our prophet has foreseen this day when we would need to know how to do it? As I thought this morning how I could spend my Sabbath worship, I decided that probably the simplest thing I could do is put on a skirt! And my missionary nametag! And my new shoes. 😊 I'm listening to myself sing along with Alexa as she plays my iTunes library of Tabernacle Choir recordings where somewhere in the mix I'm singing. My branch here hasn't received the instruction for taking the sacrament to the sisters, but the thought came to me that I can at least read through the prayers and renew that covenant in my heart, which I will do. Later today I'll join in the Google Hang-ing Out with the Ashtons. What a blessing technology is through all of this! Here I am in Salt Lake looking at my iPad, the Ashtons in Eagle, the Brockbanks and Petersons in Provo, and Madeline all the way around the world in Portugal! Another miracle of inspired prophets and apostles allowing more frequent contact with our missionaries.

I had to stop and listen as one of my favorite hymns played: "It Is Well With My Soul." I'm sure you've heard the story of the writer Horatio Spafford who lost everything and most of his family when he wrote it.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul. 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

I was in Idaho this week on a leave from my mission. I had planned the trip for a couple of months and had permission to leave to get my taxes done and visit some doctors. I stayed with Caryn, Jon & Tyler. It was nice to be with them.

All is good there - Jon has been able to talk to his patients without being face to face, which is a blessing for him and them too. I don't owe any taxes, and all my doctors told me I'm healthy. And yes I was very careful not to touch anything and used half a bottle of hand sanitizer in and out of my car! I must say how grateful I was to have missed the 5.7 earthquake in Salt Lake!!! Nothing fell off my walls - only a couple of things off shelves and nothing broke. And I didn't have to suffer the nerves or the power outages. I was very grateful to Sister Gordon for doing my job for me. It was VERY busy in the mission office as things changed almost hourly. Several missionaries decided to go home early either because of health or because they were already close to going home and had nothing to do with all of Temple Square closed. I'll keep working as long as the mission office stays open or, as Sister Gordon said, "until the government tells us we can't." 

I got a text from my bishop at home this morning just checking in and asking how I'm doing. Then a little later he sent an email to the ward members. I loved this message from him from an experience he had while on trek last summer. He said, "At one of the campsites, there was a lookout where you could literally see beautiful mountains for miles.  There was a time when I was able to be alone and enjoy the view.  It was a partly cloudy day and as I looked over the mountains it came to my attention that about half of the landscape was bathed in sunshine and many other areas were dark because of the cloud cover.  For some reason, the thought came clearly to my mind 'The sun is always shining somewhere.' While this may be a somewhat dark and overcast time for many of us, my testimony is that the sun is always shining somewhere.  That just as those clouds moved over the mountains that day and allowed the light to come to places that were previously dark, the clouds of our current situation will move on and allow the light to shine brightly once again.  In the meantime, we should rely on the other Son, the Son of God, to provide us with the strength, resolve, and hope we need to face the current challenges.  I testify that He is real and has the power to provide us with the light we need even in dark times."

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday! If you run out of ideas, may I suggest a little family history? Go to FamilySearch and read the stories of your ancestors four generations back. Look at the pictures and get to know them. Or do a little indexing. My miesident urged us to write in our journals. This is a time like no other in our recent history, and we should be writing about it! 

Please stay healthy! And be smart about what you do and where you go!