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!