Dear Family,
We have had a good week. When isn’t it fun to be working with our missionaries and the other senior couples. These is our week of zone conferences and Dad had to speak on using technology safely and righteously. We had gotten a WARNING from Salt Lake telling us that the missionaries are not to identify themselves on their social media pages as “elder” or “sister”. They are also not to friend anyone that they do not know. Apparently, there are some people out there that prey on our trusting missionaries and try to get them to do things that could embarrass themselves or the Church. Because Dad spoke at all three zone conferences, we needed to be at all three. We usually only go to one, but we really enjoyed going to all of them because they vary so much. There is a lot of good information and encouragement for the missionaries and I always come away feeling “edified and uplifted”.
Monday was a preparation day for zone conferences. We need to get all of the mail ready to take to the zones that were meeting on Tuesday. We arrived at the zone conference at 8 am because Dad wanted to make sure that his slides got put into the computer and that things would work when it was his turn for his presentation. All worked well and he did a great job—as usual. After his presentation and one of the other senior sisters on grammar, we slipped out to help with checking the cars. It wasn’t all that hot temperature wise, but the humidity was high and we got a big hot standing out in the sun checking the cars’ tiwi, windshield wipers, mileage, horn, windows, front lights, parking lights, blinkers, brake lights and back up lights. Ours is one of the easy jobs and we were done in about an hour. After that we slipped away to a nearby Baskin-Robbins to meet up with Lindsey’s parents who were visiting relatives in Maryland. We had a nice visit with them and enjoyed getting to know them a little. Then we went back to the zone conference.
We asked the vehicle secretary if we could use an extra mission car while we got our car checked out. We have been hearing an unwelcome noise each time we pressed on the brakes. Although we had asked the shop about the noise when we had the car in to fix the a/c and they had assured us that there was nothing wrong, we were still a little concerned. They fixed it to the tune of $730—not to bad for not thinking there was anything wrong. They were able to get it done so that we could get it picked up before they closed and we wouldn’t have to worry about it tomorrow.
We had been using this extra mission car all afternoon while ours was in the shop, so we were really efficient and got all of the mail packed into the trunk of this little red corolla. Then we went to pick up our finished car.
Wednesday we got up early again and headed out to zone conference. Traffic was bad—almost Bay Area bad in some places and we were running really close to starting time when we arrived. However, there were no cars in the parking lot and we discovered that Dad had mistaken where the conference was to be held. We reprogrammed our gps and headed out to the right church building. We were almost to the church when we discovered that all of the mail was still in the little red corolla that was back at the mission office. We had forgotten to transfer the mail to our car when our car got fixed so quickly. I dropped Dad off at the church so that he could go give his presentation and stopped to get gas so I wouldn’t have to push the car and went back to the mission office to get the mail. Finally, we got the mail sorted and set out in the foyer and went into the chapel for the last little bit of the conference before lunch. What an adventurous(?) morning.
Thursday we got the right building and were there on time and got the mail all set up before zone conference started. Dad usually goes first, but today it was after 10 before it was his turn. If we would have know that we could have gone out and helped with the cars.
After lunch I got the luncheon receipts so that I could take them back and get the sister reimbursed quickly. Some people don’t have the money in their budget to handle a luncheon for 85 missionaries, so I try to get their money to them as quickly as possible.
In the evening we went to be with a sister companionship. One of the sisters plays the ukulele and they take it to the metro station and sing primary songs or other religious songs. They feel they have had some success meeting people this way. We went and watched them and talked with a few people. It was fun for us to watch them to up to people and start up conversations with them and then turn the conversation to Jesus and their beliefs. They got the name and phone number of a bus driver who was taking a break. They are really good and natural at meeting people. We didn’t stay too long because they had a teaching appointment they needed to be to.
Friday was a hard day for me to get going at the office. I think it was a feeling of having zone conferences over and that the week should be over as well. It made it seem as if we were really staying late when everyone left about 3 and we were left alone in the office. It was our week to clean, so we worked until about 4:30 and then started the cleaning routine.
I watched President Nelson’s birthday celebration Friday night and felt truly uplifted. It was worth staying up until midnight to see/hear it. I was so grateful that he celebrated his birthday and let all of us crash the party. These marvelous musicians would never do all of that for my birthday.
Saturday was a little harder to get up after the late night. We did a few chores then left for a baptism in the northeast portion of the mission and enjoyed it a lot. We were glad that we had chosen that baptism to attend because there weren’t a lot of people there and no other senior couples. The young missionaries seem to appreciate the seniors coming. We went home and then did chores until time to get ready for the Saturday evening session of stake conference. As usual the Saturday evening session was really good—the best of the meetings.
Today we had conference at our ward building and we were the only ward there, so we had our choice of seats. It was a wonderful meeting. Our stake president, President McConkie, gave a great talk about the gospel (doctrine) and the power of the gospel. He asked us to go home and ponder if we are sleeping through the restoration and are we making the power of the gospel a part of our lives. Some good questions to find answers to.
We delivered some apple ugglies to Nancy and confirmed a time for us to go to her home to read the Book of Mormon with her. She is not progressing with the missionaries, so we decided to go and read with her one day a week to see if the spirit of the book can touch her heart so she will be ready at some future date to listen to the missionaries. She is a good lady and is coming up on the 1-year anniversary of her husband’s death, so it has been a hard year for her. I am hoping that as things settle down a little for her she might be able to think a little more clearly. Our first reading will be on Friday at 2:30. We will have to keep it to ½ hour or she may get sidetracked onto other topics.
Know that we love you and pray for you daily,
Mom
We have had a good week. When isn’t it fun to be working with our missionaries and the other senior couples. These is our week of zone conferences and Dad had to speak on using technology safely and righteously. We had gotten a WARNING from Salt Lake telling us that the missionaries are not to identify themselves on their social media pages as “elder” or “sister”. They are also not to friend anyone that they do not know. Apparently, there are some people out there that prey on our trusting missionaries and try to get them to do things that could embarrass themselves or the Church. Because Dad spoke at all three zone conferences, we needed to be at all three. We usually only go to one, but we really enjoyed going to all of them because they vary so much. There is a lot of good information and encouragement for the missionaries and I always come away feeling “edified and uplifted”.
Monday was a preparation day for zone conferences. We need to get all of the mail ready to take to the zones that were meeting on Tuesday. We arrived at the zone conference at 8 am because Dad wanted to make sure that his slides got put into the computer and that things would work when it was his turn for his presentation. All worked well and he did a great job—as usual. After his presentation and one of the other senior sisters on grammar, we slipped out to help with checking the cars. It wasn’t all that hot temperature wise, but the humidity was high and we got a big hot standing out in the sun checking the cars’ tiwi, windshield wipers, mileage, horn, windows, front lights, parking lights, blinkers, brake lights and back up lights. Ours is one of the easy jobs and we were done in about an hour. After that we slipped away to a nearby Baskin-Robbins to meet up with Lindsey’s parents who were visiting relatives in Maryland. We had a nice visit with them and enjoyed getting to know them a little. Then we went back to the zone conference.
We asked the vehicle secretary if we could use an extra mission car while we got our car checked out. We have been hearing an unwelcome noise each time we pressed on the brakes. Although we had asked the shop about the noise when we had the car in to fix the a/c and they had assured us that there was nothing wrong, we were still a little concerned. They fixed it to the tune of $730—not to bad for not thinking there was anything wrong. They were able to get it done so that we could get it picked up before they closed and we wouldn’t have to worry about it tomorrow.
We had been using this extra mission car all afternoon while ours was in the shop, so we were really efficient and got all of the mail packed into the trunk of this little red corolla. Then we went to pick up our finished car.
Wednesday we got up early again and headed out to zone conference. Traffic was bad—almost Bay Area bad in some places and we were running really close to starting time when we arrived. However, there were no cars in the parking lot and we discovered that Dad had mistaken where the conference was to be held. We reprogrammed our gps and headed out to the right church building. We were almost to the church when we discovered that all of the mail was still in the little red corolla that was back at the mission office. We had forgotten to transfer the mail to our car when our car got fixed so quickly. I dropped Dad off at the church so that he could go give his presentation and stopped to get gas so I wouldn’t have to push the car and went back to the mission office to get the mail. Finally, we got the mail sorted and set out in the foyer and went into the chapel for the last little bit of the conference before lunch. What an adventurous(?) morning.
Thursday we got the right building and were there on time and got the mail all set up before zone conference started. Dad usually goes first, but today it was after 10 before it was his turn. If we would have know that we could have gone out and helped with the cars.
After lunch I got the luncheon receipts so that I could take them back and get the sister reimbursed quickly. Some people don’t have the money in their budget to handle a luncheon for 85 missionaries, so I try to get their money to them as quickly as possible.
In the evening we went to be with a sister companionship. One of the sisters plays the ukulele and they take it to the metro station and sing primary songs or other religious songs. They feel they have had some success meeting people this way. We went and watched them and talked with a few people. It was fun for us to watch them to up to people and start up conversations with them and then turn the conversation to Jesus and their beliefs. They got the name and phone number of a bus driver who was taking a break. They are really good and natural at meeting people. We didn’t stay too long because they had a teaching appointment they needed to be to.
Friday was a hard day for me to get going at the office. I think it was a feeling of having zone conferences over and that the week should be over as well. It made it seem as if we were really staying late when everyone left about 3 and we were left alone in the office. It was our week to clean, so we worked until about 4:30 and then started the cleaning routine.
I watched President Nelson’s birthday celebration Friday night and felt truly uplifted. It was worth staying up until midnight to see/hear it. I was so grateful that he celebrated his birthday and let all of us crash the party. These marvelous musicians would never do all of that for my birthday.
Saturday was a little harder to get up after the late night. We did a few chores then left for a baptism in the northeast portion of the mission and enjoyed it a lot. We were glad that we had chosen that baptism to attend because there weren’t a lot of people there and no other senior couples. The young missionaries seem to appreciate the seniors coming. We went home and then did chores until time to get ready for the Saturday evening session of stake conference. As usual the Saturday evening session was really good—the best of the meetings.
Today we had conference at our ward building and we were the only ward there, so we had our choice of seats. It was a wonderful meeting. Our stake president, President McConkie, gave a great talk about the gospel (doctrine) and the power of the gospel. He asked us to go home and ponder if we are sleeping through the restoration and are we making the power of the gospel a part of our lives. Some good questions to find answers to.
We delivered some apple ugglies to Nancy and confirmed a time for us to go to her home to read the Book of Mormon with her. She is not progressing with the missionaries, so we decided to go and read with her one day a week to see if the spirit of the book can touch her heart so she will be ready at some future date to listen to the missionaries. She is a good lady and is coming up on the 1-year anniversary of her husband’s death, so it has been a hard year for her. I am hoping that as things settle down a little for her she might be able to think a little more clearly. Our first reading will be on Friday at 2:30. We will have to keep it to ½ hour or she may get sidetracked onto other topics.
Know that we love you and pray for you daily,
Mom
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