April 6, 2014

Last shift at the Battalion

We are sitting in our little apartment after spending the day watching conference and I thought that I would take a few minutes and write.  It is a beautiful day and all of the conference sessions have been wonderful.  I love what my daughter-in-law Mandy said, "This weekend makes me feel like I have a bunch of old wise grandpappies."  I have felt loved, listened to, taught, inspired, humbled, directed, chastened, appreciated etc.  I really do feel that we are so blessed to have conference and all that it gives us!  I look at others all around us who have no idea of the flood of inspiration that is coming from God yesterday and today.  I look at those of us who know that it is here and aren't listening because other things are more important.  I look at myself who really doesn't use what I have been taught as well as I should.  I have two challenges for myself.  I have written a list of things that I felt were being said for my sake.  Answers to my questions.  I am going to make a plan now to implement those things by tomorrow night.  My second challenge to myself is to pray and read each talk again in the next month.  I love conference.  "Did you hear what God had to say today?"

Well, this has been an interesting week.  I remember thinking during the last month or two that it was getting harder to think of things to say in this blog.  Things were pretty much getting into a routine - a busy one - with the same things over and over.  Battalion, scripture class, visiting members and helping them etc. with a big event here and there to add spice.  All fulfilling and great.  Things now have changed dramatically!  And I think that it will be good for us.

Women's Conference Cupcake Table

We had a wonderful Women's Conference Meeting at the Stake Center.  I decided to go there so that I could take 3 sisters from the ward with me.  Two of them cancelled on me just an hour before but one went with me.  The chapel was full which surprised me because you could stay home and watch it on TV.  And they had wonderful food and goodies after.  I enjoyed it lots.  Sunday was our last shift at the Battalion with the sisters and it was a bitter sweet day.  It was quite busy with lots of spring break people so that made it go by fast.

We did our last shifts at the Battalion on Tuesday with the couples.  It is the girl's P day so we do all of the tours.  I gave 5 full tours and one short tour.  Whew!  We sent off six wonderful sister missionaries back to the world and one senior couple at that same time.  The emotions of that were hard but the emotions of leaving the sisters who we love and who depend on us so much was really painful to me and even to Roger.  We will be able to see them off and on as we bring people to the Battalion or substitute but it won't be the same and we know it.  I was in tears at any given moment.  We are both really sad about that.  But we are trying to just be grateful that we had the opportunity to serve there.  So many would love to be there and no that isn't called there gets to serve there - but us.  So we just really got lucky and we know it.

The six sisters!

It is good to have all of that crying and feeling sorry for ourselves over and now we are trying to figure out what we will do to be productive.  There really a lot of things to choose from and we are trying to be prayerful and find out what the Lord wants us to do.  It has been interesting to see the changes in ourselves.  With the Battalion, we were pretty much on automatic.  We had shifts, we show up and have to be prepared for what ever happens there and then we go home tired.  Now we have to actually pray, prepare, plan and be pro-active.  We are more humble.  We are able to have a schedule that includes exercise, study, prayer, breakfast etc. every day!  Now I just have to learn how to study and what to study.

We had a Stake Temple Chapel Session this week.  In the San Diego temple there is a beautiful chapel that I never had seen until Thursday and we had over 100 stake people there for a half hour meeting.  The Stake President spoke and then the Temple President and his wife spoke.  It was a wonderful place to meet and the spirit was so strong.  We then went in and did an endowment session.  I looked around at all of the good people we have grown to love in such a short time and felt blessed to be there.

Many of the couples at the Robinson's farewell

Friday was a farewell party for a couple that we used to live by in our first apartment complex.  Michael and Judy Robinson.  They live in Pleasant Grove so we are hoping that they will still remember us when we get home and want to play!  We love them and will miss them lots.  They were so helpful at introducing us to people when we first got here and we have done lots of fun things with them off and on.

Michael and Judy Robinson

We had a couple over to watch the last session of conference with us and then served Cafe Rio food for them.  They are San Diegans and have never tasted sweet pork.  Imagine that!  The wife is an active member and her husband is less active.  It was good to have the time to cook and to have them in our home.  We played a game after and had a good time with them.  I think that we will be doing more cooking and sharing now that we have time.  I even baked wheat bread to share with some in the ward who have birthdays this week.

So - What did God have to say to you this conference session?  There are things we all can use.  We just need to recognize them and then have the courage to do what we know we should do.  If you didn't listen to conference you are in luck.  It is on line and easy to find on lds.org.  See you next week!