June 8, 2014

Hi everyone!
It really can't be a whole week later than last time I wrote.  I can tell when we are keeping busy.  Time flies by faster.  Let's see if I can remember what we did this week...

Monday was DUP.  I have joined the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  Monday was a regional meeting so I got to meet a lot of new people.  I am really enjoying being a part of this group and learning more about my ancestors and others who crossed the plains.  Monday night was the Senior Couple's Family Home Evening.  It was the last one for President and Sister Clayton so they spoke.  It was a nice evening with all of the senior couples - over 20 couples - and we really enjoy each other.  We feel blessed to be associated with such a great group and hope that we will keep in touch as we return home.

Helping out in the office

Tuesday was our first Institute class.  We prepared and worried a bit and then went to the class and only one student came.  Kind of a let down.  But we had a nice visit with Wes.  He left on a mission about a year and a half ago and when he was in the MTC he suddenly had miserable pains in his hips.  He had an acute attack of arthritis and they eventually ended up sending him home.  He is going to school now and has been hired by a family to drive their son around.  Their son is a disabled service missionary and can't drive.  So Wes drives him from Institute classes to the Bishop's Storehouse to do other service etc.  He was sick that day so it was just Wes.  So we decided to not really get into the lesson and wait to start until Thursday when more come.  We have our regular Visitor's Center assignment each Tuesday so we went there and had a good time speaking with people who come to the temple.  We mostly talk to members but about 10% are non-members.  The members are wonderful.  Cute families, missionaries (they can only go once each 90 days of their mission), youth groups etc.  The non members are usually interested and don't mind us teaching them things.  Only a few are argumentative.  My cousin Gale Tenney's wife works in the Distribution Center there on the temple grounds so I have made it a part of our day there to go in and get a hug from Barbara.  She is so sweet and always reminds me of how good my mom and dad were to her and Gale as they were younger.  It is nice to have them there.  A touch of family feels good.

Manning the phones in the office

We usually try to do a session after our shift and then it is becoming tradition to go to Golden Spoon to get a frozen yogurt.  The owner is a member and gives missionaries a free cup!  And then on to Rubio's for fish tacos!  On Tuesdays they are only $1.50 and we love them.  That night was a new member lesson in our new ward.  The ward mission leader has the priests give the lesson and we sit in to help with making sure things are taught right.  What a great idea.  Those young men did such a good job and were so darling.  The lady is a real challenge to teach because she likes to talk so much but they did great.

Wednesday was a day for visiting people in our wards.  We caught a lady home who has not been an active member since she was a teenager.  She married a non member and quit coming.  She was very friendly and still lets visiting teachers come by but seemed totally not interested in any activity.  We visited with a lady in a care center also.  She had a hip surgery and when she was doing physical therapy to get better after the surgery, she broke her leg!  So now she has to stay in the care center for 2 months or more until everything heals - no pressure on her leg or hip for that long - none.  No getting up to the bathroom either.  Just lay in bed.  She had a great attitude and a big smile.  I am going to go back and teach her how to crochet and see if we can't help her stay smiling.



Zone conferences were Thursday and Friday.  That is they day that car inspections go on and Grandpa is working closely in the office with the senior missionary who is in charge of cars. The missionaries drive their cars to the Zone conference and leave the keys in the car and then we go around and inspect the cars to see if they are clean, fluid levels are OK, no new dents etc.  I couldn't go on Thursday because I needed to stay behind and teach our Institute class but Grandpa went and helped out.  I taught our class at 10:00. Again, only one person came.  But the Institute director told us that "teaching the one" is an important thing.   We then went on to lunch at one of the ladies home in our ward.  She invited her non-member friend and we had a wonderful lunch of cauliflower soup, bread, fruit and strawberry short cake.  (And I wonder why my clothes are fitting differently than when I left!)  We went from there to an interview with a marine.  We are interviewing them so that we can honor them on Flag Day at the Mormon Battalion.  This has been a fun assignment.  We have been able to sit with these retired marines and hear their life story and how being a marine has helped shaped their lives.  This marine had been in the marines for over 20 years and then decided to retire so that he could spend more time with his family.  We hear of those who are deployed now and they are gone for 6 months or so but he told of being gone for over a year at a time and missing so much of his family life.  He told us of his struggles to keep his marriage together and many more sacrifices he made for his country.  I guess I used to feel a little miffed when I heard all of the perks that retired marines get but after hearing their sacrifices I am glad that the nations gives back to those who serve us.  We hurried home from that interview so that I could get ready to go to Relief Society.  I had called several sisters in the ward and told them I would pick them up.  So we got to the church building and no one was there!  Oh dear.  After much thinking and pondering I realized that I had put down on my calendar that there was RS but hadn't put down anything else and I had forgotten that we have TWO wards stuff on my calendar and the meeting was at the other ward.  The women I had in the car with me didn't much want to go to a ward they didn't know and crash it so we went to have some ice cream and had a fun talk and went home.  I am not sure if my poor brain can handle all the different things we are doing?!!

Friday Forum at the Institute

Friday was zone conferences again and we both went and inspected cars for a couple of hours.  It was fun to be there with other senior couples.  We took off from there to go to the Institute and help with the last Friday Forum and lunch for the year.  The secretary works hard to feed over 30 people each Friday and we help out.  We made taco salad with fresh fruit salad, a yummy avocado bean salsa, and cherry cobbler.  About 35 people came and we were able to meet many more of the students there.  We helped clean up and then took off to see if we could catch some people in their homes and visit them.

Bethany and cute Ripkin!

We set up Saturday to interview with the last of the marines.  It was up in Oceanside.  He actually lives right on the beach in a little 300 square foot bungalow.  We sat and talked with him for a couple of hours and again heard stories that brought tears to our eyes.  Bethany and her family were up at Newport Beach and had just told us that they weren't going to be able to make it down to San Diego to see us so we drove up to see them.  We only got about an hour and a half until we had to get back but it was so much fun to hug the grandkids and meet little Ripkin!  I wanted more and was really sad when we had to go back.  Taylor was there with Bethany's family so we got to see her too.  Oh I miss the kids and it is so strange to see how much they have changed when we see them!

Brighton

Kale!

Sunday was our new routine of starting at 6:45 for Ward council and then meetings all day long.  Layne and Chris came down to see us so we decided that after two Ward Council meetings, two Sacrament meetings and one Mission Correlation meeting that we could leave.  We had thought that Bethany's family were coming down so we planned to BBQ hot dogs and stuff and play at the Institute building.  When it was just Layne and Chris coming we decided to eat here and then go to the Battalion if they wanted to.  We totally loved meeting Chris and enjoying them here in our little home away from home.  We introduced them at the Mormon Battalion and went through a tour with them.  It is always fun to go "home" to the Battalion and hug our girls!

It was a busy week and was a good one.  More good stuff coming up this week!  I am tired all of the time and even end up getting a little nap in some days just to get through to the end of the day.  But it is a good tired and we are happy.