October 20, 2014

Howdy!

We really have had another wonderful week.  We had the best Sunday yet last week and then a wonderful week with kids!

Boy we sure look short with these guys!

Our week started out on a really high note.  The week before this was full of miracles and Sunday just continued with some really great things.  Our convert Rita, was confirmed and it was so cool to be there for it.  Cheri, our dear friend who went to the temple for the first time in over a decade last week was able to get her inactive husband to come to church for Rita’s sake.  He has come three other times since we have been here for special occasions but has never stayed the whole time.  This time he did and by the end of the day he was really happy he stayed.  He told Cheri that the walls that he has had up against the church are beginning to crumble!  That is just what we have been praying for.  Another one of the ladies that we have been working with is Veronica.  She went to the temple for the first time a couple of months ago.  She was at Rita’s baptism and felt impressed that she needed to help Rita become an active part of our ward.  So she decided that she ought to bear her testimony and talk to Rita.  She had never done that before.  She went home and studied on LDS.org how to give a testimony and was really nervous.  She sat by me and held my hand until the time to stand up - she was so scared.  But she bore a beautiful testimony and no one could tell that she had any nervousness at all.  She did a beautiful job and we were so proud of her.  It is so much fun to see the efforts that have been made to help these people are paying off.  We see the light of the gospel in their hearts and feel the confidence and peace that it brings come into their lives.  We feel so blessed to be a part of it.  


After church a couple came up to greet us.  Chantel Jerrett and Reuben Johnson!  Chantel was a sister missionary at the Mormon Battalion while we were there and we loved her.  Reuben was a missionary in our ward when we first got here.  They went home, decided they liked each other, started dating and just got married.  They were here in San Diego on their honeymoon!  It was so much fun to see them.  I didn't get a picture of them but I borrowed one from FaceBook.

Kendall's and Dumas's with us at lunch!

Monday was a great day too!  We got a call from the Kendall’s and the Dumas’s.  They are our good friends from when we served in the Hospital together and they were in town.  We were able to meet them for lunch and catch up!  Oh it was good to see them and to know that we aren’t totally forgotten.  

Aimee's family with a missionary we ran in to
that they know.

It was Roger’s birthday a few weeks ago and Aimee, Ryan, Heather and Kira decided to bring their families out to surprise him for his birthday!  Roger knew that Aimee’s family was coming but wasn’t aware that the others were and we were able to keep it a surprise.  We met with Aimee’s family for dinner on Wednesday night and while we were waiting for our table, Heather and Dave showed up with Dalten!  Good surprise but not the end of the surprises.  

Aimee's gang and Heather's at Miguels

We worked a half day on Thursday - and then met the kids at the beach house they had rented to go play.  Kira’s family and Ryan’s family had come and were there to surprise Roger again!  We hung out at the beach house and it was so good to be with family!  We got to meet Tora for the very first time.  She was born six months ago and we have never been able to even hold her.  So I was able to sit with her and talk to her for quite a long time.  I feel like I know her now and that is so cool.  There is one more little one at home - Covey - that we still havent’ met and it is hard to miss all of this baby time with him.  And then Cory and Mandy will be having a little girl in January that we will miss too.  

I have been working at getting the tour guide association that I work with to the Family History Center and it was planned for Thursday night - before I knew that the kids were coming.  So I had to leave and go to that while they ate dinner, went to Belmont Park and played.  I had felt so impressed that it would be a good thing to have one of the meetings there but as it got closer so it - not many were signing up.  I have to admit that I was starting to doubt.  But many more came than I thought would (about 30) and many came early to be able to tour the facility and to get some one on one starter help.  When I left after the meeting there were four or five of the tour guides seated at computers getting signed up on Family Search!  The man giving the introduction to the center did a great job.  He took the name of a lady who the tour guides talk about all of the time.  Kate Sessions.  She helped bring in plants from all over the world to beautify San Diego and planted the Balboa Park.  He then showed them how to search through census records, etc. to learn more about her and helped them have more details to use when they talk about her.  They talked about others that they wanted to learn more about and he showed them how to do it.  It was great and they were really happy we went there.  I was pleased.  

I met everyone back at the beach house and joined in the games that were going on there.  The beach house was packed with 22 people so we gladly took four of the girls home with us for a sleepover!  What fun!  We went to the pool and then to the hot tub.  While in the hot tub we had the opportunity to meet others from the complex and talk to them.  The girls were great little missionaries and helped me tell about the Mormon Battalion.  I will go on splits with you guys any day.  

Bathroom selfie

We worked again a half day Friday and then took off to go play at La Jolla Shores Beach.  It was so fun to be there with everyone.  I just love watching people at the beach.  There are so many different ways to enjoy it.  Kids are the best.  They can just play and play and use great creativity.  Cousins were enjoying each other.  We were enjoying kids and grandkids.  The best. What a fun day.  

The Girls at the beach!

We went for a hike to find the party house.
Forgot to take a picture of that but saw
this great photo op and took this one.
Kilee, Kaitlyn and Dalten

Luke, Seth and James!

Watch out for James!  He can
really catch a football!

Crepes - Kamree, Olivia and Emmie!

We took Olivia, Kamree and Emmie home with us this time for a sleep over with them.  We got to go to the pool and over to the exercise room with them that night.  We were all so tired that we couldn't even watch a movie before hitting the bed!

Saturday was another beach day.  This time we went to Black’s beach where we can use the key from the Institute to go down to the private beach area.  By this time, Aimee’s and Heather’s families had left to go home and it was just Kira and Ryan's family there.  We had a great time, went home to shower up and then got back together to play some more games.  

Jocelyn, Kira, Jaden, Nya, Kamree and Olivia

So This is what I saw when I went
to get out of the car at church.  A
new style?  

It was fun to have Kira's family over for crepes again before Sunday church.  It was so nice to be able to show off our family to so many of our good friends in the ward.  I was impressed that the kids stayed all three hours for church too.  I think that they probably learned a bit of our spoiled they are to live in an area where they have tons of members of the church.  The Young Women's program is very small and the Primary is tiny too.  It was a great day.  

All in all it was a great, busy week.  We were very tired by the end of it but so thrilled to have family around us!  

On Tuesdays Sister Knorr makes goodies
and the missionaries REALLY love
partaking!

We took a group picture before Aimee and Heather's families took off to go home.  All are here except for Tora.  She must have been napping.