November 22, 2014

Thanksgiving!  What am I thankful for?  So many things.  I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for the opportunity of sharing it with others and being a part of this great "Hastening of the Work".  I am grateful to be here on a mission in beautiful San Diego working with the wonderful people that we have the opportunity to know and love.  This has been an experience that has changed us and brought us lots of joy.  I am thankful for the many, many, many miracles we have been able to know about and be a part of.  We see them everyday and recognize most of them for what they are.

Don and Alex- what a nice guy!

There are so many things here that we love and will miss when it is time to hang up our name tags and go home.  But there are things back home that we are really grateful for too!  We love our family and friends.  We are so thankful for you in our lives.  You give us purpose and anchor.  We are so grateful for your good hearts and desires to do good in your lives.  We are grateful for wonderful grandchildren who are learning and growing up to be great people.  We love you and your love for us brings us so much joy.  Thanks to all of you.  It is fun to be here during the holidays but it is also very hard to be missing our traditions and the opportunity to be with you all.  We will be missing you and thinking of you this Thanksgiving Day!  And counting you as our many blessings!  Love you!

Alex Boye singing, "How Great
Thou Art"!

Sunday started off our week in the best way possible.  We had Don and Cheryl Elm show up at our house for dinner and then we took off together to a fireside here in San Diego.  The fireside was Alex Boye!  Oh he is an amazing man and talent.  It was a great fireside and we really enjoyed seeing it with Don and Cheryl.  Don has admired Alex Boye on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and was so excited to see him.  Cheryl was able to get a picture of him with Alex and I took a candid shot of him as he sang his last song.  It was a fireside that I will always remember.  He told of being born in England, being left by his mom to be raised by his uncle who put him in to boarding schools.  He told how he learned the gospel was the truth and used it to bless his life and change him.  He has an amazing story and is sharing the gospel with it and his talents.  He gave several private firesides in the home of stake presidents in the area and there are stories that come in each day of the people who were touched by him.  He and his band also played for two YSA dances on Saturday.

Tour guide meeting

Monday was our last San Diego Professional Tour Guide meeting.  We met at a tour guide company's business.  They do tours for Seniors and have a great business taking them on short tours around San Diego and Los Angeles, Day Tripper Tours.  It was fun to be at the meeting with our friends.  Next month is our Christmas Party and then I will be done with my tenure as secretary.  They have been so grateful for the little that I have done and have really been good to work with.  It has been a great way to get to know others and be involved with them often enough to share what we are doing here and be examples.  It has been harder to keep up with all they want me to do lately since we are in the office and will be good to not have the added responsibilities.  We have made lots of friends there and will continue to go to the meetings until our time here is over.  We will miss them all.

My "lunch" on Tuesday!  Mint brownie
a lemon bar and a bulillio!
What could be better?!

 Tuesday is P day and it has become a very hard day to eat right.  It is the day a lot of the elders come to pick up mail and their missionary needs.  Sister Knorr brings goodies and shares with us all - and of course, I couldn't offend her and not eat them, right?  You know all that weight that I lost before our mission?  I found it.  But it sure is fun!  This week she brought yummy lemon bars and her famous mint brownies on the same day.  I had several of each.  And then to tempt us even more, the mission president stopped by a little grocery store close to the mission office and picked up bolillos - still warm!  Yes, we got some work done too.  Then that night we were invited to dinner!  Cherie and Bart Houck invited us for his famous pot roast.  What a great meal!  Cherie is the one I have told you about who has come back to church since we knocked on her door as an inactive member about a year ago.  She has come back to the temple, works at the mission office with us and is in the Relief Society Presidency.  We are still trying to get her husband to realize that he needs to come back too.  he is a big man with a big heart and we love him.

Elder Gillespe's creation

 The rest of the week flew by.  Wednesday was work and then we went to visit with a sister from our ward who has just had the same surgery I had while stranded in Hawaii several years ago.  She is a new convert and is struggling with the ward split that we just had a few months ago.  After work on Thursday there was a Relief Society activity night.  I was able to take several sisters with me who we are working with in the ward and it was a nice evening.  Friday was a really nice evening!  We basically did nothing!  Those evenings are few and far between when we have them but so welcome when we do.

During the week, our Elder Gillespie came back from visiting his dad during his last days on earth and then going to his funeral.  We have worried and prayed for him going through such a hard thing and he came and brought us this wonderful "happy" bouquet to say thanks and put it on my desk!  What fun.  It has been great to see how he has dealt with his trial - he has chosen to serve and love people more!  He said that he earned most of the money for his mission by being a clown and making balloon animals, people etc.

Bart and Cherie at the beach.  Beautiful day!

Saturday is our day to catch up with things here at the apartment and do rest up for the week.  We did well with the resting up part of that but didn't try very hard on the apartment.  Just enjoyed the beautiful weather and beach!  It was perfect temperature and a beautiful day with Bart and Cherie.  Ahhhhh!  Just love it here.

This is the pass along card.

We are getting geared up for the new Christmas program that the church is launching the day after Thanksgiving.  It is called "He is the Gift".  Each of the missionary companionships will receive  enough cards to be able to pass out 10 per day from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  The card points to christmas.mormon.org which will have a new short video on Christ and Christmas.  You Tube will have a media blitz on December 7th and all of the advertising will be by the church.  Each December Ensign will have 9 pass along cards for all members to have the opportunity to join in and help with the effort.  The church is asking all members to share the different media things on Face Book etc.  and to try to help flood the earth with the message.  I have spent many hours putting together all of the things that the missionary companionships will need.  Our ward will be having its 5th Sunday meeting on how all of us as members can help "Share the Gift".  I am excited to be a part of this great inspired effort.  Hope you are too!  Look for it and be a part of it.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Perfect San Diego day at the beach!

This is a picture taken by me of Cheryl
taking a picture of Alex and Don!