Home for the Holidays Matters

Matters of Leaving TMM 12.21.18

Merry Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year 2019! Being senior missionaries has its perks in many ways, but being able to come home for Colton and Anne’s wedding and the holidays is the best yet.

On Friday, December 21, we took an Uber to the Laredo Airport to fly to Utah. Because our missionary assignment is teaching seminary and institute, we are “off” for the holidays along with schools. The little Laredo airport is quite a contrast to the monoliths of terminals in Dallas. We took trains to our terminal for the flight to SLC. We had left our winter clothes in SLC, so we were happy to get into coats and warm outerwear once in Utah’s ice and snow. As we crossed the street to our car rental, familiar faces greeted us from a car window. It was the Bodily family from Laredo! Small world!

When we got to the house and began talking into the morning hours, we realized that it was VERY cold—for INSIDE the house. Jim tried to get the furnace (quite new, BTW) going to no avail. I insisted that he call our service people so that they could get to the furnace first thing in the morning. Luckily, we are on a maintenance plan, and they sent a serviceman immediately. He worked on the furnace for a couple of hours, replaced a part, and left us with a house that would soon be warm enough to sleep in. Luckily downstairs was retaining heat, and most of the family didn’t even know the drama that was going on all night.

Attending sacrament meeting at our home ward in West Valley was a great reminder of the many musical talents that bless us here. The magnificent choir had 34 singers, two accomplished accompanists (Brother Gubler on the organ and Brother Magee on the piano), plus Sister Allen on the flute. The music was heavenly. Sandy Tyson is the choir director (and probably wrote the program). It was beautiful! I especially liked “And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful!”  It was an awesome start to the Christmas holiday.

Christmas Day was calm and sweet. Cameron was very excited to get a karaoke machine, three Harry Potter games, and a ukulele. It was fun to watch his reaction—just like still having a child in the house. Mostly he was thrilled to have us at home.

Our family party was on Thursday, December 27, the 69th anniversary of my mother’s birth. We had such fun playing the Saran-wrapped-ball game! One ball for the little ones, one for the teens, and one for the adults—each full of prizes, gift cards, and money. Donny snatched the big prize right out of Anne’s shaking hands and took home the big money. “Baby Macie” had a bag full of prizes she dragged around all night. So that the contents would not spill, I taped the bag before they left. Macie said, “Grandma, I’m sorry I ripped it.” Ha, ha. Everyone was a winner. It was great to be together this Christmas.

The morning of December 29 dawned, crisp and cold. Devastation set in when Colton could not find his marriage license. He was beside himself as the minutes clicked by. The Temple assured him that they could NOT be wed without it. After they had searched everywhere, we sent Bryce to the new apartment in Provo to search through boxes and folders, in case Colton had accidentally packed it. Just in the nick of time, Bryce called to report success! He was able to get to the temple in time, and the day was saved. The ceremony was sweet and beautiful as these two special people covenanted and promised their lives to each other for now and eternity together. Pictures to follow. The luncheon and reception were simple and fun.

We were thrilled to see friends and family and join in the wonder of Christmas in snowy Utah. However, we are not sad to return to a much warmer, greener new year in south Texas! We LOVE teaching the special young people in Laredo and assisting in building the Lord’s Kingdom in the Texas McAllen Mission. We love being in the middle of the excitement of building a new stake. We are happy for the Orozco Family who were also sealed on Saturday in the Salt Lake Temple. What blessings are coming to the faithful members in Laredo! Bishop Orozco is the new bishop of the Laredo Second Ward and a diligent servant in strengthening the youth. Every day he shows up at early-morning seminary to bring, encourage, and bless the lives of our students!

Early tomorrow we get on the plane and head back to the mission field. We are counting our many blessings, including all of you. We love you all. We are reminded constantly of the urgency in preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Repentance is a gift that we can partake of because of Christ’s infinite atonement. Our prayer is that we all partake of the gift.

Tender Mercies Matter TMM

TMM Promises Matter

A week and a half ago I was asked to play for Sylvia’s baptism. Like all of the baptisms we attend, it was a marvelous experience. Sylvia’s young-adult son has special needs (probably autism), and he wanted to be the one playing the piano. He tried to displace me on the bench as he pounded out a few handfuls of keys. I just smiled at him and teased a little bit about how he could certainly take my place. Some missionaries gathered him and his backpack and gently steered him away. The young man wandered during much of the service, making random sounds, but calmed during the baptism itself in the arms of kind, loving Elders. I was so impressed with the elders, who may have had a “special” person in their families, wards, or schools. They knew how to envelop and to show caring to this child of God. It was their way of welcoming not only his mother but her son into the kingdom of God. It reminded me of the kindnesses of young men to Cameron as he was going through school. When Cameron was on the HHS wrestling team, I was touched over and over by the loving actions of boys from all over the state, who did not know Cam but knew to treat him with respect, love, and generosity. Parents in the Church are doing a great job raising such compassionate men.

Sunday in the 1st Ward Mario Gonzales gave his farewell talk before leaving on his mission to Merida, Mexico. Mario is a third-generation Latter-Day Saint. His parents and grandparents also shared their testimonies. They were all thrilled to have him serve a mission, though it is difficult to send him into perilous circumstances. His younger brother gave an excellent talk on how missionaries are assigned to missions, and his teenage sister (ward chorister) bore her testimony. It was an inspirational meeting! The members here needed to see the example of strength and testimony that can happen through faithful church service over three generations. Not all of our young people have family support. So many of our students are the lone members in their families, and it is difficult for them to remain faithful, get up early for seminary, pay tithes and offerings, read scriptures and pray, and start faithful families of their own. Those families who make the effort to bring their families to church every week and teach the gospel in their homes are building a foundation for generations who will be prepared for the Second Coming. Thanks to new Bishop Orozco (and Sister Orozco) who have brought students to seminary every day, some feel that kind of support and testimony from their leaders.

As we left seminary on Tuesday morning, we were filled with the power of a glorious sunrise. Three of our seminary students were also thrilled at the sight and took several selfies and video to preserve the moment. In viewing that few seconds of video, they saw a “sign” in the heavens—a heart in the stunning clouds hovering over the church steeple. They think it really means something. I think it was a tender mercy sent to bless these faithful “jovenes” who attended early-morning seminary despite the early hour in a week of stress and finals. (Check out the picture!)

The Second Coming is a theme from the Prophet and apostles. President and Sister Nelson talk often about the gathering of Israel (missionary work) and the role of our young people in preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Savior. Elder Holland says he has never seen a prophet emphasize so strongly this theme and that it must mean something! President Torres (our mission president) stressed the responsibility we have to get ready and help others get ready for Jesus to come again. He teaches constantly about the signs. President Torres personally believes that this generation of young people will see the Second Coming, and that is why the Prophet teaches and advocates for this preparation all the time. Did you see the talks by the Nelsons about a recent trip where there were members of all tribes present? The literal gathering of Israel is definitely underway. Amazing! We have been warned.

In 4th Ward on Sunday the Primary sang “If I Were a Shepherd” by Stephanie K. Adams. She wrote it for her neighborhood children to sing as part of her personal “light-the-world” project. I had never heard it before, but it touched my heart with the beautiful music and the message. I looked it up when I got home and found the video and the free music download. She encourages us to use the song in our homes and at church. I especially love the final verse which says: “I’m not a shepherd; I’m not a traveling wise man. I’m not an angel. I love Him just the same. I’m a disciple. I choose to love and serve Him, to follow His commandments, to take upon His name. I’m a disciple. . .I’m a disciple. . .I’m a disciple!” That is my message this Christmastime. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I am His disciple!

Matters of the Season in the TMM

Matters in the TMM

A sweet Cameron story: When Jill and Cameron were here for Thanksgiving, we had some adventures in San Antonio from the River Walk cruise to Sea World to the Alamo, but our first stop is always the beautiful San Antonio temple. We love to pick up this and that at the distribution center while we are there. We were “shopping” along with a few others who were at the temple that day, and I overheard the clerks talking to a man there who was obviously a stake patriarch. As this brother went to leave, he came up to Cameron and asked if he could have a hug from “this celestial being.” Even though Cam didn’t have his “free hugs” t-shirt on, he was happy to oblige. With tears in his eyes this kind man hugged Cameron, saying that he could feel Cam’s spirit and that he was sure Cam was the most righteous person there. (Obviously he doesn’t have to get Cameron up in the mornings! Ha!)

What a marvelous week we had here in Laredo! The week culminated with three very beautiful testimony meetings. In the Spanish-speaking wards people line up to bear testimony. Literally. It was very touching, and the Spirit was strong. In second ward our good friend Brother Orozco was sustained as the new bishop. We will miss him as YSA advisor, but what a great bishop he will be! He was at seminary this morning to find out what youth he needed to work with to get them to seminary. He and his family will be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 29—the same day and place as Colton and Anne. Bishop Orozco only speaks Spanish, and we know he will have a tremendous influence on the youth, as he has had for many years with the young adults.

It was awesome to meet Elsa at 6th branch yesterday for her first church meeting. We watched her pay her tithing—really like the widow’s mite—determined to keep that commandment following the missionary lesson they had given this last week. She is scheduled to be baptized on Dec. 19, so we can be there. She loved the testimonies that were born and the spirit of the meeting and the people. Elder Flanagan is preparing to do the baptism in Spanish, as Elsa does not speak English. Elsa and Idalia parted ways, so Elsa is living in a church downtown where she is now a caretaker. Her home in Nuevo Laredo was broken into (literally, by smashing a hole in the wall), and everything was stolen. We are trying to help her find steady work here. Elsa says she used to watch the missionaries come and go in Mexico and wondered why they didn’t come to her, knowing in her heart that she needed what they had. Now she rejoices in finding the gospel of Jesus Christ!

In fourth ward Idalia was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was so excited. She wanted to know what was next. She was glad to hear that the ward Christmas dinner is on Saturday because she wants to “be involved in everything.” Her baptism was a trial. She was so afraid of the water, petrified about getting in and out of the font with legs that don’t work, and not knowing how it was all going to work to be immersed. The second attempt was successful, but there was some screaming and crying even as everyone worked to get her out of the font. She was faithful and determined, willing to do whatever it took to make her covenant with God.

The Sisters texted us to come and bring an investigator to church for the first time in 4th Ward (English). We met them at Josie’s apartment, and took her to church. In fact, those sisters had about ten first-time visitors there yesterday. Josie (65) is quite a character. She came to dinner with the Sisters and a pair of Elders, and when we took her home, she invited us in to see her Christmas wonderland. Her whole life is wrapped up in her “stuff.” She has lived quite a rough life. Her siblings are telling her not to listen to the “Mormons,” but that makes her more determined to hear the gospel. She is spending the holidays in San Antonio with family and friends. She came out of the three hours of meetings with questions for us about the temple. Although our assignment is to teach the young people here, we are grateful for the experiences to influence others with our testimonies and lifestyle.

The powerful testimonies that were shared in 4th Ward were a blessing to all of us. Sister Niggliazzo’s words were inspiring and really helped us teach our seminary lesson this morning on forgiveness (D&C 64). She is a beautiful, articulate mother, teacher, and attorney. Her husband was just released as 4th branch president to be a counselor in the stake presidency. She told about years of bad feelings toward her father who abandoned their family and disappeared when she was young. Her story has a happy ending, as she told of rescuing her father who was found wandering in NorthCarolina with no memory of his name, addictions, or past life. She was able to develop a sweet, forgiving relationship with him before he died this year. Others bore witness of the difference the gospel has made in their lives as they try to change their lives and focus on the Savior.

The Sisters asked for an invitation to dinner, and we were happy to have them come. We had ribs cooking in the crockpot when they informed us at our middle meeting that they had also invited the Elders. This week is transfers, so about half of our missionaries will be going somewhere else. We love to have missionaries to dinner, especially when we are losing some of these young friends this week. The more, the merrier, BUT we did not have enough food for six of us. Yay for the Instapot! We pulled out frozen chicken and fixed a second menu of crack chicken. (Hurray for ribs for us today!) So, we invited Josie and seven of us shared a meal. The yummy pecan pie was shared in tiny pieces with lots of whipped cream. If they can eat what we eat, they are welcome to share our meals!

Much love to all of you! May we all focus on the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. May we take every opportunity to “Light the World” this Christmas season. Our prayer is to put aside the world and draw closer to God. Please pray for us. We are excited to come home for a few days at this fabulous time of year.

Front-Page News Matters

Front-Page News Matters

Yesterday was the long-awaited day for Laredoans! Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a generation of missionaries who have served here, and earnest investigators packed the Hillside Chapel to participate in the historic creation of Laredo’s first stake of Zion. It was thrilling! Elder McKay’s talk was moving and eloquent. Elder Villareal’s message was exciting. The testimonies of the new stake presidency were inspiring. The music by the choir was excellent. I guess that’s my quota of adjectives for the day… I will include pictures—they are worth a thousand words anyway.

As we move into DECEMBER (can you believe it?), we have put up our little Christmas tree and tried some recipes. Next thing we know, we will be boarding a plane for SLC.

I forgot to tell last week about our adventure—The Great Escape—from the IMAX theater. We enjoyed the film The Alamo, Fight for Freedom at the theater near the Alamo in downtown San Antonio. It was really better than three hours of John Wayne’s Alamo. It was a Keith Merrill film, very well-done. In our minds we were trying to figure out the exit that would get us closest to our parking lot, so we chose the far exit near the back of the building. It was a dirty stairwell, but a couple flights of cement stairs did not deter us. We followed the exit sign and let the door close behind us. When we got to the street doors, we were shocked to see signs that warned us in bold letters NOT to open the alarmed doors. We weighed the pros and cons of being arrested for illegal exit or going back up the stairs. As it happens, we are a group of rule keepers, and we trudged back up the blood-spattered stairwell (well. . . It might have been red paint, but I’m just not sure!). Oh, oh! The door was firmly locked behind us and were trapped. No choice—we had to charge the wired doors and hope we could outrun the cops amid the screaming alarms and stares of street people. We were so worried that we tried calling the theater to beg for help, but no human answered. Press forward! We were almost disappointed when there was no audible alarm. No one took any notice as we “calmly” walked away.

Missionary life goes on in sunny Laredo. Every day teaching is the best calling ever! Flowers continue to bloom and temperatures are back in the 80s. Christmas and cacti. We love the people here! Please pray for us to have the stamina to do what the Lord needs us to do here in south Texas. We love you all and can hardly wait to see you in three weeks. Stop by if you are in the Salt Lake area! Have a wonderful holiday season. Serve others. Love everyone. Sing Christmas songs. Pray. HE is the greatest gift!

Matters of Thanksgiving in the TMM

Matters of Giving Thanks TMM 11.27.18

What a blessed, wonderful week we have had! We picked up Cameron at the San Antonio airport on Monday and drove back to Laredo. On Tuesday we took him with us to District Meeting, and he was asked to give the prayer. All the elders and sisters made a big fuss over him, and Cameron was thrilled to meet the missionaries here. Jim took him and went to lunch with Idalia and Elsa, who also thought he was the bees’ knees. Cameron loved their soup and again was asked to pray. Late on Tuesday we picked up Jill at the Laredo airport.  The best thing about the week was to have Jill and Cameron with us!

Wednesday was sight-seeing day in Laredo, and we were shocked to see the new razor wire all along the river as well as extra border patrol and police. Every store and parking lot in the city was packed in preparation for the holiday season. I hate lines! We did not do much shopping except for last-minute dinner supplies for Thanksgiving.

We were happy to welcome four young elders for Thanksgiving dinner! Because we eat a very strict diet to control Jim’s diabetes, other ailments, and weight, we hoped they would like what we had fixed for our sugar-free, grain-free, fruit-free meal. The ketogenic food was a big hit because, luckily, we CAN eat whipped cream, butter, nuts, and our own style of rolls, sauces, and desserts. We counted our blessings again and again during the week. It is especially wonderful to be here in Laredo, serving the Lord.

We spent Friday and Saturday in beautiful San Antonio. Sea World was absolutely magical—decked in millions of holiday lights with traditional Christmas music dancing on the air. The animals (particularly the whales, dolphins, and penguins!) were breath-taking. We really loved our visit there. We always love the River Walk by boat, the history lessons of the Alamo, AND the weather. We met a few families who stopped us because of our missionary badges to say “Hello” and ask how our mission was going. Cam and Jim met a man with his son who had Down Syndrome. They had a joyous visit.

At the hotel on Saturday we shared the elevator with a grandmother holding her young granddaughter. The woman asked us if we had been there for the weekend meeting (looking at our badges). We assured her that we had, thinking she meant President Nelson and company. As it turned out, she meant a world conference of some kind for Christians, mostly from India and that area of the world. She told us that she and her family were there because great-grandma had fallen and broken her neck. They had gathered with her at the hospital and taken 5-generation pictures. Then she told us that the great-grandmother was Sophie, and would we please pray for her? And please pray that she will find Jesus so she won’t meet her Maker without faith. So, we added them all to our prayers this week. The power of a badge with Christ’s name on it!

Idalia and Elsa are still on-track for baptism on Dec. 8. Elsa has asked Jim to do the baptism, so he is learning the baptism prayer in Spanish—since she doesn’t speak English. This weekend is the long-awaited formation of the Laredo Stake! We are truly grateful to be here for this historic day. The Lord blesses us to be able to get up at 4:30 every morning and begin our day in prayer, scriptures, and lessons with our seminary students. Every day is filled with spiritual blessings. Please continue to pray for us and the people of Laredo. We love you all very much. See you soon for Christmas and Colton’s wedding.

Following the Prophet Matters

Following the Prophet Matters

This really wonderful week was topped by our trip to San Antonio to hear (and see from a distance and on-screen) the Prophet! We were staying less than a mile from the Alamodome, so we were able to walk alongside other Saints who had gathered from around Texas with their sweet families. Almost 24,000 filled the arena, with Laurels and priests on the floor closest to the Prophet. Through a tender mercy we arrived at the same time as other senior missionaries from McAllen and were able to sit together. We waited nearly two hours for the devotional to begin, so it was a blessing to share it with the Hunts and the Hunsakers (who were on their way home to Washington state). The other amazing blessing was that I got a text in the Dome from my cousin Susan, who lives in Austin, asking if we were in attendance. She asked where we were, and I replied, “Section 138.” She quickly messaged back that they were in Section 137, and we could see them when they stood. We moved into the foyer so that we could chat for a few minutes while people streamed into the meeting. It was a sweet blessing! Besides the beautiful choir music and the six absolutely stellar, inspirational talks, we were entranced by the sweet young fathers walking their babies and the patient young mothers wrestling with young children in the early evening of a long Sabbath day. Talks by Sister and Elder Ochoa, Sister and Elder Bednar, and Sister and President Nelson were faith-promoting! We were grateful to be able to walk back to the hotel and avoid the shuttles, the parking, and the traffic leaving the event.

 Monday afternoon, following an expensive trip to Costco, we picked up Cameron at the airport. If you see the picture, be sure to notice the Christmasy, San Antonio-style wallpaper behind him. The “300” refers to the 300th anniversary of San Antonio. We are thrilled to have him here an. d excited to pick up Jill at the Laredo airport in a couple of hours. While I write this, Jim and Cam are laughing their way through game after game of UNO. I have a feeling that Cameron is winning handily time after time. Cam was able to go with us to District meeting today, where the missionaries warmly welcomed him and had him give the opening prayer. He also got to go to lunch with Idalia and Elsa, the investigators Jim is helping to teach.

The story of Idalia and Elsa is a sweet and inspirational story. Since Idalia is on dialysis and needs assistance, especially on those days, and Elsa is here from across the border because her husband is in a care facility, they met and became helpers to each other to meet their needs. They read the Book of Mormon to each other, marking and studying as they find answers to their prayers. Both have committed to baptism on Dec. 8. Join us in praying for them to be well enough to enter the waters and make the covenant. They are both very excited to have found the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Thursday we had a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner with other senior couples, Presidente and Hermana Torres, and McAllen missionaries in McAllen. We took some of our “keto” holiday favorites to share. It was such a great day! President Torres and Elder Valdez (who is 83!) sang some traditional Latino songs. I’ll post the short video. Finally we sat around in a circle to give expressions of thankfulness, and then had more pictures taken. We shared the five hours on the road with our friends Elder and Sister Shaw. It is always a blessing to be with them.

We are thankful to be here, in Laredo, in the Texas McAllen Mission, to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel the urgency to share the “mensajes” and strengthen each other as Laredo becomes a stake, and we all prepare for the Savior to come again. We are thankful for our amazing seven children and 25 “nietos.” We have a blessed life! Thanks to all of you for your love, support, and prayers. Have  wonderful day of gratitude on Thursday. Feel God’s love and know that we are praying for you and thanking Him for you in our lives.

Excitement Matters in the TMM

TMM Excitement Matters

Elder Flanagan has had some marvelous experiences working with the young missionaries this week. He just returned from meeting with Idalia and her new friend and helper Elsa, so thankful for the strong spirit there as they teach and pray and bless these two women. Both recognize the spirit and are grateful for it. Elsa is temporarily living with Idalia, and they support and help each other. Idalia is on dialysis, waiting to be well enough to be baptized. Elsa is here in Laredo from Nuevo Laredo while her husband is in assisted living and unable to go back to her home because she could not get back across the border. She told Elder Flanagan that she often saw missionaries in Mexico visiting her neighbors and wished they would come to her because she knew they had something she needed. The two women are reading the Book of Mormon to each other.

The missionary sisters had a baptism Saturday and have a couple more on Thursday. They taught and baptized Mia and reactivated her family. It was so sweet to see the family at church together on Sunday. Mia is twelve and deaf. The next two baptisms are teenagers. It is a very exciting time in Laredo!

We didn’t get back from the temple in time for Mia’s baptism. We had a senior-missionary temple trip with our “senior” friends from the Texas McAllen Mission. It was a wonderful day! Five hours in the car with the Shaws helped us get to know them better and hear their faith-promoting stories from experiences in Zapata. We had lunch at the Olive Garden, where we were able to find a couple of delicious keto choices. Check out our picture. Yes, our mission president is very young—just turned 40. He and Sister Torres and their four children are in their third year here in Texas from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where he is a businessman and has been a leader in the Church since he was a teenager. He has learned English since he got here two-and-a-half years ago, and usually teaches and speaks in English even though everyone but us probably speaks Spanish fluently. Sister Torres is beautiful, as you can see, elegant, and brilliant. She also speaks English well. We learn a lot from President Torres!

We are getting better with Spanish! Sitting through Spanish meetings is getting easier. Our Spanish class and the work we do on our own in Duolingo and the books we use, are making us more comfortable with the language every day. We are thankful for this experience.

It is CHILLy this week in Laredo—jacket weather. We are having rain and fog with temperatures that drop into the 50s at night. We do not have to turn on heat yet, but we can see how it was possible for Laredo to get snow last year. We had to go to Target and get some jackets because we were not prepared for cold. Of course, people who live here think that it is freezing if the temperatures dip into the 70s.

We LOVE our teaching assignments! In institute the students teach each other and make every class a spiritual experience. We love our seminary students, too—they are brilliant and impressive young people. What a blessing it is to serve here!

Sunday we will be back in San Antonio to hear the Prophet, Elder Bednar, and Elder Ochoa. We will stay overnight in SA, so we can pick up Cameron at the airport the next day. We are very excited for this experience and then the creation of the Laredo Stake on Dec. 1-2.

Our hearts are so full this Thanksgiving time. We love you all. We miss you, but time goes so quickly, and we are truly blessed in so many ways. We are overwhelmed at the tender mercies of God. We are blessed with the best children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins—we love you all. We are thankful to the missionaries all over the world who are enlisted in this great work. We are thankful for every member who works to build the kingdom, and for those who have been prepared to accept the gospel. Happy Thanksgiving!

Matters from TMM

TMM Matters 11.5.18

On Friday Elder Flanagan went with the young missionaries to meet with an investigator. The Sisters had passed off the lady they were teaching because they had met with her in the hospital, but now that she was at home, she was out of their teaching area. Rules are rules, however. Two elders cannot teach a female investigator alone. So, Jim went with them to meet this sweet woman who wants to be baptized as soon as she is well enough. Idalia is on dialysis. They all went back later in the evening to give her a blessing with the friend who referred her to the missionaries. Brother Soto has referred several people—in fact, I met him at church, and he introduced us to the investigator who is his girlfriend. It is an exciting time to be a missionary in Laredo.

On Saturday morning I was asked to give a short talk on the theme at a RS enrichment activity for 4th branch. Before we started, I got a phone call from two of the elders in our zone. They wanted me to play the piano for a baptism, so I left after my talk and went to pick up Jim.

José came up out of the water grinning and with his arm raised in a victory shout. He then bore his testimony and told how he had put off being baptized while the missionaries kept telling him to pray, read, and listen for his answer. In his job as a rehab counselor, José saw many things that prompted him to search for God and His church. We talked to José after the service, and he told us how he had some experiences with the adversary trying to stop him from being baptized. He even had to pull off the road as his tongue and body twisted and he felt dark and alone. The experience made him determined to be baptized. His girlfriend and her sisters were also at the baptism, and we had a great experience talking to them. (I think the girlfriend may be a member.) One of the sisters had a little girl with her who she was babysitting—an eight-year-old who looked at Jim’s badge and asked him if his name was “Elder.” He explained to her that it was a title. She looked at the badge again and touched it, saying, “Oh, your name is Jesus!” Jim explained that he had, indeed, taken Jesus’ name upon him. Little Melia was quite fascinated by the whole church thing. She wanted me to teach her a song on the piano, so I taught her the first line of “I Am a Child of God.” She said, “Is this a kids’ church?” I nodded. “Oh, I thought it was like for college kids.” Funny. Sweet.

On Sunday, José was confirmed and bore his testimony again. It was wonderful and touching and inspiring.

Some of the Sisters texted us to see if we could pick up an investigator for the 1:00 meeting, so we got to meet Aliada, a sixteen-year-old (absolutely beautiful) who loves the church. Her mother will not let her join, but she lets her attend sometimes. We were so impressed with Ali! She bore her testimony! She told how she loved to come to church and how she felt so loved and at peace there. We had a great talk with her as we drove to church. The sisters have tried to find a way for Ali to come to seminary, but Mom again doesn’t want her to attend. She may have to wait until she is an adult, but she will join eventually.

Testimony meetings here are so filled with the Spirit! You have to wait in line to share. Every day here is a spiritual experience. We love teaching and learning on the covenant path! We pray for you day and night. We joyously have prayer and scriptures with Cam twice a day, so we can finish the Book of Mormon again by the end of the year, as President Nelson has asked us to do. We love the Book of Mormon!

Time in TMM Matters

TMM Time Matters

We just finished the first quarter of our mission! I cannot believe how quickly the days, weeks, and months fly by. Eighteen months left in Laredo… We are blessed to be here during this exciting time. We received word that Laredo will be made a stake on December 2! We are all very excited.

Starting every day teaching the gospel to precious teens is the BEST. We love teaching the Doctrine & Covenants and Church History. Our time with Institute students on Thursday nights is uplifting and inspiring. They had their Halloween bash on Friday night, and it was really fun to watch them mix socially. They danced and sang karaoke. I hope you saw the picture! A couple of YSAs came with Elder & Sister Shaw from Zapata to join in. Brother and Sister Orozco are amazing! They feed these kids a couple of times a week, host parties at their house, and bear testimony in everything they do. Brother Orozco is having eye surgery this week, so remember him in your prayers.

I joined Jim’s Spanish class this week—we (the 20 students in our class) must be the only people in Laredo who don’t speak Spanish at least as well as a returned missionary. I had to say the prayer and give my biography in Spanish. It’s really what I need—thinking in Spanish well enough to just talk (or pray). Why are reading, writing, and listening so much easier??? I do love it, though. Our teacher is a darling young mom (my star piano student) whose husband is branch president in Rama 5 (Spanish). They are a beautiful family, so devoted to service in the Church.

We are going to San Antonio on November 18 to see and hear the Prophet at the Alamo Dome! We will stay overnight and pick up Cameron at the airport the next day. He is coming for Thanksgiving week, so we are thinking of some fun things to do while he is here. Jill is coming, too. She will fly into Laredo that Tuesday and spend the holiday. She and Cam will fly back home together from San Antonio. I think she is excited to go to the Spanish church meetings, since she is fluent in Spanish. We are so proud of her for getting an award for MGP (median growth percentile) for the second year in a row—her second full year of teaching. It also means extra money (yay!) when you teach at a Title I school as she does. In math her students had 76% growth over last year. She is an amazing teacher.

Thanks for your prayers, phone calls, love, and support. We are so blessed! We love you. We love the Gospel. We love the people of Laredo, Texas!

Monarch Matters

MATTERS OF MONARCHS

More butterflies! We attended a cultural-historical celebration in Zapata on Saturday. We were too late to see the flamenco dancers, but we did see the historical presentation, the mariachi band, and the butterfly garden. We learned the history of the monarchs (and other butterflies) on the wing to Mexico for the winter season. Many years ago a monarch butterfly garden was planted in Zapata to attract the migrating insects. That is how the Zapata/Laredo area became a stop on the way to wintering grounds in southern Mexico. It takes five generations of monarchs to make the migration from Canada to Mexico! Caterpillars, cocoons, and butterflies appear all over the place as a new generation readies for flight. The beautiful adult monarchs flew around and through the outdoor presentations.

The missionaries (Elder & Sister Shaw and two sets of elders) were busy teaching family history and assisting those who wanted to search their family trees. Genealogy is a huge part of the work. We really wanted to tour the historical museum there, but it was not open yet when we left. We will definitely go back—plus, we want to catch the birdwatching and fishing attractions. Zapata is know world-wide as a migration crossroads for all kinds of wildlife.

We attended two Spanish and one English testimony meeting yesterday. In the Spanish branches the faithful line up to bear testimony. The branch president has to stop them when they are over-time, but they were certainly inspirational meetings. Some of our amazing seminary and institute students were rushing to bear testimony. The theme seemed to be heeding the prophet’s call to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. We also witnessed five more new converts being confirmed. Sundays are busy for us, as we try to attend three branches, give three piano lessons, attend Spanish class, YSA council meeting, and YSA Family Home Evening.

We had a new student at Institute this week. Eric just moved here with his parents to Rio Bravo. He was baptized in April in Iowa. We LOVE teaching and working beside these faithful young adults.

We keep teaching about likening the scriptures to ourselves. I wrote about Cameron’s application last week to “deep sleep” in Mosiah 24:19. This week he really perked up reading Alma 8:19-20: “And as he (Alma) entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat? And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom ad angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.” Now any of you who know Cam know that he is all about the SLEEP and the FOOD! Ha, ha!

Another “likening” really hits us as we look around at the crises and chaos around us and see that the BofM alerts us (as Ezra Taft Benson taught) about false political ideas. The Book of Mormon warns us of dangers to society, and it is very easy to see that the same troubles we see now were wrestled with in the Book of Mormon.

South Texas climate: Yesterday our temperatures were in the 90s. Today the winds had picked up as we left seminary at 7:00, bringing a powerful storm of thunder, lightning, and violent rain. The temperatures plummeted into the 60s (it almost felt cold) and are expected to fall to 40 tonight. We miss the colored leaves and crisp autumn air of Utah. Our beautiful flowering bushes here have been rejuvenated by the rain, leaving Laredo looking like late spring. Pink, red, white, yellow, lavender, and every shade of green! We welcome the lower temperatures.

It lifts our hearts when we get phone calls, messages, and FB picture posts from our family and friends! It is awesome how much our grandkids grow up in five months. We love you all and pray for you. Please pray for us and the people of Laredo, Texas. One of our YSAs bore testimony yesterday about growing up calling Laredo the “gates of hell” because of all the iniquity here and across the bridge in Mexico. That young man accepted the Gospel and was baptized this year. God will prepare His elect. We need your prayers for safety, for health, and for the work. Happiness in this life and the world to come is only through Jesus Christ. Sending our LOVE!

Matters of Inspiration

Matters of Inspiration

Yesterday we went to McAllen, Mission, and COSTCO. We had prayed to have an influence on someone by our words, actions, or appearance. Of course, we were mostly riding in the car, but when we got to COSTCO. . . We walked in and the young man who was there selling DirectTV stopped us. I went on and on about why we did not have DirectTV, but he really wanted to talk to us for a different reason. Finally he said, "I used to be a Mormon!" He said he was baptized--kind of doing a little cheer. He said that he loves Mormons because they are so happy. I said, "Come back! Come back!" and he said "Maybe I will!" I have a feeling he is still on the records somewhere. He would be YSA, and seemed like a very nice young man. I just was not thinking, or I would have gotten his name and contact information. We tried to call the mission office, but no one answered. I contacted Bro. Salmond, who is our CES supervisor and a stake president there, and asked if he or someone from his stake YSA could follow up by trying to find this young “Mormon” again. If not, maybe we planted a seed anyway, and the Lord's ways are not our ways.

Today we had a flu-shot clinic before Zone Conference. Well, it was supposed to be zone conference, but we found that the conference had been canceled because of our visit from two members of the First Quorum of Seventy a couple of weeks ago. That gave us an opportunity to take Elder and Sister Shaw (from Zapata) and go Laredo sightseeing. Unfortunately, for some reason, the museums were closed, but we wandered around “downtown” and saw some interesting and historical sights. I will post some pictures. We loved the central square and St. Augustine church (1755). The temperatures are dropping—at least temporarily—into the 70s this week. Last time we were downtown it was 114 degrees, so we didn’t do much walking around. It was a very quiet morning today, so we saw the historic Kress and Woolworth buildings, perfumerias, souvenir shops, and all kinds of “tiendas” only a block and a Rio Grande from Mexico.

On our trip back from McAllen yesterday, we had to pull off to let the rain ease up, but what beautiful rainbows! The way the sunlight hit the trees and lit them up with rainbows was breathtaking. In Rio Grande City we stopped at the HEB plus to get Zevia (stevia-sweetened soda pop), Heinz ketsup with no sugar added, and some mayo to add to the delicious, bunless Whataburger! We drove on looking for a park where we could “picnic.” Miles and miles of Texas mesquite and wild grass, but we could find no place to eat. We finally saw a campus of public schools and a sign that pointed down the road to the College of Southern Texas. So there in La Joya we pulled off the Main Street to explore and found an LDS chapel. That felt like home, so we just stopped there to eat our keto lunch. This really is an interesting part of the country! South Texas is full of history, wildlife, and sights just made for exploring and discovering.

General conference was powerful! Is it always that wonderful? Is the music always that beautiful? Is the spirit always that strong? How blessed we are with technology. How blessed we are with living prophets and apostles! How blessed we are to be part of the gathering of Israel! How blessed we are to be teaching the young people of the Church and to begin every day with life-changing lessons and experiences! We love you all! Please pray for us, as we do for you.

Matters of Beauty and Tragedy

Every morning and evening Cameron calls us via FaceTime for prayer and scriptures. He usually reads his verses and then goes back to bed for “a little more sleep.” At 6:30 in the morning he really isn’t much interested in discussing gospel principles or Book of Mormon stories and lessons. That is why we were so shocked when he cheerily ended Mosiah 24 by saying he especially liked verse 19 and wanted to read it again. Jim and I laughed as he read, “And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.” Since then he has had us repeat verses that catch his attention—usually those with words that match a song he knows. Ah, we miss his funniness!

Norma was baptized on Saturday! She is the one who met us at the San Antonio Temple. The Sisters taught her, and she prayed for an answer. She was completely overcome by the spirit and felt such peace. It was a happy day! Every weekend is filled with baptisms.

We attended two Primary Sacrament meetings on Sunday—one in English and one in Spanish. They were so beautiful. The Spanish branch was packed with visitors. Hearing children sing songs of the gospel is a very sweet missionary tool. I was playing for the Spanish program, and it was a delight to be part of it. The little rascals I had come to know in practices turned into angels. I had never seen a Primary make such a big deal—in fact, I know we are advised against it, but it was beautiful. A sign above the choir seats proclaimed “programa de la primaria—Soy un Hijo de Dios” in huge gold-glittered letters. The children were dressed in white with the boys in gold bow ties and the girls in gold hair bows. They had a photo op outside the chapel with white lights on a white backdrop, gold flowers, etc. The English branch had a regular, Utah-type program—and it was just as beautiful. The children really sang well!

Roadkill: Million of butterflies are smashed against cars’ windows and grills today as we drive the Elders back from Hebbronville! They are beautiful and tragic. We have seen some really gorgeous bugs on the wing! Large, small, and medium butterflies and moths swarm over hundreds of square miles in southern Texas this week. I’ve heard that we should drive to Mission, Texas, where there is a butterfly refuge. I understand there are monuments and statues to the migrating butterflies.  It is near McAllen. (There is a Costco in McAllen---road trip!!) Other unfortunate animals we often see as roadkill: armadillos, fawns, possum, etc.

We love the Lord’s work! We love the people here! We love teaching the youth and the YSA! We love learning Spanish! We love the scriptures! We love YOU! You are in our prayers every day (and we pray a lot!). We are thankful you are in our lives. Please pray for us in your families.

Family History Matters

Family History Matters

At the San Antonio Temple on Saturday, we met a missionary who said that he and his wife were assigned to help new members get to the temple with family names as soon as possible. We were there with Carmen and the Sisters doing exactly that. Carmen, a member for exactly one week, was there with her father’s name and other family names to begin their work in the waters of baptism. It was a touching and beautiful thing to watch the young people from our District performing baptisms for the dead at the temple. Our seminary boys were baptizing, and young men, women, and adults were doing work for their family members. In the San Antonio Temple the baptistry is just inside the front doors. We can stand at the large picture window and watch these ordinances being done in the keyhole-shaped font beneath beautiful stained-glass windows glowing in the morning sun. The font does indeed look like a keyhole with the steps leading into the waters that open the door to ordinances and covenants needed for eternal life.

Carmen was so excited. She told me that her dad and mom had been taught by the missionaries and often fed them before she was born when they lived in Mexico. Her parents often talked together about the things they were learning about the gospel. Then they came to the U.S. and life got busy; they lost track of the missionaries but never lost their interest in the gospel. Carmen’s dad died a few years ago, and Carmen had a spiritual witness that her dad wanted her to get baptized and do his temple work. We had five more convert baptisms in Laredo on Saturday. It is such a blessing to be here and see people making these covenants! We just heard that President Nelson will be coming to the Alamo Center in San Antonio in November!

After we had lunch, we returned to the temple so the sisters could meet with an investigator and pray with her. Norma had postponed her baptismal date, waiting for her answer—a spiritual confirmation of the truth. The sisters invited her to come to the temple to pray for her answer. Because Norma was visiting a friend in San Antonio, she came. She cried and prayed. Carmen and the sisters sat and talked with her. She said she finally felt peace, and they explained to her that is how the Holy Ghost touches our hearts and bears witness of the truth. Norma had attended church with a friend, and was referred to the missionaries. Forces of the world, and friends who pull against God’s church, are fighting against the great work of Jesus Christ and His missionaries. The temple is a place of spiritual peace and love. Another set of missionaries had a family there, too. They are teaching the family and wanted them to feel the sweet spirit that flows from the temple.

Most of the branches are having their Primary Sacrament Meeting Program this coming Sunday. We heard some practices this week, and we are so touched by the spirit of children’s music in the Church. In English or in Spanish, these little people sing the songs of the gospel with all their hearts. I noticed especially one little girl who was baptized with her family only last week. Some sing to the piano, and some sing to a cellphone, but however they are accompanied, the sweet testimonies of the children’s singing melts my heart!

In institute last week we were talking about “a marvelous work is about to come forth” (meaning the restored church of Jesus Christ). We were asking our newest members what is “marvelous” about the gospel to them. They had many answers, but one that touched my heart was from a new member who said that as she tries to read and understand the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants she finds more and more of what promises and blessings come from living the gospel.

Yesterday, we walked into 1st Branch as our dear friend Jackie, who has Down Syndrome, was leading the music. Her dad was at the back of the chapel, encouraging and directing her. She stood there with such joy, not singing, but leading us all. Her arms were both lifted high and her eyes were looking upward as if she were dedicating the music and her service to God. The sacrament song was especially moving. “Once a meek and lowly lamb, now in glory comes to earth!” Jim’s eyes filled with tears as we watched one of His most meek and lowly worshipping with all her heart through the music. Of course, it also reminded us of Cameron. When Jill put the video of Cam singing “I Am a Child of God” on Facebook, it brought our day full-circle. The worth of souls is great. Jim always thinks of these special needs kids who will someday be glorified in body and mind when they again meet our Savior.

Thousands of bugs swarming through the air! It may be the two weeks of rain, but all of a sudden, there are all kinds of insects darkening the sky, smacking against our windshield, and being a general nuisance. The temperatures have dropped into the high 80s, which is a relief, but no fall colors in sight. It is very green!

Jim lost a crown, so we are trying to find a dentist who can glue it back on. We really do not want to fly home for such an un-fun reason! Jim is on the phone with our dentist at home, trying to decide what to do. Now that the heat has abated, we feel much better generally. We are glad that we joined the gym to do our walking inside. It is either too hot for old people, too steamy for old people, or too stormy for old people.

Please continue to pray for us every day with your families. We try to include all of you in our prayers. We love you—our kids, grandkids, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. We know that you all face the difficulties of life, as do we. This morning in seminary we studied D&C 19, and learned this principle: If we do the will of the Lord, He will give us blessings that are greater than the riches of the earth. We love you all! You will be blessed for your goodness and service.

Rainbows Matter

Rainbows Matter

It has been raining for over a week—so unusual for Laredo! All the grass and weeds have grown a foot this week, and the temperatures are under 100 every day. The whole city and countryside erupted in green and little streams of water. Saturday we attended Carmen’s baptism, and we came out to see a beautiful rainbow and hummingbirds all over a flowering tree at the church. Carmen has been attending institute, so we know her a little bit and were so thankful to watch her enter the waters of baptism. The rainbow reminded me of the primary song, “I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain. I want to be the best I can and live with God again.” What a beautiful thing to watch these young adults accept the the Gospel!

Today in seminary our lesson was on the worth of souls, D&C 18:1-16. It was a great conversation on how even teens can find ways to bring people to Christ. We had three convert baptisms on Saturday and confirmations on Sunday. Such a thrilling experience! We try to attend three sacrament meetings each week, and because of the confirmations we were in consecutive Spanish-speaking meetings on Sunday. It forces us to learn through the Spirit!

Last night we ended up feeding 8 missionaries as today is transfer day, and we will miss those who are going home or moving on to Corpus Christi and other places in the mission. We come to love these young missionaries so much! Elder Krommenhoek is from a neighboring stake in West Valley, so he may come visit our family in the next couple of weeks. Sisters Brown and Hughes said that Saturday was the best day of their lives. They were filled with such joy as they watched two investigators commit to Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism! We showed the picture to our seminary class this morning as a perfect example of D&C 18:16--15 “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!”
I will post the picture because you can just feel the joy radiating from everyone in the picture! Our seminary students are looking for ways to “cry repentance” in their own lives even as teenagers. They serve in callings, bless and pass the sacrament, share their talents, serve as good examples in their schools, and show kindness and love to everyone. We are all a part of building the Kingdom.

Tomorrow we will make waffles for all the missionaries who stay in our District and the “greenies” who come to Laredo as their first assignment. We hear that there will be nine brand-new missionaries. Two of our favorite sisters are going to Corpus Christi—Sister Zidek and Sister Brown. Sister Zidek is from Kearns and joined the Church just the year before her mission. What an inspiration and brilliant missionary she is! Sister Brown is from St. George. You will see her in the picture I post.

The way we eat is always in the conversation. We can often find something we can eat at all the “fiestas,” but we mostly rely on fixing our own food. Last night we actually made two meals because one of the missionaries is lactose intolerant. We made steak fajitas and crack chicken. Have you tried crack chicken in the crockpot or instapot? Oh, it is SOoooo good! Sister Hughes said if her mother hadn’t taught her to act like a lady, she would have licked the bowl. Try it! We use chicken thighs, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing spices (we make our own to avoid sugars, but you can use the packages), bacon, and green onion.

I’ve been trying to study Spanish for hours each day. I do really love it.  It’s still hard to catch everything in church meetings, councils, and conversations, but we are learning. I come home and translate the hymns, the branch bulletins, the scriptures, and the Liahona (I can do the children’s stories best!). If we had known what it is really like in Laredo, we (maybe) would have learned Spanish better before we got here!

Last Saturday we attended a family-history workshop—mainly because I was asked to play the piano. We know we need to involve ourselves more in this important work! I did get one little memory written on how my parents met and fell in love on Family Search. I was able to find some pictures on my phone and some in Family Search to add to the story. Those of you who know more about the story than I do, could definitely fill in the story for me!

Every day is a blessing to us! We do not know exactly why the Lord called us to Laredo, but we do know that this is His work, and we are supposed to be here. We are learning and loving. Pray for us and the missionaries all over the world. We love you all!

Charity Matters

Charity Matters 9.10.18

Yesterday was filled with wonderful experiences. We drove to Zapata (it’s about a 45-minute drive) in the rain. Our new friends, Joan and Randy Shaw welcomed us at the little chapel that was once a funeral home. We were early, so we drove over the bridge and did a little sight-seeing. The Shaws’ assignment in Zapata is to lead the church there. Elder Shaw is the branch president. Jim and I really enjoyed speaking to the congregation of about 30 saints. Several of the people were educators, so we had an instant connection. We spoke on charity, and I played a piano arrangement of “Love One Another.” It was a blessing to us and hopefully to them for us to be there. Isn’t it interesting how you can go anywhere in the world and immediately love the people you meet? We had lunch with the Shaws, checked Family Search and found how we are related to them, looked at Mexico from their apartment, checked out their garden, and planned to go back soon to tour the museum, check out the birds, and attend a cultural event of the historical society. Falcon Lake is very low right now despite the rain, so we will have to fish another time, Donny! 

We returned to Laredo in time to set up for the YSA Face-to-Face with Elder Cook and two of the historians who have worked on SAINTS for the last six years. It was not easy to figure out the technology, but missionaries soon arrived and got the TV set up. We never did get the live feed to work, but it was wonderful anyway. If you did not see it, go online and watch.

Thursday night we held a read-a-thon in preparation for the devotional. It was inspiring to watch the young adults gather and read together in English or Spanish. One young man had been baptized only the Saturday before. We had lots of food and ice cream and good company—hey, that’s just like in elementary school! The 700-page book is excellent, and even Jim and I learned some things. SAINTS, A Standard of Truth is the first of three volumes of a history of the Church. It is written in a narrative style that is very easy to read. It is free in the Gospel Library app or about $6 at the store, so put it on your book list!

I was asked to play for a family history workshop on Saturday, which gave us an excuse to stay and start some family stories (we went to the 52-Stories workshop). It was really fun. We are checking the “who I’m related to” on Family Search wherever we go. I am a 12th cousin, once-removed, of Joan Shaw, and both of the Shaws are related to Jim back 8 or 9 generations. Jim stopped at the family-history room one night when we were at the church for Institute and found out that he was related to Sister Natoli (she is from Alaska and her husband flies helicopter for border patrol), who was there working on family history.

Thursday we also got to feed four missionaries. We love the connection we have with the young sisters and elders! Thursdays are busy with piano lessons and Institute, but we love to feed people! I started another piano student on Monday.

Teaching seminary every morning is the bomb! We love these kids! It is  almost impossible to get the same students there every day of the week, but we would do it for even one of these choice young people. Because of the heat students have to choose early morning band, football, cross country, or seminary. We take it for granted when we have the convenience of release time, huh?

Friday we went to see the movie GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD. We love to find a clean movie that we can enjoy!

We are looking forward to coming home for a week in December and very excited to be there for Cassie’s and Colton’s weddings. Cameron is coming here for Thanksgiving, so we are also looking forward to that. Every day here is an adventure, a blessing, and a spiritual opportunity. We are grateful for the technology that lets us have face-to-face prayers and scriptures with Cameron and visits with others. We are truly blessed to have the health and energy to do this work. Please pray for us and for the people of Laredo. You are always in our thoughts and prayers! Much love!

Competency Matters

It was one of those stormy days early this spring when the Midwest was hunkering down during devastating tornadoes, and Salt Lake was watching storm warnings. Dark clouds and threatening winds thundered in. Leslie and her family had returned from initiating their new camp trailer and parked it along the street when a ruckus came charging down the road. A horse was dragging a trampoline! Someone thought it would be smart to hitch up their horse to their children’s trampoline. The horse thought differently. Leslie watched as neighbors somehow calmed the horse when it veered into their yard and got the mangled trampoline unhitched. Tragedy averted! Trailer unharmed! Horse survived! Trampoline unusable!

Sometimes we hitch up our hopes to a program or an idea that looks sturdy and strong. When the storms roll in, everything gets wild, and our hopes for success are drug through the dust and mud. I guess the lesson is: be careful what you are hitching up and what you are hitching up to. We cannot take a great new Common Core, for example, and hitch it to shoddy practice or weak knowledge of the subject. Make sure that we are competent and ready and stable before we add a new core. Let’s not let the Core drag us. We can do hard things! We do whatever it takes because our kids are worth it!

More Testimony Matters

I left out one inspiring story from Institute this week. Miriam is a beautiful young single adult in our class. She was baptized a couple of months ago. During one part of our lesson--knowing spiritual things in our hearts and in our minds--Jim asked Miriam how she had known the gospel was true. She had joined the Church two weeks after meeting the missionaries! She said that as she began to read, gradually she began to understand. Then as she began to understand, she had strong feelings that it was truth. When she knew these things, she went to her family and shared with them (testified). One of the important ways to teach is to get our young people to testify to each other of the spiritual truths they know. This new convert was the perfect example of how testifying brings the spirit to yourself and others! D&C 5:3

Testimony Matters

UIKeyInputDownArrowThe Field is White 9.2.18

As we drove to Corpus Christi on Friday, we saw something we had never seen before—cotton fields! The fields were mostly harvested, but around the edges of bare sticks some full plants remain. The ground, for acres and acres, is white. It looks like drifted snow, but in this heat we know it is cotton, fallen away from the healthy, gathered plant. It reminds me that though the bolls are all meant to be harvested, some fall by the wayside, never to serve their full purpose. As missionaries, we are broken-hearted for those who fall by the wayside. We have been asked to pray for ALL of Heavenly Father’s children, and we do.

(Do you think it is questionable that the Robstown High School mascot is the Cotton Pickers??)

Last Thursday we wondered what Institute would be like with college starting across the state and nation, but the room was almost full of faithful young adults. A young woman walked into the class and sat on the front row. She participated through the lesson with a little prompting, and at the end introduced herself. She told us that she had been inactive for five years. She had become involved in college and life and let her church attendance slip away. She comes from a family who pioneered the Church in Laredo, and she explained that an uncle is a general authority. I asked her what brought her back to Institute that night, and she gave a few reasons. I would say that the main point was the Spirit spoke to her heart and mind to bring her back. She had seen a notice on Facebook—reminding us what a powerful tool social media can be for missionary work! She said that she put all her thoughts and actions into getting to the class, so that she would not forget. She knew that no one would be calling her to remind or beg her to come. The young adults of Laredo are the strength of the Church!

What a blessing it is to be teaching the Doctrine & Covenants! One of the lessons we gave this week was concerning our responsibility to testify once we receive the witness of truth. I really wanted to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, this morning, but we were attending a ward in Corpus Christi which had people lined up to testify. It was a very large stake center, filled to the brim with the faithful congregation of Saints and the spirit of God. I knew that I could share my testimony to you in this blog. As we taught this last week, I gained a new appreciation for young Joseph, who made so many mistakes and ended up repenting and repenting as he tried to learn and do God’s will. To understand Joseph’s place in the Restoration, we have to understand the historical context—the times and seasons of his life and work. For three years he went to Cumorah, hoping to receive the plates and begin the work he knew he was called to do. For three years he was called to repent and be humble. When he finally did receive the plates, he was attacked and beaten before he could get them home. Then he had to return the plates to Moroni when, against Heavenly Father’s counsel, he let Martin Harris take the 116 pages of manuscript and lose them. Joseph thought he had lost his soul. He had to continually repent, but nothing can stop the work from progressing, and he was able to finish the translation with the help of God, good people who were sent to assist him, and the tools that had been buried anciently with the plates. It is such a great lesson for us. We struggle along, too, giving the best we can and continually repenting and trying to correct ourselves. Joseph was the best God had for the Restoration and the translation of the Book of Mormon, yet he had to learn as he went along as a youth and young adult, letting God correct him and sustain him. I know that he was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true!

I left out one inspiring story from Institute this week. Miriam is a beautiful young single adult in our class. She was baptized a couple of months ago. During one part of our lesson--knowing spiritual things in our hearts and in our minds--Jim asked Miriam how she had known the gospel was true. She had joined the Church two weeks after meeting the missionaries! She said that as she began to read, gradually she began to understand. Then as she began to understand, she had strong feelings that it was truth. When she knew these things, she went to her family and shared with them (testified). One of the important ways to teach is to get our young people to testify to each other of the spiritual truths they know. This new convert was the perfect example of how testifying brings the spirit to yourself and others! D&C 5:3

EARLY Friday morning on our way to the church to teach seminary, we saw a strange sight. Our headlights were at such an angle that we were able to see, walking along our road, a man who was dressed all in black, including a black ski mask. At his side was something that looked like a rifle. At 5:30 in the morning it is still VERY hot in Laredo, Texas, making this more than a little bit disconcerting. Jim asked if I wanted to go back and check it out, but I was scared to confront anyone appearing like that. We decided to call the police, who are used to unusual people, and we reported what we had seen and gave the location. They sent an officer. I do not know the rest of the story—he was walking, thankfully, away from the direction of the high school and church. You never know what you will see on the “streets of Laredo!”

We were blessed to meet with the senior missionaries, Margo and Monte Thompson, who are teaching 4 classes of Institute here in Corpus Christi, including some for adults. We found that they lived near our home in West Valley for sixteen years—in the neighboring stake. They know the Goates, and probably many others of you! We spent some wonderful hours with them yesterday at lunch and sharing stories. It is really good to meet with other missionary couples!

Today is our 46th anniversary. We are grateful to be spending this mission in the Texas McAllen Mission. We are grateful for the love that we share for each other and for our family. We are truly blessed. We love you all very much. We love the Lord and Heavenly Father. We are grateful for the Holy Ghost and for our testimonies. We pray for all of you every day. Please pray for us in the Lord’s work.

Matters of Sacrifice & Devotion

Missionary Blog 8.27.18

It is a blessing to me to see God’s hand in small things. We could not bring everything with us, so I left my sewing machine at home. I thought I might buy a fancy new machine if I needed it in Texas. I was back and forth on the decision, as the sewing machine I wanted was thousands of dollars—and I would have to get it home at the end of two years. I settled on an inexpensive little Singer at WalMart that I can use to take in Jim’s pants and maybe put together some quilt blocks. Before I could even thread the hot-pink little wonder, one of our elders asked if I could possibly help him with a pair of pants he had split out. So, that was my first sewing project—though he had tried to sew them up with some kind of heavy (upholstery???) cream-colored thread on navy blue pants. . . It was a blessing that I could mend them for him!

What a blessing to be teaching the Doctrine & Covenants and the new Doctrinal Mastery lessons! This week in both seminary and institute we have had the opportunity of teaching “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” and specific history lessons that prompted the revelations in the D&C. We want our students to receive personal revelation and seek the answers to difficult questions and concerns. It is not easy for students to get to 6 AM seminary, five days a week, from all over spread-out Laredo, but our faithful core of students are amazing and engaged in learning spiritual principles and doctrines. It will be a great experience to read Saints and prepare our institute students for the Face-to-Face with Elder Quentin L. Cook as he answers questions about church history and doctrine on Sept. 9.

This morning some elders called and invited us to help teach Mario the Plan of Salvation. It was a spiritual experience! Mario is 30 and was born in Laredo. He works for his dad’s construction company, building the new 9th-grade campus just south of us. Ten years ago he met the missionaries, and they gave him a Book of Mormon and a New Testament. He never saw them again (you know how missionaries get moved around!). He is very excited to be learning the gospel, reading the Book of Mormon, and seeking truth. His wife lives in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, waiting for legal work to get her here. They have lost two babies, so you can guess that the Plan of Happiness gave him hope. He is willing to go to church Sunday in Nuevo Laredo and hopes his wife will go with him. He goes across the bridge to see her every weekend. We are going again next Monday for another lesson. We love being involved with some of the teaching with the elders and sisters!

Saturday was a beautiful experience at the San Antonio Temple as our dear friend (YSA) Ingrid received her endowment. We loved teaching her the temple-prep lessons and being touched by her testimony and enthusiasm for the Gospel. She is the only member in her family. Her heritage is Mexican and Swedish. She says she would hide when missionaries knocked on her family’s door at home and “shhhh” everybody. Then as a college student she was really ready to hear the missionaries one night when they knocked on doors at her dormitory. Their appointment had fallen through, and her door was the last one, third floor, in the building. She is an amazing missionary herself now, going out with the missionaries, doing family history, and sharing her testimony and support with new members. What a great example she is! She gave the FHE lesson last night to the young adults on the importance of the temple, and led an inspirational discussion (one of the young men investigators had never heard of the temple). It is a beautiful thing to watch them teach each other!

The young people here have to face some unbelievable challenges to accept the gospel and change their lives. Can you even imagine trying to break from a drug cartel who is threatening to kill your family if you try to leave their clutches? Can you imagine leaving all friends and family ties to embrace God’s commandments? Can you imagine withdrawal from drugs, tobacco, and alcohol while standing firm against the peer pressure that is ever-present? And yet, most of our new converts are young people—brave, diligent, brilliant young people who know two languages, do whatever it takes to get an education, overcome temptation, and devote their lives to Jesus Christ!

We are truly grateful for this experience. We know that God has called us here to Laredo. We know that every sacrifice is worth it because Heavenly Father loves His children and wants them to have the truth. He wants us all to come back to Him. This is His church. We are blessed to be instruments in His hands.

Missionary Matters 8.22.18

Mission Matters 8.22.18
We have spent the last week getting used to “early to bed”. . . or at least, “early to rise.” Starting our seminary class has been just like starting school for us—bad dreams included! I lie awake worrying that I am not prepared, that no one comes, that I don’t wake up in time, etc. We really do love teaching the Gospel! We are teaching Doctrine & covenants for seminary AND for institute, and it is a blessing. The hard part of seminary is that we never have time to teach even the most important parts and do it in a way that lets students discover truth—especially at 6:00 in the morning.

We are excited to go to the San Antonio Temple on Saturday. Our beautiful YSA Ingrid is getting her endowment. She leaves next week to finish her degree in biology at Texas A&M, College Station. Several of our other institute students are also leaving for school (BYUI) or other adventures like the service or jobs around the country. A couple are getting married (to each other) in October. I cannot believe that we have been here almost three months! It is really fun to see pictures of our grandkids as they go off to school this week. Our little Dax is in the hospital, and we hope that he will be well enough to start kindergarten next week.

Boy, those piano lessons I took as a child are paying off. I played for a baptism of a 20-yr-old woman on Saturday—Elisa. Her mother joined the Church about 5 years ago and is the Relief-Society president in 1st Branch. It was a joyous occasion! I also played the organ for 5th Branch(Spanish) on Sunday. The branch president’s wife is one of my piano students, and she usually plays from the Hymns coursework for prelude on the piano. Then they play the hymns from their phones. Yesterday I played the organ for my first Spanish funeral. The daughter of the sister whose funeral it was came to talk to us afterwards and expressed thanks for all those who helped her grow up in the Church. She says when they were baptized, a sister from Hebbronville would pick her up every week and bring her to church/primary. She said she has never wavered from it. She is a beautiful young mother, sealed to her family.

I bought a little sewing machine so that I can take in Jim’s suits. Everything is way too big for him. We bought some new white shirts, but we do not want to invest in suits until he loses more weight. I think we will shop for some when we come to Utah for the weddings.

We miss you all, but we know we are where the Lord wants us. We are still communicating with Hugo, but have not taught him a lesson yet because he has been back and forth from Guadalajara. He has a house there, too.

Our days are filled with many good things, and we feel the Lord guiding us in all we do. As we have taught the First Vision this week, our hearts are full of gratitude for the Restoration of the Gospel and the work of the Prophet Joseph. It is true! This is God’s work. Pray for us to be well and strong that we can do His will and help Laredo become a stake. Sending our love and prayers!

Service Matters

Matters of Love and Service 8.14.18

Tomorrow morning we start teaching seminary. The course of study is the Doctrine & Covenants, and we can hardly wait! We had a seminary open-house on Sunday. The students and parents are so devoted and thrilled to have this daily learning opportunity at 6:00 AM. One of our YSA students asked if she could come, just until she leaves for college because she joined the church in college and never had the opportunity of seminary. I agree--it is truly a blessing. Tomorrow we are teaching the Plan of Salvation. I think we can take a nap about midday. . . Ha!

I wish you could see and hear the young missionaries here who are gathering Israel. Most are still teenagers, and yet they are on fire with the Spirit. Two of the Elders, Amijo and Krommenhoek, went with us on Saturday for the YSA service project at the Gonzalez' ranch. Along with eight young single adults, they put their hearts into a difficult job. With sweat pouring down their faces and bodies, they took turns with the jackhammer, the shovels and rakes, the machetes, and the pick axes to help an older couple save the driveway from being washed away in every rainstorm. They did it for love of Jesus Christ--to serve His children. It was amazing to watch and to feel.

Today we watched the Elders and Sisters take over, teach, and practice together at District Meeting--and they do it in two languages! With all the meetings we had on Sunday, I was dragging my feet a little about attending the 1:00 sacrament meeting, but we went. Four young missionaries spoke, and we were grateful for their messages. They are exemplary people in every way. One elder from Arizona told of growing up with his single mom, a school teacher. He named his home teacher who hired him as a teen to cut his lawn every week, and then put money in the bank for the elder's mission every month. The home teacher donates $100 a month to his mission. This extraordinary missionary is able to make a difference to the people of the Texas McAllen Mission because of a great home teacher.

We are so thankful to be able to serve as missionaries! We are learning and growing and teaching and serving. We are blessed! We think of you all constantly. Thank you for blessing us with your prayers. Thank you for reaching out to Cameron. We love you!

Language Matters 8.6.18

Matters of Language 8.6.18

I just get thinking that my Spanish is coming along well, when we sit in a couple of Spanish-spoken-here meetings in one day. Oh, it makes my brain tired! Jill says she is listening to The Liahona after reading and studying the written articles, so I tried that today. I think this has potential! Ooooh, boy. That plus the hymns, primary songs, scriptures, all in Spanish, and a few daily lessons in Duolingo and Spanish for Dummies may get us there! I do love testimony meeting in Spanish.

We did not get to teach Hugo this week as he was in Houston and now in Guadalajara. We did go to District Meeting on Tuesday and drove some Elders to Hebbronville to teach a man who had ordered a Book of Mormon online and then requested to meet with the missionaries. Manuel is very prepared. He studies the Bible and Book of Mormon 2 ½ hours a day! We can see the Lord’s hand in strengthening Laredo to become a stake!

Thursday is always the highlight of our week as we teach the amazing young adults in Institute. Although they are almost all bilingual, Spanish is their first language, so they prefer (as any of us would) to speak and learn in español. They are patient with us! Seminary starts on Aug. 15—every school day at 6 AM. We will teach in the chapel closest to us, and we may be glad for that. The other teacher will be in the Hillside building. She is a native Spanish speaker with little teaching experience. She is lovely, though, and will be great. We will be teaching the Doctrine & Covenants.

As I have noted before, we are the only senior couple in Laredo (250,000+ people). The Shaws (in Zapata) told us that there is a real crisis with not enough missionary couples. They said that the Church is short 120 couples right now. Encourage those you know who can afford it to put in their papers! It may be that there are many, many opportunities to serve wherever we live without leaving home and family, BUT it is crucial to have couples in some of these places that are preparing to become wards and stakes and get ready for a temple. We love it here, despite the temperatures, and we know how badly we are needed.

The Sisters texted us yesterday morning to ask if we would feed them. Ha! (Even though they know our eating patterns!) We had a wonderful dinner with them, and said good-bye to Sister Paepke, who is one of our favorites. She is being transferred tomorrow. It is almost unbelievable how devoted, brilliant, talented, and faithful these very young missionaries are! Last week three more elders had to go into clinic because of heat exhaustion; however, they keep going. Y’all need to drink your water!

We did get to see Christopher Robin on Friday. It is nice to have a flexible schedule as a senior couple. We could never keep up with the young missionaries. We found out yesterday that we are not supposed to fast without water. That was a new one for me. I knew that I could not fast for long without my fluids, so next time I will drink my water and still fast.

I have picked up a 4th piano student—darling Sister Ruiz, a young mother and wife of one of our branch presidents (Spanish). She has been teaching herself and playing prelude music from the Simplified Hymns. I love being able to do this! All of my “students” are so determined to learn to play so they can serve and bring music into the church.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the saving grace of this woeful, chaotic world. We are blessed to be called as His emissaries in the Texas McAllen Mission! Pray for us that we will be healthy and protected in doing His work. We love you all.