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.