Sheltons in the Sun: Blog #20 New Beginnings

Blog #20 New Beginnings

Just about every Saturday we go to one or two baptism. That is a wonderful way to end the week. I find myself thinking about the changes these folks have made to study, gain testimony, then embrace a new religion. For many it is a new beginning, and a new way of knowing Jesus Christ. My heart is touched as I see the faith these new members have. Even when we attend the Spanish baptisms, and don’t understand the words, the spirit is so strong that we can feel the joy, and love the person has for the Savior.

Mike and I spend quite a bit of time taking our new friends to meetings and church functions. We love to get to know about their lives and their relationships. For many, their lives haven’t been simple, nor have they been easy. We had a Stake Temple Trip last week and took a dear friend who has had some health problems and hasn’t been able to drive lately. She was one of the first sisters I met when we arrived in the Meadows Ward. She has such a positive light about her and seems to see the best in everyone. As we began our two-hour drive, we shared our stories. I was amazed to hear about her conversion to the gospel. Her parents belonged to different religions and decided they wouldn’t ever discuss religion in their home so thatk their children could choose for themselves. Eventually she discovered and joined the church. She married her husband twice, and they had three children. Several years ago, her husband and 30-year old son were in a storm that crashed their small plane into the ocean and killed them both. Her life had been a series of changes, and this one was a huge heartache. Although she had worked several jobs, she spent many years taking in “challenged” foster children. She would have eight children at a time for 3 months to 3 years. She has had 642 children in her home. She had many great stories and talked of the love she has for these children (who are all grown now). As we listened to her it was evident that her life history has several new beginnings, and we were amazed at her wisdom, tenacity, and positive nature. We were grateful to spend time with her.

We are astonished that we have been here over a year now and the days are flying by. As we celebrated our year mark, we were discussing how many wonderful people we now know and love. The young missionaries are in one place a minimum of six weeks, and rarely more that 18 weeks. They connect so quickly with ward members; it has taken us much longer to feel at home.

October was filled with ten zone conferences (a half day each). We love those days because we get to spend time with the missionaries. We do a housing presentation for 20 minutes, and also, give our “Golden Plunger Award” to the cleanest apartment in each zone. We have a lot of fun with that, and are also thrilled with the missionaries’ willingness to raise the standard. Along with our one-year mark, many of our senior service missionaries have completed their missions; so, on this side of the mission we have a whole new crew of apartment inspectors whom we are training. They are wonderful couples who are willing to enter a new beginning in their church service. They, too, quickly fall in love with the missionaries.

I am continually unaware of what day it is. We often miss the fact that the day is a holiday. But we did celebrate a “Trunk or Treat” party on the church parking lot on Friday, and had a Halloween dinner Saturday night with our ward missionaries. We do know the weather is changing to fall, and the temperatures are down in the 60s. I love the heat, but the Thanksgiving/Christmas Season is worth the colder weather.

Please know we think of you, love you, and appreciate your support.