Blog #27 Parting is such sweet sorrow. . .

Blog # 27       Parting is such sweet sorrow . . .

May 3, 2016

What a month of mixed emotions we have experienced.  Today is our last day in Bakersfield:  such a blessing this journey has been; so many wonderful people we have met and loved; our testimonies have been strengthened as we have seen the Lord’s hand in His work; and have have felt the love of the Savior in so many ways.

I remember the first month we arrived, and that feeling of loss because the family wasn’t nearby.  Then, as the next 17 months flew by, our days and weeks were filled with moving, planning, teaching, training, learning, loving, studying and, growing. In between, we had the joy of short visits with family and friends. 

Bakersfield is a city of diversity, and the people were fascinating.  Our office staff and service missionaries became our family.  Our badges spoke our identity.  The young missionaries were both students and teachers, and we loved watching them and sharing in their growth.   We are certain that one day they will be our bishops, stake presidents and advisors.  We became close to so many ward members and investigators who were learning about the gospel.  Their conversions and testimonies strengthened our testimonies.

Each missionary and each ward member has his/her own story.  We’ve been privileged to hear and witness miracles in their lives.  They’ve been so generous to thank us for our service, but the reality is, we have been the benefactors.  Our hearts have been touched by their challenges, their growth, and their desire to know truth. 

This month has been an emotional roller coaster.  We’ve closed five apartments (the last one will be our own in the morning.) One of the missionaries who helped us move out of the first apartment we closed in November 2014 helped us close our last apartment on Thursday.  In our earliest blog, this sweet young man , who’d only been out for a few weeks, expressed how difficult it was for him stay because he was so worried about his family.  We have watched him become a strong missionary with a powerful testimony.  He has baptized many, and is a zone leader among his peers.

We’ve met with all of our inspector couples (service missionaries.) this month.  One of our dear ladies mentioned she will be 81 next week.  Then she said, “I’m sorry I ask so many questions.  When I joined the church I felt like I was learning a foreign language.  Now that I have this calling, I’m feeling like it is another new language…I don’t know what transfers, zone meeting, exchanges, and splits mean.  We’ve talked to new members about the fact that one doesn’t just get baptized and is “saved”, but rather the baptism and confirmation is the first ordinance of a lifetime of commitment to Jesus Christ’s teachings.  That was foreign to most investigators.

We also presented at eight zone conferences this month.  I love this time to spend with all of the missionaries.  We made a little movie about our motto: “Cleaning is a process, not an event.”  It gave us some laughs.  But the highlight of our presentation each conference is when we announce the companionship in the zone who won the Golden Plunger Award.  Hey, they get a certificate, a scarf or tie, and their photo in the newsletter.  One cute missionary who didn’t get the Golden Plunger (even though they scored an ten+ on the inspection) said he just wanted his mother to see the certificate!

Saying goodbye to all the missionaries, ward members and office staff has truly been such sweet sorrow.  They have touched our lives forever. . . . and I’m so grateful that relationships can be forever and we will see them again.  Mike and I have both shed tears and we recall the impact they have had on our lives.

We also don’t have any missionaries to replace us.  There are not enough senior couples willing to serve; so, after weeks of trying to find a replacement, the church has asked the President if he can find a local couple who will serve.  We have been writing up our job description to help train whomever my take our places.  The Balls, our current office couple whom we dearly love, are adding to their load to make sure missionaries will still have smooth transfers from one area to another.  This is the Lord’s work, so we know things will work out. 

And as I sit here, on the only chair, with an air mattress that we will sleep on tonight, and several boxes that still need to go into the U-Haul, I am feeling the sweetness of the memories made this month and year.  We’ve celebrated our relationship with a few dinners; our church meetings were so special yesterday; ten missionaries came over this afternoon to move about eight items into our storage trailer;  Patti,, a dear friend and  senior missionary, came over for a couple hours to help clean the apartment, President and Sister Wilson had a breakfast at staff meeting this morning (including our cute assistants), and we’ve shared so many hugs with ward members.  Our new Relief Society President (of a week) insisted Mike and I come over tonight to get our genealogy project that she has spent countless hours helping us organize.  We feel so blessed and so grateful.

With all thy joy, tender feelings and goodness surrounding us, I cannot deny the delight and anticipation we feel to be able to see and be with family and friend again.  Ryan and Hali found out today that the baby they are expecting is a boy!  Several of our children’s jobs have changed,  Our oldest granddaughter will graduate from high school, and the youngest grandson is a year old.   Two children have married and two have built new homes.  And we are looking forward to seeing you again.

Yes, parting is such sweet sorrow.  We will miss these precious people, and we look forward to renewing our time with you.  Thanks for your love and support these many months.  May the Lord continue to bless you in your journey, and we will see you soon.

 Seniors at last Temple trip

 North Bakersfield zone -- our home

                                             Zone Conference

                                  Golden Plunger Trophy

       Dinner at our place with Balls and missionaries

                                Lori's weekend visit

                        First move -- Nov. 2014 -  Elders Martinez & Rocha

          Last move April 2016 -- Elders Celestino & Rocha

Staff farewell at Mission Home

Blog #26 The Worth of Souls

Blog #26 The Worth of Souls

When I called daddy the other day, he was very saddened because he and Susie had just purchased a wheel chair to help him get around.  He said his legs weren’t working over the weekend and he could barely move.  Dad is 95 years old and he was disappointed, upset and discouraged a year ago when he had to give up his driver’s license (yet he has slowly come to accept it).  But this time, my heart ached as I heard him question to himself if he had any value or usefulness now.  The aging process is a sacred time of life: much as birth is.  But, it is painful to watch those we love temporarily lose the capabilities that have helped define them through this journey we call earth life.  And, it is also exhausting for the caretakers who work so hard to help them function and find meaning as they struggle through these last years.  The children and grandchildren make efforts to bring joy to his days. But this day it took an hour on the phone to remind him of how much good he has done for so many throughout the years.  He definitely is in the category among the great men who have ever been born.

The scriptures remind us “Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” I’ve spent a lot of moments thinking about the worth of soul while we’ve been serving here.  We took Ben to the Temple last week.  He has struggled most of his life with addictions as he served in the military.  He has been sober for eight years and has been determined to get his life back in order.  A year ago he told Mike he’d like to return to the temple (its been over 20 years) before we left for home; and last week he asked us to go with him.  He was so excited to feel so good and to be able to reach this goal.

We are reminded every day how much time, effort, and money are spent by the church, and individuals, to encourage souls to repent and come to Christ.  The worth of souls is the reason.  Though not easy, we can change and become Christ-like, and we can submit ourselves to His will.  The rewards are eternal.  We’ve watch these wonderful young missionaries grow and change.  We’ve seen us old missionaries grow and change.  And, we see so many converts who have been looking for Christ and His church, and have the faith to get baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  It has been amazing!

As I’ve been thinking about the value of each soul I have pondered the variety of talents and contributions the senior missionaries in our small office make.  The Moons went home the first of this month. They made a strong impact on our mission.  The Balls joined us for a month of training and are now doing the office work.  The Morrises and the Wilsons have been here for the duration.  Each personality and abilities is so different, yet each assesses the job and contributes in his/her own unique and valuable way.  And things still run like clockwork.  It is amazing.  We don’t yet have replacements, so who knows how our job will look?

Along with daddy’s challenges, we have family and friends who, too, are struggling with the obstacles of daily living.  I can see, more than ever, how important it is for us to love each other, lift and support each other through our trials, and forgive each other for our weaknesses.  Last night we took John to dinner.  He has serious heath issues.  And, for the most part, he is alone.  His family is the ward family and he has no car, nor mode of transportation.  He has been in and out of the hospital many times since we’ve known him.  He has about as much faith in God as I have seen in a man.  He loves the missionaries (especially the senior missionaries whom we replaced that helped him through his conversion and his health challenges.)  Though he has experienced so much, he recognizes the worth of the soul.

I had the joy of going home for the weekend to Braxton’s baptism.  What a joyful few days! Just can’t believe how much I love our family.  The days were packed because it was also Keaton’s Eagle court of Honor, Caryssa received an Honor Bee, and we celebrated Zach’s birthday.  We were able to spend some time with daddy, all the grandchildren, and, the kids had a special adult dinner so Ryan and Hali could give me a special gift . . . an ultrasound of our forthcoming grandbaby!  The only thing that could have made the weekend more perfect was if Mike could have joined us.   He held the fort down in the mission.

Last weekend Caryssa came to visit us.  We were thrilled to have her.  It happened to be a missionary weekend, and was a lot of fun.  She went out with the Sister Missionaries and in three hours, experienced everything from a broken appointment, major rejection, a part-member family challenge, and, an investigator with total interest in Christ’s gospel.  We thought we had a baptism scheduled, but the time was after she left on Sunday, so the missionaries came to our home to share a baptismal “missionary moment” with her.  Later, the three of us joined our three elders to teach a “golden” investigator.  She did get to see a little of Bakersfield and to go to Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace.  We loved having her.

We are mindful of the worth of souls and pray that you know how much we value your love and friendship.

                                                                  Dad and Keaton

                                                                       Dad with Jaci

                                                      Office Souls -- farewell Moons

                                                  Dinner with John and Elder & Sister Ball

                                                                   Braxton was baptized

                                                   Our great young man- Keaton

                                                            Ryan & Hali's good news!

                                                              Caryssa and our missionaries

                                                     Caryssa & Garth at the Crystal Palace

                                                                 Ben and Sisters in the ward

Blog #25 Carpe diem (Seize the Day

Blog #25 Carpe diem (Seize the Day)

February 23, 2016

I’ve often said that profound influence and life changes can come in moments.  Wise counsel, tender sharing, kind deeds, and heartfelt empathy can quickly alter lives in a positive manner.  I have experienced a myriad of emotions as we have been serving here in “the Lord’s University.”  And, both Mike and I continue to be amazed at the growth of our young men and women as they do all they can to serve the Lord.  The weekly baptisms are inspiring.  Accompanying the missionaries as they teach an investigator is invigorating.  Watching so many servants give so much of themselves is humbling.  What a blessing it is to be a part of this great work!

It was transfer day last week and we opened two apartments and closed one.  We traveled to Lancaster to move some missionaries in North Edwards out of one apartment and into another.  Then we visited another companionship in Lancaster who had been transferred into an apartment that had been left in less than desirable condition.  The day was long and, after several stops, we were finally on our way home when we made a rest stop at McDonalds.  I was waiting for our Sausage and Egg McMuffins (dinner) when a man came up to me and asked if I was a Mormon Missionary.  He was so excited to see us.  He said he’d been praying for help all day and he knew we were the answer.  He was a convert of three years.  His wife and daughter were home, living in a trailer that had electrical problems..  He was a truck driver from Arizona and had been driving all day.  He was visibly agitated and asked if I could do him a favor. He’d been looking, without success, for another place to live.  He had been fearful that their home would catch on fire . . . and driving all day gave him much time to think and worry.  He was wondering if we could pray for him and his family that their home would not catch on fire.   I’ve talked about our badges in another blog, but I’d never felt so much weight from it until that night.  Yes, we prayed for Brother Smith and his little family.  We will never know the outcome of his life, but I will always remember the great faith he expressed when he saw two missionaries who are striving to represent the Lord.

Lori brought three of our granddaughters here for a weekend.  What a joy!  These girls are so darling (including Lori) and we had a wonderful time.  I’m so grateful we have the gift of family.  I realized how quickly time is passing, and the children and grandchildren are changing in the blink of an eye.  I love to seize the moments I have with them. I love the cycle of life . . . it is breathtaking.

We see lives change before our eyes.   It is glorious as we watch someone come to Christ and submit to His will.  As we witness joy and rejoicing here, we also see much poverty and heartache.  We find ourselves wishing we could do more to help families and individuals.  But, we also know to whom these folks can turn for peace, if they will.

This week has been difficult for me.  As some of you know, our former next-door neighbor, Melody Taylor, is in critical condition.  She had a dormant staph infection that attacked her knees; the infection went to her heart.  She’s had mini strokes because the infection had gone to her brain.  She had surgery for a valve replacement and they were able to remove the infection, but she still is unresponsive and very fragile.  My uncle Danny died last week, and that has been difficult for his family and for my 94 year-old dad.  Donna Holt, a close friend for years, also died over the weekend.  And, my dear friend Cindy, who is healing from her heart challenges (last blog), was back in the hospital this week.    So, not only does influence come in moments, but, challenges (both life and death) can alter much in moments.    What a blessing it is that we understand the eternal plan. Though we know that the adversity and challenges we see are really only a moment, when we love much, we hurt much when we see pain and sorrow.  Our challenge is to seize the moments and express gratitude for the many blessing we enjoy.

We had a most incredible Western States Stake Broadcast this month. Elder Dale Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talked about how we explain our religion.  I can hardly wait until his talk comes out in print.  When he and his wife are asked by someone why we believe a principle or doctrine, his wife always say, “The short answer is that in 1820 a young man was trying to find which church is true (she would then tell that Joseph saw God the Father and His Son, and the answer he was given) . . . .”   Then, she would say, “My husband will tell you why we … .(Then he would answer the question in the context of modern revelation).   As we try to explain the commandments, it must come in context of revelation.  I do want study his talk. We have learned so much here, but we mostly have learned how much we still have to learn.

I hope you know how grateful we are for the moments we have shared with you.  Our lives have been touched by each of you, and we are so grateful for the love, support, and influence you have on us.  We are especially grateful for this time we are serving in “the Lord’s University” where we are learning to seize each day.

 Spring is finally here

 Campo family - 3 were baptized

 Waiting for the girls at the Getty Museum

 Pizza Valentine dinner with the missionaries

 The Chill Challenge - $5 dare

Lunch after the pedicures

 Hart Park - feed the ducks

 Oil wells - of course!

 Colors of our morning walks

 A special gift from Doug's family

 Seize the Day!

Blog #24 Songs of the Heart

Blog # 24  Songs of the Heart

January 31,2016

It is the last day of January, and this month has been unbelievably busy.  Wow! Where is the time going? One thing I love most about serving this mission is the incredible people we meet.  We see those who have life figured out and those who struggle for survival.  The days and weeks are flying by, and we are having some powerful experiences.  Last week we closed an apartment in Ridgecrest.  The Lundwalls have been released as service missionaries; yet, they came to help us one last time to move out. The Elders who helped us move had to facilitate a zone meeting, so we took some donuts and chocolate milk to their meeting; then went to lunch with the Lundwalls (who have been on multiple missions and are now serving in the L. A. Temple). What a delightful couple the Lundwalls are. As we parted, Elder Lundwall handed us a CD he had recorded. We had no idea that he was a vocalist. He has a lovely base voice, and Mike and I have been listening to the songs as we drive around the mission to close apartments and attend zone conferences.   He sings "Old Man River," "The Holy City," "To Dream the Impossible Dream," "The Lords Prayer," and others. These are the songs daddy used to sing, and we've been singing along at the top of our lungs.  How fun it has been … it is amazing how music lifts the soul.

Although I am not a great singer (and am getting worse with age), I’ve noticed throughout my life that I always have a tune running through my head and heart.  Music sets the mood and fills my soul. Most comments I hear remind me of a song.

Sister Moon, our office secretary, is a concert pianist and has done a good job bringing missionary musical numbers into our missionary events.  Last night we had a baptism and the four elders in our ward actually sang for the woman who was baptized a primary song.  I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost immediately after their song, and I noticed that the music had strengthened as I began to speak.

For Christmas I was asked to put together a CD as a gift for the missionaries.  The BYU Men’s Choir and other church artists gave us permission to use several of their songs, plus Stephen Nelson let us use songs from his beautiful CD, Guide Me to Thee.  I was amazed how working on that CD brightened my days during the holidays.  Music is truly a gift from angels.

Speaking of music, we had a special tender mercy from two sister missionaries that confirm the power of music:  As a woman answered the door after we knocked, she began to cry She told us that 29 years ago other missionaries had knocked on her door during a very hard time in her life, just as we did today.  She still remembers that they sang her “Grand eres tu” (How Great Thou Art.)  So, we sang it to her again, tears ran down her cheeks; then, she expressed her desire to go to our church and convert to Christ.  She said that she still reads the Book of Mormon that they gave her all those years ago.  We set her with a baptismal date for next month.

In the middle of our nine zone conferences and many moves this month we were invited to view the worldwide missionary broadcast (75,000 full-time missionaries) facilitated by Elder Dallin H. Oaks and the missionary council.  The theme of missionary work has been to Find, Teach, and Baptize.  But the church now seeks an improved focus on the purpose of missionary work, which is: teaching repentance and baptizing converts to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I’ve been impressed with the inspiration of our mission president.  He sees clearly the purpose of missionary work, and he is obedient, righteous, and wise.

Yesterday our replacements for Elder and Sister Moon came.  They will train for a month.  Mike and I secured and furnished their apartment -- and it was a lot of fun.

Elder and Sister Ball from Idaho Falls, and they are delightful.  It is hard to believe that Moons  will be going home March 1st . . . and, we will just be two months behind them. 

Ryan & Liz’s wedding was beautiful.  We stayed in a beach house with Brad, Jamie, their two children and Wes.  It was a very nice way to spend the weekend.  Liz’s mother had a wonderful rehearsal dinner, all of Mikes children attended, and we had a good time.  The music and dancing at the wedding facilitated joy for this special occasion. We are blessed to have so much family, and are grateful our mission allows us to attend births, baptisms, and weddings of immediate family.

Although we are so very busy, we are also so very grateful that we have met people who love the Lord and who love and serve each other.  The songs in our hearts have become symphonies because of the people we work with, the opportunity we have to serve, and the knowledge we share that all of it comes from Christ’s love.

                             Bottom photos: LaJolla Beach  & Meeting Elder & Sister Ball

                                                                 Ridgecrest Zone

                                            Sister "Golden Plunger" winners with scarves

                                                                  Meadows Ward baptism

                                                                        Liz & Ryan Shelton

                                                      The Shelton Boys (minus Jared)

                                                     Dixy & Cougar (2 of the 7 grandchildren)

Blog # 23 The Lord requireth the heart

Blog #23 – Behold, the Lord requireth the heart (D&C 64:34)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the heart.  Although the heart is one of the vital organs of the body, which must pump blood for survival; it has also long been identified as the center of the total personality, especially with reference to intuition, feeling, emotion, reason, will, intellect, or purpose.  It is the center of not only spiritual activity, but of all operations of human life.  We talk about “heart and soul,” “a broken heart,”  “a change of heart,” and many other symbolic descriptions of emotions and personal relationships.

Eight days ago my dear friend, Cindy had a heart attack and stroke.  I know emotionally that many of us are very tender; but her illness reminded me how vulnerable the actual heart is.  Cindy has been in intensive care most of the week.  She has a blood clot that must be dissolved.  We all have prayed continually for her survival and healing.  She was finally released to come home on Thursday to work on the healing process.  Her husband, Joe, is a wonderful caregiver, and she will have the best care.  But it has been hard to imagine that she could be so ill.  She is a lady who truly has a “big heart.”  She has spent her days and weeks serving everywhere she sees a need.  Although she worked full-time until this fall, she always made time to help family, friends, and strangers. My heart ached with concern, and I was sad that I couldn’t be there to help Joe and the family. Many prayers are being said in her behalf, but I am asking of you to join with us.  I have personally experienced the power of group prayer.

Last Tuesday was transfer day.  Oh, how we love to hear the departing missionaries share their testimonies.  So many of the Elders and Sisters shared about their own personal journeys of growth and change.  We’ve had the privilege to watch some of them have a change of heart about the work as they learn how to let the Spirit teach and train them.  One sister said she has seen so many individuals and families change completely, and wondered how one little book could change lives so much.

One cute elder said he has changed so much that he is sorry for those who knew him in the beginning.  He is grateful for the atonement, and that, even though this mission wasn’t about him, Jesus Christ has healed him.  We saw his change of heart, and he became a dynamic missionary.  What a blessing it is for the missionaries to have this experience to invite, teach and baptize; and for the investigators to learn about Christ through these incredible young men and women.

Fewer missionaries came on Monday than left on Wednesday, so Mike and I have closed six apartments this week, and will close three more after zone conferences.  We laugh each month because Mike thinks we will not have much to do the next month, but the weeks just keep getting busier.  We will have nine zone conferences in the next two weeks throughout the mission.  These are the weeks we know we are no longer young.  But we love it.

As we contemplated the messages from the testimonies, we also noted that we have changed.  We have been so blessed, not only to work together but, to enjoy working together.  We both love serving the ward members, the missionaries, and each other.  Mike is still a morning person, and I am a night person (that hasn’t changed) but we are both willing to give our hearts to our Savior, the giver of all gifts.

 Speaking of gifts, the President asked the missionaries to give our Savior and His children the gift of baptism in December.  We had 63 baptisms this month…gift of joy with eternal consequences!

Mike’s son Ryan and his fiancé Liz are getting married on Saturday.  We are very excited for the love in their hearts for each other and Reese.  We will leave our Thursday afternoon zone conference and head to San Diego for the wedding. 

We are grateful for the daily blessing and miracles we are experiencing, and our hearts are full of love for each of you.  Thanks for your love and support.

                                                   Cindy & Joe

                                                       Ridgecrest move in pouring rain

                                                              Palmdale moves

                                                 Lunch with the assistants

What greater joy for the heart?