Missionary Memories: Our days as a Missionary

I finally memorized the First Vision. In a District Meeting a couple of weeks ago we were taught the way that we are to present the first vision to the people we are teaching whether they are investigators or less active. It is called the Kukuchi method (not sure of spelling). Someone in one of the areas of our mission said that we should slow way down so that the spirit can be a part of the presentation. It is amazing how it happens. In our Specialized Training Meeting on Thursday, 7th, Paul and I were asked to be the investigator couple and Elder Anderson and Elder Spendlove were the missionaries that did the First Vision. Elder Anderson looked us straight in the eye and when he was done there was no doubt that the spirit was in that room. Missionary work is amazing. I really enjoy the training meetings that we have. There is so much to learn.

The three in the back with the peace sign came to our house for dinner last Sunday. They said that hadn't had a roast dinner forever and so Paul invited them for dinner. We love them over. It's fun getting to know them a little better.

Sisters Guerre, Levenger and Beck

Elder and Sister Nordfelt our new couple missionaries

Kitchen help. These four work in the mission office. They made us a wonderful lunch.

Sister and Elder Satchel Elder and Sister Knight

Sister Summerhays taught one of our classes

These three are preparing to give Elder Nelson and myself a lesson by roll playing

...he commanded that their little children should be brought... he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. 3 Nephi 17:11; 21

We are going to miss our kids at the school. We have really enjoyed working with them. Last Tuesday was the last day. We are going to volunteer for the summer reading program which will run for 3 weeks, twice a week. I know that we are going to enjoy this too. The three kids that I worked with in my class got so excited to read when I'd come into the classroom. One little girl, Bryana, has been the one that has improved the most. When I first started to read with her I could hardly hear her voice. I would ask her to speak up and it was like she couldn't go louder. But as the weeks have progressed she got a little louder. But on Tuesday, she came into the reading room and pulled out the book, "On Top of Old Spaghetti". She started right in and sang the whole book to me loud and clear. I was so excited to hear her. We have truly connected. She is a sweetheart. I'm sad to know that she will not be in our school next year. She is moving away. Her teacher says that she lives in less than desirable conditions and moves around a lot. Yet she is one of the sweetest little girls I have met and a child of God. These kids are in our prayers often.

Bryana

Malakai

Shea

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Ancient Hebrew Proverb One of the fun things that we get to do is the inspections for the young Elders and Sisters. The week after transfers we go to their apartments and make sure that they are clean and in liveable condition. We give them a certificate when we are done. It is either a Celestial or Terrestrial certificate. All seven got Celestial this time. We were so proud of them. They all worked really hard to get it right. Before we left each apartment we took pictures of the missionaries that were there. Two of them were out teaching. These young missionaries are like our own kids. We get really attached to them. It's hard when they get transferred or go home. The other day at the meeting we all attended I couldn't see the Sister Missionaries and it worried me. It was a very rainy morning. The roads were very crowded and lots of fender benders all the way to the church. When I couldn't see them after the meeting started I had to go out and call to see if they were all right. While I was out they slipped in.

Hermanas Levenger and Beck

Hermanas Franc and Guerre

Elders Nitta, Boehme, and Jensen

Elders Bensen and Prigmore

Elders Anderson and Spendlove

Wednesday was Paul's birthday. He is 68 years young. Youth runs in his family. His mother is still going strong at 99. We got up early and went to the gym to exercise. While we were there I got a phone call from Elder Palmer. He asked if we were still in bed. He knows that we are early risers. I told him we were up and exercising. He said that we needed to come home. Now. At first I didn't think about Paul's birthday and told him that we were not done. He insisted. As we talked I could here the kids laughing and a bit of noise. He said not to tell Paul but to get him to come home. Of course Paul knew something was up and agreed to interrupt his workout. When we got home and walked in we saw 8 missionaries standing in our patio area with the words - HAPPY BIRTHDAY. They had been able to get into our screened in patio. I told them the front door was unlocked and they could have just come in. They were all sweating out there. It was then that I knew of the urgency of our arrival. They were dying of the heat and the sun was on that side of the apartment. It gets hot early here with the high humidity. We invited them in and they brought eggs and pancake mix. We provided about 2 lbs of bacon. They said they came to make breakfast for Elder Nelson for his birthday and so I spent the next hour and a half making pancakes, eggs and bacon. What fun. Sister Beck and Sister Franc helped which kept things moving a little faster. But I am so limited with pans. I have one large skillet and a small one. We cooked the pancakes, one at a time in the small one and the scrambled eggs in the large. I microwaved the bacon. It was a fun morning. I love having the Elders and Sisters over. Paul loved it too.