Category: Church

Dinner party before the women’s session of conference

So much of my heart went into this night that it feels strange to write about it here. I’ll fill some pages in my journal about it.

Please enjoy the pretty pictures of my family and homemade petit fours. (Mark helped me with the fondant glaze and Paige made the rosettes.)

Missionary update

Tim is stretching as a Tagalog language missionary in North Shore Vancouver. His companion is fluent in Tagalog, as he was born in the Philippines, but moved to Canada many years ago. Tim is using his piano and organ skills in choir, sacrament meeting, and Primary. He lives in a basement apartment in the stake president’s home. I try to keep track of those who take good care of the missionaries, and in this area, the Oro family really stands out. I am thankful for them! He goes into the city often because that is where they can find Filipinos, and there is a lot of driving involved. Also, they are trying to get to know the members, as both elders are new in the area. They teach a weekly English class which they are trying to get more people to attend. On Preparation Days, he visits gorgeous places, plays volleyball, does laundry, and calls home.

There is a missionary mom on Tim’s mission Facebook page who sends out a reminder message every Monday, “Mamas, charge up your phones!” because that is the day we get to talk. Lately, we talk for a long time.

Some things that I admire about Elder Ross as a missionary:

  • He speaks positively about his companions.
  • He shows his humor superpowers when things don’t go as planned.
  • He seems to find things to like in everyone he meets.
  • He uses exclamation points in his emails to us, and this just lifts my day!
  • He took up social media even though that is not his jam.
  • He freely expresses gratitude.

Making Progress

These are screenshots that illustrate some of my personal goals. The above screenshot is from the Gospel Library app. I am working to electronically mark my favorite quotes from church leaders at the last general conference, tagging quotes so can search them by topic. I began by reading a talk each day, starting sometime in January and ending last week. I marked favorite passages as I read. Now, each day I go back through the marked passages and add some topic tags. It is a drop by drop kind of project.

The next image is a screenshot from the Family Tree app, showing that my short, set appointments each Thursday to work on family history are yielding results. In two months, I have been able to contribute more than any year recorded here.

It is not my intention to brag, but to illustrate how tiny daily and weekly efforts are making a difference in my life!

messenger

I had an assignment to speak in another congregation on Sunday, and while I didn’t feel especially nervous, I noticed my hands were shaking when I tried to take the bread and water for the sacrament. As I took and returned the small cup, the tray rattled with my efforts so much that it made some noise. I said, “I’m sorry,” to the young man holding the tray for me, to which he whispered, “It’s okay,” and the words immediately had more meaning than an 11- or 12-year-old could know. Isn’t that the whole meaning of the sacrament right there? We come, flawed and sorry, and sometimes broken, ill-composed, and making a mess, and it’s a time when the Lord can just say to us, “It’s okay.”

With those simple words, I knew that the rattling was okay, but also that I was okay with the Lord at that moment. He used a kind young boy to teach me that, and it felt so very sweet to hear it from a child.

In an acceptable time

I am grateful I got to see our Tim speak in sacrament meeting in Canada today via Zoom.

I finished reading Saints volume 2, and it had a LOT about opening the missions of the South Pacific in the mid-1800s. One takeaway is that the Lord had specific people in mind to introduce the gospel to the Pacific, and He even used them multiple times throughout their lives. I know the Lord loves all of his children and He has a plan for gathering them.

Timothy’s grandfathers served missions on isles of the sea, in Samoa and Puerto Rico.

I keep a list of scriptures about the promises to the isles of the sea, as I continue to pray that missionaries can return to areas that are currently closed.

“In an acceptable time I have heard thee O isles of the sea…and helped thee, and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people.” (1 Nephi 21:8, Isaiah 49:8)

“Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea.” (2 Nephi 10:21)

“I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea, and will bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth.” (2 Nephi 29:7)

Of course, Jacob considered the Americas an isle of the sea, so Canada counts, too. (2 Nephi 10:20)

Thank you, Candy Bomber

I was sad to hear of the passing of Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber. We attended the same ward in Arizona for a few years. Our children heard him speak about his experiences during the Berlin Airlift many times, and it was nice to see a hero among us. He was always so outgoing and happy. I was looking through some writing from my Arizona years today and found this little detail: one evening I was washing dishes at the church and Brother Halvorsen walked into the kitchen and started drying the silverware. You guys, the Candy Bomber, celebrity and hero, chose to help me with the dishes!

I will remember how Brother Halvorsen showed everyone that small acts of kindness really matter.

February 1 letter

Dear friend,

We made it through January 2022.

Did you see a lot of friends fall ill? I did. I also bought a lot more masks. I keep hoping each time I buy another box that *this* will be the last. In January, I went ahead and bought 3 boxes.

In contrast, if you are local, did you notice how sunny it was in January? Gorgeous!

We have been watching Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great and Small. I love Mrs. Hall and the sets. Now, THIS is a jewel box house. Every scene, I am hoping the actors will move around more so I can get a better look at the props and furniture.

I didn’t do a lot of organizing like many people in January, but I deep cleaned some rooms, and I got all the pine needles vacuumed from the carpet downstairs before we turned the calendar to February.

I read 7 books on cold evenings, every inch of me below the chin wrapped in blankets. No, I did not use my nose to advance pages on the Kindle to avoid exposing my fingers. But it’s worth considering.

A neighbor in our cul-de-sac just put their house on the market. It is a competitive housing market, so our street has been lined with cars. I learned the house behind us was sold to somebody who plans to turn it into an Airbnb. Boo! Still, I’m thrilled that there will be NO [mean] DOGS living there.

I have a new secretary, and she will be wonderful, as was my previous secretary.

Tim is serving in Maple Ridge, BC with two elders from Canada. One was assigned to Italy, and Tim of course was originally assigned to Guam, but they are “all in.” This is considered a temporary reassignment, and I am still not quite set in my mind that he is in Canada. I’m slow like that. I’m aware it doesn’t matter what I think, but it matters that he is smiling and happy, though. And he is.

Happy February!

♥️,

A.

P.S. write back soon. Ha ha

Bright spots

In this assortment, you will find things that I would like to remember about this week. Wouldn’t it be sad to forget *that* sunset? Or that Mark came home excited about the progress he made on his woods project… And that I worked on a quilt and found a few happy surprises… Wouldn’t it be unfortunate to forget these happy little things?

When we shine, we gather

I taught a singing lesson in Primary today. There were only 18 kids there, between the ages of 3 and 10, and I taught them the song, I Know My Father Lives. The lyrics are a simple group of statements about our Heavenly Father and the Spirit:

“I know my Father Lives, and loves me too, the Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true, and tells me it is true.”

I brought an empty picture frame and carried it around the room, holding it in front of each child’s face, and repeating, “You are a child of God and He loves you.” The children would sit up a little straighter as I brought the frame in front of their faces. The older boys shifted a little, feeling the power of the statements and some discomfort from the attention, and wishing to diffuse some of that feeling. Younger children were the most capable of bearing those words without a wobble. As I spoke and looked into each face, it was a sacred experience. When I walked back to the front of the room, several of the kids said, what about you? Aren’t you going to say it for yourself? So, I said it for myself, “I am a child of God and He loves me.” Ah, belonging! You can’t have it without some vulnerability.

Elder Cook wrote, “When we shine, we gather.” Sometimes it takes courage to shine, to carry around that frame, look someone in the eyes, and remind them they are a child of God and He loves them so much. “To gather” can bring to mind the idea of a hug, or any gesture that reminds people that they belong.

(I am adding the themes that our youth learn as teens. I love the doctrine that we are children of heavenly parents.)