Here we are at Hale Center Theater to see A Christmas Carol. It was wonderful.Temple Square
Tim turned 20 this week.
To celebrate Tim’s birthday, Richard and I made a temple appointment. As I finished our temple session and entered the celestial room, I was greeted by a temple worker as I never have before. He simply said “Hi,” not a more formal “hello” or reverent nod, but a joyful “Hi!” It made me think of the welcome I hope for in heaven, just a familiar “Hi.”
Last Sunday at dinner, I gave a simple baby in a manger to each of our children for Christmas, a reminder that Christmas takes different forms during our lives, and sometimes it feels incomplete, with a loss or absence of a loved one. I have learned that Christmas can still be celebrated without the full scene. The simplest Nativity, without any of the other characters surrounding Christ, is still complete because of the Baby in the manger. Christ is the only essential, and he is always there. I also believe He wants a familiarity with us, a relationship that will continue forever. I believe he also wants to greet us with a familiar, “Hi,” someday.
One year ago today we said goodbye to Timothy at the missionary training center in Provo. I cried the whole way home and Paige and I collapsed in our living room. I fell asleep, but awoke to this little ornament that had turned on while I cry-slept. I didn’t know it would be the comfort I would need in that moment, and for many days, all the days of December 2021.
The ornament is still here a year later, with fresh new batteries that arrived this afternoon, just in time to commemorate a year of tender mercies for my Timothy and for me.
The Timothy iteration of Elder Ross is super funny each week in our video calls. He talks about his service in understatements and we have to draw out the things a different missionary might bring up right away. He is serving in Palau on an island called Koror. He welcomes the rain on the hot, hot days, and he is training a missionary and finding plenty of people to teach. His latest video call was interrupted by a little boy (a frequent visitor on his calls) trying to get his attention by stealing his phone and running away with it. There were scenes of a little palm, then ceilings and hallways whizzing past on the screen, and a final interception by another missionary, a hello, and a handoff. This happened twice.
A lot happens during a mission. There are a lot of emotions. There is a lot of heart stretching taking place on both ends of the weekly call.
We are in the final week of summer break. This morning I took some time to look over some snapshots and screenshots from the last few months, and chose a few to share. These are some of people and places I want to remember. Two really good friends passed away. We have been really focused on wedding preparations. Mark was gone a lot, and his social connections got stronger. Richard worked from home. I lived my own version of The Secret Garden, increasing my strength. We planted a lot of flowers, and I am especially proud of reclaiming my favorite corner of the yard, the one that feels like a forest. We sat beneath outdoor lights on many nights. Paige and Michael were especially helpful hanging the lights. Tim made it to Guam. We said goodbye to friends who are going on a mission. Lots of lasts and firsts this summer. This means growth.
We changed the flag in front of our house as our missionary flew from Vancouver to his original mission assignment in Guam this week. It is a time of competing feelings, and we are thankful for the kindness of so many people in Vancouver, and look forward to hearing about Tim’s mission experiences in Guam.9 pmaround 10 pm1:30 am3 am
Because of an email error, when Daniel arrived at his mission, I didn’t hear from him for a week. I just wanted to know he had arrived safely.
This time, Google automatically added Tim’s itinerary to my calendar, so I had updates on my phone for the 27 hours he traveled. I could also check the progress of the flights on a website. Don’t judge me, I was desperate for news last time. I didn’t want the same story this time.
On this wedding week, there is no such thing as the single kindest thing someone has done, but this story ranks near the top.
This is the Hernandez family. They live near Vancouver, British Columbia, and they love missionaries. They consistently and lovingly invite our missionary and his companions into their home to feed them dinner and offer support. Bishop and Sister Hernandez recently welcomed home both of their sons from missions, and they are enjoying a road trip in the western U.S.
Tim is flying to Guam on Monday night, experiencing the biggest transfer of his mission, and has a lot of winter gear for Canada that he will not need in the South Pacific. The Hernandez family arranged to drive his and another elder’s extra clothing to Utah.
They drive a sedan and there are four of them, so there was not a lot of room, yet they took Tim’s Blundstone boots and two bags of clothing, plus a similar amount for the other elder. Sister Hernandez reassured Tim that she wouldn’t mind holding a bag on her lap if there wasn’t enough of room in the car.
So, I met these lovely people at the Payson temple. They carried his bags to my car for me, smiling, and then we took pictures. I consider them instant and forever friends.
Instead of, “Bow to your partner,” my brother Paul the caller said, “Pose for the camera.” 😂
Our family reunions are over, there is one week until the wedding (pray!), Mark is on Pioneer Trek (pray!), and Timothy flies to Guam in two weeks to begin his missionary work there (pray!). I have exerted so much mental labor over Mark’s piano teacher dilemma and school schedule dilemma that I must have burned some calories with those mighty thoughts. Also, I am laboring to find a new counselor in the stake Primary after Susan’s passing. This is difficult spiritual work.
I have been reading in 2 Chronicles this week. I am trying not to be overly worried or stressed about all that is going on, but sometimes I just swim in concerns. When I read these scripture verses, the words center me a little.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect [completely] toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
“For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
We had one last goodbye and thank you to our piano teacher who moved away this month. Mark is the only one still taking lessons, but Paige and Daniel joined us to say goodbye. Natalie was an incredible teacher for our kids.
A reunion of Young Women leaders to bid farewell to Deor who is going on a mission.
GARTH BROOKS CONCERT Our tickets were not together, but we rode together on the train into Ute territory. (Note Richard Jaussi’s t-shirt.)
waiting for the wind to die down
We loved the concert. Once Mark graduates from high school I will be auditioning as a fiddler for Garth’s band. 😉
We learned that Tim will be able to go to the mission to which he was originally assigned. He will leave Canada where he is currently serving and travel to the Micronesia Guam mission at the end of July. Covid restrictions in Micronesia have been the barrier to Tim being able to travel there. We had hoped that Tim could at least be in Guam for the new temple dedication, but it was not to be.
Here are a few facts about the Micronesia Guam mission that Tim shared in church before we learned he would be reassigned to the Canada Vancouver mission.
I’ve been called to the Micronesia Guam mission, speaking Tagalog. So for those of you who don’t know where Micronesia or Guam is, Micronesia is a group of islands about Papua New Guinea and east of the Philippines and Indonesia in the South Pacific Ocean. If anyone is still confused, I’ll allow you to pull our your phone and Google Earth it right now.
Here are some other fun facts I learned recently about my mission.
The Micronesia Guam mission is one of the largest geographic missions in the world, the majority of this area consisting of the ocean.
It is nearly 2000 miles from Palau to Kosrae, the farthest apart islands. For some scale, that’s farther than from here in Utah to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Missionaries serve on Guam, which is a US territory, Saipan, Tinaian, Rota, Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Fai Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.
I’m speaking Tagalog, which comes from the Philippines. Missionaries also teach the gospel in English, Palauan, Pohnpeian, Kosrean, Yapese, Chuukese, Woleaian, and Kap in Gamar Angi. So a lot of languages I’ve never heard of and probably mispronounced.
The mission covers 3 different time zones. Currently, it is almost 4 o’clock tomorrow morning in Guam. 17 hours ahead of our time.
Dress code for the mission does not include suits due to the tropical climate year round. In addition to normal dress shoes, missionaries are also allowed to wear sandals, so the other day I picked up some Crocs. Now, I don’t know if I would have believed you if you told me a couple years ago that I’d one day be preaching the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ in a pair of Crocs, but here we are.
All in all, I’m very excited to go out and serve the people and the Lord.
Elder Timothy Ross, November 14, 2021
I wrote this post about my thoughts about missionaries in the isles of the sea a few months ago. I am grateful that so many prayers of so many people have been answered, allowing missionaries to serve.
