Quotes of the Week

Seek God with all your heart.  Exercise faith.  Walk in righteousness.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Let us in word and in deed share with our fellowmen the amazing and awe-inspiring message of God's plan of happiness.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ is the light that dispels fear, provides assurance and direction, and engenders enduring peace and joy.
--David A. Bednar

Cooperativeness is not so much learning how to get along with others as taking the kinks out of ourselves, so others can get along with us.
--Thomas S. Monson

Zone Conference, New Director of Mormon Battalion

This is what we often get fed by the various Relief Societies throughout our mission at zone conferences. It is quick and easy and the missionaries can put on it what they like and those with food allergies can avoid the foods they can't eat.

Our first zone conference of this transfer was held with the Vista, Fallbrook and Carlsbad zones on Valentine's Day.

These sweet sisters from the Spanish branch were the ones who worked hard to prepare the food for us.

We talked about Elder Bednar's "Parable of the Pickle" talk and sent each companionship home with a bottle of pickles to share to remind them of what they had learned.

Elder Ruhl and Elder Romney like to get a photo together after every zone conference.

Our Area Medical Advisor, Dr. Braithwaite and his wife had a nice medical/safety presentation they did in the afternoon each of the three days. He made himself available after he spoke to any of the missionaries who might have a medical question or concern.

The second day of zone conference was with the Murrieta and Temecula zones. The ride up north did not disappoint. The scenery was causing us (at least me) to ooh and aah at every bright patch of flowers along the way.

 This group of sisters fed us a barbecue chicken sandwich, salad, chips and brownies.

Probably the best part of zone conference is when the missionaries are put into small groups and they get the chance to practice teaching each other the lessons.

There is a wonderful feeling in the room when they are teaching and it is a joy to walk among them listening to their teachings. They are wonderful teachers of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here are the assistants with their important stuff to make a successful zone conference.

The third and last zone conference was held with the Del Mar, Escondido and San Marcos zones and there was still the Valentine's Day theme going on.

These sisters were serving the missionaries a delicious taco/rice salad with root beer floats for dessert.

The assistants' pose for this day was with Dr. Braithwaite and the pickle jars.

 Sour pickle faces!

We have become good friends with Elder and Sister Woods, the director and wife of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. We see them every transfer cycle and they talk to our missionaries after each tour. 

It was a surprise when he told us they would be cutting their assignment here short by a year so they could go be the director of the visitors' center in Paris, France. They both speak French, so it is the perfect fit for them. 

The young sister missionaries at the Mormon Battalion are becoming quite the friends with us as well. So much so that they pulled the silly selfie pose when I asked them to take a picture of us with Elder and Sister Woods. 

It made me laugh as I thought of Elder Ruhl who is always doing the same thing whenever I hand him my phone to take a picture.

The replacement for Elder and Sister Woods is Mike Hemingway and his wife. He was the tutor of the training for our small mission president and wives group in the months leading up to leaving on our mission. 

He came to visit our mission in November and helped do teaching and training in his capacity as director of proselyting in the missionary department. This was great news for us to have him here! 

We were invited to the Mormon Battalion for a reception to honor the outgoing director and welcome the incoming director. There were a lot of people from nearby Old Town San Diego which is a state protected historical park. It commemorates the early days of the town of San Diego and includes many historical buildings. 

The Mormon Battalion Historic Site adds a lot about the early history of San Diego. Panning for gold is a particularly favorite part at the end of the tour. 

Anniversary Date at the Safari Park, Stake Presidency Breakfast for the Temecula Missionaries

We saw a free afternoon on Friday, February 9th, our 39th wedding anniversary, and made plans to make a great escape for an afternoon date experience and were very anxious and hopeful that would happen.

As we have observed since arriving here, though, we have noticed that when we have some free time in our schedule it soon becomes evident of why we have it. It is usually to take care of some problem that comes up. This was no exception.

By the time Glen finished up with the issues that kept arising and finished meeting with the missionaries requesting an interview, it was later in the afternoon. We decided to still make a dash for it and arrived at the Safari Park with a mere 1 hour and 10 minutes before closing time.

That was exactly 20 minutes less than we had the other time we went there. Oh well! We made the best of the situation. We walked around a different part of the park that we hadn't seen before.

We got a little exercise. We enjoyed nature. We relaxed. We had a nice dinner on our way home. It was a great date night.

But honestly, who even needs to go to the zoo to enjoy nature. We have beauty all around us. Right in our own back yard as I noticed these flowers blooming.

Speaking of nature--when we were near a shopping area where there is a huge strip of stores covering what seems like a whole block, I got the biggest kick out of seeing all these birds perched on the Petco store roof and no other bird atop any other store. It just really tickled my funny bone.

February is the love month for us with both our anniversary and Valentine's day. This cute valentine was made by our grandchildren at FHE using celery. We loved it.

The stake presidency in Temecula fixes a breakfast for all the missionaries in their zone at the beginning of every transfer. That is every 6 weeks. They are so wonderful and they love missionary work.

The breakfast this time was hosted by President Ham. I loved this message hanging on their wall.

President Downing, President Ham and President Nilsen were cooking out on the back patio in a big rain storm.

There had been a message given by President Ham and the zone leaders before breakfast. After breakfast President Ham invited us into his front living room where he opened his front door and asked the missionaries to sing "Called to Serve" loud enough for his neighbors to hear. That's one way to do missionary work!

It was a beautiful experience and well worth the getting up early and the hour drive to get there.

We ended up staying in Temecula for a while as there were two separate baptisms we went to that day. We were loving the bursts of yellow and orange flowers all along the freeway.

The patches of flowers were so bright they were almost florescent in the sunlight. So beautiful!!

The next day we were back up in Temecula making a delivery to a missionary and attending church while we were there. It was a sad thought when I realized partway through the morning that neither one of us had thought to put the meat in the oven before we left for the day.

I had prepared it and put it in the roasting pan in the refrigerator and that is as far as it made it. Let's just say that's one way to break out of the weekly routine of meat, mashed potatoes and carrots for Sunday dinner.

Preparation day found us getting our car washed and vacuumed and the inside windows all cleaned so we would pass inspection the next day at at zone conference. Alas! We netted a 9.9 because we had two missing tire caps.

AHHHH! The elusive 10 is still dangling out there for us to try to achieve.

These purple flowers are now in bloom all around the neighborhoods and along the freeway.

 I LOVE them!! I LOVE the beauty everywhere you look!! I LOVE being in southern California!!

Quotes of the Week

The reach of the Savior's Atonement is infinite in breadth and depth, for  you and for me.  But it will never be imposed on us.
--Dale G Renlund

The Sabbath is a perfect time to remember the covenant we made at the waters of baptism to love and serve Heavenly Father's children.
--Henry B. Eyring

The best way to demonstrate that the love of the Savior is written in our hearts is by our kind deeds and good works.
--Gary E. Stevenson

May God bless you to have the courage to study and to know the simple truths of the gospel and then to share them every chance you get.
--M. Russell Ballard

New Missionary Training, MLC, Zone Training Meetings

Our newest batch of missionaries and their trainers came back to the mission office on Thursday, two days after their arrival, when they were a bit more perky so we could do some new missionary training with them.

After training we fed them lunch so we could send them off on their way with full tummies for the rest of the day.

The next day we had an excellent Mission Leadership Council with this fine group of zone leaders and sister training leaders. 

These five elders all came out together and were celebrating their 20-month mark in the mission and asked for a photo.

I really wasn't feeling too well both of these days and decided to take my temperature. Sure enough--I had a fever, a sore throat, my body ached and I had a cough.

Saturday morning I called one of our mission nurses to tell her my symptoms and also told her about how we went to walk along the beach Friday night for date night and I was having the hardest time breathing and had to walk so slowly to be able to catch my breath. She told me to go to the clinic we use up in Temecula that is open on Saturday mornings.

The doctor decided to do a nose swab and from that made the diagnosis I had Influenza A. Oh joy! That put a cramp in our plans for the rest of the day and the next day.

Glen brought me home so I could keep my germs to myself while he went to three baptisms throughout the rest of the day. Each of them were families getting baptized instead of individual baptisms which made them all the more special.

I had been asked to speak in a ward's visiting teaching conference on Sunday and had to cancel on them. When asked, they had requested either one of the mission presidency's counselor's wife or me to speak to them. Since we didn't have specific plans for Sunday at that point, I told her I would do it.

The counselor's wife was pretty much in a panic about filling in for me and doing it on such short notice, but she finally consented to do it. Her husband jumped in to help rescue her with the assignment and she got it figured out and later her husband told me what a nice experience it had been for her.

I was feeling fine on Monday p-day, but the annoying cough was still going on and it continues to this day two weeks later. UGH!! It is a difficult task to try to hold in coughs during meetings.

Off we went to Murrieta on Tuesday to be observers to their zone training meeting. Their snack was ice cream sandwiches. They were a hit with Glen. We have never eaten their snacks and this time he did.

The traffic is oftentimes very backed up going to Temecula and we found out it is because the masses of people are going to the Pechanga Resort and Casino to gamble.

Wednesday we went to zone training meeting in Escondido.

Thursday was the Vista zone training meeting. The zone leaders and sister training leaders in all the zones did such a great job teaching and training.

It was a great way to spend our 39th anniversary.

This was another highlight of the day for me. Seeing Glen all taped up after physical therapy and having him show me his weird Popeye muscle.

The good news is he feels like the therapy sessions and the home exercises are helping his shoulder, so that is giving him some hope.