G and K and What They Say

We had a happy little Newland roll his suitcase into our home to spend the last half of their vacation with us.

It was a momentous day in our missionary lives. We took the day off from wearing our proselyting clothes and did as the missionary department instructed us to do when our kids and grandkids come to town. We are supposed to blend into the crowd and be parents/grandparents.

Off we went to the San Diego Zoo. I LOVED that place!!! There was so much to see and do.

Ended the day by watching a ball game. It was truly a full day off for the MP (and MPW).

Newland was happy to help his grandpa make French toast for breakfast.

We attended church in a nearby ward. After dinner we headed to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site for a tour. Glen had found his relative earlier and this time I found my relative.

Panning for gold, making bricks and pumping water are so fun for the little people.

We had heard about the Oceanside Pier and went to see it for ourselves on one of our p-days.

It looks like the grandchildren would like to go there as it has a playground nearby.

Ruby's Diner is located at the end of the pier.

It was entertaining watching the surfers in the ocean. (I'm sure the bird thought so, too.)

There is so much beautiful vegetation around here I can hardly stand it! Every time we go out to exercise, we see a new and different flower or tree or bush. It's crazy and wonderful and totally awesome!

We love our wonderful senior couples. The McClellans (left) are local people.

Elder McClellan is in charge of all the missionary cars. Sister McClellan does the housing for the missionaries. She gets the apartments or closes down the apartments as needed. She also makes sure each apartment gets all the furniture necessary for the missionaries. She loves to cook and baked a birthday cake for Sister Christensen.

The Christensens came here from Richfield, Utah. Sister Christensen is the office secretary. She has the cutest laugh. Brother Christensen does the finances for the mission.

These couples are so fabulous and dedicated to doing their jobs to the best of their ability. They also love the missionaries dearly.

The mission has a storage room upstairs in the church building where the mission office is located where lots of new items for the apartments are stored. Sister McClellan refers to it as the mission Walmart.

The mission also has 3 storage rental units where beds, desks, dressers, kitchen tables, chairs, bed frames, mattresses and bikes are stored.

This group of missionaries is 4 weeks into their mission which means they are 4 weeks into their "The First 12 Weeks for New Missionaries" training program.

We bring our missionaries together in their original groups at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and also 12 weeks at the end of their training so we can have them talk about how the training is going. We split up the new missionaries in one room and the trainers in another room and they can talk amongst themselves to share some possible frustrations and to share what is going well for them. We also have them share the miracles they are experiencing in the mission.

It has been such a great idea to do this. One missionary said he felt kind of alone when he first got to the mission, but as they have been getting together, it helps him see that they are all in it together and all working together toward common goals. Others say they like to see the people they were in the MTC with and it gives them a chance to talk to others who are going through exactly what they are going through at exactly the same time.

Hermana Parris (left) has been in a trio this transfer and then had to get emergency transferred to another trio because one of the Hermanas was experiencing health issues and her driving privileges got taken away for her safety and the safety of her companion. Thus Hermana Parris stepped in to be their chauffeur.

The problem was the sick sister had to stay inside and rest for a couple of weeks, so her poor companion (a new missionary from the first transfer) had to stay inside with her. Hermana Parris was going stir crazy. She kept trying to get a different person every day to go out working with her. She asked when I would be able to go with her. Glen found a day he was interviewing all day (and I was supposed to have a day off...) and put me on the calendar to go with her.

I met her at her apartment at 9:30 in the morning. We went to the church and had Spanish district meeting the rest of the morning. Thankfully our role playing during the meeting consisted of practicing teaching with pamphlets and they made an English group for me to practice with.

The districts all love to go to lunch after their district meetings, so off I went with this district to eat at La Pupusas Mama Lita, a Salvadoran restaurant. We had plantains for appetizers and vueltas for the main course.

Everyone spoke Spanish at the restaurant. They have come to love our Spanish-speaking missionaries very much.

I was out with Hermana Parris until 9:00 p.m. when the missionaries go in at night. We even had a dinner appointment at a less active member's home. We (I use the term "we" loosely since I couldn't understand much of anything going on) had a lesson with an investigator. The rest of the time we were trying to contact referrals and doing finding on the street between appointments.

It was a bit of a bummer to me when Glen finished up his day of interviewing and was home alone all evening without me. I did really enjoy getting to know Hermana Parris and getting more of a taste of what the missionaries do each and every day. I was exhausted by the time I dropped her off at her apartment and then got back home at 9:40 p.m.

There was a young mother who accepted our pass along card and gave us her information to be contacted at her home later and a young father in another neighborhood who was out watering and came to the fence to talk to us and seemed interested in knowing more. The rest of the people didn't care at all about what we had to offer. It made me appreciate how the missionaries pray to find the elect who are searching for the truth. The elect are ready to listen and then do something about what they hear.

Fall has been making its appearance in Carlsbad, California. I was a little surprised at first because I wasn't sure the leaves would change colors when the temperature stays pretty much the same all year long. Not a lot of leaves are turning colors, but I am enjoying the few that are changing.

Abe, Klarissa, Newland and Wynne came to town for a long weekend vacation. They stayed the first two nights in a hotel near Legoland. Abe couldn't stand the fact they were within 10 minutes of us and not seeing us, so he asked when we would be home for them to stop by.

Newland was excited to see himself in the canvas photo hanging on our wall.

It turned out to be a rare day where I had driven myself to the mission office so I could leave early while Glen stayed to do interviews, so it turned out perfectly for me to grocery shop before coming home to make a delicious dinner.

Newland and Wynne enjoyed the non-homemade dessert way more than they had the home-cooked dinner.

The next day we hooked up with Abe's family and went to dinner at Outback.

Chuck E. Cheese was right next door, so we went in there for some after-dinner entertainment for the little people.

There were a couple of games that periodically started up without using any tokens. Klarissa couldn't pass up the chance to play for free.

This was probably the best moment of the evening. Newland and his grandpa in the Mad Wave Motion Theater.

So cute together!

Monday, September 26, 2016

San Diego Zoo, Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Pier, McClellans, Christensens, Working With Hermana Parris, Abe's Family Visits

Quotes of the Week