Monday, July 3, 2017

Campground Exercise, District Meetings, Glen's Birthday

We like to explore different areas on our Monday preparation day. Lately we have been taking our morning exercise walk at Carlsbad State Beach. 
It is located south of the NRG power plant. We park in this parking lot just outside the campground.
The 44-acre park runs along the coastline and has 220 campsites. The scenery changes all the time with the changing of the vacationers camping there each week.
We got our re-certification authorization to be allowed the privilege to go on base at Camp Pendleton. This time we are good for one year before we have to go through religious ministry training to get certified again.
We had another out-of-state youth group (from St. George) attend our mission. Each one of these young men went out with a pair of our missionaries for a few hours before meeting together where Glen and I spoke to them.
We attended various district meetings one week. This one is the San Marcos zone with a zone leader teaching everyone how to jump a car in case they ever need to know that skill.

Another day we attended a district meeting in Temecula with these four missionaries.
I was unaware of this elder's talent for playing the piano. With just one finger he could play all the notes in the hymns--thanks to the electronic piano programmed to play the hymns. I got a good laugh!
We each drew one of the teaching points from the lessons to teach to the group. Glen pulled repentance out of the bag. HELLO!! He's already a pro at teaching repentance because he's always teaching it to the missionaries. Not so much of a stretch for him!
Glen took the elders to lunch because he had a birthday deal at a restaurant. He was a little embarrassed when they brought a lighted birthday treat to him. It was a month past his birthday and he was cashing in on the deal on the last day before it expired.
But, the elders and I sure enjoyed watching him squirm at the fuss made over him.
Driving along the coastal highway we saw two homes all tented up for fumigation. I always laugh and clap with glee when I see the clown tents covering any other home besides ours.
But my laughter only lasts a moment because I then instantly feel SO SORRY for the people who have had to deal with double bagging up every single food item in the house--including what's in the refrigerator and freezer (2 each of them if anyone is like us and has a second refrigerator and freezer in the garage).

It's NOT fun!!!!! Or funny!!! If you are the one having to deal with it.
These are our assistants. I didn't realize it until just the other day that all their names start with "H": Elders Higginson, Hadfield and Horton.
We met up with this elder two different times at the orthopedic doctor so we could hear about if he would need surgery or not. The thumbs up means he's good. No surgery. Whew!
Funny story. One day we walked into zone conference and Glen was going around greeting all the missionaries when one of them called him Sister Thomas.

He asked why the missionary would call him that and the missionary laughed and pointed to his name tag. He had inadvertently grabbed my name tag off the table where we set them each night. I was wearing his name tag. One would think one of us would notice the mistake. So funny! We laughed!
Another day more recently I was fixing him dinner and we needed an important ingredient for the meal and I had forgotten to buy it at the store. Glen offered to go to the store while I finished cooking the meal.

Later that evening, he noticed he had once again grabbed my name tag and had been walking around the store as Sister Thomas. He said no wonder all the people were looking at him very strangely.

This time we both laughed and laughed and laughed. Perhaps I laughed a little more and a little longer than he did over this one.
We had a wonderful baptism in the YSA ward and one of our returned missionaries, Maree Miraglia, was here visiting so we got to see her.
There is a church in Carlsbad Village that has a beautifully illuminated glass window at night.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Ward Mission Leader Appreciation Dinner, Roadside Attraction

Glen has the BEST men working with him in his mission presidency--President John Burgon and President Israel Marín.
President Marín suggested they have a Ward Mission Leader Appreciation Dinner for all the ward mission leaders and their wives from all of the six stakes in our mission.

He suggested they have the dinner at his house. We made the invitations and got them out to the missionaries to give to their ward mission leaders.

President Marín's family all ended up chipping in to help decorate, park the cars, cook and serve the meal.
The oldest Marín son (on the left in the family portrait) has returned home from his mission and their middle son (on the right) is now serving a mission. Hence the following decoration hung in their home.
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

They had the idea to use missionary name tags for all the guests. Natalie was happily greeting the people as they arrived and helped them find their personalized name tags.
Their home is definitely a party-sized home. They were able to fit seven long tables in their family room besides their gigantic dining room table. The flowers they had everywhere were absolutely gorgeous.


There were plenty of seats for all who chose to attend. The chicken dinner was delicious. Glen and his counselors gave wonderful messages to the group. I have the feeling word will get out to those who were not in attendance and they will make it a point to be there next time.
President Marín insisted we take home some flowers with us. He presented us with this lovely arrangement and another huge bunch of flowers in a vase. Their family is so generous with all they have and with their time. They are truly people who consecrate themselves to the Lord's work.
On one of our recent drives home from Temecula, we spotted smoke and fire up ahead. This is what we saw as we drove by. It was a frightening sight. More like something you would see in the movies and not in real life.
Since we haven't heard differently, we're going to assume the people got out safely. And we'll assume a forest fire did not start raging since it looked like the nearby roadside brush had started on fire.

Quotes of the Week

Christ is always near, waiting and willing to help us when we pray for help and are willing to repent and come unto Him.
--M. Russell Ballard

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.
--Thomas S. Monson

Our task is to become our best selves.   One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again for no failure ever need be final.
--Thomas S. Monson

I know this gospel is true.  I am more sure of this than I am sure of anything else in life.
Jeffery R. Holland

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Quotes of the Week

Obedience is not a process of pounding our souls into something we are not.  It is the process by which we discover what we truly are.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The fundamental truths of the restored gospel were revealed as the timing was right.
--David A. Bednar

Think the best of each other, especially of those you say you love.  Assume the good and doubt the bad.
--Jeffery R. Holland

When we put God first, all things fall into their proper place and drop out of our lives.
--Ezra Taft Benson