Quotes of the Week

"As we draw closer to God, the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will come into our lives."
--Dale G. Renlund

"Listen to that still, small voice which speaks... the Master's gentle invitation, 'Come, follow me.'"
--Thomas S. Monson

"The only conquest that brings satisfaction is the conquest of self. 'he that governeth himself is greater than he that taketh a city.'"
--Gordon B. Hinckley

Pioneer Day, Zone Meetings, Elder's Mother Dies, New Refrigerator

There were several stakes who put on Pioneer Day celebrations. We stopped by the Vista stake center (where our mission office is located) to check out the festivities. Our  missionaries had a booth set up where they were helping with the bean bag toss and handing out copies of the Book of Mormon.

These elders participated in the pie eating contest and Elder Burandt won.

We were running so ragged those first few weeks we were here that I always liked to document when Glen had time to pop himself a bowl of popcorn. It wasn't very often!

Here I am preparing my visual for zone conference. I led a discussion on obedience...which prompted many missionaries to contact the mission president (MP) the weeks following zone conference. Their consciences were pricked. Hurrah!!

"The discipline contained in daily obedience and clean living and wholesome lives builds an armor around you of protection and safety from the temptations that beset you as you proceed through mortality." --Elder L. Tom Perry (Preach My Gospel, pg. 122)

Car inspections were done while the missionaries were attending zone conference.

The missionaries handed in their old phones and received new ones. They were pretty happy about it.

Our assistants Elder Phillips, Elder Ruhl and Elder Glover had noticed how Glen and I like to match what we are wearing, so in honor of us, they were united in their clothing--right down to their floral ties.

We had three different zone conferences and various stake Relief Society presidencies would provide lunch. This particular meal was very fun. The box lunches had stickers on them with different inspirational quotes. The popcorn buckets as centerpieces were very festive and the missionaries (my husband included) loved to eat the popcorn for dessert.

Elder Wockenfuss's mother passed away so he spent the night with us before he flew to Arkansas.

Love the palm-tree lined road at the airport.

The night he returned home, his flight was delayed by HOURS! It was a long wait for us and we got home past missionaries' bedtime, so we had Elder Wockenfuss spend the night with us again.

Good news for us was one day we returned home from missionary work and found a new refrigerator had been delivered. Hurrah!!

Our other one was short with the freezer on the top and I felt like I was bending over all the time trying to get anything out of the refrigerator. Also, whenever we closed the fridge, the freezer door would pop open and sometimes it would stay ajar a little bit and the freezer would defrost and everything would be all wet and drippy in there.

I was so happy they replaced the old white refrigerator with a new white refrigerator instead of the newfangled stainless steel ones that show fingerprints way too much. We have a second refrigerator and freezer in the garage. It is awesome!

Quotes of the Week

"Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. ...Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation."
--D. Todd Christofferson

"Where and when we feel the closeness of the Savior depend on each of us."
--Henry B. Eyring

"The Holy Ghost speaks according to our understanding and our needs."
--Dallin H. Oaks

"Stay close to your Father in Heaven.  You will be stronger and more able to make the decisions that confront you every minute if you do so."
--M. Russell Ballard

Mission Map, Farsi Group, Fancy Dinner, Zone Training Meeting

I have spent lots of time studying the map of our mission trying to figure out where we have been and where we are going. There are 6 stakes in our mission. The yellow lines mark the ward boundaries.

Murrieta and Temecula Stakes are at the north of our mission. The mission office building is the red dot in the Vista Stake. Escondido Stake is the largest on the east of our mission. We live right about in the middle of the Carlsbad Stake. Del Mar Stake is our southernmost stake.

Legoland is 4.5 miles south of us.

One day I insisted we drive up to the entrance of Legoland just so I could see how close it really is to our house.

We drive by Agua Hedionda every time we drive to the airport and back.

One Sunday our new Area Seventy Marc Davis asked if we would attend the Farsi group with him. The group meets with a ward for sacrament meeting and then they split off and have a 2-hour instructional time together, which was taught by Elder Davis. Once a month they have Farsi people from another area join them. They had a big feast after the meeting featuring all the native foods they love to eat.

The interpreter was such a happy, lovely man who presented Elder Davis and us with vases of flowers for us to take home as a thank you gift for participating in their meeting.

We hadn't stayed to eat their feast because we had been invited to a stake president's home for dinner. His wife sent home leftovers for us to eat the next day for lunch. Following the dinner, all the bishops in the stake started to arrive and I found myself in a circle of many men who were all ears to hear what we had learned in our Mission President Seminar. Then they talked about what they wanted their bishops to do in their stake regarding missionary work.

Even though we feel so swamped 99% of the time, El Presidente sometimes stops everything to have a little popcorn time.

When we attended one ward, Dr. Dustin introduced himself as the foot doctor who treats all the missionaries. I asked him who he would suggest to treat my feet and he said him of course!

My feet have not fully recovered from my surgery and he is shooting up the four neuroma spots with a cortisone cocktail injection. He has diagnosed me with a dreaded neuroma stump in my left foot. It makes me crazy because I avoided surgery all these years because I didn't want to deal with a neuroma stump.

Another set of injections is scheduled for 3 weeks and then we'll see if it takes care of my problem. If not, it sounds like another surgery would be what would need to happen. I can't even bear the thought of going through that again. I doubt the mission president would take 2 weeks off to be my nurse maid...

We had a big dinner planned at our house for the 6 stake presidents, the temple president, the mission presidency counselor, Elder Davis and all the wives. Kathleen Wardle decorated the tables and provided the food. She brought her two daughters to help her. It was awesome and delicious and I am now indebted to her forever!

 

Elder Davis is the one on the right.

We love going to zone training meetings. After missionary leadership council, the zone leaders and sister training leaders teach the missionaries in their zones what was taught in MLC. They all do such a great job. We are always inspired by their teaching and their leading of discussions and by their comments. The best part is Glen and I get to sit at a table in the back and just observe.

While waiting for all the missionaries to arrive, we were watching church videos and the one with Ben's friend Chase came up and I was loving it!!

The Hermanas looked like they color coded themselves to match for the day. So adorable!

We have actually done really well at having date night (or at least date dinner) every Friday night. We are emphasizing to any missionaries within hearing distance that Friday is our date night. We want them to know how important the Church considers a weekly date and hope they emulate that in their own marriages--when that time comes for them.

This made my day one night when we were driving home. Not far from our home this building was being built and I kept telling Glen it was going to be a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Then the sign went up and I WAS ELATED!!!!

 Another date night option!!