Quotes of the Week

Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!
--Russell M. Nelson

Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.
--Thomas S. Monson

Our greatest and most overriding goals should fit into Heavenly Father's eternal plan.
--M. Russell Ballard

Both exercising faith in and following Jesus Christ are necessary preparations for serving Him.
--David A. Bednar

Quotes of the Week

The Lord Jesus Christ has power to give rest unto our souls.
--M. Russell Ballard

We laugh, we cry, we work, we play, we love, we live. And then we die. And dead we would remain but for one Man, Jesus Christ.
--Thomas S. Monson

Through His prophets, Heavenly Father constantly reminds us that righteousness is happiness.
--M. Jesse Brough

Please believe and take hope and comfort...Our Heavenly Father intends for us to make it! That is His work and His glory.
J. Devn Cornish

Oceanside Harbor, Speaker Glen, Batiquitos Lagoon

Training meeting with some of our newer missionaries.

A sister companionship gave Glen this cute Father's Day note with some microwave popcorn.

I had a day last week where Glen was spending the day doing hour-long exit interviews at the mission office with some of the departing missionaries, so he let me stay home for the day.

I was so happy to get some stuff done at home and to be able to wear comfy clothes all day...until he got home for dinner and informed me some missionaries were going to be coming to our home to meet with him.

He also told me one of our returned missionaries was coming to see us later that night. So, I went and changed into my missionary clothes to greet our adoring fans.

It was a busy weekend for returned missionaries to visit. One sister brought her family. The other two we saw at a baptism.

The colorful signs have appeared all around the mission office warning the missionaries that transfer planning is in session and they are to stay clear of peeking in the mission president's office to try and get a glimpse of what is going on with the transfer board.

We had a busy Sunday. Glen's Sabbath day usually starts earlier than mine. He went to an early morning missionary coordination meeting in Del Mar. Then he came home to pick me up and we went to a sacrament meeting in Escondido. 

From there we traveled to a sacrament meeting in Del Mar. It is always a relief to see three speakers and a special musical number on the program making us feel like there is enough to fill the time and we won't be called on to speak.

Not so!! The stake president was there and he requested President Thomas speak for the last 10 minutes of the meeting. Of course Glen is quick on his feet and did a magnificent job. He had more time to speak in this meeting than he ever gets during stake conferences.

We attended a third sacrament meeting in Vista. I filled in at the last second to play the intermediate hymn because the pianist had stepped out to take an emergency work phone call. Give me an impromptu piano playing any time over an impromptu speaking any day of the week!!!

After dinner we went to a missionary fireside in Carlsbad which advertised President Glen Thomas as one of the featured speakers.

There were three recent converts and one recently-activated member who shared their stories of conversion/reactivation. This is one of the converts and as we were talking with him and his wife after the meeting, we learned we know her parents from Albuquerque.

We had a very wonderful walk around Oceanside Harbor one morning and enjoyed the water scenes along the way.

Along this part of the beach was a competition hosted by the Oceanside Junior Lifeguards. What caught my eye was one of the film crew. It looked like he was wearing long white socks and a long-sleeve white shirt under his t-shirt.

Upon closer inspection, we saw it was some kind of protective sunscreen. Rough job to be filming in the sun all day being so sensitive to the sun.

There are a few select parking spaces available for overnight camping at Oceanside Harbor.

Another day we walked along the Batiquitos Lagoon Trail.

Batiquitos Lagoon is one of the few coastal wetlands on the southern California coast.  

The bridge is Interstate 5 and we drive on it a lot of the time going back and forth to the airport and to Mormon Battalion and to the San Diego Temple, just to mention a few of our destinations.
The walking trail goes along the north side of the lagoon and is about 2 miles long.

It was so beautiful and peaceful.

One part of the trail runs alongside a golf course.

This is about the closest Glen has come to golfing since we got here. He was told to bring his golf clubs and he has yet to unwrap them from the packing paper.

Interview Week, Connection With Two New Missionaries, Caroline's Baptism

We spend many a preparation day at one doctor's office or another it seems like. It has been quite a few months since I was last at the foot doctor's office.

But, the time had come where I had gotten tired of my feet hurting and went back to see what is going on. It feels like the neuroma spots in both my feet have moved up higher in my feet.

Upon inspection, it was confirmed that I am definitely feeling something going on in there. He told me I have neuroma stumps growing in both my feet. WHAT?!? This foot problem thing is never-ending!!

He shot up both my feet and is hoping I'll get some relief. As far as I can tell--no relief in either foot. And I still have my floating big toes problem. Neither toe touches the ground. My feet are a mess.

I have always wanted to know how much a surfboard costs. I got my answer in Costco the other day.

It was the time during the transfer cycle for the missionaries to have an interview with their mission president. Glen has them set a new goal each time and record how they have done with their goal since the last time they had their interview.
We spend our time going from church building to church building to church building.

Of course we (I) must stop to notice the beautiful flowering trees whenever I get the chance.

Lunch break after their district meeting.

The more sisters on one couch the better!

These sisters were anxious to show me their watch and shoe tan lines.

A selfie with these Spanish-speaking missionaries.

All lined up outside the mission office waiting their turn for a few minutes with the mission president.

It just happened to work out that the interview schedule for the last day ended early thus making it possible for us to go to the airport to pick up these two missionaries arriving off cycle to our mission.

This elder is from Gilbert, Arizona and is in Shon and Julie Newsome Rasmussen's ward. Julie was our next-door neighbor back home and when she married Shon, they moved to Gilbert. 

This sister is from the Philippines and was serving in her home stake in Manilla while she waited for her visa to come here. She was on the temple shuttle bus when she got the phone call informing her she would be leaving to come to the United States in two days. She was terrified.

It just so happened that on that very same shuttle bus was a sister who had recently completed her mission here. She was able to reassure this sister that she knows all about the California Carlsbad Mission and she knows us well.

She sent us a sweet note written on the back of this Manilla Temple picture that she had our new missionary hand deliver to us from her.

What a tender mercy for this dear sister to have the reassurance of another sister from her home land who had so recently returned from this mission. The Lord is in the details of our lives.

Once the missionaries get to the church, we take a picture with them to send to their parents.

This cute sister came back a few days later for some training. When asked how she is adjusting to life in America, she exclaimed with great emphasis, "Everyone here is SO BIG and SO TALL!!"

She further went on to explain that everything is big here. The hamburgers are big. Even the bottles of shampoo and mouthwash at the store are big!

Our office secretary is so good at providing us with great meals when we have our training meetings at the mission office. For our Mission Leadership Council, we had box lunches from KFC. I'll take one of the salads, please.

At the end of the meeting I always take a picture. We focused on teaching doctrine and having unity. Apparently the sisters got the unity message.

Sister Ciera Bradley was one of our departing missionaries a mere transfer after we had gotten here. It's amazing how we were able to learn to love the missionaries so quickly upon meeting them. She has been back to visit a couple of times.

While we were visiting three different wards one Sunday, we happened upon this man who is also a former G&K employee.

Cute little Caroline turned 8 years old and was baptized and confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hurrah for Caroline!! Happy day for these young ones who are being brought up in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Brooke was the person asked to give the talk on baptism. She did a fabulous job!! We were able to hear her practice her talk and it was a good one.

I have since talked to Rebecca who informed me the father of the other little girl in their ward who got baptized shared during testimony meeting on Sunday all about Brooke's talk and what he had learned from her memorable message.

The Goldens are making an impact on those around them.