Quotes of the Week

God loves each of us--insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other.
--Jeffrey R. Holland

Show me Latter-day Saints who have to feed upon miracles, signs and visions in order to keep them steadfast in the Church, and I will show you members of the Church who are not in good standing before God, and who are walking in slippery paths.
--Joseph Smith

As we travel along that strait and narrow path, the Spirit continually challenges us to be better and to climb higher. The Holy Ghost makes an ideal traveling companion. If we are humble and teachable, He will take us by the hand and lead us home.
--Larry R. Lawrence

Meeting With President and Sister Stubbs; Third Water Problem; Packing up the House

We had a meeting with the Del Mar zone so they could meet President and Sister Stubbs--their soon-to-be-new Mission President of the San Diego Mission.

First a photo with their outgoing Mission President.

Then a photo with their new Mission President.

We have had a great relationship with President and Sister Stubbs through the last two years. She is a cousin to Kim Brimley who lives in our ward and whose family Glen was a home teacher to for many years. It has been fun to have that little connection to them.

We had noticed a bubbling of the ceiling above the shelves in the office at the mission home. Glen poked a hole in it and water dripped out of it. When we got home from our meetings, we saw part of the office was sitting in the garage.                                       

YIKES!! A trash can was sitting on the shelf catching the dripping water. Is that BLACK MOLD I spy on the wall????

The workers assured me it was not THE black mold that everyone dreads.

Alas, when they cut through the ceiling, they found not one, but two places where water was leaking. The plumber said they should probably put in all new pipes throughout the house.

A dehumidifier/fan machine was set up in that room to run for days. It was like we were reliving a water/fans-blowing nightmare for the THIRD time while living in that house. 

The workers came back another day and were trying to figure out what was going on up there. When they were gone, the door was shut and the fan was blowing hot air. 

So much for my hope of getting out of California before another house flood, another fire, or an earthquake hit. Looks like my wish was two-thirds granted.

In the afternoon we took a photo with the Vista zone and told all those missionaries good-bye.

We had been looking and looking for our bush in the back yard to flower just once before we ended our mission, but it didn't happen. But, there was a new flower that was growing in the front of our yard--one we had never seen bloom there before. That was my sign that we were moving on. The time for the red flowers had passed. 

Missionaries in one of the districts in Carlsbad heart attacked our front door. We could feel the love the missionaries had for us and it was special. 

We knew there was trouble when we drove up the street and saw work trucks in the driveway.

Glen's desk was covered and they were getting ready to cut out sheet rock.

They felt the need to get the inside of the walls aired out and dried up.

Not just the wall, but also the ceiling was cut away. And the fan was blowing hot air every day our last week we were there.

It was a mess, but here is the tender mercy of it all. I had felt inclined to start packing up the office a couple of weeks prior to the leak. We had just a few things left in a drawer and Glen had the stuff on his desk.

Because of that blessing, we were not frantically trying to pull everything out of the office to pack up or trying to work in that hot room. We were just able to shut the door and be done with that room.

We met with the Carlsbad zone to have a group photo and individual photos taken with them.

Then we headed over to meet with the Escondido zone to do the same thing. It seemed to help bring closure to the zones who had not had the opportunity to gather for a meeting which then allowed photos to be taken with us. This way every missionary was able to get a personal photo with us.

The sisters asked for a sisters only photo.

It was a good time to take a photo with Lynn Maughan and her husband. He took the photos for us in Escondido. 

We are so grateful for Sister Maughan being willing to work as a mission nurse for the previous Mission President, for our three years and now she is helping with the transition of President Reeves, the new Mission President. 

It really helps out the new person. We can say that from personal experience.

Glen got busy cleaning the inside of the car after we had gotten a car wash. We were going to be turning over the car to President Reeves the next day.

I had been packing a box here and there for a couple of weeks. Glen got busy one day and got things all packed up. He had decided he wanted to have us move ourselves.

He was a professional mover at one point in his career--working for Bekins Moving and Storage. He felt like it would be nice to have something to do once we finished our mission.

We had already decided we wanted to rent a car and drive home instead of fly home so we could stop and see Sarah's new house in Las Vegas on the way home.

Glen figured since we were already going to rent a vehicle, we might as well rent a moving van.

The next day we drove the car to Irvine to meet with President Clark and the new Mission President. 

Half of our mission (three zones) was combining with all of the Irvine Mission (six zones) to form the new Newport Beach Mission with President and Sister Reeves presiding over that new mission. 

We spent some time going over some information we needed President and Sister Reeves to know, went to lunch with them and the Clarks and then bid them farewell when they dropped us off at the place where we picked up our moving truck. 

We bounced along home in that truck and were happy to see our assistants and another set of elders just arriving to help Glen load the truck. They had it loaded in no time while I went to buy them dinner for their efforts. Chick-fil-A--Glen's favorite!

 The living room looked bare after we took the furniture we had bought.

I noticed Glen was not wearing his name tag anymore. I went out and stood by the new plant and removed my name tag. The turnover of the mission into the hands of the new Mission President had happened. The turnover of the other three zones to their respective Mission Presidents had occurred as well.

We were technically no longer full-time missionaries presiding over the California Carlsbad Mission. This phase of our life had come to an end.

 The next morning we finished packing up the last of our stuff and got it all loaded on the truck.

We walked through the house one last time, shut the garage door and were on our way out of Carlsbad.

I am sure going to miss the beautiful flowering bushes and trees in Southern California. 

It was beautiful and wonderful while it lasted. What a blessing to have been asked to serve in that capacity those three years. We are humbled and honored. 

Quotes of the Week

I find ... peace in knowing that "the Lord is my shepherd" and that each of us is known by Him and under His care. When we confront life's wind and rainstorms, sickness, injuries, and drought, the Lord -- our Shepherd--will minister to us. He will restore our souls.
--Gary E. Stevenson

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.
--Dale G. Renlund

I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father.
--Neal A. Maxwell

Quotes of the Week

Understanding who we are influences how we choose to live our lives. What we choose to do here will determine the kind of life we have throughout all eternity. We are never living just for today.
--Russell M. Nelson

Often I am asked, "What's the reason for this growth?" I answer, "Because the Book of Mormon is true."
--Russell M. Nelson

Please protect your families from the deception you will see in your future. That's why we are all busily engaged in this work. We have to fortify our people against the attacks of the adversary.
--Russell M. Nelson