These past two weeks have been busy and enjoyable. As I wrote in my last blog, on Monday 1 February, Ray and I had our interview with our mission president, President Killpack who is an amazing spiritual giant. I posted the picture of us he took of us in his office.
Each Tuesday, we have the Elders over for lunch and we discuss and plan with them as well, they are two fun, spiritual young men, Elders Edlinger and Fairbanks. We continue to read the Book of Mormon with our family which the husband loves reading from. He's made great changes in his life, his language has cleaned up and his temper as well, even the guys at his work has noticed the changes as he is a pipe welder and a good one, he's been doing it for over 25 years. We love this family.
I was able to help a sister with her family history during the week. On Friday the 5th, we had District Meeting which the couple taught from the Introduction of the Book of Mormon, that is the first page we read with those we read with or teach, it's so powerful and a promise.
Being senior missionaries, we have different guidelines from the young missionaries. We were able to fly to San Antonio Texas on Saturday 6 February to see our first great grand child, Nicholas, he's so darling and such an easy going baby. His father gave him a name and a blessing on Sunday. We kept with out attendance on Sunday by going to two Sacrament meetings, the first one at 9:00 AM with Ray's daughter and family, we attended all three hours, the first since our mission started. Then we went back at 1:30 PM for the blessing of our great grandson. It was so enjoyable being with Mindy and her family and having Neal's parents and grandmother there as well, delightful time. We flew home on Monday night.
It was interesting flying as many people would ask us if we were coming or going, we would tell them we're on our mission, then explain. On our flight to Texas Ray sat across from an 18 year old young man who is religious and they had a wonderful discussion, Ray gave him a pamphlet and a pass along card and our card with our name and phone number on it in case he wanted to talk more about the church. On our way home we sat by a young lady who is a member and has been a soccer player for USU, she asked if we could help with her parents who lives in Alpine, Utah as they have gone inactive. At our next District Meeting we gave the couple who is in that area their name and contact information asking them not to let on it was their daughter as she preferred it that way.
We continued to read with our family, on the 9th we were able to have dinner with my granddaughter Shilo and her family to celebrate her 21st birthday which was the day before but she was in Florida with a cousin at Disney World.
On Wednesday 10th, the Elders called us at the last minute asking us if we could meet them at a single sisters home as they are not able to be alone with a single sister. This young lady had turned her whole life around and she is so loving the gospel and learning about it. She has set a baptism date for Saturday 20 February. By the way, she lives in the next stake over who doesn't have senior missionaries yet.
We've been meeting with each bishop in the stake to let them know we are here and available to help in anyway, some have given us people to visit which is always so sweet. On Friday 12th we had Zone meeting which was wonderful, that night we met with another young couple whom we had met a few weeks ago, he is a member but inactive and she is a non member who has been taught the lessons but wanted to understand the scriptures so they asked for us to read with them once a week.
Saturday 13th, we went on splits with one of the Elders and tried to visit two families which were not home so we decided to drop in one one of the couples whom one of the bishops had asked us to visit, the husband was home along with his younger brother who lives with them but his wife was on a trip to Taiwan, so we visited with him. He's a returned missionary, they have been married in the temple but have gone inactive. Ray asked him why, he said that when they got married they had a calling in the nursery and after a couple of years of it they felt that they needed to attend the gospel doctrine class so his wife could continue to learn more of the gospel. So Ray said, so you went inactive? H knows it's wrong. His parents divorced while on his mission which really threw him. It was an enjoyable visit.
Now seeing I am typing this on a Tuesday the 16th, I won't report this week except that today our dear friend and neighbor whom we have grown so close to fought to the end with his cancer and he was released today from his painful, sick body. He has been such an example of enduring to the end, he and his wife Kristi served in the temple, he was in the High Priest Group leadership and he served others. Ray had the opportunity this past Christmas to help his step son and another neighbor and neighborhood boys put their Christmas decorations up which was so small thing to do as they lights went with music. Ray also helped take them down as Ron started to go down hill really fast the past few weeks. We invited them to our mission setting apart in December and so glad we did and got a picture of us together which I will cherish. We will miss Ron but so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the Atonement and knowing we will have that eternal friendship. We were in the temple on an endowment session when I knew he had passed, I got a bit emotional but got in control quickly. Until we meet again Ron, God Be With You!
Ray and I with our dear eternal friends, Kristi and Ron Wells
December 27 2015
