Week of 7th March to 13th March 2016

We had a busy week in visiting those we had met before, reading the Book of Mormon with our young couple and meeting and visiting new people in the stake.  On Monday the 7th was my oldest son Mark's birthday.  Tuesday 8th, we attended the temple which was very sweet, we were asked to be the witness couple which is always special.  Had the Elders over for lunch, they did splits so we had one of them, Elder Fairbanks and his District Leader Elder Evans.  We met with a member then was able to go to our grandson Nathan's band concert that night in Riverton, he plays the sax and oh, he is good, he's in the 8th grade, plays in the Jazz Band as well as the Symphonic Band.

We were able to meet with out neighbor who lost her husband three weeks ago, she's such a dear friend, we miss her husband as well.  Met with a member couple who are friends with a family who lost their 19 year old daughter last August in a car accident.  They have not been active for years and they were so touched by how the ward members came forward to help.  They are still struggling with her death. so the neighbor will invite them to dinner and ask if it's ok if we come as well to just meet them.  The gospel of Jesus  Christ and the Plan of Salvation teaches us that death is not the end.  i also met with a three new families, one is a single mom with three boys living with her parents.  She knows they ought to attend church, her sister lives in the next ward over and is active as are her parents, it's just going and being single.  I was able to tell her about me being single with five children.  She wants us to come back and give her and her sons a message.

Friday the 11th, we had a great Zone Training Meeting.. It's always nice to be able interact with the other senior couples in the Zone.  That night, the Orem Utah Mission held it's semi annual music fireside at the Alpine Tabernacle in American Fork, Utah.  The Young Ambassadors from BYU sang several numbers as did some of the Elders and Sisters, a couple of them bore their testimonies.  The highlight was listening to Brad Wilcox who spoke on \why we believe in Jesus Christ.  He said that we believe in him because Joseph Smith saw him face to face, talked with him face to face.  All Christians are taught to Follow Him but we are Lead By Him as it is His church, He is the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The place was packed with missionaries young and old and with investigators and members, etc. Was a wonderful, spiritual day.

Saturday, Elder Morley was dressed in his suit, looked out our front window and saw our neighbor kitty corner from us raking his front yard.  In December he had an accident which crushed his foot, he is to be off of it with no weight on it yet and yet he was out there raking, oh, he has a walking boot on.  Elder Morley changed his clothes and helped him rake, he wouldn't stop so Ray just raked faster.  We invited them over for dinner this coming week which they accepted.  They are not members and when they moved here they didn't want anything to do with Mormons as they had moved from Park City and didn't have a good experience with Mormons there which is way too sad.  But, they have found out that we are like we say we are, they have come out to neighborhood block parties.  Ray and the Bishop have kept their driveway and sidewalk clear of snow along with doing it for other neighbors.  They are a wonderful young couple with three children, they just need friends and love.

Sunday the 13th, we had our regular meeting with the ward mission leaders then attended a ward conference which have been so powerful in the talks on the Sabbath Day and the Sacrament which our Stake President brings in with his talk.  We visited two families that afternoon, one in our ward who are living with her mother for now with their three children. The wife is excited to have us work with her and her husband to help them get to the temple.  The other couple is a young couple, he's been on a mission, they have one four year old son and have not been able to have others and they has been discouraging to them so they have gone inactive.  They are a delightful couple, she teaches guitar at her home.  We will be seeing them again this week.

Then to end the Sabbath day, Elder Morley received a text with two pictures with it from his oldest son, their little boy was born that afternoon, a few weeks early but he's healthy and so beautiful, lots of dark hair.  This is their first one, makes 29 grandchildren for us.

This week has been a very blessed one, I guess each missionary has their good and not so good weeks but I will dwell on this one and go forward this week to make it just as good or even better week.  I am including a quote from President Heber J. Grant which I came across this past week.  We as members of The Church of Jesus  Christ of Latter-day Saints are all missionaries, we don't need to preach, we just need to live the gospel as we have been taught.  Show kindness to others, reach out and help