Is it only a month from Christmas Eve?

I can always tell when we've been busy - the blog writing gets pushed down the list of "to do's".  So here we are, needing to catch up.

I last posted on Nov. 8.  The risk of that is forgetting everything we've been busy doing, and needing to rely on my calendar, which isn't very complete!  Monday, Nov. 9, we had Zone Meeting again, which is always a great experience.  The true "missionary experiences" regarding teaching the gospel and working with the new converts are my favorite thing here.  My dear, dear friend, Jeannine Leeman, came to see me that day, too. We were able to show her and Earl around the Institute, then have lunch in a little taco shop near here.  SO NICE!  Good friends feel so valuable here, I miss them tremendously and appreciate being remembered and visited!

One of my favorite friends - Jeannine Leeman!!

On Tuesday, we had class like normal.  Wednesday was Transfer Meeting - we all held our breath to see where the missionaries we work with would be next.  Elders McCloy and Baloaloa were left together and in the YSA 2nd Ward.  Elder Stecklein was transferred back into the field, and Elder Hansen got a new partner, Elder McNaughten, as the new AP.  So excited to get to know him better. We love these missionaries so much (probably more than we should!)  And of course, Thursday was our Forum Luncheon - made Hawaiian Haystacks.

Friday, Nov. 13, we went to the temple.  I had a family name that I was able to take - what a privilege!  We ordered a little Christmas tree for our apartment, and set it up on Saturday, Nov. 14.  As you can see, it's rather bare.  Of course, none of our decorations are here with us, so Christmas decor will be a little less flashy this year. I'm hoping some grandchildren will make ornaments for me!  Couldn't be a prettier Christmas tree than that!

Sunday was busy (as usual).  In the YSA 2nd Ward, the men sang at Sacrament Meeting. I played the piano for them, and Elder McGuire sang (even though you can't see him in the picture - he's standing behind some of the tall guys!)  Both wards had their Thanksgiving dinners after church, so we attended the one at the end of the day (YSA 1st Ward).  Made my famous Southern Pecan Sweet Potatoes.  Larry Chu (a recent convert) loved them so much, he took the pan back to his table and scraped it clean!  Ha!

What a handsome group - sounded good!

Lei being silly, and Larry enjoying the yams!

Sunday night, we were in charge of a fireside sponsored by the YSA 2nd Ward.  We invited other YSA wards in the area, and it was very well attended!  Brother Mackay spoke about "Why Family?" Very good insight for these youth who need to understand the doctrine better rather than be preached to about "dating".

Monday, Nov. 16, for FHE our ward had a barbecue, then attended the SDSU Women's Basketball Game so they could watch one of their ward members, Lexy Thorderson, play.  Yes, Winona Thorderson is her great-grandma - it's a small world!  We were able to meet and visit with her parents.

My selfie skills aren't improving any!

Tuesday, we had class again.  Love to teach.  We're excited because we've worked out the schedule for next semester with Bro. Mackay and we will be teaching during the day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, along with a night class on Tuesday night.  We love studying the material, planning out the lesson together, and the actual teaching process.  Perfect mission for us! On Wednesday, we came home to a surprise delivery - a box from home with darling Thanksgiving pictures and decorations from Julianne and Nat's kids.  Made our day!

Thursday I made Ham and Cheese Sliders for Forum.  It keeps growing, served 36 that day.  That's exactly what we want - get the kids over to the Institute to feel the spirit of good friends and good food, along with the real Spirit.  The 19th was Leila's birthday, so we were able to FaceTime and watch her open her gift from us.  We're so grateful to be able to do that.  These kids are growing up so fast I can't believe it!

Friday, we both got haircuts.  Then, at 3:00 we headed up to the Ward Campout.  It was a 2 hour drive to the middle of the desert!  It was at a hot springs.  They had asked me if I would do the Fireside, so we stayed until after that, then drove home.  (Just not up to sleeping on the cold, hard ground!)  We loved spending time with the kids though.  Lupe rode up and home with us because she couldn't stay the night either.

Set to brave the cold!

Bishop Goff with Elder McGuire

 Saturday, we attended an Ultimate Frisbee tournament that Megan Blair was playing in (another ward member).  Looked like a lot of fun!  Then that night, we attended a baptism for Kevin Avina (a new convert in the YSA 1st Ward.)  They asked me to play the piano for it - a skill which I use ALL OF THE TIME!  Grandchildren - keep practicing!!  It's great to be able to contribute that skill on your mission!

Next week, I'll post about Thanksgiving!  So excited, Kristina and family are coming. We're having dinner here at the Institute, and inviting some of the missionaries and investigators to come.

Here Comes Thanksgiving!

Well here we are two days from Thanksgiving and both Diana and I are wondering why it has been so long since we wrote on this blog.  I like to think that we are so busy that there is no time for blogging.  While we are busy, it doesn't take that much time to sit down and write something.
One of the highlights of our mission comes every six weeks when we go to the transfer meeting.  we get to see which missionaries have been moved around; feel bad for those in our area that move, but look forward to getting to know the new ones.  Elder Stecklein, an AP, was moved back to training a new missionary on the 11th.  We have enjoyed having him be a part of our area working with the YSA 1st Ward, but it is good for the APs to move back into the field before returning home.  He'll have until the first of February to close out his mission.  We were able to see him again on Sunday as he came back to see one of the people he had taught, Kevin Avina, get baptized.  It is nice that he was close enough to do that. 
It is great to watch these young missionaries take to heart the challenges their Mission President gives them.  I have gotten to appreciate President Schmitt and his wife over the few months we have been here.  He has a great missionary spirit and drive.  He challenged the missionaries to conquer their fear with the power of faith and then they fasted to increase their teaching pool.  Today he announced that the effort had increased investigators with baptismal dates from 121 to 210.  We are hearing wonderful stories about the increase that many missionaries are having.
Even here at the Institute we see some of the fruits of this push.  Last Thursday at our forum where we feed all who come lunch we had a young black women come with a friend.  She vowed to return and said she was looking for a church.  Hopefully it will be more than just lip service.  Then yesterday a young lady came into the Institute saying she wanted someone to "pray with".  She had been having some medical complications and her very good friend at home was a Mormon.  She had received a blessing some time ago for an accident she received at a Stake dance and so she came here looking for spiritual help.  Brother Mackay and I administered to her and invited her to come back for forum.  Again, the hope is that she will do so as she said she would. 
We just love working with the YSAs!  There is so much good there and so much progress to see in them.  However, one of the challenges is holding onto them and trying to bring many back.  We are focusing on identifying those who are active in the wards, but are not coming to Institute.  I firmly believe that if they are engaged in Institute it helps create a stronger member.  We have seen increased excitement about the Institute and hope that it will continue through next semester.  This semester is so close to being over; we only have three lessons to teach in our night class and then it is a month off of teaching.  It will give us time to prepare for next semester when our class load will be doubled. 
We had some fun times this last couple of weeks.  We went to support Lexy Thorderson (yes Winona's great-granddaughter) at her SDSU women's basketball game.  It was great to see about 20 of our youth from the ward go over to cheer her on.  Diana and I also went over to see Megan Blair compete with the SDSU ultimate frisby club team play.   That was fun to watch and Megan sent us a text thanking us for coming over.  It is important to support our students in their activities and what is more pleasing is that it is fun!

Lexy (22) showing her defense skills

Two of our YSAs enjoying themselves at Lexy's game

Megan catching a long pass

We also had a great fireside with Brother Mackay speaking to the YSAs about the importance of the doctrine of the family.  The purpose was to encourage them to get out and date, but they are tired of being hit over the head with that.  So Brother Mackay approached it from the doctrine that the family is the necessary eternal unit that enables us to progress to become like God.  It was very good.  We had a full house at the Institute of about 50 YSAs from all over the San Diego area.  The Bishop of the YSA 2nd Ward wants to continue to have firesides and has asked us to continue to arrange them, so we will be doing that. 
It's fun to watch these YSAs in their FHEs.  They have a great time together, whether it is playing hungry, hungry hippo, learning how to cook from Sister McGuire or just playing games, they enjoy being together.  Last Friday night we went on a campout with 2nd Ward to Agua Caliente camp ground.  It's not like going up in the mountains - it's going out into the dessert.  They had a great time, and Diana gave the fireside on her medical trials.  It was a great spiritual time.  And, no, we didn't stay overnight.  These old bones don't like sleeping on the hard ground (they have enough trouble in a soft bed). 
We love our assignment.  We miss our family and friends.  But we know that we are doing what the Lord wants us to do.  We will continue to work hard and will probably see you back home at the first of February when two grandchildren will be born.  (It's good to be a Sr. Missionary!).

Sunday Evening!

The last time I blogged was October 27, so I'll bring you up to date a little from my perspective. The day after my post, 6 Elders spent the afternoon helping us clean the Institute (for their service hours.) Our Institute building was built in the 60's, and looks like it was decorated in the 70's.  Our Institute Director gave us total control over de-junking the place.  So, all we tackled was the game room and the Elders cleaned top to bottom, throwing out a ton of old stuff, organizing the games, cleaning refrigerators, and even the pool table.  It was a lot of fun.

This is what happens when you leave your phone sitting around when Elders are present!  Elders Baloaloa and King

The next day was Forum Lunch.  I made spaghetti and bread sticks.  Two of the Elders were at the Institute, teaching one of their new converts, and when they asked if they could help, I put them to work rolling out, twisting, and baking bread sticks!  They made 72 for us (which were all eaten!) Lots of fun!

Elder McCloy, Baloaloa, Richard Lopez, and Elder McGuire

Working Hard!

The Senior Missionaries like to have fun together!  On Friday night, Oct. 30, we went to dinner with the Thompson's and Perry's.  Saturday, we went with 4 other couples out to Imperial Valley.  Fun day - very tiring and very interesting!  The Senior Missionaries who serve there do a wonderful job in rather difficult circumstances.  It's right next to the border, so very few speak English.  Plus, the lowest point in the US is there - about 180 feet below sea level - so it is about 115 degrees in the summer.  There are miles and miles and miles of fields, every vegetable you can imagine.  I can't imagine having to "work the fields" there, but many migrant workers do!

The Barlow's, Perry's, us, Reilly's and Monk's

Elder McGuire taking pictures of Mexico through the fence!

Monday was our Senior Missionary FHE.  The Temple President and wife spoke to us, President and Sister Jergenson.  Besides other activities, this week we did 5 apartment checks on Elder's apartments.  We love to do that, because we LOVE the Elders!  We made Salsa Chicken and Chocolate Chip Cookies for Forum Lunch (they ate every drop!)  Then, Friday night, we held a Tailgate Party before the Soccer Game.  We really enjoy going to those games and watching our LDS players.

Saturday night we went to our first wedding reception for two of the YSA's here.  THAT'S what it's all about!

Jacob and AnaKaren Clark

This coming week is Transfer Meeting.  We expect that some of the missionaries we have been privileged to work with will be transferred out of our area.  We will miss them!  We love those we work with.  We are strengthened by their dedication and love of the people they work with.  But I know we will love the new Elders, missionaries are such special people!

November Already?

Well we pass four months on our mission soon and the time seems to go by fast.  It was great having family over the past couple of weeks, but it requires some good organization to get all the work done.  Now we are back in the normal routine and there is still a lot to do. 
We sat down last week and planned out the next semester for teaching at the Institute.  This semester we are teaching one evening class and helping out when Brother Mackay needs it.  He has been teaching several courses in an attempt to get to know the YSAs, but he has realized that he can't do all of his duties and teach so much.  As a result he has asked us to teach an additional four classes a week next semester.  It will be fun to increase that teaching load, but will cause us to have a lot more preparation. 
This past Saturday we went with the other YSA/CES senior missionaries to the "Valley", which is the Imperial Valley where two of our senior missionaries are assigned.  We all climbed into a rented van and made the 100 minute journey to  the Valley and then spent the next five hours traveling around.  Let me tell you, an 8 passenger van with bench seats is not comfortable for that period of time.  I think we had more old, tired backs than you can imagine by the time we got home later that night.  But it was an interesting time visiting an area where it was the lowest spot in North America (183 feet below sea level) to a unique place called salvation mountain (more apt hill).  The creator seemed to think that creating an art piece on a mountain about Christ would bring more people to Him.  Right next to Salvation Mountain is Slab City, a place where people bring their trailers, motor  homes, etc., and park mainly for the winter.  They have no utilities and it doesn't cost to stay there, but the outskirts of the "city" looks like a dump.  The saddest part was seeing two children playing in the dirt next to an old school bus that was being used to "house" a family. 

Salvation Mountain

Slab City

183 below sea level

And then there was the border.  A wall exists and there are Border Patrol cars within sight of each other.  Nonetheless they apprehend 30 illegals climbing the fence on each shift. 

Along the wall with a Border Patrol vehicle 

Looking into Mexico

It was a fun time, but I am glad that I wasn't there during the summer months when temperatures reach 120 degrees.  It was only 90 the day we went there.
These YSAs have a lot of activities.  Church on Sunday, FHE on Monday, sports night on Thursday and then the weekends often have dances or other activities.  Where we are involved with two wards, it would be easy to overload with their activities.  We have to be selective and also realize that our calling is Institute centered and anything sponsored by that must take precedence.  So this Friday we have a tailgate for the soccer game.  That means that we prepare hot dogs and nachos for as many as come and then get to go watch two of our LDS students play for SDSU.  That is fun!  So missionary work is not always boring. 
Well I am sure that Diana will have better information to ad to the blog so I will end here.  I just close by saying that it is a privilege to serve a mission and to be dedicating this small portion of my life to the Lord.