School's Out for Summer!

Alright, I have to confess that my propensity to hate writing on these things has finally showed it's true colors.  About six weeks from my last entry and I had to wait until classes were over to put down some thoughts.  Our final class was taught May 3 and here it is two weeks later and I am finally getting to writing.

The Crucifixion Room

The Tomb

In the last post I mentioned that we were having Brother Mackay's Easter presentation finalized.  We moved it over to the Institute and presented it to the Senior Missionaries on April 4.  We then kept it open for two weeks at the Institute for students and others to attend.  It was a very spiritual presentation and required quite a bit of work during those weeks.  Below are some photos of the rooms that were used.

The Last Supper Room

The Garden Room

 The last day that we had the display up we engaged the help of some missionaries to take it down and what a project that was.  But it did finally give us some extra time to take it easy.

We have been waiting to move into a larger apartment that is being vacated by our good friends the Barlows as they return home.  It is a mixed bag since we dearly loved having the Barlows with us, but we also wanted to have more room than our not-so-big apartment.  We began the packing up of items the third week of April in preparation to move on the 28th.  Prior to them leaving we organized a dinner with some of the senior couples, had them over for ice cream (they were always inviting us to have ice cream with them), and a going away beach party was arranged.  Everyone loves the Barlows.  They are farmers from northern Utah and were the most loving couple that I could think of.  Truly Christlike.  And Sister Barlow had the most wonderful witty sense of humor that would have us all laughing out loud.  As I have said previously, one of the greatest things about a mission is the other senior missionaries that we get to know and work with.  We miss them when they leave and hope that we will have some contact after we return from our mission.  How we love them!

Parkins, Barlows, and Butterworths at Barlow's beach party

We took some pictures of our 1st apartment in the mission just to remember our "little apartment".  It was small.  We stayed there for 10 months which eclipsed any other senior missionaries by several months.  We got tired of lifting groceries up the seventeen stairs and trying to find some place to stuff our things.  So I include some pictures of it for posterity!

Looking from the front door to the kitchen

Our spacious living room - no that isn't a couch - it's a loveseat.

Looking from the living room down the hall to the bedroom

The thing we will miss least of our apartment besides the lack of space, is the wonderful bedroom window: single pane, looking toward the freeway, with all its freeway noise lulling us to sleep at night.
So on April 28 we began the move into our new apartment which is over twice the space of our old one.  We couldn't believe it - no freeway noise!  A living room that could have more than four people in it!  And a kitchen with twice the cabinet space!  No more having no place to put things.  It was a real relief.  Now instead of 17 steps as you walk out the door, we have the pool in front of us.  Not quite like home, but certainly better than we have been living with.  Then again, aren't we supposed to suffer a little in the service of the Lord?  Should we have been pleased with our meager circumstances - nah, we're senior missionaries - we deserve a few perks!
On April 30 we had another YSA success - a marriage.  The YSA 1st Ward Elder's Quorum President got married to a lovely young woman.  Keith Stanfill and his bride, Jasmine Clark had a great reception at a very interesting chapel in the area - the Trojan building.  It has a sunken cultural hall that is surrounded by a hall of classrooms.  Very unique building whose architect was one of the ones that designed the San Diego temple.

Keith, Jasmine and the oldsters

As classes ended, we had decided to celebrate Diana's birthday and our anniversary by going up to Disneyland and staying at the Grand Californian Hotel.  It was fun to get away and see Disneyland on our own and where else can you celebrate "May the fourth be with you"?

We got back in time to meet Julianne and her family who had come down for a vacation.  They were able to pile in with us in our new and enlarged apartment.  On Saturday, May 7 we were able to get tickets to the USS Midway from a neighbor at the RV Park and we all went to tour the ship.

Approaching the Midway

 I was surprised that the kids kept their attention for the time we were there.

On the Flight Deck

On Sunday we were able to attend the farewell talk of Larry Chu as he prepared to head to the MTC on Tuesday.  This young man will make such a tremendous missionary.

We spent Monday enjoying the beach at Coronado and then eating some good Mexican food at Old Town.  Tuesday was a surprise for Julianne's kids as they didn't know that we were heading up to Disneyland to meet Kristina and her family for three days of Mouse fun!  It is always good to watch the kids enjoy the rides and other things at Disneyland.  By the time we left, Grandma and Grandpa were tired!  We had enough of Disneyland for the month.

The last few days have been involved with planning for the summer institute program and doing things around the Institute.  It will be a totally different schedule for us since we don't have to teach and prepare for classes.  It will slow things down for us, which isn't such a bad thing.  Summer might be okay!

10 1/2 months!

Since the last time I posted was just before General Conference, I have lots of catching up to do. On Saturday night, April 2, we met with our neighbors and other missionary friends after Priesthood Meeting for a dinner. Great people! We've made some wonderful friends while we've been here.

Monks, Thompsons, Barlows, Us, Parkins, Richardsons

Elder and Sister McGuire

We watched General Conference on Sunday at the Institute Building, then fixed waffles for the kids in-between sessions.  I found I watched it with new eyes, as I considered the application of each talk to the lives of these kids.

Conference at the Institute Building

On Monday night, we were in charge of the Senior Missionary Family Home Evening. We held it at the Institute Building, and took them through our Easter Presentation.  For refreshments, we served a yogurt, fruit, and granola bar. It was wonderful evening, such great people to associate with! We left the Easter Presentation set up and made it available all week long for the public to go through. Then, because there were so many requests to come through it for FHE the next week, we "re-set" it up after church on Sunday and held tours the whole next week. It was a LOT of work to prepare and do the tours, but was a wonderful experience, both for us and for the people who attended.  It is probably one of the best things we have done here.

On April 10, we held a fireside for the YSA's - and invited several stakes to come.  It was on Patriarchal Blessings, and our neighbor, Elder (and Patriarch) Richardson spoke.  These kids are really interested in this topic, especially the new converts.  It is such an enlightenment to see who they really are in the eyes of the Lord.

We continued to teach our class every Tuesday night, "Principles and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon".  Each week seemed to bring in different people, but we had some wonderful experiences with the Spirit as students shared their life experiences. We are also teaching Temple Prep for each ward during their Sunday School time. What an enriching time this has been for us - we've had several students go to the temple and have been able to go the first time with a few of them. We are still teaching it, and will continue to do so as long as there are students who want it.  We have several who are planning on going to the temple early this summer.

I also continue to help Sister Richardson with music whenever she needs.  She does her music tryouts for the Mission President's Fireside here at the Institute Building, so when she needs an accompanist, she sends for me.  I'm more than happy to accommodate. I have also continued to teach piano lessons to George.  This Tuesday, we took his keyboard (I was able to get it through a Church Music Program grant) to him at his apartment.  His new job makes it difficult for him to come to the Institute to practice, and I felt like he had shown enough tenacity to try practicing at home it he had it there.

Some of the kids in the ward - George is standing in the front, next to the girl with the yellow shirt

Julianne planned a trip to San Diego early in May.  So, I took time at the Institute to make car pillows for all of her kids.  The ping pong table makes a great cutting board :) It was a nice break from some of the work we had been doing.  We had a beach bonfire with the Senior Missionaries on April 22 at Ski Beach (to say goodbye to the Barlow's). And on Monday night, April 25, after our FHE with the YSA's, we had ice cream with Barlow's for the last time (that was Elder Barlow's favorite thing to do.) We love them - they are the BEST people - and we hope to see them when we go home.  They live in Cache Valley, where Elder Barlow is a farmer.

The good thing is, we got to move into Barlow's apartment to live!  It's about 3 times as big as our other one (which was about the size of a motel room).  It feels so roomy!  And almost like a real home!  I'm literally "over-the-moon" with joy, and feel so blessed! The move was just downstairs, and the missionaries helped us move.  Pretty easy - no furniture, just our personal stuff.  Funny how our perspective of possessions and living arrangements has changed.

Just moving in - but you can see how roomy it is!

Elder McGuire in front of our apartment - yes, it's the RV Resort!

We also did apartment checks for the Elders the week we moved.  So I made banana bread at the Institute to take to them. The Institute kitchen is old, but it's roomy and well stocked.  It's been a lifesaver for me with all of the "food-related" things we do.

Thursday night, April 28, we had dinner at the Institute with the AP's (who are the missionaries for the YSA 1st Ward), Larry Chu, and his nonmember friend, Aeon.  Afterwards, we had a great discussion with Aeon about the truth of the Book of Mormon.  It's so fun to see these young missionaries at work, testifying and teaching.  They have continued to teach Aeon, and Larry left May 11 for his mission in Washington, DC, South.

They do a very interesting thing here in San Diego.  When these young missionaries go to the temple for their endowments before their mission, they then allow them to work in the temple until they leave.  So, we've seen several do this - what a great way for them to "cement" their understanding of temple covenants!

We were able to go to the temple with Micheal Guevara to receive his endowments.  Micheal just hit his one year mark since his baptism and had gone through our temple prep course.  He is a very intelligent young man, having just graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Religious Studies.  Which means he really thought through and studied about temples and the ordinances he would receive. We loved teaching him.

No picture with Micheal, but this is us, arriving at the temple!

On Saturday, April 30, we attended a wedding reception for two of our YSA's - Keith Stanfill and Jasmine Clark.  Beautiful, we love seeing our kids find their "one" and make that commitment!

We also went to a "Pathways" meeting that evening with Monks.  Pathways is a program that is available through Institute to help YSA's find a path for education and self-improvement.  Those that complete the 3 semester program are guaranteed acceptance to BYUI - it's a wonderful chance for students to open a door for their future.  We don't teach it here at the SDSU Institute, but it is being offered at some of the Institutes now, and is being developed to be used throughout the church.

Sunday night, May 1, the Worldwide Devotional for YSA's was broadcast here at the Institute.  Then Tuesday, we had the opportunity again to take George to the Bishop's Storehouse.  They are so kind and generous to him, it offers him and his family so much assistance!  His father has passed away, and he lives with his stepmom and sister.  He is doing well with his job now though, so hopefully that will help them get on their feet.

On May 4-6, Elder McGuire and I took a much needed break and went to Disneyland.  He had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I said, "A trip to Disneyland".  So he scheduled a stay in the Grand Californian Hotel for us.  While at Disneyland, we ran into Teri Thompson - what a fun surprise!  I love her so much!

At Disneyland!

At California Adventure - with Teri Thompson!

When we got home on May 6, Julianne and her family were waiting for us at our apartment!  They had driven all night, and were here to stay for a week.  We had a grand adventure - we put two blow-up mattresses in our living room and along with our futon and couch, had plenty of room. We had so much fun - were able to spend time at the beach, going to the USS Midway, going to church, playing at Balboa Park, etc.  For Mother's Day, our husbands grilled hamburgers for us by the pool. And we topped her visit off with a trip to Disneyland on May 10-12.  Kris and her family met us there.  I soaked up my grandchildren time - being away from them is by far the hardest thing about being on a mission!  

Julianne and family

Kris and family

We had another great surprise - ran into the Hadley family!  So good to see McKay before she left for her mission.  We love that family - they have been such great support and example to us since the day we moved to our neighborhood.  

With the Hadley family!

Everyone left for home Thursday night, May 12.  We came home, and spent Friday catching up on things.  Saturday we had a GREAT experience - President Nelson was scheduled to come to our Stake Conference that weekend.  They asked the YSA Ward to provide the dinner for him between his 4:00 and 7:00 sessions that day.  So, we grilled chicken outside, and made potatoes in dutch ovens.  (Mostly it was the bishopric who cooked, we were the "kitchen help".)  The YSA's got to serve.  And then two of the YSA's spoke on Sunday. It was such a great experience for them, especially those who are new converts.  To be able to meet and hear an apostle and prophet was incredible.

Elder Bragg, President Nelson, Aaron Schmidt

Other YSA's with President Nelson

Our final photo is from Tuesday.  The Elders (our Zone Leaders) invited us to their P-Day activity, tie-dying t-shirts.  It was lots of fun, and reminded me that they are, after all, young men who like to play! :)  We love our missionaries!  We love the missionary work!

Our ZL's - Elder Jensen and Elder Kunz