California Angels

Since we live just across the street from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Pat and I took advantage of our location Monday night and walked over to take in an exhibition baseball game between the California Angels and the LA Dodgers. It was a beautiful evening, a tight game, a lot of hits, and a close final score with the Dodgers winning 8-7.

The view of Angel Stadium from our apartment complex.

We enjoyed our night with the California Angels, some of which are exciting players with enormous salaries, but in this post I would like to tell you about some more humble and very different angels we have met while serving in Anaheim.  The first two angels we met as we arrived were President and Sister Golden, who have welcomed and befriended us since the first day of our mission. We have been invited to their home several times for dinner, and they are always humble, kind, and gracious. They are also firm and effective leaders in working with us and the other missionaries. Missionaries and members alike respect them for their love and leadership.

Several ward members from home have also been angels to us. We received two amazing care packages from our neighbors, the Jensens, at times when they were much needed and appreciated.
Pat's ministering sisters have kept in close touch with her through letters and cards.  The Phillips have sent emails and letters of encouragement as well as copies of the Church News which we share with everyone in the mission office. And our old friend and new neighbor, Jill, has provided peace of mind by checking on our home regularly and keeping us informed of conditions there. Texts from angel friends have lifted our spirits and let us know we aren't forgotten!

Soon after we arrived, our Anaheim 4th Ward Bishop Gonzales and his family extended love by taking us out to a delicious authentic Mexican dinner. At Christmastime, some angel mothers of missionaries sent each of the mission office couples jars of home-made almond cherry jam and a large bag of homegrown pecans. What a treat from two families we have never met! In early March, our friends from Draper, the Lintons, texted us that they were coming to Anaheim and then took us to out for dinner. And just this weekend, our mission office friends/co-missionaries, the Rhines, generously offered to bring in a delicious dinner for us when Pat was flat with a kidney infection. It's always surprising how much a little kindness can lift your spirits.

We couldn't talk about the help of angels without mentioning the support we have felt from our five daughters, their husbands, and our grandchildren. They send emails, texts, and numerous pictures on Instagram and our family Telegraph website. We also enjoy Skype and Facetime with them nearly every week.  They've sent Christmas and Valentine packages, birthday cards, and been so positive and supportive of our mission. We are so grateful for them and anxious to see them again!

The baseball Angels were wonderful, but not as important or awesome as the other angels in our lives. We have appreciated every kind act of love and service. 

--Don--

Countdown Mode

OK, I'm not going to lie. What's the point of writing about your experiences if you don't tell the truth? So here's the truth:  I am officially in countdown mode. (Just me, Pat, speaking here:  Don isn't there yet:)

It started last Tuesday when the new transfer began. We received five great new missionaries that day, and it made me sad to realize that it will be the last set of new missionaries we will get to welcome to the California Anaheim Mission. The next group will arrive after we leave. The elders and sisters are the heart and soul of our work here, and we have absolutely loved getting to know these great young men and young women. They are an inspiration to us!

Elders at work.

Some of our super sisters.

Lunch break at new missionary training  this week.

The biggest reason for the onset of this countdown, though, also occurred Tuesday when our newest little granddaughter, Lucy, was born to Josh and Emily. We are so excited that she is safely here and all is well, but this is the first time we haven't been around to snuggle a newborn grandbaby.  Not much of a sacrifice, I'm sure, because we'll be home in less than 6 weeks, but a sacrifice nonetheless! Purely selfish, of course.

I know. I know. As far as historic missionary sacrifices go, this is about a 1 on a scale of 1-10. It looks like they're all doing just great without us - and not only are Amy and Colin right next door (yes, the two families moved into adjoining houses last fall), but both Janet and Kristen were able to go to the hospital and meet Lucy shortly after she was born. Thankfully, the other grandparents have come from Alaska to stay and help out for a couple of weeks, too. That makes it a lot easier!

Lucy is here!

Home from the hospital

Also Tuesday, after we finished our day at the mission office, we had a happy surprise. Jenn and Iain and four of their six kids were stuck overnight on a layover at the Los Angeles airport. We were able to drive up to see them at their hotel and have dinner at our favorite In and Out Burger on Sepulveda Blvd., next to the airport. We had such a fun evening! All four of the kids have grown sooo much!

Colin accompanied the BYU ROTC to a Drill Competition
near Manhattan Beach

Besides a quick visit from Colin in February, they are our only immediate family to come to Southern California since we've been here - and even though it was only for a few hours, it was wonderful to see them!

Bella and Finn at the hotel.

Abby, Brooklyn and Don and Finn

Planes flew overhead while we ate our burgers

The week passed so fast, and today (Saturday) we had an awesome opportunity to drive to Redlands with Elder and Sister Rhines from the Mission Office and attend a session at the temple. Most of the drive was along the foothills east of Los Angeles where the wildflowers are truly going wild this year. We haven't had the time to go out and see any of the spectacular "Superbloom" going on in California this spring, but the hillsides we saw today were covered in mustard seed blooms and lupine. It was food for the soul!

With the Rhines at the Redlands Temple

Well, the days are flying by now and we know from experience that each week after the halfway mark of a mission seems to go faster and faster, so I'm going to focus on making the most of every day that we have left. It's such a conundrum. While I'm here, I'm dreaming about returning home, and the minute we return home, I will be so very sad that our time on this mission is over! I guess that's as good a reason as any to enjoy every day.

--Pat--

Conference Is Coming!

General Conference has always been a special time for me, but somehow the older I get, the more I look forward to the inspiration and promptings I need and feel from listening to Conference.

When I was a young teenager, living in Berkeley, our family would gather with another family or two in the ward to watch Conference on Sunday morning. At first, it was because we didn’t have a television in our home, and later it was for the sociality of watching Conference with other ward members. We couldn’t get the Sunday afternoon or Saturday sessions of Conference on television. 

I recall going often with my father and brother, Paul, to listen to live audio broadcasts of Priesthood sessions on Saturday evenings at the Oakland Interstake Center. Years later, these Priesthood sessions were broadcast through direct satellite to stake centers across the world. For many years I attended these sessions alone, until I could attend with sons-in-law and eventually grandsons. Those times have been very special for me.  

During my mission in Switzerland, I remember listening one time to audio recordings of conference at the ward chapel in Basel. I really appreciated hearing the voices of the prophets at that time when I was so far from home and family.

When Pat and I were a young married couple living in Torrance, California, and our older children were very young, we got baby sitters and took the weekend off to take short trips where we could listen to Saturday and Sunday Conference sessions without interruption. One time we went north to Santa Barbara, and another time we drove south to San Diego.

For ten years I was fortunate to be a volunteer Institute teacher at the University of Utah and later at the Jordan campus of Salt Lake Community College. My favorite class was Teachings of the Living Prophets. Each semester the students gave oral reports on the lives of these 15 apostles and prophets, and then we discussed the most recent General Conference talks and how they applied in the lives of class members. During these classes I came to appreciate the Conference talks more than ever before.

I learned that when any of us have important questions and concerns in life, if we will write down our concerns, and pray earnestly and listen carefully to the Conference talks, take notes and ponder what is being said, we can usually find answers to the specific questions that matter most to us. The same approach can also be applied to reading the scriptures, but when living prophets are speaking to us in our day, I know we are richly blessed when we listen to them. 

While serving in England, we and many missionaries and local members listened to delayed broadcasts of Conference in our Visitor’s Centre at the London Temple. Often we had technical difficulties which made it hard to hear all the broadcasts, but we persisted and were always grateful for what we heard.

Before coming on this mission to Anaheim, Pat and I served two years as Guest Service Missionaries at the Conference Center and Temple Square in Salt Lake City. In addition to participating in many other special events, we attended each session of General Conference in the Conference Center for two years. While we were busy hosting and couldn’t concentrate on every talk, the privilege of being there to witness and hear the words of prophets and apostles in person left a lasting impression on our hearts. We will forever be grateful for that special opportunity.

Lately, it seems that so many new changes and policies have been announced at General Conference that we wonder what is coming next.  I want to be tuned in and not miss anything, but, in truth, I don’t need new announcements or new teachings at Conference.  As I gain experience and perspective in life, I just want to better understand, appreciate, and try to live the important truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I have received and know to be true. This April 6^th and 7^th, I will once again look forward to hearing the words of living prophets.  I am deeply grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.             --Don--

The First Presidency and Twelve Apostles in Rome, March 2019

Forever Friends

When I graduated from Westport Heights Elementary School at the end of the sixth grade, my teacher gave everyone in our class a little handmade autograph book to collect each other's signatures and congratulations. After all my classmates signed the book, I asked my teacher to sign it, too. This is what she wrote: "To have a friend, you must be one."

As an eleven year old, I wondered what she meant by that. Was she implying that I needed to learn how to make friends? Did she see some deficit that needed correcting? Was there an important message in those words for me? Over the years, I've been reminded, at times, of that saying. (Here I am quoting it over 60 years later.) I've come to find out that it was good advice - and it's still true!

Friendships rarely develop without some give and take. A friendship that is built on one person doing all the giving and the other person doing all the taking usually doesn't survive for very long. To build a friendship, you must be willing to give something of yourself. And if you can be the first to reach out, that's even better.

Developing a friendship takes time. Sometimes that is actually the only requirement. Because of the time we spend at work and school, it is possible to build lifelong friendships there. Some of my dearest friends are those whose path I might never have crossed if it hadn't been for a work assignment or a commitment like a church calling, community service, or even an exercise group.  Time spent working and serving with people I wouldn't have thought I had much in common with has created some deep, lasting friendships. And because of the amount of time we have spent together, walking partners have become bosom buddies.

We often hear that this age of impersonal technology is destroying interpersonal relationships. I believe that's true to a great extent, but used wisely, it can also be used for good. Take my friend, Eva, for example. If you know me, you probably know Eva. We met in 2004 in Szazhalombatta, Hungary when I was a guest in her home for a week or so. Despite the facts that we had practically nothing in common and could hardly communicate with each other, we became immediate friends. Fast forward 15 years to the present. Because Eva learned to speak English very well (thanks, Eva!) and because Skype became available within a few years of our meeting, we now "meet" each other almost every week online and have become forever friends. When we are talking, it seems that she is in the same room with me, and I don't even think about the fact that she is halfway around the world.

Eva, Pat and Pam

Technology also keeps us close to family and friends while we serve missions. We are so blessed to be able to see our grandchildren grow and hear about what they are doing. My dearest and most precious friends are my daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren. How grateful we are to know from past experience that even the little ones will know who we are when we return home because we are still a part of their lives no matter where we are in the world.

Technology has brought us news about what is going on at home, and has blessed us with some visits from friends who have been able to text us and make plans to meet. We spent a wonderful evening having dinner with Rich and Vicki Linton this week while they were in town. A few years ago, that wouldn't have happened easily because they would have had no idea how to find us with a temporary landline here in Anaheim. All they had to do is text the cell number they already had listed in their phones.

Through technology, we can keep in touch with dear friends and missionaries (including our wonderful sister missionaries) from our missions in Washington, D.C. and London. Even after many years, our hearts are permanently connected to them and always will be. Without technology, we would not have any idea what they are doing or where in the world they are now. Nor would we have had a visit from our great friends, the Neales (Surrey, England), at the last General Conference, and be eagerly anticipating a visit from the Kearls (Calgary, Canada) this fall. We just wish we could see them all! But technology is the next best thing.

ELSM Missionaries and friends - October 2018

Technology is already keeping us in contact with missionaries in the California Anaheim Mission. It's fun to see photos of missionaries arriving home at the end of their missions, and comforting to know that we can keep in touch with our mission president and the other office couples after we leave. We are already feeling that it will be hard to leave this terrific experience in a couple of months.

Technology also brought us a sweet surprise this weekend. We received an email from Bea and Peter Kopp who have been serving their own mission for over a year now - in Auckland, New Zealand.  (If you know us, you probably also know Bea and Peter.)  Bea is one of the daughters of  Swiss converts Don baptized on his mission in 1963. Three generations of their family and our entire family have become one big family over the years.  They wrote about us this week on their blog!

 www.swisskiwis.net (select English in the column on the right)

Without technology, we would not have known they were thinking about us. What a joy it was to read their thoughts - halfway around the world in the other direction.

Also this past week, my best friend, Pam, came to visit over the weekend. What a treat that was! Because it is her birthday this coming Thursday, I just want to say how incredibly blessed I am to have her for a friend. We've known each other since college, but our friendship really began in about 1980 when they moved back to Utah after living in Arizona and Minnesota for several years. Nearly 40 years later, she is still one of the most amazing women I have ever met. I am not the only one to be her best friend, because she knows that "to have a friend, you must be one." She goes out of her way to offer a smile, a kind word, or Y
There are so many, many people I would love to talk about in this blog. People who have been great examples to me. People who have patiently taught me and been there for me when I needed help. People who have shown unconditional love, who have gone more than the extra mile, who have smiled and laughed with me or been a shoulder to lean on. People who have served me and people who I have served. Even people I have only met in passing who have influenced me more than they will ever know.

I take great comfort in knowing that I will see them again, somewhere, somehow, and we will pick up where we left off.

      "And that same sociality which exists among us here shall exist
        among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory,
        which glory we do not now enjoy."
                                                              Doctrine & Covenants 130:2

--Pat --

Finding Our Way

Everywhere we look in Los Angeles there are signs telling us where to go or not to go. Since we travel regularly throughout the mission to inspect missionary apartments and renew leases, we see and rely on many signs.  They direct us to enter and exit the many freeways and streets that crisscross our mission from Garden Grove to Yorba Linda, from Irvine to Fullerton, from Anaheim to Orange, and from Tustin to Santa Anna. Pat and I have had to rely on each other to read and interpret signs in order to avoid false turns, accidents, and traffic jams.

While driving in Washington, D.C., London, and now in Los Angeles, we have also learned to rely on our dependable GPS (SatNav), the satellite-based Global Positioning System that tells us where we are and maps out the best route to get us where we'd like to go. The GPS satellite system is based on science and is extremely accurate in calculating speed, distance, location, traffic conditions, and trip time. Multiple GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in precise orbits. Receivers gather this information to determine a user's exact position and display it electronically to measure distances, destinations, and traffic routes.

Sometimes I tell Pat we don't need the GPS because I know where we are going and I can get us there. After many missed turns, I have now learned to abandon my ego and confess that the GPS lady always knows best. We now listen to her voice instead of my intuition, which saves us much time and frustration.

It's kind of like finding the humility to seek the spirit and follow the instructions of a loving Father in Heaven even when I think I know best. He always has the bigger picture and is more powerful than any GPS. His signs of warning and guidance are more significant than any man-made plan or directional signs. His instructions come from the scriptures and through living prophets.  His interest in us is far greater than helping us to get from one place to another on a map, and missing His directions will have far greater consequences than making the wrong turn on a freeway. 

When Lehi left his tent one morning, he recorded that he discovered on the ground "a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness" to the Promised Land (1 Nephi 16:10). It was called the Liahona, which translated means a compass. The Liahona gave both physical directions and spiritual instructions.  It worked according to faith and diligence.  Nephi said directions "given upon the ball" led him to the top of a mountain as well as to "the more fertile parts of the wilderness" in his hunt for wild game.

Having the faith, desire, and ability to follow the Liahona gave Nephi and his people both physical and spiritual protection.  We don't have the Liahona to guide us.  However, we are blessed with the science and technology of a working GPS, as well as many signs, freeways, and amazing vehicles to get us safely and efficiently from one place to another.  I am truly grateful for these conveniences.

I am most thankful, however, to have the blessings of the restored gospel that teach us of a loving Father and Savior who give us direction, faith and hope each day to overcome the fears, struggles,  and worries of a world in chaos.

--Don--