Go Forth With Faith

Almost a year ago, while Don and I were on vacation, we decided to attend the Los Angeles Temple, where we were married. Without any previous conversation about the subject, I mentioned to him on the way out of the temple, after the session, that I had felt inspired during the session that we should serve another mission. His response was, "So did I."  We were both surprised, to say the least, that we had received the same feeling, but that day we decided to check the missionary website online when we got home and see what might be possible. We began to fill out our papers.

As most everyone knows, our hearts were set on returning to England. Yet, from the very beginning of this mission, we have seen over and over again that Anaheim was place we were meant to serve. It began as we were driving to Los Angeles, when I had the distinct impression and message come to me that this mission was being given to us as a blessing, and it certainly has been just that.

While serving this mission, we have experienced many tender mercies and miracles, from healing to protection to guidance and inspiration. We have experienced divine intervention - even miracles - in ours and our family's lives. We have accomplished the work we were sent here to do, and we feel blessed to have had the privilege. In addition, we've made about 200 new friends when you add up all the missionaries and ward members and other people we have gotten to know and come to love. We care deeply about each of them and hope our paths will cross again in the coming months and years.

We have loved living and serving in California, where there is so much cultural and ethnic diversity. The California Anaheim Mission, which includes Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana, Stanton, Tustin, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Placentia, Brea and La Habra, is only about 20 miles wide in geography, but it is densely populated with about 750,00 people. There is a large Hispanic population, as well as many from Korea, Japan, China, the Pacific Islands, and elsewhere. Come July, the size of the mission will nearly double when the Anaheim and Long Beach missions merge - bringing even more cultures and languages into the mix. Each culture adds something unique and beautiful to the vibrant, colorful fabric of Southern California. Everyone knows how congested the traffic is here and how many people are crowded into this part of California, but when you get to know people and their stories one-on-one, there is so much you can learn about life!

It has been a privilege to wear these - and similar - name tags for 3 years of our lives. (Actually, 5 1/2 years for Don.)  They have been a daily reminder to us of our desire to serve others and make a positive difference in the world. The world is increasingly difficult to navigate and many people are struggling. We have our own set of problems and challenges to face, but serving others often magically lightens our own burdens.  There are so many ways to serve, no matter where we live or what our circumstances are.  Serving doesn't have to come by assignment. It can be done in the simplest of ways. It brings growth and blessings - both to the giver and the receiver. Now, as this mission (likely our last) comes to a close, our biggest desire is to continue to go forward with faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and do what we can to make the world a better place. 

Newport Beach Temple

Departing missionaries' temple trip

With President and Sister Golden

Better Than Christmas!

Saturday morning, April 6th, 9:50 a.m.:  I realize that I am feeling more excited about the start of General Conference in a few minutes than I feel when I wake up on Christmas morning! I realize that I've been looking forward to it for weeks now with the same eager anticipation usually reserved for Christmas. I can hardly wait to hear the words of the prophets and apostles. I feel like the guy on the desert, army crawling toward a mirage - only this isn't a mirage, it's living water and it will quench my thirst for faith, hope and new perspective.

We are watching Conference on an old couch in our missionary apartment. Our screen is a little monitor on top of a missionary desk because we don't have a TV.  It's all we need, though, because we are GRATEFUL to be able to stream all the sessions of Conference - both sight and sound. A computer, IPad, or phone, an HDMI (or other) cord, and ChurchofJesusChrist.org on the Internet are all anyone needs to listen to General Conference anywhere in the world. And we can replay any talk we want to hear again in any language we choose (!) within a few hours after it has been given. 

What a joyous blessing this is! When I was a child, I remember when the Sunday morning session of General Conference was broadcast on television in Los Angeles for the very first time. It seemed like a miracle to be getting a live broadcast of one session all the way from the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

Our General Conference broadcast.

Now, it's Sunday night and General Conference has ended. Could it be over so soon? I feel strengthened and filled with hope and love and new insights and understanding. I feel deeply nourished by the Spirit and the truth of what I have been taught this weekend. I am no longer thirsty, though there is a longing inside of me for more. But wait! I can access the words I have heard over and over, as often as I want to! I can listen to them while I am driving. I can listen to them on my IPad in the morning as I am getting ready for the day. I can read them in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Computers, phones, and other devices, as well as the magazine that will come in a few weeks - the words of the prophets and the scriptures are all there, day and night, anytime I choose to read or listen, any time I need another drink, and I will. 

The world is getting more confusing and complicated. We are being told that the time is hastening toward the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't know if I will live to see that time, but I do know that we have been counseled to stand in holy places and be not moved. I am so very grateful for Church leaders who pay the price to learn the Lord's will for us and teach us how to face the times in which we are living. They speak the truth. Praise be to God for the scriptures and for living prophets and apostles and others who have spoken to us this weekend and given us inspired instruction and counsel and guidance for our individual circumstances. Their messages have been tailored for such a time as this. How will I take advantage of these divine messages during the coming six months? How will you?

General Conference comes not once a year, like Christmas, but twice. Unlike Christmas, there is no wrapping paper to throw away, no buyer's remorse, no unused gift to store in a closet. Unlike Christmas, General Conference can be lived over and over, as often as we desire. General Conference is the gift that keeps on giving.

We had a wonderful breakfast with our friends, the Wildes, this week!
It was great to see them when they came to drop off a package
at our Mission Office. Their granddaughter is one of our
sister missionaries in the California Anaheim Mission. 

The Rhines, Simpsons, and Carpenters -
the three senior couples working in the Mission Office
at the California Anaheim Mission.

          --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

Entering the MTC

Our grandson, Matthew, spoke in Church today, prior to leaving for his mission to Arizona.  It was such a blessing to hear him speak before we leave.  He's a great young man and he taught some important principles to us today. He enters the MTC in November.

So.....do you know who the first person was to enter the MTC?  Actually, it was Moses, who took the Children of Israel to the "empty sea....”

Tomorrow we will enter the MTC to begin our own week of training, prior to leaving for Anaheim.  It will be our third experience there, and we know it will be challenging. The MTC will not be "empty."  We will be surrounded by hundreds of faithful and enthusiastic missionaries, all preparing to go and serve throughout the world.

Missionary training just keeps getting better. A lot of things have changed since our last mission. After receiving this mission call to Anaheim, we put our packet away for a few weeks and got busy with all the tasks we thought we should complete before we leave.  When we re-examined our call packet about a week ago, we panicked.  Many things have been added to pre-MTC training and we almost missed it! We had overlooked important instructions regarding new on-line missionary training. This was new to us. First, we were encouraged to create our own personal Mormon Profile and put it on-line.  (Any member of the Church can create a personal profile, whether you are a missionary or not).

The pre-MTC training also included numerous videos about proper use of mobile devices in missionary work, including safeguards for the use of technology.   There are six pre-mission "District" training videos that are very helpful in learning how to work with your companion and teach with the Spirit. There are courses on family history work, learning a language, adjustments to missionary life, and several study and teacher practice lessons. All missionaries, including senior couples, are asked to complete this training prior to entering the MTC.  We worked hard to finish it.  It was well worth the effort.  We now feel better prepared, and won't go the MTC empty.   

       -Don-

The Long Farewell

We spoke in our ward Sacrament Meeting this morning. Since this is our third mission, we figured all our friends and extended family have heard enough from us already, so we just invited our kids and grandkids (who have also heard enough from us already, but they're stuck with us). I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming feelings of love I would have for them, and for our ward members, as I sat on the stand waiting for my turn to speak. It was harder than I thought it would be. To say that we will miss our daughters, their husbands, our grandchildren, and our friends and neighbors is an understatement. Six months really isn't such a long time these days, but it will be a sacrifice to leave them all again. We are cherishing every moment with them right now.

There really is no such thing as a "farewell" anymore, but we were asked to speak about senior missions, in general, and all the opportunities that are available for couples who wish to serve - either at home or away - for 6 months, a year, 18 months, or 2 years. A lot has changed in the past few years for senior missionaries. There is more flexibility. You can request a specific length of time for your service, share how much you are able to contribute financially, and even request what type of service you'd like to do and where you would like to do it. There is such a need for senior missionaries throughout the world that every effort is made to honor requests. Of course, if you are needed more badly somewhere other than where you requested, you may be assigned somewhere that is a total surprise. (See our last blog, Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.)

We talked about our motivation for leaving on a mission again: gratitude. Pure and simple gratitude. We are so grateful for the way the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed us and our family that we want to share it with others. It's a small sacrifice on our part for all that we have received. To have been so blessed to come to know and love our Savior, Jesus Christ through the covenants we've made, the scriptures that we have access to, the words of modern prophets and the power of the Priesthood makes us want to help those who are ready to hear it and who need it to help them deal with the burdens, trials and temptations of our day.

Don talked about the brand-new Church website designed specifically to link senior missionaries with part-time and full-time service opportunities. There are at least 30 different types of missions that seniors can serve in locations both near and far. You can take a look at the website by searching lds.org/mss or just google Senior Missionary Opportunities. There are so many ways that senior couples can make a difference in the world!

Preparing to serve a mission is both exciting and unnerving (at least for me). Even when you feel strongly that the time is right, it's hard to push the send button on your application; it's hard to wait for your call to arrive; and it's hard to walk away from your life and into the MTC. It IS a sacrifice, after all, but I can say that we are nearly ready to go - and we are excited to serve!

So now we are in countdown mode. The long farewell has begun. We are saying good-bye to a lot of people and also a lot of last-minute activities this week:  dentist, doctors, haircuts, neighbors, Relief Society and Elders' Quorum presidencies, and most of all, children and grandchildren. The long farewell has begun.

    -Pat-

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

Here we go again! Nearly five years after returning from our last mission, we've decided we want to serve another mission. It was something we'd been considering (sort of off and on) since we returned home from England in January 2014, but somewhere during the middle of this summer, it just seemed to both of us that the time was right. We filled out and submitted our application in record time - maybe a week or ten days - and then started playing the waiting game which is probably THE hardest thing about going on a mission. Senior missionaries are allowed to submit 3 - 6 requests about where they would like to go and what type of mission they would like to serve. We definitely wanted to serve a temple mission this time and submitted a few requests to locations that have been near and dear to our hearts, knowing that the Church Missionary Department does try to accommodate senior missionaries because they need them so badly. Of course, we had promised our stake president that we would serve wherever needed and we did work hard to keep an open mind, but our hearts were really set on some of those temples that we love....

Boy, were we surprised when our call arrived!

Monday, August 6th, the big white envelope came in the mail just as we were loading our car for a family reunion in Park City, about an hour from our home. That night, with nearly all our kids and grandkids crammed into a rented condo, we opened the envelope.

"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the California Anaheim Mission. Your primary assignment is to labor as a member and leader support missionary."

Our hearts skipped a beat. What? Our kids laughed and said, "Do they know this family?  They'll have a hard time keeping us from visiting you!" (We've since learned that our one bedroom apartment just 5 minutes from Disneyland won't be big enough for them to visit.) We grinned and reminded ourselves of the verse we learned in the MTC before leaving on our first mission:  Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!

And from that moment on, we began to think of all the reasons why this might be the perfect call for us. I guess we probably won't really know until we have served for awhile or even until we are home again, but these are some of the reasons we've come up with so far:

1-We'll be leaving several months earlier than we expected, which means we'll be home several months before we expected, too. That's bringing it's own set of tender mercies already.

2-We'll be home just after Emily's baby is born. :))  On the day we opened our mission call, Josh and Emily announced that they will be having a second baby!

3-We'll be snowbirds this year, which means no snow for us! That wasn't what we planned, but we like it!

4-Having lived in Southern California, we're really familiar with the freeways and how to get around. After spending 2 years driving on the left side of the road last time, freeways sound easy!

5-We can take our own car packed full of lots of stuff. Two suitcases of clothes on a foreign mission can get really old.

6-We don't have to open new phone and bank accounts this time.

7-With only a one hour time difference, we won't be on Skype with our family in the middle of the night.

8-There'll be a Fosters' Freeze somewhere nearby. (You probably have to have grown up in California to get that one.)

9-We know and love many things about Southern California already and now we will have the opportunity to know and love some of it's people.

10-Any opportunity to serve and to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, regardless of the location, is a privilege.

On the night we opened our call, our awesome 21-year-old grandson, Noah, said, "Grandma, you're going to need faith, trust, and pixie dust!"  I think he summed it up perfectly.
                                                                                                                                    - Pat -

Here It Is: The Real Truth About Senior Missions

With the announcement in the Church News a few weeks ago that Elder Mike and Sister Rebecca Pinegar will serve as the new directors of the London Temple Visitors' Centre beginning January 2014, we are realizing that the sweet opportunity and magnificent blessing of serving as missionaries in the England London South Mission will soon be coming to a close. Though we are truly trying to remain focused to the end, we are beginning to reflect on the last two years and what an amazing experience it has been. It has been a time of joy, growth (sometimes fun, sometimes painful), love, hard work, more hard work, and many, many miracles and blessings. What a grand privilege!

Recently, one of our good friends, a senior missionary serving here on the temple grounds with her husband, commented that she wasn't prepared for how hard some of the adjustments would be when she came on a mission. She said she had really only heard about the joys and blessings when others she knows had come home and reported about their missions. She had never thought about the difficulties she might encounter. I'm  quite sure that's a very common experience, and she's not alone. Many, if not most, young elders and sisters, as well as seniors, come into the mission field with lofty expectations based on the reports they've heard before they came. But in defense of all those past missionaries (seniors and otherwise) who may have been a bit Pollyanna-ish in their reports, missions are a lot like giving birth. Once you are gazing at that beautiful new baby in your arms, all the morning sickness, fatigue and pain of childbirth becomes a distant - and gladly borne - memory. All you remember is your sense of accomplishment and great joy at being allowed such a privilege. Serving a mission is a similar experience.

Because Don and I are still currently serving, our memories of the hard times haven't been dispersed by the euphoria of success quite yet! So we thought this would be a great time to offer our official/unofficial list of truths about senior missions. I can't say that we are experts about senior missions. We have friends here on the temple grounds who are serving their third and even fourth missions. However, after being away from home for nearly 2 1/2 years now, Don and I have learned a few things we'd like to share. I also took the liberty of questioning several of our fellow senior missionaries about their experiences and have included some of their thought in the following list, too.

(Most of the) Senior missionaries in the England London South Mission
October 2013

Senior Missionaries:  Couples who leave their families for 
a little while so that others can be with theirs forever.

THE LEARNING CURVE
(or) What We Wish We'd Known Before We Came

1. No matter how much you love your spouse, there will be times when being together 24/7 for a couple of years is just too much!  After jobs, children, grandchildren, church callings and other responsibilities have sent you in different directions for most of your married life, it is an adjustment to spend all your time together in much closer quarters than you are probably used to. Almost always, however, this leads to greater unity and a stronger, closer marriage than you ever thought possible. You will learn new ways to work together. This has certainly been true for us.
2. No matter how old you are, or how much you think you've learned, you will have to learn new things.
3. Just because you are called to serve in an English speaking country, do not assume you will know what is going on around you - especially if you serve outside your country of birth. There is always a learning curve. New places, new customs, new living conditions, new foods, new products, new words and accents, new traditions, and new ways of doing things will all take some getting used to. No matter where you serve, it is not going to seem like home for awhile. You are going to have to adjust and be flexible!
4. You are going to get sick of the two suitcases full of clothes that you brought!
5. Senior bodies sometimes have a hard time adapting to new climates and surroundings and you will most likely deal with some health issues (usually annoying, but not life threatening) that you didn't expect.
6. There are no vacations on missions. Let go of any "Cruise" mentality you have - but that doesn't mean you won't have fun. You will have opportunities for some sight-seeing and free time.
7. If you serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength, you will be tired -- often! And you will be busy - really busy.
8. Serving a mission is a sacrifice. Sacrifices can be hard. You will have people who are depending on you to carry out what you have committed to do, even when you don't feel like it. It's all about service.
9. You'll have to have the faith and courage to try things you've never done before.
10. No matter what you thought it would be like, you will be surprised.
11. There will be times when you miss your family - but this challenge is going to be easier than you think. Even though you won't be physically present for family gatherings and milestones, you can almost always Skype, and Skype can be just as good as being there!  Really!!!  And when you see how the Lord watches out for your family in your absence, it's going to seem more like a blessing than a sacrifice.

THE BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES
(or) Why You're Going To Cry When You Go Home

1. You are going to learn and grow, and so is your family.
2. You will receive divine help and strength as you turn to the Lord and ask for His help. You will also feel the strength of other peoples' prayers for you.
3. You will be an inspiration to your children and grandchildren. You will have opportunities to build their faith through sharing your missionary experiences with them.
4. Your knowledge and understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ will increase.
5. Your faith in God and trust in His plan for you will increase. 
6. Endless tender mercies will help you achieve success in your assignments.
7. Working with a variety of people and personalities will provide you with a great opportunity to expand your comfort zone and your confidence. You will meet and make some fabulous new friends - and establish eternal friendships. 
8. You will feel great peace and joy at times.You will recognize God's presence in your work.
9. You will find out that your family can manage their own lives!
10. The world will get smaller as you make friends from many nations. You will have compassion for the circumstances of others.
11. Spiritual gifts will strengthen you - such as a greater ability to discern needs, to memorize, to speak in public, to love, or to endure.
12. You will have the time you want to study the scriptures and focus on spiritual things.
13. You will marvel at the effect that the gospel of Jesus Christ has on the lives of those who find it and embrace it.
14. You will learn the worth of a soul.
15. You will learn to love the people you serve and work with - deeply. You will wrap your heart around the people and places where you serve.
16. You will feel God's loving arms around you as you serve Him.

Elder & Sister Anderson with the two of us and Elder & Sister Horsley.

Meet Elder (Tom) and Sister (Joan) Anderson from Smithfield, Utah. They arrived in London just this week. Their journey as senior missionaries is just beginning! They will serve here at the London Temple Visitors' Centre for eighteen months. They have sacrificed much to come and serve the people of England. They will work hard, they will even struggle, they will find joy, and they will be blessed. Of this I am certain. What an privilege and opportunity awaits them!                                ~Pat~

Counterfeits

I had an experience a week or so ago that has given me much to ponder.Since we've been on our mission, we've had the privilege of being in the presence of four of the twelve apostles of the Church. That's pretty amazing when you consider that normally we live in Salt Lake City (O.K., Draper), Utah and we only see them once in a great while from a distance if we attend General Conference.

While in the MTC, our little group of MTC Presidents and Visitors' Centre Directors had dinner with Elder Nelson before he presented a fireside one evening in Provo. Then Elder & Sister Holland spent several hours with our group in Salt Lake on our last day before we flew to London. Last fall, my friend, Eva, and I ran into Elder Nelson and his wife on the steps of the London Temple early one morning while we were out walking, and had a sweet conversation with them. Elder Ballard came and addressed our mission in a special meeting at Hyde Park a few months ago. Then, on September 10th, Elder Oaks spoke to the Wandsworth Stake in London. I was able to go with two our our Mission Office sisters to hear him. It was a wonderful opportunity.

I bring all this up because it hit me as I was listening to Elder Oaks two weeks ago that the world is searching for what I felt that night. I had been tired and discouraged when I arrived. We'd been working hard. I was feeling like I needed a vacation! I was looking forward to taking a break from our responsibilities for a few hours to be in the presence of an apostle, but I wasn't expecting the strength and renewal I felt so strongly as I sat there. Elder Oaks humbly spoke of things that really matter. The sweet comfort of the Holy Ghost was there and I was immediately lifted by the spirit of the meeting. There was a tangible feeling of peace, love, and happiness and hope that filled the room and filled my heart. I needed it. I wanted it to stay with me.

All of us look for experiences that renew and strengthen us to meet our challenges. We look for peace and love and happiness in a lot of places in the world, yet so much of what we find is temporary. We pursue success at work and in other activities. We look for peace, love and happiness in the perfect vacation or the perfect car or the perfect personal image or the perfect hobby, sport or interest. We look for those feelings in our relationships with people. We search for renewal in entertainment. All those things have the ability to make us feel good -- maybe for a few hours, maybe for a few months or years. But there is only one source of lasting peace, love, happiness and hope -- and that is in God, our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Everything else, eventually, fades; they are counterfeit sources of the eternal peace, love and happiness that God and Christ promise. Why do we so often forget where our real sources of peace and hope and strength come from and settle for less?

Real lasting peace, real love, real happiness, and real, lasting hope all originate with God and his Son, Jesus Christ. We feel it through the power of the Holy Ghost which can come into our hearts and continue to witness it to us. The times when that witness of peace or love or hope comes to us through the Spirit never have to dim. As I sit here writing, the peaceful, hope-filled feelings I felt that night are just as real as they were then. They continue to strengthen me now.

Elder Oaks' message touched many different topics that night, but the spirit he brought with him into the meeting spoke peace to my soul. It filled my heart with feelings of love and turned my discouragement to a sense of hope. The Spirit of the Holy Ghost can do that for us if we will just listen. It will testify of Christ, help us recognize truth, provide spiritual strength, show us the right path to take, comfort us during times of trial, warn us of physical or spiritual danger, and speak peace and hope to our hearts.

Elder Oaks said that too many members of the church today have spiritual apathy. We attend church, have family prayer, read our scriptures daily and go to the temple, but we are converted to the church rather than to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even as a missionary focusing full-time on the work of the Lord, I often find that it is true for me. I get caught up in "the thick of thin things" and forget to focus on what's most important - what's real. It's easy to go through the motions but miss out on the real power of Jesus Christ to bless our lives. So many counterfeit distractions that scream for our attention these days keep us from the real peace, love, happiness and hope we need.

Elder Oaks asked the Wandsworth Stake congregation to ponder what we really think about Christ:
(1) The work (atonement and mission) of Jesus Christ
(2) The authority of Christ - the Priesthood
(3) The essence of Christ - his essential character and nature
When we think of all that Christ has done for us, wouldn't it be a good idea to worship him more deeply, keep his commandments, and serve him? When we partake of the Sacrament every Sunday, we witness that we are willing to take his name upon ourselves, always remember him, and keep his commandments, so that we will always have his Spirit to be with us.  That is where the real power comes from in this world - the REAL peace, the REAL love, the REAL happiness and the REAL hope. That's what really matters.

Our Savior taught us, as recorded Luke 12:34, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I want to treasure up in my heart the things that will bring lasting peace, love, happiness and hope. I know where to find them. They are always there waiting for me if I will pay attention. I just have to choose the real over the counterfeit.                   ~Pat~

Senior Missions, Senior Blessings

From the early years of our marriage, Pat and I talked about serving a mission together -- even establishing a mission savings account (which we had to use for other purposes more than once). We looked forward to being able to serve together and share experiences as missionary companions after I retired and the children were married. We had a lot of hopes and dreams..

We've learned a lot during the past couple of years and we'd like to share our experience in the hope that other couples thinking about serving a mission might benefit.We have learned that senior couples who accept the call to serve full-time missions for the LDS Church usually encounter many things they did not expect, including new opportunities to define and refine their marriages.

In reality, our mission experiences have exceeded what we anticipated, both in joy received and in the hard work required. We could not have imagined the satisfaction and closeness that would come to us as we have served. But we also did not anticipate how the many stresses of serving a mission would test our patience and our relationship. Establishing a new home and a new life with new responsibilities in a foreign country was challenging! And even though we've been married 46 years, being together 24/7 with no breaks was also a stretch!

Like many men, I discovered that I had allowed myself to be defined too much by my career and service in the community, church, and other personal pursuits.  More accurately, I was pretty comfortable with my achievements -- too much pride, not enough humility - and used to doing things on my own. Pat's identity came largely from her devotion to family as a daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as many service opportunities. She was pretty used to being her own boss, too. We both had held many and varied callings in the Church, mostly independent of each other. Most of our gospel study had also been individual, not shared.

To serve effectively as missionaries, we had to learn a whole new set of skills -- to study, plan, teach and serve together -- and we had to establish a new sense of identity as a senior missionary couple. During our first mission, teaching Institute classes to young single adults in the Washington DC South Mission, Pat and I had to learn how to share responsibilities for lesson preparation and presentation: what to include in lessons, how to develop and integrate power point materials with lesson objectives, what questions to pose, and how to divide class time and decide who would teach which principles and for how long.  It taxed us to prepare lessons for five classes taught in four scattered locations each week.  We learned quickly, but not without some pain, that to feel the spirit and be effective in our teaching, we had to take the time to work things out and to work together.  As we persisted in efforts to improve, and focused on the students, we learned humility and gained patience, unity, deeper spirituality, and felt mutual respect and new closeness.

In our current responsibility to direct the Visitors' Centre at the London Temple, we've faced a whole new learning curve. We've learned to navigate British roads, embrace a new culture, contact church and community leaders, train missionaries, coordinate schedules, and plan and develop programs and activities that strengthen members, promote missionary work, and build the image of the Church.  It has taken two minds and two hearts, knit together in a common purpose, to fill the responsibilities of this mission.  Neither of us could have served alone. Often Pat's thoughts, ideas, and skills are better than mine. Sometimes my thoughts and skills work best. We have learned to trust and rely on each other, respect our different abilities and tasks, pray and plan together, and support and cheer each other on during times of trial and discouragement. A pleasant byproduct of missionary service has been the deeper trust, respect, and love we have felt for each other as well as greater appreciation for our marriage.

The Lord has asked that we learn to live together in love (D&C 42:45) and He gave a specific commandment to husbands: Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shall cleave  unto her and none else. (D&C 42:22)   He also said neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:11)   In order to serve and teach the gospel effectively, we know we must have the spirit, and we've found that we cannot have the spirit unless we work together in love and unity. For us it has required increased effort, humility, patience, and understanding.  Since we believe our marriage is eternal, I can't think of a better way to prepare for living life together, forever, in peace, harmony and love, than time spent serving full-time senior missions.

As we look back on the past 20 months in England, we can see clearly that we have been richly blessed and seen many successes and miracles we never could have anticipated.  We've also seen that in our absence, all of our family members have been greatly blessed.  It's true that no matter how much you try to serve the Lord and show gratitude, you will always be in His debt.  So... to all senior couples able to serve who are wondering if the time is right to jump in and become missionaries, we say, "Just do it! Wonderful experiences await you!"
                                                                                                                                ~Don~

Every Nation, Kindred, Tongue and People

Last year in Relief Society we studied the life of George Albert Smith, who was the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1945 to 1951. President Smith was a forward thinking prophet. "He was a strong proponent of the aviation industry and saw it as a way to fulfill his travel assignments as a General Authority more efficiently. He also supported the Church's use of radio and television to take the word of the Lord to a broader audience. He said, 'We ought to regard these [inventions] as blessings from the Lord.'"

One Sunday morning, several months ago, the Relief Society teacher in the ward we were visiting read a quote that astonished me. She quoted a General Conference address in 1946, where President Smith prophesied: "It will not be long until, from this pulpit and other places that will be provided, the servants of the Lord will be able to deliver messages to isolated groups who are so far away they cannot be reached. In that way and other ways, the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, the only power of God unto salvation in preparation for the celestial kingdom, will be heard in all parts of the world, and many of you who are here will live to see that day." (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, Chapter 15: Advancing the Work of the Lord)

My astonishment was that I have lived to see the literal fulfillment of that prophecy! I have heard since I was a child that the gospel would spread to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. I have always wondered how that would happen. President Smith had already seen this day and spoke of it over 65 years ago, before I was born. Many who heard President Smith that day are still alive to see it's fulfillment. Through the miracle of technology, the gospel is now being taught in nearly every corner of the world. That's amazing!

During our mission here in England, we have watched this miracle unfold. On June 23rd, this year, a worldwide missionary fireside was broadcast from the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. It was held in conjunction with the Mission Presidents' Training at the MTC. Most English speaking members of the church throughout the world have had a chance to view the fireside online, either at home or during regularly scheduled Sunday church meetings.  Elder L. Tom Parry. an apostle, announced that missionaries will now be using computers and IPads to teach lessons and gospel principles using Mormon.org, Facebook, blogs, email and text messages. Our sister missionaries have already been doing that!

For many months, our mission had already been part of a pilot program where the visitors' centre sisters (as part of the ELSM media zone) were encouraged to develop missionary Facebook pages and blogs, along with the Chat and email teaching they were already doing. They have also been teaching the gospel by Skype to people in many different parts of the world. The results have been exciting! This year, our missionaries have seen about fifteen of the people that they are teaching online join the Church in various parts of the world. Three more have made the decision to be baptized later this month. It is privilege and a joy to see how peoples' lives change for the better as they come to know their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sister Cardona, Sister Stewart teaching online
with Elder Carpenter in the background in our makeshift office.

Because of all the time that our sisters are now spending teaching online, we have completely outgrown the small work area in our visitors' centre. We have been needing a more efficient place to work for several months. It seemed like there were laptops and teaching materials strewn everywhere during the week - not a very welcoming sight to those who came to visit. When we recently received approval to purchase a new reception desk, we immediately went to work and ordered one. It took about a month - a very long month - for the desk to be delivered to us. All of us visitors' centre missionaries were counting the days. It finally arrived just last Friday. We were all so excited!

Elder Carpenter got the first look at the new desk.

The first piece is wheeled into the visitors' centre.

Unwrapping the pieces.

Assembling the new reception desk.

Our temple engineers came to help.

Mic, Wayne, Neal, and Neal's cute wife Nora
are always available to help us with anything we need.

Do you remember "Motel" in Fiddler On The Roof when he received his new sewing machine and the whole village came to admire it?  That's how we feel!  So proud of our new acquisition - and so grateful for the new work space that will keep us more organized and able to teach the gospel.

Sister Cardona and Sister Stewart are the first to check it out.

Sister Berati and Sister Walmsley

Sisters Ylisaari, Watt, Berati and Walmsley checking out the new space.

Ready to go to work.

The Church is growing. The work is progressing. The gospel is being taken to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. Prophecies are being fulfilled. It is such a blessing to be able to be a part of this great work!          ~Pat~

Missionary Miracle

This week we want to share the story of an amazing missionary miracle. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a miracle is "an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by nature or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to divine agency."  Missionary work is a work of miracles. We have seen so many during the past couple of years. Sometimes they just look like coincidences (but the timing is so perfect they are more than that). Sometimes they are unmistakable divine intervention that defy all odds. But always we give thanks and recognize that all good things in our lives come from God. Miracles just need to be recognized and appreciated.

This story is one that we heard first person from President John Gonzalez toward the end of 2011 while we were on our first mission, but it was recently published in Meridian Magazine online. We think it's worth repeating. President Gonzalez' daughter was a favorite student in one of the Institute classes we taught in Washington, D.C.

While President Gonzalez was presiding over the California Fresno Mission a few years earlier, a new missionary arrived from Tonga. President Gonzalez felt impressed to assign him to work with his first companion in the city of Patterson. A day or two after the Tongan elder's arrival, as the two young men were out knocking on doors in Patterson, a pregnant young woman opened the door and upon seeing them, rushed forward to give the Tongan elder a big hug. As his companion stood in surprised silence, the Tongan elder and the young woman had a joyful reunion. It was soon explained that the young woman was his sister, Leloni, whom he hadn't seen in almost ten years. She had recognized something familiar about her little brother's face and when she looked down at his name tag, her hopes were confirmed.

The elders were invited inside and the rest of the story began to unfold. While still in Tonga, Leloni had fallen in love with a young Catholic man, married him and moved to America. With little money and no access to a computer or cell phone, she eventually lost contact with her family. They only knew that she lived somewhere in America. Leloni was now pregnant and expecting a child in several weeks.  She and her husband had recently been discussing religion and what part it would play in their family.

This is a portion of President Gonzalez' written account of what happened next:  "They [Leloni and her husband] started to argue about which Christian religion their new child should attend - the Mormon Church or the Catholic Church. The husband then made a rather startling promise. He said to his wife, 'If your brother knocks on my door, then I'll join the Mormon church, and we'll raise our baby to be L.D.S.!' Smugly confident that the argument was now over, he quickly dropped the issue."

"The two missionaries were... told of the promise Leloni's husband had made earlier in the week about joining the L.D.S. Church. Arrangements were soon made to teach her husband the restored gospel, and the discussions were taught and accepted. True to his word, as soon as he felt the Spirit confirm the truthfulness of the gospel message, Leloni's husband was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church."

"This miraculous and happy story does not end there. His conversion was heartfelt and sincere. He did not convert solely due to his earlier promise about their unborn baby. After a year of faithful church attendance, this wonderful couple, together with their new baby, was sealed together as an eternal family in the Oakland California Temple." President Gonzalez called the Missionary Department in Salt Lake City to obtain permission for the Tongan Elder to leave his mission boundaries and attend the ceremony in Oakland.

President Gonzalez calculates that the odds were well over 1 in 300,000,000 that an elder would come from Tonga, be assigned to the Fresno Mission, then to Patterson, California, and be out knocking on doors on his sister's street within a few days of arriving in his mission.

Some may call it coincidence. We call it the hand of a merciful God who knows and loves each one of His children. Through faith and prayer, God's mighty miracles often come to pass.        ~Pat and Don~

One Year! Six Months!

We're celebrating two milestones today.

1. A YEAR AGO TODAY, we entered the MTC in Provo to begin training for our CES mission teaching Institute in the Washington D.C. South Mission. Wow, that seems like a long time ago! What great memories we have of all the amazing students we met, taught, and learned to love so much. And what a grand time we had living close to Amy and Colin for a few months when they first arrived at Andrews Air Force Base and settled in Alexandria. It's funny how we've forgotten the stress of the worst traffic in the nation and teaching five classes each week in five different locations spread all over the D.C. metropolitan area. It was an awesome opportunity and experience to be able to dedicate our lives to serving. We stretched and grew, and we were so blessed. 
2. SIX MONTHS AGO TODAY we were back in the MTC being trained and prepared to come to the London Temple Visitors' Centre.  The time has really flown. It's funny how the days go slowly, but the weeks and months fly by. Only 18 months left, and already we're feeling a sense of melancholy about the prospect of leaving this wonderful experience and the great people of England when it's over. We've grown to love them so much already. Good thing our family and friends are still in Utah. That's the magnet that will draw us swiftly back when it's time.    

We've found a new blessing to be grateful for while we're on our mission. It has something to do with this:  absence makes the heart grow fonder. In our living room (called the "lounge" in England), we have a wall of photos of our family in a bookcase. We had the pictures taken just before we left, last December. There's a little atomic clock on the top shelf, too, that keeps track of what time it is in Utah. We can see the smiling faces of our daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren anytime we walk through the room (which is on the way to the kitchen...). We love all those faces so much, and they tug on our hearts as we walk by. Those pictures make our family seem closer than they really are. That's a blessing.      

It seems that the family misses us, too. You'll remember the amazing package that arrived in the mail for Mothers' Day (see our post from May 13, 2012). As surprising as it was to have our whole family arrive in the mail, what was most amazing was that everyone in the family planned ahead enough to make those caricatures and get them to Janet (some mailed from the other side of the country) so she could package them up and send them far enough ahead to arrive in England well ahead of Mothers' Day. Now that was impressive. 

Well, they did it again. Kristen and family sent Don a giant-sized fun Fathers' Day greeting that's still hanging in our flat:

Then, just in time for Fathers' Day, we received a private You Tube video that all our girls (with Jenn's help this time) made just for their dad. He was very touched and so was I. Makes us cry every time we watch it. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

If you want to see some funny old photos of the way we looked a long time ago (and some recent ones, as well) click on the box below:                 ~Pat~

Life Is What Happens To You...

...while you're making other plans.

One of the first things we learned while we were in the Missionary Training Center in July was "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."  Been thinkin' about that over the past few months....

It's official and the word is out. We'll soon be off to London. Don has been asked to be the director of the London Temple Visitors Center for the next two years. We return to the MTC on Monday, January 9th, then fly out on Friday, the 13th (yeah, it's our lucky day).

Last June 22, just two weeks before we were to leave for Washington, D.C., and in the midst of the packing and planning, we got a phone message that someone in the Missionary Department at the Church Office Building wanted us to come in for an appointment. We didn't sleep much that night wondering if they had decided to send us somewhere else, change our assignment, or even keep us home. We had no idea what to expect, but we never would have suspected what was about to take place. A new calling; a privilege; a blessing.

It didn't feel like that at first, though. We left the COB the next day in a state of shock and surprise. We had decisions to make. We headed for our car, then found our way to the Draper Temple. We spent several hours in that most peaceful, beautiful place of refuge pondering the call we had been given and our choice:  we could go ahead and serve the mission that we had planned and prepared for, or we could accept the assignment approved by the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve.  Hmmmmmmm.

Understanding from long experience that when we let the Lord direct our lives He makes much more out of them than we can, the decision, ultimately, was easy. We rejoice in the covenants we've made. We try to honor them. It is always a privilege to serve the Lord. We trust Him and want to follow His path for us. Even though 2 1/2 years (the sum of both missions) sounds like a very long time to be away from our family, we will go to London in January -- gladly!

Realizing that we had already cleared everything off our calendars for the rest of 2011, and knowing that there was no way a new CES senior missionary couple could take our place in Washington, D.C. on such short notice, we asked if we could go ahead and serve one semester of our first call. We were thrilled when the missionary department said yes. It's been a great privilege and opportunity.  But, now, instead of finishing this mission next July, our mission will end Thanksgiving weekend and we'll be coming home for Christmas.  We'll have five weeks to unpack, pack, celebrate the birth of our Savior, and prepare to be gone for two more years.

Judging from the things we've learned, the ways we've grown, and the opportunities we and our family have had while we've been in Washington D.C. these past several months, we are looking forward to this challenge. In fact, we can hardly wait!

We are thrilled to be able to serve on the grounds of the London Temple. There is no more sacred building on earth than a temple. It is a place where heaven meets earth, where eternal truths are taught, where spirits are lifted, where sacred ordinances for both the living and the dead are performed, and where families are sealed together forever. It's a place where faith, hope and love abide. We look forward to sharing that message with others.                                                                           ~Pat~

And They're Off...

We’re on our way at last -- after a tearful good-bye to friends and neighbors, four of our daughters and their husbands, and all our grandchildren. (Amy and Colin are in Alabama with Air Force. We’ll see them soon.)

I knew it would be tough and it makes me cry again just thinking about each of the them, but I know it will get easier as the days go by. And I know this is a good experience for all of us. I’m so proud of all of our family for the way they have supported us in this decision. They’ve been cheering us on since the day we got our call -and they were the ones who picked us up off the floor and said, “Sure, you can do it!” when we got the second call, too. We’ll be missing a lot of family get-togethers and a lot of opportunities to help them, to listen to them, to do things together, to give them a hug. I’m sure they’ve thought about that - I sure have - but they have been so supportive. Their faith has given us faith; their courage and unselfishness has been an example to us. We love them more than anything else in the world -- to the moon and back!

After we finished our superb CES training on Wednesday last week and left the MTC, we had a couple of days to pack and load the car, then we spent Saturday with the family at Utah Lake. Every hour with them was precious. Yesterday (Sunday), after church, the family came over in the evening to celebrate Don’s birthday. Rachel, with her mom Janet’s help, surprised us with a family pedigree chart of cookie faces. It even had all four family dogs! When they walked in the house and we first saw it, we felt so loved and supported by the whole family. Each one has added their support in their own way and we have felt it. We didn’t want the evening to end...

Yup, we’re on our way, and our air-conditioned MDX - with a cargo carrier on the top - is stuffed to overflowing. I realized while I was carrying out my last little box of hair dryers, shampoo, make-up, etc., to the car this morning that that one box, alone, probably weighs more than the entire 17 pounds the handcart pioneers were allowed. We’ll only be in Washington D.C. a few months. The pioneers were starting over, forever, in a new land. We’re driving; they walked. We have a couple of laptops, cell phones with Internet access, dishes, pots and pans, personal possessions, blankets, bedding, shoes, and a hanging rod full of clothes and coats. We can stop as often as we want to get something to eat -- grocery stores, restaurants, and drive-throughs everywhere. Not much pioneering going on here, but a whole new experience before us, nevertheless. ~Pat~

Anyway...

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

“If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.

“If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

“What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

“If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.

“The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow; do good anyway.

“Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

“You see, the final analysis is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway."

• Mother Teresa

We have always wanted to serve a mission together, but it is not easy to leave family and friends and a comfortable home in order to serve. We will miss our kids and grandkids very much. We choose to serve anyway.

We’ve had good examples to follow. Our ancestors left a rich heritage of sacrifice and service. We have been blessed by their lives and examples. Now is our time to give. We don’t know whose lives we may affect or who may affect ours, but we will go forward and serve, anyway. ~Don~

Why Are We Going?

As the time to depart gets closer and closer and we face leaving our family and home, Pat and I find ourselves musing about the reasons we feel compelled to serve a mission. It’s a desire we have had since we were first married. We’ve planned and hoped for this time. However, now that our hopes are finally becoming reality, we must climb out of our comfort zone and actually prepare to go. It's an exciting, but challenging time.

We’ve carefully explored our motives and here's what we've discovered about why we are going on a mission:

1. Gratitude. We have been blessed with good health (and some medical miracles), adequate means, time, and supportive children. We want to share what we have with others.

2. Love. The world needs love and we want to take the love of Heavenly Father and Christ to others.

3. Covenants. We've made commitments to consecrate our time, talents and means to further the work of God on the earth.

4. The Joy of Service. It is a privilege and honor to serve a mission. We know the joy that comes from serving others.

5. Example. We've been strengthened by the missionary examples and experiences of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors. We hope our children and grandchildren will likewise be strengthened.

6. Blessings. We have seen the blessings that come to the families of those who sacrifice. Even though we know that our family will face some trying times while we're gone, we have trust that they will be blessed in ways we cannot foresee.

7. Faith. We have faith in Christ -- we trust him, his teachings, his watchful care, and his eternal plan for each of us.

President Ezra Taft Benson said: "Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life." (Ensign, Dec. 1988) We know this to be true. ~Don~

Six Weeks and Counting... Down

July 11th seemed a long way off when we opened our mission call in March, but it won't be long now before we enter the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo. It's something we've looked forward to for years and we're really excited to get going, but it's not as simple as we had imagined!

Our "To Do" lists seem to be getting longer instead of shorter, time spent with family is becoming more and more precious, and at least one of us (Pat) is admitting to a little anxiety about this new adventure.

We know we'll be serving a one-year CES (Church Education System) mission and that we'll be the only CES missionaries in the Washington D.C. South Mission. We know we'll be living in a two-bedroom townhouse in Centreville (spelled the British way), just outside the Washington Beltway. We know we'll be teaching four or five Institute classes in and around Washington D.C. We also know the median age of Institute students in the area is 27 and that they are mostly students, government interns, and young professionals. We don't yet know what subjects we'll be teaching, but we do know that we're in for a challenge.

We'll keep you posted.... ~Pat~