Spreading Our Wings

During the first official week of our mission since arriving in Virginia, we’ve had some amazing opportunities to learn new things. Most days, we learned MANY new things. We are definitely stretching and spreading our wings. What a busy, exciting week!

• Throughout the week, our exceptional CES Coordinator, Brother Devin Toma, took us to visit the four different Institute classrooms where we will be teaching, including the 23^rd Street Chapel in Mt. Vernon, the Annandale Stake Center, the Centreville Stake Center, and Student Union Building II at George Mason University in Fairfax.
• Tuesday, we were inspired by the teachings of Elder David Bednar as we participated in a worldwide CES satellite broadcast. We learned that teaching is not about talking and telling; it’s about listening and individualizing as we get to know our students and prepare to teach by the Spirit.
• Thursday, we saw missionary zeal in action when we got to attend the Washington, DC South Mission transfer conference. We met President & Sister Albright and heard inspirational talks from him, the zone leaders, and the APs. The mission reached a ten- year high of 62 baptisms in July. The enthusiasm and energy of that conference was exhilarating, and brought back strong emotions and memories from my mission to Switzerland some 48 years ago.
• Thursday evening we taught our first Institute class - at the Centreville Stake Center - on the life and teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith. We are already meeting some terrific Young Single Adults.
• Friday, we had a great time in the District with Amy and Colin, walking the Mall and visiting monuments, memorials, and Smithsonian museums.
• Saturday evening we were overwhelmed, once again, at the beauty of the stately Washington D.C. Temple as we had the privilege of attending a session.
• Sunday we attended Amy and Colin’s new ward at the old colonial LDS chapel on the banks of the Potomac in Mt. Vernon.

There’s a lot for us to accomplish on this mission. We’re ready to spread our wings and fly….

~Don~

Building A Nest In 7 Days or Less

- The birdhouse in the tree next to our new front door -

During the past several years while we've been traveling in many different countries with Clog America, I've noticed a fascinating phenomenon. No matter how strange the new surroundings are, after about one week in a foreign place, life begins to take on a sense of normalcy. I've seen it happen over and over again. Experiences and circumstances that seem so peculiar and unusual during the first few days begin to seem completely ordinary much sooner than you'd expect. And it's happening again.

Until last Friday, we'd never seen Centreville, Va., even though we've visited Washington many times. Centreville is a townhouse-populated suburb about 45 minutes from the Capitol and it's sandwiched among suburbs that stretch farther than the eye can see in any direction. There are townhouses packed pretty much everywhere except where there's a shopping mall or a busy street. Even though Don and I grew up in Los Angeles and Berkeley, respectively, we had no idea so many people could be crammed into one small area! That feat is accomplished by building up instead of out. Our townhouse is only about 15 feet wide, but it is four stories high (which, of course, means THREE flights of stairs inside).

All the townhouses look alike, which led to an interesting experience the night we arrived. Exhausted from the long drive, we had managed to find our way to a neighborhood grocery store and returned home after dark with enough food for dinner and the next morning's breakfast. As I was getting a few bags out of the car, I looked up to see Don trying to unlock the front door... of the townhouse two doors down from our own. Everything looks the same around here! Luckily, he caught his mistake before the homeowners came to the door.

We love our townhouse and it is quite comfortable, but it is definitely taking some getting used to! Everything is on a different floor. The family room where we study and prepare lessons is in the basement; so is the laundry room. The kitchen and a little sitting room are on the main floor. Bedrooms are upstairs, then there's a loft with another bedroom above that. I guess you could say it's a heart-healthy house. By the time we had carried all our belongings in and put them on the right floors when we arrived, we were already in better shape than when we got here! Now that we've unpacked boxes and hung a few photos, it's starting to seem like home.

Getting around is another story, though. We've only gotten really lost twice so far (and that's WITH GPS), but even when we know where we're going we can never figure out which direction we are headed in. Where are the mountains??? How can you tell if you're heading north, south, east or west without the Wasatch mountains to look at???

Amy and Colin have arrived from Alabama. We're so glad to have them stay with us for a few days while they find housing somewhere near Andrews Air Force Base. Maybe they'll help us find our way around....

Right now, we've only been here four days, but by the time we've made it to a week, I'm sure we'll feel downright comfortable here! And this is the week we begin our Institute assignment. Can't wait to meet our students! ~Pat~

Connected

O.K., it’s official. I’m homesick. I’m going to get a grip - soon - but this is a new experience for me. As far as I can remember, this is a first. When I went to Girl Scout camp as a kid I was so excited about the camp, the activities, and the counselors I adored that I hardly thought about home. When I got on a bus in the middle of the night and headed from L.A. to B.Y.U. at 17, I had worked so hard for the privilege that I could hardly wait to get there. By the time I started to miss my family it was almost time to go home for Thanksgiving.

This time, I know what homesickness feels like. It feels like the time, in 1982, when Don and I our first opportunity to go to Israel. A trip of a lifetime - but we were leaving three daughters, ages 14, 11, and 5, at home. As the plane sat on the tarmac in Salt Lake City preparing to taxi out to the runway, it was all I could do not to jump up and run screaming from the plane as they bolted the door shut. All of a sudden I couldn’t remember why I had thought leaving my kids to go Israel was such a good idea. In the end, the kids survived just fine without us, and we walked where the Savior walked. It was a life changing experience. Since then, my study of the life of Christ has taken on new meaning. I know Nazareth, I know Bethlehem, I love Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. I can imagine my Savior there as he traveled and taught, performed miracles and took upon himself the sins of the world. I would have missed all that if I had run screaming from the plane.

I’ve never been away from our kids for longer than a few weeks. Well, that’s not exactly true. They’ve left for months at a time - but I haven’t! They came back and so will I. This is temporary. So why am I struggling? I’m grateful to be with Don and to have this time together. I know the pain of missing our family will all be worth it. I know we and they will have experiences that will greatly enrich all of our lives during the next 2½ years. I know we will learn things and grow in ways we could not otherwise. I’m so excited to see the finished product when we come home!

Today, as I was driving and Don was sleeping, I found a new friend to help me get through this new challenge of homesickness. Johann Sebastian Bach. Classical music was the only thing I could listen to on the Ipod without crying, so Bach and the harpsichord kept me company across the plains. Harpsichord Concerto in D. Concerto in C for 2 Harpsichords. It was magnificent. We had a great time together this afternoon.

I’m so grateful to be traveling with an IPod. I’ll have to remember comfort of good music during the coming days and weeks - which brings me to another subject: being connected. Smart phones, an IPod, an IPad and a couple of laptops connected to the Internet by mobile ap. Here we are somewhere out in the middle of America watching amber waves of grain as far as we can see, and so far we have talked to our kids on the phone, by text, and by email. Soon we’ll give them a cyber-hug on Skype. Gotta love living in 2011. ~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~

Set Apart

A week ago, on Sunday, July 10th, before we entered the MTC, we gathered with our family in the Corner Canyon Stake offices and President Lane Wright, from the Stake Presidency, set us apart for the responsibility we have undertaken to be full-time missionaries. President Wright counseled us that we were being set apart from our current life activities to serve the Lord. He conferred the authority of the calling individually on our heads, then blessed us with promises that will help us to do the work we have committed to do. It was a sweet, comforting experience.

This week, as we begin week #2 in the MTC, we are very grateful for the added help we received through Priesthood authority when we were set apart -- particularly the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We have needed ability beyond our own. There's been a lot to learn.

When we excitedly entered the MTC last week, we had no idea what to expect! We have been surprised at how much we didn't know. We have been impressed with our instructors - young returned missionaries who are bright, capable, responsible, caring young men and women - and their ability to teach us. We have struggled to learn how to teach to the needs of our students. We have gained an understanding that we must teach people, not lessons. We have marveled that we have learned to work together in new ways -- something we thought we had already learned living together all these years and raising a family. We are grateful to have the health and ability and means to devote this time to serving others. We are exhausted, invigorated, anxious, excited, empowered, and humbled by this amazing experience.

Yes, we have been set apart. Set apart to do much more than we imagined - already! ~Pat~

7-11-11 -- Our Lucky Day!

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE this morning to walk through the doors of the Missionary Training Center for the first time and realize that our long awaited dream is finally reality! It was a moment we'll never forget.

After a wonderful weekend spent with our kids, grandkids, and so many dear family members and friends, the car trip to Provo was a little unsettling as the enormity of this life-changing experience settled on us. As soon as we arrived, though, there was a very kind man waiting to greet us and show us where to go. We got our official missionary name tags, some paperwork and basic instructions, then went to lunch with several hundred young elders and sisters in the MTC cafeteria.

At 1 p.m., our group of 62 senior missionaries met with the MTC Mission presidency. We introduced ourselves to each other; there are missionaries in our group going to Singapore, Indonesia, Poland, Ghana, Kenya, Scandanavia, Canada, Hungary, Germany, Florida, New Jersey, California, and Michigan. Wow! Many of them are on their second or third missions and enthusiastically looking forward to this new experience. Amazing people anxious to serve others.

By 3:30 we were done for the day and heading back to Draper. (O.K. - we stopped at the BYU Creamery for some ice cream....) Most of the senior missionaries are being housed at the MTC or the Provo Marriott for the week. We'll drive back and report in by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning to begin four full days of classes with the rest of the group. So far so good!! ~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~