Blessings

There's nothing quite like removing yourself from your normal daily activities and taking a broad look at your life to remind you of all the blessings and tender mercies you've been taking for granted. Such is our experience this past month.
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We are having a great adventure as senior missionaries in the California Anaheim Mission. This  Thanksgiving, we feel blessed to be serving with President and Sister Golden, two senior couples from the mission office, and some of the finest young elders and sister missionaries in the world. The young elders and sisters give us such hope for the future. By and large, they know their Savior, Jesus Christ, they know how to work, and they know how to serve others. They try to make the world a better place. Some of the sweetest memories we have of our other missions are the times we spent with the young elders and sisters (especially our wonderful sister missionaries in London) and watching them blossom and grow into competent, loving, contributing young people who have now become competent, loving, contributing husbands, wives, mothers, fathers and friends.

As we celebrated Thanksgiving Thursday with a few of the missionaries, each one of us at the table expressed gratitude for our many, varied blessings. So much of what we enjoy, we often take for granted. Hearing others express appreciation was a welcome reminder.

This week, we have been remembering what we are most grateful for...

• Our daughters, sons-in-law, and each grandchild. We consider all of them our greatest blessings - and we sure miss them!   

• Our good health. We never take it for granted.
• Encouraging notes and words from good friends at home and abroad. (And a huge thanks to our ward members - and ministering sisters - at home who have been so kind to remember us. That's a new experience for us!!)

Our gratitude wall

Our ward has already sent us the most wonderful Christmas banner
with personal greetings! How cool is that?!

• An inspiring day-long Zone Conference where young missionaries taught and motivated us and trainers from Salt Lake explained how to improve our lives through goal planning & scheduling.

Zone Conference instruction

Sister Golden's presentation at Zone Conference

• Our firm knowledge and witness that there is a God and we have a Savior, His Son, Jesus Christ, who knows how to comfort us in trials and lift us out of the habits/mistakes that hold us back and keep us from being all that they know we can be.
• Freedom - and all those who have fought for it
• A home to live in - or at this moment, a snug little 3rd floor apartment
• Palm trees outside our bedroom window 

• The sun and the sea!'

• Running water, food to eat, and clothing
• The internet - we've been without it more than we've had it for the past 3 weeks and we are keenly aware of  how much our world now depends on it - especially living away from home
• Life itself
• Love.  American author, Willa Cather, once said, "Where there is great love, there are miracles."
• I'm grateful for daily miracles.

   -- Pat --

How To Build a Nest in 7 Days or Less - Part 3

It's still true!  We've tested the theory three times now. Back in August 2011, after we arrived in Washington, D.C., I wrote, "...while traveling in many different countries, I've noticed a fascinating phenomenon. No matter how strange the new surroundings are, after about one week in a [new] place, life begins to take on a sense of normalcy.... 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."

Well, it's happening again, but it sure doesn't pertain to negotiating traffic....  We figured this time would be easier than the last two missions because we've spent a lot of time in Southern California over the years and we thought we knew our way around. Well, maybe we were a little too confident?! Now that we've been here a couple of weeks, we've discovered that there are a lot more freeways than we realized (not one of them without twists and turns), and we are also very UNfamiliar with all the surface streets in Anaheim and surrounding cities. We've taken wrong turns nearly every day, even with our GPS. As of this Friday, though, we can find our way easily to the mission office without the GPS. (Big sense of accomplishment here.) And finally, just today, we were able to navigate our way to our investigator's house and then to church and back without the GPS. Hooray for us!

The Gateway Apartments in Anaheim

Thankfully, our "nest" has been an easier transition. We were able to move into our permanent apartment at The Gateway this past Tuesday and we are feeling quite at home here already. We live in a very nice (albeit huge) 1500-apartment housing complex just 2 miles from the entrance to Disneyland.  Our apartment is small, with just one bedroom and a combination kitchen-living area, but just right for us. We park our car in a 7-story parking structure. At least all the palm trees and flowers in the well-landscaped common areas make it seem like a beautiful garden - which is a little less overwhelming.

Hibiscus, Plumeria, Bird of Paradise, and Bougainvellea
are all blooming in Southern Califormia right now.

Our apartment complex is right across the street from Angel Stadium.

We're pretty well unpacked (it doesn't take long to unpack what you can transport in your car), and we have now found most everything we brought with us. We've located the nearest Costco (where gas is mercifully a whopping $.40/gallon cheaper than the corner gas stations), a couple of grocery stores, Walmart, Walgreens, Home Depot, The Dollar Store, and Hobby Lobby. I think we'll be just fine!

On Thursday this week, President Golden asked us to take a young elder to a doctor's appointment at the UCLA Medical Center near Brentwood (close to Beverly Hills). That was a treat!  Because I grew up near LAX, I know that area very well, so it was easy to navigate those particular freeways. It was a beautiful day - clear and sunny and oh, so warm. As we drove, we could see the Goodyear Blimp located alongside the 405 in Torrance, the planes coming in at LAX, the Los Angeles Temple (just east of Santa Monica), as well as the "Hollywood" sign on Santa Monica mountains. We enjoyed spending the day with the stellar young elder we transported, and it was a great opportunity to get out and see some new sights (even if the rush hour  traffic did add well over an hour to our return commute.)

Friday evening after we finished at the Mission Office, we drove to the Newport Beach Temple for an endowment session with our good friends, the Gerritsens, then went to dinner together:  a great way to end transfers week in the mission office!

The Newport Beach Temple

Saturday afternoon, we had our second meeting with our cute young investigator, Jackie. We taught about the mission of the Holy Ghost and had a wonderful experience. Afterward, we attended the ward Thanksgiving dinner and service project together. Jackie had a great time with both the English and Spanish-speaking members. So did we!

It'll be a couple of days until we've been in our new apartment for a whole week, but we are feeling quite at home in our new "nest."  After zone conferences Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we'll be looking forward to some turkey and a day off on Thursday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

   -- Pat --

Mission Office 101

What a week this has been!  New and challenging experiences every day - and we have loved it!

Monday morning, November 5th, we left St. George bright and early and arrived in Anaheim in time to make our pre-arranged lunch appointment with President and Sister Golden, our wonderful new mission president and his wife. They made us feel so welcome and let us know they had been anxiously awaiting our arrival. As we had heard before, they verified that there is a shortage of senior missionary couples. They were concerned that they would not have the third couple they need to run the mission office. That would have meant double duty for one of the other office couples. We know we are here because we are greatly needed!

We're here!

The California Anaheim Mission Office

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday included 8 hour "firehose" days of training on how to manage all the apartments and housing in the mission. Here's what we're learning:  signing leases for missionary apartments, organizing furniture for new move-ins, meeting with leasing office managers in various apartment complexes, creating housing lists and documents for the mission, purchasing cleaning supplies for missionary apartments, inspecting missionary apartments, renewing one year leases and sending the info to Salt Lake, closing apartments no longer needed, texting companionships about issues, installing smoke & CO2 alarms in apartments, and planning for future needs.

Elder & Sister Miyamoto with Elder Carpenter, inspecting a new apartment.

Thursday night we attended a going-away party for the Miyamotos, the couple we are replacing in the mission office.

Pres. & Sister Golden, the Rhines, the Simpsons, and the Miyamotos

Saturday morning it was our privilege to meet Jackie, a sweet young woman who is being taught by the Miyamotos. We are excited to get to know her better and continue to teach her.

Elder & Sister Miyamoto teaching Jackie

Saturday afternoon we were ready for a break! Our long-time friends, the Gerritsens, happened to be in Anaheim on vacation and joined us for a drive down to our favorite Crystal Cove State Park. It was a beautiful day for a drive - warm and sunny. We caught ourselves wondering what the temperature at home might be.

Crystal Cove State Park with the Gerritsens

Sunday morning we met up with more dear friends, the Bishops, to take them to church with us. It was our first week in the Anaheim 4th Ward and everyone was so friendly! The Bishop and his wife met us at the door. The children who participated in the Primary presentation did a great job and were so well prepared! Along with our Mission Office responsibilities, we will have the opportunity to be Member and Leadership Support to our new ward.

During our church meetings, we met several new families from Utah and Idaho who were visiting "Mickey Mouse's Ward." Turns out that ours is the closest ward to all the hotels around Disneyland, so if you're coming down this way, come visit the ward!

Sunday afternoon with the Bishops

Now it is Monday again, and we are officially on our own in our new mission office responsibilities. Elder and Sister Miyamoto return to Hawaii very early tomorrow morning. We are sad and a little

Aloha, Elder & Sister Miyamoto!

tentative as we say good-bye to them and strike out on our own. They have done a wonderful work and are greatly loved around here. We hope to be able to fill their shoes. All in all, we feel very blessed to be part of the gathering in this area during the next several months.

- Pat -

Here We Go Again!

California, here we come! Right back where we started from. We're happy to now be on our way.  Usually we go to California for a vacation break. This trip will be different -- much longer, and more rewarding. 

We enjoyed our week at the MTC. It is a beautiful campus with over 2000 earnest young men and women and about 100 senior missionaries during any given week. We learned so much in such a short time, and we grew to love the wonderful young returned missionaries who taught us how to listen to, love and serve others -- something that has the potential to change the world. There is such a great spirit there -- powerful motivation to learn, grow, and serve.

The Missionary Training Center

Provo, Utah   

My cousin who is a member of the Seventy, Elder Matthew Carpenter, and his wife Michelle, spoke at the MTC devotional while we were there, counseling all missionaries to nurture their companions and be united in their service.  This is great counsel to both the young missionaries and to senior couples. Pat and I have learned that the Spirit can only be present when we are united. This is a goal we will be working on during our mission and for the rest of our lives.

As we leave this weekend, one word keeps coming to mind, and that word is "sacrifice." It's not that I think we are making a great sacrifice to serve. After all, we know the territory pretty well, and we won't be gone that long. But I do know that focus, dedication, and sacrifice are required if we want to serve well. I like the following quotes on this topic:

There can be no true worship without sacrifice, and there can be no true sacrifice without a cause. The cause that earns our love and priority is the cause of Jesus Christ.   -- Pres. Russell M. Nelson

If we are to walk in the steps of the Savior, we cannot do it without personal sacrifice and sincere involvement.  It is rarely convenient; but love extends beyond  convenience for those who have conditioned themselves to look for opportunities to serve.    --  J. Richard Clarke

We have loved our full-time missionary service before, and we welcome new and invigorating opportunities to lift others and help them feel the love of the Savior. We are not just heading south for the winter. We want to make a difference in peoples' lives.

We have traveled a lot and enjoyed seeing much of the world. We love to meet people.  But honestly, we prefer to meet new people and see the world through the eyes of missionary service.  We are ready to trade our frequent vacation trips to LA in search of "pixie dust" for a longer stay, so that we can seek to bring people to Christ.  I am happy to give up my easy chair and remote and put CNN, Fox, and the ups and downs of the market -- as well those of the Cougars, Utes, and Jazz -- on hold, in exchange for the inner peace and joy that comes from serving the Lord and building His kingdom.  We don't know yet why we have been called to serve in Anaheim, but we expect to find out.  We feel very blessed and are thankful for the opportunity to put service to others ahead of other interests for the next several months.   

    - Don -   

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 -