EASTER/GENERAL CONFERENCE

WOW!!!  What a weekend we have coming up!  I am looking forward to General Conference and the opportunity of listening to our church leaders again.  I always get so much out of it!  And the fact that it falls on Easter this year is an added blessing.

It's been a rough couple of days and I am ready for a mental and emotional break.  First and foremost, Mike's mother, Lynn, had a massive stroke yesterday and is in the U of U Hospital.  All that can be done is comfort measures, waiting, and goodbyes.  I feel so helpless being so far away and wish there was something I could help with.  I know that Angie has a true love for Lynn, as a mom.  She has been there for her when I was at home and couldn't be there.  For that, I love her even more than I already did.  When the kids and I moved to Cedar City, three of them were in braces so we would travel north once a month to see the orthodontist.  The kids would stay with their dad and I had to get a motel room for two nights.  Lynn and Frank wouldn't hear of it and gave me a room in their home to use once a month.  They were always so gracious and kind to me and I began to see why Mike was the man he was.  Throughout the years they have loved and supported the rest of our kids in activities and weddings, etc.  just as if they were their own, and I will be forever grateful.  I will miss Lynn and am grateful to have been able to share grandchildren with her.  She is one heck of a grandma!!

There is a young woman I have been working with to help with her mental health.  We have counseled, medicated, and done all we can do.  Yesterday she became increasingly harmful to herself, so we made an emergency transfer.  Elder Breinholt and I drove to Bardstown (about an hour south) to pick up a Sister in a trio, and brought her back to partner with this Sister's companion.  Then the President was able to get her a flight home (Sandy) for this morning.  Since he and Sister Hughes are doing interviews and are in Evansville, she spent the night at our apartment and we will take her to the airport this afternoon.  It's so hard to see them struggle so much.  She's a bright, talented young woman and will do good things.

This is a week of rain and more rain!  I think it's supposed to stop on Saturday.  I'm sure the gray skies and constant mist have something to do with my blue mood.

I think this is all for this week.  Except to say again, I know we have a loving and caring Heavenly Father who is in charge of all things.  I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, died for me so that I can return to my Heavenly Father. I know that we receive comfort in difficult times, because of the great love of both of them.   I know that we each have an allotted number of years to be here on earth and that when our time comes to leave, we will be greeted by those who have gone before us.  Just knowing this gives me peace and something to look forward to when my time comes.  I love all of you.

BLOSSOMS

Some of the trees are beginning to blossom.  By April most of them will be in full bloom.  Even the flowering bushes outside my office are budding.  I love Spring and the renewal of the earth.  Fall is still my favorite but they're both beautiful!  I think the fact that Spring ushers in Easter makes it that much more special.

We have an another Elder going home today.  I am sad for him, as I am for all those having to return early.  For some the struggle to stay is just so hard.  Some end up staying but are miserable, some go home and beat themselves up about it, and some we're able to help with counseling and/or medication.  We were told in our training that one of the most prevalent things we would see would be those who mentally struggle.  There is a scripture in D&C 124:49 that I try to give to those who go home early.  I love it:
 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that

when I give a commandment to

any of the sons of men to do a work

unto my name, and those sons of

men go with all their might and

with all they have to perform that

work, and cease not their diligence,

and their enemies come upon them

and hinder them from performing

that work, behold, it behooveth me

to require that work no more at

the hands of those sons of men, but

to accept of their offerings.”

Doctrine  and Covenants 124:49

For those that go home for medical or mental health issues, I try to let them know that the Lord is pleased with them and the amount of service they were able to give.  Not all can give the same, and the Lord knows that and accepts what we can offer.

Last week was zone conferences...BUSY!!!!  We go from Lexington on the NE side of the mission to Evansville, IN.  The scenery is good, the company is great, and the love and appreciation of the missionaries is heart warming.  When we get home, we're going to miss being told we're loved and appreciated by so many young adults.  It does our hearts good...as well our ego's!


As if we needed reminding...they're
just six years out of Primary!!!


Louisville and Elizabethtown Zone Conference


Lexington and Lexington North Zone Conference

Well...I spoke too soon!  Tuesday Night and through much of Wednesday, we got snow!  Not just the usual 1-2 inches.  There was reportedly 9" in parts of Louisville.  We got about 4 inches at our apartment.  They say that Spring is coming. If the first day of it is any indication...I'm not sure it'll be much fun!

FLAT STANLEY

A few weeks ago Flat Stanley came to us in the mail.  Diego sent him to us for some adventures.  Unfortunately right after he came, we had lots of rain and flooding so we didn't get to do too many fun things until this weekend.  He did, however, get to go to the car wash with us last Saturday when it was sunny.  And he got to see the daffodils blooming on the way home from the office on Monday.

All the trees are budding and will bloom soon.  Don, of course, is looking forward to Saturday night and daylight saving's time.  Winter just really does him in!!  The more daylight we have at night, the better he does.

This week was transfers, arrivals, and returns:

These are the new Elders and Sisters.

The Priors

The Priors left on March 2 and will be missed.  The last we heard they were in Utah visiting with their son before heading for Washington.

The temple was really special this week with 13 returning missionaries and 5 senior couples.  It's always special but seems more so with these sweet young missionaries there with us.

Next week will be Zone Conferences again so really busy again.

AJ will report on his mission Sunday morning followed by a luncheon, followed by Jayden opening his mission call, followed by Joshua getting his Eagle Scout award.  Such a fun, busy weekend for Jon and Amy's cute family.   We are so proud of all of our grandchildren, no matter where they are on their journey.  Life is good, love is crucial, and family is key.  If there's one thing we've learned on this mission is the worth of ALL souls in the sight of God.  No matter where we are in our life, we are loved unconditionally by an awesome Heavenly Father who shows us, by His example, the way we are to love each other.  If I didn't get one other thing from my mission, this would be enough. 😊💗

Spring...in February?

The whole time Angie and Mike were here it rained.  And then it rained after they went home.  And it kept raining.  And then the Ohio River rose above flood stage and we had widespread flooding along the river in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.  The beautiful park we drive through to and from work has the Beargrass Creek that flows through it.  The park was closed due to high water and when it re-opened we could see that the water had left a 6-8 foot mark on the trees.  There are many who ended up with flooded homes and/or basements and businesses.  Truly a hard, sad time for them.  On the up side (if you can call it that) the lawns are all green, the trees and bushes are budding and the daffodils are blooming. So...even though it's not officially Spring...it's beginning to look like it!  If it's anything like last year when we got here, we're still in for cool, rainy days mixed in with the warmer sunny ones!

The Priors left this morning.  They will be missed.  Before we came out on our mission, I had asked my friend, Patty Jones, if there was anything I needed to know because she and Terry had been out before.  She said, "make sure you find someone you can become friends with."  Women seem to need that more than men...Sister Prior was my friend out here, and I will miss her.  It was nice just to have someone to talk with and we did things as couples together too.  They are returning to Basin City, WA but have a daughter in New Harmony and a son in St. George so we plan on meeting up lots.

The Mortensons are the Priors replacements.  She is 81 and he is a couple of years younger.  They don't have the drive that Sister Prior had and are a little more laid back but they'll find their own way of doing things and do just fine!

Monday now...We have staff meeting this morning, transfers tomorrow morning, temple with the returning missionaries tomorrow afternoon, Thursday is MLC...so one of our busy weeks. Then next week Tues-Fri are zone conferences! I'm giving a power point in zone conferences on bugs...it's getting to be that time of year.  I kind of have a few slower weeks between Fall and Winter sicknesses and depression and Spring and Summer bug bites and humidity problems. 

AJ got home on Friday night...it was so fun to see Amy get her hug and Jon struggling to not cry!  And then Jacob opened his mission call on Saturday and he is going to Scotland/Ireland!  A place he has always wanted to go!  He'll fit right in with his red hair too!  The Lord truly knows our hearts, our desires, and our needs.  I know that we are sent where we are supposed to be and am excited for him to find out why he has been sent to that area of the world.  Since he has Murphy's from Ireland, and Campbell's from Scotland in his ancestry...it seems a perfect fit!

Fast and Testimony meeting was very tender yesterday.  We were fasting for moisture, especially snow, in Southern Utah.  Elder Pedersen (from Cedar) is being transferred to Indiana and he bore a really nice testimony.  Our two sister missionaries are going home Wednesday and they bore sweet testimonies.  Sister Shepherd said she has often wondered why she was sent to different areas because they were hard, or had few baptisms, etc. and then one day, reading in Jacob 5: 20-21, she discovered why.  It's part of the allegory of the olive trees.  When the master has grafted in good branches onto poor trees, and has gotten much good fruit.  The servant questions the master and asks him why he planted these good branches in the poorest spot of the the vineyard.  And the Lord of the vineyard tells the servant not to Counsel (or question) him.  He says, "I knew that it was a poor spot of ground".  But he nourished it for a long time and it brought forth much fruit.  It reminds us that the Lord does know all.  We may be placed in hard situations but He will help us through them and we will be better for it.

We've been having a fun adventure with Flat Stanley the last couple of weeks.  Diego sent him to us for a change of scenery.  We've wanted to take him to the river and across to Indiana but haven't been able to because of the flooding.  We'll get over there this weekend and get some pictures so he can get back to Diego.  I'm sure he's missing his buddy! 

Well...enough for this time.  No pictures this week.  We'll make up for it next time.  Love to all!!!