48th & 49th Week—August 6-19, 2012

Bullet proof glass in Kentucky Fried Chicken

Best Fish and Chips ever in Malibu

Four pictures of a Hindu Temple we came upon in Malibu Canyon.

Very serene and beautiful

Bulletproof Glass in Kentucky Fried Chicken
Opposite of beautiful and serene

News Flash:

  WE HAVE A NEW GRANDSON!! 

BENJAMIN ROY GOURLEY

BORN FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012

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Week 48

          Tuesday this past week we took 3 visa waiters to the Mexican Consulate to get their visas.  They had been here waiting 4 transfers (a transfer is 6 weeks).  They were so excited to be finally going to Mexico.  Dale goes in to the consulate with them and I “babysit” the cars, adding money when the meter runs low.  I usually take the time to study and sometimes I call some of my kids.  There is a park there and so I can usually find a shady spot near the car.  Anyway, they left for Mexico today. 

          Wednesday we had to take all their papers, etc. to the mission office.  We try to go to the temple once a week so if we have to go to the mission office, we go to the temple then since the mission office is in the same building as the visitors’ center and the Family Search Center right across the street from the temple.  Currently the temple is closed for cleaning for two weeks so we drove down Highway 1 to Malibu Seafood and Fresh Fish Market and had fish and chips.  Three senior couples told us this place had the best fish and chips they had ever eaten.  When we arrived about 3 p.m. there was a line coming out the door.  We didn’t have to wait too long to place our order.  We went out on the patio and found a table and waited for them to call our number for our order.  We hadn’t eaten lunch so we were very hungry and the fish fillets were very large and delicious.  

          On our way home we stopped at Pepperdine University.  I had always wanted to see it since one of Lori’s friends in high school, Cami, got a huge scholarship to go there.  It is right on the ocean and it is an absolutely beautiful campus.  It was started 75 years ago in Los Angeles  by George Pepperdine who owned Western Auto.  It is a private school founded on Christian values.  In 1977 they moved the university to Malibu so all the campus and buildings are fairly new.  They have a law school and a prestigious Business School.  It is every bit as clean and cared for as any of the LDS church schools. 

          From there we drove up Malibu Canyon and we came upon a beautiful Hindu Temple.  They wouldn’t let us on the compound but when we drove in the parking lot, Dale took some pictures.  We didn’t get a panoramic view but took the picture in four sections.

          As we progressed up the canyon we stopped and bought some strawberries and Washington Cherries from a man selling out of his truck on the side of the road.  They were the most beautiful and  best tasting strawberries.  They were so sweet. He had picked them that morning in Camarillo. We turned on Mulholland Drive which had big houses nestled in the canyons with a lot of horse corrals and barns.  Now that’s more like the LA I would like. 

          Missionary work went about like it has for the past few weeks.  Nothing astounding or new has taken place.  We did have appointments to teach the Ramirez sisters, Jorge Arzu, Sylvia Campos (who was called to work), Roberto Cartegenas (who had to take his son somewhere and didn’t get back in time for his appointment), and Celso Portillo (who was still at work when we went for his appointment.)  It was a very discouraging week.

          Friday night Shumans invited us and Sanfts to eat at the Sizzler and to go to a ward play—The Imaginary Illness by Moliere.  We weren’t too excited to go but it was one of the best plays we have seen.  It was better than most plays we have paid to go see. There is so much talent here in LA where they have access to so many opportunities.

Week 49

          When the missionaries in our wards have birthdays, I take cupcakes to correlation meeting and we sing Happy Birthday to them.  This week I took German Chocolate Cupcakes and they loved them.  Hno. Pioquinto, the ward mission leader, loved them and took one home to his wife.  Sunday I asked her when his birthday was so we could celebrate his birthday also. She went on and on about how good they were so I said, “I guess I ought to make you some for your birthday.”  Almost before I finished the sentence she said, “August 16!” Needless to say I made her some this week.

          This week we went out and looked for people on our list that no one knows.  Most phone numbers were wrong.  They change phone numbers quite often here.  Most people were no longer at that address.

Note:  (Dale wrote the next 3 paragraphs.)

          We did visit with Meritza Navarate, a sister the Elders told us about. She has been a member of the church most of her life. Her parents and most of her brothers and sisters are members also, but when she came to the USA at age 15 she stopped going to church and married a non-member. Now she has grown children and she and her sister have decided that they want to become active again. At the beginning of the visit when I asked her to tell us about herself, she opened up and in her humble sweet way told us a brief history of the family. They are spread all over the USA, some here, some in Florida, some in Washington DC and some in the Great Lakes area. She was very sad when she told us about her brother who has kidney problems and needs a transplant.

          When we read the book of Mormon scriptures, I did not have to explain page numbers; she knew chapter and verse, sometimes even finding them before I could. As we read you could feel the spirit so strongly. She just nodded her head in agreement with almost every passage. This was especially true when we read in King Benjamin’s speech in Mosiah chapter 4. She especially felt the joy and peace that that the Nephites felt explained in verse 5. Then we read verses 6 and7 talking about being diligent in keeping the commandments and persevering to the end and the atonement and salvation. Once again we had the same wonderful feeling.

          Finally we read in Alma chapter 46 verse 39, which I generally do not read, and verse 40, which I have never had anyone read before. In the middle of verse, 40 she started to cry. She was thinking of her brother with kidney problems. He had just started going to an Herbal practitioner, and she had high hopes for the treatments. It was a wonderful visit and she did come to out church for the first time this Sunday!

          We had a good visit with Evelyn Ramirez.  She sacrificed a lot to get baptized.  She has two girls and she was living with their dad but they never got married.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to marry him so she had him move out.  She  found a job and started working.  She told us they haven’t paid her the last few pay periods and her rent is overdue and her daughter needs school supplies. (These owners sure do take advantage of these “non-documented people!)  The girls’ dad says he can’t afford to help. She is really struggling. Evelyn came to 6^th ward today instead of 3^rd ward because she has to go to work at 1:00 pm.

          We had a good visit with Ximora Ramirez and her daughter, Karen. I tried to keep the two little girls occupied while Dale taught the lesson.

          We had two appointments with the Garnica Family and we just caught them leaving both times.  The bishop keeps sending us back there, but we feel that they really don’t want to spend time with us. 

          We also had a good visit with Hno. Cartegenas.  He has a hard time at church because no one is perfect.  He doesn’t seem to understand that we are all imperfect and Christ came to teach the sinners and not the perfect. 

          Mabel Hernandez’s health is slowly improving.  She is working now and seems to be doing better. However most of the time she cannot work the full 4-days a she hired on to do. The owner is very understanding and agrees to let her do it until she gets better. (Some are certainly a lot better to the “undocumented” than others!)

          Dale had a good lesson with Celso Portillo.  The Elders had a conflict and did not show to teach him the restoration lesson.  When Dale went in, Celso was reading 2Nephi chapter 31. He commented about the importance of baptism, as explained there. After talking about that Dale taught Celso about the atonement.  You could tell that he could really feel the importance of what Jesus did for us.  He is doing better at understanding what we are teaching him. He should get his passport soon and then they can get married

          Transfers were this week. Elder Matheson is going home—actually he is going to BYU to do the long jump for their track team. We are going to miss him.  He was a good District Leader. We got Elder Clements back which we were very excited about.  We worked with him in 6^th ward.  Now he is in third ward and he will be great there.  Since Elder Matheson is leaving we had all the elders (nine) in 3^rd ward over for dinner Saturday night.  We had beef stroganoff, rice, peas, salad, French bread, and crepes for dessert.  After dinner we had Elder Matheson give is a departing speech.  He talked about always having faith that if you do what is right, the Lord will bless you.  You can learn something from every situation and always be positive about where you are and who your companion is.  It was really good.

          We had a special surprise today.  Elder Maddox (who has gone home and has been released) came to church with his parents and his younger sister.  It was so good to see him.  He was an outstanding elder.  He is in ROTC at Utah State.  He will eventually fly for the air force.