Weeks 74-75- February 11-24, 2013

Gourleys and us at LA Stake Center

Zach, Jacob & Victoria, Benjamin, Trisha at
Los Angeles Temple Visitors Center.

Victoria in Plan of Salvation Room

Zach of LA Temple Visitors Center

Benjamin at LA Temple Visitors Center

 

Trisha and Jacob at LA Temple

Victoria at LA Science Center

Dale, Zach, Victoria in Hurricane Tube
 

 

Gourleys at the Endeavor

Jacob, Victoria,, and Zach at Santa Monica Beach

Zach building his castle with moat



Victoria & Zach at Disneyland Entrance

 

Jacob eating a turkey drum stick

Victoria with Rapunzel

Jacob and Zach with his wizard hat.

Gourleys and us at Bubba Gump's on Santa Monica Pier.
Victoria fell asleep.



 

          During the last few weeks we have been busy doing a myriad of things.  Many of them will be documented through pictures.  We tried to get as much “mapping” as possible finished up.  We inspected 11 apartments and we have been saying “good by” to those people with whom we worked closely.  I also helped with one weekly Relief Society Meeting finishing up the quilts we started previously for the humanitarian center.

          We also attended a zone conference which was excellent as always.  I have packed my notes from it so I can’t share what was said as I did in the past.  They did discuss using media in teaching investigators.  They also discussed how President Monson is “hastening” the work of spreading the gospel and “rescuing” those who want to come back.  Because of the changes in age for young missionaries to serve, all the missions are getting large numbers of new missionaries.  President Baker discussed how they are getting ready for 35 new missionaries this next transfer—half of them will be sisters.  He also sent us an announcement saying who our new mission president and his wife will be.  The Bakers are going home in July.  The church also announced the creation of 58 new missions divided from existing missions.  Three new missions will be formed in California but our mission hasn’t been changed.  Of great interest to us is the formation of the Twin Falls, Idaho mission and the Nampa, Idaho mission.  We substituted in the mission office so the mission office staff could attend zone conference on Tuesday.  We attended zone conference on Thursday.

          Saturday, February 16, Trisha and her family came to see us for a week.  Most of what we did with them was done through pictures.  We had a great time with the grandkids and Trisha and Jacob.  They took as many things of ours back with them that they could get in their car.  We really appreciated that.  Hopefully we will be able to get the rest of it in our car.

          Sunday, February 24, we spoke in the 6^th ward.  They had an interpreter for me, which was very nice.  Dale spoke on the importance of loving those we teach and I spoke on what senior missionaries do.  It all went very well. Following Sacrament Meeting so many came up and hugged us good bye and thanked us.  It was truly heartwarming.  There were a few tears shed.  It is much harder to leave these wonderful people than I had anticipated.  I like the saying that Eileen Petersen put in her blog.  “Don’t cry because it is over.  Smile because it happened!”