Time to Unwind

Someone once said that leisure time is only leisure time if it is earned.  Well, we think our missionaries earn some "leisure" time for all the long hours they spend serving others.  So, on two different P-days we have  gone to the beach in the morning and played volleyball.  We also set up a pickleball net in the parking lot of the Mormon Battalion three morning a week for sisters to play. Recently several sisters and Elder and Sister Jones went to a nearby park and played basketball in the early morning.  We have also been having a movie night once a transfer and showing a "Church" movie.   Not only are these opportunities to unwind from their normal routine, they are times to bond together in other meaningful ways. 

Seniors going to see a showing of "Escape From Germany"
We were the only ones in the theater, which was too bad because it was a great movie.

I trip for ice creams after singing at a senior center.

 

Departures & Arrivals, Transfer #6

Our Transfer #2 sisters arrived April 4, 2024 and on September 17th & 18th they became our departing sisters.  (Top row L/R) Sister Ordaz, Sister Chavez, Sister Price, Sister Sandoval, Gregory, Sister and  Mendes.  During the time they are with us we become pretty close, and it is easy to love them. We think of all our sister missionaries as our adopted granddaughters. 

Some traditional departing sister pictures

Sister Sandoval going to CA Anaheim Mission

Sister Mendes going to
Massachusetts Boston Mission, Portuguese 

 

Sister Gregory headed to
Arkansas Little Rock Mission, Spanish

Sister Price headed to Indiana Indianapolis

Sister Ordaz going to Arkansas Little Rock, Spanish

Sister Chavez going to
Texas Houston East, Spanish

Our movie night this transfer was "The Errand of Angels." It's a movie with pretty realistic emotions for the sister missionary experience.  They said we should have shown it earlier"

At our Departing Sister Devotional we ask the departing sisters to take about six minutes and 1) share one of their treasured experiences from the Mormon Battalion, 2) how being a consecrated missionary has blessed their life thus far, 3) their testimony of Jesus Christ.  President and I conclude with a few remarks and our testimonies.  These gatherings have been uplifting because hearts are tender, memories are real and testimonies are strong.  These amazing women are ready to leave yet apprehensive too.  They know some of these sisters they have spent six months with they will most likely never see again in this lifetime. 

Sister Del Carpio is from Peru.  She was supposed to come with Transfer #5 but had to return to Peru to have her visa updated.  She traveled by herself from Peru and arrive about an hour before the other sister coming from the Provo MTC.  We are so grateful she was able to come with this transfer!

L/R - Sister Del Carpio, Sister Mendoza, Sister South,
Sister Thackeray, & Sister Bradshaw

Traditional tour for new sisters,
led by the STL's, Sister Pepper & Sister Diede

Tender Mercy

 

Last Tuesday night we were asked to speak in Sacrament meeting.  We've been in San Diego for 7 months and haven't not been asked to speak in Church.  So, I knew this request would be coming at some point.  I also knew that when it did, it would not be convenient.  Our days are so full I wasn't sure how I would have time to prepare a talk.  But we accepted and prayed for help.  I wrote down the suggested topics from Come Follow Me that we were given and read the associated scriptures.

On Thursday I carved out some time to sit down and start putting something together that might resemble a talk,  As I sat at my laptop, I was amazed at how easily thoughts on heeding the words of our living prophet came to me, even with ideas on how to tie it into the Mormon Battalion.  After Thursday my time was swallowed up with helping sisters and fulfilling my MBHS responsibilities.  Occasionally, I had thoughts come to my mind so I added them to my notes.

On Saturday night I planned to work on my talk, but we had an emergency meeting about what to do with four sisters who were in an apartment were black mold was discovered.  This along with our concern for their safety in the general area at night, we concluded that they needed to be moved that very night.  So by the time we concluded the meeting I had from 9:30-11:00 to work more on my talk thoughts.  I went to bed and only looked over what I had put together once Sunday morning.  All during this process I had a sense of peace and that I was being guided.  It felt like I was being carried.  I knew my prayers and the prayers of others in my behalf were being answered.  (Thank you) Because the temple can spiritually empower us to face the challenges we have in life, I felt like this is what was happening to me.  It was a tranquil feeling which helped me not feel over-burdened.  What a blessing temple covenants and prayer can be.   

Because of the emphasis placed on the important of our temple covenants and how they can help us in life we have set a goal to try and take our sister missionaries to the Newport Beach Temple once a transfer, every six weeks.  We feel this will be a blessing in their lives.  Because the San Diego Temple is still closed for renovations until sometime next year, the Newport Beach is the closest temple for us. It is about 70 miles away, and we usually plan for about an hour and a half+ to get there.  (It all depends on traffic.) 

Departing temple trip for six amazing sisters: (L/R) Sister Chavez, Sister Price,
Sister Ordaz, Sister Mendes, Sister Sandavol, and Sister Gregory


A funny side note:  The man who gave the opening prayer for Sacrament meeting said in his prayer, "Please bless our speakers so they won't be too boring."  I didn't dare ask him afterwards how I ranked on his scale of talks.

Mystery Night

MEET THE PLOPPERS, (Owners of "THE CALIFORNIA STAR" San Francisco's 1848 newspaper)

Believe me when I say that our sister missionaries work hard.  They study their scriptures personally and as companions, prepare and teach a PMG lesson every week, study Come Follow Me, give lots of service in the community, and daily serve a four or five hour shift at the Battalion.  Even with all this they find time to socialize with some creative entertainment a few nights every six weeks.  

For a recent activity Sister Stoddard put together a mystery night at the Mormon Battalion.  We had to solve who stole all the money out of the San Francisco Bank in 1848.  Using the aliases and bios she gave each of us we put on simple costumes and solved the puzzle of who stole all the money out of the bank.  

Grandpa and I were "San Francisco's Mayor, Kevin Plopper and his wife, Ann. Mayor Plopper oversaw everything in the city and helped to make city laws.  He worked alongside the sheriff to control any chaos that  arose in the developing city.  His wife, Mrs. Ann Plopper, was the only reason anything got done.  She is known for being intelligent, helpful, and very strategic." (I liked the character Sister Stoddard gave to me and grandpa, who doesn't like role play and being put on the spot put on a fake mustache and tried to enjoy himself.) 

Mayor Plopper and his wife, Ann Plopper

Elder and Sister Ottley were William and
Tina Buck, Owners of Buck's Bank

Believe it or not! The Bucks themselves were the thieves.

Mandarin speaking Sister Stoddard was the
creative mind behind our mystery night. 

The fire alarm for our apartment building went off again today right in the middle of my working on this blog entry.  I'm not sure how often this happens, but this is the second time I have been home to experience the eardrum piercing sound.  Gratefully, both times it seems there was no real threat of fire.  But this does bring back memories of the fire alarm going off in our apartment in Palmyra because of my cooking --- and too many smoke sensors in our small apartment.  I would just die if my cooking something here set off the fire alarm for this whole big building!

Trust Him

"Our relationship with God will grow only to the degree we are willing to put our trust in Him" (Elder Paul B. Pieper, "Trust in the Lord," April 2024).

I have listened and read this talk several times this week.  It had some important reminders that were helpful to me.  The challenges common to everyday living often stretch us to our very limits and place us in a position for growth; our progress in becoming more like our Heavenly Parents.  And even though a missionary can know in their heart they are where they are supposed to be, they are not exempt from challenges. In fact, missionary life can run the whole spectrum between spiritually high, joyful moments to miserable, even depressing, low moments which sometimes causes a missionary to question their decision to serve a mission. 

Unexpected and unwanted Urgent Care visits are just a minor portion of this journey of growth.  I don't usually take pictures of people not feeling well, but I have these two, so they represent our varied trips to the Urgent Care for UTIs, an ingrown toenail, abdominal pains, and food poisoning, just to name a few. 

 Sister Hernandez & Sister Logo-Vaelua

Sister Rosin smiling despite her pain.

What can't be represented by a picture is the pain of homesickness, worry over family and/or friends who are struggling back home, personal insecurities, or a multitude of other emotional wounds.  All of these challenges are real and painful in their own way. Yet, they are a vital part of the  curriculum necessary for our personal growth; crucial growth that potentially helps us choose to "suffer long, and be kind, envy not, be humble and not prideful, seek not our own will, not be easily provoked, think no evil of ourselves or others, rejoice not in iniquity but rejoice in the truth, be patient at all times, be believing and hopeful, and even to endure all things" (Moroni 7:45).  Mortality is definitely a hard curriculum, but I know He has not left us alone.  I have felt His help, and I will trust in Him, His plan, and His ways of teaching me.  I love Him.

Who Are We Creating?

"To create is to bring into existence something that didn't exist before." (Elder Uchtdorf, Oct. 2008)

In an effort to strike up a conversation and get to know one  another, it is not uncommon for people to ask what talents or hobbies we have or what we like to do in our spare time, what places we've seen, or things we've accomplished.  And although I find myself asking similar questions of others, I have never liked being asked them myself.  These types of questions often leave me feeling like I'm not talented enough, don't have any meaningful hobbies, haven't traveled enough, or, in general, I haven't achieved very much. Even now, while serving as mission leaders, people will ask me what I'm doing while on my mission, and I find my mind quickly racing though my day/week trying to find any one thing that I can put into words to explain what fills up my days, and fills up my weeks.  I rarely land on any one particular thought to express but rather am left with a feeling of wonderment.  How I can put into words the variety tasks, people, and experiences that created the fullness and richness of my day/week?  Nothing I can say seems suitable.  So, in the end, I inadequately throw out a few meager examples that say something about how busy we are, how challenging it can be, and how much we enjoy it. But inside I feel there must be a better more accurate way to describe this whirlwind experience I am having.  

I am in the midst of creating and maintaining a learning atmosphere of growth for myself and as well as helping to facilitate growth in others. With each new personality added to our mission the atmosphere for creating and learning evolves daily. In the midst of the creative process how does one describe what is being created?  It isn't done yet.  The process of exercising faith, hope, and charity are individual and on going with the results being built line upon line. What I can say about the process is that every day and week is so full of things to be done, people to meet, and people to help that the days in a week seem like an eternity yet the week races by in a flash and it's Sunday again!  And even though I look at the calendar multiple times during a day/week, to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, I forget what day I am actually living.  I'm always surprised when I realize I knew what day it was when I got out of bed in the morning but by the afternoon I can have no idea until someone reminds me.  

I know I am a heavenly, eternal being having some unique earthly experiences which continually remind me of my mortalness and the importance of reaching heavenward. But as hard and as tiring as it can be, I am grateful for my varied mortal opportunities.  I am stretching and growing in my understandings and abilities.  I am in the midst of being created, with God's help, into a newer, better me --- and hopefully helping others with their creation process too. 

Stan's brother, Bill, passed away on July 16th.  We were able to take two and a half days to go to Scottsdale, Arizona and attend his funeral. It was a blessing to be able to see  David and Jessica and their family as well as Lindsey with two of her girls, Page & Jane Bangerter.  

Today, August 18th, was Bill's birthday.  He would have been 79. 

Earl Sanders and Norma Hamblin Kauffman Sander's graves.  Jane Norma Bangerter is named after her great grandma, Norma.  Bill was buried in the same cemetery. 

Bill's widow, Connie Kauffman

As I look back over my life, I realize that I have been a "home body" more than a traveler, a enjoyed being a mother teacher within the walls of my home than a teacher in any other organization.  I agree with the thoughts Lindsey expressed to me recently when she said, "I find my joy in everyday living and being home."  I have been blessed to have traveled more than many and associated with many wonderful people, but what I relish most is being home with family.  

Departures & Arrivals - Transfer #5

DEPARTING SISTERS:  Sister Sydney Allen, Sister Paige Anderson, Sister Vane Azpeitia, Sister Hallie Ballstaedt, and Sister Paige Hancock.

On Tuesday, August 6th we were up at 3:00 a.m. to take Sister Azpeitia and Sister Ballstaedt to the airport for their flights  to Arizona and Texas respectively.  Then on Wednesday we were up at 3:00 a.m. to take Sister Allen, Sister Anderson, and Sister Hancock to the airport for their flights to Arkansas, Georgia, and Massachusetts respectively.  (Below are just a few examples of the traditional departing sister photos taken every transfer.)

Newport Beach Temple Trip

On Monday, August 5th we found out through the Facebook grapevine that one of our sisters would not be coming.  It seems that somehow there was a problem with Sister Ariana Del Carpio Cuba's religious visa and she was being sent back to Peru to get it taken care off.  This last minute change meant one of the six sisters we had invited to be a trainer would not be training. It would also necessitate that we have another trio. Stan and I thought, talked, and prayed about it Monday evening.  On Tuesday, we had a decision that we proposed to our STL's, and they were in agreement.  So, we went to work.  We first brought in the sister who would not be training but would not be in a trio instead. Then we brought in the two sisters who thought they were just a regular companionship and explained that we would like them to be in a trio.  Because trio's take a conscious awareness, desire, and effort to communicate, cooperate, and not leave anyone feeling like the "odd person out" they can be more stressful.  All three sisters were apprehensive, but one was especially stressed over it.  Because it was not an option for them not to be in it, we tried to give them as much encouragement and support as we could. We told them they had permission to put extra time and effort into getting to know each other by creating positive memories and we offered them our kite.

The named our kite, "Stanley" (A combination of our first names.)

TRANSFER #5 ARRIVALS: Sister Emi Cook, Sister Kasia Earl, Soster Alia Robinson, Sister Ruby Salazar, and Sister Alexandra See. 

On Wednesday, August 6th we also picked up five new sisters from the airport at about 1:00.  Our new sisters used to arrive about 4:00 p.m., but now they are arriving about noon.  This gave us more time to do interviews and dress fitting, a trip up to the Presidio to see the Mormon Battalion statues, as well as the dinner and new sister tour.   

Our days were so long and full this week that by Thursday I felt like it should have been Saturday.  Our days really are so full, yet so much the same, that it is easy to forget what day it is.  This week Stan made the following comment to another Senior Elder, "Why is it so slow? I thought July was supposed to be our busiest month."  Reply, "President, it's a Thursday in August."