Following some beautiful spring weather, we have enjoyed a snow storm today. The tulips and daffodils completely ignored it.
This evening we had a Mexican potluck dinner and get-together for those missionaries going home. Now that we have been here for almost three months and are making friends, it is hard to see these dear people leave. We sat with the Nielson's and had a wonderful visit. They are always anxious to hear news from home.
Our mission president spoke to us during our Monday morning devotional and said that the economy is definitely reaching into our missionary force. Fewer members world wide are able to replace those who are finishing their missions and returning home. Next month we will have 30 going home and only about eleven new missionaries coming. It is sobering.
Sis. Smith has been called as the branch music director.
Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the dedication of the new Draper Temple via live broadcast in our stake center. Our branch had a shortened block of meetings. Then everyone vacated the building and then re-entered (including the entire stake) with our Temple recommends and white handkerchiefs. It was a beautiful, special occasion and a first for Elder Smith.
We are thankful for the dear people and the wonderful spirit that are ever-present in this mission. Our hearts are heavy as our grandson Danny Branch, who came successfully through his surgery, is now fighting for his life and fighting to save his left leg which is being overtaken with infection. We know he is totally in the Lord's hands; yet we are pleading hour by hour for a miracle to turn this around and put him on the road to recovery. Life is such a mixture of trials and blessings.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Duty, Dinner, Devotionals
The other morning about 7:40 as I was walking back to our apartment from choir practice (underground), a security guard had me wait for a moment so I wouldn't get run over by the carts (like multi-seated golf carts) carrying Elder Robert D. Hales and Elder Richard G. Scott who were going to the Thursday morning meeting of General Authorities in the Temple. What a nice way to begin the day to see the servants of the Lord in their places quietly going about doing their duties.
Last Monday evening we had a terrific branch party (A branch is like a ward. Our congregation is huge and is designated a branch instead of a ward because we do not have Primary, Young Men, or Young Women. We are all just adult, both young and old, missionaries.) It was our every-other-month Hail and Farewell party to say hello to in-coming missionaries and farewell to those who are going home. It had an Irish theme. The food was delicious, decorations super, entertainment was great. A missionary from Ireland sang, we had some fun group singing, and an award-winning group of cloggers danced. They were fabulous. The only thing I wished for was that I could have been dancing with them.
Last Wednesday the Elijah Choir sang at noon for a Church Service Missionary devotional in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building chapel where we have most of our devotionals. Elder (oh, I forgot his first name) Klopfer gave the most amazing talk. He has served on the Church music committee since 1983. He was born in East Germany in 1936 to parents who were members of the Church. He was a child prote'ge' and was the branch organist when he was six years old. He is an accomplished pianist and organist (Every day he plays the piano in the Church Office building cafeteria all during the lunch period.), former bishop and stake president. He didn't talk about music, however. He told the story of his family who lived in Nazi Germany. His father was the mission president and then was forced to join the German Army. He told how dangerous it was when Hitler was in power and about the bombings. One day when his father had taken his mother, his little brother and him to the mission home to do some work, a soldier came by and told them that he expected there would be bombs dropped and warned them to leave for their safety. During the night the mission home was destroyed by bombs. He told of several times when his family was miraculously saved. He recalled the last time he saw his father. After tearful goodbyes, his father went off to fight with the German Army. They never saw or heard from him again. In 1948 a man came to visit his mother, Sis. Klopfer. He told her that her husband had been captured by the Russians and forced into hard labor. The man was next to Bro. Klopfer when he finally died of hunger. He resolved that he would find a way to tell Bro. Klopfer's widow what had happened to her husband. He survived and walked a thousand miles to his home, first stopping to find Sis. Klopfer and give her the sad news.
Sis. Klopfer felt strongly that she had to get her two sons to America. With the help of Walter Stover, the mission president who replaced her husband (You may recall Pres. Monson mentioning Pres. Stover), and at the risk of their lives, with courage and tenacity and through strategy, she was able to escape from East Germany. Sis. Klopfer and her youngest son separated from Elder Klopfer so that if they were caught, they would not all be punished or killed. Sis. Klopfer and her sons managed to get off a train in the middle of the night undetected. They met up with Pres. Stover who put them in the back of his car. He told them when they went through the checkpoint at the border, they would be stopped and searched. He promised them that if they sat perfectly still, did not make a sound, not even a cough, that even though the soldiers would shine spotlights directly on them, by the power of the Priesthood and in the name of Christ, they would not be seen. Just as Pres. Stover promised, they were stopped. He had his papers in order and was clear to go through to the West. Spotlights were shone into the car on every nook and cranny as Sis. Klopfer and her little boy remained still and silent, but they were never seen and were able to safely cross the border.
In the meantime, Sis. Klopfer had instructed her older son, Elder Klopfer, that he would need to ride the bicycle and cross the border. They had managed to take the bike with them on the train and get it off with them. She gave him instructions that he was to act as stupid as possible. He was to pretend that he didn't know anything. He had no papers or identification on him whatsoever. She hugged him and prayed for him, not knowing exactly how it was going to work out. At the appointed meeting place in the West, they fearfully awaited Elder Klopfer who was about three hours late. At last he appeared. He said his mother asked him, "What happened to you?" Apparently he looked quite disheveled and terrified. She asked him how he had gotten through the checkpoint and across the border. He told us that he had absolutely no recollection whatsoever at that time, nor has he ever had any remembrance of what happened or how he crossed the border. He was about 14 years old at the time. He is looking forward to getting on the other side of the veil where he can finally find out what happened and how he made it across. From there they were able to get to Holland and obtained passage from Holland to America and went on to Salt Lake City. It was a harrowing story. I found my heart beating rapidly and sitting on the edge of my choir seat as he told his amazing story.
Elder Smith and I home teach (The senior missionaries home teach as couples here.) a 19 year old missionary who lives alone (Rules are different here!). He has cerebral palsy caused by a stroke he had in-utero when amniotic fluid got into his brain. His mother delivered him four weeks early at 4 lbs. He is just amazing. He plans on being a bio-chemist or bio-physicist. He was able to complete two years of college during his last two years of high school. He came for dinner yesterday and was such a delight. I do not know how it is possible for one thin human being to eat as much as he did. It was so much fun to feed him. He has endeared himself to us. He does get lonely but is so upbeat and positive. He has physical limitations and a little quirkiness that seems to accompany such situations, but he is very likable. We need a dictionary to keep up with his vocabulary. He works in the Church History Department on the computer. He uses a walking stick, and even with his back and knee issues, can walk faster than I can. He has so far to walk each day. The sacrifices some of the missionaries make to serve the Lord because they WANT to and have CHOSEN to is humbling and inspiring.
This morning Elder William O. Nelson, former secretary to President Ezra Taft Benson and the Quorum of the Twelve spoke on the prophecies and the signs of the last days. It was incredible. It is so amazing to be living in the very days of which the Prophets warned and foretold. We are there! There are two great categories of the Signs of the Times: 1. Signs pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel 2. Signs pertaining to calamities, judgments, and increase of evil. "How do we prepare for the Second Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow, you would be ready. Nobody knows when it is going to happen...Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to live worthy of the association of the Saviour, to deport ourselves in such a way that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a challenge in this day and age." Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley
There is an intense effort under way here in Salt Lake City to have everyone prepared for any kind of emergency. Emphasis seems to be on civil unrest or earthquake. The missionaries, all of us, are to have a three month supply, sufficient water, "grab and go" kits, etc. Elder Smith and I are on the emergency preparedness committee for the branch. All the bishops in the stake have been given two-way emergency radios. The wards and branches are being divided into sections with members responsible for contacting other members in their sections and responding and reporting. We are being given placards to put on the outside of our doors letting emergency personnel know if we are okay, need help but can wait, need help immediately, or have left. (green, yellow, red, and blue). Quite a system is being put in place. This is the Readers' Digest version. Actually, it is rather ominous but "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."
Last Monday evening we had a terrific branch party (A branch is like a ward. Our congregation is huge and is designated a branch instead of a ward because we do not have Primary, Young Men, or Young Women. We are all just adult, both young and old, missionaries.) It was our every-other-month Hail and Farewell party to say hello to in-coming missionaries and farewell to those who are going home. It had an Irish theme. The food was delicious, decorations super, entertainment was great. A missionary from Ireland sang, we had some fun group singing, and an award-winning group of cloggers danced. They were fabulous. The only thing I wished for was that I could have been dancing with them.
Last Wednesday the Elijah Choir sang at noon for a Church Service Missionary devotional in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building chapel where we have most of our devotionals. Elder (oh, I forgot his first name) Klopfer gave the most amazing talk. He has served on the Church music committee since 1983. He was born in East Germany in 1936 to parents who were members of the Church. He was a child prote'ge' and was the branch organist when he was six years old. He is an accomplished pianist and organist (Every day he plays the piano in the Church Office building cafeteria all during the lunch period.), former bishop and stake president. He didn't talk about music, however. He told the story of his family who lived in Nazi Germany. His father was the mission president and then was forced to join the German Army. He told how dangerous it was when Hitler was in power and about the bombings. One day when his father had taken his mother, his little brother and him to the mission home to do some work, a soldier came by and told them that he expected there would be bombs dropped and warned them to leave for their safety. During the night the mission home was destroyed by bombs. He told of several times when his family was miraculously saved. He recalled the last time he saw his father. After tearful goodbyes, his father went off to fight with the German Army. They never saw or heard from him again. In 1948 a man came to visit his mother, Sis. Klopfer. He told her that her husband had been captured by the Russians and forced into hard labor. The man was next to Bro. Klopfer when he finally died of hunger. He resolved that he would find a way to tell Bro. Klopfer's widow what had happened to her husband. He survived and walked a thousand miles to his home, first stopping to find Sis. Klopfer and give her the sad news.
Sis. Klopfer felt strongly that she had to get her two sons to America. With the help of Walter Stover, the mission president who replaced her husband (You may recall Pres. Monson mentioning Pres. Stover), and at the risk of their lives, with courage and tenacity and through strategy, she was able to escape from East Germany. Sis. Klopfer and her youngest son separated from Elder Klopfer so that if they were caught, they would not all be punished or killed. Sis. Klopfer and her sons managed to get off a train in the middle of the night undetected. They met up with Pres. Stover who put them in the back of his car. He told them when they went through the checkpoint at the border, they would be stopped and searched. He promised them that if they sat perfectly still, did not make a sound, not even a cough, that even though the soldiers would shine spotlights directly on them, by the power of the Priesthood and in the name of Christ, they would not be seen. Just as Pres. Stover promised, they were stopped. He had his papers in order and was clear to go through to the West. Spotlights were shone into the car on every nook and cranny as Sis. Klopfer and her little boy remained still and silent, but they were never seen and were able to safely cross the border.
In the meantime, Sis. Klopfer had instructed her older son, Elder Klopfer, that he would need to ride the bicycle and cross the border. They had managed to take the bike with them on the train and get it off with them. She gave him instructions that he was to act as stupid as possible. He was to pretend that he didn't know anything. He had no papers or identification on him whatsoever. She hugged him and prayed for him, not knowing exactly how it was going to work out. At the appointed meeting place in the West, they fearfully awaited Elder Klopfer who was about three hours late. At last he appeared. He said his mother asked him, "What happened to you?" Apparently he looked quite disheveled and terrified. She asked him how he had gotten through the checkpoint and across the border. He told us that he had absolutely no recollection whatsoever at that time, nor has he ever had any remembrance of what happened or how he crossed the border. He was about 14 years old at the time. He is looking forward to getting on the other side of the veil where he can finally find out what happened and how he made it across. From there they were able to get to Holland and obtained passage from Holland to America and went on to Salt Lake City. It was a harrowing story. I found my heart beating rapidly and sitting on the edge of my choir seat as he told his amazing story.
Elder Smith and I home teach (The senior missionaries home teach as couples here.) a 19 year old missionary who lives alone (Rules are different here!). He has cerebral palsy caused by a stroke he had in-utero when amniotic fluid got into his brain. His mother delivered him four weeks early at 4 lbs. He is just amazing. He plans on being a bio-chemist or bio-physicist. He was able to complete two years of college during his last two years of high school. He came for dinner yesterday and was such a delight. I do not know how it is possible for one thin human being to eat as much as he did. It was so much fun to feed him. He has endeared himself to us. He does get lonely but is so upbeat and positive. He has physical limitations and a little quirkiness that seems to accompany such situations, but he is very likable. We need a dictionary to keep up with his vocabulary. He works in the Church History Department on the computer. He uses a walking stick, and even with his back and knee issues, can walk faster than I can. He has so far to walk each day. The sacrifices some of the missionaries make to serve the Lord because they WANT to and have CHOSEN to is humbling and inspiring.
This morning Elder William O. Nelson, former secretary to President Ezra Taft Benson and the Quorum of the Twelve spoke on the prophecies and the signs of the last days. It was incredible. It is so amazing to be living in the very days of which the Prophets warned and foretold. We are there! There are two great categories of the Signs of the Times: 1. Signs pertaining to the restoration of the Gospel 2. Signs pertaining to calamities, judgments, and increase of evil. "How do we prepare for the Second Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow, you would be ready. Nobody knows when it is going to happen...Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to live worthy of the association of the Saviour, to deport ourselves in such a way that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a challenge in this day and age." Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley
There is an intense effort under way here in Salt Lake City to have everyone prepared for any kind of emergency. Emphasis seems to be on civil unrest or earthquake. The missionaries, all of us, are to have a three month supply, sufficient water, "grab and go" kits, etc. Elder Smith and I are on the emergency preparedness committee for the branch. All the bishops in the stake have been given two-way emergency radios. The wards and branches are being divided into sections with members responsible for contacting other members in their sections and responding and reporting. We are being given placards to put on the outside of our doors letting emergency personnel know if we are okay, need help but can wait, need help immediately, or have left. (green, yellow, red, and blue). Quite a system is being put in place. This is the Readers' Digest version. Actually, it is rather ominous but "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Testimony
Today is fast and testimony Sunday. I love this day. I love being able to fast, even though I know I "am not supposed to". With all my heart I bear testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the son of God, our Heavenly Father. I know He is our Savior and Redeemer and that He bought us and ransomed us with His blood and His love. I know that He restored His only Church on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom I love and revere. I absolutely know that the Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful, priceless record of scripture it is. I know that Elder Smith and I are serving a mission in this part of the Lord's vineyard to help in saving our kindred dead. I know they are reaching out to be found. I know that this Church is led by a true prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, today. Through prayer and sincere intent, everyone living can know these things. I know our Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us. No one is hidden or lost to the Lord. I am so grateful for his sustaining, miraculous, loving care of our dear grandson, Danny Branch, who is enduring a difficult illness with so much suffering. I know that the atonement of our Savior will cover Danny and his devoted wife Ashley, their darling little Ellie, and his parents and brothers who all are going through this ordeal together. I know that all they are suffering will be for their eternal good. I love the Gospel and the Lord who gave it. This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Sis. Smith
Sis. Smith
Another Week
Yeah! March is here. Hopefully spring will come soon. I have to admit that I am looking forward to seeing colors besides brown, black, gray, and white. I'll try never to complain about desert brown again. This week we are on the 10:00a.m. to 6:00 p.m. shift. Except for the mornings that I have to get up early for choir practice, it is sure nice to be able to wake up when it is daylight without an alarm. Our schedule is fairly routine with rotating schedules for our duties. Elder Smith is now Floor Manager frequently. We are both on the education committee. I am helping edit and proof the certification manual and will be retyping the Silver level manual (Bronze, Silver, Gold). These are the training manuals for all new missionaries. I just completed my Bronze manual. VERY tedious, difficult, and time consuming, but we sure learn a great deal from them. I am always surprised when I can help a patron with information I have learned from my manual.
Last Monday evening we had a great zone potluck supper with soups, salads, rolls, and the never-ending Mormon desserts. A group of 8 men, four young and four older Elders, who call themselves the Elderly Brothers, sang and entertained us with great songs and humor. My daughter Amy thinks all we do is party, but not so. Of course tomorrow night is the pie and ice cream night for the Elijah Choir members and spouses. But that's the only one scheduled for this next week. Next party: Hail and Farewell on March 9.
We are so thankful for blessings every day including protection from flood and fire. Well, the washer hose did flood last night, which we were up late cleaning up. The fire alarm last week was false, and the dryer didn't catch on fire, even though the top of it was too hot to touch, and the exhaust hose thingy was split in half. The apartment building "maintenance men" came in to check our appliances, and this is what happened the first time I tried to use the washer and dryer after they left. I remembered Kathy Peterson's counsel to never leave the house with the dryer running. Amen to that.
Last Monday evening we had a great zone potluck supper with soups, salads, rolls, and the never-ending Mormon desserts. A group of 8 men, four young and four older Elders, who call themselves the Elderly Brothers, sang and entertained us with great songs and humor. My daughter Amy thinks all we do is party, but not so. Of course tomorrow night is the pie and ice cream night for the Elijah Choir members and spouses. But that's the only one scheduled for this next week. Next party: Hail and Farewell on March 9.
We are so thankful for blessings every day including protection from flood and fire. Well, the washer hose did flood last night, which we were up late cleaning up. The fire alarm last week was false, and the dryer didn't catch on fire, even though the top of it was too hot to touch, and the exhaust hose thingy was split in half. The apartment building "maintenance men" came in to check our appliances, and this is what happened the first time I tried to use the washer and dryer after they left. I remembered Kathy Peterson's counsel to never leave the house with the dryer running. Amen to that.
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