We have had interviews this past week with several of our zones and as I meet with the missionaries, I love asking them about what they are learning from their Christlike attribute studies. Sometimes I am blown away with the insights our missionaries have. Here are some of the things our missionaries have shared with me over the past week as I've been able to talk with them.
One elder told me he thought the difference between Faith and Hope is that Hope is the vision and Faith is the execution of the vision. Another told me she made the distinction that Hope is the soil that cultivates the seed of Faith. Another sister told me that the reason we have power through faith is that the things we have faith in are true, and truth is power. I could go on and on with the things that I learn as I get to visit with these faithful and hope filled missionaries. It is a joy to spend time with them. I think they may just like me for my cookies, and I'm ok with that. One set of zone leaders sent out a message with the times of each missionary's interview and said "we are excited for our interviews with President Hymas and to be able to visit with Sister Hymas and get one of her cookies, no pressure Sister Hymas" I thought that was pretty funny. I was happy to tell them the cookies were already baked, bagged and waiting in the freezer!
This weekend we were blessed to have 9 baptisms in the mission, we were able to attend two of them. They were both wonderful, but one of them was the Chinese lady I wrote about a few weeks ago. Her husband wasn't quite ready to commit to baptism, but he gave a beautiful opening prayer at the baptism. She was so happy to be baptized. I initially thought she had to go back to China in May, but it is actually next week, in March. I look at her as one of the early pioneers on China, who is exhibiting faith in every footstep. I spoke with the Elder that taught her and asked if she had a branch or a place to meet when she goes back to China and they had already contacted an Area Authority who has got her taken care of and she will be welcomed and fellowshipped when she gets to her home in China. It made me pause to be grateful, for not only the doctrine of the gospel but the organization of the church. It was a neat baptism to be able to attend. And we were able to see a former missionary couple, Elder and Sister Mu who did so much Chinese work while they were here. They were back in town and it was fun to see them.
We spoke in the East Sacramento Stake Conference last Sunday and in the Sacramento Stake in the Saturday night session last night. It was kind of a marker of time for me. I distinctly remember speaking in both of those Stakes fairly early on in our mission, probably last August or September and I didn't know hardly any one. This time, as we sat on the stand, and mingled before and afterwards, it was fun to see so many familiar faces of new friends and people we have interacted with and come to know. It was a nice feeling to not feel quite so new.
We have been blessed to have a few visitors over the past week or so. When we have visitors, we just continue with our missionary work and take them along with us. Last weekend Ethan and his darling girlfriend Camee came to visit. Camee has been serving a mission in Chicago for the past 18 months. She got home a few weeks ago and I was pretty sad to miss out on all of the excitement of her homecoming, but we were thrilled to see her so soon and have them visit us here in Sacramento. It was fun to compare notes from her mission to ours and to have an understanding of all she was talking about. My mission vocabulary and understanding is much more up to date than it was when my kids got home from their missions. I'm now completely fluent in MLC, STL, ZL, DL, PMG, District Meetings, Street Contacting, T Contacting, On Date, Progressing Investigators, Safeguards, Area Books, Exchanges, Team Ups, 12 Week, Adjusting to Missionary Life, Comp Inventory, etc, etc, etc. It was super fun to talk with her and hear about her experiences on her mission and actually know everything she was talking about! Here are some pictures of our time spent with Ethan and Camee.
Welcome to Sacramento
We were able to take our P day on Saturday and we made the most of it. We started with Breakfast at Bacon and Butter
A visit to the new R.C. Willey store that just opened in our mission. Both Scott and Ethan felt right at home checking numbers on the computer, and it was fun to find a picture of my uncle and my dad from the early years.
Fun in Old Town at GWillikers toy store
A walk to the Tower Bridge, The Crocker Art Museum and Downtown Commons
We took a little rest in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, a beautiful old Catholic Cathedral, and then on to the California State Capitol Building and grounds
On Sunday they came to Stake Conference with us and then we made a stop at the temple on our way home.
Sunday night we were thrilled to have a former missionary, Hermana, (now Cassidy) Scott come to visit with her boyfriend, Carlos. We love to keep in touch with our returned missionaries and it is a special treat when we can see them in person.
The weekend went way to fast and we hated saying goodbye to Ethan and Camee, but not before we had one final, huge, meal at The Broderick.
As always, goodbyes stink. We love to see them come, and hate to see them go, but it was wonderful to see Camee again after 18 months. This story is an example of Faith in God's plan and Hope in promised blessings. About 20 months ago, Camee felt strongly that she should go on a mission and we were happy to see her serve, but at the time we didn't realize just how great of a blessing it would be to her, and, honestly to us. She and Ethan both moved forward with faith. She absolutely loved her mission and she grew in every way. And on our end, Ethan was able to get into his accounting program and focus on school, and for us, it was a tender mercy to be able to have Ethan and Preston come out with us for a few months at the beginning of our mission together. It made our adjustment so much easier with them here, and it was such an amazing blessing to have that special time with them this summer. God's plans are always better than our plans.
At the end of this week we were also able to have our good friends, Mike and Cristin Strong come for a visit. They have been called to preside over the Peru Lima Central Mission beginning in July. They were able to come and spend a few days following us around to get a feel for what is coming their way. They are going to be amazing in their respective roles. They were able to attend a District Meeting while we were doing interviews on Thursday in Elk Grove. Seeing them interact with our missionaries was so much fun, our missionaries loved them and their missionaries are going to love them even more, because they will know them better, and to know them is to love them. After we left there we took them with us to a meeting with our assistants to plan our next MLC and Zone Conference.
The Elk Grove Zone, District Meetings and Interviews
We were able to go to dinner that night with Elder and Sister Gunnell. It was a nice little Brookhurst Ward reunion. When Scott was the Bishop, Todd, now Elder Gunnell, was his Executive Secretary. The craziest thing was, while we were at dinner, his counselors Byron Clawson and Gary Hatch called him. Their timing couldn't have been better! We only wished the Clawsons and the Hatches were sitting at the table with us, instead of being on the phone.
The life of a Mission President. He is always only a phone call away, this time from some sisters who are serving in the mountains and were afraid of driving in the snow.
We hated to say goodbye to President and Sister Strong, tears were shed knowing it will most likely be nearly 3 1/2 years before we will see them again. As they were walking away I had to restrain myself from shouting "Hurrah for Israel" out of the car window. They are in for quite an adventure. It takes great faith to basically walk away from your life for 3 years. To walk away from home and career and family, with the faith that God's plans are always better than our plans, and hope in promised blessings. This work is wonderful, but it is also very hard. Scott just asked me if I ever write that we are tired most of the time and worried about something all of the time. I told him I usually try to emphasize the positives, but I would add that just for him.
We had been to the airport earlier Saturday morning saying goodbye to our dear Elder Martineau. He is a remarkable young man and we love him with all of our hearts. We will miss him. I was sadly mistaken when we left home and I felt relieved thinking I was done saying my goodbyes. We say goodbye so often, you would think I would be getting immune to it. It never seems to get any easier, but we move forward with Faith and Hope in our Savior Jesus Christ, and know that all will be made right through Him.
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