Happy Anniversary to Us

One year ago today we landed in Sacramento, full of faith, a little trepidation and a lot of anticipation.  What we found here was beyond our wildest dreams.  This is what we found one year ago

We had no idea how these people and so many many others were going to change our lives for the better.  We have made so many lifelong friendships out here with missionaries and members.  This morning the doorbell rang at 8 a.m. and when I opened the door I found this box of donuts sitting on the front porch.  I don't know who the anonymous donut dropper is, but thank you.  The way to my heart is through a BJ Cinnamon apple fritter (I never thought I would find donuts better than Dick's donuts, but I have to say BJ Cinnamon has done it!) Even better than the donuts was the idea that someone actually knew it was our anniversary and thought of us and acted.  We were ministered to today and it made our day!

Our first night here we went out teaching, Scott went with Elders Watts and Pennington, and I went with Sisters Turner and Morris.  This was us today...

 The names and faces have changed in a year, but the work remains the same.  Scott went out teaching with Elders Dobson and Ingram and I went with Sisters Searle and Maldonado.  It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.  It also made us realize once again that this work is not for the faint of heart.  It was over 100 degrees today and these Elders and Sisters just work through the heat with smiles on their faces and faith in their hearts that they are going to find the elect and they just keep going and going and going and finding miracles along the way.  

As I went with Sister Searle and Sister Maldonado we had a unique experience.  We had the typical drop bys where no one was all that interested in our message (however, on a return to one after I wasn't with them anymore they got a new investigator, which was a miracle).  We did get to teach one really good lesson to a man named Steve.  He told us his birthday is tomorrow and he is 65.  He lives with his son because of some tragic circumstances and he is very open to the spirit.  It was a great lesson, the only problem is, he wouldn't, or couldn't let us in to his house and so we had a lesson outside in his front yard under the 'shade' of a tree.  Although it was 103 degrees today, so even in the shade, that's pretty hot.  He also only had one lawn chair, so he sat down and we stood up for an hour teaching and answering his questions.  It was a great lesson and it is always amazing to me that the spirit can be present anywhere, even standing in a front yard, under a tree in 100 degree weather.  

One funny thing about the lesson; about a month ago Elders Forte, Yorgason and Thompson told us about an investigator they had found named Steve.  The problem was they didn't remember what Steve's last name was, but when they found him he was eating sunflower seeds, so they put him in the area book as Steve with seeds.  After our lesson today with Steve I sent them a text and told them that I thought of them while we were teaching.  They have a 'Steve with seeds', and now I have a 'Steve without seats'.  

 After being out teaching for a few hours, we got to attend the baptism of Xavier, the gentleman three from the left.  What a neat story his is, he was introduced to the church by his landlords who are members, and he came to the Saturday night session of Stake Conference when Elder Carl Cook of the Seventy was there.  It was the first church meeting he had attended. He met Elder Cook and on Sunday morning he was there again and Elder Cook invited him up to basically bear his testimony about being an investigator of the church.  Fast forward a few weeks and we were sitting at his baptism.  The spirit worked strong with him and we were honored to be at his baptism.

We left the baptism and headed up to Pleasant Valley in El Dorado to go to a lesson with Sister Fausett and Sister Wallentine.  They were teaching a man who has been coming to church for several months, he knows all about it, but is having a hard time deciding if baptism is a commitment he can actually make and keep.  We had a great lesson with them and then took the Sisters out for a little dinner.  It was a great day.  

Since I updated last we had our transfers.  We received 5 new missionaries and had to say goodbye to 10 of the best.  I always say this, but I have a love/hate relationship with transfer week.  I always love getting the new ones in, and I hate sending the old ones home.  

On Monday June 18 we were able to welcome into the mission Elder Geng from mainland China, Elder Mandisodza from Zimbabwe via Texas for the past few years, Sister Shaw from Utah, Elder Brown from West Virigina, and we are counting Elder Barr, who I wrote about last time, but he is from Australia.  It was a great and diverse group. 

                       Elder Brown                                                      Elder Geng

         Sister Shaw                                                                       Elder Mandisodza

 We have dinner and some training on Monday night, and more training on Tuesday morning. The moment, when the training is done and we walk the new missionaries in and they see a group of missionaries singing Called to Serve, and then we introduce them to their new companions is one of my favorite moments.

As soon as they were with their new companions, we drove up to the temple for pictures. We are really blessed to have a temple so close

     Elder Barr being trained by Elder Kemp                  Elder Organ training Elder Mandisodza

Sister Clark training Sister Shaw                                     Elder Schwendsen training Elder Geng

After pictures they were off to their new areas and we headed back to the mission office to be part of transfers.  There are always lots of hugs and some tears as companions have to say goodbye to each other

Sister Leavitt and Sister Roberts were our Silva Valley ward missionaries, Sister Roberts got transferred and it was sad saying goodbye to her.  I won't get to see her quite so often now that she doesn't cover our ward.

After transfers we were on to the hardest part of the transfer cycle, starting the process of saying goodbye to the departing missionaries.  We start with a meeting in Scott's office before we go to the temple with them all.  I walked in and saw these four stellar elders who were going home all in matching ties and I had to snap a picture to prevent me from bursting into tears on the spot. 

After we talk about the temple, it's back up there to do a session with those going home.  I love the temple and it is amazing how the missionaries are so nervous and full of emotion prior to the temple, and after the temple a calm settles on them and they feel ready to go.  It's a time for them to pray and meditate and have the feeling confirmed that their offering was acceptable to the Lord and that they have finished what they were sent to do.  It happens every time!

After the temple it's back to the mission home for dinner, signing our mission banner and a testimony meeting.  It's like one of those parent payday evenings.  How we are going to miss this group of 10. We love them so much!

 First time serving for Elder Thompson and Elder Ricedorff so they got/had to wear my aprons.  

 I'm so grateful for Sister Gail, who always comes while we are in the temple and gets everything in the oven for me and has things ready to go when we return.

The next morning we are off to the airport to send them home to their anxious and excited families.  I'm glad I have been on that end or I don't know how I could let them go.

Sister Baird and Sister Hernandez had earlier flights than all the others and so Scott took them early and I followed a little later with the rest. 

Also, we've only been here a year and found a new favorite wall to take pictures in front of.  You will be seeing this one again!

           Hermana June                                                                Sister Brown

        Hermana Barrerra                                                            Sister Koller

            Elder Snow                                                                   Elder Berry

        Elder Ravston                                                                  Elder Yorgason

Off they go...

We didn't have a lot of time to sit around and be sad, we had an extended Mission Leadership Council on Friday.  We invited the District Leaders along with the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders.  We are gaining 41 new missionaries from the Modesto Mission due to a Boundary Realignment and we wanted all of the mission leaders there as we discussed the blessing of gaining these new missionaries and ways to love them and help them feel immediately part of our mission family.  It was a great council meeting and we are all SO excited about this new addition to our mission. 

 I never get tired of pulling into a church and seeing all of the cars with bike racks lined up!

Elder and Sister Gunnell once again provided us with a delicious lunch

Thanks to Elder and Sister Scott as well for helping with the set up and serving that day.  It takes a lot of people to make a mission run smoothly and we love and are so grateful for all of our senior missionaries 

             This is an outstanding group of missionary leaders.  We love them so much!

We have had a good month full of a lot of baptisms, each and every person who enters the waters of baptism is such a blessing and we are grateful for the difference these missionaries make in individual lives. This is just a picture I took at one of the baptisms this month.

As I've said before, we absolutely love it when we have any of our returned missionaries come to visit.  Last Sunday Sister Cha was in town and we were blessed to have her come to dinner and stay for a good visit.  We loved getting caught up and talking about important things.  It was wonderful to see this darling sister who we love so much again. 

The past few weeks have also been full of interviews, working on plans for a smooth transition in for our new missionaries and 3 new zones/stakes etc.  But now the personal.  We also got to have some of our family visit this past week and how we love and live for those family visits.  Our daughter Stacie, her husband Bennett and our darling grandchildren, Thomas, Charlotte and Caroline came to town.  It was the first time Scott was able to meet Caroline and we were so happy to have them here.  We fit a lot into a few days.

Way too much good food

Lots and lots of swimming

The Crocker Art Museum

Funderland

The Incredibles 2

A visit to the office is a must for our grandchildren, who are the recipients of our dear Sister Skank's talents.  She makes the most adorable crochet animals and is always so generous to give them to our grandkids.  Thomas named his dragon Fire, and Charlotte named her bunny Caroline, until they saw the incredibles and then the dragon's name changed to Dash and the bunny's name changed to Jack Jack.  

Mostly we just loved the time we got to spend with our family just doing normal family things!

Sleepovers at Mimi and Pop's are the best!

 On the trail by our house looking for bunnies, unfortunately they are a little scarce this year.

It's been a great two weeks, and we are looking forward to the coming weeks as we welcome our 41 new missionaries into our mission family.  We love this gospel, we love the work, we really love our missionaries and as we look back on the past year we are amazed at the blessings we have received individually, as a family, as a mission and in so many other ways that are hard to quantify.  Our hearts are full of gratitude for the past year, we can't wait to see what the coming year has to bring.