Surprise

Time has definitely gotten away from me.  It's been an eventful 3 weeks since I last updated this blog. I can hardly believe we have turned the calendar to May.  Everyone says the last half of a mission picks up speed and goes twice as fast as the first half and I tend to believe them.  Time is flying at a rapid pace. 

Some of the highlights of the past few weeks have been a terrific MLC, a LOT of interviews, our Mission Leadership Seminar, and some great visits, including a few surprises.  

Starting at MLC, we held this on April 16.  We always love MLC and are grateful for the blessing it is to serve with these consecrated mission leaders.  We try to train the leaders on practical things they can then take back to their zones and train the missionaries in their zone on the same things.  I did a training on improving our teaching by asking better questions, listening and simplifying our teaching.  We did some fun activities. For asking questions, I had them try to teach me the principles in the first lesson by only asking questions.  For the simplifying I had them teach me each principle in the second lesson using 10 words or less.  It's harder than you think, but I think they had some fun with it.

This time Scott felt inspired to counsel on our Mission Culture Statement, but also to focus on better daily repentance.  After President Nelson talked so strongly about that in our recent General Conference, he felt we needed to give it more attention in our mission.  

President Nelson said: "Daily repentance is the pathway to purity and purity brings power.  Personal purity can make us powerful tools in the hands of God.  Our repentance, our purity, will empower us to help in the gathering of Israel." 

Since we are in the gathering of Israel business, it seemed fitting to focus on this. It has just increased my testimony of a living prophet.  As we have spent time talking and teaching about daily repentance, and putting it into practice better in our own lives, we can feel an elevation in our mission.  We had Zone Conference today (which will be another blog post) and I asked the question if they could feel an elevation in our mission since we have been focusing on daily repentance, and if they have felt more empowered as they gather Israel. They all agreed that they had.  In each of President's interviews the past few weeks, the question they have talked about has been about their own personal, daily repentance.  He said it has been the best focus for interviews he has had yet.  We thank thee O God for a prophet.  As we follow him, we are blessed beyond measure.  

Speaking of interviews, Beginning the day after MLC, until the following Wednesday, so 5 1/2 days,(excluding Saturday and Sunday) we had 97 interviews with 97 different missionaries.  That is a LOT of talking, and a lot of walking, until the last few days when I finally gave in and said 'uncle'.  I walked about 36 miles in the first 3 days, and was well on my way the next week, but it got super hot.  One morning we started at 9:30 a.m. in East Sacramento, which is a zone of only 10 missionaries.  We had another zone we were heading to after that, and since it was forecast to be 90 degrees that day, I figured I probably wouldn't be able to walk with the afternoon zone, but thought I should be able to get a good walk in with the morning group.  I started with the first 4 missionaries and by 10:30 we were dying of heat.  I asked the last elder of the 4 if he thought I needed to call it.  He said "Sister Hymas, we will walk with you if you want to keep walking, but it's pretty hot out there." They are very kind to me, and so I was kind to them and stopped the walking that day.  I figured they are out in the heat every day all day long. So, unfortunately, my walk and talks may be postponed until it starts cooling back down in the fall.  It was good while it lasted.  

We had so many interviews to get through, we had to interview half of one zone on Monday night.  We generally steer clear of nights because that is the best finding time, but it couldn't be helped, so we decided we would bring dinner to the sisters we were interviewing and interview through their dinner time.  We figured they wouldn't mind so much if we fed them dinner.  I think they had a fun time with that. 

The Saturday before Easter, we went to the sweetest baptism.  It was a darling mom, who had the sweetest daughters. One of the daughters was baptismal age.  I was so touched by the love the ward showed to them, and by the spirit I felt that these little girls were now going to be raised in the gospel and grow up unto the Lord.  I don't know if it was because of Easter, or what, but it was a very emotional and touching baptism for me. 

We had to speak in the Folsom Stake Conference that night, and also again on Easter Sunday.  We often will give a variation of the same talk at the different Stake Conferences we attend and speak at, until we have spoken at all 11.  Then we change our thoughts again.  But we were given a very specific topic to speak on Saturday night, and on Easter, we thought it appropriate to speak about Easter, and so we had a bit more preparation for this conference than normal.  I was a little sad not to have an Easter Sunday program, but it actually was a wonderful meeting and the spirit was very strong and we were very edified for being there.  We were invited to have dinner with the Stake Presidency on Saturday night before the Saturday night meeting and I have said this before, and will continue to say, how blessed we are to work with such wonderful members of the church.  We really hit the jackpot when we were sent here.  The members in each of our Stakes are so amazing.  We love them and are so blessed by them all.  

The reason we had to fit so many interviews into so few days is because last Thursday through Saturday we went to San Diego to our semi annual Mission Leadership Seminar. We get together with all of the other mission president and their wives from California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.  We look so forward to going and being trained by our Area Presidency.  We tell our missionaries it is our Zone Conference, but we only get it twice a year, not once a transfer like they do.  

It was a wonderful conference, and one of the side benefits are the friendships we make with the other Presidents and their wives.  We have been here long enough, that now it is so much fun meeting up with our friends who are having the same experiences we are.  It is nice to be with people who really understand.  The jokes we make, probably no one else would get, but it's great for us.  The only sad thing is that we have gotten close to a lot of couples who are finishing their missions this year and this will be their last seminar.  I hate goodbyes, and saying goodbye to some very wonderful mentors was kind of sad.  And it is really weird to think that at our next seminar, we will be the longest serving group there.  I can't quite wrap my head around that one yet.  

On Thursday we got there and they told us to change in to casual clothes and they dropped us off in Old Town and let us have a few hours to go through the Mormon Battalion Center, and to wander around Old Town.  It is the first time I have felt a little bit like a tourist in almost 2 years, and I have to say, it was a little strange.  

We didn't take very many pictures at the seminar, but I did get two with two wonderful friends, who won't be there next time.  Sister Haney, serving in LA and Sister Patterson, serving in Long Beach.  I love these women.

As much as we loved the conference, we were able to have a very fun surprise while we were down there, that was definitely a highlight.  A few months ago our son Alex told us that they were surprising their kids with a trip to Disneyland.  We surprised him by telling him that we were going to be in San Diego that same week.  What??? We never go anywhere.  They shifted things around and made arrangements to meet us in San Diego after our conference on Friday night.  But, they didn't tell their kids that they were going to meet us there.  They told them they had one more surprise for them and they had to go to a hotel room to find it.  We were so excited to have them knock on our door and we surprised them by opening it.  I wanted to attach the video of us surprising them, but I can't get it to play on the blog. 

We didn't get to spend a ton of time with them, but we were able to go to dinner with them on Friday night and again to lunch with them on Saturday after our conference.  Even though it wasn't long, we felt like it was such a little unexpected bonus gift of time with them and we loved every minute that we did get.  

 Porter liked our hotel room!

We had another awesome surprise the weekend after transfers were over.  Our daughter Andrea lives in Virginia and she had a baby, our sweet little Viola Claire, in October.  I was able to sneak away for a few days to help her after the baby was born, but Scott had never met her and she is 6 months old.  Andrea decided to bring Viola out to meet her pop and to spend a weekend with us. She told us she was leaving her other kids at home with her wonderful husband, Mike.  She was a good secret keeper.  She had planned on bringing Libby all along, but no one knew that except she and Mike.  Libby didn't even know until they got to the airport and Andrea told her she was coming with her.  That was her first surprise, the second was showing up in Sacramento with Libby in tow.  Again, I wish I could get the video of this to work.  It was priceless when I saw Libby walking out of the walkway.  If it hadn't been midnight, and if I had been a little smarter, I should have put two and two together.  I was waiting for them and a man walks past me and asks me if I am Andrea's mom.  I told him I was and he mentioned her two little girls.  Andrea is very friendly and I just assumed he had been sitting by her and she had told him she had two girls.  I even said to him, 'well, unfortunately she is only bringing one of them with her.'  His confused look should have tipped me off.  But it was a wonderful surprise and a wonderful, but all too short visit from our Bergeson girls.

A visit to the mission office and an honorary name tag for future Sister Bergeson.

I got to spend the afternoon with the girls, letting Libby swim and taking her shopping at the greatest toy store, in Placerville.  While Scott took Andrea on a date to the temple.

 Saturday morning it was a trip to Bacon and Butter where we met our dear friend Lisa for breakfast.

We did a little more shopping, played about 100 games of Old Maid, put Libby to work, and mostly just had the best time hanging out and loving on those darling girls. 

Far too soon, We were heading back to the airport. We loved having a weekend with all three of these girls we love so much.

 My brother Curtis surprised us earlier this week when he called me on Monday morning to tell me he was in Sacramento. We were preparing for Zone Conference, but were happy to be able to have a nice dinner with him on Monday night.

We were also blessed to have visits from two former missionaries over the past few weeks.  Landon Hallmark came to town and we were able to spend some time with him one evening. It's fun to have them come to our house and find their name on our departing missionary banner. 

We got talking to him and he was going to be here on Easter.  I asked him if he had plans and President quickly said, 'you don't have to spend more time with us.'  I told him he was welcome to come for dinner on Easter Sunday if he didn't have other plans, but just to let me know.  He texted about 10 minutes later and told me he'd love to come to dinner.  It worked out great for us, because I'm not sure I would have cooked a big Easter dinner for just Scott and me, so it was fun to have some company for the holiday.

We also had a great visit from Riley Pitcher and his parents. It is weird calling these Elders by their first names, but it was great to see Riley as well.  We love having them come back to visit and we love knowing they are doing well in life post mission.  

That's the update for now.  We are in the middle of Zone Conferences this week, but that will save for another day.  We love our mission, we love our missionaries, we love our family, and we love our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ who make all of these relationships possible, and eternal.