Week of January 16-22

Bakersfield has been experiencing unusual amounts of rain lately. It rained several days this week, which is good because they have been in a drought the last few years. Our little courtyard in front of the mission office door looked almost like "beachfront property". This is the first time we have seen water in the river and canals since we have been here. They have been bone dry. Also, the mountains received snow.

We are so excited that we got a new copier in the office this week. (It doesn't take much to make us happy.) It will get a workout because we all seem to make a lot of copies. The old one gave us lots of trouble and frustrations.

James took the Assistants, Elder Olsen and Elder Bennett, to lunch on Thursday. I think he just wanted an excuse to go to Freddy's.

Our missionaries have been instructed to use their cars like a bus; drive to an area and then get out and walk. That way they will be out among the people more and have more opportunities to meet people and talk to them. Many missionaries have Chevy Malibu's and they have dubbed them "Malibus".                                                               Friday we met Elder Vellver and Stephenson to go teach a lady. Unfortunately, the lady was not home. Those elders were doing what they were suppose to do because their car was parked way down the street.                                         (We took a picture of them at church today because Elder Stephenson is being transferred to Ridgecrest on Tuesday.)

Saturday afternoon we went to a baptism. Elder Casper and Elder Waters both went into the baptismal font with Ann to baptize her. Ann is a large woman in her 50's with challenges. She uses a wheelchair most of the time or a walker for short distances. She managed to get to the font and the sweet Elders gently helped her down the three or four steps into the font. Then they were both there to immerse her in the water. It was a tender moment. The spirit was very strong in the room! It was another reminder to us that Heavenly Father does not judge a person by the way they look on the outside. He loves everyone the same and sees the person they are inside and what they can become.

James taught the lesson in High Priests on Sunday. Last week they asked for a volunteer. No one volunteered, so James did. What a good guy! It was on the talk by Elder Craig C. Christensen, "A Choice Seer Will I Raise Up" from October's General Conference.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

P.S.  Can you believe that Trump is our new President of the United States!

Week of January 9-15

Sometimes in the evenings I knit for awhile. I brought a big bag of yarn with me on our mission and have used it all up now making hats. I made a total of about thirty-five hats.

Elder Beckstead and Elder Labrum came into the office on Friday. I complemented them on their pretty flower ties. They said it was "Floral Friday". How could I not know!

James and I went on a teaching appointment again this week with Elders Vellver and Stephenson. They taught Bonafacio about prayer. Bonafacio is another humble man in his fifties from Mexico who does not read or write. He collects cans and bottles everyday to sell. He says he makes from $30-$50 per day. He also finds clothing and all kinds of things in garbage bins and cans that he cleans up and sells. He said that is how he was able to raise his family. His wife was at work. We don't know where she works. He had many pictures of Jesus around his apartment scattered among all of the stuff.

I am learning how to use Excel with James's help. I made this pretty chart of the baptism numbers by stakes and months for our mission last year that President Layton wanted.

I was able to help Elder Chamberlain find a family temple name to take with him on Friday to the Los Angeles Temple. He went with the other missionaries who are going home on the 25th. Last week when we were at the Family History Center with him he was trying, but had no luck. I told him if he didn't mind giving me his login info I would try to find him a name. I spent several hours looking and finally messaged three different people to ask them to share a name they had reserved. All three responded yes, so Elder Chamberlain ended up with three family names. I also helped Sister Ball find a family name for her to take. We and the Ball's and take turns attending the temple with the departing missionaries, and it was their turn this time. Just an interesting side note:  Elder Chamberlain had two car accidents in one day a few weeks ago (no one was hurt, just the car got banged up), and he had his driving privilege taken away. What a way to end a mission. He is a great missionary!

We went knocking on doors Saturday; not as Mormon missionaries, but we participated with the American Red Cross as "Home Fire Campaign Volunteers" to celebrate the Martin Luther King National Day of Service. We had two other people on our team; Jessica, an American Red Cross employee, and Anthony, a 16 year old high school student. We went house to house asking homeowners if they had smoke detectors. If not, we told them we could install free ones for them. Nearly everyone took us up on the offer. I turned out to be so brave and was the one ringing doorbells and telling the people about the program. Then I taught them a little bit about fire safety, gave them some printed information, and filled out a form. If they were only Spanish speakers, James took over. Then James and Anthony worked together installing the smoke detectors in the bedrooms and living room. James actually climbed the little ladder and used the power drill. Anthony handed him the screws, drill, and detector. We worked from about 10:00 to 4:00 with a lunch break at the fire station. We installed 39 smoke detectors and made quite a few homes and families safer. In total about 700 were installed by all the teams. It was actually VERY fun and rewarding.

We rushed home after, changed our clothes, and went to dinner at a member's house. They were celebrating their daughter's birthday and graduation from BYU Idaho. We had to leave early to go pick up some investigators,     C. J. and his son, Cash, to take to a baptism so they could see what it is all about. A seventeen year old girl was baptized. All of the youth in her ward and a lot of other people came out to support her. They had to move out of the regular baptism room into the chapel to accommodate everyone.

We kept seeing these weird looking, knobby trees around and wondered what they were. We found out they are Fruitless Mulberry trees. They have to be trimmed every year. The one on the left has not been trimmed yet. In the Spring they grow tons of branches, get pretty blossoms, and then have lots of leaves.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of January 2 - 8

This cute, little snowman is our lone January decoration.

We started the New Year and this week off by getting back to exercising. While exercising in the club house we watched the Rose Bowl Parade. It hit me kind of funny that it takes place in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd, since we used to live in Pasadena, Texas and now in Colorado. We only went into the office for about an hour on Monday because it was a holiday and everything was pretty quiet.

Wednesday, January 4th, marked the 1/2 way point of our mission. It is hard to imagine that we are on the downside now. We are trying to do everything we can to help our mission run smoothly and efficiently and take advantage of any opportunities that come our way to help in other ways. We are trying to be more attentive to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost and follow any and all promptings we receive.

Thursday we went with Elders Vellver and Stephenson to a teaching appointment. They taught the Word of Wisdom lesson to Teodore and his son. Teodore is probably around fifty years old and does not read or write. His son has some kind of mental disability. They live in very humble circumstances in a tiny house with barely anything.

Friday we met with Mario, the guy we took home from church last week, and Elders Jacobson and Barney at the Family History Center at the church to help Mario. While we were waiting for the elders to get there with the key, Mario was telling us about gang life in and out of prison. It was all very interesting and we got quite an education. It is amazing that he has been able to break the cycle of gangs and violence that he grew up in and his family is still somewhat involved with and get on the right path.

Saturday we went to watch the movie "Hidden Figures". The movie is the true, inspirational story about three brilliant, black women in the 1960's who worked at NASA and helped to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. It was one of those rare movies where the whole theatre was clapping at the end because it was so good and inspiring!

In the evening we went to the baptism of Shelby Etheridge. She is a 13 year old girl whose two younger brothers joined the church recently. Her father and mother are also investigating the church. It is a real inspiration that children and teenagers can feel the spirit and know the truth and make such an important decision for their lives.

Sunday evening the Laytons invited us, the Ball's, and the Morris's over to the mission home for dessert. They are constantly on the go traveling around the mission for zone conferences, interviews, MLC, district meetings, meetings with stake presidents, etc. Sister Layton, Nancy, says she feels like they live in their car and hotels. They do not get into the office very often, so she says she misses us. We didn't know until we got there that it was Nancy's birthday. They are also going to start having potluck dinners at their house once a month.

James has been reading an autobiography of Steve Young and really enjoying it. He doesn't read many books so this is kind of a rare sight.

This statue of Father Francisco Garces is a historical landmark in Bakersfield. It is located in Garces Circle, the only traffic circle in Bakersfield. It was sculpted in 1939 and stands over 22 feet tall. Garces was the first white man to enter the region back in the 1700's. He was a Catholic priest and explorer.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of December 26-January 1, 2017 (New Years)

This is a sight you do not see in Colorado in December; flowers and a hummingbird.





This week there were a couple days that the temperature was higher in Parker, Colorado than here in Bakersfield, California. Interesting! It rained all day Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening. We even had to break out our umbrella. All that rain cleansed and cleaned the air so that Sunday morning the mountains around Bakersfield were visible and pretty.

It is always kind of a let down right after Christmas when the holidays are over. Things look kind of bare at home and at the office without the few Christmas decorations we had. The bright spot is that we noticed the days are already getting longer and it is not dark any more when we leave the office about 5:00 pm. Yeah for more daylight!

Our car didn't start one morning. The battery was dead, so we got a new one and were back in business.
The other car news is that the mission received the fourteen new Chevy Malibu's that James had been waiting on forever. The office staff and a couple drivers from the dealership helped drive the cars over to the office parking lot. Then we had to take them to Sound Waves where the TiWi's were installed. The lucky missionaries who get the new cars are so excited! Below are five of the cars all neatly in a row.

The missionaries are always so appreciative of any little thing we do for them; from making a phone call for them, delivering them a package from home, getting them supplies at the office, etc. We had the opportunity to really help a missionary the other day and were thankful that we were in a position to do so. She has been thanking us every since. We told her to just concentrate on her missionary work now, and when she has an opportunity some day she can pass it on.

I turned 66 on Thursday and had a nice birthday. All the texts, birthday cards, and phone calls made me feel special. We went to a movie, and then the Ball's treated us to dinner to celebrate my birthday.

We rang in the new year playing games with the Ball's. I had to twist James' arm to get him to play games, but he really enjoyed it and got into it. He won Phase 10 and I won Five Crowns! 
We ate too many sweets and toasted in 2017 with glasses of "bubbly" Martinelli's.
(FYI:  Martinelli's is made in California near Monterrey Bay.)

Sunday at church we met Mario who was baptized last April and just moved into the ward. He is twenty-eight years old and spent ten years in prison. When he got out and was on parole he accompanied a friend to church. He loved how it felt there and how he felt inside. He had to wait until he was off parole to be able to join the church. After church we took him home so he could change his clothes and then we dropped him off at his job at a rehabilitation place for ex-convicts. He used to be a client there and now that is where he is employed. He grew up in southern California in a dysfunctional family that is into drugs, drinking, gangs, and prison. He told his mom he loves them, but would have to love them from a distance because he has changed his life and doesn't want to be influence by their lifestyle. He is also getting laser treatments to remove his tattoos. Mario is a big, big guy and barely fit into the front seat of our VW with the seat all the way back.

We want to wish you all JOY & PEACE in the new year.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of December 19-25 (Christmas)

The missionaries in our mission get to go to the temple twice per year, in June and in December, with members from their wards. Then a couple weeks before they finish their mission they get to go to the temple with the other departing missionaries. In addition, it is new policy that they can go with their new converts to take them to do baptisms. Well, last Tuesday and Wednesday were the all mission temple trips. On Tuesday we went and Ingrid Ball went with us. Her husband opted to stay at the office. We went to the Los Angeles Mission Office in the basement of the Visitor Center. We met the office couples and had a tour of their office. It was fun to see how another mission office looks and runs. We saw many of our missionaries coming out of the temple as we were going in. They went earlier. We ate a late lunch in the temple cafeteria before going to a session. It was past 5:30 pm and dark when we walked out of the temple, but the Christmas lights were shining brightly. We walked around and enjoyed them before our drive back.

On our afternoon off on Thursday, we delivered the fifteen microwave potato bags I made to some of our neighbors and friends from church. It was fun to spread a little Christmas cheer.



Friday was the Christmas "Morningside" for this side of the mission at our stake center. We had breakfast, watched the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", passed out the Christmas treat bags, played a fun game with the gifts the parents had sent, had a couple special musical numbers, sang Christmas carols, were taught by President and Sister Layton, and ended with a picture video of the missionaries and their activities. Everyone had a wonderful time!

Saturday night, Christmas Eve, the Morris's invited us over for a Mexican dinner. We brought bunuelos and pan dulce that we bought at Vallarta's Mexican grocery store. (It was so busy there this morning. Everyone was buying masa to make tamales and their food for the holidays.) After dinner, we had a fun "white elephant" gift exchange. Then Patty Morris read a touching Christmas story. It was so nice being there with some of their family and friends. It distracted us from missing our own family and Christmas traditions.

On Christmas morning we found our stockings all filled with goodies and opened a couple gifts. Then we went to church and enjoyed our Christmas Sacrament Meeting. We loved talking to our kids and grandkids and hearing about their Christmas.                 








We had Christmas dinner at the Ball's house with them, Elders Colburn, Egbers, Casper, and Waters, and John from their ward.

Below are some of the Christmas lights and trees around Bakersfield that we have enjoyed this season.

The article "The Holy Ghost Our Personal Guide" in the January Ensign tells about the adoption of our own sweet Sister Hayes in our mission. She was adopted from an orphanage in Asia when she was four years old. The article is written by her mother.

A picture is worth a thousand words.
I guess it is true that some Mormons have horns!







    THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of December 12-18

Monday we welcomed ten new missionaries to the California Bakersfield Mission. James and I are the ones that usually set up the cultural hall for their arrival. We set up tables for the lunch and tables for the orientation stations area. We are in charge of the lunch also. We order and pick up the pizzas. I make salad, and this time we also had cantaloupe, grapes, and cuties. The missionaries arrive at the airport about noon. President and Sister Layton and the Assistants are there to greet them. Elder Morris is also there with his truck and trailer to transport all of their luggage. They usually get to the church about 12:30. We eat lunch and visit. Then we man our stations (contact info, housing, health, vehicles, finances, photos/emails, and picture with President and Sister Layton), and the missionaries fan out to get information, sign papers, etc. After they have gone to each of the stations, they get their mission binder (full of more important info) and a treat! This month it was the sugar cookies I made and a candy cane in a little bag for each one. Then the missionaries go to the Relief Society room for some training. We clean up.       
That evening we all have dinner at the mission home. Sister Morris takes care of that dinner. She did ask me to make salad this time.             
Here we are with Sister Arceo from the Houston Spanish Stake. Her stake president is President Call, who served with James in the first Spanish Stake when we lived in Pasadena, Texas.

On Tuesday the new missionaries are assigned companions and transfers take place. Early Wed.

morning the Assistants and President and Sister Layton take the departing missionaries to the airport. We had twelve go home this time.

This is a picture of some of the Christmas Morningside treat bags I assembled. I felt like one of Santa's elves filling 149 Christmas stockings. Our mission had two Christmas Morningsides on Thursday for the missionaries in the Lancaster/Palmdale and the Ridgecrest/Bishop areas. This coming Friday will be the one for the Bakersfield area. We have also been getting lots of Christmas gifts in the office that we have had to organize and wrap to be given out at the Morningsides.

Saturday we drove to the twin cities of Lancaster and Palmdale in the Antelope Valley. They are about 95 miles to the south-east. We had not been to that part of the mission yet, so we decided to go. We also had some packages and a license plate tag to deliver to some of the missionaries serving in those cities. As we were driving we were surprised to see a light dusting of snow on the mountains. There are huge solar farms outside of Lancaster. Lancaster became the first US city to require solar panels on all new homes effective January 2014. Lancaster is also home to the first "musical road" in the US. We rolled our windows down and listened to the theme of "The Lone Ranger" (1950's TV show) as we drove 55 mph down the grooved road. The music is probably only about a quarter mile, but it was pretty cool!

Palmdale is called the "Aerospace Capital of America" and is home to Edwards Air Force Base. There is also the California Poppy Preserve. The poppies are in bloom mid-February to mid-May, so we will have to visit then.

Guess where America's favorite clementine comes from? If you said Bakersfield, you are right!   They are grown in the San Joaquin Valley which includes all of Kern County where Bakersfield is. They are packaged at Sun Pacific in Bakersfield. Cuties are the original "fruit" snack.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of December 5 - 11

This week was draining, especially for Elder Porras. He had a colonoscopy on Tuesday so Monday it was a clear liquid diet and Dulcolax and Miralax. When they took him back for his procedure, I went to work for a couple hours until they called me to come get him. Everything went fine. It took all the rest of Tuesday and all night for his drowsiness to wear off and his stomach to get back to normal.

On Wednesday we met Elder Sant and Elder Chamberlain at the church to teach April a new member lesson. First, Elder Chamberlain helped her with some of her math problems she didn't understand. We were lost, but she got it. Then we had a lesson on faith and how faith, hope, and charity are intertwined. We took the pictures below at church today because the elders wanted pictures with us before they get transferred on Tuesday. Elder Sant is on top and Elder Chamberlain is on the bottom.

Saturday we went to Tehachapi, which is about forty-five minutes from Bakersfield. It is a pretty drive there because you get into the mountains. Since it is over 4,000 feet in elevation it was about fifteen degrees colder there and rainy and foggy. Before we got to the town we stopped at  the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument and museum. Cesar Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist who organized strikes and protests for the benefit of the migrant workers. He helped organize the National Farm Workers Association. He helped so many people improve their lives. He started out in the fields as a Mexican American farm worker. That back breaking work and his long fasts for his causes took a toll on him and he died when he was only sixty-six. It was a slow day at the museum and we were the only ones there, so we got to visit with the girl at the front desk and ask her lots of questions. She is Daniella Chavez one of Cesar's thirty-five grandchildren. She was born after he died so she only got to know him thru her grandmother who took care of her when she was little and then Daniella took care of her grandmother in the last years of her life. Helen, Cesar's wife, died just last June. Daniella is twenty years old and one of the younger grandchildren. She said she has been bullied and called a Communist by those who didn't like what her grandfather did or understand it. I told Daniella what impressed me as I learned about her grandpa is what good one person can do in this life. I told her about our church's Christmas initiative, "Light the World" on mormon.org. I told her that her grandpa certainly did his part to light the world by helping all the people he did and improving their lives and bringing light into their lives.

Then we drove along the scenic Tehachapi Loop. However, because it was so foggy we couldn't see much. We did see the train. The train loop was built in l876 and is the largest spiral configuration of railroad tracks every designed and built. They say if the train is long enough, it will pass over itself.

We drove on into the town of Tehachapi to the Crèche Festival at the church. It was beautifully set up. We enjoyed seeing some of the missionaries serving there. Sister Gallacher, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado is in the red shirt. Remember the nativity scene (in the bottom picture) that we all got from Primary or Mutual back in the '60's and was in every Mormon home. That brought back memories.

Sunday evening we attended a Community Christmas Music Festival at the stake center. There was beautiful music and singing. Our favorite was a couple who sang "All I Want For Christmas" accompanied by her playing the ukulele. It was very peppy unlike most of the numbers. Too bad they didn't sing more.

This evening I made and decorated sugar cookies all by myself. There were no grandkids around to help me. I missed our annual grandkids cooking decorating and caroling day! I made the cookies for a treat for the arriving missionaries that come tomorrow.

This week the mission received four new cars; Chevy Malibu's. The cars are really nice. We have fourteen more coming in the next few weeks. Some of the missionaries have been trying to buddy-up to Elder Porras in hopes that they will be assigned one of the new cars. Too bad it doesn't work that way. The cars with the most mileage (over 50,000 miles), cars farthest away from Bakersfield, and other factors are taken into consideration. Then the President and his Assistants are really the ones who make the decisions.

Dewar's Fine Candies is a fourth generation family owned and operated business. It was established in Bakersfield back in 1909. They have chocolates, taffy chews, and ice cream. We had an ice cream cone there and it was good, but Utah State Aggie ice cream or Texas Blue Bell ice cream have them beat. However, it is a fun place to go. They have two locations; the original store and a new modern building.

   THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!