Week of Aug 22-28

We have had a cool down here. Last week the temperatures stayed at 99 degrees or below. This is suppose to continue for another week. For some reason most people mow their lawns very short almost scalping them. We don't know why.
We have been buying flowers every week to brighten our apartment up and give it a little decoration.

A couple times I have forgotten my name tag. I almost feel naked without it. Our name tags have become part of us. We wear them on the left side over our hearts because we are called and set apart representatives of Jesus Christ and the name tag helps us remember who we are and what we represent. Of course, our name tag lets others know who we are also. One day last week we went out to lunch at Habit (a hamburger place) with some of our co-workers. When the young man at the counter saw our name tags, he got excited and told us he has been investigating the church.

Our mission had zone conferences on Tues, Wed, and Thurs of the last two weeks. We attended our first zone conference on Thursday. It was great! Look at those smiling faces of the missionaries in these two zones. It seems like the missionaries are always smiling and full of pep and energy. President and Sister Layton taught the missionaries about preparing people for baptism and confirmation and enduring to the end from a mission president's seminar that Elder Renlund gave. He said, "If we find those who will receive us, we will build up or establish the Savior's church." We all learned how to do a direct approach, teach & testify, and invite.

Sister Gallacher (on the left) is from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Her stake president is Ralph Walker who I went to high school with. Her dad called the mission office the other day to inquire about something, and we discovered he knows our son, Tony, and used to do business with him.

We went with Elders Olsen and Bennett to visit Serena. She was a self referral and is a very spiritual person. Years ago her father found some scriptures (a triple and a Book of Mormon) in a case on a bench. He gave them to her. She read some of the Book of Mormon back then, but got confused. A few weeks ago she contacted the church. The missionaries visited and gave her another Book of Mormon. She has already read to Jacob and says she believes it and feels pure and close to the spirit when she reads it. She has a strong belief about not worshipping on Sunday because she believes that it is a pagan practice. Nonetheless, we invited her to go to church with us and hope she will call. She did call and said she didn't feel ready to go to church on Sunday yet. She said she is looking forward to our next visit though. James has been out with the missionaries several other times, but this was my first time to go. It is amazing the spirit the elders have and how they are able to answer her questions. James also goes to visit members with the High Priest group leader and has given a couple blessings recently; one to Jilleen Bingham and one to John Drake, who was in the hospital.

Friday two new missionaries arrived from Mexico. Elder Jarmillo is from Monterrey and Elder Velveer is from Puebla. They have been serving in Mexico City for the last six months waiting for their visas. Everybody was thankful that James can speak Spanish and was able to talk to them and help them get oriented to the mission here and fill out the paperwork.

It is weird not to have visiting teaching and home teaching assignments while we are on our mission. That has been part of our lives forever and will be again when we get back.

THE LORD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Week of Aug 15-21

Wow, we have already been our mission for a month! We are feeling more comfortable in our roles and jobs. James has been spending a lot of time on the phone talking to the Elders and Sisters getting their driving info into the computer correctly, figuring out who has what car, scheduling oil changes for them, etc. Talking to the missionaries is a real blessing to him. He is very good at engaging them in conversation. He says he can feel their spirit coming through the phone. He took the Assistants, Elder Tasi and Elder Holmgren, out to lunch one day last week. I have been helping Sister Ball go through the file drawers in the front office, organizing the files and labeling them, and throwing out the old stuff. I also enter the convert baptism and confirmation records every week in the computer. I love doing that. I almost feel like I know them after I enter their name, birthdate, place of birth, address, parent's names, spouse's name and birthdate, marriage date and place, children, etc. It is interesting to see if they are the only member of their family or feel the joy that their family must feel if they are members. Our mission averages six to seven baptisms per week.



We found out that one of our missionaries, Elder Allen, is from Aurora and knows Gaby. James was talking to him the other day about his car. Then the next day he called and asked me if I knew Gaby Porras. I said that she was our granddaughter.

I had the thought to compare our mission to a great play. The play would not be great if it did not have all the people behind the scenes doing their jobs. We feel like we are some of the people behind the scenes helping the mission run smoothly so the missionaries can do their great work in bringing souls unto Christ. Our personal mission scripture is D&C 64:33 which says, "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

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Two mornings this week we went out early and helped with the garden at our complex. One of the residents, Don, took on the project of a garden a couple years ago. We helped him pull out the old plants and weeds to get it ready to rototill and plant for a fall garden. We miss not having a garden this year, so it was so fun. We'll take another picture in a few months when it is planted and growing.

We have good Christian neighbors here and everyone is very friendly. In their conversations they say things like "The Lord really blessed me . . ." and "Have a blessed day".

Friday, for date night, we went to the movie, "Florence Foster Jenkins". It was a very good movie based on the real life of Florence, played by Meryl Streep, who was a rich wanna be singer in New York in the l940's. Her husband, Hugh Grant, called her "bunny" and "bunny rabbit". We couldn't believe our ears since we call each other "bunny" and James calls me "bunny rabbit" sometimes. What are the odds!

Our P-day is Saturday. We usually do the washing, clean the apartment, get groceries, and then try to do something fun. Last Saturday we drove 35 miles to Taft. We drove around and walked around. They have a cool oil workers monument and a very nice, interesting Museum, West Kern Oil Museum. Many movies have been made in Taft including Thelma & Louise, Five Easy Pieces, and Too Young to Die.

We have been trying to exercise more regularly, but it is hard to get up and get going when you don't have someone else keeping you accountable, like when we would workout with Troy and Crystal. We go to the fitness center at our complex sometimes or just exercise in our room. I have gone for a walk a few mornings. Sadly, the calluses on the palms of our hands are nearly disappearing since we don't do kettle bells anymore.

Everything in Bakersfield is covered in a layer of dust because it is so dry and then the wind blows the dirt from the fields and empty lots. It is terrible. Also, we have noticed there are no big temperature signs on banks or other buildings like most towns have. I guess they don't want to scare people with the numbers. Last week we were between 100-106 everyday. Something else kind of unique about Bakersfield is that it is a U-turn town. There are small medians on most of the roads so you can not pull out and go left. You have to go to the next stop light and then make a U-turn and go back the other direction.

THE LORD LOVES YOU, AND SO DO WE!

Week of Aug 8-14

We seem to be getting into our routine a little more now. I am getting used to wearing a skirt or dress everyday and James is getting used to shaving everyday. I make our lunches in the morning to take to the office. James will even eat salad for lunch with me sometimes. We went to Goodwill one day after work and found a bag for James to carry his stuff in and two ties. He needed a few more to add to his collection. Sometimes I think what I have to wear is boring, but he puts a white shirt and tie on everyday which is really boring. We do try to match his tie to what I am wearing.

Monday our mission picked up twenty-four new missionaries (19 elders and 5 sisters) at the airport. They arrived around 12:45 pm and were taken to one of the stake centers where we feed them pizza that James had ordered and picked up. Then they were in orientation meetings, went tracting, and had interviews with the mission president until dinner time. It was fun to meet them. One of them, Elder Pyfer, is from the Founders Ward in Castle Rock and knows some of our granddaughters. We all ate dinner at the church. On Tuesday they all came back to the stake center for more meetings and to meet their new trainers. It was transfer day, which happens every six weeks, so lots of missionaries were moved around and got new companions. Then early on Wednesday morning we had fifteen missionaries return home because their missions were completed. It is amazing to get a look at what goes on behind the scenes. Thanks to the Assistants to the President (we have four) things ran very smoothly.

Friday night we had dinner at the Morris's house (he does vehicles and she does referrals and the newsletter) along with the other office couple, the housing couple, and Pres. Layton and his wife. They feed us tri-tip with salsa on top - a local favorite. Bakersfield is also known for its tri-tip sandwiches. It was a nice evening.

Saturday night we went to a baptism for Kimberly Medina, a 20 year old girl. It was partly in Spanish and partly in English. They asked James to be a witness.

Sunday we gave talks in Sacrament Meeting. Mine was on "Family History" and James talked on "Families". I gave the congregation a "Will you. . . . .?" invitation like we learned to do at the MTC. I said, "Will you do some family history of some kind today before the day is over?" I had them raise their hands if the answer was "yes". Most of them raised their hands. The rest hymn was "Families Can Be Together Forever" per James's request. (That is our special song that we always sing before our family dinners.)

Fun Fact - Bakersfield's Bolthouse Farms and Grimmway Farms together produce almost 90% of California's carrot crop. Those "baby carrots" that everyone likes to munch on were developed right here. The next time you buy carrots look at the bag and I bet it will be from Bakersfield!




 


MIRACLE - One day the mission president came into the office with a request. He said he wished he had something to give to the departing missionaries. He said he thought it would be nice to give them a temple recommend holder with our mission logo on it. He asked us to look into it and order enough for his three years as mission president. Later that afternoon, I was sitting at the front desk. Sister Ball had left the office to do an errand. I finished up doing the forwarding mail labels for the missionary mail. As I was cleaning up I saw something on the floor under the desk and picked it up. It was a temple recommend holder with a picture of the Los Angeles temple on one side and the California Bakersfield Mission logo on the other side. I thought maybe Sister Ball had it. When she got back and saw it on the desk, she asked where it came from. I told her I had seen it on the floor and picked it up. We asked everyone in the office if they knew anything about it. No one did. In tiny, tiny writing the recommend holder also had the website where you can order them. That was amazing! The angels are alive and well!

The Lord loves you and so do we!

BAKERSFIELD

We thought we would tell you a little about Bakersfield. It is the capitol of Kern County which is one of the richest agricultural regions in the world, as well as the most prolific oil producing county in the country. The population is about 370,000 and about half the population is Hispanic. The elevation is only 492 feet. It is 90 miles north of Los Angeles, 90 miles south of Fresno, and 90 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Bakersfield has 270 days of sunshine per year and it only snows about once every thirty years. There has been a blue sky and sunshine everyday since we have been here, so when you look outside and see the trees gently swaying in the breeze it looks nice. Then you go outside and feel a wave of heat! It had been 105-110 everyday, but today we had a break because it was only 95. The trees here remind me of Texas. There are a lot of pretty blooming crepe myrtle trees, magnolia trees, and oleander trees. There are some palm trees, but mostly near the nice shopping centers and housing areas. Bakersfield has lots of almond tree farms. Apparently, there is a huge church almond farm  here also. There are huge power line towers everywhere. I guess they don't know about underground lines or they think of them as mini Eiffel Towers beautifying the landscape. Someone told us there are 10,000 oil wells in Bakersfield. Some are spread around, but they are mostly in oil fields where you can see oil pumps forever. So there is a big oil industry and those areas look like Pasadena, Texas where we used to live.

We have been adjusting to a 9 to 5 work week. Really it is more like 8:30 to 4:30, but varies a little everyday. We have a staff meeting in the office on Tuesday mornings with the mission president, his wife, the AP's, the housing couple, the vehicle coordinator, etc. James is really getting a handle on all the vehicle paperwork, what to do with it, calling the missionaries to get info they forgot on their forms, and entering it in the computer. Alecia is getting used to all that goes on in the office, answering the phone sometimes, dealing with the mail, assembling the orientation books, entering the baptism records, and so on. One of our missionaries went home for three days to attend his mother's funeral. Another missionary's family came from Cancun, Mexico to pick him up from his mission about a week early so they could all visit Salt Lake City before returning home. That was very exciting! The elder was at the office waiting when his family arrived. It was a tearful, happy reunion.

Friday night we went on a triple date with President Layton and his wife and the Ball's, the other office couple, to Buck Owens Crystal Palace. We had dinner and listened to live music from the Stampedes and another group. It was fun watching people dance and line dance. They looked pretty professional like they knew what they were doing, so we did not join them. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard are big here and each have a road named after them.

James has gone out with the missionaries several times visiting people. James and I went to visit Victor Romero who got baptized about a month ago. He owned two Ihops and has a '57 Chevy in his garage. We talked about families and doing family history. Today during Sunday School we helped him get an LDS account and log into familysearch and enter a few things. He was excited and we were excited! His wife who has been a member about two and a half years was really excited too and wants us to help her. They are about ten years older than us and from Peru. They speak English as well as Spanish. After church today we were invited to attend as Victor was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. It is exciting to see his progression!

We usually just check our mail once or twice a week. On Tuesday it is very exciting because there is a lot of junk mail and food ads!

We have been dealing with red fuzz balls and fluff from our new red/burgundy bath towels. The towels are huge and fluffy, but maybe not worth it. Even after several washings we are still finding red stuff everywhere. Problems, problems!

Tender Mercy - I have noticed that my hands don't get numb anymore like they did. At home I would usually wake up with numb hands and often have trouble trying to write or type on the computer especially in the mornings. I was worried that I might have problems here working in an office with the numbness. The Lord has blessed me!

FIRST WEEK IN BAKERSFIELD

We took the desolate "scenic" route to California via Hwy 50 and then Hwy 6 because we didn't want to just take I 15 like everyone else. We didn't see much but a lonely tree covered in old sneakers. There were some pretty mountains in the background sometimes, but everything was very dry. Occasionally, we saw some strange cactus. Halfway through Nevada our air conditioner quit working. We tried not to notice at first, but before long it got rather unbearable. I was beginning to understand how people lost out in the desert can get blurry eyed and see mirages. When we stopped at the California state line check station to see if we were bringing in fruits or vegetables, the officer asked if we knew that our underlining was dragging. We did not know, but pulled over in the only tiny bit of shade by a little tree to look. Sure enough everything was falling down. James tried to hook it back up the best he could. The fix only lasted about ten minutes before we could feel it dragging again and blowing in the wind. There was nothing to do but keep going for a couple more hours to Bishop, California. We found a repair shop where the man got the flapping part unhooked. We spent the night at a hotel and left at 5:00 am to drive the four hours to Bakersfield before it got unbearably hot. We managed to find the mission office and Elder Ball (another office senior missionary) took us to The Villas at Scenic River, our apartment, and helped us unload our car.

Then we had to sign a million papers at the office and he showed us around; the pool, the club house, the mail room, the fitness room, etc. However, I have yet to see a scenic river. The mission welcomed us with a very nice big goodies basket to get us through the first couple days. I worked on putting our things away while James took our car to a shop for an estimate.

We met with President Layton and his wife that first evening. Their assignment just started July 1st, so they are new also.  Pres. Layton asked me if I have worked on family history and been on familysearch. He asked James about his experience with Hispanics. He said we were an answer to prayer because we are just what he needed to accomplish what he envisions for our mission. He wants us to work with the new converts and inactivates to help them take a family name to the temple. He said that if new converts are able to do that within three months the retention rate is 85%. Pres. Layton told us our first priority is to take care of each other and our family. Then we are to help souls come unto Christ.

The next day, Elder and Sister Ball drove us to the California Bakersfield Mission Office. It is only a few blocks away, but on busy Coffee Rd. The office is kind of tucked away at the end of a small strip of offices with a bigger building in front of it. The Balls are a very kind couple who have been working in the office for about six months. Their mission is eighteen months, so they will be here the whole time we are. They are very patient and helpful. Elder Morris, the vehicle coordinator, insisted on giving us a brand new mission car to use while ours is in the shop.

The President assigned us to attend the Bakersfield 2nd Ward for the time being. About half of the ward is Hispanic and there is a high rate of inactivity. They have both Spanish and English Sunday School classes and Relief Society. James is very excited about this opportunity because he has always wanted to work with the Hispanic people. I thought maybe I could figure it out and with the Lords help it would be okay.

Well, our car broke down and next Sister Porras broke down! My body could not handle all the drastic changes all at once. James gave me a blessing and got me to a good doctor the next day. Dr. Nillson prescribed some medication to help me. He reiterated that some people just can not physically and emotionally handle so much change without their body rebelling. I rested most of the week and got feeling better enough that I went to the office Thursday afternoon and Friday.

Before we left the office on Friday afternoon, Pres. Layton told us that a general authority told them that they should take their missionary badges off, put their jeans on, and fade into the crowd for their Friday night dates. That was music to all of us! That is just what we did.

Even through all of our troubles, we definitely saw the hand of the Lord in our lives; our car got us to California, there was a car for us to borrow, I was able to get right into the doctor, we felt comfort and love,

Weekly Humor - James often has nightmares where he is fighting animals or the bad guys off. I have gotten punched and kicked more than once. However, on this occasion our new queen size bed was not big enough for him (we have a king size bed at home) and he fell right off bumping into the night stand. He cut his lip inside and out and was bleeding like bloody murder! Thankfully, all his teeth were intact. He has had fun coming up with explanations as to why his lip is swollen and colorful!

MTC (Missionary Training Center)

We packed our little VW Jetta until it was nearly bursting. There was just enough room for us in the front seats. We were off on a new adventure to serve the Lord!




We spent two weeks at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo, Utah. The first week we learned to teach about Christ from the book "Preach My Gospel". They were big on using role plays, so we got a lot of experience doing that. The next week, we had computer training that we will be able to use in the mission office where we will be serving our mission. We learned many cool tricks and shortcuts. If we can only remember them, they will really be of help. Also, we were reminded that we are missionaries first and our purpose is to bring souls unto Christ. We will have opportunities daily to do that no matter what else we are doing.


There were 130 of us senior missionaries at the MTC from all over the United States and going to all parts of the country and other countries to serve in many different capacities. It was especially fun to see the 2,000 young elder and sister missionaries and talk to them to see where they were from and where they are going. They are all so energetic and happy to be serving the Lord. It was rather refreshing to notice that they were cell phoneless. It was amazing to see all of these young people without phones.




We are getting used to wearing our missionary badges all the time. We have discovered they get us attention, we are noticed, and we almost feel like celebrities. It is pretty special being full time representatives of Jesus Christ!

Mission Call

We received our big white envelope from Salt Lake City on Monday, May 23, 2016. We drove to the Denver Temple and sat on a bench there where we nervously opened the envelope up together.
We spotted California Bakersfield Mission, July 4th, and Office Specialists. We were pleasantly surprised and felt peaceful and calm about it! We emailed Janel and family in London with the news. Then at 8:30 pm most of the family came over. Delane, Cesar, and Gaby joined us through FaceTime. Everyone was anxious. We decided to go around the room and let each person ask a "yes" or "no" question. We didn't get very far when Cesar asked, "Is it California?". Then they asked questions to narrow it down, and James finally read the letter. Everyone was excited! There were some questions and discussion. We had ice cream treats and everyone said goodbye.