Grand News

So the post today isn't just mission news. Autumn is pregnant and we will join the ranks of "GRAND PARENTS" in mid May 2011.

When we were finalizing our mission papers to submit we were told very clearly from Autumn that if we chose not to request a mission to SLC, Utah and we were sent somewhere else and she had a baby and I couldn't come she would be angry at us. She said she would get over it, but she would be angry; so she began praying that we would be called to a local (SLC, Utah) mission. At the same time, my mother (who lives in SLC) began praying that we would be called to a SLC mission also. We did not include any request on paperwork, with our Bishop or our Stake President. We just wanted to serve a mission wherever the Lord wanted us to serve. We came here and my mother has been very happy to have us here and to give me her family's genealogy to start working on. Now Autumn will have their baby during our mission and we will be able to take some time and help her and be with her and see our first grandchild at birth. We are all very grateful.

It has been another week of redo's in the Historical Families Unit. We are fairly certain that there isn't much else for us to change before we get it right and are able to continue adding the remaineder of the Tongan Oral Genealogies and the other recordings that are ready to put up online. There were some major breakthroughs this week with the Community Trees where we have been posting to Family Search, and we now think that there will be enough space for all of these valuable recordings. We are happy to be part of the process. Ed and I are quite invested now in these records. I can see where it is very easy to feel like you don't want to leave until the work is done. The problem is, the work is never done! But, we will probably extend for a few months now we know that Ashley and Aubree will be graduating in December of 2012.

I have found it very interesting this week how easy it is to live without things. Our apartment is decorated in "early missionary" style but we really have everything we need (except my books.....I miss my library and a comfortable bed). We are so busy with our genealogy that there isn't much time for other hobbies. We try to exercise every day, we eat simply, we work 5 days a week and do our own genealogy in the evenings and on weekends interspersed with getting together with family and friends, attending the temple and concerts and an occasional movie or play (we loved Secretariat!). There are so many things to do here. Between the free concerts on Temple Square, there just seem to be so many things to do. There are lots of social things between our missionary group (August group) and the ward activities and mission activities. We are actually too busy to do all the things we would like! It is such a great life.

The weather this week has continued to be wonderful. We have enjoyed the mid 70's again after a wonderful fall chill of about 44 degrees when we head out the door in the morning. It is very dark now when I go to choir practice in the morning but I have only had to break out a coat one day so far. I realize it will soon be cold enough for a coat each day.

Yesterday we headed up into the mountains to drive the Alpine Loop and see the fall colors. The weather has not been cold enough to get the reds, but the yellows were great. For those of you who are familiar with the Loop I know you will find this funny, but we actually got lost. We made the turn to Cascade Springs thinking that was the correct way but we ended up going across the mountains to Heber instead of through the canyon to Sundance. We didn't care. It was a beautiful drive.

At prayer meeting on Friday one of the missionaries who is British (Elder Cox) shared some information about Joseph of Arimathea which was fascinating to me. He first showed us a little book that came from the stacks on our floor of the library (British Floor) called "History and Antiquities of Glastonbury" and published in 1794. He told us that this little book, probably the smallest in the library (it was only about 3X5), tells about a very significant place in the story of Christianity and the place that England holds in the story of the Restoration. Then he gave us the following information about Joseph of Arimathea: He was one of the richest men in the world at the time; he owned a large fleet of ships because he was an importer of tin mined from Cornwall, England (tin was used by the Romans as an alloy for making weapons); he was made the guardian of the Virgin Mary by John when he is banished to Patmos; after the Sanhedrin (of which he was a member) launched the persecution of Christians he took the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the Bethany sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus and others to England where he was greeted by his daughter, Anna who is the wife of Prince Belinus, youngest son of King Bran the Blessed; the King gives 12 "hides" of land (sized sufficient to live off) to them and the Domesday Book (1086 AD) records that he granted it to them tax free forever. The place where they settled is now called Glastonbury, but then it was called....Avalon. The gospel was established in that place by devoted followers and family of Jesus. In 156 AD King Lucius established Christianity as the national religion of Britain. No wonder that the gospel restoration message was taken quickly to England and so many faithful saints came from there to strengthen the restored church in America. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Have a great week!