Sunday, June 10, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year
Our New Year family gathering began early the morning of Wednesday the 29th of December. Ed, Ashley, Aubree and I poured into our car and started driving to Florida. We went to the family favorite Sundale Donuts for breakfast on the road as we watched the sun rise on our way east out of Houston.We arrived at the Marriott Lakeshore Reserve in Orlando and were very pleased with the townhouse we had booked to stay in on this trip. The property is a new one for Marriott and we feel pampered already. We settled in and did some grocery shopping before heading to the airport to pick up Autumn, Derrick and Edison. Their flight didn't arrive until 11:15pm Florida time which meant Edison had taken a long nap on the flight and wasn't about to go back to sleep. He wanted to explore the new digs and play with his aunts and grandparents but we just wanted to get to sleep!
Edison finally went to sleep and slept in on Friday morning so grandma and grandpa stayed with him while the young adults got up early to be the first in line at Epcot in Disney World. They were able to get in the rides that they wanted to and then we all met up later at Epcot for an evening of fun.
We got Edison his first pair of Mickey ears but he was more interested in eating them than wearing them.
Now we realized that Disney World was a popular place this time of year, but we did not realized that each of the Disney parks has a capacity limit that is usually met this time of year. Autumn did the planning for us so we didn't try to get into the Magic Kingdom on New Year's Eve because it was closed at least 4 days that we know of, but I was still a little surprised at how full Epcot became.
The first thing we did on New Year's Eve morning was head to the Character Place. It was worth the wait to see Edison's reaction to Mickey and Minnie and pulling Pluto's whiskers.
He also got to pat Donald Duck's bill. 
Me.....I love Goofy!
We all went on the future ride inside the big Epcot dome. When we were asked the questions about what we would like our future to be Ed was surprised when I answered that I would rather "wing it" than have a plan.
We brought in the New Year a little early and then everyone went to sleep except me. Funny how things change with a baby in the house. ^_^ Actually, Edison went to be first and then Ed was next and then everyone else. I waited until after the fireworks display put on by Marriott. I went outside to view what I could but the fireworks originated on the other side of the Marriott tower so I didn't get to see all the lower fireworks but everything that went up high was spectacular. It was just what I wanted to bring in the new year. That lasted about 20 minutes and then I returned to the dark, quiet townhouse and went to sleep.I am looking forward to another wonderful year.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Home Again...Home Again!
Home. "The place we love to dwell" the familiar hymn states. It is wonderful to be home. The girls welcomed us with a little live tree all lit and decorated and a special Thai dinner ready for us to eat. They were all smiles and hugs for which I was very glad. I was hoping they would not be sad that we were coming home to stay ending the time they have had the house to themselves. Ashley had to move out of our bedroom and back upstairs. She is very gracious about it and they house looks wonderful. They have done a great job of keeping it up even with their school and work obligations. It was a fun welcome home.
We promptly began planning what the next week or two will be like and Ed began by bringing boxes of Christmas decorations and "stuff" from the attic for me to go through. There is way too much stuff and Ed was surprised. He just kept wandering through the house and then coming back to me and saying, "I didn't remember that stuff!" At the same time he made the comment that it certainly was nice to have more space to wander around in.
Saturday we celebrated Ashley's accomplishments in being awarded her Masters of Public Administration. I am thrilled for her. It was great to meet some of the professors she worked for and to hear them talk about her. It was most fun to watch them talk with each other because they were obviously having fun with her, joking around with an ease that demonstrated friendship and mutual respect. One of the professors told me he is really hoping to get Ashley to agree to a PhD program and he is going to work on her for the next semester since she will be teaching two government classes at the University while she waits to see if she gets an appointment with the Peace Corps. I think Ashley will opt for working right now rather than more school but I enjoyed being the proud mom during the day.
Sunday was great to see our friends and ward family again. We felt so warmly welcomed by everyone. We have felt like one of the younger couples for 18 months now but in our ward, particularly seeing the growth of so many of the kids I saw being born or taught in Primary or YW, we have been put back in our place as one of the old ones. My goodness! One of my friends came up to me with a 7 month old baby in her arms and said, "Hi Nora, I had another baby while you were gone!" It just put into perspective what happens in life while we were in a sort of suspended existence while serving the Lord.
It was also interesting to me that the speakers at Church spoke on Family History and Genealogy. ^_^
So now we start with preparing to discard and organize our "stuff" so we can sell the house and get ready for the rest of our life serving more missions, traveling and visiting friends and family.
Not a bad life I'd say. I am so blessed.
We promptly began planning what the next week or two will be like and Ed began by bringing boxes of Christmas decorations and "stuff" from the attic for me to go through. There is way too much stuff and Ed was surprised. He just kept wandering through the house and then coming back to me and saying, "I didn't remember that stuff!" At the same time he made the comment that it certainly was nice to have more space to wander around in.
Saturday we celebrated Ashley's accomplishments in being awarded her Masters of Public Administration. I am thrilled for her. It was great to meet some of the professors she worked for and to hear them talk about her. It was most fun to watch them talk with each other because they were obviously having fun with her, joking around with an ease that demonstrated friendship and mutual respect. One of the professors told me he is really hoping to get Ashley to agree to a PhD program and he is going to work on her for the next semester since she will be teaching two government classes at the University while she waits to see if she gets an appointment with the Peace Corps. I think Ashley will opt for working right now rather than more school but I enjoyed being the proud mom during the day.
Sunday was great to see our friends and ward family again. We felt so warmly welcomed by everyone. We have felt like one of the younger couples for 18 months now but in our ward, particularly seeing the growth of so many of the kids I saw being born or taught in Primary or YW, we have been put back in our place as one of the old ones. My goodness! One of my friends came up to me with a 7 month old baby in her arms and said, "Hi Nora, I had another baby while you were gone!" It just put into perspective what happens in life while we were in a sort of suspended existence while serving the Lord.
It was also interesting to me that the speakers at Church spoke on Family History and Genealogy. ^_^
So now we start with preparing to discard and organize our "stuff" so we can sell the house and get ready for the rest of our life serving more missions, traveling and visiting friends and family.
Not a bad life I'd say. I am so blessed.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Last Days
Our last week has been filled with packing boxes, wrapping up in the zone, cramming in a few last scanning sessions, saying goodbye to friends and family and reviewing our own special memories.
On Monday after working in the zone (I finished the New Zealand updates, hurray!)we attended the Branch Christmas 'Hail and Farewell' Dinner in the JSMB. It was lovely. Our names were announced as one of 3 couples leaving the mission in December. All of us had to stand up at the front so the Branch could sing goodbye to us. It was hilarious......people stood up and came to the front to take our picture.....camera flashes were going off left and right and Sister Pilling, who was standing next to me, grabbed my arm and said, "We are like rock stars!".
On Tuesday we worked briefly in the zone and then began the process of dividing out the stuff we have accumulated in our 17 months here. What an ordeal! Some is given to our daughter; some we want to keep but don't need at home so we will store it at our daughter's house for now; some we will give to away Deseret Industries; some is wanted by the missionaries who are moving into our apartment in January (they have friends who are in the mission so they wanted to collect it for them and let them know what they would not have to bring); some we are giving to the missionary monthly swap meet; and some will go home with us. I was quickly overwhelmed by this process and the need for lists of what goes where, etc. Fortunately, Ed is a workhorse and he plows through the work. The best part of this day was meeting our trainers for dinner. It was such fun to have started out our experience here in the mission with them and to be able to finish with them. We had dinner in the Garden Restaurant upstairs in the JSMB and then they wanted us to show them the Community Trees so we went back to our desks and explored ways they might be able to use the Trees while they are training new missionaries.
On Wednesday we had Edison but had planned on picking him up and taking him back down to Provo so I could use the equipment Derrick(our son-in-law)had told me about in the campus library. It was much faster than scanning on our own machine at home and I preferred the program they used to the one I had. But first, I had to show up at the Elijah Choir practice to receive my certificate of service in the choir. I really didn't want to do that because I cry so easily and I really didn't want to cry in front of the choir, but I had been asked to play the piano in our zone devotional and we meet right after the choir in the JSMB Chapel so there wasn't a good way to get out of this. I arrived with Edison and they asked me to come to the front. It made it so much easier to accept the applause from the choir while holding Edison because everyone was smiling at him! Babies in the mission are a rare commodity so the attention I was getting was given to him with ooo's and ahhh's galore. It was quick and clean and I didn't cry.
I have enjoyed singing with these wonderful missionaries for over a year now. I can say with certainty that I have personally felt the assistance of angels joining us as we have sung these praises to our Savior and to the importance of this work.
After our zone devotional I took a few pictures and then we packed up Edison and my mother's genealogy and a few boxes of things to store at Autumn&Derrick's house and headed for the BYU campus. Ed stayed at home with Edison and I took the car to the library. I scanned for 5 hours and then returned to Autumn's house to check on Ed. He had done a great job with Edison who had taken a 2-3 hour nap! Autumn and Derrick returned home from work, we had dinner and then Derrick's brother came to stay with Edison while they took us (really it was for Ed's birthday but I sort of go along with him) back on campus to see the BYU production of White Christmas. It is one of Ed's all time favorite movies so Autumn did this for his birthday. It was very well done and we had a great time. We returned to SLC tired but it was a good day.
On Thursday we were "organizing" at the apartment and the phone rang. It was the employee with whom we had been working who needed some help so she wanted to know when we were coming in! Ed had planned on going in but the Tongan man who is a CSM(a local Church Service Missionary) was also in the zone today and we needed to connect on some things so both of us went over for a little while and then came back to work on organizing and packing until 4pm. At that time we picked up a missionary couple and headed out to the Hale Center Theatre to see the production of "A Christmas Carol". We love the Hale Center Theatre and it was a great performance for us to end on. Our missionary friends had never been there and they were very excited about it.
Friday was spent organizing and packing again. It was Derrick's birthday so we packed up more things to store at Autumn&Derrick's and more genealogy to scan and I spent a couple of hours scanning in the library again while Ed unloaded and inventoried at the Gibelyou house. We met them for a birthday dinner at 5:30pm and had a great time. Edison joined us for dinner and he was lively and fun for the surrounding tables as well as entertaining for us. Two of Derrick's brothers joined for the birthday celebrating.
Saturday was our final day of preparation. Ed worked like a machine getting boxes prepared and delivered. We decided we would plan to spend Sat, Sun and MonAM as if we were in a motel so we didn't worry about keeping any food or utensils. [Note: Now that it is noon on Sunday we are thinking that wasn't a great plan. We have a few crackers, bananas, clementines and nuts we bought for the trip. We are even sharing one glass which I had been using and forgot to pack!] Ed delivered boxes of food to other missionaries; boxes of apartment essentials to another missionary for the couple moving into our apartment; took another run to Deseret Industries; delivered a box of things for the missionary swap meet; packed up more boxes to take to Provo and then off we went for the final day of scanning (yes....there was a lot of stuff to scan). Autumn, Derrick and Edison came to the library for a while which was a great help. Then we returned to SLC to our apartment to find that someone had parked their car in our spot but we called the weekend manager and found another spot for last night.
This morning we attended our last Music and the Spoken Word. I tried to wave at my two female friends who are altos in the choir but now that they are in the Conference Center I am sure they did not see me. It was wonderful as always and is something I will miss.
At Sacrament Meeting today our friends, the Jensen's, who came to the mission in the same group we did, spoke. Elder Jensen shared things he has learned while serving here and most of them were things that I had also become aware of. Some of them are:
1. We have learned that much of my life has been in preparation for my missionary service.
2. We were assigned exactly where we needed to be.
3. We learned to rely on the Lord.
4. We learned (again) that no one is irreplaceable.
5. We learned how quickly we are able to bond with those with whom we work.
6. We learned how quickly the Spirit of Elijah can touch hearts.
7. We have gained a small glimpse of the complexity of our world wide church.
8. We learned that we can rise at 5AM three days a week to go sing in the choir.
9. We learned that living in a Zion society is possible.
Now it is my hope that as we drive away tomorrow morning after devotional that I will keep this wonderful feeling in my heart and soul and share it with everyone I meet. I hope that through my service here I have become a different person; more like my Savior. I think ultimately that is the real purpose of serving a mission.
On Monday after working in the zone (I finished the New Zealand updates, hurray!)we attended the Branch Christmas 'Hail and Farewell' Dinner in the JSMB. It was lovely. Our names were announced as one of 3 couples leaving the mission in December. All of us had to stand up at the front so the Branch could sing goodbye to us. It was hilarious......people stood up and came to the front to take our picture.....camera flashes were going off left and right and Sister Pilling, who was standing next to me, grabbed my arm and said, "We are like rock stars!".
On Tuesday we worked briefly in the zone and then began the process of dividing out the stuff we have accumulated in our 17 months here. What an ordeal! Some is given to our daughter; some we want to keep but don't need at home so we will store it at our daughter's house for now; some we will give to away Deseret Industries; some is wanted by the missionaries who are moving into our apartment in January (they have friends who are in the mission so they wanted to collect it for them and let them know what they would not have to bring); some we are giving to the missionary monthly swap meet; and some will go home with us. I was quickly overwhelmed by this process and the need for lists of what goes where, etc. Fortunately, Ed is a workhorse and he plows through the work. The best part of this day was meeting our trainers for dinner. It was such fun to have started out our experience here in the mission with them and to be able to finish with them. We had dinner in the Garden Restaurant upstairs in the JSMB and then they wanted us to show them the Community Trees so we went back to our desks and explored ways they might be able to use the Trees while they are training new missionaries.
On Wednesday we had Edison but had planned on picking him up and taking him back down to Provo so I could use the equipment Derrick(our son-in-law)had told me about in the campus library. It was much faster than scanning on our own machine at home and I preferred the program they used to the one I had. But first, I had to show up at the Elijah Choir practice to receive my certificate of service in the choir. I really didn't want to do that because I cry so easily and I really didn't want to cry in front of the choir, but I had been asked to play the piano in our zone devotional and we meet right after the choir in the JSMB Chapel so there wasn't a good way to get out of this. I arrived with Edison and they asked me to come to the front. It made it so much easier to accept the applause from the choir while holding Edison because everyone was smiling at him! Babies in the mission are a rare commodity so the attention I was getting was given to him with ooo's and ahhh's galore. It was quick and clean and I didn't cry.
I have enjoyed singing with these wonderful missionaries for over a year now. I can say with certainty that I have personally felt the assistance of angels joining us as we have sung these praises to our Savior and to the importance of this work.
After our zone devotional I took a few pictures and then we packed up Edison and my mother's genealogy and a few boxes of things to store at Autumn&Derrick's house and headed for the BYU campus. Ed stayed at home with Edison and I took the car to the library. I scanned for 5 hours and then returned to Autumn's house to check on Ed. He had done a great job with Edison who had taken a 2-3 hour nap! Autumn and Derrick returned home from work, we had dinner and then Derrick's brother came to stay with Edison while they took us (really it was for Ed's birthday but I sort of go along with him) back on campus to see the BYU production of White Christmas. It is one of Ed's all time favorite movies so Autumn did this for his birthday. It was very well done and we had a great time. We returned to SLC tired but it was a good day.
On Thursday we were "organizing" at the apartment and the phone rang. It was the employee with whom we had been working who needed some help so she wanted to know when we were coming in! Ed had planned on going in but the Tongan man who is a CSM(a local Church Service Missionary) was also in the zone today and we needed to connect on some things so both of us went over for a little while and then came back to work on organizing and packing until 4pm. At that time we picked up a missionary couple and headed out to the Hale Center Theatre to see the production of "A Christmas Carol". We love the Hale Center Theatre and it was a great performance for us to end on. Our missionary friends had never been there and they were very excited about it.
Friday was spent organizing and packing again. It was Derrick's birthday so we packed up more things to store at Autumn&Derrick's and more genealogy to scan and I spent a couple of hours scanning in the library again while Ed unloaded and inventoried at the Gibelyou house. We met them for a birthday dinner at 5:30pm and had a great time. Edison joined us for dinner and he was lively and fun for the surrounding tables as well as entertaining for us. Two of Derrick's brothers joined for the birthday celebrating.
Saturday was our final day of preparation. Ed worked like a machine getting boxes prepared and delivered. We decided we would plan to spend Sat, Sun and MonAM as if we were in a motel so we didn't worry about keeping any food or utensils. [Note: Now that it is noon on Sunday we are thinking that wasn't a great plan. We have a few crackers, bananas, clementines and nuts we bought for the trip. We are even sharing one glass which I had been using and forgot to pack!] Ed delivered boxes of food to other missionaries; boxes of apartment essentials to another missionary for the couple moving into our apartment; took another run to Deseret Industries; delivered a box of things for the missionary swap meet; packed up more boxes to take to Provo and then off we went for the final day of scanning (yes....there was a lot of stuff to scan). Autumn, Derrick and Edison came to the library for a while which was a great help. Then we returned to SLC to our apartment to find that someone had parked their car in our spot but we called the weekend manager and found another spot for last night.
This morning we attended our last Music and the Spoken Word. I tried to wave at my two female friends who are altos in the choir but now that they are in the Conference Center I am sure they did not see me. It was wonderful as always and is something I will miss.
At Sacrament Meeting today our friends, the Jensen's, who came to the mission in the same group we did, spoke. Elder Jensen shared things he has learned while serving here and most of them were things that I had also become aware of. Some of them are:
1. We have learned that much of my life has been in preparation for my missionary service.
2. We were assigned exactly where we needed to be.
3. We learned to rely on the Lord.
4. We learned (again) that no one is irreplaceable.
5. We learned how quickly we are able to bond with those with whom we work.
6. We learned how quickly the Spirit of Elijah can touch hearts.
7. We have gained a small glimpse of the complexity of our world wide church.
8. We learned that we can rise at 5AM three days a week to go sing in the choir.
9. We learned that living in a Zion society is possible.
Now it is my hope that as we drive away tomorrow morning after devotional that I will keep this wonderful feeling in my heart and soul and share it with everyone I meet. I hope that through my service here I have become a different person; more like my Savior. I think ultimately that is the real purpose of serving a mission.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Final Week
This past week I have been surrounded by boxes in the apartment trying to separate the things that will be stored, things that we will give away, things that we will take back home. Our friends who left two weeks ago sent home 13 large boxes and their car was so full they couldn't possibly see out of the back window. I am determined that our experience will not be the same.
We had a full schedule last week (even with some illness) and have equally full days this week. We are just hoping that all can be completed by the weekend so we will have nothing to worry about the final two days. I am praying that Ed will heal completely before we have to get on the road next week.
The strange thing about leaving is that for the last month or so you look at things as being the last time you will do them. We will serve other missions, but it will never be like this again. Even if we are called back here, there will be different people, different assignments, a different apartment, etc. All of these things have combined to create such a wonderful experience for our first mission. It will always stand out and be special for us.
I am so grateful for this time as a missionary. We had a great assignment, a great branch, a great apartment on the top floor, great surroundings (walking through Temple Square everyday, sigh) and I had the best companion ever.
So. . . even though I am weepy much of the time, I feel peaceful that we have done what the Lord expected of us. We have served as well as we could and even though I know it is time to move to the next thing, it will be difficult to remove the badge for the last time.
I hope we will be able to put on another one soon.
We had a full schedule last week (even with some illness) and have equally full days this week. We are just hoping that all can be completed by the weekend so we will have nothing to worry about the final two days. I am praying that Ed will heal completely before we have to get on the road next week.
The strange thing about leaving is that for the last month or so you look at things as being the last time you will do them. We will serve other missions, but it will never be like this again. Even if we are called back here, there will be different people, different assignments, a different apartment, etc. All of these things have combined to create such a wonderful experience for our first mission. It will always stand out and be special for us.
I am so grateful for this time as a missionary. We had a great assignment, a great branch, a great apartment on the top floor, great surroundings (walking through Temple Square everyday, sigh) and I had the best companion ever.
So. . . even though I am weepy much of the time, I feel peaceful that we have done what the Lord expected of us. We have served as well as we could and even though I know it is time to move to the next thing, it will be difficult to remove the badge for the last time.
I hope we will be able to put on another one soon.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Christmas Is Here
Yep, it's official! Christmas is here. Friday night the lights on Temple Square lit up the night air. Here are a few pictures: First is my view as I walk out my front door and head down West Temple Street.
The backdrop of the temple as you view the nativity scene between the Tabernacle and the North Visitor Center.
The beautiful cedar of Lebanon which was not lit last year. I think I would have preferred white light on it but it still takes your breath away. It is so big.
The red lights around the beautiful Assembly Hall.
These are two views of the wonderful chestnut trees....I cannot get enough of these magnificent trees!
This is the West Plaza of the Conference Center.
Today began with a visit to Music and the Spoken Word. Lloyd D. Newell does a great job as the voice of the choir. I can't imagine the pressure of having to prepare a "spoken word" for each week without fail. I don't think he ever gets a vacation. Is there a backup person for him? He writes them, records them, shows up every Sunday and starts all over again Monday morning. (I'm sure he is months ahead in his written preparation.) I would like to share a part of his message this morning, "The Journey to Christmas":
The month of December is a time of joyful anticipation. The sights, sounds, and smells of the season evoke feelings of excitement and wonder. For generations, children - and grownups - have used advent calendars and paper chains to count down the days. But does our focus ever become so fixed on the future that we forget to enjoy the journey to Christmas?
This year, instead of just looking forward, let's also take pleasure in the preparations: in the little, less spectacular moments along the way, even in the spontaneous joys that may, at first, seem like interruptions to our bigger plans. In order to recognize those moments for what they could be, it sometimes helps to slow things down a bit. We may need to shop less and savor more. We might have to dim the bright lights in order to see the stars in the heavens, but if we look, we will find them. . .
Yes, we are busy, But the days leading to Christmas are not just to be endured. In fact, perhaps they offer more of what the season is really about. The promise of Christmas is everywhere to behold. It's not saved for Christmas morning. If we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to open, we truly can enjoy the journey to Christmas.
It will be a different Christmas for us this year but I will enjoy the journey. This is my hope for everyone.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Ghana and Nigeria are done!
The php load for the internet is all ready to go so it will be up tomorrow. What a great feeling! About 2.5 million names in 4800 records. The pattern has been laid and all the leg work done for the records from 2003 so now the unit is ready to receive new records from this year and going forward. Hurray!
This is Elder Moulder with our new Zone Leader, Elder Koch walking home last week. Everyone is so happy.
In our mission, missionaries are hosted by the Mission Presidency at a final luncheon on the last Wednesday of their mission. After the luncheon missionaries are released to do what they need to do to pack and clean up their apartment and most leave the following Saturday so yesterday we said goodbye to some dear friends. The funny thing is that it was our luncheon too, but we are not leaving until December 13th.
I had some very unexpected feelings after the luncheon. It felt like a closure for me; that I was finished. But....we are here for a few more weeks and although we have basically turned everything over to others, we can be here to help if (when) they have questions. I still have a little clean up to do with the new English translations for the Tongan records so basically Tonga was my first assignment and it will be my last.
I'm hoping we can spend some time over the next few weeks learning how to actually do family history research. I have a concern that people at home will think that we have experience that we do not have because we were part of the Family and Church History Mission. Not that we haven't been doing some work on our own lines, but the real research..... no I haven't learned how to do that yet.
I thought I would share a before and after photo. The first is from 5 Nov when we had our first real snow. I took this photo knowing that it would only be a week or so before that area would be filled with the nativity.
So now there is a nativity, but no snow! They are actually raking leaves every morning.
We had a snow storm over the weekend but there wasn't any accumulation because the weather has been too warm. We will have more snow tomorrow morning, but rain and sun the rest of the week. It has been good for the workers putting up all the Christmas decor around the Square. They have covered the beds and some water features with white fabric;
they are testing the lights;
they have put up the "fake" lighted trees (can you spot the fake ones in the two pictures below?)
Clue: Evergreens don't grow under the chestnut trees..... ^_^
This morning I went to Music and the Spoken Word. It was a Thanksgiving special and they performed "Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing". I cried and cried. This is one thing I will miss. It is so nice to be able to walk over and sit in the Tabernacle and be uplifted.
I particularly liked the beginning of the Spoken Word today: " True gratitude manifests itself in how we choose to give to others. When we truly feel grateful, we feel a compelling desire to help other people. Perhaps that's why "thanks" and "giving" so often go together.......Indeed, life is so much more meaningful when we choose to live in thanks - and giving - daily."
There is so much I am grateful for, but today I am grateful for the reminder to live in thanks and giving all week long.
This is Elder Moulder with our new Zone Leader, Elder Koch walking home last week. Everyone is so happy.
In our mission, missionaries are hosted by the Mission Presidency at a final luncheon on the last Wednesday of their mission. After the luncheon missionaries are released to do what they need to do to pack and clean up their apartment and most leave the following Saturday so yesterday we said goodbye to some dear friends. The funny thing is that it was our luncheon too, but we are not leaving until December 13th.
I had some very unexpected feelings after the luncheon. It felt like a closure for me; that I was finished. But....we are here for a few more weeks and although we have basically turned everything over to others, we can be here to help if (when) they have questions. I still have a little clean up to do with the new English translations for the Tongan records so basically Tonga was my first assignment and it will be my last.
I'm hoping we can spend some time over the next few weeks learning how to actually do family history research. I have a concern that people at home will think that we have experience that we do not have because we were part of the Family and Church History Mission. Not that we haven't been doing some work on our own lines, but the real research..... no I haven't learned how to do that yet.
I thought I would share a before and after photo. The first is from 5 Nov when we had our first real snow. I took this photo knowing that it would only be a week or so before that area would be filled with the nativity.
So now there is a nativity, but no snow! They are actually raking leaves every morning.
We had a snow storm over the weekend but there wasn't any accumulation because the weather has been too warm. We will have more snow tomorrow morning, but rain and sun the rest of the week. It has been good for the workers putting up all the Christmas decor around the Square. They have covered the beds and some water features with white fabric;
they are testing the lights;
they have put up the "fake" lighted trees (can you spot the fake ones in the two pictures below?)
Clue: Evergreens don't grow under the chestnut trees..... ^_^This morning I went to Music and the Spoken Word. It was a Thanksgiving special and they performed "Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing". I cried and cried. This is one thing I will miss. It is so nice to be able to walk over and sit in the Tabernacle and be uplifted.
I particularly liked the beginning of the Spoken Word today: " True gratitude manifests itself in how we choose to give to others. When we truly feel grateful, we feel a compelling desire to help other people. Perhaps that's why "thanks" and "giving" so often go together.......Indeed, life is so much more meaningful when we choose to live in thanks - and giving - daily."There is so much I am grateful for, but today I am grateful for the reminder to live in thanks and giving all week long.
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