Last Sunday when we were talking to our oldest son he asked if we were willing to spend Mother’s Day with them. Their second son is graduating from high school that day. I told him of course we were. I got online the next morning to check out tickets for our flight. I had a received an e-mail from Travelocity that said we could get tickets for $172+ round trip. I signed up for it. It did not ask me how many tickets I wanted so I tho’t well, I can sign up for me and then do it for my husband on the same flight. So I tried that. I got us to Omaha OK but on the trip back all the flights were sold out. I tho’t, “Oh no! we go him there now we need to get him back.” I noticed a place that I could click on that said “same flight for more money” or something similar. I found a place on the same plane for about $40 more. I tho’t at least we can go together. But then on the return flight it had us arriving in Denver where we change planes and me leaving a hour and a half earlier than he would. I could just wait in SLC for him and schedule the shuttle for after he arrived but on our way back last year while I was using the restroom, he went on ahead and turned left instead of right and went further than three football fields before he turned around and came back. When I found out that he wasn’t at our gate, I retraced my steps and got back to the area around the restroom just as he did. We were the last to board the plane. They called our name three different times over the PAS and I felt like we just barely made it. So I was kind of concerned about that. He does have some short term memory loss which has become very evident since we started our mission at the FHC. So I called him in from outside and laid it all out for him. He said, “that sounds kind of scary to me but I guess if that’s the only way we can get back then go for it. I went to minimize that screen and hit the red X instead and was mad at myself for doing it. I had to start all over again from the beginning! Thank goodness I did. As I started over and went thro’ the process, we ended up on the same planes all the way thro’ the trip both going and coming. I didn’t think twice about booking it that’s for sure. I told my husband, “Some is watching over us!” I’m so thankful that it all worked out. It is another testimony to me that our Heavenly Father knows us and is aware of what we need.
Yesterday morning we went thro’ the temple with our third oldest granddaughter for her own endowments. Since we are supposed to be at the FHC every Saturday, when I found out she was planning on going, I called our Saturday supervisor and told him the situation. He said, “Go and have a good time. I would have been upset if you hadn’t called and had just come into the center that day.” He was sooo understanding and there were other missionaries that couldn’t be there so they were short that day but he said that it all worked out. It was so nice being there with her. There were many people there from her father’s and husband’s families. We were the only one’s from her mother’s family. I was just glad we were able to attend. We have been with the four grandchildren who have received their own endowment when they went thro’ the first time. I hope we can continue that. We have also been to all of our grandchildren’s baptisms that have been baptized. We have eight more to go. I hope we can continue with this practice.
I taught my first PAF class yesterday. There were only five people there including myself, my husband and one missionary we work with on Wednesday. So that means there were two patrons who came in. When there are plenty of missionaries there, many of them attend the class so you actually have someone to teach. But I just sat down and made eye contact with them. They were sitting on the row right by the computer, so I was able to just sit there and work the computer and they could hear me OK. If the class ever gets any larger, I will have my husband work the computer and I will probably have to use the mike because I have such a soft voice that even when I use my diaphragm people often say they can’t hear me. The two patrons were a mother who lives here and her son from Arco. They neither one have internet. I think the son will have it by the time he comes next week. His mother may hold off for awhile. The missionary from Wednesday even said he learned something that he didn’t know. That made me feel really good because he is the one who taught me about the program since we started at the FHC. The class was a short one. It only last about 30 minutes. So I took them out on the computer and helped them get on FamilySearch.org. I helped them register so they can obtain LDS ordinance data. They both just happened to have their temple recommends with them that has their membership number on it. In order to register you need your membership number and your confirmation date. Both can be obtained from the ward clerk of the ward. They found 13 generations of people with the LDS ordinances on some of them anyway. The son had a flash drive so it was tricky to download it onto the hard drive then onto his flash drive. There is an extra step in there that isn’t explained (everything else had step by step directions.) So I cornered another missionary who I knew would probably know how to do it, which he did, and he showed them what to do. As I watched, I tho’t, “well, that’s my thing I learned new today and I was only here for four hours today.” The mother and son stayed until closing. I felt like I just kind of played all day. It is fun teaching!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
An Eventful Three Weeks
It has been three weeks since I wrote. In that time our beloved prophet Gordon B. Hinckley died. We were able to watch his funeral while at the FHC....not one single patron came in during that time. We have a new prophet, Thomas S. Monson with Henry B.Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorph as his counselors. I have expected President Monson to be our prophet since I can remember the day he was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age 36 44 years ago. I can very well remember that day. He was my brother-in-law’s mission president in Canada and he married my sister and her husband in the Salt Lake Temple. My husband and I weren’t able to attend because we forgot our temple recommends. We were picked up by my aunt and uncle and had our two babies along because we had just moved to Roy, Utah and didn’t know anyone to baby sit. We were able to see the bride and groom and everyone else who attended except we didn’t get to meet Elder Monson. That was really sad. Two days later we attended the same temple (my aunt watched the two little ones for us) when my husband’s brother was married by Elder Spenser W. Kimball. As I showed my recommend, I tho’t of a popular song that was being sung at that time, Happiness Is…. Happiness is having your temple recommend with you when you need it. I felt so much more secure that day. It was terrible before to not have it with me and know I was worthy to be there but didn’t have the proof.
Last Sunday was the dedication of the Rexburg temple. There were four different dedicatory services held that day. Ours was the last one at 4:30 pm. We got to the church about 3 :45 and the chapel was all but full. A woman was saving a place for her husband but moved down and there was room for all three of us. It was very special. At first I was very disappointed and surprised that President Monson wasn’t there. Elder Russell M. Nelson conducted and gave the dedicatory prayer. Also Elder David R Bednar and he wife, Susan were there and they both spoke. Elder Bednar was president of Ricks/BYUI when the transition from the one to the other was made. They both gave very good talks. Elder Eyring was supposed to have been there (he also was a former President of Ricks) but he had broken his ankle and since he is 72 years old, his doctors told him to stay home. The first counselor in the temple presidency and his wife both spoke. And they called on three others who were involved in the temple planning. They were all good speakers. There was also a choir there too of 18 people. There wasn’t room for a larger choir. Elder Bednar explained and led the Hosanna shout. I’m so glad I was able to attend. We were home before 6:00. It is so wonderful that they could “pipe” thro’ satellite those proceedings to the area chapels so everyone who wanted to could witness the proceedings.
We have been busy at the FHC. The last few times I’ve been so busy helping people I haven’t gotten much done on the obituary indexing. My husband has spent all of his time doing them, however. Wednesday, I helped a woman with temple ready. She wanted to seal two husbands to each wife of the people she was doing the work for. So there were six people involved. I had to really think to get all of the names on the same file. But the Spirit helped me and I was able to do it. A new missionary was sitting there close by and after we got thro’ with it she said, “I know who I want to help me when I’m ready” while looking at me. I told her I would be glad to help her anytime.
Then yesterday, this other woman came in. She wanted to find out more on David Smith Park, one of her ancestors. As we got to looking around in the IGI and Ancestral File, we found a David Smith Park but the same information was on a David Alfred Park. The same parents, spouse and birth ate and death date. He was born in Provo. So someone suggested that we look at the old ward records that we have there on microfilm. So I looked for the film online at the Family History Catalog. We found the film number. We got it out and hooked it up. It was stake records and not what we wanted at all. It was supposed to have been from 1842 to 1890. It didn’t even start until 1907. So we went back to the drawer and were looking at the films that were by the other one. I said, why don’t we try this one and picked the one just below the other one. We hooked it up and it only took five minutes or so and we found that whole family. His father, mother and all of their children. And his name is David Alfred. I asked where she got the Smith from. She said that it was from an aunt who was a descendant of his. His mother’s maiden name was Smith so it did make sense. Anyway, she said she wanted a copy of it. So we marked the spot and took it over to the digital copier. (I’m sooo glad that I’ve used it enough that I knew what I was doing!) But it wouldn’t turn on. It turned out that the plug was loose or the power strip was turned off. (The patron is the one who checked that out so I not sure which). And it turned out that the computer hadn’t even been booted up. And just as we were finding that out they announced that the library would be closing in 12 minutes! We were finally able to get her copies. It was a wonderful feeling. Just as I was thinking about how we actually found it, I told the patron,”I think we were led to this.” And she agreed. We were a few minutes late leaving, but no one seemed to mind and realized that what we were getting was very important. It was a good day!
Last Sunday was the dedication of the Rexburg temple. There were four different dedicatory services held that day. Ours was the last one at 4:30 pm. We got to the church about 3 :45 and the chapel was all but full. A woman was saving a place for her husband but moved down and there was room for all three of us. It was very special. At first I was very disappointed and surprised that President Monson wasn’t there. Elder Russell M. Nelson conducted and gave the dedicatory prayer. Also Elder David R Bednar and he wife, Susan were there and they both spoke. Elder Bednar was president of Ricks/BYUI when the transition from the one to the other was made. They both gave very good talks. Elder Eyring was supposed to have been there (he also was a former President of Ricks) but he had broken his ankle and since he is 72 years old, his doctors told him to stay home. The first counselor in the temple presidency and his wife both spoke. And they called on three others who were involved in the temple planning. They were all good speakers. There was also a choir there too of 18 people. There wasn’t room for a larger choir. Elder Bednar explained and led the Hosanna shout. I’m so glad I was able to attend. We were home before 6:00. It is so wonderful that they could “pipe” thro’ satellite those proceedings to the area chapels so everyone who wanted to could witness the proceedings.
We have been busy at the FHC. The last few times I’ve been so busy helping people I haven’t gotten much done on the obituary indexing. My husband has spent all of his time doing them, however. Wednesday, I helped a woman with temple ready. She wanted to seal two husbands to each wife of the people she was doing the work for. So there were six people involved. I had to really think to get all of the names on the same file. But the Spirit helped me and I was able to do it. A new missionary was sitting there close by and after we got thro’ with it she said, “I know who I want to help me when I’m ready” while looking at me. I told her I would be glad to help her anytime.
Then yesterday, this other woman came in. She wanted to find out more on David Smith Park, one of her ancestors. As we got to looking around in the IGI and Ancestral File, we found a David Smith Park but the same information was on a David Alfred Park. The same parents, spouse and birth ate and death date. He was born in Provo. So someone suggested that we look at the old ward records that we have there on microfilm. So I looked for the film online at the Family History Catalog. We found the film number. We got it out and hooked it up. It was stake records and not what we wanted at all. It was supposed to have been from 1842 to 1890. It didn’t even start until 1907. So we went back to the drawer and were looking at the films that were by the other one. I said, why don’t we try this one and picked the one just below the other one. We hooked it up and it only took five minutes or so and we found that whole family. His father, mother and all of their children. And his name is David Alfred. I asked where she got the Smith from. She said that it was from an aunt who was a descendant of his. His mother’s maiden name was Smith so it did make sense. Anyway, she said she wanted a copy of it. So we marked the spot and took it over to the digital copier. (I’m sooo glad that I’ve used it enough that I knew what I was doing!) But it wouldn’t turn on. It turned out that the plug was loose or the power strip was turned off. (The patron is the one who checked that out so I not sure which). And it turned out that the computer hadn’t even been booted up. And just as we were finding that out they announced that the library would be closing in 12 minutes! We were finally able to get her copies. It was a wonderful feeling. Just as I was thinking about how we actually found it, I told the patron,”I think we were led to this.” And she agreed. We were a few minutes late leaving, but no one seemed to mind and realized that what we were getting was very important. It was a good day!
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