The Work is Going Well!

I can’t believe that two weeks have passed already since I wrote. We have been keeping busy what with church, FHC, exercising and just plain living. My sweetheart has been fighting a bad cold for two or more weeks now. It’s been forever since I’ve had a kiss. But I haven’t caught his cold! So that has had good results that way anyway. He has been able to keep up with the FHC but hasn’t felt well sometimes while doing it.

The work at the center is going very well. I’m able to help people without having to ask other missionaries how to finish up with something. It feels sooo good! A week ago on the same day, I was indexing and at two different times I looked up and two different people beckoned me over to them. And I knew enough to help them. Last Saturday, another missionary asked me to help him help another patron. That was very rewarding also. It had to do with importing another PAF file onto the patron’s own file. For some reason it wasn’t working. When I walked her thro’ it, it worked. Another missionary asked for Brother Sweat and he was downstairs on another assignment so I offered to see if I could help. I could! This time it was exporting a partial PAF file to add to her main file in such a way that there wouldn’t be a lot of matching and merging to do. The nice thing about that was: that was what I was teaching my PAF class on that afternoon. It was very good review for the class. Brother Jim Larsen came to my class. There were nine there in all at one time! The most ever. He teaches the Wednesday evening classes. He said he even learned something knew from me and was impressed with my handout. I got my handouts from Brother Sweat who used to teach the PAF class on Saturday. They have step by step instructions for each procedure. I don’t think he taught the Advanced PAF class tho’. So I will have to make my own handouts for the coming Advanced classes. I at least have an example to follow from the previous classes. It will just take more time to prepare each week than it has before since I already had the instructions. We have been on our mission now for 11 months. I’m thankful that we extended as long as we did. I’m really beginning to feel like I can do some good now and know what I am doing. A couple of weeks ago I taught my husband how to do indexing. He spends quite a bit of time on a computer now. It is good to see him doing it.

I had my annual eye exam a week or so ago with good results. Altho’ my eyes are very dry, the doctor could tell just by looking at them that they were dry, my retinas and everything look good. The vision in my right eye is 20/50 but the left is 20/30. So I’m still good to drive. I just need to put Systane eye lubrication drops in my eyes three or four times a day. They really do feel much better. I felt like I had allergies or something because they were burning.

I also went to see my orthopedist a couple of weeks ago. The nurse measured me and said that I was 5’ ¾”. I said, “I am not! I am 5’2”!” She asked if I wanted her to prove it and I told her yes! Well, she remeasured me and proved that I am 5’ ¾”. When we went to our daughter’s place Saturday to help celebrate her middle daughter’s 22nd birthday, I stood by her and she is considerably taller than I am. She is 5’2”. I also stood (all of us were in stocking feet) by her youngest daughter who is 5’ 1 ½ “ tall and she is also noticeably taller than I am. So I am shrinking for sure!! I used to think I was almost 5’ 4” because I knew I was about ½ inch shorter than my mother who always said she was 5’ 4 ¼ “. So I figured I was between 5’ 3 ½ “ and 5’ 3 ¾ “. When I had my knee surgery, they measured me and said I was 5’ 2” then. That’s what I was the last time I was measured. I admit it has been awhile since I was measured and I can’t reach my top cupboards like I used to could (thank goodness my husband is tall) but under 5’ 1” or just over 5’! It makes me wonder what I will end up at. Oh, the crowning convincer of my shortened stature: we had a Hawiian Luau for our ward party last Friday night and I wore my muumuu and kept tripping over it! Which I had never done before.

The Last of February to the First of March

Last Monday we had zone conference there at the FHC. President and Mrs. DeMordant of the IF Temple presidency were the speakers. I got to know him at the hospital. He was one of our radiologists. He and his wife have been mission parents in the South Africa, Johannesburg Mission. Sister DeMordant stated that one way they kept their new converts coming and not falling between the cracks was they instituted a program where within one week of their baptism they were visited by members who talked to them about doing baptisms for their kindred dead. They started this by asking if they had any other relatives who were members of our church. If the answer was no then they started telling them about baptism for the dead. They started them on making some records with starting with themselves, adding their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. In essence, starting on their family history. Within two months they had them entering the temple doing baptisms for their kindred dead and after one year 80% of their converts entered the temple for their own endowments. It sounded wonderful! President DeMordant told the history of Family History. I found it very interesting. The one statement he made that really thrilled me and I sat up and took notice of was: The general authorities (I don’t remember which ones) have stated that those who work on geneoalogy, family history, whichever you wish to call it we be greatly blessed and their children and their children will also be greatly blessed. And angels will attend them. My tho’t was, our children and grandchildren will have angels attend them because of our service here as well as my husband and me being blessed. That made me feel very good.

This past Friday and Saturday was Time Out for Women. I am so thankful that I attended. I had never been to one before. I so thoroughly enjoyed it and feel so loved and so much better about myself than I did before. The presenters (that’s what they called them instead of speakers) were for Friday evening, Wendy Watson Nelson, wife of Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sheri Dew with Jenny Oakes Baker playing many numbers on her violin. I loved all of it. Sister Nelson talked of asking pertinent and poignant questions whenever things get boring, or we are troubled. We can ask them of ourselves or of others as well. Sister Dew told us that our “Sphere of Influence” was much larger than we can ever imagine. Jenny played some popular, classical and familiar pieces and hymns. She plays beautiful and is quite a showman. I came home feeling so filled. My granddaughter picked me up and we met her mother there as well as my daughter-in-law, my daughter’s husband sister and two of her daughters, and my gradndaughter's mother-in-law. There were eight of us together. There were over 1800 women there. The place was sold out.

The next morning my granddaughter picked me up at 7:10 and we met her mother there. The others came later. The place was packed again. Both times the pre-show was done by Mercy River a trio of three young wives and mothers. They have beautiful voices that blend so well. They sang a few songs then put words up on the screen and had us sing some favorite hymns. It was very enjoyable and also set the mood very well. They first presented all of the presenters of the day after welcoming us. They were Kenneth Cope, Emily Watts, S. Michael Wilcox, Chris Stewart, Jason Wright, and Sharon G Larsen. Kenneth Cope is a song writer/singer. His songs are so poignant and right to the point. He writes many of his own songs altho’ he did a medley of other songs too. One of his songs was about God loving broken things (people). I later learned (I couldn’t see the program well enough to read the individual bios until after I got home—the lights were dim.) that he is now serving as a bishop. It made a lot of sense to me because he seemed so close to our Heavenly Father. I tho’t, “Ahh, that explains it.”

Sister Emily Watts is the author of “Take two chocolates and call me in the Morning”. She could be so funny and yet so serious and spiritual. She talked about Mother guilt and how we all have it but really shouldn’t because our children are given their agency and most things we feel so guilty about isn’t our fault. Brother Wilcox is an institute teacher at the University of Utah. He spoke on the great and wondrous world the Lord has made for us. He gave an analogy of the queen of chess. He explained that the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. And then he said, “You sisters are God’s queens.” My heart swelled with knowing the truthfulness of that statement. Notice I didn’t write and he didn’t say that the queen was the most powerful and important piece on the board. Only the most powerful. He was referring to our roles as wives and mothers, teachers, etc. It kind of goes along with our “Sphere of Influence being greater than we can imagine.” Unfortunately, Satan also knows that and has been trying to put women down since the beginning of time.

Brother Stewart is a former pilot with the Air Force and also a well renowned author. He wrote the “Great and the Terrible series. He could be funny at times but also very spiritual. Jason Wright wrote the “Christmas Jar” and “The Wednesday Letters”. He spoke of the way hand-written letters have almost become obsolete with all of today’s technology. He challenged each of us to hand write a letter that night. I chose to write to my mother. I wrote seven pages as fast as I could write. Karl told me that it looked like my nurse’s writing. J Sister Larsen is a survivor of cancer, infertility and a wayward son. She is also Ardith Kapp’s sister. She mentioned that when she was serving on the general Young women’s board she and Sheri Dew were traveling companions. Sheri has always been very popular and she found herself being ignored while everyone made a big fuss over Sheri. She told of one time Sheri stated, “I’m always a bride’smaid and never the bride.” Sharon said, “ I told her to stuff it! I am Ardith Kapp’s sister and Sheri Dew’s traveling companion!” She got a big laugh out of that. She was also very spiritual. She said her four most important things to remember were: (And she stated that we may have different ones but should have equally important ones to us)
Forgive and be Fogiven
Remember the Lord knows what will make you happy
Keep your covenents
And I can’t remember the last one. They were all very good.
Anyway, I came away feeling so loved by my Heavenly Father and so thankful that I am a woman. The next morning before church I was practicing for RS. I had chosen “My Nature is Devine” from the Young Women’s song book. The last part of that states, “You my child are mine” saying the spirit whispers it to us. And all of those wonderful feelings came back to me. I hope I can carry that feeling with me for a long time.

A Good Week

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!

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!

This is this weeks entry!

I didn’t go exercise this week either. The temperatures were so cold Monday and Tuesday that I didn’t go anywhere. They didn’t even have school Tuesday (Monday was a school holiday anyway or they wouldn’t have had school anyway.) It was a -34 with wind chill. Now that is cold!

I had my nails done Wednesday and didn’t go anywhere Thursday or Friday. I did get my book and video/DVD shelves cleared off and organized Friday tho’. It really was an all day job. I gathered up all of the VHS’s and put them in plastic bags to take to DI. They are still good and can be used again so I don’t just want to throw them away. Many of the movies that were recorded on them we now have the DVD for. And the others I didn’t want to watch them anymore. One time was enough.

Wednesday at the FHC I typed on obituaries for most of the day. I did check two drawers of micro film and then looked at the one micro film and found some more Bernard’s. They have all had their work done. But I at least have them added to my line now. Yesterday tho’ was very different. We had five missionaries not there for various reasons so we were short. And we got very busy. I helped eight or nine people my self! The most ever in one day. I was able to show some people how to do the digital copier that enables one to make a copy of information from a micro film. It has taken me a while to learn it but I have used it four or five times myself now so am quite proficient at it. I’m glad I have learned how to use this tool. I was the only one there yesterday who knew how to use it. It gives me such a good feeling when I help or teach someone. One couple came in to put her stepmother’s name on a temple submission disk so she could do her work and have her sealed to the husband. They had me do the typing. Usually I just sit beside them and tell them what to do. But the wife said she didn’t know anything about computers and her husband did but didn’t have the right glasses with him so he couldn’t see the screen that well. After I go thro’ I asked them if they had a PAF program on their computer. The husband relied, “Yes, but I don’t know anything about it so it doesn’t do me any good.” I told him that if he would bring his information on his children, parents, grandparents etc. (and the right glasses [this with a smile and he smiled back]) that one of us would sit down with him and walk him thro’ it and by the time he had all of that information on he would know enough about the program that he would be able to do it himself. The wife asked when I worked. I told her Wednesdays 1-9 and Saturdays 9-5. That made me feel really good that she asked. I will look for them next week.

Last evening and today was Stake Conference. We had planned on going but we were both so tired by the time we got home from the FHC that we didn’t get there last night. My husband sang in the choir today and we both went. I was glad I did. It was a very good meeting and the music was just wonderful. They did such a good job both the singers and the accompanists.

I am determined to do more exercising this coming week. Time will tell.

The week of January 20, 2008

This was written last week but the blogger site wouldn't accept it last week and I forgot about it until now so it is posted a week late.

This past week has been kind of laid back. I haven’t exercised nearly as much as I should have done but when the temperatures are below zero it is so hard to go out when you don’t absolutely have to. I’ve kept busy at home. I’ve working on an I’m a Child of God plague for our youngest grandchild. I accomplished quite a bit on that last week. At the FHC we have both been working on indexing Obituaries for South East Idaho. We type in the name of the images that were digilized last summer so then can be sent into the Family Search Program in SLC and will be able to be obtained online from anywhere in the world. That is so remarkable. I’ve also been working on a micro film that after I ordered it from SLC I found out that it was already at the library. I have found 72 people some I have found after checking the IGI have their work done but some don’t. They are on the Meier line which takes off from the Bernhard line which takes off from the Rufener line which takes off from the Wendel line. So it is back aways. I have to go back over the Bernhards who are on the same film and I may be able to add more to my line.

The other day I was wondering where I had put the cards that had the baptisms and confirmations of the people Natasha and Collin were baptized for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I was thinking that I had put them in my temple suit case so my sweetheart and I could do the initiatory work the next time we went thro’ the temple again. They weren’t in there. I couldn’t imagine where I had put them and felt some urgency to find them. These were people who were waiting to have their work done and I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to find them. My tho’t was: the Lord will help me find them. Yesterday morning while I was saying my morning prayers, I was asking for His help. The tho’t came to me: they may be in that desk drawer with the tracker sheets. I knew that I had entered the baptisms on my PAF file. I had also taken all the duplicate cards and put them together and in my temple suitcase so I could take them back to the temple. I then tho’t: Maybe I got them mixed up with them. Then my tho’t immediately went back to look in that desk drawer. So I did. And there were three different tracking sheets. Each had a pink sticky on it. One had 13 females, another had 10 males and another had Sealings. I looked inside them and sure enough there they were! I am so thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and that I am worthy of His promptings and can recognize them. That experience made me feel warm and fuzzy all over and was a good beginning to a good day.

It's 2008!

I actually wrote this in Word them forgot to post it on here on January 6th. So I'll post it now. Sorry about that.

I can’t believe it is now 2008! I don’t know where 2007 went. And I don’t feel as old as I tho’t I would if I lived this long (most of the time anyway). 2008 arrived very quietly at our house. My husband was doing one of his SUDOKUs and I was playing Mah Jong on the computer and it just sneaked in. The moment was here before we knew it.

New Year’s day we went to the Rexburg Temple open house. It is such a beautiful building! It sits there on top of the east hills so majestically. We went to the Stake Center next door first. They ushered us into the chapel to wait for our turn to start the tour. We waited about 20 minutes. They then took us to a classroom and showed us a video about the history of temples. Many of the temple rooms they showed us were of the Rexburg temple I realized as I went thro’ them. After that they guided thro’ a covered walkway over to the temple. It was about a block long and had three sets of steps (kind steps) on the way. Then we were there. The first floor has the baptistery and the locker/dressing rooms for both men and women.

We went up two flights of stairs. They did give us a choice of using the stairs or the elevator. The stairs also looked just like the ones at Winter Quarter’s Temple. I knew I had done those so I chose the stairs. Little did I know?? On the second level were the main dressing rooms for the patrons. The other dressing rooms were for the people doing baptisms for the dead. . They had so many people there to show us the way it wasn’t possible to get lost. But as my group was to turn left, I turned right and went thro’ the women’s dressing room. It’s a lot like the dressing room at the Winter Quarter’s temple. All the way thro’ I was wondering if those people ahead of me were the same ones that were ahead of me before. As I left the dressing room I was still thinking that. One of the ushers came up to me saying “Ma’m Ma’m”. When I finally realized that he was talking to me he told me that he tho’t I had lost my group. I had. My husband had noticed that I was no longer with them and had told him I may have gone the wrong way. So I went thro’ the women’s dressing room twice. Then I was sure it was set up like the one at the Winter Quarter’s Temple.

The next flight of steps had at least 25 steps in. (what more is there to do than count the steps as you are going up them?) On this floor are the ordinance rooms. There were two of them but we only got to see one of them. They each have murals in painted by Leon Parsons who grew up in or around Rexburg. The one we saw was a mountain scene with deer and elk etc. and lots of trees. It was beautiful. The room had rich brown wood and beautiful chandeliers. We also saw the Celestial room on that floor. It is sooo beautiful. It had mirrors on either side and such beautiful crystal chandeliers. It had such a feeling of peace there also. The pamphlet they put out explained that many of the materials were imported from other countries, wood from Africa and stone and tile from Israel. There are stained glass windows throughout the building that depict a wheat stalk. The last and final floor had the sealing rooms on it. The last steps we went up had 35 steps in it! The sealing rooms are very spacious and beautiful. They all are at least as big as the largest one in the IF temple. They had a smaller version of the chandelier in the celestial room. And small crystal lamps on the walls like the sealing rooms at the Winter Quarter’s temple. And the Mt. Timpanogos also. Then we walked all the way down all of those steps without stopping. There was another flight of stairs that I wondered where they led to but I wasn’t disappointed that they didn’t take us up there. I counted 89 steps on the way down! I’m not sure if I lost count or not when my husband spoke to me. but there were at least 89. My husband asked me if I wanted to take the elevator down. I told him no that going down wasn’t nearly has hard on my knees as going up was. He says that going down is harder. But it doesn’t hurt as much. But my knees were surely wobbley by the time we got down. Even going down the kind steps in the walkway I could feel the weakness in them. It was good to sit down while we had refreshments. The weather was cold but no wind and the sky was a beautiful blue with the bright sunshine. It was a beautiful day all in all.

Our 2007 Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. We had the biggest snowfall on Christmas Eve day this year. Even bigger than the first Saturday in October when we got eight inches. We got pretty close to a foot of snow this time. It snowed all day long we are told. The evidence was here when we got back from our daughter’s on the 26th. It was snowing hard when we left here about noon. We usually don’t like to travel in that kind of weather but figured that Blackfoot wasn’t really that far and we really wanted to be there. It took us over an hour to get from our house to theirs. We couldn’t go any faster than 45 mph. It was bad. If we’d had to go any further or longer, I’m not sure we would have done it. But the snow let up about three miles north of Blackfoot. The sky didn’t clear but we could see further than a block. At one time it was almost a whiteout and we couldn’t see any further than a car length ahead of us. We are thankful it wasn’t that way very long…about a minute or two was all.

Since Grandma was going to be alone for Christmas this year we had planned on going down to get her and bring her back with us. And the take her back home on the 26th. Well, she was able to be there with us but we didn’t have to travel to her home at all. She had told the kind people who take her to church in the wintertime so she doesn’t have to drive on those slick roads that we were going down the next day to pick her up and bring her here. They told her that they were coming up here then and would be glad to bring her with them. She wasn’t sure about that because she wanted her car to go for a run to charge up the battery. I told her it would surely help us out and Grandpa agreed. So we decided that was a good way to go. Then my BIL called us a little later and told us that he would be taking wife to up here for her dialysis treatment on the 26th and if we wanted to meet them there before 1:00 pm then he would be glad to take Grandma home with them. It worked out sooo well. And she thoroughly enjoyed being there too. She didn’t say too much but I could tell she was enjoying just sitting there watching everyone, the adults as well as the children. On Christmas Eve it was just us three and our daughter. SIL and their youngest daughter. So they invited two of their neighbors to dinner who had lost their wives. The one had to leave before our program to go to pick up his daughter from work. But the other one stayed for the program. He said he so much enjoyed it. And he isn’t even LDS. For our program we took turns reading the scriptures from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Our granddaughter played a beautiful piano solo, a medley of Christmas Carols. And Grandpa sang Star of the East and O Holy Night. This year it was a little different in that our granddaughter sang the whole song of the first one. (Last year she just did the duet the first time thro’ then the second verse.) Since Grandpa’s voice still wasn’t up to par from the cold he’s been fighting, she consented to sing the second one with him too…without any rehearsal. She had been telling me that she was a good sight reader so I asked her if she wished to really show us how good she was. She said, “Sure”. It has a high G in three places. The first time she came to it she just stopped and said, “I don’t know if I can do that.” But the second and third time she hit both of them strong and right on! It was beautiful. I got chills down my spine sitting there at the piano accompanying them. And their voices blend so beautifully. I told them both, “I don’t care which ward you sing in but you need to sing together for sacrament meeting. You need to share this talent with others.” Later I was thinking that they might as well do it in both wards because they will have it prepared and it won’t be that hard to do. They both agreed. So time will tell.

The next morning we got up a little before 7:30 and had opened about ¾ of our presents when our oldest granddaughter, her husband and little girl came. They came in their PJ’s and with their gifts unopened. That was surely fun especially watching the little one open her gifts and a few others as well. We were just getting thro’ with breakfast when our second oldest granddaughter her husband and children got there. It was fun with them too. Three of the four children really warmed up to me. They each gave me a hug as they were leaving. The fourth was a little more distant so we will give him more time. Their father said that all of them are doing so much better since they are now living there with him and his wife. They now have some consistency and structure in their lives which is so good for them. Their little faces are even brighter now. His wife is doing an awesome job in loving them, teaching them and disciplining them. She is doing so well having just jumped in with those children in her life. We were all there for dinner. There were 15 of us! Our only daughter’s family is growing!

I made some family group sheets (five generations of them) with pictures for everyone for our gift this year. When you get back I give some to you or you can copy off the ones I gave your dad and mom. I was sooo excited to learn how to do that at the family history center. I also compiled some stories that I found online of some of the pioneer ancestors in both Grandpa’s and my line. I took them to Zip Print and they bound it into a little book. It turned out quite nicely too.

We are so thankful to be alive at this time when the gospel has been restored. I am so thankful for computers. I can see how they will definitely help us to get our genealogy done and find our ancestors. Our mission is showing us new things all of the time. It is very evident to me that the Lord’s hand is in all of this and that this is all part of His plan. I am so grateful for this time of year which gives us a little more time (if we take it) to reflect on the birth and life of our Savior and what He has done for us so we can return to our Heavenly Father. I love the feeling of love and giving that surrounds us this time of the year.

The Week of December 2

It has been a busy week. We still don’t have our Christmas tree up yet. I was going to do it two different days last week then other things took precedent. We should be able to do it tomorrow. I’m starting in with another cold again!! Yes I am taking Zicam. I hope it prevents it from getting too bad. It hasn’t been three weeks since my last one and it had only been four or five weeks since the one before. I sick and tired of colds! Of course I guess it could be something worse.

I have been able to index over 1200 names so far. It is actually fun. I can do a few here and a few there two or three times a day. Yesterday I did indexing of the Southeast Idaho Death records that have been digilized and after they are indexed they will be put on DVD’s and sent to SLFHC where they will eventually be put on FamilySearch.org. I also helped a man yesterday update his records….it took at least 2 ½ hours. We put his over 200 names thro’ PAF Insight then temple ready and by time we got thro’ he had only 25 ordinances that needed to be done…for only seven or eight individuals. I told him that that is why we up date and check. Because altho’ it took time to do it, it didn’t take nearly as long as duplicating all of the ordinances of all of those people. He agreed.
I was tired when I got home but it was a good kind of tired. Karl also did the indexing of the death records. We both finished the cemeteries we were working on. He was working on Challis and I was working on Driggs. He is doing very well there at the center and everyone is so kind to help us whenever we have a question about something. It is sooo good to have someone there who knows more about things that we do.

Monday I spent the day making two batches of pumpkin orange bread, one batch of fruit cake and one batch of Christmas bread. I got it all done in good time but was surely tired when I got thro’. I found out that my back does still bother me if I’m on my feet all day long. Tuesday I went for a message. My scoliosis has disappeared. I remember Shelley telling me when I first started with the massages four years ago, that my shoulders were going one way and my hips the other and my spine was shaped like an S. My spine is straight up and down now. I was as much as three inches forward four years ago. I was still an inch forward but she was able to correct that. I’m so thankful for her talent of being able to help me this way. And it feels good too! That evening we went to the family Christmas party with the children. We usually don’t go but Greg Hulet called and asked me to play the piano while the congregation sang Christmas Carols. So we went. I am glad we did. It was fun. Each of the auxiliaries did a part on the program. It was great fun. And I have found out that since I’ve had this calling as a missionary, I can play anything out of the hymn book even tho’ I haven’t practiced it that day. I did practice the songs that Greg gave me but, the young men sang one of them so instead of duplicating we changed it and I was able to play it just fine. I am so thankful for the blessings the Lord has blessed me with.

Wednesday we went to APPLE Athletic Club for my water aerobics class and Karl exercised up stairs. That afternoon and evening we were at the FHC. I found out that a film I had ordered was already there so I looked at for awhile. I was able to find my people, the Bernhards and Meiers in Switzerland. My Grandma Wendel’s mother was a Bernhard and her mother was a Meier if I remember right. I hope to be able to find many more families on there, especially siblings of my people. I did find another daughter in the first family I found. At first I found another son too but the Spirit let me know that he was in another family.

Thursday we went to the Silver Sneakers Christmas Party at APPLE that was held after class. It was fun. And that night I went to enrichment at Verna Rae John’s home where we played games and learned how to dip bite sized cheese cakes. It was much fun too.

Friday we went to APPLE again, me for my water aerobics class and Karl to exercise upstairs. That evening we went to the FHC’s Christmas Party/zone meeting. It was $9 a plate which did seem kind of steep but since we only eat one dinner between us anyway that all we ordered and we each had plenty to eat. It was very nice.

I already told you about yesterday. Today, two of the three Christmas carols we sang in sacrament meeting I had been practicing all week to do for RS. So we wouldn’t duplicate we changed our songs. I love Christmas carols but I don’t enjoy singing the same ones twice in one day. I know the Lord blesses me. If I practice I have done all I can do and when it is changed at the spur of the moment He does the rest for the ones I haven’t practiced so that I can play as if I had practiced them. Isn’t that wonderful? He does that with all of our inadequacies and shortcomings. I am so thankful to Him for that as well as the many others things He has done for me. I love this time of year and the love that is felt all around. Too bad it doesn’t last the whole year thro’.

Our Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went down to Michael & Tanya’s there in Lehi. It was so nice being there with them. We originally planned on leaving Wednesday morning but Karl started down with a bad cold Monday evening and he was still miserable Wednesday so we waited until Thursday morning to leave. He started taking Airborne that Monday evening and altho’ it still got bad it didn’t last as long. It was so nice being there with them and their children. Their little girls are so cute. Up to now Abbie hasn’t wanted anything to do with me. She would smile at me across the table but wouldn’t get any closer. This time she gave me hug after hug. She’d run at me and throw her arms around me. It was so neat. Kendra didn’t want to get very close tho’. But Abbie made up for it. We got down there about 2:45 or so. We had dinner around 4:00 so we were there in plenty of time. We played games and more games while we were there. We of course played Pinochle. Tanya even got a double pinochle dealt to her!! The first time ever! The men have gotten so many more double pinnaclesys than the women there is no comparison. I think we have had five now and they have had at least 15. It is still fun playing tho’. We also learned to play The Settlers of Catan. It is so much fun. Each game is different because of the way to place the cards which make up the board. Karl played one game with us. After that he said he had much more fun just watching us play. Six of us can play that at a time so Natasha and Collin played too. That is the first time I have seen a sullen side of Collin. After awhile he was back to his happy self tho’. We went to church with them and had some very enjoyable meetings. We had dinner Sunday with my mother. She had gone to Soda Springs to my sister, Joy’s, with my other sister Bonnie and her husband David. She got back Saturday evening. It was good to see her. Kim & Kimberly came to IF to have Thanksgiving with her parents. We saw them Sunday evening also. We left Monday morning to come home. We stopped in Far West by Ogden to pick up Karl’s mother and took her to Grace. She spent Thanksgiving at Stan & Kathy’s in Roy. They took her over to Jewel’s Saturday evening. It takes longer to come home by way of Grace but since it was in our general direction of travel it didn’t make sense for others to make the extra trip up and back. We stopped and saw Karen & Kent too. Shani and Macie were there too and of course Kylie. It was good to see all of them. It was about 7:15 pm when we got home. It was a long day. It was sooo good to be home and sleep in our own bed. It gets more and more that way as we grow older.

Wednesday at the FHC I helped three patrons. I helped three other people also….other missionaries. I helped one sister with the digital microfilm copier. I had been shown how to do it a couple of times before but the last time was in July and since I hadn’t used it since I couldn’t remember anymore about it. Since no one else knew anymore than I did I got out of my comfort zone and she and I together figured out the written directions. I prayed while we were doing it and my prayer was answered. I was able, with the help of the Lord, to help her figure out how to do it. As I was looking for someone more experienced than I, I realized that there were only about three other people who had been there longer than we have. I still feel so new that I was surprised to realize that we are now veterans of the place. J A little later a sister came in who wanted to learn how to research and what you do to find someone in Scotland. He was born in Scotland and died in England. I was out of my comfort zone again. I uttered another prayer for help and felt the Spirit guide me as I led her on her search. We were unable to find him…the census records don’t go back to 1830 there in the UK. They don’t start until 1850 or so and since he died in 1833 (he was married in 1830) we could not find a record of him. But I told her about some of the patron classes that are held and got a class schedule for her. There is a class on research in Scotland within the next two weeks. I felt that I was prompted to tell her about that. It is such a neat feeling to help others. The third person was a young woman that I helped put her grandfather and uncle’s name thro’ Temple Ready to make the Temple Submission Disk. (Now that was in my comfort zone.) She was expecting her third baby in March and her oldest won’t be three until May. I told her that I had had the same situation. She seemed to be comforted to know that someone else had been in her same situation. I felt that I had had a good worthwhile shift. Saturday, altho’ I didn’t help any patrons (I did help Karl) I did some indexing online and also helped index the obituaries that need to be done by the end of the year. There are thousands and thousands that need to be done. I’m not sure how many I did but I went form the Sh’s to the end of the S’s in the Ashton Cemetery. It took two or three hours. I felt good about my accomplishment. I now have 800 names to my credit on the indexing online. I do enjoy doing it. Karl helped one of the missionaries there with PAF Insight. I thought that was neat. It didn’t seem to register with him.

Today our meetings were special. We had a good sacrament meeting filled with the Spirit and a good Sunday School lesson on God is Love and a good RS lesson too on pretty much the same thing. Oh, I forgot to mention that we tied a quilt Tuesday morning for the humanitarian effort. Our Stake (I really think it is region because other women I know in other stakes are doing the same thing.) has pledged to make hundreds of crib quilts for the humanitarian effort. Karl helped me tie it. It was fun. It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. We had taken it down with us so Michael, Tanya, Natasha and Collin could help us too. But we had too much fun playing games. Karen called and said that she would come up and we could all go over to Shani’s and have a quilt tying party. But by the time Karen got here, it was all done. So we didn’t go. If I had another one to do (if I’d known how easy it was I may have had another one to do.) I would have gone over. It was a relief to get it done tho’. Our ward donated 70 quilts…we led the stake we were told.

That’s about all for this time. I’m so grateful for my health and for the opportunity that I have of serving as a service missionary. I’m grateful for my family, my husband, children and their sweethearts and grandchildren and great grandchildren. I’m so very thankful to be alive at this time when the gospel has been restored and so many good things are happening. I’m thankful for the knowledge I have about the Plan of Salvation and to know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who gave us the greatest gift of all, his only Begotten Son, so that we may return to Him. I’m grateful for what Jesus Christ has done for me that I may return to my Heavenly Father. I’m thankful for the guides that the church and gospel gave me in raising my children. I have so much to be grateful for.

Third Week of November, 2007

I didn’t write last week altho’ I did have a couple of things to write about. I’ve been getting things around for our children for Christmas so that has been taking up most of my spare time. I’ve just about got it completed. I want to have it done so I can take it down to Michael and Kim and our mothers when we go down to Michael & Tanya’s for Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s been since July since we were down there.

About a month ago I ordered a micro film from SLC FHC. I’ve been looking at it periodically over the last few weeks. It is the Billiter notes that Julius Billiter compiled from the parish records in Blumenstein, Bern Switzerland. I have found all of the people that I already have on it, corrected a birthday on my second great grandmother, found two more complete generations and seven more children on another generation so far. I’ve checked them all on the IIGI and all of the work is completed except for a sealing of one son to his parents. But it is still so exciting to find other people! There are many more records to go thro’. And after Christmas I will check the FHC Library Catalog to see if he has the names of others also. I imagine he did other families besides the Rufeners. I hope so. They are all type written so are very easy to read. That makes it very nice.

Last week I had two dentist appointments and one doctor’s appointment. I had my six month checkup the week before at the dentist. He wanted to extend a filling on my one crown that he had fixed five months before…no charge. That was Monday. Then Tuesday, I had a six month check visit with the endodontist who did my root canal six months ago. He said that everything looked good. And then Wednesday, I had an appointment with Dr. Baird who did my gastric bypass surgery. He saw me six months ago and wanted me to return in six months to see if I’d lost any more weight. I did see Sandy Birch, the dietician with the New U program, and she told me that my weight was just fine and as long as I keep exercising and keeping my portions small I should be just fine. Dr. Baird agreed and said he wanted to see me again in a year. Thursday I went to Silver Sneakers, my visiting teachers came and went to our RS Book Club that night. We discussed Sheri Dew’s latest book, God wants a Powerful People. We all really enjoyed it and discussed some of her unique experiences and the lessons she pointed out from them. We won’t meet again until January. We will read Richard Paul Evans newest novel in the mean time. None of us could remember the title.

I started coming down with a cold Friday night. I started in on the Zicam. I was able to go to the FHC yesterday and didn’t feel too bad until about an hour before closing time. By the time I went to bed I was really miserable. Sometimes a good nights sleep is enough but I wondered so called Sharon Butler to ask if she could play for me in RS if I didn’t feel like going. I got up this morning and called Sharon to ask her to play for me then went back to bed where I stayed until Karl got home from church. I started reading Rachel Ann Nunes lastest book, Flying Home. It is very good. Of course I got some extra sleep to. I want to be over this so it doesn’t interfere with our going to Utah for Thanksgiving. I’m feeling a little better now so I think the Zicam is working.

We had 2nd Wednesday last Wednesday where we take potluck to the FHC. I took a modified recipe of chicken cooked in the crock pot with Ranch salad dressing powder sprinkled on it and onions cut up. After it had cooked for three hours I put in cream of mushroom soup mixed with cream cheese in and then after cooking up brown rice I stirred it in also. It’s supposed to be served over rice or noodles but I tho’t that way would work better. Everyone really liked it. We didn’t bring any home at all.

Then Saturday we had potluck again. We are the only ones who work both Wednesdays and Saturdays. Yesterday I took the cranberry, apple salad I do every year for Thanksgiving. We did bring some of it home but not too much.

We also stopped into Porter’s last week to get the materials for the baby quilt we are to donate for humanitarian puposes. I need to get it marked and sewn together in the envelope method so we can take it down with us and all of Michael’s family (except the two little ones can help with it and I can turn it in next week.

Oh, and yesterday Karl and I learned how to do indexing. Leo Mondock is one of our missionaries and he is also an arbitrator for the program and and strong advocate for it. he showed me then he helped me show Karl and we worked together and did 75 names plus our other duties while there. The second batch we did were Spanish. He helps me with the Spanish but I think I will be able to do it OK. They are begging for those who will do the Spanish indexing. With his help I’ll be able to do it. And it is fun!! I think we will really enjoy it. he will sign up himself before too long I think.

The last week of October 2007

I can’t believe it is November already! I’m not sure where this year has gone. It will be 2008 before I know it.

I believe I mentioned before that I have been “dragging”. Well, we had a doctor’s appointment last Tuesday. Karl went for an insulin resistance test at 8:00 am. Our appointment was at 3:00 pm. Dr. Liljenquist told us that his test was about the same. No better but no worse. He is to now take his two metformin twice a day instead of just once. I hope it helps. He has gained weight. As I have. About five pounds for me. I need to work hard to get it off. Our vital signs were normal. The results of the blood work that we had done will be sent to us sometime this week. I also had an iron infusion. I think I’m feeling better. Right now it is hard to tell. I had a big last three days. We didn’t go to the Family History Center last Wednesday because the center closed at noon that day because of Halloween. I was surprised to learn that. But we also found out that it will be closed from noon Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving until the next Monday and also from December 22 @ 5:00 pm until January 7 for Christmas. That sounds really good. All these closures show that it is really family oriented.

Altho’ I didn’t go to the center on Wednesday, I went on Friday to work for Anna Jean Sweat who subbed for me in August (twice so I have one more payback for her.) when we were visiting Bryan and Sandy and family. I did help two people Friday. It took awhile with both. Afterwards on Friday I got home just before 5:30. I was very tired but couldn’t let down because of the High Priest Quorum banquet that night at 6:30. I made it OK and was very glad I went. We got home a little after 8:00 pm. I just kind of lay around until it was time to go to bed. Because I had to go back again Saturday. I was able to get up and go and got along OK but I was surely tired. I am so glad we have a couple of days in between the days we go there regularly. It is much easier to have the energy to do it. Then today being Sunday and church and all….It has been getting harder lately to get up and ready and there before 9:00. Altho’ I’ve been able to do it, it has been hard and I’m really ready for a nap Sunday afternoon. Usually it is only about 45 minutes but today it was 2 hours!! Like I said I think the iron infusion may have helped me. Also I know the Lord helped me do it. Each morning while saying my prayers I asked the Lord to bless me to make it thro’ the day and to do what I had to do. He really did bless me. Even a year ago but especially two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to have three big days in a row like that.

That is about all that happened all week. This week I need to get back into the habit of exercising five days a week as well as everything else I need to do. I’m working on Chirstmas for our children so we can take it with us to Utah when we go to Michael’s for Thanksgiving. I’ve just about got everything together that I want. Now to finish it up. That will be what I will be doing this next week also.

Another Week

This week has been a good week. Monday, I went to the Joint Efforts water exercise class. That is the class where we move more slowly. When I woke up Monday morning I didn’t feel like rushing to get to the 9:00 water aerobics so I waited until 1:00 to go. That way Karl was able to go with me too. He can’t go at 9:00 anymore because he is helping (tutoring) the first graders at Tiebreaker Elementary school in reading. He does enjoy doing that. Tuesday, I did make it to Silver Sneakers exercise class. Even tho’ we sit on chair a lot and march while doing so or lifting weights etc. it amazes me how much I need it. It is challenging enough for me while I am doing it that I know that it benefits me to go. I know a few people whom it has really helped also. One woman used to have to use a cane and no longer does. And I’ve met people that I wouldn’t know otherwise whom I really enjoy associating with. One woman, I found out grew up in El Paso and her dad used to be my Grandpa and Grandma Hurst’s bishop. It is a small world.

Wednesday of course we went to the FHC. I went to two classes that day. One was on Mary’s Genealogical Treasures which can be found online. Brother Wulf explained that anything you would want to find that has to do with genealogy or family history you can find a link to from her site. She also has links to all of the LDS scriptures temples, etc. Yes she is LDS. The other class was an advanced PAF class. Brother Larsen taught it and there was a gal there who is a professional genealogist and she helped him with it too. It w as on the importance of listing your sources of documentation for the information you put on your PAF program. I need to start doing that. When we took the class from Renae Ellis in 1988 she really stressed documentation and we got copies of all of our birth certificates and blessing certificates, baptism certificates, etc. I had wondered how those fit in with the PAF program. He also helped me straighten out some things to do with the class I was to teach on Saturday.

Thursday we went to silver Sneakers again (the first time we’ve gone both times in the week since we started back last month) and then I went visiting teaching. I go to Ethel Baron by myself because Amy Smith is my companion and she is working full time now and can’t leave until 6:00 pm. And Ethel wants to be visited in the late morning or early afternoon. We went to see Sharen Stech. We are also assigned to her mother who used to live with her but she is now at the assisted living facility, The Turtle and Crane on First Street. So it isn’t much farther to go. I also usually visit her alone too because Sharen and her daughter are usually there in the evening and I don’t think she needs four visitors at once.

I got the results back from my Feritin level. It was 40 which is still within normal limits but it had dropped from 169. I would think that much of a drop would make me drag. I’ll find out at our doctor’s appointment we have Tuesday, October 30.

Friday I went to the 9:00 water aerobics class. It was the first time to that class since the Friday before. I worked hard and didn’t do too much until it was time to get ready to go to the temple that evening. It was zone conference with the missionaries at the FHC. We were asked to be in our seats all dressed in white for the chapel session then go to the 7:00 session after that. It was very special being there with those people. There was such a special feeling there. The sister who spoke to us, Sister Myers, I had just met Wednesday evening at the center. She took Sister Sylvester’s place from 5-9. She’s a very sweet lady. She made us smile. She was referring to the wives of King Benjamin and Nephi. Since their names aren’t given in the scriptures, she called them Mrs. Queen Benjamin and Mrs. Nephi. I tho’t, “that’s a clever idea; I’m not so sure I would have tho’t of it.”

That night after we got home from the temple, I worked on my PAF file for awhile and tried to back it up to my flash drive so I could start where I left off when I worked on it at the center the next day. The light on it kept flashing off and on (it had never done that before) and it took forever for the hour glass to go away. When it finally did a sign came up that said it couldn’t find the R drive. (Kim had helped me change it to that). I tho’t what gives here? I went into my computer and it had nothing on there. I tried to back up my PAF program to it and a sign came up that said that the R drive had been corrupted. I had about seven or eight things on it—one of which was the ancestry stuff that I had gotten from Bryan last August. Don’t ask me why but I never did transfer that to my hard drive and I certainly should have. I will be able to eventually retrieve it when we go there again next May if not before. Everything else I have on my hard drive except…..I was to teach a class on updating your records thro’ temple ready. I had made a file of 32 people of Grandma Hurst’s ancestors and deleted the ordinances so I would be sure and have some to find while teaching the class. I was to show the class how to prepare the ged.com file, go into the program, retrieve the ordinances that have been done and then how to restore them to your program. I just about panicked! I tho’t what do I do about my class? How do I get my PAF program to the center? Then I remembered that we had gotten Karl a flash drive, one gig, about a month ago. I didn’t really think he needed one but he wanted one and we got it for $10 so….I was so thankful that we had that. So I made a new file for my class and backed it up to Karl’s flash drive as well as my PAF program.

The class went well. There were no patrons there but seven of the missionaries were there. Two of them told me that I had done a good job and that they had learned something. That was rewarding. However, I was glad when it was all over.

My Week

We woke up to almost snow yesterday. It did snow but didn’t stick. It is supposed to warm up this week. I hope so. I’m not ready for winter yet.

The FHC was the busiest I have seen on a Saturday yet since we started over six months ago. I myself helped with four different temple ready submission disks. I am so thankful that I have been able to learn how to do that and remember how. It is so satisfying and gives so much peace of mind to help others. The first part of the shift was kind of frustrating for me tho’. I am to teach a class to other missionaries and patrons that may come in next Saturday on updating your records with temple ready. I wanted to make a special file that I knew would have ordinances to download from the temple ready program. So I tried to make a partial file starting with my Grandma Hurst and going back 4 or 5 generations. Instead of going to export, (I had forgotten how to do it) I went right straight to the “Export for temple ready windows” and it brought up the wrong people. I tried it two or three times then went to Brother Mondock for help. As he was standing there and I was telling him what I did, it dawned on me that I was clicking on the wrong thing. He did walk me thro’ it but after I remembered what I was doing wrong it went OK. I was able to go ahead and do it and everything turned out all right. I saved it to my flash drive but I will have to redo it because when I got home the file came up as read only and I won’t be able to add to it. So I deleted it and will practice a few more times here at home. I will have time to make another file like that before my class this Saturday if I have to.

I helped Karl get started on using PAF Insight with his file. He is finding he still needs to do some editing. It is amazing how easy it is to miss some things altho’ you try so hard to get everything each time you go thro’ it. He is learning and doing well. It is so neat to work with the people we work with there at the center. The people we work with both on Wednesday and Saturday are very special.

I have been kind of dragging lately so I had a Feritin level drawn last Friday. I called a little later to find out the results and found out it is within the normal limits. So maybe I’m not getting enough exercise or not going to bed early enough. If I’m in bed before midnight, I can’t go to sleep until later. But I need to be up and gone before 9:00 every morning if I keep to my schedule of exercise and FHC. I just stayed home all day Thursday. It felt sooo good to not have to go anywhere (altho’ I should have gone to the Silver Sneakers exercise class.

Today before sacrament meeting I was sitting there in my seat with Karl and some ladies who were very friendly came in and sat down behind us. They explained that they were from the General Board of the Primary. There were six of them. One I recognized from our stake. She is on the Stake Primary Board. They have been visiting areas in Idaho all week. There were two from the Primary General Board and two from the Young Women’s General Board. After sacrament meeting as I was coming out of the restroom two of them were going in. They both commented told me what a beautiful singing voice my husband has. They said they just sat there and listened to him and thoroughly enjoyed it. I told them thank you. Then as I was walking down the hallway to the Sunday School class another one stopped me and told me the same thing. I know that the people at the FHC really enjoy his voice too. He leads the singing on both days. I really love hearing him sing too and whistle as well. It seems he is almost always whistling whether here at home, out side or even at the FHC if he’s checking the micro film or micro fische. He does have a wonderful talent in doing both. I’m thankful to be able to share it with him and listen to him often. He makes a few in our corner of the world a little happier.

It's Almost Winter!

We had our first BIG snowstorm of the season last Saturday. (It had actually snowed the Saturday before but none stayed on the ground here.) We got about five inches and it snowed for six hours or more….a very wet snow that brought down many trees and took the power out to many people. We were fortunate enough that we didn’t have to deal with either. However, I was very frustrated just before the first session of conference because we couldn’t get reception from DISH. We had not been told that snow would interfere with it. So we turned on the radio and tuned into KBYI in Rexburg but it kept going out on us. I was very frustrated to say the least. I called Kim and asked him how we could get it on the computer. He walked me thro’ that and that is how we listened to the first session. We didn’t miss any of the talks but we didn’t hear about Elder Gonzalez call until later on in the conference when others referred to it. We didn’t have any more trouble the other sessions for which we were very thankful.

It was such a good conference. I think President Eyring will do a great job in the first presidency and I was also impressed with Elder Cook. I so enjoyed listening to all of the messages. My heart within me burned many times during the conference as the Spirit witnessed to me that what was being said was the truth. I am so thankful to live in this day and age when we can sit in the comfort of our own homes whether to listen via computer, TV or radio.

Since we started on our mission at the Regional Family History Center, I have come to know that computers were invented especially for family history. Last Wednesday Elder Killian, the director of the FHC taught us what we can expect with the new family search when it comes out. It will be a wonderful program. It should have all of the kinks worked out by the time you are home from your mission. It will be such a program that people can work from around the world on the same line. Elder Killian said that the one word we need to remove from our vocabulary regarding family history in order for it to work at a optimum is “my” as in “my ancestor”; we need to replace that with “our” as in “our ancestor”. He said that when you go back a few generations and count the people who have descended from one ancestor, you can see why. The descendants can be in the thousands! Also because of the computer we will be able to, thro’ the New Family Search, do (can already do some but it will get better) much research from the confines of our own homes on our own PC’s. That sounds so neat to me.

We extended our mission to Oct of 2009? We would be all thro’ (our release date was Oct 9, 2007) by now if we hadn’t. I am enjoying it so much and learning so much and get such a good feeling now that I know enough that I can help someone else and if I don’t know how I know who to turn to to get help for them. I get very tired on the days we go to the FHC but it is a good tired and I am so thankful that my health has improved enough that I can do something like this. Less than three years ago, I was wondering if I would see the age of 70! Now I am confident that I can live to be as old as my mother is now or even see 90 or older depending on the Lord's will. I just hope I will remain in good health and be able to keep on serving as I am now.

Our Special Sunday

Today is my sweetheart’s 70th birthday. That surely doesn’t seem as old as I used to think it did, even tho’ it still sounds old. I can’t believe that in just six years I will be there too. He’s had a good day.

Our week was a pretty typical week. Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been very special, however. Friday evening we had the missionaries here for supper. I admitted to my husband, Karl that I do it not only because I enjoy having them but also because it gives him an excuse to help me clean up the house and make it presentable every once in a while. Elder Arellano is from Peru and Elder McCarreher is from Pennsylvania. They were hearty eaters which we enjoyed. We had Hawaiian haystacks with rolls. And mincemeat pie for dessert. I tho’t I had taken cherry pie out of the freezer to bake. When Karl took it out of the oven for me, I tho’t my goodness that cherry pie is pale, they must have forgotten to put the food coloring into the pie cherries. When I found out it was mincemeat, I was kind of concerned because I think I know more people who don’t like mincemeat than do. But they both liked it and seemed to enjoy it. Elder Arellano had two pieces even. They were only here a little over an hour but it was a good hour.

Saturday at the FHC we had a genealogy conference with Brother Paul Smart from SLC as the presentor. He was really big on Indexing. Almost every thing he showed us he would say that was possible because of Indexing or that would be so much easier if they had indexed it. He was trying to recruit as many of us as possible for Indexing. I think I am almost converted. I was going to talk to our ward FH consultants today but didn’t get a chance too. I had Karl drop me off at the church on his way home so I could attend the luncheon and RS General Broadcast. I was a little late but got there in plenty of time to eat. The broadcast was wonderful. I really enjoyed the music too. Music can make me very emotional. The way I could feel the spirit and with the beautiful music, I wasn’t able to talk for a little while afterwards. It makes me really look forward to next weekend for General Conference.

We had a very special day today. There was a new man on the stand with the bishopric when we got there. When Bishop John started to conduct he said, “Altho’ I’m usually nervous doing this today I am more nervous. Sister Mickelson told me to just take a deep breath and carry on.” He then announced that Elder Lynn and Sister Jeanine Mickelson of the First Quorum of Seventy were here in Idaho Falls and chose our ward to attend. What a neat experience having them there with us. A new couple in our ward, Julianna and Kevin Robinson (no relation that we can ascertain) spoke to us. Then Elder Mickelson spoke to us. He said that it was a real treat to be here with us and to feel the Spirit so strongly. He said it was a real treat singing the hymns in English because they are assigned to Mexico City in the Area Presidency there. I guess they are home for conference and since they are originally from IF they came home to see family. He talked about our sacrament hymn We Sing All Hail to Jesus Name. He told of the last feast of the Passover and how the Savior introduced the sacrament. Elder Mickelson has such a neat spirit about him. Sister Mickelson was sitting directly behind me and I turned around and met her after the meeting concluded. She shook my hand and said, “I’m so happy to meet you, Sister Robinson.” That really thrilled me to have her call me by name. I then went up and shook hands with Elder Mickelson. He also called me by name. Of course I had my name tag on so that helped.

They were in Sunday School with us too. I sat beside Sister Mickelson there. The last five to seven minutes of class Elder Mickelson asked Brother Mullins if it was okay if he asked a few questions. Of course Brother Mullins turned the time over to him. He first commented that there were two types of death. He then asked what physical death was and what spiritual death was. We talked about them for awhile. He asked me, calling me by name, and I can’t remember the exact question but the answer I gave was, “Because Jesus Christ was resurrected every person who ever lived will also be resurrected. He then went onto explain justification, the world’s definition and also the Lord’s or Paul’s definition. He is a great teacher! We were struggling with understanding not sanctification but justification by the Lord, Jesus Christ. What I got out of it was sanctification and justification by the Lord, Jesus Christ are one and the same. We went a little over but the spirit was sooo strong.

We then went into the cultural hall for our joint meeting with the priesthood and relief society. The song we were going to use for the opening song Lord I Would Follow Thee they used for a closing song in sacrament meeting. Sooo we sang # 130 Be Thou Humble. It is true that I have played it before but it has been long enough ago that I can’t remember when. But I had practiced almost every day last week and the Lord blessed me and I was able to play without many mistakes if any. I am very grateful for that. Bishop John talked about a special ward service project that he would need 40 couples for on October 13. He wants 20 couples from 8-12 and another 20 couples from 1-5. It sounds like they are doing an “extreme makeover” for a house of someone in our ward. He said he couldn’t tell us too much yet because the Lord just woke him up at 2:30 just this morning told him what he was to do. I was sitting there thinking, “we are committed to the FHC on Saturdays, which is more important. When I talked to him afterwards and told him that, he said, “And that is exactly where you are supposed to be on that Saturday. Thanks for telling me.” I felt much better. I wanted to help with the ward service project but couldn’t see how we could. Bishop John then talked on the Nine B’s that President Hinckley wrote about. It was a very good meeting.

After Bishop got thro’ speaking he asked Elder Mickelson so speak again. He spoke for only a few minutes but told of his love of the Prophet and how wonderful it was to work with him. He said we are all anxiously awaiting as you are to find out who the new apostle will be and who the new counselor in the General Presidency will be. He said, “we all love the sense of humor of President Hinckley.” Then he told us how his daughters and daughters-in-law take over his supper to him every night, that he is so busy that he would probably forget to eat. He said that this one night one of them took dinner over to him and asked him if he liked spinach. He said that he did not. His daughter told him that he should eat it anyway that it was full of iron and would be good for him. He replied, “If I wanted iron, I’d eat a horseshoe!” He got a big chuckle out of that. He bore a strong testimony of President Gordon B. Hinckley being the true prophet of God on the earth at this time. My heart burned within me as he was telling us this. After I played the postlude music, I shook hands with him and Sister Mickelson again. She didn’t shake my hand but gave me a hug and said, “Sister Robinson it was such a pleasure to meet you.” I think I told her the same thing (using her name of courseJ ). It really thrilled me that she used my name. As I was thinking about it later, and wondering why it meant so much to me my tho’ts were: it made me feel as if she really knew me even tho’ we had just met for the first time….I imagine it will be much the same way when I meet the Lord again, that He will call me by name and He will know who I am and what I have done in this life.

Hearing and being there with Elder Mickelson really strengthened my testimony and made me feel so close to the spirit. I’m really looking forward next week to the spiritual feast we can experience while watching General Conference.

It was a very wonderful and sobering experience.

Blog Entry for September 23

Altho’ I was feeling better on the whole this week, I could tell I still tired easily. I heard a guy on the radio on the way to my nail appointment mention that he had had a doozy of the flu. I tho’t, “Maybe that’s what I had because it did take me longer to get over and took me down quite a ways. I did exercise three times during the week and had a nail appointment as well as an appointment for a perm Friday. We also went to the temple Friday evening. We went to the bishop’s afterwards for dessert. It was nice associating with the other couples who were there.

Wednesday, I taught my first patron class at the FHC. It was on the Family History Library Catalog. I remember the first class I had on it and it seemed to all go over my head. I practiced a few times both at home and the center. The FHLC is found at Familysearch.org. When clicked on it brings up a screen that has about seven different searches on it. I was to go thro’ each search and explain how to use each one. There were about ten people in the class. Only two were patrons; the rest were missionaries. I felt that it went very well. I had all of the keywords that I wanted to use written down and had practiced it three or four different times. When I was going thro’ it again Wednesday morning, I typed in Rufener for the Surname search and nothing happened. I knew that it had worked the other times I had tried it but tho’t I’d better have another name available if it should happen again. I typed in Call. Up came a list of things that had the name Call in. One of them was the 50 ancestors pioneers of Dallen Harris Oaks and June Dixon Oaks. I looked down thro’ the list and there was Cyril and Sally Tiffany Call. They are my third great grandparents on my maternal grandmother’s side. I didn’t know whether it was Elder Oaks or his wife but I was excited. When we got back that night I called my mother and told her about it. She said, “Well, of course! His first wife was a full cousin to Grandma Hurst. She was Uncle Willard’s daughter.” She may have known that but I didn’t. I tho’t then, “Even tho’ we are not related by blood to Elder Oaks, we are sealed to the same people!” I gave the others a chance to have me type in places or names. The class lasted about 35 to 40 minutes. People said that I did a good job. The patrons that had come in asked a couple of other questions and I helped them with that for a few minutes. We also had to help with microfilm inventory. We each were assigned four or five drawers that we were to go thro’ and check each box and make sure that the film in the box had the same number on it as the number on the box. Each drawer has 50 to 70 films in. it seemed to take forever! I only did two drawers on Wednesday and saved the last two for Saturday. Later that evening a woman came in and wanted to put her aunt’s and the aunt’s husband names thro’ temple ready to make a TSD (temple submission disk) so she could take them to the temple. I helped her, figured I knew what I was doing because I had done it many times. Well we went thro’ everything (she had to type the names into a new PAF program because she had just brought them in on a paper family group sheet) and as it finished it said there was one sealing to spouse but no endowments. Since they had been baptized in their youth but had never gone thro’ the temple in their lifetime, that is just exactly what they needed. I went to Sister Hendricks, our Wednesday supervisor until 5:00 pm when Brother Hall takes over. She said that she was shown how to take care of that just that morning. So she went over to the computer with us and we went thro’ what she had been shown and it didn’t work. I ended up doing it three different times on three different computers and it still didn’t come out right! By that time Brother Hall was there. He uses the old DOS program so walked her thro’ that. She had to type everything in again. It’s a good thing that there were only the two names. And she was finally able to get her TSD. Later I asked Sister Killian, the wife of the director, about it. She said that the program does have a glitch and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t and when it doesn’t, you have to put each name thro’ individually, not just as individuals as we had tried to do. So now I know two ways to get around that problem if it should happen again.

Thursday was laid back and Friday after going to water aerobics and then getting my perm, as I stated above we went thro’ the temple. I had attended three different classes last week at Apple Athletic Club. Monday, I went to the Joint Efforts water class (that’s the one with joint problems and must move more slowly and not jump around so much). Tuesday we went to Silver Sneakers and then Friday the water aerobics. I’m hoping to go all five days this coming week. I can do water aerobics Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Silver Sneakers Tuesday and Thursday. That is a full week of it.

Yesterday at the FHC I finished the two drawers I need to inventory. It seemed to take forever. I started right out of prayer meeting. There was a 10:00 learning computer class that I attended. I had tho’t of attending the two previous weeks but was helping someone else or just spaced it so this was the first one I had attended. I hope they teach them again before too long. I took a chunk out of my right index finger on the drawer braces that hold the drawers in place. It was much easier to set the lower drawers on the table to go over the film instead of bending over. I was able to spend about an hour and a half on the computer is all. That isn’t much time in eight hours. I was surely tired when I got thro’ last night. It has carried over into today. I’m looking forward to January when our meeting go to 11:00 on Sunday mornings then I won’t have to hurry so fast on Sunday mornings. It has been a good day today tho’.

A Long Week

This week hasn’t been very fun. A week ago Wednesday I started out with a cold that got pretty bad. I didn’t have any Zicam left and by the time I got some it was too late to do much good. (It has helped in the past when I took it as soon as I started getting symptoms. I didn’t get anymore until Friday or Monday I can’t remember which.) Sunday, I was feeling pretty miserable. Monday I was feeling even worse so didn’t do anything but sleep a lot and lay around the house. I certainly didn’t feel like exercising. Tuesday, I felt even worse than Monday. I had a low grade fever the night before; was chilling almost all night and had a headache. Tuesday when I wore up, I still had the headache plus a face ache and my top teeth even ached especially on the left side of my face. It hurt to chew even soft foods. After being up for awhile I realized that I had an sinus infection. Because I had been into see my doctor only about six weeks before I was able to call him and he called in a prescription for me for a Z-pack. By Tuesday evening I was starting to feel better—my face didn’t ache anymore.

I went to the family history center Wednesday after fixing a chicken salad and creamy cucumbers to take with….every second Wednesday we take potluck to share with everyone….I wanted to take the chicken salad but I needed to use up the cukes so took both. This is one day I would much rather have been closer to Utah instead of clear up here in Idaho. Karen, Kent, Shani and Macie were able to meet at my mother’s place to see Jessica and Chris before they entered the MTC at 1:00 pm that day. Bonnie, Joy and Tom and my niece, Mary and her fiancé were also there. It would have been sooo neat to also be there. Then Mary went thro’ the Jordan River Temple Thursday night for her own endowments. I would have really liked to have been there for that too. Also on Friday evening her sisters gave Mary a surprise bridal shower. I would have really liked to have been there for that too. But the way I was feeling those three days, I probably couldn’t have gone even if I did live closer. Mama told me that all of Mary’s siblings were there as well as her father and stepmother were there at the temple with her. She also said that they all felt Mildred there too. It sounded like it was a very special night.

I got along OK at the center…I can still say that I learn something each time I go. (altho’ I can’t remember specifically what it was I learned new that day.) I was surely tired and miserable by the time I got home at 9:20 or so that evening. It was sooo different coming out now when it is completely dark. We went on our winter hours starting on the 4th….that means we are open until 9:00 instead of 8:00 pm. Thursday I could tell I had overdone the day before. I lay around most of the day. Altho’ my face didn’t hurt anymore I could tell I still had a bad cold. Altho’ the Lord blessed me while at the center, I didn’t even have to wipe my nose very much, I could tell I still had a cold. Friday I didn’t feel a lot better so just took it easy that day too. Saturday I was able to go to the center and got along fine. I helped one little opinionated man who doesn’t like things “zipped” and no one could change his mind that the “zipping” of a PAF file is different than the rest of the documents on a computer that are zipped. I was able to help him tho’ by showing him how to clean up his PAF file by taking out the abbreviations, adding vowels where needed and putting USA on places in the states after the date 1776. Also a few other things. I hope he was able to remember it when he got home. I had him do it instead of just showing him but sometimes you need more than one showing. I could tell that he is as old as Karl is (I saw his birthdate on his PAF file) but he was a little more computer literate. Also Brother Higgins showed me another little trick on PAF Insight that I didn’t know before. I knew that you could highlight a number of names and as the first name finished being searched it automatically went on to the next. Brother Higgins showed me that when you are doing this and you have enough info on the name you are doing but it isn’t thro’ searching, then you can click the “Stop current search” tab and then it goes on to the next search. It’s just a little thing but it surely helps the frustration.

I’m feeling much better today. I still have a runny now but I think I’m back to just allergies now. I’m ready to get back to my regular schedule next week.

A Treasure-Trove

While we were visiting Bryan and Sandy in Papillion, Nebraska, Bryan got out his Family History books and showed us the many things he has collected. He told us that we could copy anything we wanted to that he had. I told him that I tho’t that I had most of it if not all of it and I would go home and check and see what I had and then let him know what I wanted to copy. Well, we got home August 23. I finally got around to looking in the box I had that I have my genealogy stuff in last Friday. And did I find a treasure trove. (I believe that’s the right word.) I found papers that Aunt Pearl had given me in 1988 when we took our first family history class from Renae Ellis in the 38th ward. I remember going thro’ those papers but didn’t know who they were or how they were related to me. Now I know! I found family group sheets that had Johannes Rufener’s father and mother and their family as well clear back to his great grand father!! I had been looking on a film that I got from the FHC in SLC for hours trying to find them. they weren’t on there. I’ve spent I’m not sure how many hours on it and have come to the conclusion that the things I want aren’t on that particular film. But the important thing is…on the back of all these family group sheets there was a statement: from Billeten notes complied from Parish Records—Blumenstein. I had no idea what that meant….what were Billeten notes? I took the family group sheets with me to the center yesterday and copied everything into my PAF. I now know where they all fit in. I feel like I know personally who Johannes Rufener is altho’ at the time I first received these papers, I had no idea how he was related to me. I also found other things related to family history that I found very interesting and that mean much more to me than when I first received them. I’m so thankful that I kept everything there in that box.

When we took that initial family history class, Karl and I had asked each of our siblings to send us their family group sheets. All of my siblings sent their info except Roy and Mildred. I need updates on those I do have. I have all of the children for Bonnie and Joy and Johnny but not dates of all of their ordinance work. Of Karl’s family we just have Paul and Fred’s family. It would be so nice to get all of the rest of it. We can go to the IGI and get those who have died but not those who are living. Mildred’s last three daughters sent me their information. I hope the others remember to send it to me.

Anyway, yesterday, Sister Teresa Carl gave us a tour of the books, reference counter and many different things there at the center. We had had that tour before but things were so new to us then that not much registered. Anyway, I noticed just how knowledgeable Sister Carl is about all that stuff and I knew from first hand experience that she is also very knowledgeable about the computer as well as the PAF program. So I took one of the family group sheets over to her and showed her the note and asked her if she had any idea what the Billeten notes were. She said she had no idea but she immediately Googled them. And they came up….it seems a man named Julius Bitteten compiled Parish Records there in Blumenstein. After she showed me this, I googled it myself. I found out that altho’ they did have a site with info on them, they referred you to the FHC Library Catalog in SLC. I went there and found the micro film entitled Rufener family of Blumenstein, Bern Switzerland. This was filmed by the Church in 1965. I am so excited about this! It is a book but on microfilm. I will either order it tomorrow or do it Wednesday. He lived from 1869 to 1957. I’m not sure how far back those records go but I have found out that there are three different Rufener lines in my paternal grandmother’s family. I hope this will enable me to go back even further in the family along all three lines. Who knows it may even have information on the families who married into the Rufeners. I’ll have to wait and see.

Yesterday I was able to help a little man who told me he was 80 years old and knew nothing about computers and had no intention of learning but needed someone to help him get a temple submission disk ready for the youth in his ward to do baptisms for the dead. I was able to do that for him. He also had enough information about another whole family that wasn’t on his file for the disk that I was able to do another submission by making a whole new file and then putting it thro’ temple ready. There were five more people who needed their work done. By putting it thro’ temple ready we found that of the two submissions there were about six who had already had their work done for them. He ended up with a total of 53 ordinances that needed to be done. I also printed off the updates (since he didn’t have a computer to do it) and gave them to him so he could add them to his personal file. It took a little extra work to compile that but I couldn’t see the sense in his not being able to get to the information. I had a couple of questions thro’ the whole process but I just went to Brother Sweat and he was able to answer them for me. I’m so thankful that he works there on Saturdays with us.

Bishop John announced today that Brother Conley and Sister Beverly Stucki had received a call to serve 30 months in the FHC. So we will have two couples from our ward serving there. There is only one other woman from our Stake that I know of who works there. It will be good to have more there.

For my birthday, Karl took me to eat lunch at Perkins and then to Pirates of the Caribbean III movie. We found it very fast paced and with a few surprises but very good. I couldn’t help but notice that they left it wide open for a number IV if they wish to do it. I also talked to each of our children for my birthday, except Richard and he called the next evening. It was good to talk to each one of them. On our anniversary on Thursday he took me to Olive Garden for lunch (we’ve found out there is much less waiting at lunch than in the evening.) The rest of the day I took it easy because I started coming down with a bad cold. I had run out of Zicam so it has got a pretty good hold on me.

That is about all of the excitement for this week.

September Already!

I can’t believe it is September already. This year has gone sooo fast. It has been a busy week. I went to the FHC three times this past week….Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. I usually work Wednesday and Saturday. I worked Thursday for Dorothy Clements because she worked for me the 18th while we were in Papillion. I was able to do it OK but I am glad that I usually do it only two days a week. As I’ve said before, I learn something new every single time I am there. It is so rewarding. And being able to know enough to help others is also very rewarding.

Wednesday, I was working at the computer and Karl came up to me and said that we were called on the carpet….that Brother Killian, the director of the FHC wanted to speak with us in his office. He asked how we were doing and how we were liking our mission. I told him that I was loving it and was learning so much. Karl mentioned that he was OK with it but he didn’t think he was learning very much. Brother Killian told him that he would be surprised just how much he had learned. (When you stop to consider that he didn’t know anything at all about a personal computer nor the Personal Ancestral File, I think he has come a long way . I still like to have him on the computer next to me, when he is on tho; because he still does have many questions.) Anyway, Brother Killian told us that since we were called for only six months that our time would be up October 9, 2007. I told him that that was too soon. I told him that I was willing to extend 24 months but I couldn’t speak for my husband. Karl said that if I would do it, he would too. I appreciate so much his support and willingness to do this with me. So our official release date is now October 9, 2009. Brother Killian said when that time came and if we wanted to extend again, we could but we would have to fill out the paper work again. As long as my health holds up, I’ll keep doing it. I think Karl feels the same way.

We are both excited about getting in on the bottom floor of the new program. Brother Lyon told us Thursday that there were now five temple districts on the new program….St. Louis, Reno, Billings, Orlando and one of the temples in Mexico. Three came on board all the same a week ago. It sounds like it will be spreading fast.

Bryan called and left a message Thursday evening that he got accepted at Northrup Grumann, one of the contractors that he’s worked with while in the Air Force. He knows the man he who will be his supervisor and has worked with him before. He will just be on the other side of the table now. He will start October 1. That will be very nice. He may have had to wait until Dec 1 due to red tape, etc. It is good that he can start then. He will have three weeks of not working as it is. During that time he will take Jess and Chris to the MTC. We are very happy for him.

That are the highlights of this past week.