I love to eat with the missionaries!

I have had a lot of fun this week eating out with friends and sister missionaries.

Baklava  YUM!!

Monday I celebrated Memorial Day with Diana, my friend in my ward.  We went to an early movie and then lunch at the China Sun Buffet.

I look for every opportunity to eat with the missionaries.  I get better acquainted with them and it is so fun.  We laugh a lot!  Tuesday I had dinner at Red Robin.

Sisters Jeffords, Hadfield and Stohl

Wednesday I had dinner at NY Gyros.

Sisters Sutherland and West

Thursday was transfer day and two of our sisters were at the office from 7:30 until after 4:00.  They had to bring their companion to Eugene so that she could go home and they had to wait for their newly assigned companion to arrive from the southern part of the mission.  I could tell they were going bonkers just waiting and waiting so we went to lunch at Super Taco.

Sisters Jones and Mead

There is one downside to eating out so much!  I gained 2 pounds this week.  NOT GOOD!!  I saw this on FB and had to share  LOL. 
 

Saturday was Diana’s birthday.  She has no family locally so I got to spend the day with her.  She chose to do a service project cleaning/weeding  the yard of an elderly woman in our ward.  After finishing there, Diana went to her dance class and then she picked me up.  We had a late lunch at the Cornbread Café.  We ran some errands and ended the day with ice cream at Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream.  Good times!

They serve vegan “comfort food”

Corn bread and butter

Macaroni and uncheese, seitan burger (Seitan is a meat substitute made of wheat gluten)

Cauliflower wings 
(Large cut cauliflower florets breaded, fried and tossed in agave buffalo sauce served with carrot and celery sticks and a side of ranch.) 

   
It has been a busy week.  The pollen count continues to be high.  I had 2-4 calls every day from missionaries with runny noses, itching eyes, sore throats, coughs, etc.  Only a couple of injuries this week:  a rolled ankle on Monday (P-day) and a back injury at a service project when lifting something very heavy.  A few other miscellaneous ills but nothing serious thank goodness.

It was also busy because it was transfers on Thursday, as mentioned above, and new missionaries arriving on Friday.

A lot of luggage

Large trailer to carry and distribute the luggage

Another thing I enjoyed this week:  I received an email from Family Search to let me know that I could upload a picture of myself and then that picture would be compared to pictures of my ancestors and I would be notified who I most resembled.  I tried it by uploading two different pictures.  It was cool!  

Do you see a resemblance??

The weather has been beautiful.  It warmed into the low 80’s a couple of days but for the most part a gentle breeze and temps in the lower 70’s has kept it pleasant.  The early morning walks have been the best!!

As I came around the little lake at Alton Baker Park I noticed the blue heron across the way

I walked slowly and got pretty close to it

It spied me…and then it flew off

The rose garden is in full bloom

I love how shiny the leaves are on this Oregon grape ivy

This plant grows along the river bank in abundance.  According to the plant identifier on my phone, it is Marah, a flowering plant in the gourd family native to western North America

This beautiful flower was growing by the ice cream parlor.  I couldn’t resist a picture

As I’ve mentioned before, when I walk I listen to conference talks, BYU speeches and Come Follow Me podcasts.   This week I have been touched by all that the Savior has done for us and continues to do.  He makes my life happy and make me feel contented.  Through His Atonement I can count on His support and help in everything I do.  Through difficult days and challenges and through the good times, He is with me if I am in tune with the Spirit.  

I have shared this poem on blogs and at church before but I read it often.  I love the thought that after all I can do on my own, the Lord will help me with what I lack.  I pray that you will feel the love of the Savior as you read this poem.  It was written by a missionary while serving in the New York New York South Mission.

“Holes”

by Robbie Pierce

I’d been in that hole for a very long time –

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

The shaft was above me; I could see it quite clear,

But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.

Nor could I remember the world way up there,

So I lost all my hope and gave into despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floors, and the walls,

When from off in the distance I heard someone call,

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder.”

This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind,

So I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, the old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I’d get out of that hole.

So I soon had a ladder that was really quite tall,

And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”

Then I climbed up my ladder, it was no easy chore –

For from lifting those boulders my shoulders were sore.

So I worked and I climbed and at last had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short – some ten feet from the top.

I climbed back down the ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I went back to my ladder and started to cry.

I’d done all I could do; I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die,

And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”

Was my ladder too short? Or my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”

And then hope, love, and faith entered my chest,

As the voice said to me that I’d done my best.

He said, “Nothing’s the matter. There’s reason to hope.

Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.

You have worked very hard, and your labor’s been rough,

But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.”

I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I stood at the top, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.

I fell to the ground; his feet did I kiss.

I cried, “What can I do to repay thee for this?”

He looked all around Him – there were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.

Then the Lord turned to me and He said, “Feed my sheep.”

Then He went on His way to help other lost souls.

And I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”

It now was my turn to spread the good word.

The most glorious message that man ever heard.

That there’s One who is willing to save one and all,

And we’ve got to be ready when He gives the call.

He’ll pull us all out of the hole that we’re in,

And save all our souls from death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just build up your ladder; He’ll throw down His rope.

I love my Savior,

I love you my family and friends.