It has been a quiet, routine week.

I love every minute on my mission whether it is hectic and run, run, run or a slower pace. This week has been fairly quiet compared to the last few weeks of meetings, interviews, lunches/dinners, new missionaries, etc. 

I’ve enjoyed my walks this week even though the weather is colder and it has been foggy most mornings. I have been using my new head light and safety vest. Sister Barker gave them to me for my birthday and bought some for herself so we are safe and can see where we are going when we begin our walks in the dark. 

We’ve seen a lot of nutria this week. Here is a pretty big one. They are about the size of a beaver.

Saturday morning, it was 25ish degrees and since I didn’t have to be at the office, I didn’t walk until 9:00. 

There was still frost on the playgrounds and the grass

It was sunny even though it was still cold. I had never noticed seagulls on the river before but they didn’t seem to mind the cold.

 Plenty of geese on the lawns

This grey squirrel didn’t seem to mind the cold either

Love his bushy grey tail

It is that time of year when the days are shorter, the weather is colder and wetter (as I mentioned previously), and viruses seem to run rampant. Most of my calls from missionaries have dealt with runny/stuffy noses, coughs, sore throats, and headaches. There have been a few twisted ankles and upset stomachs. 

As the days get shorter and darker, it is more difficult to stay positive and happy all of the time as well, so I have been able to help a few missionaries get counseling and help with their feelings of sadness and discouragement. It makes me feel good to be able to help even in small ways.

Thanksgiving day was clear and crisp.

As I left my apartment complex that morning, the turkeys were out in force. One would think they would be hiding today of all days. LOL

I walked with Sister and Elder Barker and then had dinner with them at Shari’s Restaurant. I’ve never eaten at a restaurant on Thanksgiving before so this was a first. I neglected to get pictures though. Elder and Sister Barker had the traditional turkey dinner. I opted for salmon. We all had huckleberry pie for dessert. After dinner we came to my apartment and played some games. 

Elder and Sister Barker on the bridge across the river during our walk

We have an area dental advisor who helps with dental questions and problems. He sent me this cartoon with his “Happy Thanksgiving” text.

I love poinsettias! It wouldn’t be Christmas without them in my home so I am going to enjoy them as long as possible this season. I have spread them around my apartment and I will take one to put on my office desk tomorrow.

I am always grateful for the many blessings I have been given. I am grateful for my Savior and the gifts He has given to me. I read a post on FB that really touched me. Many of you may have already seen it but I wanted to share it so that I would have it in my “journal.” It was shared by one of my friends and originally posted by Patrick Risk.

“There I was at Target on Black Friday when, amidst the busy shoppers looking for deals, I heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw that an older lady had hit a shelf and many things had fallen to the ground and broken. She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically trying to clean it up. I felt so bad for her.

Everyone was just standing there staring at her. So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, “Leave it, we will clean this up.” The lady, totally embarrassed said, “I need to pay for all this.” The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, “No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you do not have to pay for anything!”

If you have read this far, give me another minute…

Wherever you are, close your eyes, and imagine Christ doing the same for you! Imagine the broken pieces of your mistakes or the pieces of your broken heart. There they all are, scattered all over the floor. And there you are, on your hands and knees, trying to collect all of the pieces to somehow put them back together again. Now imagine the Savior comes and kneels right down beside you, smiles and says to you, “Leave it all there, I will clean this up for you.”

Jesus loves you that much and wants to put all of your pieces back together if you will let Him! With Him we have this insurance and it’s called GRACE! It’s free! All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you, help you, and to heal you. He’s faithful, I promise!”

 

 

I love my Savior

I love you my family and friends.

Another year older and so very very blessed!

We only celebrate a birthday once a year but what a celebration I had this year! I was blessed to talk to my children and grandchildren and received numerous messages from so many loved ones/friends. My mission family celebrated with me in a big way too. I received hugs from sweet sisters and well wishes from many others... Also my love for chocolate has been noted. 

My heart has been overflowing along with my eyes. I can’t seem to be with the people I love when my emotions run high without crying but somethings never change with age….

Friday, my birthday, was a busy, long day starting at 5:15. I went walking with Sister Barker and Elder and Sister Crump. We went straight from our walk to the chapel to set up for the arrival and lunch for 26 new missionaries. There were elders already in the office after having dropped off departing missionaries at the airport so they helped set up the tables and chairs to feed the 70ish people (new missionaries and their trainers) and carry bags and boxes to the church. You probably remember that each missionary gets new bedding in a big bag. Also many families send boxes to their arriving missionaries. 

After we were set up, I went back to my apartment to shower and get ready for the day. The new missionaries arrived from the airport around 1:00. We ate lunch and then I interviewed each new arrival to go over health history and some things they need to know about health care in the mission field. This is an enjoyable experience for me but the poor missionaries are so overwhelmed and tired from the travel process, that that they could barely keep going.

I’m going to post pictures from the day in no particular order. This blog is also my journal so I want to be able to see all of the people and events that made my day extra special.

I was at the church when I received a text from Sister Crump to come to the office. I had been waiting for a delivery of medication for a missionary so I went to the office:

Sisters Lerch and Richins

My office decorated for the surprise

Sisters Zollinger, Bullock, O’Barr, Sterzer, Richins and Lerch

Elders Morgan and Hansen

Waiting in the office and at the church for the arrivals

They finally arrived.

We had soup, salad and birthday cake for lunch. President Cornelius called me from the hall into the cultural hall for the blessing on the food after which everyone sang Happy Birthday to me. That truly caused the tears to flow!

I arrived back at my apartment just after 5:00. Sister and Elder Barker picked me up and we met Sister and Elder Crump at Chao Pra Ya Thai Restaurant for dinner. Very thoughtful friends and family I have!

We were so hungry we didn’t get the “before” pictures. Instead you are getting the left-over pictures. Tom Kha soup, a beef dish (can’t remember the name) and pad Thai. It was all delicious!

The rest of the week has been pretty routine. It has been quite rainy so the Willamette River looked pretty muddy this week.

It is often dark when we walk so Sister Barker gave me a safety vest and headlamp for our dark morning walks. She bought one for herself too so we will be twinners all lit up and safe. Love it!!

I also saw a flock of turkeys in my apartment complex. It was raining hard so I stayed in my car and took a picture through the window. Not a very clear picture but you get the idea.

Tuesday Sister Barker and I inspected 4 apartments which took us all afternoon until dinner time. It is fun going into the homes of the missionaries and sharing thoughts and feelings with them.

Thursday morning I helped Sister Barker assemble the bedding bags.

Thursday evening was the dinner at the Mission Home for the departing missionaries. I have grown to love these young women and men so it is a difficult evening when I have to say good-bye. I am going to see them in the future I know, but it is nevertheless tearful, at least on my part.

Saturday morning I walked Wild Iris Ridge trail with Sister and Elder Crump. It has been foggy many mornings and Saturday was no exception but it was still fun.

Sunday I joined the Crumps at the Barker apartment for dinner. Sister Barker had prepared a Mexican meal of enchiladas, beans, rice and not so Mexican German chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. Our mother always make German chocolate cake for special occasions. 

I am always grateful for all I have been given. I recognize that everything I have is a gift from my loving Father in Heaven. Being grateful brings me happiness. I often tell missionaries who are struggling with physical or mental health or relationship problems, etc. that if they will make a gratitude journal and write in it every day at least 3 things for which they are grateful, they will have an easier time and they will be happy.

From a talk by Bonnie D. Parkin given in April2007, Gratitude: A Path to Happiness:

“Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it. Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord’s hand. We murmur, complain, resist, criticize; so often we are not grateful. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that those who murmur do not know “the dealings of that God who … created them.” (1 Nephi 2:12) The Lord counsels us not to murmur because it is then difficult for the Spirit to work with us.

Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence. “Live in thanksgiving daily,” said Amulek, “for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.” (Alma 34:38)

I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and my Savior and I love them.

I love you my dear family and friends and I am grateful for you and the love and support I receive from you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I got a new grandson this week.

My son, David and his wife, Brianna, gave me a new grandson. He was born on Wednesday night at 10:11 P.M. He was so anxious to enter this life that Brianna barely made it to the hospital. (The doctor didn’t make it in time for the delivery.) He weighed 7lbs and measured 20 inches. His name is Charles Rex Petersen. Mom and Charlie are doing well and the family is excited!!

It’s been a quiet week. Last week with interviews and travel made this week, by comparison, seem a little boring. However, life in the mission field is never boring. I have managed to stay busy with preparations for the arrival of the new missionaries next week and the routine reports and care of the missionaries that are ongoing. I love it though!! 

Wednesday I heard some sisters in the office planning to go to Dough Co for lunch so I invited myself along. Can’t miss an opportunity to be with friends and to enjoy a calzone at the same time. 

Sisters Campbell, Crouch, Sutherland

Chicken Teriyaki Calzone

Elder Kynaston is finishing his mission on the 17th, so Thursday I invited him and his companions to join me for dinner at Jung’s Mongolian Grill. 

Elders Robison, Peterson, Varty and Kynaston

Sister Palmer has been telling me for a few weeks that she has a gift for me. Friday she and Sister Budge came to the office after District Meeting to bring me the gift. Her mother likes crafts and makes temple replicas. Sister Palmer asked her to make this temple for me. I love it! Such a thoughtful gift!!

The weather has been cooler and wetter with some foggy mornings and evenings. The rain has come mostly in the later morning and afternoons so my walks have been pleasant and chilly but mostly rain free. The leaves are vibrant and gorgeous but I see an end to the falling leaves. It won’t be long until the trees are bare.

Elder and Sister Barker have been out of town all week moving furniture and missionaries to different apartments and cleaning and closing apartments, so I have walked with Elder and Sister Crump every morning. We walked our usual path along the river except for Saturday. We went a different direction and went south past the university stadium and back along the river. 

Haven’t seen many geese lately until this week.

Blue heron

White egret

Saturday evening I invited Sisters Duncan, Walters, and Woods to my apartment for dinner. We had enchilada chicken soup and cornbread. We got so busy chatting and eating that I neglected to get a photo. It was an enjoyable evening. 

Sister Duncan brought this box to me to put on my desk. Fitting for the mission nurse she said.

The sisters gave me a lesson about the covenants that we make and the importance of keeping those covenants. We make covenants when we receive ordinances such as baptism, ordination to the priesthood, and temple ordinances. A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and His children. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey these conditions. Making and keeping covenants qualifies us to receive the blessings God has promised. When we choose not to keep covenants, we cannot receive the blessings. Our covenants guide the choices we make and help us resist temptation.

I like a talk I read given by Sister Linda Kay Burton in 2013 about The Power, Joy, and Love of Covenant Keeping. Here is a part that I like:

"Making and keeping covenants means choosing to bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. It is committing to follow the Savior. It is trusting Him and desiring to show our gratitude for the price He paid to set us free through the infinite gift of the Atonement.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained that “a covenant is a binding spiritual contract, a solemn promise to God our Father that we will live and think and act in a certain way—the way of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In return, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost promise us the full splendor of eternal life.” In that binding contract, the Lord sets the terms and we agree to keep them. Making and keeping our covenants is an expression of our commitment to become like the Savior.

Why Make and Keep Covenants?

1. Covenant keeping strengthens, empowers, and protects.

2. Keeping covenants is essential for true happiness.

3. Keeping our covenants demonstrates our love for the Savior and our Father in Heaven.

Sister Burton ends her talk with these words:

Elder Holland movingly suggested, “I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: ‘Did you love me?’” Tonight I invite each of us to evaluate how much we love the Savior, using as a measure how joyfully we keep our covenants. The Savior said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” How we all need a regular manifestation of the Savior in our daily lives!"

I love my Savior.

I love you my family and friends.