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.