Another Week In Paradise

 I think I might have to feel guilty about our circumstances on this mission!  This is an actual picture we took by the side of the road as we walked today.  It is just soul-cleansing to get up and walk for half an hour through this glorious mountainside.  Of course, it isn't quite as undeveloped as it looks!  There are actually just over 3,000 homes in Pine Mountain Lake (our little community).  They just didn't show up in this shot.   But you also DO have to watch closely when you're driving.   We understand these beauties quite often get hit, being too 'at home'.

But on to more important things.   I promised to show you some of the wonderful people of Groveland branch.   Here are a few:

This is Brother Smith, the branch mission leader.   He came over to help Fred become acquainted with the branch.   He's going to be invaluable...and he's a very genuine man.   (Don't you have to love the 'farm theme' decor in our kitchen?)

The next picture is of our awesome branch president and his wife, President and Sister Whitmer.  When he conducts sacrament meeting, he says, "Good morning, brothers and sisters." And the whole congregation replies in full voice, "Good morning."   You just don't find men any better or more dedicated than this.

This probably won't surprise you, but we have several branch members that have worked for years at Yosemite.  Our Relief Society president is one of them.  Her husband is also a retired firefighter and EMT and restorer of cars.   They have all the bases covered!

She drove several of us to a massive Multi-Regional Women's Conference last Saturday where Sister Burton came to speak.
She chose to take the 'straight-down the mountain, burn-your-brakes-out Old Priest Grade road.  I asked if it ever bothered her to go this way (evidently it would not be my choice!) and she responded, "I could go down here with my eyes closed...but I won't."  She was serious.

And speaking of the Women's Conference, it was so powerful.  Our little crew of twelve left Groveland at 7:30 am to get to Turlock by 9:00.   It began at 10, but we wanted to get good seats.  We arrived to a crowd already half way back into the cultural hall!!  These women were ready to gather and hear some counsel!  The theme was Finding Joy in life.   And every talk was amazingly uplifting.   It was just a spirit-filled experience.

Then we went to lunch together...of course!  Note our darling young sister in the foreground, Kirsten.  She and her husband are guides with a company at Yosemite.  Come Memorial Day, we probably won't be seeing much of her husband!   The branch members have told us to hold on from Memorial Day to Labor Day because it gets totally overrun with tourists.  President Whitmer says it's great for the branch because you only get the finest, most dedicated members that seek out a chapel while they're on vacation.   He loves it.

Here's another great member I met Sunday, Brother Boyak.  He's evidently been our high council representative for quite a while...so long he feels like part of the ward.  You know those rare people who are both very knowledgable and spiritual, and also humble and personable?  That's him.  Our Gospel Doctrine teacher went home sick Sunday and he taught the lesson on an hour's notice.

I know...he's also a bit 'Bill Nye the Science Guy'.













I also may have mentioned that our branch covers quite an area.  The President lives 45 min. north of the chapel.  One of his counselors is 35 min. SE and the other lives 40 minutes SW!  You don't hold unnecessary meetings with those numbers!  Anyway, you get to see some colorful sites (and sights!) traveling between towns.  Here are two that really gave us a chuckle:

For those who are nearsighted, it reads "Point of Hysterical Interest".  

This second one would make you wonder if you're really in California.  But hey, you take religious sentiment wherever you can find it these days!  

 Well, enough for this post.  Let me also say that we had a wonderful zone meeting yesterday.  But you won't see any photos from me about it because the President has a mission rule against taking pictures of Elders or Sisters.  It's a privacy issue, since you don't know where they will be posted.     But they have one cool practice that took me off guard before yesterday's meeting.  I stopped for a restroom break before going in, and when I entered the chapel, all the Elders stood.  It is a mission rule that Elders stand every time the Sisters come into a room.  It's part of President Palmer's feeling that Sisters should be shown total respect ("They were under no obligation to come out here.   They are here because they love the Lord and we will show them the respect they deserve".)

Oh, one more picture.   We never gave you the 'incoming missionary with his President' photo to show we were here in Modesto.   This was the night of our arrival, when we got to sleep in the beautiful mission home in Ripon.

So for this post, farewell from the beautiful mountains of Groveland.   Next time I'll have to delve into how we actually spend our days!   We love you all, and the Lord is blessing us beyond measure.
We could not be more grateful.