"Just...Serve!"

Well, I think I mentioned last week that I would give you an idea of some volunteer service we're getting into.   One of the things the President asked us to do was to make ourselves known in the community and serve anywhere we are needed.  Help people to have a good feeling about the Mormons among them!  Well, it's taken a while to find places that can use our help.  Why?  Well, we live in a gated community (Pine Mountain Lake) full of retired couples who are happy to serve in Groveland.  So many, in fact, that each person is needed at the library, thrift store, or school about one day a month at most!  Hmmm...

But, we finally talked found the right place!  This is Denise, from 'The Little House'.  She's a bundle of energy that helps run this house on the hill (literally on the hill behind the sign).  It is a community center that serves mostly retired people.  They have everything from lunches twice a week to yoga, keyboarding help, game night, daily calls to elderly people and rides down to appointments in Sonora!

 Elder Meese and I are scheduled to serve there Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, beginning next week!  He will be helping them with their computer work and I get to help as rehearsal accompanist for their singing group - The Pine Cone Singers!  I don't think they practice on the premises, so we'll see where we end up with that.  I'm sure we'll also get to visit with the people who happen in and out each day, which will be very enjoyable!

We will also shortly be able to volunteer at our little Youth Center (Yes, that little building by the park).  But we had a funny snafu with that when we went to Sonora to be fingerprinted by the District Parks and Rec.  My fingerprints went through fine.  But my companion was evidently slightly dehydrated and they couldn't get a good set!  So we have to go down again next week after he drinks a lot of water every day!  Well, I guess you won't find HIS prints on any national register!

Anyway, look at this neat skate park just to the side of it.  It should attract quite a few youth this summer.  When we're approved, they just want us to commit a few hours a week to be 'on site' and interact with the kids.  They said this tends to discourage unwanted behaviors as well as disruptive teens that might come by.  The idea is for parents to be able to trust this as a safe place for their kids. Amen.




Hey, did I mention that the keyboard came?!  In record time...I think it was a week after I had sent the paperwork!

Our little pianist was very excited when we gave it to her in its black carrying bag Sunday.  But we haven't set up lessons yet, because her life may be changing.  Her mother has been recovered and held a job long enough that she and Jasmine may be moving into their own apartment.  So we'll have to see what happens after this transition.  On missions, things seldom follow Plan A.  Often it's not Plan B, either.  But the Lord is in charge, and there IS a plan.  There will be a way.


Okay, speaking of volunteering, you know how they sometimes call for a priesthood detail to come help clean up a neighbor's yard?  Well take a look at this one...




Here's the view the other direction:

The homeowner, Jim, is on the tractor.  They have quite the 'yard'.  And let me show you my favorite part.  Below is their home; to the right is Jim's 'garage'.

I'll show you the interior below.  He said he worked three jobs for thirty years to be able to build this, and he loves it.  He was an EMT and member of the fire department, and he is evidently the person you call for just about anything you need.  You know the person - solid testimony, willing to help everyone, knowledgable, handy, and also funny.  Okay, here is the shop:

And through little french doors to the left of this shot: 

That door leads across a little deck to their house.  But just on the other side of the door there's also one more area in the shop:

Okay, sure.  I mean you need a kitchen, don't you?  Otherwise you'd have to actually stop and go in for meals!

He said sometimes his young co-workers would say, 'I want this set up!'  Great, he'd tell them. You work thirty years at three jobs and you can have one, too.  






Have you ever driven through a cloud?  Here's a totally unrelated but fascinating series of photos.  Every time we descend from Groveland to do shopping or attend a mission meeting, we go down about 1500 ft in about 1.7 miles. It's just over a 14 percent grade.  The road is called Old Priest Grade, and as I've said, no one needs to tell you to stay under the 25 mph speed limit.  Well, one day we saw a cloud beneath us on our journey down

Cool, huh.  Okay, possibly not so cool while we were in it, but wonderful to come out beneath it! 

So once again, I should close.  But one more ... some people ask what we do in the evenings.  Well, we don't have a TV.  We used the cable coming into the house to get internet instead.  We read quite a bit.  Some nights we talk with family.  And we have a sweet little library (hours are 10 to 2, T-Sat!) where you can check out books as well as DVD's.  So sometimes, when we don't have appointments, we have a date night!  Last night we watched 'Invictus' - a powerful message about how much good one man can do following Christ's teachings about forgiveness.  A little different from the rules of the young missionaries' evenings, but such are the spoils of being on a 'senior' mission!