Trumpet Flourish, Please!

There could not have been a more blessed announcement to our dear Groveland than the one that appeared on Wednesday: 

April 25, 2017 
"Yosemite National Park Announces Re-Opening of Big Oak Flat Road 
Yosemite National Park is pleased to announce that the Big Oak Flat road will reopen to all vehicular traffic at 5:00 am on Monday, May 1, 2017. Visitors entering the park via Highway 120 West will once again be able to drive via Big Oak Flat road to Yosemite Valley."

I had never realized how much an area could depend on one source of revenue.  When mudslides and sink holes washed away part of the highway leading into Yosemite, it threatened the existence of our entire town that depends so much on tourists making their last stop here before driving into the park!  When news of the reopening came, it breathed grateful life back into every citizen here.  In honor of the opening, we have made plans to go to the park with one of our mission's office couples!  We just have to find a time we're both free...hopefully not on a weekend!  

As for our week, things are going well.  If some of our activities sound like home and visiting teaching, we remember the quote from Harold B Lee: "Missionary work is but home teaching to those who are not now members of the church.  And home teaching is nothing more or less than missionary work to church members."  Pretty true - it's all the Lord's work, no matter what part you're engaged in.  

This week we are staying close to a friend in the branch who is dealing with a new cancer diagnosis and a husband just recovering from hip replacement and looking toward knee and shoulder surgeries.  And somewhere in all this, she had a birthday... 

This week we also took our first turn 'reading to preschoolers' at Groveland library.  We can't take pictures of the children, but I can show you our 'secret weapon' to help them feel more comfortable getting to know us today.  

So parents bring their tiny ones to a library 'story time' every Friday at 10:30, and you read to them for half an hour.  Sometimes you have four, sometimes two, sometimes no one comes.  But we have now been entrusted with the 'fourth Friday'.  Our mentor, a lady with her PhD in Family Counseling, was somewhat dubious about Fred ("We've never had a man before") being able to fill this role.

She critiqued us following our first session.   She was happy with our ability to draw them in and said we seemed to enjoy ourselves.  And she said she likes the idea of having a 'grandpa' also read (a 'first')  So I guess we passed.  * Phew *  We just had to laugh after a lifetime of church service and reading to grandkids that we were nervous about making the grade with her!

By the way, who's the person you are most frightened to leave when you serve a mission? Your doctor?  No, no.  It's your hairdresser, of course!  I don't know if I've mentioned, but we are most grateful to have found another good person to cut hair out here!  It's Kirsten, our sweet pregnant branch member!  It's great - she (and Will when he's not being a Yosemite back-packing guide) comes to the house and cuts, then they stay for dinner.  It's such a pleasant evening!  

We found out something else this week.  We knew May 1 was the Pine Mountain deadline for having all excess leaves and debris cleaned off your property (fire hazard).  So we were awaiting the clean up crew we were told would come.  This week, we found out there was evidently a mix up in that understanding - the crew is US.  hahaha   So even in the forest, there is yard work!  Okay, I did eventually put down the camera and pick up a rake...

Does this look like an add for a CRV?  It's actually our 'final destination' according to our GPS as we hunted for the home of a member who was baptised at 19 and hasn't returned in 50 years.  Even though she didn't want to meet with us, Elder Meese wanted to just leave a Book of Mormon and loaf of bread on her porch.  I will just say, after traversing rutted, dirt and gravel mountain roads that got smaller and smaller, we finally ended up with NO road and I said, "I have to get out and take a picture of this!"  We can only laugh about it now because we eventually found our way back to civilization!  (Okay, he was never lost...just my perception)  We did actually find the house, but you should ask Fred for the rest of the story; it was too nerve racking for me.

I'll end by showing you another volunteer opportunity Elder Meese got us into this week that ended up being so wonderful.  We helped prepare "Tuolumne Trails" camp for the summer.  This is a state of the art campground, lodge and cabins conceived and funded by the Bakers, a wonderful local couple.  

When their young son contracted a illness that left him with some brain damage, they decided to turn their efforts toward making a place where all young people with special needs could come and enjoy the outdoors together.  Their dream has grown into the most amazing camp I've seen.  And their son (above) was delightful to talk with, helping everywhere needed.  He told me about some of the campers ("some of the kids that come up have never seen stars at night").  

There were forty great people helping today.  I got lucky with kitchen duty; Elder Meese was re-staining the cabins.  It was a great day, and by now we're starting to see familiar faces!  We're beginning to just be 'part of the community'.  Blessings.  

So many doors are beginning to open.  So many people are beginning to feel comfortable with these 'badges' in their midst.  So many new friends.  We are feeling very blessed.  




So for now, we love you all and say good night from our favorite path home from Sonora, Algerine Road...

Each Week Gets Better!

I'm not sure, but I think we were assigned to this area just to learn how to live Christlike lives!   I have decided my greatest task as newly called compassionate service leader is to try to keep up with those who "were just there and already took care of it"!   Every place we call to offer our help, someone has just taken care of the need.  It's a good place to be...

I love these people.  My friend JoAnn is recovering nicely from knee replacement, and I knew she would.  She was religious about exercises her doctor gave her to do two months before surgery to strengthen her muscles.  She is walking like a champ three weeks after the procedure, and she'll be back on the piano bench Sunday.

But the other sweet part of this photo is her son. He and his family visited her for Easter.  For his recent fiftieth birthday, JoAnn and Tom took a church history jaunt across the U.S. - New York to Nauvoo together.  Before he died, JoAnn's husband was in law enforcement.  This son is, also.  And he holds a calling in his ward that he has begged to keep for five years - ward mission leader.  They say he has about twenty people he teaches each Sunday in Gospel Essentials, some of which are always investigators.

And one more thing - Tom was adopted...at his request.  All JoAnn has said is that his childhood was very, very difficult and he lived a lot of the time at their house.  And when he became an adult, he asked to be officially adopted by them.  He now has a son serving a mission (and some beautiful daughters).




Will they ever get through hauling away the fallen trees!!  You see the sight below every day, on every Highway.  I don't envy them driving down Priest grade!

And speaking of highways, the latest news on 120 is that they have built it up 25 ft.  But they still think completion by Memorial Day would be a miracle.  Our rangers in the branch just laugh at some of the on-line comments they get from people: "Great to hear about the progress.  So will it be finished for our April 29 reservations up there?"  Sometimes we are just clueless about the extent of damage and what it takes to recover.




Well, Friday we began our volunteer schedule with the Youth Center.  We think this is going to be fun.  Most of the boys were out on the skate ramps, so we sat at a picnic table and watched them while we played some Phase 10.  Next Friday we get to hold a little baking class with them; we're going to make homemade Oreos.

Have we shown you the center?  I think it's wonderful!  And they have a full little kitchen.  Fred is talking to the director, Jennah, who is here five days a week.  She said her biggest job is getting the word out that this is a good place they can trust to let their kids come and hang out.  (Hence their desire to have more responsible adult volunteers on site)







We may have mentioned we offered to take a Family Home Evening manual to a non-member couple in the area.  They said they were active in the Evangelical church, but we found we were all very family-centered.  We said they might like these ideas for family gatherings when their grandchildren came up.  Well.... how slow are we that we didn't realize this resource book has been discontinued by the church for some time!  I guess it's another item that didn't work as well in a 'worldwide church.  But we went online, and voila!  We found one!  So we'll head over there this week.




Okay, I know I don't show many missionary pictures, but I couldn't help showing what Elders consider a 'worthy' hamburger:

Hey, your month's supply of cholesterol all on one checkered platter!  We go to lunch with our district each week after our meeting.  They're great young men. (By the way, the burgers are from "Squeeze Burger", google it, they are tasty.)

By the way, we're determined not to let this be one of the infamous 'thirty lb. missions'.  And the weather is pretty much cooperating right now.  So here's our 'selfie' on our morning route.  We're on a first name basis with the deer on this path. The mirror is due to a steep hill on the left not visible from Big Foot Circle.  Big Foot Circle - isn't that a great name?

Oh, and did you know that we live in "The Mother Lode"?  That's what they call this area.  We were the California Gold Rush!  Okay, maybe you already knew, but I didn't.  

So for now, farewell from The Motherlode and the landscaping crew we hired to mow our 'front lawn'.  "A little shorter, boys."  We all send our love.

What a blessed Easter season

I'll begin with a gift, given to us by a cousin we barely knew...until we were called to this mission.  She lives in Sonora, which is now our weekly connection with 'civilization'!  And although we don't hold the same religious beliefs, we are enjoying a growing friendship and family connection.  She is an awesome artist and sculptor.  Thursday she gave us this handmade egg.  "I thought you might enjoy it since you celebrate Easter."  We will treasure it.

Last week we also attended an Easter vocal concert presented by a former pastor of our local Seventh Day Adventist church.  Our neighbor and his wife (members there) greeted us, sat next to us and introduced us to everyone around us.  I pondered how important that was in helping an outsider feel welcomed in an unfamiliar setting.  Note to self....

By the way, have I mentioned that there are no fewer than ten active denominations up here on the hill??  Catholic, Evangelical, Church of Christ, Baptist, you name it...they are here.   I was putting their names and numbers into the Little House resource book, and I mentioned to Paula (our director) that it must make for a very moral, religious atmosphere here.  She said it should, in theory, except that each congregation has a weekly attendance around twenty five and there are 4,000 homes in Pine Mountain Lake alone.  So maybe not so much in practice...   

Well, here was another lovely Easter experience Elder Meese found.  On one of our travels down the mountain last week, he noticed a sign on a fence out in a field:  "EASTER - HERE - 6:45 AM SUNDAY".  Well, he decided he needed to see what it was all about, so Sunday morning he was up at 5:30.   He agreed to let me be 'Martha' and prepare for our dinner guests who would arrive directly after our Easter services.  Well, here is what he found:  

According to Elder Meese, there were about seventy five brave souls who met the sunrise and listened to the music and brief sermons of the minister (in center, no hat).  They closed with two women - a vocalist and a cellist - singing "The Old Rugged Cross".   Another moment of Easter serendipity... 

Well, I have no picture for the best part of our Easter, meeting with our branch to take the sacrament, sing, listen and worship together in gratitude for the most important event the world has ever experienced.  There was such a beautiful spirit in all our meetings, and we were so grateful to know we have a Savior who loved us enough to complete the atonement.  Kirsten sang "Come, Thou Font Of Every Blessing"; the primary sang "Gethsemane", and one of the Burdick's lovely granddaughters played a flute solo of "I Wonder When He Comes Again".  The Daltons spoke entirely about Christ, just Jesus Christ,...and we were immersed in the Spirit.  

And then, good friends joined us at our house. 

Lori Dalton even made special 'Easter rolls' with a hollow center like the empty tomb!  (she said you bake a marshmallow into the center of the roll).  So clever!

Will presented a brief 'seder' after dinner, then we did a shortened version of Fred's program of Bible readings and hymns.  It was wonderful to be together and helped overcome the longing to be with family.  It was also very comforting to know our children were each having the same wonderful feelings about their Savior today.  

I have a few 'random' pictures from our week, too, that I'll pass along.  This is the FHE group from this month's gathering.  Anyone is welcome; they usually watch a church video (with popcorn), then talk over dessert.  So enjoyable.  

This next one is so funny - I can't tell you how many times we've passed this tree on our morning walks and never noticed this on it!  Somebody's got a great sense of humor...

And speaking of things I hadn't noticed... Fred was telling me about some Northern Californians wanting to form their own state. They evidently feel their values and opinions are overrun by politics of the 'big cities' and they want to return to more traditional values. Well, I've begun noticing their signs on our trips... 

And here's another thing you can't help but notice - everywhere!  Trees, fallen, cut down, chopped, being hauled, they're all over the mountain!  The other day, Fred and I took a walk down by a creek bed.  He stopped to note a dead tree and the 'hollow center', probably evidence of the ravaging bark beetle.  The tragedy just goes on and on up here.  

Well, I'm going to close with one of the most bizarre parking jobs I see every time we leave the house.  You can't really appreciate this delicate balance unless you could look cliff-side of this car and realize the drop off is about 30 feet.  I mean, talk about nowhere to park!   I just hope we never have a stiff wind.  

So for now, my walking friend and I say good by from Groveland and wish you all a wonderful week.  We love you.  

Sometimes you just have to ask, "Why?"

All it took was a couple of people saying "You should take Wards Ferry (road) in the Spring.  The flowers are really beautiful.  It just comes alive."  That's what Fred heard.  I heard all the other people  who said, "Are you kidding?  I would never go Wards Ferry.  Single lane, curves, steep drop offs... No way."  Well, it stirred his 'adventurer's blood' enough that he found a soon found a friend willing to make the trip - our branch president!!

I told them I took this picture so the EMT's would know who they were looking for.  Then I sent them off.  A couple of hours later they arrived back in Groveland, happy as two clams (I don't know, how happy is that?)  Here are a couple of shots Fred took, although photos never do justice in a landscape shot.

Now at this point, after reading this descriptive sign, wouldn't most people consider taking the advice posted?  Just saying...

Here is one of President Whitmer's observations about this path:  "Oh it's not so bad.  You hardly ever meet someone coming the other way.  I only hit somebody once - a Highway Patrol.  They tried to say I should have honked before coming around the curve so it was my fault.   But they paid for the repairs to my truck."

The view out Fred's car window ....











Now let see, where were those amazing fields of flowers? Oh yeah, here you go...  yeah...

Here's another adventurer who would have gladly made the trip.  Jim's made a lifetime full of them because he's been a fire fighter and paramedic his whole life, most recently up here.  He's also the owner of the garage I told about last week.   A while back, I asked President Whitmer what we do up here for a doctor.  He said, "We just count on Jim to be able to patch most people up."  And he's right - Jim is pretty knowledgeable about  all things medical as well as being a very worthy holder of the priesthood.  It's a good thing, too, because medical care up here on the mountain is actually making England's look good!  Well, that's all I'm saying about that...



We began our volunteer work at the Little House this week!  Here are a couple of pictures of the main building.  Pretty sweet, isn't it!

 I'm standing in the kitchen area to take this.









 And here's the other view.  When summer comes, Denise says they have all sorts of evening gatherings out on the patio.  Such a wonderful idea for the people in this area.  We love it.

 So Denise said to us the other day, "You'll have to forgive me.  I'm all scattered mentally because I'm trying to give up coffee."  We said, "Boy, have you got the right volunteers to support you in that!"

Right now, Fred is helping with their volunteer database.   I'm doing data entry for them.  So far we work with Denise, Linda and Paula.  Wednesday we met about eight other really nice people that serve on their leadership committee.  And Paula held an 'iphone training' with everyone!  It was great!
("Okay, does everyone know how to send and pick up a text?")

 We can even do work for the Little House on our home computer at 'nerve central' while I'm preparing for visits!

 The view on the way into Modesto for zone meetings:
priceless!  Actually, by the time you look at this, the blossoms will all be gone and it will be green.  People keep telling us the hills will soon be brown, but it's hard to believe right now.   

 Now I wish I had a load of pictures to tell you about our zone meeting last week.  But I don't.  I just want to say, it was so spiritual and such a great learning experience!  Our zone leaders began by letting each of us (22) tell something that really struck us from General Conference.  They asked several how we were going to apply that new knowledge to improve ourselves as missionaries.

Toward the end of the 2 1/2 hour training, after they had shown the 'Prince of Peace' video, they again went around the zone, this time asking what new insight each had made about Christ after listening to Conference.  I wrote down just a few of their thoughts: 

"I just think about how much He gives me and how much love I can give to others."
"He never gives up on us and He never gives up on our investigators."
"Our relationship with the Savior depends on us.  He always has his arms outstretched."
" I realized I love Him as much as He loves me."

President Palmer slipped in to our meeting part way through.  He is such a great teacher.  He only commented a couple of times and just let the meeting proceed.  And he said at the end, "I hope you Elders and Sisters are aware of the great learning that has been taking place here.  That is the Holy Ghost you're feeling.   I hope you realize that."

And so we all went back to our cars...or bikes.  Ready to begin again.  And that...as I've said once before a few years back...is the long and short of it this week.  Our love to you all!