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.