Snow, Beautiful Snow!

It's almost March, and Groveland finally got a dusting of snow!  Not much to holler about if you're in Utah, but in parched and desperate California, it's God sent!

Evidently, the moisture we got last winter (our first here) was the blessed end of a five year drought.  The waterfalls were flowing freely in Yosemite and Lake Don Pedro was full.  Now, it's back to worrying about the water levels and snow pack once again. 



While I'm talking about Yosemite, let me tell about this past week's adventure.  One of the blessings of being a 'Senior' missionary is being able to have friends come for brief visits.  President Palmer has been very kind in this way, and last week we welcomed two of our longtime friends - Dave and LaRue. 

And of course, when your most 'outdoorsy' friends come, you need to head into the Park! 
Luckily, there is still enough water for Yosemite Falls to display its beauty, as well as Bridal Veil Falls. 







There is also a 'once-a-year' occurrence that Dave and Fred were dying to see:  the 'golden stream' of Horse Tail Falls.  Each year there are a very few hours in a very few days that the setting sun is in just the right place to turn the falls 'golden', which is a breathtaking sight.  Well, even though we were told there was no water going over it this year, our determined husbands  thought there might just be a chance at a shot - so we were there.  And we did get this picture:

So you can sort of picture what it would have looked like with sparkling water turning that ribbon bright orange.  Truthfully, this year the more striking image was right behind us at that time:

That shot was just about 'worth our nickle' to stay until dark.  And let us just say, when it gets dark in Yosemite, it gets DARK.  Our friends mentioned more than once how totally dark it gets at night up here in the mountains.  #nostreetlights

Anyway, the weather totally cooperated for these hiking friends to spend all day climbing around in the rocks by Hetch Hetchy reservoir.  They found a five mile trail to beautiful Wapama Falls. 

Meanwhile, LaRue and I discovered the library, Youth Center, Serendipity gift shop, and the original jail in town! 



And what do you do in the evening after you've talked and read together? 
Dominos, of course!  Thank you, dear friends, for taking the time to be with us!

 I want to show you two people who have become a very enjoyable part of our week each Wednesday.  They are very active in their own faith, and we have developed a habit of meeting once a week to discuss religious topics together and try to better understand each other's faith. 

One week we discussed the Proclamation On The Family, another we brought them a copy of the Articles of Faith.  We've discussed The Living Christ.  We have read some writings by their Church's founder Ellen White.   They are also reading the Book of Mormon, so we discuss questions about it. 

They are amazingly knowledgable scriptorians, and it has been a great help to us to research scriptures we can share on each topic.  For instance, why do we believe we existed before this life?  What are our beliefs about Adam and Eve in the Garden?  How do our beliefs differ about the second coming of Christ?   It is a great experience to be able to discuss religion in a spirit of brotherhood and respect. 

well, believe it or not, our mission is finally about to get cell phones!  They've been talking about it for some time, but it's almost a reality.  And it should be a great boon to the work!  They're all android, so we won't be able to put the 'area book' on our iphone, but the Elders are pretty excited about the prospect. 

Thursday was our last district meeting before transfers, so Elder Meese bought lunch for us all (as is his practice).  But now our district is so large that we had to bring pizza in! 

When we arrived with the pizza, the trio of Elders were still sitting in their car.  The reason?  The other Elders hadn't arrived, and they couldn't go in because the trio of Sisters was inside.  Three Elders, three Sisters, nope.  You've got to love the obedience of these missionaries. 

Okay, a few more faces: 

Elder Meese continues to work with people on Family History.  Kathy is a retired school teacher he's helping at a monthly session at STCHS ('Stitches'), the South Tuolumne County Historical Society. 

This is Ariel, my favorite part of The Cocina Mitchoacana where we often eat.  We don't even have to order any more; she knows I'll have my tostada and Elder Meese will probably do the green chile enchilada. 

This is one great fourth grade teacher, Lydia!  She's holding her new golden doodle.   She volunteers at the youth center and is just a super roll model for the kids.  And...can we just say that almost everyone up here has a dog...or cat.  Pets are every couple's 'children' up here. 







Our President Palmer and his wife.  We enjoyed another Senior Gathering with them recently.  They're wonderful.  They'll return to Washington in July when they end their mission. 

So that's it for now.  But I hear there's a big storm in the forecast for Monday!  So we may be hunkering down for a day!  We asked someone once how you get around up here when it snows heavily.  The answer?  "You don't.  You just stay home for a day and it melts by tomorrow!"  Well, we'll see....

Until then, we send our love from beautiful Groveland.   God bless you, and keep you warm and happy!   

We ALL saw our shadow!

Well, yesterday we celebrated Punxsutawney Phil's annual 'coming out' party.  And I don't know about all of you, but it is WAY too warm and sunny here for February!  We would gladly welcome six more weeks of winter, because we haven't even HAD one yet.

We did, however, enjoy the day by making groundhog puddings with the kids at the Youth Center.  They loved them!

We also made them for another favorite group of ours just a few days earlier:

This is our sweet District - quite the change from our previous group...which was five of us.  They combined two districts and kept Elder Miller (third from the left) as our fearless leader.  Good, because he's wonderful.

Elder Fredenberg (third from the right) is a visa waiter heading to China.  He appears to speak fluent Mandarin (yeah, how would I know?) even before he will arrive.  These missionaries are so smart, and dedicated, and energized.  We love being with them.


Oh, and did I tell you the 'small world' moment we had with Elder Miller?  The Elders came up to speak in our branch and then eat dinner with us.

And when Elder Miller took a look at our calendar he was, "No WAY!"

Evidently his older brother is close friends with our latest 'grandson by marriage'!  It's amazing the funny connections that pop up when you're a member of the church!





As long as we're talking about the missionaries....  You've probably already read they are downsizing and streamlining the missions in the church.  And as of July 1, the California Modesto Mission will no longer exist.  Half the mission will be absorbed into the Fresno Mission and the other half to the Sacramento mission.

How will it affect us?  It won't.  We'll still be serving in the same place for the month of July - in beautiful Groveland.  I guess we will go to Fresno to officially 'check out'.  But for the young Elders and Sisters, this is a big change - meaning they will have a real transition from old acquaintances and companions to new areas, acquaintances and companions.

President Palmer (this is an old photo from our arrival in the mission) gave a perfect, very personal announcement to our zone.  He left the microphone and came down front, explaining how several missions had been added when the 'bulge' of missionaries occurred with the age change to eighteen.

Now the missionary numbers have evened out, so the Palmers had the privilege of opening and will now close the mission.  He spoke as a reassuring parent and gave great, solid counsel on continuing to serve with diligence and obedience.   It was a pretty quiet chapel.  He opened it up for questions, and there were a few.  But then one sister he called on said, 'It's not a question.  We love you.'  The perfect 'enough said' ending to our conference.

Well, as for other images through the week...


Fred is continuing to work with people on their Family History.  He seems to have one or two more people mention to him each week that they'd like to work on theirs.

He holds this class every Wednesday morning at the Little House.   Last week he and Nikki tried to find her missing relative for over an hour.  Just as they had both decided to give up, he told her to be sure to look for 'hints' when she got home because they are always adding new names and information to Familysearch.

"See," he said, "there's one for you right now!"
Neither of them could believe it when it was the marriage certificate of the person they'd been searching for!!  (the Lord's 'coincidences)

This good woman has 60 years of family history she's compiled... on paper!  We come to their home, because her health makes it difficult to come out.  But because her children have little interest in it, she's afraid all the work she's done will be forgotten or lost or ignored.

So, Elder Meese has connected her with one of our branch members who is taking it from an old GEDCOM file to FamilySearch.  #winwin











We had dinner with some of our favorite friends the other night, and I wanted you to see their home.  You can't appreciate it from the picture, but they are out in the middle of nowhere (Greeley Hill).

So it's like finding a little oasis!  (there's even a hot tub)  How did he get the green grass?  His son-in-law is in the astro-turf business!  hahaha

I'm sure he and Lori will serve a full time mission one day.  But right now they are much needed in the branch!



When they take trips to their home in Oregon, they rent their place out on Air B&B, which a ton of people do in this area.  The home next to ours in Pine Mountain Lake is busy ALL summer, which probably covers any costs they have and then some.  Another 'win.win'.








We can tell it's February on our daily travels through the branch, because the mistletoe is back!  Funny, huh.  It took us a while to figure out what it was, then someone filled us in.  Just big clumps of mistletoe...

Things are going well at the Youth Center.  We finally finished the puzzle we were all working on, and Jennah hung it on the wall.

Last week Friday was PJ day at school, and Fred had to take a picture of one of our sweet girls that is often at the Center.

The average ages of the kids coming there is about nine to eleven.  And you'll never see a group more polite or eager to do crafts... or to make groundhog puddings!





One of our good friends, Miguel.  We love him.  He says he is very spiritual but not religious.  He sees no need for an organized church, but he sure loves to talk religion with Fred.  He bought this roll up keyboard to help him learn how to read music and play piano.  Miguel is always working on a new project! 

His wife Sally organized a lovely 'celebration of life' for one of our Little House friends that passed away.

We have sure met a lot of Christian-minded people here who have generous hearts and a wonderful sense of 'community'.  It's a privilege to volunteer along side them in our sweet town.  We've learned a lot.

Well, I've got to stop.  Just one more word: Yosemite.  If you have any thoughts of coming to see us, get your reservation in!  In two weeks we'll see our friends Dave and LaRue and within six weeks we'll have Doris and Charlie!  Yea!  And with any luck, we'll get some rain so there are actual waterfalls!  Cross your fingers and pay your tithing....

Love you all.