This was the elders surprise on my birthday! From left to right, Elder Klein from Arizona, Elder Chinchilla from Guatemala, Elder Aguiniga from Mexico City, Elder Pitti from Panama, Elder Reeder from Logan or Hyde Park, Elder Scharman from Taylorsville. (The iron gate is outside our door. It has to be locked coming and going.)
Sunday they asked me to give the opening prayer in Relief Society. (There were 3 of us) They called on me to read during the lesson. In Sunday School the teacher wanted to sing a hymn to go with the lesson, she looked at me and asked me if I could lead (as she motioned with her hand.) Soon she went down the row and I had to read. In Sacrament Meeting as I played the opening song, as we finished the chorister was staring at me and looked like "what happened, how come you stopped." So I assumed that must have been verse 3 and there was one more. I looked like okay, one more, so I started and she led. When we finished. She was staring at me again. I thought, no, I couldn't have miscounted that bad it had to be four.
So I looked away, then back at her and she sat down. I was nervous because I had to give a talk, but when we finished the meeting, Jim said we did 5 verses, we did the 4th verse twice! Yuk
Then I spoke on Asister a la Iglesia--Attending Church. I will send it along, in English and Spanish tomorrow. One of the elders said his mom keeps getting nursery leader. I said I've never done that one, but I should--Playing blocks on the floor is probably the one thing I am good at!! (If you disagree with me, don't respond.
That night the 6 elders came to transfers dinner along with a senior couple who have been here just a week. They are from Kaysville. They live near those ponds right by the freeway. I said a little further on the freeway and you can see our home. He has worked as a recruiter in Latin Countries to help kids get educated. She is from Mississippi, his 2nd wife, speaks no Spanish, and is black. In the temple today, she looks like the people here and she was not offered a headset to listen in English. They served another mission in Texas in a Spanish branch, he the president and she a teacher.
Anyway, we had two elders leave, Elder Pitti from Panama, I made a heart shaped chocolate cake with his initials on CP for caring and people, his greatest traits, for Elder Reeder from Logan or Hyde Park, I baked chocolate chip cookie dough in the heart pan and wrote #1 since he was our first missionary, our trainer, etc. What fun we had for an hour then they left to call the missionaries their new assignments of companions or area.
Monday, we had meetings and more chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and today Dad and I stood at the pulpit at the transfer chapel, he gave a financial point in Spanish, they I said it in English since we have so many English speakers who have come from the MTC. They've studied Spanish, yet when Dad said to open your packet in Spanish, a lot of them sat there. They he said to open it in English and they laughed and opened them. Then there was a luncheon of Dominican food, same one each them, then we went to the temple to pull their temple clothes and hand them out to the 15 missionaries going home, and went to the session with them. Wow, wonderful.
Oh, on Monday night at Family Home Evening they asked us to each relate an experience that changed our life. Dad told of the auto accident he had with his parents. They were injured badly and the church came in to help. This got him active in the church. I'll let him expound on it sometime.
I said going to college changed my life. I had 19 roommates, and made many friends--one of them was dad. I was active in my singles ward, had great religion classes, and had some amazing spiritual experiences with the scriptures. I studied elementary education, child development and family relations with a kindergarten certificate which, opened my eyes to people and family. I was in a campus service club where we had service opportunities all over Provo as well as being in a 6 girl, 6 guy singing group that performed on campus. Oh, and I was crowned (I never told them this, I just remembered) Miss Heritage Halls, a contest where 24 dorms each sent in a girl to represent them. We had a competition each day for a week and the winner and her attendants were announced in the grand ballroom, the girls at the top of a winding staircase and they came down to meet their date. We sat on 3 big throne chairs on the stage, then with our date danced in the middle of the floor to begin the second half. Bruce & Jo, and Aunt Janet were in the balcony cheering (since our families were notified that we were finalists). Anyway, the three of us road on a big float in the homecoming parade. Cool huh--you didn't know, right! No, the coolest was to ride to Salt Lake, go to the Church Administration building and meet the prophet. David O. McKay was sick that day, so Nathan Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney were the substitutes. I sat in President Tanner's chair and had my picture taken with he and Pres. Romney on either side. Now that was cool!! (Anybody see the picture floating around somewhere?
Anyway, how is the house coming? how's it going with school out? How's the eating solid foods coming? How was the concert with those celebrities? How is your company/house guests doing? , and how was Disney World?
Love,
Mom & Dad
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