September 30, 2012
Obviously, I did not add to my post from last week and so I will finish up my thoughts tonight. (This is Sister Downs writing again) :) I love Sundays and even though they are a day of "rest", they are filled with doing good things that bless your life and help make the coming week better. This has been a really great week-end period! We are getting to go to the Sacramento Temple once a week and it is such a privilege. It takes us only 30 minutes to get there so we started our Saturday off by going to a session at the temple. We love to be there and partake of the sweet spirit that exists only in
a temple of the Lord. We went last Saturday with 20 members of our little branch of the church. We admire them so much for their diligence in going to the temple monthly when many of them do not understand English well and the temple sessions have not been translated into Marshallieese yet. But yesterday we went by ourselves (lots of others were there but we of course didn't know them) and then we headed to downtown Sacramento to observe the celebration ommemorating 150 years since Pres. Lincoln created the original Union Pacific. It was very interesting! It was also exciting for us when members of the LDS Church would greet us and stop and visit. We meet a Bro. Beemun who knew our next door neighbor Courtney Carron when she served a mission in Santa Rosa. Such a small and wonderful world. Last night we had the Relief Society Broadcast from Salt Lake City and it was incredible. What a spiritual feast! AND we had 10 sisters from our little branch there!! We have done a lot ot visiting active and inactive members this week. We have also held several "Daily Dose" (our English class we teach) classes this week and are so grateful with the turnout for them.We have 4 different classes going on right now and they meet twice a week. It is so exciting to see their improvements in the English language! We hope this increases their gospel understanding as well as their chances for employment. We will be expanding the Daily Dose to the Spanish and Chinese congregations soon. The young members are fluent in English but the older members are struggling. I can relate to that when we are at church and hear mostly Marshallieese. We are well and happy but we still miss our family and friends. We do so miss singing in Cantourm and Showboaters! On Sundays we kind of belt out the hymns because we make up for the singing we used to do at home. We have prayed for patience and humility and are slowly developing a little more of each. We are blessed in our work and are so grateful for those blessings!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sept. 23 - Sherrie (or Sister Downs) input for the week. :)
As always, I'll share some things from our "temporal world" then share some of our "spiritual activities."
Local folks are saying this is an unusual late summer. It still gets around 90 degrees or more but just doesn't seem all that bad with hardly any humidity. We are continuing our early morning walks in a lovely park very close to our apartment. This is a habit that we always "wanted" to do when in Missouri, but always found an excuse not to do. You know, humidity, too many hills, too tired or old, etc. etc. John rides his bike earlier than I get up because I am still a night person and he a morning person. I just wanted to clear that up because I did not want to infer that I was lazy in any way. :) We almost feel like we have a new set of friends who walk when we walk but we don't even know their names. As we approach them we hear them speaking in another language to one another but then we hear a cheery shout out hello or good morning. Californians seem to be very friendly. I even stopped one woman merely because she appeared to be Asian and asked if she knew of any good acupuncturist in the area. She didn't miss a beat and cheerfully told me of 2 possibilities that her daughter had been to see and liked. On an afterthought, I realized how silly it was that just because someone looked Chinese that they would know a good acupuncturist! That is similar to someone finding out that I am from Missouri and asking me if I know someone who lives somewhere in Missouri. They are often genuinely surprised that I do not know such a person. All of us human beings have such funny perceptions of others!! My biggest adjustment here has been to be out of my own kitchen!! I go to make something and I don't have the staples on hand or don't have the right utensil to cook it with or cook it in. I got ready to make a batch of Annette Rule's incredible bran muffins and realized I didn't have any vanilla in the cupboard. We feel like we go to the grocery store every day (we don't but it sure feels like it) because I'm always needing something that I don't have in the cupboards. I expect the cashiers to soon be saying, "Ah Elder and Sister Downs, 5 days in a row. Wish we had more customers like you!" They really do act like they know us well since we go so often. I will never take vanilla, measuring spoons or good cooking pans for granted again!! I found out that the temperature in my oven is definitely off several degrees. I attempted to bake a turkey breast and it was so dry and tough that I had to grind it up and make turkey salad. The salad turned out great but goodness, a big turkey breast makes a lot of turkey salad. Just more food to give to the young, starving missionaries we work with! By the way, I did go to one of the acupuncturists my new Asian friend suggested and really like her. She doesn't speak much English and has difficulty understanding me with my Midwest accent but hopefully she understands my body. I am feeling better except for the bruises on my back which are the result of the Chinese "cupping" method to improve circulation. So, I am feeling better and thank goodness I do not wear immodest clothing or someone might accuse Elder Downs of abusing me. I a
As always, I'll share some things from our "temporal world" then share some of our "spiritual activities."
Local folks are saying this is an unusual late summer. It still gets around 90 degrees or more but just doesn't seem all that bad with hardly any humidity. We are continuing our early morning walks in a lovely park very close to our apartment. This is a habit that we always "wanted" to do when in Missouri, but always found an excuse not to do. You know, humidity, too many hills, too tired or old, etc. etc. John rides his bike earlier than I get up because I am still a night person and he a morning person. I just wanted to clear that up because I did not want to infer that I was lazy in any way. :) We almost feel like we have a new set of friends who walk when we walk but we don't even know their names. As we approach them we hear them speaking in another language to one another but then we hear a cheery shout out hello or good morning. Californians seem to be very friendly. I even stopped one woman merely because she appeared to be Asian and asked if she knew of any good acupuncturist in the area. She didn't miss a beat and cheerfully told me of 2 possibilities that her daughter had been to see and liked. On an afterthought, I realized how silly it was that just because someone looked Chinese that they would know a good acupuncturist! That is similar to someone finding out that I am from Missouri and asking me if I know someone who lives somewhere in Missouri. They are often genuinely surprised that I do not know such a person. All of us human beings have such funny perceptions of others!! My biggest adjustment here has been to be out of my own kitchen!! I go to make something and I don't have the staples on hand or don't have the right utensil to cook it with or cook it in. I got ready to make a batch of Annette Rule's incredible bran muffins and realized I didn't have any vanilla in the cupboard. We feel like we go to the grocery store every day (we don't but it sure feels like it) because I'm always needing something that I don't have in the cupboards. I expect the cashiers to soon be saying, "Ah Elder and Sister Downs, 5 days in a row. Wish we had more customers like you!" They really do act like they know us well since we go so often. I will never take vanilla, measuring spoons or good cooking pans for granted again!! I found out that the temperature in my oven is definitely off several degrees. I attempted to bake a turkey breast and it was so dry and tough that I had to grind it up and make turkey salad. The salad turned out great but goodness, a big turkey breast makes a lot of turkey salad. Just more food to give to the young, starving missionaries we work with! By the way, I did go to one of the acupuncturists my new Asian friend suggested and really like her. She doesn't speak much English and has difficulty understanding me with my Midwest accent but hopefully she understands my body. I am feeling better except for the bruises on my back which are the result of the Chinese "cupping" method to improve circulation. So, I am feeling better and thank goodness I do not wear immodest clothing or someone might accuse Elder Downs of abusing me. I a
Friday, September 21, 2012
September 21, 2012
Hello to our friends and family. Let me tell you about my friend Billy Reed. Fifteen years ago I was involved with prison ministries at the Jefferson City Corrections prison. This was the prison where men were sent who had committed some pretty serious crimes, and many of these men wouldn't be getting out for a long time if ever. I would go in on Sunday nights and meet in a small room in the basement of the prison chapel. Anywhere from three to ten men would usually attend, some who sincerely wanted to be there and others who just wanted to get out of their cells. Three men, who I remember well, who became my friends, came each and every time. T.J. aka Terrill Jennings, aka Porter Rockwell (because that described him better), Richard Beckham, now deceased, and Billy Reed. These men always came with a contrite heart and wanted to worship the Savior. I always felt the Spirit within those walls and always felt safe with these three men around me. As with all of us at some time in our lives we wish we could rewind an event that had occured where something went wrong, where someone was hurt, or a car was damaged, or a crime was committed. But we can't do that and have to go on with our lives whatever that might be. In these men, I never saw anger against the system, "woe is me", or "I've been wronged", just sincere men wanting to make the best of it. I was not allowed to baptize them or give the sacred elements of the Sacrament but the Spirit of the Lord was there none the less. After about seven years these three men were transferred to other prisons and I was called to serve in other responsibilities. We kept up correspondence and I never forgot what those men taught me.
Fast forward to 2012. I received a phone call from Billy Reed. He had been released from prison, was in a half way house in Kansas City, had a job and had a car. The system had felt he had served his time and now he was out in the world to survive on his own. Billy always said if he got out he would dedicate his life to the Lord. Well he was baptized recently into the Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-Day Saints and last week attended the Kansas City temple to do baptisms. He is one excited and pumped man. I am so happy for him and glad I could play a small part in his life. I look forward to seeing him in 2014 when we come home.
May we always remember Matthew 25: 35-36 "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; Naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me".
May we always emulate in some small way what the Savior did for mankind.
John
Hello to our friends and family. Let me tell you about my friend Billy Reed. Fifteen years ago I was involved with prison ministries at the Jefferson City Corrections prison. This was the prison where men were sent who had committed some pretty serious crimes, and many of these men wouldn't be getting out for a long time if ever. I would go in on Sunday nights and meet in a small room in the basement of the prison chapel. Anywhere from three to ten men would usually attend, some who sincerely wanted to be there and others who just wanted to get out of their cells. Three men, who I remember well, who became my friends, came each and every time. T.J. aka Terrill Jennings, aka Porter Rockwell (because that described him better), Richard Beckham, now deceased, and Billy Reed. These men always came with a contrite heart and wanted to worship the Savior. I always felt the Spirit within those walls and always felt safe with these three men around me. As with all of us at some time in our lives we wish we could rewind an event that had occured where something went wrong, where someone was hurt, or a car was damaged, or a crime was committed. But we can't do that and have to go on with our lives whatever that might be. In these men, I never saw anger against the system, "woe is me", or "I've been wronged", just sincere men wanting to make the best of it. I was not allowed to baptize them or give the sacred elements of the Sacrament but the Spirit of the Lord was there none the less. After about seven years these three men were transferred to other prisons and I was called to serve in other responsibilities. We kept up correspondence and I never forgot what those men taught me.
Fast forward to 2012. I received a phone call from Billy Reed. He had been released from prison, was in a half way house in Kansas City, had a job and had a car. The system had felt he had served his time and now he was out in the world to survive on his own. Billy always said if he got out he would dedicate his life to the Lord. Well he was baptized recently into the Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-Day Saints and last week attended the Kansas City temple to do baptisms. He is one excited and pumped man. I am so happy for him and glad I could play a small part in his life. I look forward to seeing him in 2014 when we come home.
May we always remember Matthew 25: 35-36 "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; Naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me".
May we always emulate in some small way what the Savior did for mankind.
John
Sunday, September 16, 2012
September 15, 2012
Somehow we have lost 2 blog entries to the cloud in the sky or wherever things go on computers instead of where they are suppose to go. :) So here goes another try!! It is such a privilege to be on a mission close to family members! We got to go to Amy's home in Walnut Creek last week-end for a special Stake Conference. Our granddaughter, Sophie, sang a beautiful duet to almost 1500 people at their Stake Conference. I don't think I have ever sung in front of that many people and she sang with a smile on her face and with such grace and joy. They did an arrangement of "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" and there were very few dry eyes in the congregation. We also wanted to be there to hear Eleanor Lyons speak. Eleanor and her late husband, Matt, are very dear friends of Amy and Alph's. As I learned of the many different times that Alph and Amy have been there for Eleanor, my mother's heart has been "righteously pleased" to know what wonderful, supportive people they each are. Matt died 2 months ago as he was hiking up a mountain to meet the ward's scout troop who had been on a 30 mile wilderness hike. He was only 41 years old and was a bishop and father of 4 young children. It is difficult to put into words the spirit that was in that meeting. Several speakers spoke of their experiences during Matt's passing that testified of the Lord's tender mercies and comforting love. Eleanor said many things but I want to share a few of her remarks with you that touched me deeply. She said, "It is not in strength that we survive and even triumph, it is in meekness. Meekness is not weakness, but a humble awareness of our weaknesses." She shared a quote from Elder Neil A. Maxwell that said "Meekness is not tentativeness, but thoughtfulness and patience Meekness does not rest on insecurity and fear but on trust and courage. Meekness is being teachable. Meekness permits us to be confident, as was Nephi, of that which we do know--even when we do not know the meaning of all things. (1 Nephi 11:17) Eleanor was using her newfound understanding of meekness to find peace and joy in a situation that would normally bring nothing but grief and pain. She went on to say, " It is not easy to be meek. It requires us, when our life does not got as planned, when our circumstances become unbearable, to sit still, zoom out on the location of our tragedy, adjust the focus of our heart and mind, and see the entire landscape. In my case, in the space between Matt's death and my response to it, I was able to sit still long enough to choose faith, then witness something special: the grace of the Lord at work."
We all have those "aha" moments in life when we feel something deeply and we say to ourselves, "I want to be like that. I want to be meek and feel that incredible love that can only come from the Lord when we truly choose faith and put our whole trust in Him." How wonderful it is to know that that is possible for each of us if we only put forth the effort to understand the incredible power of the Atonement.
I am sure that of the many things that John and I need to learn to serve well on this mission is indeed meekness. We will drive and drive some days and feel that we have accomplished nothing. Then other days, we will return and say, "What sweet experiences we have had today.' We just want to "move mountains" every day and build testimonies and bring people closer to the Savior. Our day goes so quickly it seems. By the time we eat, exercise, study and get our "travels" organized for the day, it is 1:00 and we try to leave the apartment between 1:00 and 1:30. Then we are out visiting until 5 or 6:00 p.m. We taught our first "Daily Dose" English speaking classes last week in a members home and felt really good about it. This Wednesday evening we start our classes at the church. We have had quite an interest so I am most anxious to see how many remember to come. We often joke about Mormons operating on "Mormon time" (that is being late to meetings, but here they operate on "Island Time". We were thinking about having a volleyball game or Rugby game an hour before our class time and then everyone would be there. I am on the laptop and am making so many mistakes I will close for now and let John add more tomorrow.
Somehow we have lost 2 blog entries to the cloud in the sky or wherever things go on computers instead of where they are suppose to go. :) So here goes another try!! It is such a privilege to be on a mission close to family members! We got to go to Amy's home in Walnut Creek last week-end for a special Stake Conference. Our granddaughter, Sophie, sang a beautiful duet to almost 1500 people at their Stake Conference. I don't think I have ever sung in front of that many people and she sang with a smile on her face and with such grace and joy. They did an arrangement of "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" and there were very few dry eyes in the congregation. We also wanted to be there to hear Eleanor Lyons speak. Eleanor and her late husband, Matt, are very dear friends of Amy and Alph's. As I learned of the many different times that Alph and Amy have been there for Eleanor, my mother's heart has been "righteously pleased" to know what wonderful, supportive people they each are. Matt died 2 months ago as he was hiking up a mountain to meet the ward's scout troop who had been on a 30 mile wilderness hike. He was only 41 years old and was a bishop and father of 4 young children. It is difficult to put into words the spirit that was in that meeting. Several speakers spoke of their experiences during Matt's passing that testified of the Lord's tender mercies and comforting love. Eleanor said many things but I want to share a few of her remarks with you that touched me deeply. She said, "It is not in strength that we survive and even triumph, it is in meekness. Meekness is not weakness, but a humble awareness of our weaknesses." She shared a quote from Elder Neil A. Maxwell that said "Meekness is not tentativeness, but thoughtfulness and patience Meekness does not rest on insecurity and fear but on trust and courage. Meekness is being teachable. Meekness permits us to be confident, as was Nephi, of that which we do know--even when we do not know the meaning of all things. (1 Nephi 11:17) Eleanor was using her newfound understanding of meekness to find peace and joy in a situation that would normally bring nothing but grief and pain. She went on to say, " It is not easy to be meek. It requires us, when our life does not got as planned, when our circumstances become unbearable, to sit still, zoom out on the location of our tragedy, adjust the focus of our heart and mind, and see the entire landscape. In my case, in the space between Matt's death and my response to it, I was able to sit still long enough to choose faith, then witness something special: the grace of the Lord at work."
We all have those "aha" moments in life when we feel something deeply and we say to ourselves, "I want to be like that. I want to be meek and feel that incredible love that can only come from the Lord when we truly choose faith and put our whole trust in Him." How wonderful it is to know that that is possible for each of us if we only put forth the effort to understand the incredible power of the Atonement.
I am sure that of the many things that John and I need to learn to serve well on this mission is indeed meekness. We will drive and drive some days and feel that we have accomplished nothing. Then other days, we will return and say, "What sweet experiences we have had today.' We just want to "move mountains" every day and build testimonies and bring people closer to the Savior. Our day goes so quickly it seems. By the time we eat, exercise, study and get our "travels" organized for the day, it is 1:00 and we try to leave the apartment between 1:00 and 1:30. Then we are out visiting until 5 or 6:00 p.m. We taught our first "Daily Dose" English speaking classes last week in a members home and felt really good about it. This Wednesday evening we start our classes at the church. We have had quite an interest so I am most anxious to see how many remember to come. We often joke about Mormons operating on "Mormon time" (that is being late to meetings, but here they operate on "Island Time". We were thinking about having a volleyball game or Rugby game an hour before our class time and then everyone would be there. I am on the laptop and am making so many mistakes I will close for now and let John add more tomorrow.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
One of the perks that senior missionaries have is being able to have family come see us or if they are close by we can go see them. On Saturday morning we went to a session at the beautiful Sacramento Temple and then we went onto Amy and Alph's house in Walnut Creek which is about 80 minutes away from us. It was their Stake Conference and Sophie sang a duet with another young lady in the Sunday morning session. She did a wonderful job! This past week we got to know more people in the branch here. We visited with some of the missionaries and workers at Deseret Industries which is similar to Goodwill but different in that it is operated by our church and the employees are trained in many job skills so they can go out into the job market and find better employment. We have some classes set up this coming week to teach Daily Dose english classes. We also hope to teach some classes at Deseret Industries during the month.
I found some photos that we have taken since we began our journey in the middle of August. Enjoy!
Our Journey began with no room left in the car for us!!
How can two old people have so much stuff!!
In Wyoming, some of the original trails where the wagon trains and handcarts went through.
In Wyoming where people from the Oregon Trail wagons carved their initials in the limestone bluffs. Many were dated early 1800's.
Statutes at Willy's Handcart crossing in Wyoming depicting the rescue of those caught in the winter storms with so little to exist on.
At the MTC trying to decide where we are going on the big map.
"Graduation Day" at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). Sherrie and I were two of the 50 senior missionaries that week.
One of the perks that senior missionaries have is being able to have family come see us or if they are close by we can go see them. On Saturday morning we went to a session at the beautiful Sacramento Temple and then we went onto Amy and Alph's house in Walnut Creek which is about 80 minutes away from us. It was their Stake Conference and Sophie sang a duet with another young lady in the Sunday morning session. She did a wonderful job! This past week we got to know more people in the branch here. We visited with some of the missionaries and workers at Deseret Industries which is similar to Goodwill but different in that it is operated by our church and the employees are trained in many job skills so they can go out into the job market and find better employment. We have some classes set up this coming week to teach Daily Dose english classes. We also hope to teach some classes at Deseret Industries during the month.
I found some photos that we have taken since we began our journey in the middle of August. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Daily Dose
One of the programs that the Mission President has asked us to implement and teach is the Daily Dose which is an inspired program that teaches people how to learn the basics of the English language. We meet in huddles of 10 - 15 people and put up a poster which shows the basics of our language. There are a total of 48 lessons that can be taught over several weeks, each taking only 30 minutes twice a week. The success rate of those learning English in this program is very high as well as a high success of people joining the church also. Today we introduced the program in church and several members showed a lot of enthusiasum and want to be involved. We will start teaching the program on Sundays after the meetings are concluded as well as on Wednesday nights when many of the members are there. As the program expands we can go into people's homes and teach it to families and neighbors. People from different nationalities speaking different languages can be in the same group because everyone will be learning how to speak English. The Branch President is so enthusiastic for this program because he knows that the members can succeed and survive better in the American culture and work environment if they understand and can speak English.
We are excited about getting this program started.
We are excited about getting this program started.
Second entry
Welcome to our second entry on our new blogsite. John and I have decided that we will take turns writing first and then the other one will add to it with things they thought were important. So here goes Sister Downs' perception! :) First of all I'll tell you about some "temoral things" and wind up with "spiritual things." Our apartment is much nicer than we expected. There are over 100 apartments in our complex! Thank goodness there are only 4 apartments to a building though. Our neighbors in the building seem to be quiet folks which we count as a huge blessing. We have a 2 bedroom apartment so one room can be used as an office. We even have a desk and a bookcase!! We are trying to use the Wi-Fi hotspot on John's phone as our internet system and so far so good except for being VERY slow at times. The apartment is very clean and very safe. We are triple blessed to have a washer and dryer right in our apartment!! We are in an area called "The Pocket". The areas surrounding us are not as nice as our area and a few of them we probably will not be going into after dark. Part of our goals while serving this mission is to become more physically fit. I don't want to brag so I'll say I'm righteously pleased to state that we have walked for 30 minutes every day since last Wednesday. It is very flat here and very lovely where folks have been able to water their lawns. There are parks and riding paths galore. We walk to a park about 5 minutes from here and then walk through the park for about 25 minutes and then return home. We go early in the morning before it gets too hot and before scripture study time and it is a wonderful time. Although my muscles initially did not agree, they are beginning to cooperate more and we think we can tell a difference already. I will have John tell you about his bicycle travels. We are having the young couple across from us over for popcorn tonight and friendshipping. Grocery stores are close by but, alas, no farmer's markets! They are all a distance from us but we hope to get downtown Sacramento next week and check out one or two down there. We were very surprised not to have a lot of farmer's market close by. The gas and food are definitely more expensive. Gas runs about $4.19and up. We
do a lot of driving when we visit members in this area so we are praying that the Lord will bless our gas supply! :) The weather is everything that we were told it was going to be......beautiful. The days are hot (but NO humidity) and the night become cool.
Onto more spiritual things.......we have become friends with another missionary couple from Tennesee who live a few building over, Elder and Sister Wolf. This is there second mission and we have been so impressed with them. They are serving in the Hmong Branch which is made up of saints from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Several years ago they served a mission in Malaysia. They are several years older than we are and have many health problems but have served so diligently to the Hmong Branch. They don't speak Hmong but have a translater with them most of the time if they are teaching a lesson. Such wonderful examples to us!!
This past week we started visiting families in the church. We will primarily be working with less active members and new converts. We enjoyed meeting with those that we could catch at home and hope to visit with eveyone on the church roster before too long. The members are pretty spread out and it will be better for us as soon as we know the lay of the land better and can "group" folks geographically to save time and gas.
This morning was our first church service. It was fast Sunday so we had the privilege of hearing the members bear their testimonies of the Savior,, His Atonement and their gratitude for the Restored Church. Some spoke only Marshallese, other only English, and others a mixture of both languages. We often could not understand the words but we felt the Spirit and were touched. The opening hymn was sung in English and closing hymn in Marshallese. The first part of the Sacrament prayer was Marshallese and the second part English. We received a very warm welcome and gave the opening and closing prayers, in English of course. They did not have an accompanist so that was an interesting experience. The chorister started off a little off key but by the time we got to the second verse we were all singing the same tune. They had a Community Choir Festival last Sunday and had several, maybe four or five, other church choirs to participate. I wish we could have been here. Everyone said it was a spiritual feast and there was an excellent spirit among the church choirs. Stake Conference is coming on Sept. 18th and we will be singing in the branch choir. They are singing 3 different hymns in 3 different languages, I will post this and start another.
do a lot of driving when we visit members in this area so we are praying that the Lord will bless our gas supply! :) The weather is everything that we were told it was going to be......beautiful. The days are hot (but NO humidity) and the night become cool.
Onto more spiritual things.......we have become friends with another missionary couple from Tennesee who live a few building over, Elder and Sister Wolf. This is there second mission and we have been so impressed with them. They are serving in the Hmong Branch which is made up of saints from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Several years ago they served a mission in Malaysia. They are several years older than we are and have many health problems but have served so diligently to the Hmong Branch. They don't speak Hmong but have a translater with them most of the time if they are teaching a lesson. Such wonderful examples to us!!
This past week we started visiting families in the church. We will primarily be working with less active members and new converts. We enjoyed meeting with those that we could catch at home and hope to visit with eveyone on the church roster before too long. The members are pretty spread out and it will be better for us as soon as we know the lay of the land better and can "group" folks geographically to save time and gas.
This morning was our first church service. It was fast Sunday so we had the privilege of hearing the members bear their testimonies of the Savior,, His Atonement and their gratitude for the Restored Church. Some spoke only Marshallese, other only English, and others a mixture of both languages. We often could not understand the words but we felt the Spirit and were touched. The opening hymn was sung in English and closing hymn in Marshallese. The first part of the Sacrament prayer was Marshallese and the second part English. We received a very warm welcome and gave the opening and closing prayers, in English of course. They did not have an accompanist so that was an interesting experience. The chorister started off a little off key but by the time we got to the second verse we were all singing the same tune. They had a Community Choir Festival last Sunday and had several, maybe four or five, other church choirs to participate. I wish we could have been here. Everyone said it was a spiritual feast and there was an excellent spirit among the church choirs. Stake Conference is coming on Sept. 18th and we will be singing in the branch choir. They are singing 3 different hymns in 3 different languages, I will post this and start another.
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