Christmas 2013

This was an interesting Christmas to say the least. We served at the Visitor Center Christmas Eve got up in the Christmas morning and went over to a ward house to set up for a Luncheon that we put on for the Sister Missionaries. We talked to som of our Children even used FaceTime for a while to see some of them until the program failed. Then Christmas Evening we got a phone call from 4 Sister Missionaries that were serving in Kanab but in town wondering if they could come over and see us. When they go here all of them had talked or shyped their parents and were sad and  happy. Sister Waiane from Micronesia wanted to use our Shype on our computer. She got on but couldn't get here parents to get on line, they said they would. Sister Waiane kept saying oh they are probably at the beach they will come.  They never did. She was up beat and kept saying oh they are probably having fun.This absolutely broke my heart to think you get to talk to your parents twice a year and she missed out. I love Sister Waiane.

Christmas 2013

TThis was the night of our Missionary program in the Tabernacle,There were 800 people in attendance

 

Christmas 2013

This was at our Christmas luncheon with our sister missionaries on Christmas  Day

Merry Christmas

Quite the month, there is something going on every night here in December, we are asked to be at the Tabernacle at least 3 times a week. A choir every night, some good some not so good. Last night we were in the missionary choir at the Missionary Fireside the place was as full as I have seenall month it was full, 900 people. The community really supports the missionaries. It has been hard to be away for Christmas but Jamie and Joey have been really good to Ryan and KC inviting them to their houses. No one will be here for Christmas we will have a din

ner with the Sister Missionaries. It started to warm up here and the snow is amlost gone and the temps have been the 50s. I have some pictures at Jacobs Tabernacle and our Manger scene at the temple/

Darolynes' Weekly Letter to Daryk

"I am sure as Christmas gets closer your thoughts turn to home but you have the best Christmas gift we have as  a family...not counting the Savior, of course. I had a great experience, or at least part of an experience,at the Visitor Center last night.A couple came in from California wanting to know how to go to Zions and how they cold get in our church...the temple.. They were an older couple about our age and the husband had a hearing problem. I showed them how to get to Zions and gave them a map. They thanked me and started to leave and then came back and asked where they could find a hotel closer to Zions. I gave them directions and wished them a Merry Christmas and they headed out again. Then they came back in a few minutes and asked me a few more questions and so I showed them a brochure about temples all over the world and started talking t them about the church. The wife who is originally from Spain asked me what we believe happens to us when we die. I started talking to her about the plan of salvation and offered to take her and her  husband through our Gods Plan for  Happiness. Just at that point a sister from Guayana came over and said John was waiting for me to have his dinner with him. She said she would love to tell the people about the temple and take them through the presentation about eternal families. At the end of the presentation the wife was crying and asked if she cold have a Book of Mormon. She explained toSister Phagwah that her daughter who was 48 died 3 years ago and she was so devastated thinking she would never see her again. Sister Phagwah had a little sister who had died and so she explained how the gospel had given her and her family peace knowing they would be with her again. The couple gave Sister  Phagwah their contact  information so she could continue too check with them to see how they are doing. A great Tender Mercy occurred when a couple were just asking for directions to Zions.

Wonderful Day

Today a cold day but a good day. We went to Jacobs' house and being cold nobody came all day unt il the last hour and 6 people came in for a tour. They were from Maryland. They had no idea about Jacob Hamlin or the LDS Church. I taught them about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. It was a great discussion and they were interested in our Church. At the end of the tour I gave them 3 Book of Mormons and Joseph Smiths testimony. Also information about geneology. Also today we had our White Elep

hant party with the Senior Missionaries. One of the gifts was a clear package bag with a D battery in it with a sign that said "GIFT NOT INCLUDED".... great idea. Just a note my wife is incredible, I forget how fortunate I am to be married to her.

Global Warming?

Here we are in DIXIE where the lowest high average temperature in December is 52 degrees. Well it is now the coldest it has been for 25 years. It only got up to 23 degrees today with 7 inches of snow. We got up this Sunday morning ready to go to church and then out to Jacobs' house, only to find out that all church services have been canceled  and then I got a call from Elder Cannon telling me that we need not go to Jacobs' because of the storm. Here in St.George they do  not have snow removal services you can not buy a snow shovel either in town. My neighbor  had sort of a shovel so I was able to shovel a little bit. Quite the deal. Also shown is a display cabinet that I picked up at a garage sale in Winchester Hills for 20 dollars I fixed it up and you see that it looks pretty good. I sent the picture of it to KC and he took the picture to an antique dealer in Salt Lake, he said it was from the 20's and could sell for about 600 dollars.

Slow........no

Today we were at the Visitor Center and it was a Monday morning and it was slow. I only had 7 people in the Annex for all 6 hours. The last two though gave two referrals for college students here in St. George. The great thing today happened out at the Manger scene. Outside in front of the Temple is a Manger scene and there is a sound program that is narrated with christmas music about the Savior. It runs for about 10 minutes concluded by President Monsens' testimony of the Savior.  then there is a 5 minute pause and then it all starts up again. I noticed outside the window this old Polynesian man humbly staying motionless for the whole presentation. Then in a while I saw him again watc

hing and listening the wole time motionless. Then he walked off. This really touched me. Here we are in the Christmas season and this man demonstrated what this season is all about. This is in rememberence of the birth of our Savior our Redeemer,"counselor, the mighty god, the prince of peace..." This brought tears to me it brought the spirit on a slow day. Today we took our Christmas picture below our beloved Savior.

Sooo Thankful

This week was Thanksgiving. We had the great pleasure to have KC come and stay with us along with Jane his dog. It was good to see family. Jamie and  Joey came down just the two of them. i wonder if they have ever been away from the kids since having kids? Probably not.. We took them out to dinner one night. We had our Thanksgiving dinner over at the McCoys with his family and KC it was a good time. Darolyne KC and I went on a hike to the Temple Quarry where the Pioneers brought 5000 lb. lava or basalt rocks down to the temple site, I mean brought down because we were way above the city. It was a good week for Darolyne and I , she gave away 3 Books at Brighams' one to a couple from Korea she gave them a Korean Book of Mormon, I gave 2 Books at the Temple Visitor Center to a lady and her mother from Prescott Arizona. They seem ed quite interested. They turned the lights on at the Temple and we were there Saturday night where we had over 400 people come in. Lou and Lorelie Andrus came by on their way to Los Angeles. I was at Brighams' house and this lady said, Bishop Bishop Childs I looked and said ok who do we have here. She said Jamie Stubblefield I was your Relief Society President when you were a Bishop at BYU. She was there with her family from California. What a great surprise she was a great President. One morning I awoke with great pains in my lower back.I thought they would go away but they have just intensified. It has been 4 days so I will have to see a Doctor. Lou Andrus was my first Counselor in the Bishopric.

Coincidence? Nah!!

Today we went to Brigham's home. I had a very interesting happening. This couple came for a tour. They were about 40 years old from New Jersey. They seemed to be of Hispanic descent. They  started off with an interesting story that I did not really pay attention to. They flew in yesterday to Las Vegas to  go to a show. So this morning they got up and wanted to go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As they hit the freeway they were about a hundred miles from Vegas when they found that they were  headed north and not  south, they were 30 miles from St, George, so they thought whoops we blew it so just let us go on and see what is in St George. They  stopped at the tourist information center and thought they would come to Brigham's house. They had only heard a little over the ages about Brigham Young. There we met we went on a tour and when we were done I asked them if they knew anything about Mormons and why we are called Mormons. We had a good teaching moment. I asked them if they would like a Book of Mormon. She wanted one I gave them Joseph Smiths testimony and directions on how to find their family tree. As we parted she said maybe this is why we got lost. She said things happen for a reason. Yes it hit me they were guided to our site and I was only a tool to introduce this couple to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Darolyne had  good day too she met with non members from Colorado and was able to place a Book with them. I witnessed this lady give Darolyne a great big hug as she was leaving. Darolyne is an excellent teacher and the people really like her tours. She is always true to the history. I love her dearly.

Again

It has been awhile since I wrote on the blog. This week the sites have not been very busy. But Darolyne has given 5 Book of Mormons and I have given 3. We got up each morning and decorated the sites. It has rained quite hard for the last 2 days, even an inch or rain. A lot for St.George. We went out to lunch today with the McCoys, they took us over to Sunbrook and we went through a million dollar home. I took a picture of the inside of the Tabernacle all decorated. Also a p

icture of two of my good friend sister missionaries, Sister Brenders from France and Sister Shaeffer from Germany. Tomorrow we are taking Sister Chinen and Sister Wainenee  to lunch. They are in town for a Conference.

Been Awhile... Trip Home

Last weekend on our P day we were given permission to go home and take KC to the Dr. He had an MRI and is OK. There has been a lot of praying and great care by our family. The Sites

are as slow as they have been since we came on our Mission. I am posting photos of one of our cute sisters from Paris, France, Sister Sordes. She has these big glasses that I guess are in in Paris. She is a beautiful girl and a terrific missionary, anyway I took a picture of Darolyne in big glasses to compare.

Finally Darolyne Meets a Non Member

Today was Tuesday and on Tuesdays we always have a 7 or 8 in the morning meeting with the Senior Missionaries. After we went out to breakfast with the Collins we went to the Black Bear. We served at the Tabernacle and the first people in was a couple from Arizona. They weren't LDS. Darolyne has not thad a non member for over a week. This p;aid off she was able to spend a lot of time with them and was able to teach them and they really wanted to get a Book of Mormon. I met with a couple of members from Okatoks, Alberta. I spent about an hour with them. This is the first time they have been in St, George so we talked a lot. KC has been really sick about why he is sick or has pains all over his body. So he has anxieties and is worried about his health so it worries us. I love this work and want to serve all my life if I could doing this. The spiritual rewards are tremendous.

Argentina

I met with a family today from Argentina The son  and daughter live here in St. George and the father and mother live in Argentina, they came to the Brigham Young home. The parents were not members of our Church. During the tour the father was touched about our church, he wanted a Book of Mormon in Spanish and so did his wife. He will have missionaries teach him in Argentina. He told me he felt something very special and thanked me. The son after our tour caught me by myself and said to me , can I bare you my testimony, and he did, now he has been a member for 8 years and was baptized in Orem. In his testimony he told me the missionaries came to his home in Orem for the first visit they started by asking if they could open with a prayer. He said he had never prayed before  and while they were praying he felt something different that he had never felt before. He then said he opened his eyes and the Savior was kneeling next to him.  He wondered if he saw what he thought  so he closed his eyes  and opened them again and again saw the Savior. Then at the end of the prayer he looked and he was not there. He testified to me that this was true. He said he could not keep the tears of joy falling for days. He then joined the church. He brought his family there today hoping that they could feel that spirit;

his dad testified to me that he did.  Also 2 days ago we had a p day and visited Zions and parts around with the Collins.  I forgot to add, The family name was Martinez and when we got through the boys Mon and wife came here after shopping. So This boy wanted to have his mother go on a tour, we did the great thing is this young man gave the whole tour by  himself in Spanish to his mother, she was very touched and he gave her the book of Mormon in Spanish, she had really not wanted to learn about the Church like her husband but she was touched.  Today we were at the Tabernacle I gave 2 Book of Mormons to a Hispanic family from Southern California.

Answer to Prayers

This is not my work so why should I try to do this by myself? Today I prayed that the Lord would lead people to Brighams house where I would be serving, I pray this every morning but i tried more of a fervent prayer,the Lord answers your prayers is my testimony. Today was not very busy but every visitorwas a nonmember and I was able to teach. First was a couple from San Antonio via New  Hampshire, they were in town for a conference and happened by, they were very interested in the Mormon Church and after the tour wanted a Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith story. Then came a couple from Columbus Ohio, they wanted to know more about our church the wife watches byutv because of the clean content. They too wanted a book of mormon after the tour. Then a couple from Brazil came by, they said they were seventh Day Adventist but became very interested in the notion that there was a Church restored with 12 apostles like the old church. They wanted a book of mormon joseph Smith story and all of our literature. Though they could speak English they wanted a Book of Mormon in Spanish. This man, Alexandre Abbud gave me a referral so we will get them a visit by the missionaries when he goes back to Brazil. Then came this lady from Mexico wanting some things someone left on the sidewalk, she lives in St.George and is not a member. I asked her if she would like to have our missionaries come to her house and teach her the gospel. She said yes. What a great day the Lord answers your prayers. Last night we had family home evening with all the Senior Missionaries at The Pizza Factory. This morning was transfer meeting. There were 2 Sisters going home; Sister Forsen to Portland and Sister Pile to Austria. Pictured also is the hike Darolyne and I took to Red Cliffs recreation

area.

Another Great Story

Elder Drolet of British Columbia had a great experience the other day in the Temple Visitor Center.A couple from Germany came in, he met them and began to talk to them about the gospel and then they opened up and said... Do you believe in angels? ... in which he said yes. They told him that a day ago they went  on a hike in the Narrows in Zion, they had never been there before. They got disoriented and it started to get dark and they were in the water and getting cold, then it got dark... Then after a while they could see a glimmer of light quite a ways away. Then a few more dots of light, then it , the lights got closer and closer, it was a search team coming to find them. The couple was astounded and grateful, n one knew they were in the Narrows, what was going on? After they were in a safe haven one of the rescuers said that a young girl appeared to them and said .. my mother and father are in trouble and told him exactly where they were. The young girl fit the description of this couples daughter who had passed away several years ago then the rescuer told them when they get too St. George please go th the Temple Visitor Center and they will teach you about why that happened. Elder Drolet took a long time to teach them especially about eternal families. Many people bring or send friends and loved ones to our sites to be taught by the missionaries for this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ restored for the last time.

In Addition To..

The night I met these boys from Indiana,I also met two young foriegn exchange students from Shanghai China going to school at SUU. They had no relig

ion in their lives but we gave them copies of the Book of Mormon in Mandarin Chinese. Also I gave a book to a man from Oregon who just came in off the street and asked me if I had one of those books you know one of those books that you believe in. I gave him a book and off he went.
Picture here is Darolyne and one of the actors that plays Brigham Young in St. George Live, tours of old downtown St.George that the tourists can take.

VISITED BY ANGELS UNKNOWINGLY

I had a really good experience the other day at the Temple Visitor  Center. An older couple came in he was from New Zealand and she was from Hawaii they had been living in Alaska but most recently moved to St. George. With them were two 19 year old boys from Indiana. Here was there story. On the way back home from California this couple saw a boy on the freeway near Primm Nevada {59 miles west of Las Vegas} he was waving his arms frantically, they could tell that their car had broken down. He, the man thought I don't pick up hitchikers and went on then he had a second thought and for an unknown reason went back to see what the problem was. The  boys car was broken down. The man took the boys into Las Vegas to get a tow truck. They got the car back to Vegas to a mechanics shop in North Las Vegas. The man now thought all would be taken care of, the car would be fixed. The Mechanic shop was in a very bad part of town which frightened the boys. They were told that the car could not be fixed the engine was gone. So the boys got their tent out and stayed in a vacant lot that night, until in the night a man approached their tent with a rifle and two Rotweilers. He told the boys to get off of his property. Once off their property one of the boys fell to his knees and began to pray, he had never prayed before he had no religion in his life. This was 2 am Las Vegas time.Now at 3 am St. George time [the times being the same] this man awoke in the night and for whatever reason he could not explain, he knew he had to go back and check up on those boys. The man made it back to Vegas and found the boys scared to death, they did not know what to do. Now these boys were good kids adventurous but

no religion at all in their life. This man took them back to his house in St. George where they where staying until their parents could send the title to the car so the could salvage it to get money to get a bus ride back to their home in Indiana. So they had to wait 4 or 5 days in St.George. The man and his wife, Latter Day Saints brought these boys into the Visitor Center, there is where I met them. I then did the best I could to teach them the restored gospel and they accepted the Book of Mormon and will have referrals made to meet the missionaries in Indiana. We are promised that we will meet Angels unknowingly in this life either they be on this side of the veil or the other side sometimes we do not know. All I know is I just went head on to a miracle in these young boys life.

The Trail Continues

In the last 5 days we have had two Prep days which is quite unusual. KC came down and we went on the first real good yard sale on one of the P days. I was able to obtain 5 or so old pieces to work on.. We went on a hike on the Chuckwalla trail. Joey and his family were also down here but their kids were sick so we didn't do a lot with them. On Sunday though at the Visitor Center I gave 3 Book of Mormons to 3 men from The Czech Republic then with the Sister Missionaries we gave out 10 more Books to people from France. Darolyne gave the Lesson in our Sr. Missionary Meeting. She gave a lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She did such a great job. She is an excellent missionary. She is so conscientious about everything in this mission. She takes charge of all the public relations with the tabernacle and does a great job. It is the hardest of all the collateral duties in our mission. This week is the Senior Games and there is 11000 participants from all over the world. The other day we met a lot of participants from Alberta. One of them played football for Brian Dudley. What a mission it seems like every day we meet someone who we know or knows us from our past.

Drought.... Drought ended

It had been 3 days since we were able to give anyone a Book of Mormon but today we broke th drought. I gave 2 Books to couples from Minnesota and California. Th National Parks are closed so we have had lots of visitors. It is Fall Break so KC and Joey

and family have come down to see us. Darolyne got her hair streaked, photo, and we said good bye to the Narramores and the Olivers and hello to the Dewitts.

Just a Note

This weekend was a special weekend to be out in the field when General Conference is taking place. I have felt especially close to the spirit. Daryk flew out to Japan today he would be there now. He called Darolyne and I when he was at SeaTac Airport in Seattle. What a special person. Brodie is playing in the 5A State Golf finals he shot a 75 and was close to the leaders, he plays one more round tomorrow. lThe match is at Alpine country Club. Great day today Taught 15 from Germany 5 from France 2 from Switzerland and 2 from Mexico. We found out the Olivers are leaving the mission because he has had a stroke..... So sad.

The Marathon

Today 7600 runners came to St.George to run the Marathon. They came from every State in the U.S. Today Darolyne and I were at The Brigham Young home. First thing I met a couple from Michigan and a lady from New Jersey. The very first thing I talked about was the Book of Mormon. I am always surprised that most people do not know why they call us Mormons. When they find out they usually want a copy and more information. They both took Book of Mormons. Today is also General Conference in Salt Lake City. It is such a great privilege to serve in the field and hear the speakers talk about missionary work. Our Mission is so special because we meet so many people and are able to teach and lift all of our new friends. Two days ago I met a couple from East Germany they could hardly speak English but were really humble and wanted to learn about our Church. They took Book of Mormon in German. Oh also today I had 4 students from BYU and they provided me referrals for the missionaries. Yesterday was a prep day Darolyne got her hair streaked she looks really good. Then we had lunch with the McCoys.  Of course it was Chuck A Rama. Then they took us House looking because they are realtors; we went to a house in Santa Clara 650000 dollars but oh wow, 6200 square feet with a smaller house that was a Cassita with a dance studio a gym a home theater and the a high end motel room. Then we visited another house in Santa Clara, a beautiful home with garden , orchard and half and acre. 3000 square feet for 295000 dollars. What was unique about this home was it turned out to be my old friend and Superintendent in Vernal Phil Ellis house. Phil passed away with cancer this last year.

Pinch Me

This mission is unreal. Where do you get to meet people from all over the world and teach them the Restored Gospel of  Jesus Christ? Yesterday and Today Darolyne and I have given away about 15 Book of Mormons. Yesterday at Brighams' house I taught a couple who were Methodists from Tennessee Darolyne taught a couple from a Slavik country we were successful in giving them Books. The couple I taught wanted to know the difference between their Methodist religion and our religion. I told them that our religion is restored from the Church that Christ set up with Prophets and Apostles. Today a great thing happened. Our Government shut down and the Parks were closed. So the People came to temple visitor center in droves. About 6 busses all from France but one from Belgium. I was able to give a lady a Book in Dutch who was from Belgiun. The last thing of the day a bus came from France they  came in the Annex where I was and Sister Sordes taught them in French for about 15 minutes they asked a lot of questions and she kept teaching, I had no idea what they were saying but I could feel the spirit strongly I had tears streaming down my cheeks because of the spirit that was there. When she was through we gave out at least 15 Book of Mormons in French...pinch me how lucky am I to witness the miracle of the spirit.

Emotional Day

. Today was quite the day. Darolyne and I were asked to speak at two wards 5th Sunday combined meetings. We went at 9  spoke then we did a shift at the Tabernacle. At the Tabernacle I met a young couple from Los Angeles the girl was from El Salvador, after the tour I taught them about the Book of Mormon and how it was about the ladies ancestors, they were interested and took all our material. So speaking in two Wards preaching the true gospel and losing a daughter in law. quite emotional.

Just So I Won''t Forget

Last night I encountered two couples of non members, one from Rancho Mirage. California and another from another  from Minnesota. Both were interested in knowing more about our Church and the Temple. After lengthy  discussions they wanted the materials we had including the Book of Mormon. I worked alongside Elder Cannon, who is my favorite missionary down here. He speaks German and we had several Germans come through the back door to the Annex. He was able to give three Books of Mormon to them in German. Also my friends the Peterson came in from Provo and wanted two Books of Mormon in French to give away.  The words of Ezra Taft Benson comes to mind when he challenged church members to flood the world with the Book of Mormon. We really see that on our Mission where we give so many books to people from all over the world. Also yesterday on our shift we had 3 busses of French people tour and they had 2  others in the morning. The Sister Missionaries work with them and give out quite a few Books of Mormon

KC Visits

The last few days we have had a P day with the Collins where we went to Kolob Reservoir through Zions Park. It was a great day. KC came down for the weekend. He is experiencing pain and anxiety so I was able to give him a Priesthood Blessing it was a moving experience and tears were shed. I am so grateful for the priesthood in our lives. Yesterday was a good day at Brighams' we gave out two Books of Mormon one to a couple from California and another to a couple from the eastern states. When I was telling the story of Joseph Smith to the couple from California you could tell the spirit was bearing witness of the truth. Janice Kapp Perry gave the Friday night fireside. She was fantastic. I am adding a lot of pictures. Some of J

acobs because this week is Swiss Days at Santa Clara. and all the homes in town put out cut out cows painted different.

Miracle on !st North

I can't believe how the Lord blesses his missionaries. Today at  Brigham Youngs house in 4 hours we gave away or better we taught the honest in heart and they requested  a total of  8 Book of Mormons. It started with Darolyne teaching a couple from Carmel Indiana they became very interested in the restored gospel Darolyne offered them to take and read the Book of Mormon. They were thrilled to do so. The husband offered Darolyne a crisp 100 dollar bill for the book, of course she wouldn't take it. then I had a group of three couples two from Wisconsin and one from Oklahoma. They were here on a bike ride through the parks. At the end of their visit I taught them about the Book of Mormon and they became very interested and each couple wanted a book along with all the other literature that we give out. Sister Donaldson gave out two books on her tours then Darolyne gave out two more one to a couple that was very interested from Henderson Nevada. Yesterday we had a p day and went to Kolob Reservoir with Elder and Sister Collins. This was a great trip because most of the road goes in through Zions Park and gets above it so you have views into the park.

The Miracle at 5th South

Yesterday at the Visitors center was a very spiritual moment. It was slow most of the night then a half hour before closing I got a call from Darolyne that there was a woman who needed a blessing. I went over to the Main Building and met with a young lady  with her 9 year old daughter. She was a pretty sad person. As I talked to her she told of her getting a divorce and was fearful of losing her daughter. She wanted hope in something. I gave her a blessing of peace and faith in a bright future, I could feel  the spirit of the Holy Ghost. It was like when a woman touched the hem of the robe of the Savior and was healed because of her faith. This lady had enough faith to come into the Center for a blessing. There were a lot of tears and she left with more faith in the future. I went back to the Annex and 2 minutes before closing I sensed some people out by the temple, because it was dark and I could not see I stepped outside and asked if I could take their picture.. I did and found out that they were from Mexico and there were 4 families. I asked them if they were members of our Church, they were not I told them that there history is written in the Book of Mormon and I gave them 4 copies of the Book in Spanish. Darolyne gave two Books out at the Tabernacle today One to a couple from Ohio and anothe to a couple from Colorado.
The first photo is of the annex with the canon that helped build the foundation of the Temple the second is of Sister Losky of Gettysburg Pa. she is headed to Richfield for awhile. She is one of all time favorites such a great personality. Then this the outside of the temple visitor center annex where the Elders spend their time while at the visitor center.