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.