Blessings

Today Darolyne and I were assigned to the Temple Visitor Center. It was a quiet day with not too many pople coming in in the morning. I was called to come to Elder Walkins office where I found Elder Hewstone and his wife. Elder Hewstone, a Sr. Missionary from Australia had experienced alot of difficulty in the night with his wrists and his head. In the morning he couldn't read his email every thing was a blur. So he asked Elder Watkins and myself to give him a Priesthood blessing. I annoited and Elder Watkins gave him a very spiritual blessing rebuking the problem of his trouble and blessing him that he could remain on his mission. Then a couple hours later I was asked to give Sister Liu a blessing with Elder Dabb. I gave the Priesthood blessing . She had experienced a  lot of nausea. Later in the day we saw Elder Hewstone he said he had been to the Doctor and he was told that he did not have a stroke which was his biggest worry. Then later on I saw Sister Liu she was back to work and said she felt a lot better. Priesthood blessing are given in the name of the Savior and are miracles wrought by the faith of the recipeints and those holding the priesthood. It is an honor to hold the Priesthood of God and be able to use it.

HAPPY DAY

This is Sister Losky my very favorite missionary. She was released today and came by the Tabernacle to say goodbye. She is from Gettysberg, Pennsylvania. The other picture is of Hector Beltrain. He showed up first thing in the morning at the Tabernacle. He is from Mexico but lives in Hurricane. He was converted to the Church and baptized two months ago. He used to use drugs and alcohol and his wife and child left him. He has been free of these habits for 6 months and is seeking to get his family back that now live in Fresno, California. He has a strong testimony and wanted to be around the Church sites to learn as much as he can. He has a job and works in a Hotel in Springdale. He lifted our spirits and brought the spirit of the  Holy Ghost into our morning. I challenged him to give a referral for someone to hear the gospel; he took the challenge and will send in a referral for the missionaries to contact his former wife. Also today I couple from Maine came in for a visit. This is the last state that I needed to now say I have taught someone from all 50 states.

Another Week in Paradise

This week we met the Sutherlands, the new Senior couple. They are from Rexberg, Idaho. We were with them on the first day here training them at Jacob Hamlins' home. He is a cabinet maker and she a Professor at BYU Idaho. They will be a great strength to the mission. Yesterday was our P day. It seems that this was only our second P day that we have had on a Saturday. We did a little yard sailing and found a few fun things. Darolyne found a  complete set of decor for a young ladies wedding, it was cool and had a cowboy cowgirl theme, so she bought it for Hailee. I feel bad because I am missing Brodies' basket ball games he is scoring in the 20s every game. The weather here has been outstanding in the 60s every day for the last month. Today we go back to Jacobs house and then we are having some Sister Missionaries over for dinner, Sisters West and Miller. I came about this quote from Harold B. Lee the other day,"Testimony: when your heart tells you things your mind doesn't understand" At Jacobs I was giving my best to this cute little family with daughters. In Jacobs house are three very small   fireplaces, when we were upstairs I heard this young girl ask her dad "daddy can Santa Clause get down that chimney". Here it was evident that some of the things I teach really are above these kids level but I do believe they can feel the spirit.

Missionary Work

Most of the time I write about specific instances and the work is really about daily and hourly missionary work. Work consists of : doing tours every day, attending missionary meetings, attending tabernacle programs at least twice a week, daily scripture study, missionary parties and planning missionary parties, preparing for missionary parties, missionary dinners, speaking in sacrament or other church meetings, taking sister missionaries out to dinner or having them come to your house for dinner, writing blogs or keeping journals, and doing our "side" job ours is to provide public relations for the tabernacle programs which consists of making a monthly poster, monthly programs of all the performances or firesides, send information to the paper the tv station and all the wards and distributing all this out to the businesses in our Southern Utah area. Darolyne does the lion share of this. It takes her at least 5 to 10 hours a week. Et Al. This week we have had several good instances, it is really slow at the sites but I had a chance to work for over an hour with a man from LA who said he was in the film business and wanted to get out because of the dark side involved in the industry. He said he was a Catholic but did not really feel a good spirit in his church. I taught him that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to be as it was when Christ was here on earth, with a Priesthood that has been restored by Peter James and John and a Prophet to guide this church by revelation, this is Christs' church and he is at the helm. He was quite taken and wanted to be taught by our missionaries. I referred him to our mission President. He was committed to read the Book of Mormon. Why don't people read that book and pray about it I suppose because of tradition, their lifestyle is just fine, "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" syndrome, if only.... This church is the only church on the face of the earth  that has the full truth that has the Priesthood that can bless families for all eternity.

January 20 You Know What I Mean

This week we had our monthly party with the theme of Ugly Sweaters. We, the Senior Missionaries met at our clubhouse to show off our wares that we scouted out at DI and other thrift shops in town. Darolyne went as an Eighties girl and won a prize as The Most Colorful, Pictures added. I had n old golf sweater and received no award. Fun was had though. We worked all week and had very little visitors until yesterday when St.George was flooded with Martin Luther Day weekend visitors. In fact at sacrament meeting today the ward we went to was larger than if it was a Stake Conference.On our prep day we had to get our cars inspected and licensed and that was a hassle because our truck had a engine belt that needed replaced. Joey and Janie and their family came down to spend the long weekend. So two weekends in a row we had family down here. Yesterday at the Tabernacle the Andruses stopped by on their way to California and we had a great visit. On the Site visit front there have been mainly members of our church which gives us a lot of time to teach interesting things about the history of this area. Sam Jarman and his family was down here and stopped Duck Dynasty. Tomorrow is my birthday I will be 69 years old...Ouch but what better thing could l be doing at my age but to serve the Lord full time.

The Gov and I

This week there was a lot going on. On Wednesday was our P day and Gary and Jeanette Herbert were in town and asked us to join them for dinner at The Red Lobster. Then Gary invited I and Elder Watkins to join him for golf at Sand Hollow. WE went and Elder Watkins parred the course Gary shot an 80 and I had my worst Governor   and the first  lady invited us to go to dinner again. We went to the Anazazi Steak House. Just a note Gary has a quick wit and we laughed all night. Back to the Mission. Friday a couple from Italy came in and I was able to give them a Book of Mormon in Italian. Darolyne helped a family from Florida whose car broke down and they needed help. She took them to the Itinerant Bishop. Though the family was not LDS the bishop helped them to get a room and get their car fixed. At Jacobs' house we had a very busy day. Darolyne taught a granddaughter of P

resident Faust. She had quit the Church but was trying to get her way back to the Church. She spent a lot of time with Darolyne after the tour. This weekend KC, Brenna and Becky from Indiana came down and went hiking in Zions Canyon. Ryan and Jamie came down and are playing in the St.George amateur.

Touchdown!!!!

Yesterday I was at the Visitors Center when Sister Brenders and Sister Shafer came in with a young man and a young woman. They introduced them to me as the young man that they mistakingly met one day by knocking on the wrong door. He was a non member but accepted the invitation of listening to the Sisters. His girl friend is a member and had a dream about a Sister Missionary knocking at her door, so when the Sisters showed up she was ...

like an answer to my dream... Anyway the mans name is Rocky.. He has been going to church for the last 3 months. So in front of all of us he said he wanted to be baptized. So on January 17 he will be baptized. At about the same time Governor Herbert and his wife came in the Center. So I arranged to have these two tell the story to the Governor and also to Elder Watkins and his wife. A great night one that Senior Missionaries do not get in on.. Rocky grew up in Bountiful all around Mormons but knew very little about the faith. His friend moved here from Brazil. He came to St.George to manage a Larry H Miller Theater. The girl works there. She is the one who had the dream.

Happy New Year

2013 was a good year for us. We are serving a mission together and we are a week from being out 9 months or half way through. This last week was beautiful in St. George. We celebrated New Years with the Sr. Missionaries. We ate out then had a party in the basement of the Tabernacle. Darolyne  and I went on a hike to Johnsons Canyon we have not been on a hike for way over a month because of the weather and the rugged Christmas Schedule. Last night we had as our speaker at the Tabernacle Elder Steven Snow. He is a Seventy and the Churchs' Historian. He is a great great great grandson of Erastus Snow that was the Apostle that led the 300 families from up north to come down and settle St.George. HE talked about the interesting history of St.George. One of the things he said that I found interesting was the name the Paiute Indians gave George A. Smith was Nonchocowitcher which means the man who came apart. This because he had a toupee eyeglasses and false teeth. Reminds me when I was working with the Ute Indians in Eastern Utah they gave me the name Unugget which means Shiny Top. Not many peo

ple get an Indian name It shows that they love and trust you. The reason that I was talking to Elder Snow was to ask him if he was related to RJ Snow my Stake President when I was a Bishop he said he was his cousin and RJ was a Pine Valley Snow. Daarolyne is speaking at the podium in the Tabernacle where Lorenzo Snow gave his famous Windows of Heaven speach.