July 30, 2023

This has been a quieter week for us as we gear up for next week when we have transfers and departing and arriving missionaries. We will send 26 missionaries home next week and on to the next chapter of their lives. We love these missionaries and getting to know them and love them has been a true blessing in our lives. They are such an example and light to us. Those going home that have lived in our area include Elder Williams, Elder Hyde, Sister Lynam, & Sister Womack. We had a farewell dinner for the sisters living near us on Monday night. Sister Lynam & Sister Womack couldn't be more different but are both such powerful missionaries! Sister Womack is quiet, steady, and more reserved while Sister Lynam is bubbly, outgoing, and very talkative. But they are a good example that the Lord loves each of us and qualifies each of us for his work using our individual personalities and talents. These are both incredible missionaries and we love each of them!

We have especially loved reading Acts this month in Come Follow Me. Our missionaries tell us they love Acts too because it is so much about missionary work. It has taken on special meaning as we have seen Paul & Peter rise to the occassion of taking the gospel to all the world. I have marveled to think that 2000 years after the Savior walked the earth we are still following the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ. In District Council this week Sister Womack shared this scripture from Acts 4:13, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." She shared that in her reading that week, and as she pondered going home next week, that she hoped people would be able to say the same about her, that "she had been with Jesus," these last two years as she served her mission. That is my goal too. When I go home I want to say I have spent this time learning more about my Savior through prayer, study, & service until I feel I can say, "I have been with him!"

Last Sunday we got to celebrate my birthday with Tracey & her family. They gave me the perfect birthday present! I love to do jigsaw puzzles but since we have been on our mission I have neither the time nor the space to do them. So Tracey found these cute, small 250 pc Dowdle puzzles that came in a pack of 4. Finished they are 7 x 9 inches and can be done in an hour or two. Thank you sweetheart!

In our part of Oregon there are groves of Hazelnut trees everywhere. We have watched them bloom and wondered what they would look like as the nuts grew. We finally stopped the other day near a grove to look closer. This is what a hazelnut looks like on the tree. Who knew! Now I know where the nuts come from on my favorite Multnomah Falls Lodge entree, Hazelnut Crusted French Toast :).

Yesterday we were able to go on a date for our "P" day. We went to see the movie, "Sound of Freedom," and then to Mod Pizza after. They just opened Mod Pizza this week here in Newberg so we had to go check it out. So yummy! People seem surprised that we can go to the movies. I am telling you, Senior Missionaries can do anything they want pretty much. Of course our work comes 1st but after that we have a lot of flexibility.

Today we are waiting to find out if the baptism of Alejandro is going to happen. The Spanish Hermanas have been teaching him and he is the person that Elder Rowan got to go to a lesson with. If the baptism happens then Elder Rowan will give the opening prayer in Spanish. He has been practicing. If it doesn't happen today then it should be sometime in the weeks to come. We are praying for him!

July 23, 2023

Birthday weeks are the best! I definitely feel loved here in Oregon! My birthday was on Saturday but the birthday celebrations started on Friday when the local missionaries surprised me at the office. They decorated my office, bought me a birthday hat, and then waited to jump out and surprise me. I was definitely surprised! They made pancakes for all of us and one of our sweet sisters even gifted me with one of her special handpainted cards!

The next morning they continued the fun when they heart-attacked my front door and our car.

For my actual birthday we decided to rent ebikes and go on a 22 mile bike ride that was advertised along the Columbia Gorge with stops at a few waterfalls. The Larsons joined us but they are real bike riders and I am truly impressed with the riding they did. There was a 1 mile uphill section of the ride with a 7% grade and they did it! It was amazing! The whole ride was amazing and absolutely beautiful!!! I loved, loved, loved it! I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my birthday.

We finished the evening off at a Pioneer Music Celebration put on by our Stake. They invited the missionaries to sing so we had to go :). Today we get to celebrate my birthday with Tracey's family so that will be fun. I heard from family and friends throughout the day yesterday and it was just overall a great day!

My birthday was not the only great thing about this week. On Monday my friend Janet Larson came to visit by way of Costa Rica. Janet has a daughter who lives in Portland so while she was here visiting her we had the chance to get together and go to lunch. It was a 3 1/2 hr lunch and it was soooo good to see her and catch up. We both meant to get a picture together but were so busy talking we forgot. I love you Janet!

In the mission we talk a lot about miracles. The missionaries are encouraged to share miracles they see daily as they search for people to share the gospel with. We love to hear their stories. We also feel like we experience miracles daily in the mission office. They are often little things like putting people in our path that can help us, getting a phone call about something right when we need it, figuring out how to solve a problem, the food we prepared stretching far enough to feed everyone, etc. We have all gotten quite vocal about saying, "it's a miracle!" Jack was teasing the other day about our "miracles" so my heart was warmed when he returned from an outing with Elder Larson to take care of some housing problems and had to tell us about their "miracle." They went to install an air conditioner in some Elders apartment and give them a new SIM card because theirs was not working. They installed the air conditioner easily (1st miracle) and then tried to reach the Elders so they could give them the new SIM card. Since the old one was not working they were not answering their phone. The Elder's car was at their apartment so they figured they had to be close by somewhere so they decided to get in their car and drive around looking for them. Elder Rowan told me he said a quick prayer that they could find them and they started driving. As they drove Elder Rowan said he felt prompted to say go straight, turn right, etc. Suddenly they could see a large group of people in front of them. It looked like they had short sleeved white shirts on. As they got closer they realized it was the missionaries in orange vests passing out food at a food bank. They had driven straight to them! It was a testimony builder to Elder Rowan that the Lord was mindful of them. The next day Elder Rowan had another "miracle" when he was giving the local missionaries a ride to an appointment. He dropped them off but when he had to go back to get them his GPS could not find the address. The missionaries told him they would meet him at a location 4 blocks away and when Elder Rowan got there they were deep in conversation with a woman they met as they walked there who had met with the missionaries before and was very interested in meeting with them again. They made an appointment with her and were very excited. If the GPS had worked properly they would not have run into her. Such simple little things but we know there are no coincidents with the Lord.

I also have to write about our District Council on Friday so I can always remember it. It was a moving, powerful experience. On Fridays we can choose to attend District Council with our young missionaries. They are so amazing! This Friday our District Leader, Elder Place wanted to do an activity he felt would be inspiring to us. He read from Preach My Gospel, Ch 1, where it says, "As your understanding and testimony of the Savior and His Atonement grow, your desire to share the gospel will increase." He then showed us 5 different Bible videos depicting events in the Savior's life. After each video, (2) missionaries were invited to share their testimony of the Savior, until we all had shared our testimonies. The spirit in the room was so strong and the experience so powerful in bringing us to our Savior. I would encourage everyone to do this with their families or extended families if they can.

On Friday we started getting phone calls from friends and neighbors about our house. In our yard at home we do not have trees (except one pine tree) in our yard but our neighbors all have trees along the fence lines that surround our yard. Our neighbor to the south had 25 very large oak trees along the fence line that we had a love/hate relationship with. We loved the greenery and the shade but we hated the acorns and leaves in the fall. Apparently she felt the same way because on Friday she had all the trees removed!! Our backyard is going to look so different when we go home!! We may have to finally plant trees of our own.

July 16, 2023

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for technology? I think I have but I have to say it again. It is so nice while we are here to be able to have Facetime/Messenger conversations with my kids and grandkids and get to see their cute faces while we are talking to them. I also miss my sisters so I am so happy when we can have a ZOOM conversation. We usually do (3) 40 minute sessions back to back and that still isn't enough!

When we have the missionaries over for dinner they always share a message with us. A few weeks ago they shared the new church video, "Love, Share, Invite." It is fantastic and makes sharing the gospel with friends and family look so easy. They asked us to commit to doing one thing so we said we did not know the neighbors in our stairwell. There are (4) of us and our paths just don't cross very often. We said we would make an effort to meet them so I made some cookies and we took them to each neighbor and introduced ourselves. I am telling you, it was hard! I was really scared to do it because I didn't know what kind of reception we would get and even wondered if they would open their doors since we were wearing our nametags. We said a prayer before we went to each door and everyone was really nice! Now we know our neighbors!! Who can say no to cookies, right?

Every Monday morning we have an Office Staff Meeting. We have a scripture, thought, and prayer and then discuss the things that are going on in each of our responsibilities. The scripture & thought are rotated each week. I can't tell you how scary it is to me to present a scripture and thought to our Mission President and his wife, the Assistants, and other couple in the office. They are spiritual giants and I am just not good at this! This week was my turn. We had to speak in church today about the Holy Ghost so I chose that topic for my thought too. In an address to Mission Presidents in 2013, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "I have said so many times to my brethren that the Spirit is the most important single element in this work. With the Spirit and magnifying your calling, you can do miracles for the Lord in the mission field. Without the Spirit, you will never succeed, regardless of your talent and ability." We have heard so often from our missionaries just how true this is! The scripture to go along with this is from D&C11:13, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy."

We had lots of missionaries in and out of the office this week. Twice a year the missionaries get to attend the temple so all the districts had a chance to go the past two weeks. They come and go from our office. Elder Larson used to work with the Young Adults in their area at home and had this fun Spinning Wheel he brought out to the mission. He brought it to the office this week and let the missionaries give it a spin. They could win a candy bar or they had to share a scripture, share a miracle, sing a song,etc. Somehow they all thought they got a candy bar when they were done. Go figure!!

Sisters Roach, Lynam, Walker, & Wilson

For our "P" Day this week we decided to take the Larsons out to the coast. Elder Larson had never been there before. But we felt guilty just playing all day so we decided to stop and visit several apartments along our route. We have 61 apartments and it is Elder Larsons goal to visit all of them at least once. Yesterday we saw 5 so that was pretty good. I am happy to report that the missionaries all passed inspection! We got to visit with some of them along our way so that was fun too! Our visits included the Delimonts, the only non-office Sr Missionaries in the mission. We have visited them before and it is always fun to hear about the people they are working with.

Sisters Cannon, Sponenburgh, Simper, & Roach

Sister Colette Delimont

Visiting the coast would not be complete without a stop at Tillamook for ice cream. Who cares that it was still morning and we hadn't even had lunch yet!

Elder & Sister Larson

I think I have discovered my new favorite beach along the Oregon coast. It is called Short Sands Beach. You get to the beach by walking .5 mile through an "Old Growth" forest and then the beach is before you. It is a small cove with great waves since there are lots of surfers there. It has cliffs, trees down to the water, and a pretty beach. I could have stayed there all day!! I can't wait to go back again!

No trip to the coast would be complete without a stop at Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park. Two more places that I love. The temperature was in the high 60's with clear blue skies which is a bonus when visiting the coast. The tide was even out at Haystack Rock so we got a glimpse of some Starfish & Anemones.

July 9, 2023

There is so much to write about this week but first I want to mention something from last week before I forget. I talked about Zone Conference last week but forgot to mention that at each conference the missionaries who are going home before the next zone conferences share their "Departing Testimonies." In August we have 26 missionaries going home. It is going to feel like a different mission when they all leave us. We have been here long enough now that we know most of these missionaries, some of them well. It was so sweet and the spirit so strong as they each shared their testimony. They talked about how much their testimony has grown on their mission and specifically about their testimony of the Savior. How he has helped and strengthened them when they have become discouraged and the joy they felt when they were able to share the message of the gospel! Being a missionary is hard, really, really hard! I think I am only just beginning to understand this. But these young people are amazing and we love them!!

Another thing I have never mentioned is the generosity of our Mission President and his wife. Each Monday we have an office staff meeting with them, everyone in the office, and the Assistants. More often than not the President & Sister Phillips treat us all to lunch afterward. They always find an excuse--it is a holiday, someone's birthday, etc. They are kind, humble, loving, generous servants of our Heavenly Father who work so hard to help the missionaries succeed.

This week was the 4th of July. For all those who know Jack, you know this is his favorite holiday. This year was no exception even if it wasn't spent in the normal way. The 1st Tuesday of the month is MLC which means we feed about 40 of the missionaries. It just happened to fall on the 4th of July so we proceeded as if it was any other day. We started out attending a ward breakfast to celebrate the holiday, then worked for a few hours before starting on the dinner. In honor of the 4th of July we decided to barbeque hamburgers and hotdogs. It was a huge hit! Barbequing for a big group is not Jack's favorite but he and Elder Larson were good sports and did a great job! We asked lots of locals where they went to watch fireworks and no one had an answer. Apparently fireworks in not a thing in Newberg so no fireworks for us. We were tired anyway so we were in bed by 10:00. We are so grateful for this great nation that we live in and for the freedoms we enjoy and those who sacrificed so much so that we can have those freedoms! Happy 4th everyone!!

Here is our Missionary Leadership Council as of July 2023.

This is the ward breakfast we attended.

The 4th of July was special too because our grandson Parker got his mission call!!! It was so exciting! We joined them on Facebook Live and watched him open his call. Below is my reaction when he announced where he is going. He is going to the California Ventura Mission, leaving October 9th. He is very excited. His mission takes in some of the most beautiful places on the California coast. It includes Santa Barbara, Carpenteria, Morro Bay, to name a few.

On Tuesday we also got a chance to be movie stars. Elder Larson, our Housing Coordinator, is very talented in making movies. He and Elder Rowan have to provide a film clip for training that t'hey show at District Councils once a transfer. Elder Larson made one last transfer that was fantastic and the missionaries loved it so now he has set a high standard. He has decided to make one to the Ghostbusters Theme. "Who you going to call?" and talk about who they contact for specific problems. He wanted all of us to be in his movie so we spent a little time filming on Tuesday. Here is the picture from his opening frame.

On Wednesday it was Sister Larson's birthday and she decided she wanted to go to the movies for her birthday. This is a 1st since we have been on our mission. Of course we had to go see Indiana Jones since it just came out. We had a fun time. Our local sister missionaries wanted to do something to surprise Sister Larson so they got a key from Elder Larsen and were hiding in her apartment when we got back from the movie. They jumped out and truly surprised her. They decorated, had a crown and sash, and even made a Nutella Pie! They are the best!!

Thursday we had the chance to attend the temple with our District again and on Friday I got to go to District Council. Our District Leader talked about Mission Culture and being "Joyfully Diligent." It was so good!! How do these 20 year old kids come up with this stuff? While I was at District Council Elders Rowan and Larson were off for the day delivering a washer & dryer, mattress, picking up unused proselyting materials, and taking care of other needs. Not only do they help the missionaries with what they bring them but it is also a chance for them to show the missionaries they are loved and cared about.

By Saturday we were pretty tired and I told Elder Rowan I just wanted to go sit by a body of water somewhere and relax. We checked out the Willamette River near us. It was pretty but didn't have a good beach to sit at. So we ended up at Henry Hagg Lake and it was just what we needed. It was a fun day to be out exploring, relaxing, and rechanging our batteries!