What a great Thanksgiving we had in the Pacific Northwest! Look at this great family we got to hang out with. Thank you Tracey for making it such a special day! We had great food, good company, a beautiful walk in the woods where I got to take a picture of my new favorite thing to take photos of, and Jack got to experience a new form of virtual reality! It was extra special to be able to see Hayden before he headed back to school and the night was topped off with watching the Barbie movie at the end of the night. What more could you ask for! :).
On a little more serious note about Thanksgiving I just have to share this scripture that our grandson Parker shared in his weekly missionary newsletter. It is perfect for Thanksgiving but I don't ever remember making note of that before. It is from Alma 26:37.
"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."
We hope and pray that our friends and family near and far had a good day too and felt the love of their Heavenly Father.
Our Thanksgiving did not begin at Tracey's house. Sister Larson organized a Turkey Trot and invited all the local missionaries to join her. Elder Rowan did not want to be left out so he joined in the festivities. I did not want to be left in the dust or hold anyone back so I opted to stay home and do some last minute food preparation. But Elder Rowan had a great time and it will be a cherished memory for him.
The weekend became even more special when we got to attend the baptism and confirmation of our friend Athena Lau. Athena is from down near Salem but attends George Fox University which is located here in Newberg. She has been taking the missionary lessons for almost two years and recently made the committment to be baptized. She is our hero! Her parents are opposed to her baptism and it took alot of courage for her to move forward. She is a devoted daughter of our Heavenly Father and we love her so much. She reads her scriptures, listens to conference talks daily, and tries to be a true disciple of our Savior Jesus Christ. Who does all that before they are even baptized? Sister Larson has grown especially close to her because she had the privilege of sitting in on her missionary lessons the past few months. Athena attends church here in our ward in Newberg when she is at school and we look forward to being a part of her journey.
Athena with the missionaries who most recently taught her--Sister Larson & Elders Reil, Weaver, & Henrie.
With Thanksgiving weekend drawing to a close it is time to start thinking about Christmas! Normally it takes several days for me to put out all of my Christmas decorations. Not so this year! We brought 2 or 3 decorations from home and inherited a small Christmas tree leftover from previous missionaries. I have discovered there is something to be said about keeping things simple and I am going to be very happy in our small apartment with only a few decorations.
Other random happenings are that we had a chance to make a quick visit to Silver Falls. I think I am going to go for the award for posting the most pictures of this place before we go home. It is always so beautiful!
And finally I just have to post about Newberg making the news this week. Every day on our way to the mission office we pass a Burger King. For a few months they have had an inflatible hamburger out front to grab your attention. Well, I guess one day the hamburger got away......
Have a great week everyone!!!!
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