January 6, 2024

Today is our 10th month anniversary in the mission field! The time is really flying by. We are in the middle of winter here in Oregon now. We did not know what to expect and kept hearing these horror stories of ice storms, snow, etc. So far we have been very fortunate and we have not had any ice storms or snow and the weather has stayed in the mid 40's most days. We have had rain most every day but not all day so that is good. Sometimes we even have blue skies! One of the things we have been most surprised about is how green everything still is. Actually everything is getting even greener than it was even a month ago. I suppose all the rain has played a part in that. The lawns are REALLY green, there is lots of green shrubbery, the ferns are green, and of course there are the evergreen trees, pine trees, etc. The only thing missing is the leaves on many of the trees. I took these pictures today just to document how green it is in January.

New Year's Day was mostly a working day for us but we decided to play hooky later in the day and go to a movie with the Larson's. We saw Boys in the Boat. It was really good! Apparently it is a book alot of people have read but not us. It was clean, well made, and inspiring. We would recommend it!

Tuesday we had MLC which meant we had to provide dinner for 40 people. We decided that since it was so close to the holidays we would treat it like a party and have pizza, salad, and soda (which also meant we didn't have to cook). We debated where to get the pizza because we have limited options here in Newberg with the budget we have. In the end we drove 25 minutes away to McMinnville and got pizza at Winco. Who knew they made fresh pizzas at a reasonable cost ($9.00 per lg pizza). We covered them with blankets and then raced back to put them in the oven to keep warm. We had Fat Boys for dessert and there you go! Couldn't have been easier!!

Elder Rowan and I kept busy this week driving around the mission delivering cars. We are fortunate right now to have a few extra cars so if someone's car needs to go into the shop we can run a loaner out to them. One day we drove about 40 miles south to Silverton to take a car to some sisters and the next day we drove 52 miles north to take a car to the Elders in Vernonia.

Thursday evening was District Council which is such an inspiring meeting for us. We love them! This week Elder Cordray assigned each companionship to give a 5-7 minute talk on one of the Christlike attributes in PMG, Chapter 6. We were assigned the attribute of "Patience." I can tell you it was an exercise in patience for Elder Rowan and I to work together and come up with a talk we both could give. In the end it was a positive experience and I think we did well and really grew from it. Our District has been working on a goal to give out 100 Book of Mormons this transfer. Yesterday they achieved the goal with two weeks to spare. I mentioned last week that we had been challenged to give out one each as Sr. Missionaries too. Elder Larson gave his out last week and Sister Larson gave one to our mailman yesterday. Elder Rowan and I have failed so far. My problem is that I rarely interact with someone who is not already a member of the church. I have to find a way to widen my social circle here. Even in the office I sit at the back of the office and not at the front desk to greet the delivery people and random people who may stop in. I am continuing to pray for help to accomplish this goal!

Speaking of goals, it is a new year so time to re-dedicate ourselves to the things we want to do. Of course getting our eating under control always hits the list. It has been hard on the mission to watch what we eat when there are so many meals, treats, etc. every week and this is evident by looking at us. It has been incredible to dedicate so much time each day to personal study. We love listening to conference talks, podcasts, & Come Follow Me. I am especially loving reading the Book of Mormon every day. A habit I was never able to develop in the past. Our Mission President said he read the Book of Mormon 5 times this year! He is my hero! I have always been an avid reader and usually spent some time every day reading a novel. This is a habit I have given up on my mission and have not read any non-fiction since we left home. Instead I have replaced my novels with books to help me become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. Here are a few I am working on right now.

On Saturday we were able to attend the temple which is always a bonus for us. We ran into some ward members there this week, Bro & Sis Dibble. In talking to Sister Dibble she told me that she paints the back of Book of Mormons for the missionaries. These are hard cover editions and usually she paints the First Vision but sometimes does mountains, streams, etc. if the missionaries request them. She has promised to paint one for me and I am excited. It will be a cool souvenir from our mission.

This week we heard some sad news about one of Jack's friends from high school. Chris & Lili Anderson lived in our ward when we were first married. Jack went to high school with both of them and Chris was in his ward growing up. We did not see them often over the years but kept up with them through mutual friends. They live not far from us in Draper. They were on vacation in Florida in mid December when Chris suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly at the age of 71. My parting words for this blog is to cherish each day and make sure your family knows you love them. You never know when it may be your last day!