July 28, 2024

This last week seems like it was forever ago already. Monday was my birthday and I felt very loved and special. My office was decorated and I received flowers, presents, and then the President took us all out for brunch after our Office Mtg. I tried to talk the President out of taking us since he had just taken us on Saturday, but he put the Social Media Sisters on the task. They convinced me they would be very sad if they didn't get to go out so I finally gave in and just enjoyed it. I shared the spotlight with the Bready's since they were going home later in the week so that took some of the pressure off. I heard from family, friends, and many of our beloved missionaries. Elder Jacobsen called me from Montana and that was really fun too!

Later Monday Sister Bready & I went shopping for Spanish Zone Conference since Tuesday was going to be a busy day. On Tuesday we picked up (9) more cars and then tried to get a lot of work done before my sister Diana and her husband Cary came. We were excited for their visit. Diana just retired from nursing and we were honored that the first trip they took was to come up and visit us. We planned a pretty ambitious itinerary but somehow we were able to fit it all in.

They arrived on Tuesday afternoon and we just spent time visiting and showing them our office, apartment, and all around our area. Wednesday they left to go visit my cousin, Tom, in Rockaway so that we could do Spanish Zone Conference. We served Hawaiian Haystacks which is always a hit. At Spanish Zone Conference Sister Phillips gave a talk in Spanish. She doesn't speak Spanish but she has been teaching herself so she could do this. She is amazing!!!

Thursday we took off with Diana & Cary and headed to Silver Falls. On the way we stopped at a Upick berry farm and then at Bauman's Farm and Garden store. We had fun picking our own boysenberries and raspberries and thought it was a real bargain at only $1.00 per pound. We picked 3.5lbs of berries all together which doesn't count what went into our tummy's :). Bauman's had pretty flowers, good corn on the cob, and some great apple cider donuts. Their prices also made us really appreciate the price of our Upick berries! Silver Falls was as pretty as always and we enjoyed both the North & South Falls.

Friday we headed out to the coast to enjoy Lincoln City down to Newport. It was a beutiful, sunny July day at the Oregon coast but Diana couldn't get over how cold it was. Welcome to the Oregon Coast where 60 degrees is the normal temp of the day in the summer! We played at the tide pools, saw seals at Whaler's Cove, took pictures at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and ate a yummy late lunch at Mo's in Newport!

Saturday morning we said goodbye to the Bready's. They returned home to Sandy, Utah so that Elder Bready could have back surgery. They will continue to do Mission Medical remotely from Utah while Elder Bready recovers. We are praying for a good surgery and that his recovery goes well.

Saturday morning we also went to the Portland Temple. We love showing off "our" temple and they agreed that our temple is especially pretty! Then Elder Rowan & I headed into the office for a few hours to get some work done while Diana and Cary went to the Evergreen Space Museum. We knew Cary would love the museum and he did! We chilled the rest of the night visiting and playing games until it was time to go see fireworks at the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival. Everyone was tired and not excited to go out again but the fireworks were really good and we were glad we did.

Sunday we went to church and then headed towards Tracey's house for dinner. Along the way we traveled the Old Columbia Hwy and visited the Vista House, Latourell Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Horsetail Falls, and finally Multnomah Falls. They loved it all!! We were sad to see them leave on Monday morning but so glad they came.

On Sunday we found out that the mother of one of our missionaries passed away unexpectantly. She went in for knee surgery, aspirated on the operating table, and later died from the complications. It is heartbreaking and our hearts are with Elder Rawlins. He will go home for the funeral but hopes to come back. So hard to know what to do. Our son Ryan is also having some health challenges and we are praying that they turn out to be completely manageable and he can get the problems taken care of and get back to life. We have faith in our Savior and know that he is in charge. We love you Ryan!

July 21, 2024

This week was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Monday we had Office Staff meeting and Elder Rowan and Elder Gamett showed up wearing the same tie. Elder Gamett has been hoping for that to happen and it finally did. The young missionaries love their floral ties so early in our mission Elder Rowan asked for some too so he could be like them. Matt ordered some from AndCollar and Elder Rowan has loved matching with the missionaries!

After Office Staff meeting Elder Rowan and I left to go with the Larson's to clean the Vernonia apartment. Elders have been living there but now a Sr MLS couple will be there. We needed to clean and "stage" the apartment so it would be ready for them. We spent 5 hours cleaning and when we were done it looked much better than I had imagined it could. We worked hard and we were tired after. It makes me worry about going home and returning to the real world of cleaning, housework, and home improvement projects. I have gotten "soft" in the last year and a half and that part of going home worries me :). There is something to be said about living in a small apartment.

On Monday too Sister Emma Peterson stopped by the office before we left for Vernonia. She has been home for a few months but came back to visit and attend the temple with someone she taught. It is so fun to see these missionaries! Sister Peterson shared with us that she has been talking to Elder Leve since he went home last month and that romance is blooming. They are both the sweetest, kindest humans and it would be a great match. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

The Larson's daughter, husband, and six children came to visit this week. I mention that so others considering missions will know that it is common to have family visit. It might get a little crowded in our small apartments but you can manage anything for a few days. Senior missionaries have so much flexibility!

We had one bit of sad news this week and that is that Elder & Sister Bready are returning home to comeplete their mission remotely. They arrived in February to take over as our Mission Medical. Elder Bready was an anetheseologist and has been really great taking care of the missionaries. He had two back surgeries in the last two years that left him with nerve pain and weakness in his leg. But now it appears the disks in his back have herniated above and belove his previous surgery. He is in terrible pain, can't sleep, and needs surgery immediately. They are hopeful they can finish their mission from home. It isn't ideal when they won't be able to see and visit the missionaries but it is pretty common to do Mission Medical remotely. They leave next Saturday and we will be sad to see them go.

On Thursday we were notified that we are getting MORE new cars!!! We just finished up with all the last new cars and were really hoping not to get any more before we left. But Friday we had to go pick up (6) Ford Maverik trucks. We have been expecting these since January and the dealership finally realized they were on their lot after all this time. We are still missing (1) and I am convinced it is on that car lot somewhere. Then we were told we also need to pick up (12) Toyota RAV4's by next Tuesday and that he will have another (5) by the next week. That is (23) new cars in a week to be dealt with!!! The "church" with a small "c" and I are going to have a long talk if they tell us we have to trade these out for cars we just got 4 months ago. That is way too much work and doesn't make any sense. We have over (25) RAV4's that are about 1 1/2 years old but we are told we can't sell them until they are (2) years old but all the other cars we have we just got in the last 4 months. The Sisters & I had fun driving the Maverik trucks back to the office. Go Sister power!!!

On Saturday the new Senior MLS couple, the Hathcock's, arrived. That makes (3) MLS couples in our mission now. They have been assigned to Vernonia which is the small town up the canyon that we rode our bikes last week. It is a small, rural community with a small branch. The branch is super excited to get a senior couple and the Hathcock's are excited to be there. They are from a small community in Missouri and think it will be a perfect fit. We met them at the office today and then the President took us all out to a late lunch.

Today my birthday celebration started early when the Sister missionaries came over to play games with us. It was only for a short hour from 9:00-10:00 PM but it was fun. We miss playing games with our family all the time so this was a nice early birthday present!

July 14, 2024

The patriotic celebrations continued this week when we served dinner at MLC. We don't usually have MLC in the same week as Zone Conferences but that is the way the calendar worked out this month. Since it was still close to the 4th (okay, actually the 9th) we decided to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs like we did last year. Who knew that it would be the hottest day of the year so far at 103 degrees? Elder Bready is a master barbequer (is that a word?) so we enlisted his help this year. Elder Rowan was very happy as he does not like to barbeque for a crowd! He did a great job with Elder Larson as his assistant and we were grateful for his help.

Zone conferences started on Wednesday and continued through Friday. We love to attend zone conference because it gives us a chance to visit with so many of the missionaries. We are always spiritually uplifted and motivated by the instruction given. This time Sister Phillips gave excellent instruction on how the missionaries could have more success in finding people to teach. In so many instances it is just a matter of opening your mouth and talking to people. And the more people you talk to the higher your chance of success in finding someone. We also had instruction on giving and receiving constructive criticism to and from others. President Phillips told a memorable story of walking like a duck that I am sure the missionaries will not soon forget. For the 1st time we had instruction from the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders and they did a great job too. They instructed from the Missionary Standards guide and we loved it!

One of the items on our bucket list since early in our mission was to rent ebikes and ride the Vernonia to Banks Bike Trail. We finally got to do that on Saturday! It was spectacular! Vernonia is a small city at the northern part of our mission. It is 20 miles up a beautiful canyon from Banks, OR and they have created a very popular bike trail between the two cities. The trail is mostly in a beautiful canopy of trees and because it is shady and up the canyon the weather was perfect even on these hot July days. We started in Vernonia because there is an ebike rental shop right at the beginning of the trail which is perfect. The entire trail is 22 miles each way but going down and back would have been just a little too much for us so we only did a total of 22 miles, 11 down and 11 back, which was perfect. My body is sore because I have not been on a bike much in our mission but it was worth every ache and pain. The Larsons and Sister Bready went with us and we all agreed it was a great day!

This week we received our first correspondence from the church regarding our going home. It was reimbursement for our travel costs when we go home so that is starting to make things seem real. I have been thinking about some of the things we have loved on our mission. In our mission call letter it says, "As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, He will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel." We have found this to be so true!! Our knowledge and testimony HAVE grown so much as we have spent time studying and learning more about our Savior. Our mission has been such a blessing in our lives!

I will end this blog post with a Happy Birthday shout out to my sister Sharon. She and I are only a year and 5 days apart and she has been like my 2nd half most of my life. I love both my sisters so much and don't know what I would do without their love, support, and example. I am not sure we would be on a mission without Sharon & Paul's example of showing us how it could be done. Last week I was scanning some pictures from my cousin and Sharon asked about a particular picture from our childhood. Here's to you Sharon!

July 7, 2024

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!" That is how I feel about this week. It was a crazy, busy week with transfers and new arrivals. So many of our beloved missionaries went home this week that I told Elder Rowan that if we just left this week too it would be okay. But, even though we only have just under two months left now, there is still work to do and missionaries to love.

Transfers and new arrivals have been on Thursdays and Fridays since we arrived in the mission but this month and going forward they will be on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. That threw me off for the whole week. Wednesday felt like Friday but we still had half a week left to go. The departing missionaries started arriving on Monday afternoon for interviews with the President. Once they start coming in the office starts to buzz with their energy! They are excited to see each other and busy with visiting, weighing their luggage, finshing their "My Plan," etc. It is emotionally exhausting but wonderful all at the same time.

Tuesday morning was transfers which means Elder Rowan and Elder Larson left at 7:00 AM to drive the luggage from one location to another. They go from our building, to Salem, and then on to Bend and back. It is a long day for them. The departing missionaries go to the temple in the morning with President & Sister Phillips and then they take them to lunch. In the afternoon we have them in and out of the office as interviews are finished up. Then they go to the President's house for dinner and departing counsel. There were 17 going home this transfer so we decided we better start our pictures with them because they were leaving really early the next morning.

One of the missionaries going home was Elder Reil. He was a missionary here in Newberg when we first arrived and then later as an Assistant. I think we spent 8 or 9 months serving with him so almost half of our mission. We love him and are going to miss him!

Elder Place also went home. He served here in Newberg too for 4 or 5 months at the beginning of our mission and was the District Leader who got us to start attending District Council. He is a crazy goof ball but an amazing missionary. He attracts attention where ever he goes because of his height but people love him. He was a terrible driver so Elder Rowan is happy he made it home without an accident.

This is Elder Leve. He had the distinction of being the oldest missionary in the mission. He has an incredible story about overcoming agoraphobia, the fear of leaving your home. With therapy and prayer he was able to come to Oregon and serve a successful mission. Half way through his mission the President asked him to switch to Spanish speaking which he did and was great at it. He was well loved by the other missionaries and we will miss him too.

Elder Jacobsen was an Assistant too for several months and we will miss his energy and the fun he brought to the office. I think he could charm anyone out of anything. It is hard to say no to him! He served with Elder Soucy who is also going home and I told him I think of him as "The Greatest Salesman." Between the two of them we didn't stand a chance.

We only had 3 Sisters going home this transfer but one of them was Sister Jacobsen who served here in Newberg as a Social Media Sister for almost 6 months. We are hoping for a match with her and Elder Reil so we will have to see how that plays out. Pictured also are Sister Roach & Sister Keller. Both amazing Sister missionaries!!

Here is the whole group going home. So many incredible missionaries! We had 17 missionaries go home and 17 new missionaries arrive!

In the midst of transfers and new arrivals there was even more going on. Monday we had to do the shopping for the New Arrival dinner on Wednesday. I was able to go with the Sister missionaries to teach their "friend," Mark. Elder Rowan and I had to take (2) reassigned missionaries to the airport Tuesday night. Sister Barrus & Elder Jaurez were here temporarily while they waited for their Visas to Mexico. Elder Rowan was especially happy to be able to talk about Mexico with them.

On Wednesday my friend Janet and her new husband Loren dropped by for a visit. Janet has been living in Cosa Rica for almost 3 years and I am glad she has found peace and happiness in her new life. It was nice to meet Loren and give Janet a hug. She was here for her daughter's wedding in Portland so I was blessed to be able to see her.

Thurday was the 4th of July and we couldn't let that pass by without celebrating our nation's freedom. In my reading of the Book of Mormon I am reminded over and over again that this is a choice land that our Heavenly Father has prepared for us and he will preserve it if the people are righteous. We live in perilious times and it is scary to think of what the future holds for us. But still, I am grateful to live in this country and have the freedom of religion to worship as I please and enjoy the many blessings we have been given.

Last year when we looked for somewhere to see fireworks the only place people told us about was the St. Paul Rodeo. As you drive through St. Paul they advertise that they are "The Home of the 4th of July." This year we decided that was the place to be and we got tickets to attend with the Larsons. It truly was a grand event!! This little town of 400 people host the 15th biggest rodeo in the country out of 700 rodeos. They put it on for 5 nights and each night there is a crowd of 10,500 and each night is sold out. We got there early, had great parking, walked around the carnival, and even had a picnic on the lawn before the show started. The rodeo was a little long, going on for almost 3.5 hrs but it was still fun. We had one scary moment when a bucking bronco stumbled and went end over end right on top of it's rider. We thought for sure the rider was going to be seriously injured but he got up and walked away. It was unbelievable! We enjoyed wearing our badges and being stopped by other members of the church as we wandered around. The fireworks were good (but not as good as Utah) and I have never seen so many cowboy hats in one place!

It was hard to believe that we still had another day in the office after this very busy week but we still had Friday. It was Sister Larson's birthday so we decorated the office for her and Sister Bready made cupcakes. Later in day President Phillips took us all out to dinner to celebrate her birthday and to visit with Sister Imlay and her parents who were visiting the mission. Sister Imlay went home in January and it was fun to see her.

They came and took away a batch of cars (11 cars) on Friday so Elder Rowan was glad to be done with car exchanges for now. It is rumored we will get more cars in July but we haven't heard from any dealerships yet. All week as we drove by the hydrangeas blooming on the church grounds I wanted to take a picture and was finally able to snap one. Another flower here in Oregon that we love!

I was able to stay home on Saturday to rest and recharge but Elder Rowan went with Elder Larson and some other Elders to clean out an apartment to get it ready for a new Senior MLS couple. No rest today for him either because we had church, then Break the Fast with the other Sr missionaries, and then District Council. Two more months he reminds me :). We invited the Burgoynes, the Senior MLS couple in the Gates Branch, to join us for our Break the Fast dinner. It was fun to get better acquainted with them and learn more about what they are doing in their area.