Spring Time in the Rockies 2014

Spring Time in the Rockies 2014

     Here we have been having a  typical springtime in the Rockies, one minute the sun is shining brightly and on Tuesday we had a high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit.  It felt so good I actually talked myself into going down to  Logan High School and watching part of a baseball game Ryan  was coaching.  We used to follow our kids to all their games and activities and since they have grown up we tried t make it to some of the grandkids activities.  I will admit our energy level is ebbing some and we seem to find it easy to find excuses, especially if it requires driving long distances or sitting in cold weather to watch.  I'd like to make it down to watch Emily in her water-polo.  I hear she is doing well.  I'd have to spend some time learning about that sport though.  Right now all I know is how to spell it.  At least I hope I do.  

     Back to springtime in the Rockies.  As I mentioned, some times the sun shines.  Twenty minutes later its raining and twenty minutes later its snowing.  We've had a lot of moisture interspersed with occasional sunshine.  On Thursday we were out contacting some of our sisters on that have been referred to us.  That turned out to be a day with more snow showers than sunshine.  Result, we both got wet and cold.  Grandma ended up with a serious cold and some rather miserable sinus issues which we have been nursing for the past few days.  We were able to help a few people here at home with their family history.  Grandma just stayed clear of them and I did what I could to get them going on their family history.  She's feeling better now.  She was glad to stay home and watch the General Women's Meeting last night on TV.  Don't blame her at all.  Added benefit was that watched it with her.  It was awesome.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord reserved his most noble daughters for this day. I am not totally convinced about some of the men.  I do know that there is at least one more good one out their waiting some where for you.  For now he'll just have to wait.  Patience is one of the most noble virtues.  That considered there may even be some hope for the male gender.

The Lord is fulfilling His promise that His gospel shall be as the stone cut out of the mountain without hands and shall roll forth to fill the earth.

On Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to attend the baptismal service for another Chinese investigator. That makes three in the last month. This time it was a young woman who had come to America not knowing anything about the LDS Church. When she decided to come to Logan for school she soon began hearing all kinds of rumors about Mormons and how strange they were and how they all believed in some sort of fantasy about golden plates and angels. etc. She said she was a rather apprehensive about moving to an area where the vast majority of the people had such strange beliefs. However, when she got here she found out that Mormons are actually "nice". She found out about a small group of Chinese nationals who were members of the Church and had meetings of their own. This small Chinese group is actually attached to our ward here in Logan and meets under the direction of our bishop. There has been some success with this small group and we have had several baptisms. Anyway, to make a long story short this young girl met with missionaries and some fellowshipping members and was very impressed. She learned of the Book of Mormon and the story of Joseph Smith and the First Vision. She felt the Spirit. After watching a video about the Prophet Joseph and the early history of the Church, she said she felt the Spirit very strongly and came to know that Joseph Smith would never have gone through all the trials and troubles that he did for the sake of a lie. She knew he knew. The Spirit told her so, and that same Spirit told her that the gospel had been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this Church is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ. She chose to follow the Savior and be baptized by immersion of one having authority just as He did. Brother Chen who is the Chinese group leader, and who travels often to China told of a Chinese brother in China who was recently baptized. He couldn't do that anywhere in China except in Hong Kong, which has special rights by international treaty. This man had to save his entire earnings for three months so that he could make a quick trip to Hong Kong and be baptized without fear. The stone is rolling forth. The services were conducted in Chinese with a translator for those who had to speak or understand in English. It was rather interesting.

Yesterday we attended the baptism of a young boy (nine years old) whom the missionaries have been working with.  The parents are members and a re just beginning to return from a period of inactivity .  They are good people who  let some marital/financial issues get in their way for a while.  The Lord rejoices  over the lost who are found, member or nonmember.

On Saturday we will be having the baptism of another young Chinese girl.  It will be right after the afternoon session of General Conference.  So the work moves on in spite of us and the distractions of spring time.

A Letter to Kinsey Serving in Sweden

Our beautiful and sweet Granddaughter, Kinsey is serving in Sweden as a missionary.  I have tried to send her a letter each week.  I hope she is not totally bored by my few lines each week.  We do love her and want her to know that.  It is hopefully a little helpful for her to see that her grandparents, who are also serving a mission here in Logan, have some of the same experiences that she does in her work in Sweden.  We are very proud of our missionary Granddaughter and love her very much.  The following is just a typical letter that she gets from these quarters every week.



Dear Kinsey/Syster Eborn,

      By now the days are getting longer and hopefully you are getting some sunshine.  We have had some nice days, but it is rather cool in the mornings yet.  You know Logan and Cache Valley.  All in all we have had a pretty good winter and spring, lots of snow in the mountains and not to much down here in the valley, just the way we like it.  Anyway, I don't want to trade  our weather for anybody else s.  We enjoy the four seasons and are now beginning to see the first spring blossoms with many more to come in the coming months.

     Today we met a young Danish girl who will be spending a few months with one of the families in our ward.  We talked just briefly.  I'm not even sure she is a member of the Church , but she was there with her host family who are very active.  She reminded me of a Norwegian exchange student I had many years ago in some of my classes.  For the most part, the Scandinavians seem to be a handsome people.  

      We had a good week this week, even though we would have liked to be a little busier with the missionary work.  I started of with a couple of people who came to our place for some help with family history, which I always enjoy.  Then we went out to meet with some of the single sisters who have been referred to us.  Most of them were not home are really didn't want to talk to us much.  Here in Logan, at least in our ward, we have a lot of turn over.  Many of the students heading home shortly for the summer or employment where ever they can find it.  It seems a lot of the less active sisters who are referred to us are mostly interested in getting some welfare help.  We have a questionnaire that we use so that the  Bishops and re Relief Society presidents can better evaluate the situation.  I think it saves them some time, but I must admit, I wonder sometimes if we do much good.  Our Stake President says our main goal with them should be just to let them know that they are not forgotten and the they are loved.

     We also went down to the Bountiful Temple for the sealing of the young couple I wrote about last week.  He has made so much progress and we are happy for them.  From prison to the sealing room in the Temple is no small achievement. They seem so sincere and committed to do the right thing.  It makes  us happy to see people progressing.  That's what the gospel is all about and it is the Atonement of our Savior that makes it all possible and gives us hope.

     We have another baptism scheduled for this coming Friday, a little Chinese student at the University here.  It seems they are more open minded to the gospel than some of those who have been raised around the church.  That is sad and speaks volumes for the need for all of us to be better examples.

     We hope all is going well for you. We love you very much and are so proud of you and all you do.  Beware of the boys!!!  They are naturally attracted to beautiful girls like you, but You are absolutely right when you immediately turn them over to the Elders.  It's the safest thing to do.

European men have long had a reputation for being a little bold when it comes to young women. You are a missionary, first and foremost at this time and that is something they must not be confused about.  

     We went to the mission home to pick up a new missionary.  It was transfer time and we ended up one missionary short.  The solution:  A willing, excited,  young missionary from North Ogden, who has been called to labor in the Bulgaria, Sophia Mission was asked to join forces with us here in Logan until he enters the MTC  at the end of of May.;  He is glad for the opportunity.

     You are always in our prayers and thoughts,  It sounds like we may soon have another missionary in the family.  Alison's son, Addison, has just put in his papers, so in a couple of weeks we should find out where he is going.  There are some rather dangerous places around the world, but I have no doubt the Lord will send him where he is needed the most.

    God bless you always in all you do.

Love  you forever,

LIVE STRONG!!!

BE HAPPY!!!

BE GRATEFUL!!!

Grandpa Bart

WE DO LOVE OUR MISSIONARIES!!!!

HE SAW THE LIGHT

HE SAW THE LIGHT!!!

We just came from the Logan Temple. The Temple is near and dear to us and we have had many wonderful experiences associated with the Temple and the work that goes on there. Some are so sacred I hesitate to even speak of them. Others are also very sacred and I wish to shout them from the mountain tops for all to hear. Today, we had just such an experience. I will not relate any names except to say that the people involved are real people and are a son and a daughter of God just as we all are.

We attended a session where a young couple received their Endowment at the Logan Temple. Their story may serve to create hope and gratitude in some of the rest of us.

The young man in this story was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Early in his youth he got caught up in the wrong crowd and let go the Iron Rod of God's word. He did many things which brought sorrow to those around him and nearly destroyed himself in the process. I won't go into all the details, but I'm sure you can imagine many of the issues a wayward and rebellious young man could get involved in, especially in this modern era. One of the issues which plagued this young man was illegal and addicting drugs, using and distributing them to pay for his habit and to keep his "friends" who were really his enemies. Eventually he was arrested, tried and sentenced to three years in prison. He served his time.
He was released, but in his own words: "You would have thought, I would have learned something, but I didn't." After a short time he was once again involved with the wrong crowd, doing drugs and all the other nonsense he had been involved in before. Needless to say, "When you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got." In this case he got arrested, tried and sentenced to three more years in the State Penitentiary. Part way through this experience he decided he'd had enough of this kind of life. From the words of Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son: "And when I came to myself......." You know the rest of the story. He had finally seen the light and decided to follow a different course.

In this case the young man came out of prison a changed man. He had seen the light. Instead of going back to his old friends he sought out better company, people who could lift him and help him stay the course. Eventually, he met a sweet young Mormon girl. They became friends and later were married. She had always wanted a Temple marriage. He was not yet ready for such. Not that he was opposed to the idea, but that it takes time to prove one's worthiness for such a great blessing. After much prayer, study, and help from others, they reached the goal of getting prepared to enter the temple of the Lord. Today we were honored to be there as they received the blessing of the Temple Endowment. It was wonderful to see the joy on their faces in the Celestial Room. We consider it to be a privilege to have played even a very small role in this mighty change and see the sincerity of their love for one another and the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will be sealed next Saturday in the Bountiful Utah Temple. Their goal is, at this point, not just a Temple Marriage/Sealing, but rather a Celestial Marriage that will embody always keeping the covenants that they make and receiving the attendant blessings. Certainly that is what will bring the greatest joy into their lives and to ours as we keep the sacred covenants we have made in the Temple of the Lord. His promises are sure.

A Touching Letter from Our Missionary in Sweden

Our heart has been heavy, at the loss of one of Kinsey's fellow missionaries in Sweden a week ago.  We could feel her pain and sorrow at losing a friend whom she had known and been close to.  Elder Mason Bailey was from Richfield, Utah and had been in Kinsey's group at the MTC and had worked in the same zone as she had in Sweden.  He was struck by a car while he and his companion were walking to an appointment.

We love our missionary granddaughter and are so proud of her strength and desire to serve the God she loves so much and his children.

Kinsey Eborn kinsey.eborn@myldsmail.net	5:28 AM (4 hours ago)
to Jared, Shana, Katie, Emily, Melissa, Samuel, me, Anthony, Natalie, Trello, Walter, Jackie, Rachel, Michael, Cameron, Alyse, Alyssa, Deborah, Derek, Skyler, Daniel, Jake, Jaclyn, Brett, Miriah

Hey guys, sorry for the dramatic nature of last weeks email. I hope you haven't been too worried about me, and I'm sorry for the lack of detail provided! I was just in shock that morning, and unable to function beyond that point. I will, somehow, write you about the previous week. Possibly in a written letter. But I'll try to be thorough this week.

Monday, March 3rd 2014

I woke up and starting cleaning as usual. We were jamming out to the Lower Lights (not so subtle or tackful hint: that cd would be most excellent for easter) when we heard the phone ding with a text from the office. I read it, and started crying. It was about 7:40 in the morning. And that kind of marked the rest of the day. My MTC district had a conference call which was very nice, and I got a priesthood blessing later that afternoon from one of the elders. I'm going to miss Mason Bailey, he was a very good friend to me. But I felt a lot of comfort and assurance and I know it is okay. The start of the week, however, did color the rest of my week, and the nature of most lessons.

Later monday evening, we had a lesson with a new investigator, Faten, who just told us about her life problems and shared that she missed feeling close to God in her life. We invited her to read, which she says she has no time for, to pray, which is just too difficult for her, and invited her to come to church. Also no time for that.

Sigh.

People. Salvation is yours for the taking. Not ours for the forcing. A relationship with God is between you and Him. Not between you and us. I promise. If you want to come closer to God, do it throught the scriptures, prayer, and obedience; not settling for a relationship with a 19 year old girl from America. I'm not anyone perfect or Holy. I'm just someone who KNOWS about He who is perfect and Holy.

But because her son would like to come to church for the classes there, we will we walking with her to church on future Sundays.

We had a better evening, however, meeting with the Kojo family. We had a good FHE all together, talking about the Restoration of the Gospel, and then playing card games. The kids love the American Game, BS. We decided not to tell them what BS stands for. This faily is so sweet. I just want them to be fully active and partake of the blessings of the temple. They have strong testimonies, just a hard time coming to church because they aren't in the habit.

Tuesday, March 4th 2014

Did you know that almost every lesson we had planned today blowsted? This is why we have backup plans, I guess! 

We trakted our building and found a cute couple on the 7th floor, who pretty much only understood that we talk about Jesus Christ. We'll visit them again, this time with more Arabic materials. I'm telling you, they should have taught me Arabic in the MTC. Anyone who can speak Swedish, can speak English. Incidentally, most swedes are also uninterested in religion. It's the foreigners we need to communicate with.

Then we went to the church to meet with someone. Well, he never showed up, so we ended up teaching the member we had brought along about the Plan of Salvation in regards to Elder Baileys passing. It was a good stund to discuss the complexities of Gods plan. We don't always understand everything that happens, but we do know that nothing happens arbitrarily. Which is a great comfort.

Afterwards, we were cancelled on by two other people, so we went to visit an older woman who we sing to and read scriptures to for service!

After a quick meeting with our ward misison leader, we went to visit the Dolmaya family! That was really fun. We had yummy food, watched mormon messages, and reminded Nabil about how great the church is while pumping up Judy for her upcoming baptism! It pumped me up, too, to be honest.

Wednesday, March 5th 2014

We met with Kirsi, the less active member who has a testimony and lives every commandment but the sabbath day. It's funny how going to church is such a stumbling block for people. Honestly, Sunday worship and temple work is kind of the heart of our religion. We created a plan with Kirsi to help her achieve her OWN goals. It includes scripture study, missionary lessons, and, of course, church. 

Then we met with Jacques and taught him about the Restoration! I love teaching the Restoration and seeing peoples eyes focus in because it clicks in their head that, wait, you're claiming to be the one true church on the earth with the Gospel in it's entirety?

YES. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE SAYING. 

We are not just another church that teaches good principles. We are not suggesting things that might improve your life. We are not cute. We are not fuzzy. We are messengers from God on an errand to invite others move forward on the path that leads to living with Heavenly Father. We do this
1. Because we have a sacred calling from God and
2. Because we KNOW IT IS TRUE.
I would not be in Sweden thousands of miles away from home, comfort, and decent mexican food if I didn't think that the principles I am teaching were ABSOLUTELY VITAL for the eternal peace and happiness of my brothers and sisters. I wouldn't be here if I thought that they were just 'nice,' 'comforting,'uplifting,' or 'helpful.' I am ONLY here because they are necessary. I simply would not force myself throught this experience otherwise.

But guess what, I don't want a single person I talk to to believe me. I want them to listen, to question, and to ask God if this crazy chick from Utah actually knows something. And I want them to be dazzled with the realization that what we had shared is true. I want their converstion to be between them and God, just as I want every step that they take to be motivated by their own desire.

People. Stop being stupid. Stop holding yourself back from blessings. Search, ponder, pray, and with the brilliant knowledge and testimony that comes from your acquisition of truth, partake of the goodness of this Gospel.

So, Jacques said he'll do that. Good. Do it, bro.

After, we went to visit an older member of the church. This lady has got clue. She had invited several people who she'd met at the library and on the bus to come over and listen to the missionaries with her. No, they didn't come, but it's the thought that counts.

Then we went to visit this cute family with Nabil and Judy as translators. The lesson went really well, and the whole family was really listening! Yay!

Thursday, March 6th 2014

*We visited a bunch of less active members which made me realize something I hadn't really wanted to realize:

The kind of missionary work I do might not be what this ward needs. I am aggressive with contacting, teaching, and inviting. This worked well in Malmö, in a ward that was ready for new converts and needed them. But Norrköping is different. They can't really handle that right now. what they need is some hard core strengthening. The 'active members' only come to church every few weeks, and are unable to fellowship any investigators brought. It's disorienting for the investigators, hard to build connections, and it's overwhelming for the ward members. 

And it's humbling for this missionary, who is realizing that she needs to slow down and put her energy and efforts in different areas of the work.

Point in case, we visited Kulette and her whole klan. Who all have a testimony of the restoration, and love everything we teach them. But they don't feek comfortable in church, because there is no form of a translating system, and nobody talks to them and they don't feel welcome. It breaks my heart, that the openness of the ward is what holds them back. We will now be printing out general conference talks in arabic for them to read if the talks during sacrament are too difficult to understand, and try to do more to accomodate them.*

The next two days had a highlight, but mostly everything just fell through and I was kind of down.

But we had a really great lesson with Amer!

We walked and talked with Amer, who loves everything we've taught and taught himself the law of chastity while we were with him. 

"I just think it's dumb to have sex before marraige. What do you get if you've been with a hundred girls? Nothing but heartache, problems, and stress. But when you wait for just ONE girl, you get a family and the best happiness."

Amer, why aren't you a missionary?!" We invited him to pray and read to know if he should get baptized. He was pretty caught off guard with the invitation, but he said that he would. We'll find out...

Another random side note, I'm still bad at riding bicycles. Really bad. We busted out the bikes for the first time this week, and my poor companion had to wait at the top of every hill as I huffed and puffed behind her. Yay exercise..

Everything pretty much led up to the memorial. All week, I had been feeling, frustrated and tense. I wanted to be able to let myself feel upset, to let myself mourn and be sad, but there simply wasn't time. There was too much to do. I had just been holding it all off, and feeling dissatisfied with everything. It didn't make sense to me that the whole world wouldn't stop, and that I seemed to be alone in my grief. *The feelings were epitomized when another missionary in a neighboring area innocently expressed 'how excited she was for this Sundays memorial! It would feel just like a zone conference, and so much fun.'*

I would have loved to be anywhere but the memorial. If I had not been asked to participate in the program, I very likely would not have gone. I thought I would find more solace in working hard in my own area. However, I went. And I'm glad I did. It was a beautiful memorial. I was grateful to take the sacrament, and feel the Atonement still my soul. I was grateful to hear Masons last journal entry, written minutes before his death, testifying of the truthfulness of the gospel and of his purpose as a missionary. I was grateful to mourn with my friends who also knew and appreciated him. And I was grateful for the peace I felt there. I know I will be just fine, because I know that HE is just fine. He's in the Spirit World, continuing on the work of his mission.

I also know that this Gospel is true. I encourage all who read and hear my voice to ponder what Christs role in their lives is. I invite everyone to read the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and pray to know of their truthfulness. Pray to know everyday. And then do something about it. Don't let the knowledge that you have lie in your soul collecting dust. Don't set aside your testimony in order to partake in worldly distractions. There is no peace of comfort or joy in that. Allow the glory of the gospel to carry you through every day, on days when you have no strength to carry yourself, and on days when perhaps you can carry others.

I love this Church, and I love my Savior.

And I love you all.

Syster Eborn

ANOTHER WONDERFUL WEEK

We had another wonderful week.  I guess I can say that, because there have been a few ups and downs along the way, but if we stop and reflect on whole it was truly a wonderful week.   The most exciting part of the week was seeing and hearing from family.  Every Monday, the first thing we look for is word from our missionary granddaughter, Kinsey.  We do so much appreciate her letters home to her parents and family and we are thankful that Jared is so prompt in making it available to us and others who are following her mission.  It is always good to know what she is doing and to feel of her spirit and to take lessons from her example.  She always seems to be upbeat and encouraging.  I know she has her disappointments too, but she just turns them upside down and makes the best out of every situation.  We try to do the same in our mission, but I  think she has the hang of it a little better than we do, but we are trying.  When we stop and truly think about all the blessings we have, I find it very difficult to stay down for very many minutes, not that I want to be down at all.  We never have to look very far to find someone who has it harder than we do.  This week has been kind of rainy and drab, but we know we need the moisture and have bee greatly blessed in this way in the past few weeks.  It's nice to look up at the mountains and see them all covered with white.  That means we will have lots of green down in the valleys in the summer months.  it is indeed an answer to the prayer so many.

Our missionary activity has kind of gone in spurts this week.  We had some of our appointments fall through, however we did meet with a few new people who can use a helping hand and a little encouragement and some of those who broke their appointments had legitimate reasons, so we'll be back and we'll keep trying.
After on of our appointments fell through we
had a couple of hours on our hands with not much to do.  Grandma was not feeling all that well anyway.  Sinus issues and the colder rainy weather wasn't helping a whole lot so we just went home.  She took some medicine and a little nap and I went to the computer, go the stake directory and started e-mailing everybody on the list a reminder about our Stake Conference meetings on Saturday and Sunday and also a special  musical fireside put on by the missionaries in the northern half of the Utah Ogden Mission. It was themed "God is Near You".  We attended all of the meetings including the fireside tonight.  It was wonderful.  There are so many talented young people in the Church and serving missions all over the world.  It is a joy to be associated with them.  We had some of the people we have been working with attend the conference sessions and the fireside and a few of the members actually thanked me for the email reminder.  We were happy to sit by a young man we've been working with in the Saturday night session.  He had been asked to say the opening prayer at that session,  We are going with him and his wife to receive their endowments at the Logan Temple on the 15th of March.  That is real progress. Three years ago her was in prison.  Now he has a smile on his face, a lovely wife, has been ordained an Elder, holds a temple recommend and has an appointment to go and receive his endowments and another appointment in the Bountiful Temple to be sealed to his wife.  That's what the gospel does for people who repent of their sins and turn their lives over to Jesus Christ.  Some of the other people we have been working with are also making progress, while others are backsliding a bit in spite of our best efforts.  All I know is that they are God's children and he loves them and will be patient while we continue to help them get their lives in on order.  We all need help in one way or another.  God is hastening His work and we are glad to be a part of it.

Another time we had a dropped appointment  we were driving home when we saw a little elder lady we've been helping with her family history.  I pulled over next to where she was getting out of her car and asked her if she was busy and if she'd like a little more help on her family history.  She is of Swedish descent (Magnuson).  She jumped at the chance, so we brought her home with us and spent a couple of hours on the computer .  When she left she had the biggest smile and was filled with gratitude to have reserved more than a hundred temple ordinances and shared them with the temple system where they will be done in temples all over the world.

Perhaps the biggest joy was to be with Micah when he was baptized.  He turned eight last week.  He was ready.  When the bishop was interviewing him he asked Micah what his favorite Bible story was.  Micha surprised him when he told his he liked the story of the Last Supper.  He then told the bishop all about it.  That's not something most eight-year-olds grasp.  We are proud of him and also of Ryan for being worth to perform the baptism and to confirm his son a member of the Church and to give him the gift of the Holy Ghost.  These are indeed great blessings and we are grateful.

AFTER ALL YOU CAN DO

AFTER ALL YOU CAN DO

After All We Can Do

by Elder Robbie Pierce

I had been in that hole for a very long time—

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,

But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.

I could not remember the world way up there,

So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.

Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”

This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,

But I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I’d climb from that hole.

I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,

And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”

I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,

For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.

I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.

I went back down my ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.

I’d done all I could do and I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.

And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”

Was my ladder to short? Was my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”

And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest

As the voice calmly told me that I'd done my best.

He said, “You have worked hard, and your labor’s been rough,

But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.

So do not despair; there is reason to hope,

Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.”

I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.

I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.

I cried, “Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?”

He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark and deep.

Then the Lord looked at me, and He said, “feed my sheep,”

And he went on his way to save other lost souls,

So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

“Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!

Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!”

It now was my calling to spread the good word,

The most glorious message that man ever heard:

That there’s one who is coming to save one and all,

And we need to be ready when he gives the call.

He’ll pull us all out of the holes that we’re in

And save all our souls from cold death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just climb up your ladder; he’ll throw down his rope.

Another Typical Missionary Week for Us

 福音圖書館 ▻ 經文​. 搜尋：. 搜尋. 經文：​網際網路版本. 摩爾門經​ 耶穌基督​的​另​一​部​約書​. 教義和聖約​ · 無價珍珠​ · 經文​指南​. 耶穌基督

That;s what it looks like,  I can not even begin to tell you how it sounds,  Astonishingly, the Spirit speaks the same in both languages.

The Hong Kong China Temple.  Hong Kong was formerly a British Colony but was returned to the Republic of China in 1987.  Outside Hong Kong the LDS Church has a very, very limited footprint.  At least for now.  The stone rolls forth.

Today was the Sabbath. Every Sunday begins much the same .  The alarm goes off at 5:30 We crawl out of bed and proceed to get ready for our  first meeting of the day. Our stake missionary correlation meeting begins at 6:30.  It takes us a little longer to get ready than it used to.  Grandma Iris especially wants to look her best, so that takes some time.  You all know how women are. Most of the people who were supposed to be at the mission correlation meeting had forgotten to set their clocks ahead for daylight savings time. That doesn't happen at our house, Iris always takes care of that on Saturday afternoon. We had been invited to speak in the Logan 10th Ward sacrament meeting.  Our subject was our assignment  as full time missionaries in the Logan Central Stake.  We have been asked to do this in all of the wards in the stake.  I don't mind it, but Iris gets a little bit nervous about it.  Actually, she does very well and I am always proud of her.  She has a good way with people and always makes friends easily.  The single sisters we work with seem to take a liking to her as well.  I am blessed.  Transfers come and go in missionary work, but that is one thing I don't have to worry about.  She is my eternal companion and my main worry is being good enough to warrant that blessing.  She has put up with this long, so maybe there is hope.

Following our meetings in the Logan 10th Ward we went sacrament meeting in the Chinese group which is attached to the Logan 5th Ward, our home ward.  It turned out to be a very special experience for us.  We wore the ear phones, while someone translated the Mandarin Chinese for us and a few other English speakers.  It was an inspiring meeting as we observed the small group of Chinese members filling roles a leaders and always with a smile as they tried to help us understand how they felt and what they were saying.
The most exciting part of the meeting was the sacrament, which is always special, as it should be.  Today, Brother Manfai Lee, who was baptized about three weeks ago along with Jack, another Chinese national, passed the Lord'a sacrament to the members in attendance.  He is a wonderful man.  He is humble and feels it an honor to serve in any priesthood assignment.  He has a PhD in Chemistry and works at Utah State University. He has already been to the temple and done baptisms for the dead.  After the meeting we visited with him for a while and he expressed his love of the Spirit that he feels in the Church.  He has much to learn, of course, but he will be a tremendous asset to his people in he future.  I will not be surprised to see this man as a General Authority one day in the future.  The Lord moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.

Jack, the other young Chinese man, who was baptized at the same time as Manfai, is already back in China.  He has communicated by email a couple of times.  We pray for him as he is so alone in the vast country of China with its 1.3 billion people.  He was ordained an elder just before he left and given a special blessing.
Please keep this valiant young man in your prayers as well as the people of his great land.

Manfai and I have something in common.  He likes to take pictures and wants to have a copy of the DVD I have put together of pictures of the Logan Utah Temple.  I will give it to him the next time I see him.  I think he will love it just as much as I enjoyed creating it.  We love the Logan Temple.

We have also been working with several single sister/single mothers.  Some of them have very serious problems.  Their faith has been shattered or has not grown as it should have,  We feel the pain and find it difficult to keep from anger at those who have been abusive, neglectful, and uncommitted to the right,  We know we must love everyone as our Savior does.  It is never our position to judge others, but sometimes this presents a challenge for us and for those who are affected by unkind acts perpetrated upon the beautiful daughters of God.  We appreciate the example of our Savior as he spoke from the cross:  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

In addition we are working now at latest count with 43 people whom we have been able to assist in their family history work.  Some have really been catching the Spirit and are able to submit many names for temple ordinances.  The veil is thin and we feel very privileged to be a part of the Lord's work in whatever way we can.  Sometimes I wish we had more energy, but we shall count our blessings a press forward with faith.  We are indeed blessed.