Week Ending November 28, 2010 Week # 1

Here are the Watsons and the Campbells. Without them Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't have happened and the office couldn't function.

Here are the Johnsons. Without them nothing around here happens. She's my angel and he is hers. We love them both.

They made me get in this picture and I was brave (or stupid) to put it in the blog. These sisters are beautiful inside and out. We had such a good time decorating the tree.

Happy Thanksgiving. We enjoyed having the two office couples, the Watsons and the Campbells, along with Erda and Jerry Johnson over for Thanksgiving dinner. We also invited a fairly recent convert, but he got sick and wasn’t able to come. We were also the back-up plan for any missionaries in the area, but they all ended up being taken care of by are good members. Anyway, we had a great time with the eight of us here for dinner.

Since we held zone leaders’ council a couple of weeks ago in connection with our leadership training, we were able to start interviews this week. Sister Macdonald continued her tradition of making homemade fudge and short bread for interviews in the transfer that includes Christmas. The missionaries love her culinary skills and the touch of home memories it brings to them. This week we held interviews in Eugene and Coos Bay. After visiting with the missionaries in Coos Bay I enjoyed visiting with that good stake president. I am impressed with him, like his peers throughout the mission, who are dedicated to their assignments, and their Savior.

The material we reviewed prior to interviews as our gospel study time together was the conference issue of the Ensign. I am impressed with how much our missionaries learn from general conference and how they apply it to their teaching and their lives. If they continue to do this after they go home, they will be strong, contributing church members throughout their lives.

On Saturday morning we had a set of elders come over and help us set up the Christmas tree and later in the afternoon we had a set of sisters come by and help decorate the tree. They were each here about an hour. We certainly could have managed with out them, but it was fun to interact with them and let them have a taste of the holidays too. Later in the day I went to the baptism of a wonderful family in Santa Clara, while Sister Macdonald continued her cooking for next week’s holiday treats.

This week we don’t have a lot to report on, so I will just say how grateful we are for all of our missionaries, those in the field and those who have gone home. So many of them make the effort to stay in touch with us after they go home. This week we have heard from several of them just saying hi, wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving, or sending their wedding announcements, etc. We are thankful that they continue to do good things and that they include us in their joy. We wish them all the very best.

We are also grateful for our family. They are so wonderful in the way they continue to support us spiritually and emotionally from home. We couldn’t do this without them. We love them.