New Apartment, New Mission Leaders Seminar, June was busy.

Looking across Salt Lake Valley from the Natural History Museum where I got to spend part of a day with my sisters seeing the Color exhibit. It's really a nice museum and the exhibit very interesting. 

 Plenty of happenings in June:

We had an evening talk in the COB auditorium by Bro. DeGuilio who has been helping with world-wide digitizing of records for many years. A few notes - over 90,000 new accounts per week on FamilySearch (only about 500 are church members), recommends reading Dr. ? of Emory U -"The Stories That Bind Us" - knowing about ancestors helps children be more resilient. (https://charterforcompassion.org/the-stories-that-bind-us is another source)

Bro. DG got started in Italy when his company sent him there to help with HP LaserJet factory that only lasted a short time due to tax law changes but got him started on finding over 10,000 ancestors. At the time it cost $5,000 for a camera with 5 megapixels, digital was new a big deal. Now? at one point?  there are 44 camera crews in Italy. "Preservation Missionaries" began in 1894. They help with archives that are more or less less anything from high-tech to (literally) piles of garbage bags. Many have no resources to save these records and are grateful for help. FamilySearch can sign contracts with governments to digitize records because they are sponsored by but not part of church. He had a slide of giving a hard drive full of records to a city who had lost all their archive in a hurricane but they had been recorded so all but the last two years were on the drive. Currently 380 camera crews in 48 countries, 740 million new records per year. 

The mountain vaults hold as many records as 294 Libraries of Congress.

In China the current president is very focused on families, a Chinese birth record is not a slip of paper with baby and parent names, but a whole record of up to 3-4,000 years of families maybe 6,000 names. Libraries are big family gathering places, a place you go for an outing for fun. Chinese library had a room for FamilySearch. 

Africa is huge, as big as US plus Europe and India. He showed a video on Africa and interviewing to save information from oral genealogies. there are over 700 languages, over 1 million records done so far. One 95-yr old had 10 generations, over 700 names, the day after they finished all the interviews to record it and went back to thank him, he had passed away. Slide of how twice a day they all line up to pull in shrimp nets taken out by a little boat. Only 8% of slaves were in US, 45% Brasil.

Sunni court judge imam was loaned a camera and he and family are digitizing records they won't let others in to record.

Dubai Expo had display about Family Search, United Arab Emirates has many workers there who are joining church, Philippino and other "foreign workers" mostly. Miracle of honey - in UAE, it is custom to have a gift with invitations, for Expo they had some honey and when their expo presentation had no keynote speaker, a member of ruling family with ties to honey production got invitation he was impressed and came and gave keynote address. Got small piece of land (after Expo?) and built tall building with small footprint for church and offices, etc. and is right across the street from very large worker domicile. Recently had the first ever area devotional in Arabic land by Bednar. 

"Temples are nourished with names" (Nelson) 

Rome - told story of man who found huge gorgeous pearl, built a fancy box to store it and present it properly, but people looked at the box more than the pearl. in Rome the temple is the box - the covenants with God are the pearl.

We will really miss Sister Clifton and the Drassos! This is the 2nd floor West conference room where we usually go for company at lunch. Extra people this day to say good-by to those leaving. We also had a big group for a good-by dinner at Blue Iguana one Tuesday night - I think over 30! (photos below) Sister Bartell's big good-by was a temple session but we had covid at that point and had to pass. We possibly gave it to her anyway, since she tested positive the day she left.

Other notes:

Find Joy in Change

Woodstocks: (serve at Ensign College) Sis. W gets lists of students failing classes and contacts them, one was a 60-yr-old Mongolian lady with little English who wanted teachers to speak more slowly or to get transcripts of class (neither possible) - but she used every option for help available - tutors, peer mentors, success coaches, etc. and to Sis. W's surprise ended up getting  almost all A's.  DC 82:9, J Fielding S - blessed beyond fondest dreams

Mission devotional 6/13 - Boushley's experience in Training Zone prepared them for Prison Ministries, they expected to serve far away but were thankful to be here and able to help when his father had a stroke, now in church magazines. Learned that 94 or 96% of members would be covered with doing 5 languages but they do 88. Was inspired to do things a slightly different way and caught some problems in links. Another time thought links to footnotes missing? nope, in 7 languages the JST corrections weren't needed because their translations didn't have the mistake that needed correction. Said he had already prayed for and received witness that the incoming mission president was called by God. God never goes backwards in the work, it always moves forward.

Sister Miller - Joy is her favorite word, spoke of moments of joy in work, temple, when she hears Him. Story "when I can pray these stumps out of the ground I'll go to church"

Sis McKee card access and mission office - after just a few years of painting she felt strongly prompted to paint the Savior. Delayed by doing background for 5-6 months  - practiced learning to do people by drawing kids and grandkids- all along the way she had impressions like eyes more silver, hair darker, etc.

Sister Sorenson, surprised to get call during covid, week before MTC was hit by car and delayed a month, helped transcribe records of a Mission in 1800's. Heard Him in transcribing - prayed first, paused, read more, often it "came to her" what was written, the Spirit is even in the very small things, we need to write our own journals!

Elder and Sister W had to have fancy $1100 physical for New Zealand visa - sent directly to consulate, only 20 doctors in US to do it so NZ can deal with them directly and more easily

Zone devo - Linfords

Old Hymn "Hushed was the evening Hymn" also called Samuel, about Samuel hearing the Lord, let none of his words fall to the ground (see below if interested)

pioneer ancestor was white Russian, "fireman" (as in engineer who dealt with coal-powered machinery,) wife listened to tab choir since 1920's and said they spoke truth but never learned of or joined church, daughter did. 

Drassos were released as zone leaders (Headquarters Support Service Zone) JF Smith told of someone who came up and said this was the first time he'd enjoyed a discourse on the Word of Wisdom - "because this time I've kept it" - (new zone leaders are the Stevens)

Our temporary office - while they rebuilt the area behind our usual spot. It was different having an actual office, but kind of out of the way and we didn't have the same sense of what was going on. At least Sharon Walton got her favorite maintenance guy to reset the AC so it wasn't 80 degrees anymore. We are back to the usual spot now and make lots of jokes about how to best use the little "hallway to a window" they had to build so the two-small-into-one-big" office wouldn't be too big. Soda machine, couch, hammocks, ... Bro. McConkie wants it to be his mini-office so he will have a window back.

We have come to really appreciate the recent "goodbye" socials in the mission department even if we don't know everyone. There is always such a sweet spirit of gratitude and love and some inspirational stories. And food, yes, we do not ever forget yummy treats.

Elder Clayton (Weatherford)'s retirement/"emeritized" - felt Spirit - many spoke of his love, his slow and quiet speech, how he always ministers to the one -many examples of personal attention, Elder Nash read scripture "without guile", the previous person in his spot (who heads up medical for missionaries) was a cardiologist and Elder Clayton was ObGyn (they thought "what??") but he came and then covid hit, so the Lord knew they needed someone who could go without sleep!

BIG NEWS! one Thursday morning I had a phone and email msg to call the housing elder. They had a place in West Temple Apartments third floor for us to move to so they could rip out the Garden Apt. for renovating. We went over to look at it and it was fine so the next day we got keys and Saturday with Bethany's help we got everything all moved in one day. We have central air, a second bathroom, and our very own (very basic) washer and dryer! it's not a renovated one so the kitchen as pretty much the same as the other. But we also have carpet in the living area. We have a wall of window overlooking the lovely roof of the parking (covered parking!) and roofs of Garden apartments - and its Full West (as I keep hearing in the voice of Lady Catherine). I guess if we'd held out for an 8th floor one coming up in a few weeks we might have quite a view, at least if it happened to be on the south end which is unlikely. And of course it is all being renovated to so wallboard leaning in the halls, drilling going on nearby, etc. That didn't change :) Here's how close we are to the conference center now:

The brown building on the left is our new apartment bldg, West Temple Apartments. So our walk no longer includes going home through the hot parking lot past construction stuff on summer evenings :)

We (the whole Missionary Department) got a link to listen in on the New Mission Leaders Seminar and what parts we saw were wonderful - but almost everything I put in notes is also out in the Church News so no need to record maybe... It is one of the few occasions where the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are there and the new leaders get to have meals with them too. Having seen what huge a job it is to lead a mission when working in the office in Brasil, I was pleased to see all the support and helps they received at the seminar.

1 Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark,
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark;
When suddenly a Voice divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.

2 The old man, meek and mild,
The priest of Israel, slept;
His watch the temple-child,
The little Levite, kept;
And what from Eli's sense was sealed,
The Lord to Hannah's son revealed.

3 O give me Samuel's ear:
The open ear, O Lord,
Alive and quick to hear
Each whisper of Thy word!
Like him to answer at Thy call,
And to obey Thee first of all.

4 O give me Samuel's heart:
A lowly heart, that waits
Where in Thy house Thou art,
Or watches at Thy gates!
By day and night, a heart that still
Moves at the breathing of Thy will.

5 O give me Samuel's mind:
A sweet, unmurmuring faith,
Obedient and resigned
To Thee in life and death!
That I may read with childlike eyes
Truths that are hidden from the wise.

Amen.

Big Farewell Dinner for Drassos and Sister Clifton at the Blue Iguana.

I should name everyone because someday I'll have no clue...
Front right is Stevensons, the new zone leaders. They arrange zone devotionals, bring us the Liahona, help with organizing social groups, keep track of how everyone is doing and report to and work with the mission president. rear left is Neely's, new medical screeners for Senior missionaries that took over for Sister Clifton. End is Sister Eastman, does screenings for young missionaries. I believe back right is Nichols whose tour of Ensign College we missed due to Louisiana trip.

Sister McCullough front center, Lasts on left - he does medical screening for young and senior and his wife works in the Training Zone, Drassos to their left. On the right  Sister Clifton

Boushleys front and left, Sister Li on right - she is a Chinese cardiologist working to help the computer learn to read Chinese, Woodstocks next to her work at Ensign College and she has a beautiful singing voice and he plays piano for her. To our left is Susongs who are also senior medical and in our lunch group. Susongs have hosted the Tuesday group at the Brigham apartments for a movie night and arranged the tour of Cathedral of the Madeleine. She also broke her wrist recently and has been struggling to do her work typing left- and one-handed while her splint is holding ice to relieve pain. She is knwon for having worked out a much more efficient way to move through their screening process.