August Flies By - with Piano Guys

On the corner on West Temple and 200 North, now that we can't get in the front door we go by this. The  corner where our apartment building is was once the site of the beginning of what became University of Utah

I don't think I posted a picture of this house after they took out most of the trees around it. We feel the green wood addition is a bit unfortunate but I'm sure the space has been useful over the years. We walk past it at least twice a day.

One day when I was feeling like we didn't actually accomplish much that mattered, I realized that each of these papers represents a missionary we helped get back into the field, at least two mission's worth by now!  One of the employees is gone and we got her job added to ours, so now we are really busy all the time but we also get to see a bit more of the whole process as we coordinate the reinstatements of missionaries who went home early and are ready to return.

our view - "cover" of our covered parking, roofs of Garden Apt. where we used to be.

Our living/dining area, the dark opening on the left is to the kitchen-

The latest news is that the building will go keyless, with palm-readers on the apartment door! One more reason they are making lots of holes in the new drywall along with moving hallway lights from walls to ceiling. We use a fob for the parking and building entrances, (when they actually are closed...) The front entrance is still torn up and at work we are back to hearing jackhammers for hours at a time as they work on the area between the COB and the RS building. And upstairs they now have the big industrial printers so it sounds like a washing machine going.

My youngest brother Bill came out from Maryland to bring his son Sam to BYU. Lorraine joined a couple of days later to help them get his apartment all set. Carol arranged a gathering so we could visit, it was awesome.

I'm not sure why I find this process so interesting - maybe I should have stuck with my inclination to go into architecture :) They have been putting the stone facings on the walls and adding dirt and then digging trenches in the dirt for water lines (I think). Not sure what happened in one spot but they had to chip through the Styrofoam under the dirt too.

Our zone's Tuesday social group went to the musical in Centerville and Durk found that he liked it after all. He was sure didn't like this musical it because he remembered years ago not enjoying the videotape version but he agreed to come to be with the group - and he really did enjoy it. They do a very professional job, everyone can sing well - seems there is a lot of competition around here in the community theater arena and lots of talented people. Dinner beforehand at Olive Garden, ended up with 15 at dinner and 20 at the theater. It does make a late night for getting up to work the next day. Then we took half a day off two days later for our anniversary. We got Papa Murphy's and raspberry dark chocolate ice cream and watched Mr. Malcom's List with popcorn and Martinelli's. Saturday we went back to Centerville to the Walmart where we head every so often to get our little bottles of Martinelli's and they didn't have any! I'm not sure there was even a spot for it anymore. But we are no longer sad that the nearest Papa Murphy's closed, the one we go to now makes better pizza, follows "customization" better, and even has plant-based cheese as an option. 

We finally went to a live Music and the Spoken Word along with literally thousands of others, due to having The Piano Guys joining in. After the broadcast they recorded the Halleluiah chorus for a mash-up the Piano Guys are working on. It took a few takes plus they did one with just the orchestra. And when we were almost out of the auditorium, they said, oh, almost forgot, the pianist and organist have worked out a version of Waterfall they  will share now" which was really awesome. It's still a little distracting to have cameras and big long booms at everything but I suppose someday I wont even notice. You can still watch it, BYUTV is the easiest way but I'm sure it's on YouTube.

There was also a symphony concert at the Assembly hall Saturday night so it was a musical weekend.

some notes: 

the way we see others impacts the way they see and feel about themselves - don't put them "in the small chairs" (missionaries who were putting "greenies" in the little children's chairs for training)

Holland Jan 13, 2009 BYU devotional  “Remember Lot’s Wife”: Faith Is for the Future applies to any relationship, keeping an eternal view - above worldly influence Gen 19:17, Luke 17:32 (compare Laman and Lemuel) Phil 3:13-14 - too many fail to forgive and forget (including our own mistakes)

Pres. Holmes' mission goal: Edify, Unify, Simplify  (sounds like a good goal for many an organization)

Mission devotional:

get new scriptures for each new calling and read and make notes for what you can learn for calling-

Spent years helping in baptistry every week, diagnosed with osteomyelitis and found out that the best thing to do for it is submerge weekly in warm water!

Pres Jackson "what you do matters" (however trivial or clerical it may seem:)

Eyring: your children and grandchildren will be blessed by your service and deepening conversion-

Satan tries to take away our vision or create a lack of vision.

Holland: terrific time to be alive! Gospel of Christ is most joyful, most rewarding, our failsafe, this is the indestructible dispensation, will not see institutional apostasy.

Oct 72 Marvin J Ashton talk - 

Zone devotional, Elder Archibald  (Psalm 66:5, 16-17)- grandfather went on mission after married with three children! (during Korean war married men were restricted from draft so Elder Hinckley suggested sending young married men on missions - usually not those with children.) Stake 70's took care of his farm and sent $75 a month to missionary and to family for their upkeep. He built sets for Hill Cumorah Pageant, worked on the Joseph Smith Farm and sacred grove, said he had to work hard or his heart ached for his family. Baptized dozens in Trenton NJ, many of whom became temple presidents, patriarchs, etc.

Another mission devotional by the Church History Library Services Zone

They meet visitors and show them many original documents, a page from the original manuscript of the book of Mormon, one of the printer's copy, some from the Doctrine and Covenants, etc. Some work on transcribing, indexing history, research assignments such as Norwegian or Pioneer histories, some remove staples from documents for scanning.

Patriarchal Blessing services - over 2,500 requests per month, you can request blessings of deceased relatives in your direct line - if yours is not in the system you can send a copy to be added.

Even in the mundane the Lords hand is seen - such as having a question from a visitor where the answer is in the  just researched the day before.

Workers feel the power in the history behind the artifacts, visitors don't unless explained, having to learn the background, dates, etc. to explain visitors build the workers' testimonies.

Zone devo - John Brown (not the abolitionist) the most amazing pioneer you never heard of! https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/07/to-them-of-the-last-wagon?lang=eng

Probably duplication  - We really enjoyed getting to watch a couple of grandson Isaac's baseball games! and the second one we were blessed with overcast skies and a breeze.

Possibly more duplications, obviously taken in colder weather but showing the sort of views of the valley you get when up high.