Tuesday to Tuesday (July 29-Aug. 4)

I’m starting this writing early. It is so hard to hold Elder Lenhard back with the pictures so we can place the pictures with the text. So I proceed, but before I do I want to go back to last week and give a shout-out to Kyler who turned a big whopping two. If you have seen any pictures of her lately, you will know that there is no way that girl is two. She is really a small person in disguise. She is a little Finley which means she is a little Katie. How I would love to hold that little girl. She looks so happy in every picture, laughing with all her might. We love it.

Tuesday the 29^th: We had a District meeting at 1:00, with just enough time in the morning to run to Costco. The store is 20-30 minutes away. How we love that store, although now that I’m more aware than ever of its liberal tendencies, I hate every penny I spend there.  Hahaha  There are so many goodies to find there that I could look and look. Thank goodness we don’t buy all that we find. Silly, I know, but there you have it. Come on, confess! You know you love Costco’s nonsense. I am going to Sam’s more than ever since it is closer.

Anyway, back to my commentary. I bought a cream cheese cake to celebrate my birthday as well as Elder Lenhard’s and an Elder who is leaving to go home at the end of this month. He is a good Elder, and I believe he is worrying too much about going home. He wants to go, but lots of changes have happened while he has been out. It will not be the same when he gets back to Arizona.

We had our meeting and felt a really sweet spirit while there. I’m constantly amazed at the young missionaries and their leadership in the Church. Our lesson was on recognizing the concerns of the investigator. If we read the Book of Mormon, we will find the truth. We never have to apologize for our testimony of the Book.

After the meeting, we went home for a little while and then at 6 we went to Denise’s to read the scriptures. She has come so far. She had an eyebrow piercing and a tongue piercing. She asked the missionaries earlier in the week what the Church believed about tattoos and piercings. The Elder who is leaving soon told her, if you have tattoos, don’t get anymore. Piercings – take them out. She then proceeded to remove the piercings. When we saw her that evening, she looked like a much younger girl than she had with the piercings. She giggled like a little one and was so proud that she had done what the Lord asks of her. If she hadn’t asked, no one would have said anything, but she wanted to know.

Wednesday (30^th) – Elder Lenhard had to go to the doctor’s to get his second hepatitis shot. It is interesting how every doctor appears to have a different interpretation of these shots. When we got the first one before going into the MTC, Elder Lenhard got a combination hepA/hepB shot. We were told he could have another one by June. When we were in the MTC, he was scheduled to get another one (earlier than we had been told before), but the schedule was messed up and we were told he could just wait until the summer. The doctor here told us that they did not have the combination shot, and Elder Lenhard could have one but not the other. She indicated we were late with the second shot (B) – it should have been done two months after the first one. However, she consented to give the second one. He can have the next shot in a couple of months. I have an appointment with them on the 28^th to get my last HepA shot. I’ve had the B series a long time ago.

After we left the doctor’s office, it was back to the apartment to get some things done. We had to organize the materials for the Sikh 5k run that is run by the Interfaith Council that was organized after six Sikh were murdered while they were in their Temple here in Milwaukee. The Council works to bring better understanding among the different groups – not just religious groups but atheists and others. We have been asked by President Cutler to work at this activity to meet people and make friends – our talent. We were excited about the assignment. We began to get materials together by going to the genealogy library to gather pages they had to help us present our Family History program. It was an opportunity to also have materials on hand about the Church.

I remembered that I had a form that I had forgotten to take to the doctor to check one box and sign his name to show that Elder Lenhard’s diabetes is under control and not in danger of affecting his driving. We have to fill out this form every year for the driver’s bureau in Utah. The office never indicated I’d have to wait forever. I called that afternoon, not done.  I would have to take it back to them in the morning.

For the end of the day, we worked with the new head of the Pathway program in making plans for the Pathway program, checking our enrollment figures, and discussing our options. There may be a need for an ESL component, but we are not sure. We have 11 people signed up now. We need 15.

On Thursday, we took the medical form to the doctor’s office and told them we would check back later.  We headed to Kenosha, a 45 minute drive south of Milwaukee.  It was a beautiful drive. We had to teach a senior couple who are assigned to a Spanish Branch as Family History Consultants. We had an appointment and were there by 9:00. They told us they only had one hour to meet. Not knowing what they could do, we got started and found out they do not have a clue how to use Family Search nor do they know about Ancestry.com. I’m not sure the Brother has much experience with a computer. It was slow going. His wife was a little better.

After we left Kenosha for our travel home, we decided we would return on Sunday because we had made no headway in setting an appointment to come and discuss the Pathway program with the Kenosha Ward. I’d called and called the Bishop but got no response. Then I texted and emailed, but no luck. Elder Lenhard emailed a counselor, but we were in Colorado when he responded and we missed a chance to talk with him.

The Kenosha Ward Building

With that in mind, we stopped at a place called Apple Holler. They make the best eclairs (Long Johns) ever. We had lunch there, but we were not as pleased with our lunch salads as we had been before with the breakfast buffet we had gotten the last time we went to the Temple. However, we enjoyed walking around and seeing the goats. Last time they were walking across a bridge above the area. I wish we had gotten a picture of it for the kids, and maybe we will eventually. This time they were just sitting on the ground. Ugh! I wonder why they wouldn’t perform when we wanted it.

ONE OF THE DINING ROOMS AT APPLE HOLLER

I called the doctor’s office about the form.  It was not ready.

Friday (Aug. 1) – Does anyone else find it unbelievable that it is August? Where in the world is the time going?  We went to the home of the head librarian for the Family History library. She is a wonderful lady! She had made many copies for the display we were using on Sat. for the 5k run. Their family is quite wealthy. One conversation between the wife and a friend went like this, “My husband spent the weekend buying another farm. I told him that I want to trade in our pontoon boat and buy a bigger boat. He told me ‘No.’” I wanted to close my mouth as she spoke so casually about buying another farm and her wanting a boat. When we went to their house (we have been there before), we got all our forms. No one would ever know that they had money. Their home is very simple, and it is an older home. They bought it because someone had added a garage for 4-5 cars; plus, there were several other buildings he could use for storage. They collect antiques and a little of everything else. It is fascinating just looking around. They have six boats on top of everything else. They are down to earth and very willing to help you without making you feel like you are an irritant. My kind of people.

I called the doctor’s office about the form. I asked if it could be done by end of the day and they said they would try. I call that afternoon – guess what – the doctor doesn’t work in the afternoon.  I ask how long we should give the doctor to do something like this, and I‘m told 24-48 hours. I tell them I’ll call Monday morning when it will then be 48 hours.

SIKH 5K MEMORIAL RUN AND INTERFAITH COUNCIL

Saturday (2^nd) – We head out to the 5k MEMORIAL RUN around 7:00AM. We wanted to be there early and weren’t sure of where we were going. Did I mention that I got a new GPS (which Elder Lenhard hates as much as the old one)? It does appear to be sending us in all kinds of places. It is odd how most of the places are scenic. I love it because I don’t want to leave here without seeing everything I can. Elder Lenhard does not agree with the scenic routes. I have to keep reminding him to appreciate the sites around us.

The activity was fun. We had so few ask or talk to us about Family History, but we made some new friends. We had two Elders and two Sisters with us.

PHOTOS OF MARTYRED SIKHS KILLED IN OAK CREEK WISCONSIN

BEAUTIFUL FIELD FOR 5K RUN
SISTER LENHARD DISCUSSES
DOWNSIDE OF GUN CONTROL WITH PROPONENT

RELATIVES OF MARTYRED SIKH MEMBERS

CHURCH AND FAMILYSEARCH.ORG DISPLAY

President Cutler did not want us to be there to preach the Gospel, he wanted us to make friends. Our part in the booth had us sitting next to a Muslim lawyer on the left and the Buddhist group on the right. The CHRISTIAN COPTIC CHURCH (Egyptians) were catty-corner to us. There was a group there that sponsored runs to raise money to help fight hunger. The interfaith group has meetings and dinners where they share their views in a nonthreatening atmosphere. No one is allowed to attack anyone else for their beliefs. I have to say that those we met and talked with were very nice people. We took the time listening to them and getting to know about their activities. We hope to be involved with the group again.  After the run was over, we were served food prepared by the Sikhs. There was a dessert that looked like a golden pretzel that went round and round. It was made with chickpeas and dipped in honey and tasted so good. Elder Lenhard also ate beans and rice.

Following the activity, we decided to visit Holy Hill Catholic Basilica. You can see the pictures here. It was wonderful. So peaceful with lots of visitors. We walked to the top. Really narrow stairs and scary walk up, up, up. Lots of cut outs for windows, but no windows are present. Beautiful scenery outside, it was unbelieveable. We loved it. Elder Lenhard got to talk with the Monk there at length about their beliefs- especially about their veneration of the Virgin Mary. It was built for Decalced Carmellites. Evidently, they were barefoot Monks. We had been told by many people around Milwaukee that we should go see it.  We love driving through the country here. When we left, I got a couple of pictures of a doe and her two fawns. It was perfect, of course, I was looking for a bear! Haha  When we told others that we had gone, we were told to come back in September when the trees are changing colors. We can’t wait.

LINK: VIRTUAL TOUR OF HOLY HILL

HOLY HILL SOUTH STEEPLE

DIFFERENT WINDOW

OPEN STAIRWELL TO THE TOP.
VERY STEEP!

MAIN CHAPEL

ANOTHER VIEW

THEIR SHRINE TO THE VIRGIN MARY
THE MOTHER OF GOD

Sunday (3^rd) – We took off to Kenosha and arrived just in time. There must have been 250 people there, and they told us this was a low attendance. They have 600 members, and usually have many more who attend each Sunday.  The testimonies were just what we needed. Afterwards, we grabbed a Counselor and asked if we could make arrangements to come and make a presentation about the Pathway program.  He asked if we wanted to do it then (Elder Lenhard in Priesthood and me in Relief Society). Then we went to Sunday School, and I want you to know I’ve never set through a Sunday School class that was so mesmerizing. The teacher was fabulous. I was talking to a Sister later about it, and she said the teacher had been working there for a long time. He expects everyone to study for the class. We just kept thinking that if we hide enough he won’t ask us anything. We didn’t have to worry because everyone was volunteering very intelligent answers. The lesson was on Elijah and Elias. If you haven’t studied the scriptures about these prophets, you should do so. I walked away with this thought. If we are prepared, we need not fear. Elder Lenhard and I wanted to hide because we didn’t want to be questioned and show that we didn’t know the lesson. If we had prepared, we would have felt confident in facing that Sunday School teacher. It is the same with the Lord. If we have spent our lives preparing to meet our Father, we will be confident in facing Him at the end.

As if that wasn’t be enough of a spiritual uplift, the Relief Society lesson was on Elder Bednar’s 2005 General Conference talk on “Tender Mercies.” How often have we been the recipient of Father’s tenderness to us when we are watched over, protected, listened to, and guided to do what we need to do in this life? I know I have been guilty of taking it for granted when things happen that I cannot explain and yet my life has been changed for the better because of it. I am much more aware of the need to stop and listen to the answers to our prayers. It is easy to ask, but it is much harder to listen for the answers. One morning we had gotten up and needed to be somewhere at a scheduled time. As we were making efforts to leave, Elder Lenhard couldn’t find the car keys and I couldn’t find a paper that I had in my hands just minutes before. We had already had morning prayer, but we were impressed to get on our knees again and pray for help in finding the things we needed. As we stood up, each of us moved to the place we had been prompted to search and the items were found. Such a simple thing, yet it was necessary for us to fulfill our mission for that day. When you get older like us, you tend to forget more things, and believe me when I say it is very frustrating. It is a great relief to know that Father is watching over us and wants to help if we but ask. Now, I know this is such a simple example of what He does for us. There are obviously much greater problems that we could face, and many people do face extremely great problems in their lives. Men are that they might have joy. Father’s plan is that we will come to this earth and find joy in learning all that we must learn to return to Him. He never told us that this meant we would not be challenged, because it is through our challenges that we learn. He never told us it would be easy, because learning correct principles can be very hard. But we have been told that if we will be obedient we will find joy, not to be confused with silly, funny, laughout loud fun, but joy which is the peace that comes with the presence of the Holy Ghost. When we feel that joy, our whole being swells with an explicable feeling of completeness. Our awareness is heightened, and we see beyond our earthly sight to the possibilities that await us after this life. Tender mercies are granted to us when we seek them. If you haven’t read Elder Bednar’s talk since 2006, look it up on your digital device and read it again. It will help you find gratitude in your heart today.

Monday (4^th) - I called the doctors today and was told I could talk to the nurse. They transferred me to an answering machine. I explain nicely that we really need that form. It has been 48 hours, and it is important that we get it. The nurse calls back and won’t talk to me. She tells Elder Lenhard that it is always 72 hours before we should get a paper like this back, but the paper is ready. I have to keep remembering that I am on a Mission for the Lord. I must not get angry over the stuff that just frustrates me. I’m trying to remember that saying that everyone used a few years ago, “What would Jesus do?” He certainly wouldn’t get angry over silly nonsense. So I have this (among many other things) to work on.

After we picked up the form, we took off for the Third Ward downtown. It is a part of town built by the Italians. At one point, most of this part of the city was burned to the ground. They rebuilt it. Now it is an area of eclectic shops including furniture and clothing. There was a shop named Recique, Recique, Recique. It sounded upscale. We went in and found it to be a Goodwill store. I found a pair of shoes for $10.  But guess what? It was a half-price sale today. It was only $5. YEAH. They were just flats and look great. I guess Goodwill is worth looking into every now and then.

We ate lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market. It was a huge place that had many little food markets inside. The candy counters were in the center. Believe me, I looked at them longingly for quite a while, but I withstood the temptation.

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET

LINK: JOAN OF ARC CHAPEL - MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY

It was still early in the day so we went to the Marquette University campus to find the Joan of Arc Chapel that had been brought there 50 or so years ago. It really isn’t her Chapel, but it was built in rural France around the time she lived. During WWI, it was almost destroyed and then left to ruin for many years. There was a very wealthy woman in New York who traveled the world and while in France, she found the ruins. Her father was the money source, and she was the apple of his eye because she wanted the Chapel, and it was brought to New York. She was building a house that looked like a bastille, and she attached the Chapel to the bastille.  I believe she was going to get married and a couple of months before the wedding and their moving into the house fire destroyed everything but the Chapel.

MAIN ENTRANCE

We walked in and set down at the front of the Chapel. A little lady who was bent over (she later told us she was 92) came out and asked if we wanted a tour. What a fabulous woman! She told us about everything in the Chapel. I couldn’t even begin to repeat what she said, but she gave us a booklet that I will read and tell you more about at another time. Just about everything in the Chapel is from the 12^th to the 18^th centuries. Each piece has a story. Not all of the pieces were a part of the original Chapel, but most, again, are several hundreds of years old. This place is fascinating.  She showed us a door frame where the doors had actually been raised about 12+ inches to accommodate the height of modern man. Girls, all those romantic novels we read about tall aristocratic men in the old world is a lie. They were short. The original door frames were shorter than me.  Anyway, listening to this woman made me realize why I originally wanted to teach history. Too bad I had a terrible history professor (who was also my advisor) the first year of college.

As we talked, the woman who was showing us around (Nelda was her name) confided to us that she is the only non-Catholic who has been allowed to work in the Chapel. She also told us she has worked on her family history and has gone back far enough to find out one of her grandfathers was the man who sentenced Joan of Arc to death!  Nelda was so sweet and couldn’t have been more helpful. She has no one to pass her family history to, her husband must be dead, and it didn’t sound like she had children. She has never put her work online, but she has worked in one of our libraries. I told her if she needed help putting it in Family Search that I would be glad to help her. We are going to take the Sister Missionaries down there next week to see the Chapel and talk with her again.

NELDA WOMACK
FIRST EVER
7TH DAY ADVENTIST DOCENT
AT THE JOAN OF ARC CHAPEL
ON MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY

Its late, and I’m getting this writing done early since my last was so late. We love you all. Take care and let us hear from you.  Got to go to bed.

I HOPE TO MEET HIM SOON!

Tuesday to Tuesday (July 16-29)

Wow, a lot has happened in the past two weeks. I really meant to write while at Mallory’s in Colorado, but my computer would not connect to their wifi. It was so aggravating. By the time we got it to work, it was the end of the week, and we had to come home, so I didn’t get anything done.

SEVERAL MIRACLES OCCURRED IN COLORADO.
HERE'S JUST ONE OF MANY.

Our meal with the missionaries on Tuesday (16^th) went much better than I expected. Of course, the pizza was cold, the broccoli/raisin salad was not what turned their boat, and the dessert of cake was fabulous. Other than that, it was alright. Hahahaha  As usual, I’ve learned that missionaries will eat whatever they are offered.

On Wednesday (16^th), we went to the gym that morning and then we were caught up in transfers. We went to the building where the transfers were and left soon after arriving. We realized that we really didn’t need to stay. It was sad to see one of ours leave for a new area. Talking to some who were going home was fun. You can see the fear of what they will be facing when they got back home; yet, there is much excitement as they realize they made it.

It was later in the day that we attended a meeting with Denise who is getting ready to be baptized. When we attend a meeting with her, it takes a long time. She has so many questions, and she likes to feed us. We had some great meatloaf. I remember how I would make meatloaf when you kids were young, and you hated it. I tried to make it the same way mom made it, meaning I put everything in it I could think of to make it go further. Consequently, no one liked it. Denise knew how to make good meatloaf. I think I will try again but use her recipe.

Thursday, I had to take a young Sister to the doctors, which meant that there was nothing I could do until I had taken her where she needed to be. We spent the morning making some plans and trying to get some things organized. Then I took the Sister and waited for her to get finished. I lost my way back and drove all over town (or so it seemed) before getting back to the apartment.  

It was later that evening when we went to the Pathway program. It was their last class of the semester. We are in the recruiting period for this fall. We have to have 15 students in all. We now have 10 and have several who have not yet signed up, but they plan to do so.

All was going according to plan when at 3-4 o’clock on Friday morning Mallory called and said she was in labor.  No, no, you can’t be in labor. I have things we have to do.  She assured me this wasn’t a trick, she was admitted to the hospital. I told her I would be there. I then laid in the bed trying to think of all the things I needed to do before I could leave. I think I was hoping that she’d call back and say it was not real. Finally, I got up and got to moving. It was about 6:00 by the time I got cleaned up and was ready to call the airlines. They were able to get me on a plane and out to Kansas City and then on to Colorado. I was able to get a rental car for one night (and a GPS to go with it) and off to the hospital I went. I had already found out that our little girl was in the world and that Mallory had broadcast her name over the internet without letting me know first. I was really put out (hahaha). By the time I got to the hospital, Parker Brynn was under the lights to get warm.

PARKER BRYNN IVEY

Without a doubt, she is the smallest baby we have had come into our family. I don’t really think I’ve seen a baby this small. We have some other friends in Alabama whose baby was born a few months ago. He came prematurely and weighed between 1 and 2 pounds. I’ve seen pictures of the baby on facebook, and the mother gave a running story about the babies progress. Here he is four months later and today he was sent to the Scottish Rite Hospital. His little lungs still aren’t quite ready to breathe on their own.

I won’t go into great detail for the next week. Brad’s sister, Shannon, brought little Cohen up to the hospital later in the day to see his baby sister. When he saw me, he was shy and was a little hesitant at getting to know me.

BRAD ANNOUNCES THAT HE WANTS 10 MORE  CHILDREN!
WAIT! IS THAT COHEN OR BENTLEY?

He wasn’t very impressed with Parker, kept calling her Baby Parker, but he wanted little to do with her in the beginning. However, if he could find a button to push, he pushed it. He loved to call the nurse’s desk. Later, we moved Cohen’s chair from Shannon’s car into mine and we went home. Shannon stayed long enough to pack up her stuff and go home. Bless her heart, she had her three children with her, and they had been there all day, and I mean, all day. It was 10:00 before they started home, a 45 minute drive. She was so sweet to come and help out. Cohen was exhausted, and he went to bed quickly. He is really a sweet baby, and he and I got to know each other again.

"FORGET IT! 
IT CAN'T EVEN WALK YET."

COHEN SAYS: TRADE HER FOR A TESLA.

PRETTY CUTE!

Mallory didn’t come home until Sunday. The hospital was really nice, clean, and newer looking. Every one that I met was so good to Mallory and our precious baby.  As they got home after 1:00 that afternoon, they were ready to settle in and begin life as a family. The rest of the week was a blur. On Sunday, Elder Lenhard was able to come.

ELDER LENHARD NOTICES
all of
COLORADO WAS SMOKING STUFF.

He had stayed in Milwaukee because on Friday there was a Senior Missionary Training Meeting that one of us needed to attend. We had planned a Temple Prep class that morning and cancelled it until later. On Sunday, he had to go to the ELKHORN WARD to present a Pathway program for recruitment.  

Finally, on Monday Elder Lenhard had a doctor’s appointment that he couldn’t miss since he had to get some blood work done in order to prove to the Utah license bureau that he was capable of driving. Utah has weird driving requirements -  you need blood to drive in Utah.

Brad had taken the entire week off for maternity leave so he picked Elder Lenhard up from the airport. Unfortunately, from the time he arrived in Colorado, he had a headache most of the time. We think it was due to the elevation. He was so cute with Parker. We felt it was a privilege to be there for our 18^th grandchild. We now have 8 girls and 10 boys.

Cohen asks: "Is that me on tv?"
Brad is so tired he asks: "Who is Brad?"

On Thursday, we celebrated Elder Lenhard’s birthday. Mallory and I fixed fresh crab legs for her and myself; Brad fixed steak for the men. The meal was delightful. We loved it. I think I can fix the crab by myself now. [CRAB? IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ELDER LENHARD?]

Friday night we flew out together to come back to our work in the mission. It was time for us to leave. We hated to leave family again, but we know the Lord has something for us to do, and we needed to get back to it. It was 11:00+ by the time we got to our apartment. This airport is really nice and much bigger than we imagined.  When we had to wake up the next morning, it was hard to get out of the bed. However, the day was full.

First, we took a brother to the grocery to buy groceries for him. He had a stroke a month ago, and he is doing so much better. He is a proud man, and he hates to take help. But his gait was more like normal, and his speech was greatly improved. We could understand him which was an improvement.

We left there and headed to the Chapel for the baptism of Denise Karr, an investigator we have helped teach!!!!!

Elders Ward and Santos, Denise, Elders Ellsworth and Cutshaw

Sister Lenhard and Denise!

Elder Lenhard appears startled about Elder Ward's mood swings!
(Maybe he just realized that wasn't Elder Lee beside him.)
Elder Santos is just happy!

Denise had taken the challenged and found the Gospel was true. What a remarkable young woman. She was able to get her baby to come to the Church for the baptism, and several friends came. She was embarrassed by the white jump suit people wear for a baptism. It is the only thing we have found that doesn’t flair up when they go under the water. This is the first baptism we have had a part in. I ended up keeping her baby in the nursery most of the time. I brought him in to watch his mom be baptized and then took him back to the nursery. Lots of pictures were taken, and there were lots of people there to celebrate with her. At least one other sister was there who will be baptized sometime in August. What a blessing!

After the baptism (which was over around 12:00), we got in the car and drove across town to open the genealogy library at the Brookfield building. No one came in for the first two hours. The library coordinator came in to check on us. While she was there, an older gentleman came in and together we found the graves of his father and grandfather. He didn’t think we would be able to find something. He was so sweet.

Finally, we ended the day by working at German Fest. This genealogy activity was sponsored by the Milwaukee Genealogy Society. We had so much fun. Most of the people carried around a huge tankard of beer. Who can drink that much? People were dancing the polka and having a great time. Those who came into our genealogy booth were really nice, and so many had a desire to learn about their families.

Elder Lenhard manned a poster area that discussed the life of a Mr. Weiss who started German Fest. He passed away on July 10. When people came to this tent where we were located, they were given a  stamp book. As they looked at an exhibit, they got a stamp. If they got all the stamps they needed, they got a prize.  Elder Lenhard would make them work for the stamps by giving them a quiz. He would point to pictures in the display and ask silly questions that they couldn’t possibly miss. Then he told them they had passed, and they got the stamp. Everyone loved it and thought he was so funny. The purpose of the activity was to remind folks that EVERYONE HAS A STORY!!!!

German fest Display

We left the festival at 10:00PM  and aren’t sure how we got home because we were so tired.

On Sunday, we went to pick up Denise and then to the foster home to pick up her baby.  Denise was confirmed a member of the Church, and I taught a last minute lesson in Gospel Principles on chastity. Afterwards, there was a linger/longer for members who were moving out of the Branch. They will be missed.

One of Denise’s friends and a son had come to Church today. She let Denise know that she had her own Church and was not coming again. Anyway, because our car is so little, we had to take them home in separate trips. It took a while, but we got home at 3:00 PM.

We were going  back to German Fest again since there weren’t many workers on tap for Sunday.  After we got started, the sky looked nasty. It began to rain, and we were thinking we would be called and told not to come, but come we did. We worked another 4 hours that night and had so much fun. I showed one woman how to find her grandfather and great grandfather using FamilySearch. When we found them, she cried. It was so touching. This work is truly the work of the Lord. We had several instances that were as touching. It was a good Sabbath.  Again, we got home late, and we were exhausted.

On the way home, President Cutler called us to give us three more assignments. This next Saturday, the Sikhs hold an interfaith 5K run to promote interfaith unity. We have a member of the Church who is on the Interfaith Council in the area, and President Cutler would like us to help man a table at the run to hand out literature about the Church and about family history. We are excited.

Preview picture of a stilt-walker wearing an Ecuadoran
mask at today's SIKH festival. (wait until the next post for an explanation!)

We will also be contacting all the new members for this year and working with them to begin their family history and find someone in their family for whom they can do the Temple work. We want to get them to the Temple as soon as possible.

Finally, we will be working with a new missionary couple on family history. They have been set apart as family history consultants, but they do not know much about how to do it.

Elder and Sister Linsley
(PICTURE FROM THE MISSION BLOG.)

On Monday, we got up and planned on going to Costco, but never got there. We went to the gym, then to the Mission Office to pick up some packages, waited for the Sister missionaries to get their groceries to take them home, and finally, as a celebration of both our birthdays, we went to a German restaurant.

(SEE THE PICTURES IN THE PREVIOUS POST BELOW!)

It looked just like what I think it might have looked like a hundred years ago. It was really nice. Stained glass windows, dark wood, hunting murals on the walls. The food was delicious. Elder Lenhard got goulash (thick pieces of the most tender beef with noodles) and I had the most wonderful scallops I’ve had in I don’t know how long. The bread was fabulous, the cherry strudel I had and the rubarb pie Elder Lenhard had was wonderful.  Yum, yum, I’m hungry just thinking of it.  It was very nice. If we must grow old, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with than my mate. (Sweet!)

Here it is Tuesday again. I can hardly believe it is almost August. My birthday. This is the youngest 63 I’ll ever be. It has been a great day. I’ve heard from all my kids. What more could I ask? I had lots of birthday wishes from Facebook friends. Again, it is so nice to be thought of on this day. We had District meeting today, and it was about “Resolving Concerns.” It all comes back to the Book of Mormon. If they read the Book of Mormon and pray about it with real intent, they will know if it is true. If it is true, then the Gospel is true and Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord. It’s that simple. We are blessed to have the Book of Mormon as a second witness of Jesus Christ. I truly have a witness that it is true.

A new week has begun so I will stop here. Sorry it is so long, but I want to be able to remember this time. We have been so blessed. We have a new granddaughter. Both Dan and Brad got new jobs. Dan became an Assistant Principal and Brad started a new position where he was working.

We are feeling cool weather right now, I mean it was in the 40s the other night at the German Fest. Hope this is not a sign of what is to come, but if it is cold, we will find ways to continue the work.

This is a great place to work for the Lord. I cannot believe how this place has such a history.  Love it.

Come visit and share with us.