May 9, 2010

• Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! You’ve been a wonderful example to all of us for 90 years.
• Elder Jaster has been busy grading roads, fixing equipment, unloading trucks, bringing back fence from Carthage to paint and extending the stage for ‘Sunset.’
• I’ve worked with the sisters at the Mission President’s home weeding to make it nice for his son’s wedding reception. We’ve also worked near the temple, at the Women’s Garden, the Visitor’s Center and at various homes and shops. We unloaded a semi truck full of flowers. Nauvoo will be beautiful in the next few weeks when the flowers are planted.
• We went to a symposium on ‘The Great Beyond.’ It was a panel of five ecclesiastical leaders from the community: St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, the Community of Christ Church, the Methodist Church, and the Lutheran Church. President Jack Hill and Elder Dean Hughs represented our church. President Hill bore his testimony at the end saying that the true gospel is on the earth today. Elder and Sister Hughs are with public affairs and are doing a wonderful job in spreading goodwill among the local churches and communities.
• Elder Jaster is excited about his new part in Sunset. He is the official ‘Pig Squeeler’ when all the men sing Grandma’s Feather Bed.
• We recently got 80 new temple missionaries and 25 new site missionaries.
• I have gained a love and respect for the Prophet Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith. She was the mother of 11 children and watched 6 of her immediate family and one grandson die as a result of mob violence. She died just before age 81 with her faith and testimony of Jesus Christ.
• Elder Jaster has been called as District Leader for the Heber C. Kimball District. We have 4 couples in our district. It’s kind of like being home teachers to each other.
• Our neighbor calls herself a ‘People Collector’ because she loves people. I think that’s a perfect name for Elder Jaster. Just the other night he saw the Wilson's from Santa Clara, Utah passing our apartment and invited them in for root beer floats. It turned out that they play the accordion and mandolin. They have come over on several occasions now to ‘jam’ with us.
• President Obama was recently in Ft. Madison visiting the Siemens’ Wind Turbine Blade Plant in Iowa. From the plant you can look across the river and see the temple. I hope he took note of it. He also visited Quincy. We often shop in both places.
• Elder Jaster loves to tell the sisters his story about Chief Johnson. At our practices it’s fun to see them all sitting spellbound waiting to see what happens next. He usually gives them the next episode at each practice.
• This is a picture of ‘Snake Alley’ where we visited on our preparation day. Snake Alley battles San Francisco's Lombard Street for the title of "World's Crookedest Street." …Snake Alley is still paved with cobblestones, with an old timey entrance sign and replica Victorian lamposts.
• Attending church is a sacred experience. The reverence in the chapel is something I have never experienced before in a Sacrament Meeting. However, it would be a welcome sound to hear the cry of a baby or the sweet sound of a young child. On special occasions when families visit we have that rare treat.

Joy Obedience You

Mortality without soap is like eternity without the Atonement.