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My most important message

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  Mission:  Accomplished September 28, 2022   Dear Family and Friends,   I am writing this on the plane as I fly home from my mission.  And because this will be my last letter to y’all, I wanted it to be my most important message   It has been such a privilege to serve so many of my brothers and sisters in North Carolina.  I say “brothers and sisters” because everyone on earth is a child of God.  God lives.  Jesus is his son--His perfect son who made it possible for us all to return to live with God; and not just to live with God, but to live like God.  The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and…when he shall appear, we shall be like him….”  (1 John 3:2)  God’s plan of salvation is a perfect plan because God loves us with a perfect love.   When Christ was on the earth he organized his church with “apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (Ephesians 2:20.)  After the death of Christ and his apostles, there was no priesthood author
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Perfect timing!

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  Missionaries and ESL students September 19, 2022  Dear Family and Friends,   This week hasn’t been as busy as previous weeks--mostly because my car broke down and I had to deal with that for a couple of days.  I feel so blessed that it broke down in my parking lot and not on some lonely road late at night.  I live alone.  I mostly travel alone.  I drive great distances, rural and urban (usually rural.)  I was in my own parking lot the evening my car decided to quit.  What a blessing!  God’s timing is always perfect!  Earlier in the day I had gone to a mission Zone Conference.  I’m glad my car quit after and not before the conference.  I wouldn’t have wanted to miss seeing my young friends with whom I serve and who are so full of the love of the Lord!    Anyway, after a couple days, my car was up and running and I was able to help with family history, teaching English, and teaching the gospel.  Yay!    However, after MUCH thought and prayer, I have decided that it is time fo
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Keep remembering

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  Serving at the temple September 12, 2022   Dear Family and Friends,     I’ve been helping more people with Family History lately.   This is probably my favorite activity for two reasons.   First because every person I encounter has mysteries to be solved.   It’s as hard to put down as a good book.   And second, because it doesn’t hurt my back. Yeah, I’m trying to serve more with my brain and less with my back. Hermanas Campbell, Omar and Villacres (on her birthday)   My next favorite activity is teaching the gospel with the sister missionaries.   Hermana Villacres and Hermana Campbell teach like angels!   Thursday, after delivering food to refugees (a sweaty, back-breaking activity) I was able to race home and change just in time to meet with these sweet sisters and teach our new friend Manuel about God’s plan of salvation.   It makes me so happy to tell people that God has provided a way for us all to return to live with him.   And on Friday I helped deliver gifts to
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Keep breathing

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My granddaughter brought me cupcakes     September 5, 2022   Dear Family and Friends,   This morning in our Come Follow Me discussion group, my friend Crystal in her opening prayer thanked God for the air we breathe.   It made me think of the song “My Country Tis of Thee” which says,     Let music swell the breeze And ring from all the trees, Sweet freedom’s song; Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake; Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong.   I thought of these words because of some of the people I have met.   Last Thursday in addition to taking food to refugees, I was able to give a ride to one small family from Guinea.   A woman and her daughters, fleeing a dangerous situation came here with the wrong type of visas and therefore, do not qualify for refugee services.   An organization I work with was able to pay for a few nights in a hotel. I drove them to the hotel.   I don’t know how long they can stay or how they will pr
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Thou [God] art there

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  Seen better days August 22, 2022   The weather is cooling off a bit.  But for some reason now the bugs are more noticeable.  Saturday when I was with the Elders there were these swarms of gnats that seemed to like nothing better than to hover around our faces.  We visited a few people on their porches.  The people didn’t seem to be bothered by the gnats--probably because they had bigger problems.  One lady asked us to pray for a heroin addicted family member.  Yep, gnats are small problems.  Their homes were humble (and the vehicles out front were an interesting assortment of contrasts.)   My other activities this week included teaching with the sister missionaries, teaching ESL, helping at the Women’s shelter, working at the bishop’s storehouse, and distributing food to refugees.     At one refugee home I visited with a man and his wife who gave me yummy crushed watermelon juice to drink.  He had questions about his electric bill. (Thank goodness for Google Translate.)  He told me h
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Pray twice!

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  A new chapel August 15, 2022     Dear Family & Friends,     We’ve been discussing the book of Psalms in our Come Follow Me discussion group.  It was probably the Israelite’s hymn book and although we don’t have the music, the words still inspire us.  I like the fact that Jesus quoted from Psalms more than any other book of scripture.  I like to think of Psalms as his “play-list.”  And when He quoted from Psalm 22 on the cross, the people had to have recognized the words!     Lunch and music And speaking of music, on Wednesday, the missionaries in my district and I met the same Christian missionaries (of another faith) who sang bluegrass gospel music for us at the same restaurant last year (when I was with a different group of young missionaries.)  I asked them to sing for us again and they happily obliged with a favorite:     I have never seen the face of my savior,   But serving him has been such a thrill.   I never have seen the gates to the city,   But one day, one day I will…
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