big changes on Temple Squar

Tuesday, the Missionary Department had a meeting with all of the senior missionaries. They are going to reduce the number of the seniors from thirty four to fourteen including the Mission Presidency. We now have only four to five couples that will working on each shift, and we have to cover the West Gate, Tabernacle, North and South Visitor Centers, Beehive House, Assembly Hall, Legacy Theater, Welfare Square, Humanitarian Center and Park City. Yesterday was the worst example, there are twenty four new Sisters that arrived Wednesday so they were in a training session with their companions, very little or no sisters on the square. Elder and Sister Palmer did not come so we had only three couples to cover all of the locations, as a result most of the sites were empty?!!. The guests were wandering around entering the buildings with no one there. It was a real mess. This is the Lord's work and somehow it will will work out.

We are going to give our farewell address Sunday and will be going home on the twenty fifth of November. It is a very emotional time for us but we have not have much time to brood over it with all that now needs to be done. Sister Glad has a great reputation with all of the Missionaries for her ability to get people to refer. She has been one of the most successful missionaries here. She has not a great knowledge of the Scripture or a wonderful speaker but She is humble and has the lords spirit with her. She is not afraid of asking guests if they want to learn more about the Gospel. We are preparing our talks but it is impossible to say all that we feel about the last many months in the six minutes we have to talk.

last days

Our last Transfer starts Wednesday. We have been asked to speak in the mission Sacrament Meeting this Sunday. The speakers are always departing missionaries so it is like our farewell talks. We will also be teaching the Relief Society and Priesthood meetings Sunday also a once a time event. We are doing our best to keep our mission foremost in our mind and are really sad to see it coming to a close in six weeks.

Cody ran in the region cross country meet Monday. We were able to go the meet. He won the event by blowing out the closest completer. He was fifteen seconds faster than second place, a lead of more than one hundred yards. Clay over hear the coach of Brighton telling his team that they could beat that kid from Kearns that he was only a junior and it could be done if they only tried hard enough. So it is on to State for Cody. He is really dedicated and gets up every morning at 4:30 to run 5-6 miles.

Tara is looking really pregnant and doing good. She is over the nausea and is eating good. Bruce is doing good in School. He had almost a 4.o GPA last Semester got a, A- in one class. He will be done this summer.

The weather is cold but our spirits are high. Life is good for our old folks.

Conference Week End

Busy, busy, busy it must be General Conference week end. The anti Mormons were out in force. They had made camp across the street from the Conference Center. It was rainy and cold so they looked like wet kittens. A large group of young people were standing next to them singing Hymns drowning them out, neat.

The Mission was very busy getting potentials from members, (identify family or friends who can receive the missionary lessons) . The Sisters got more than 2,400 names for missionaries to visit. They were on the Square from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The Mission had a special meeting Sunday evening in the Tabernacle to wrap up the efforts that were made for conference. The Sisters were allowed to sleep until 9:00 AM on Monday morning and had a special pizza dinner Monday evening.

Saturday was our "P' day so we were able to stay home and watch the conference with our family. The Men then went to Priesthood, Todd, Bruce, Ben, and Stuart. Clay and family was out of town for a short vacation at Zion Park. Marty and Andy went downtown to see the meeting there. Then Ice cream

Great weekend

did you invite?

We were on the Square Sunday afternoon when we noticed a elderly lady who was sitting by her self. We sat down with her and started a conversation. She was from Sacramento and was here to visit her sister who is on a Church History Mission. We had a nice conversation about how wonderful the mission has been for her sister and how her sister working on getting the temple work done for the family. She loves having the missionaries come to her house and visit the Camel Ranch that she takes care of. Then she said that she was not a member of the Church. We asked why she had not taken the missionary lessons? "Why no one has asked me." We had her fill out a card for the missionaries to come and give her the lessons. She was very happy and gave us both a big hug. She wrote on the Referral Card that elder and sister Glad invited me.

It is strange that some times it is hardest to ask our closest friends to learn about the church. We feel that the invitation may some how damage our relationship. When in reality we show love by sharing those things that mean the most to us.

The weather is to turn cold rainy with some snow this week, temperatures dropping some 35 degrees on Wednesday. Some of the Sisters have never been in a cold climate or have experienced snow. Should be very interesting.

Mom and Melody went to Woman's Conference Saturday night at temple square, all of the Missionary Sisters also attended so we senior elders had to take care of everything for the night. It was fun. The Square survived.

another week

Sunday Schedule. Got up at 5:45 AM, needed to get to Church a little early as the Senior Missionaries were singing the closing song in Sacrament Meeting. It normally starts at 7:30 AM and we need to drive downtown to get there so our normal time to arise is 6:00 AM. Music and the Spoken Word at 10:30 AM Priesthood and Relief Society 11-12 AM. Home for lunch then back to the Square at 5:00 - 9:00 PM. Who said that Sunday is a day of rest? It is really a extra day in the week to do the Lord's work.

There was a special program put on by the Choir Friday night for the Commemoration of the signing of the Celebration of Independence. We were working in the North Visitors Center. It was really hard for Sister Glad to stay where she should be and not go over to peek in the window. She was very happy when we were eating our lunch in the lunch room under the Tabernacle and all of the stage hands and Choir Members were running around preparing for the program.

We ran in to Elder Packer Thursday as we were walking the tunnels to go to the South Visitors Center and He was going in the tunnel to go to the Temple for the Thursday meeting of all of the Apostles. We now park under the Conference Center and can get to every where we need to go on the Square through the tunnel system without having to ever go outside. This should be good when it gets cold if it dose before we go home for good.

0dds and Ends

Tuesday was Moms 48 year of marriage to me. We celebrated by going to the Salt Lake Temple. We visited the Sealing Room where we were married. Then We went to the Garden Restaurant on the tenth floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for Lunch. We spent the rest of the day serving on Temple Square.

Mom wanted some new window coverings for the bed room so I have spent most of my spare time getting them installed. We are now the North Visitors Coordinators so I spent an hour or more each day making sure that all of the literature is stocked. We are also in charge of the Socials and Firesides for the Senior Couples. We are having a Sunday Sociable tomorrow. They have been fun, We all get together play board games and socialize.

Mom is going to perform a musical number for Sacrament Meeting tomorrow. She is going to do a medially of songs about the Prophets: "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief", "Praise to the Man", "We thank they oh God for a Prophet", and The Primary song "Follow the Prophet". It is great She is so talented.

We went to a cross county track meet to see Cody win another medal. He has been first place in several region High School meets. He is very dedicated, gets up at 4:30 am most days to run 5- 6 miles. He is only a Junior in School and is Captain of the team. He also got asked for his first dance at School.

We worked today in canning some salsa from the last of our tomatoes from our garden. It tastes good but may be a little hot for Mom.

We only have about two months left on our Mission. Life goes by too fast.

Home, sweet? home

Our lease on the apartment downtown was for fourteen months and is now ended, So we have moved back to our home in Sandy. The drive to Temple Square takes about 20-25 minutes and it use to take us 10-15 minutes to walk from our old digs, so it is not too bad. We have been working to make the place more conferable while we finish our mission, moving furniture around and such to take full advantage of our home. Saturday after spending most of the day getting the electronic stuff, Computers, Internet, Cable Tv, Surround Sound ect set up I was really bushed. I set up the laptop in the TV room so mom could have access to a computer while I was doing my stuff on the Internet. It is now all done, Yea,

I worked the other day taking care of all of the trees. I had to remove a lot of branches on most of them. One large branch on the remaining Peach Tree had broken off, and the Cherry Tree had a large branch that was getting totally our of control and there were several dead branches on the Italian Prune tree. So I was really tired before working on the electronic stuff.

We got ready to go the serve on the Square Friday at 2:00 pm when the car would not start. Melody gave us a jump and we were able to drive to downtown but the battery did not charge.

Marty works downtown so I gave him a call and he was able to give me another jump. I drove to an auto parts store where they put another battery in. It is all right now. It is amazing how we begin to take things fro granted then bang we are stuck. All is well now.