From Elder Walker

Friday , March 27th

Today was a day of miracles! We were asked by President Blatter to take the four Port Angeles Elders and Sisters to the temple, as they were unable to go with the rest of us on Thurs. the 17th. (They were doing presentations all day about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to several classes at the high school.)

We left Sequim at 7 a.m. with Elders Schaffner and Fife in the back seat, and Sisters Bigley and Scheer in the fold-up seat in the rear. We planned to be at the Bainbridge Ferry at 8:30 for the half hour crossing, and then take the freeway, which would take another 30 minutes, getting us to the temple by 9:30. (They were scheduled to be in the 10 a.m. session with Pres. & Sis. Blatter and the missionaries who are going home this month.) 

Our plan seemed great, but when we reached the Hood Canal Bridge, it was closed for traffic! (It is a floating bridge and the whole center of the bridge opens for ships to go through.) We sat on the bridge, in the dense fog, for 39 minutes. We could hear the ships whistles and fog horn but we never saw anything! Yikes! That changed everything! We would now miss the Bainbridge Ferry, and if we tried to drive through Tacoma and up Hwy 405, we would never make the 10 a.m. session. We started praying, and immediately the thought came, “try to catch the 8:40 Kingston Ferry.”  Crossing the bridge, we turned left instead of right, and hurried as fast as possible toward Kingston. We drove onto the Ferry at 8:39—the last car allowed to enter. Before I could even park and shut off the engine, the ferry was already on its way. Whew! That was the first miracle! 

The trip across the water took 30 minutes, so when we disembarked at 9:10, our GPS showed our projected arrival time at the temple to be 10:10. We couldn’t text the President to let him know where we were because he was already in the temple. So, away we flew! I kept praying, “Please, Heavenly Father, these wonderful missionaries need to be in the 10 o-clock session with their mission president. Please help us to get there.” 

If you have ever been on I-5 in Seattle, you will immediately recognize the next miracle. (Last week when we were there the traffic was so congested that the bus driver left the freeway and took side streets to pass everyone!) The traffic on I-5 opened up so that I was able to drive 60 mph for many miles. It bottlenecked some at the Bellevue exit, but while going through the tunnel and across the bridge, I was able to go 75, even 80 most all the way to the temple exit. Miraculous! 

We pulled into the temple parking lot at 9:56! Linda jumped out, rushed in, and asked if they could delay the 10 a.m. session. They called the temple president, who verified with President Blatter that we were, indeed, supposed to be in that session, so they held the session. After dressing as quickly as possible, all six of us were soon seated in the ordinance room. 

As I watched the Mission President’s expression when these 4 beautiful missionaries took their seats, all I could do is weep while thanking Heavenly Father for His tender mercies, for opening the way for us to get there. The session began at 10:15. 

After a wonderful temple experience, we drove to Deseret Book for some needed supplies, went to lunch, then began the 3 hour trip back home. We arrived at 7 p.m., totally exhausted, and so very thankful!

Whew!

Yesterday and today we did apartment checks. It was a good experience, and the Elders in Forks said, "We actually look forward to Apartment Checks now. We love it when you come! It used to be a miserable experience!" We have made a turn--and the apartments are getting much cleaner. I think they will be even better next month because this time I had them fill out the evaluation form themselves. I was sure they would be honest and it was an eye-opener for them! Only in one apartment did they mistakenly feel that it was a 5* rating because they had cleaned both the toilet bowl and the tub and "rust doesn't count, right?" I touched the "rust" on the sink with my finger and it was slimy so I had to laugh! I got a scrubby sponge, a rag and some cleanser,  and showed them how to clean the sink and then the "rest" of the toilet, and then had them look at the floor, that I am sure has not been swept or wiped up at all since they lived there. They promised to clean it! So many of them mistakenly think that it is just a fact of life that things get dirtier and dirtier and there is nothing that can be done about it!

I think that is what we think sometimes about our own faults or health, or about the faults in others! But, elbow grease (use of physical or mental energy; hard work) can often make things look like new! And any of us can be shiny and sparkling clean if we use the right tools. We become clean and new by using the tools of prayer and study, repentance and forgiveness, and a healthy dose of faith and hope! All of those take work! One of my favorite scriptures is Ezekiel 18:31-32

"Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves and live ye."

There is a great spirit among the missionaries here in what they call the WA-TAC. We hear great testimonies of young men changing their lives to prepare to serve. Last Thursday we rode on an old school bus full of young missionaries and one other Senior couple. It was much noisier than our choir tour buses--they were excited to see each other and so excited for their once a year temple experience!  We met more busloads of missionaries at the temple. There were 65 -70 young missionaries and several senior couples in the temple that day. The picture is some of those in our Zone.

We began with a Devotional by President and Sister Blatter before the session. Then, in the chapel of the temple, the Temple President spoke with them. The missionaries were all perfectly reverent the whole time and as we watched them fill the Celestial room of the temple, dressed in their white clothing, we felt we were surely in the company of the Armies of Helaman--young men (and women) who were there because they loved their fathers, their mothers, their prophet/leader, President Monson, and their God. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

This has been a very busy couple of weeks for us. If I pick up from the end of our last blog we come to one of the most exciting things for me! Sunday, March 15th, was our Stake Conference and our 36 member Women's Chorus sang. (It was exciting to me that though we had only 25 women in the first rehearsal, we had 36 in the second! And they were willing to come to practice an hour and a half before Conference!) We did  "Love One Another" with 2 flutes for the prelude and it was so still and reverent in that Stake Center! The woman who played the first flute part plays flute in the Seattle Symphony! Her husband was the Director of the Symphony before he passed away. She brought one of her students to play the second flute part and she too was phenomenal! The women had come at 8:30 am to rehearse and get into position so they were prepared to invite the Spirit of the Lord into the meeting because they had sacrificed and worked so hard. It was beautiful. And then following the sustaining of the General Authorities and Stake officers, we sang, "More Holiness Give Me." They sounded like angels! 

The Area Seventy, Elder Bussey, said afterwards, "There is so much difference between a performance, and music that brings the Spirit of the Lord. I could tell that every sister who sang knew what she was singing about and wanted to share her love for the Lord. I could feel their message. It was wonderful!" The Stake President concurred and encouraged us to do more. We were thrilled at the response! The flautist said that she "would move mountains to work with us again!" And doing the choir was like receiving a blood transfusion! I feel much more at home now and we have many more friends. 

This past Sunday, all the missionaries in our District, four Elders plus Bruce, 2 Sister missionaries plus 4 women I invited to help, sang our arrangement of "O How Lovely Was the Morning," in all three Sacrament Meetings. They also did a beautiful job. I accompanied them. That was the 4th musical number we have helped with since we came. A member of the Sequim Bay Ward said, "I've noticed that we have had much more music in our meetings since you came! I like it!" Next, we are helping with a three-ward choir to prepare an Easter program--for the Sunday after Easter. ;)

We have had some great experiences both helping the Elders and Sisters teach their investigators, and in teaching our own! One that we have enjoyed teaching with the Sisters, is Jerry. On Friday the 20th, the Sisters, 2 Elders, the Ward Mission Leader and some friends, met at Port Williams for his baptism. He wanted to be baptized at sunrise in the Sound. So there we were. It was a rather cold morning. There was a tent set up with a propane heater in it for him to change in after the baptism, and then they would come to our house for German Pancakes to celebrate.  Sunrise was to be at 7:15 am so we began the service with a song and prayer at 7 am.    At the appointed time, Jerry and Brother McFarland walked out into the water of the sound, but it was just too cold, and though his heart desired it, his body couldn't take the shock, so they had to come back to shore. Jerry was so disappointed and very embarrassed, but everyone reassured him that we had been part of a great event even in the trying and it would be a great idea to finish at the Church. That changed the schedule a bit, so while the font filled, Jerry and the brother who was baptizing him, and the 4 missionaries came to our house to have breakfast and rest. At 10 am Jerry was baptized--in a warm font-- and on Sunday he was confirmed a member of the Church! The great thing is that because of the later time, Sister Harris, who had actually been the most influential in knocking and starting his teaching, got to come for the Baptism! See, the Lord knows!

 The Relief Society President of the Happy Valley Ward called and asked us if we could teach a friend of hers that refused to meet with the Elders. We said sure! So we are teaching S--- and her 17 year old daughter Mo---!

Do you remember Sister Pinkston who has Multiple Sclerosis? She is the one who says that there aren't any big problems--if we have faith and a positive attitude, they all become small! After we had a disappointing meeting with H and J Sat. morning, we took our Bosch and all the ingredients for bread over to Pinkstons and I showed her husband how to make bread. He had had a failure (see photo) and wanted to learn.

While the new batch was rising and baking we had a great visit. They are such very good people! It lifted our hearts considerably, and theirs also. We left them with 3 loaves, and brought 3 home to give to the Elders and Sisters when we checked their apartments.

You might remember that Sister Pinkston was a painter before she became so crippled that she could no longer hold a brush. She let me take pictures of some of her paintings to show you. She said that I could enlarge them and frame them if I wanted to! 

Her situation reminds me of so many who have lost the use of their bodies in some way, or perhaps the use of their mind, or their health, or friends and loved ones, or even their faith! How aware we must become to be able see the needs of others and to learn how to succor them! 

In Dad's setting apart blessing, he was told that he would "strengthen the feeble knees and lift up the hands that hang down." We must have seeing eyes and understanding hearts to do so--and we can't just be worrying about ourselves or our assignments! I realized one Sunday that in my hurry to reach my destination down the hall, I had passed a lady without greeting her. The Spirit brought to my attention that the Savior would not do that, so it became my goal to always notice, and to always greet. Some of you are so good at that very thing! I admire you greatly!

One of the sweet things about teaching S---and M---- is that S---loves my voice! It makes her feel good when I explain or read things to her, and she asks me to say both the opening and closing prayer, because she says, "you have the voice." We think its that she feels the Spirit. She blesses me.

Brenda Kay used to send descriptions in our family newsletter that she titled, "Only in Utah!"
Here are some pictures we took yesterday on our return trip from Forks. Perhaps there are things like this in other places, but in my experience it is "Only on the WA Peninsula!"

 We have shown pictures of lichen or moss on trees and rocks. Look at this mobile home roof!

 We took this picture from the road in an area called Beaver. There were four or five times this many elk in the field! I couldn't get them all in the picture! This is not an elk farm! There were no fences keeping them in! It was beautiful!

It was evening when we got to Port Angeles. There was a cargo ship in port, a ferry and many other sailing vessels. Can you see the lighter speck about 4/5 of the way to the right of the ship? It is a good sized fishing boat with a big cabin and inboard motor! At least, it looked big to us until it got by the ship! See the gull posing on the iron post? It is a normal sized sea gull. (Bigger than the land gulls at home.) It is an interesting observation of perspective, isn't it? No wonder we can get confused by the problems or concerns in our lives that present themselves right before our eyes--unless we have the Spirit and can see through God's eyes, we can get very confused! Because He can see all the blessings that come from our experiences here--both sweet and difficult, and how we will grow from them, and with the Savior's help, triumph over them--He has the confidence to let us work things out.

We know those who are lonely will be loved and fulfilled in time, those who feel like failures are not failing but are proving their faithfulness, those who are lost will be found, and those who are seeking to do good will learn how to lift and bless as President Monson does! And the Gospel will be a "lantern in our hands," "and a light unto our path." Abby Deal and Psalms 119:105

Wow! Life gets more fun all the time!

Adventure is everywhere! This week was Elder Walker's birthday! His first on this, his 7th mission--if you count full-time and Stake missions! We had a fun day.

 He decided that we could relax and so he got his p-day clothes on (the young missionaries here have to stay in white shirts and ties on p-day, but we assume that we have the same rules we have had before, therefore he was in a T-shirt and jeans) and sprayed Roundup in the yard using the Bishop's sprayer and supplies! Then he started cleaning the very dirty garage. Getting to work outside was very relaxing to him and he really enjoyed it! We had a yummy breakfast, and a delicious main meal of the day at lunchtime, and ended the day with dinner at a member's home where we taught the first discussion to a new investigator! It was really fun!

 We also fed the Zone this week! It was more fun than last time because instead of making a huge salad, we bought the chickens, croissants, salad and drink from Costco and I baked apple pie! That was much more fun! We fed 16 Elders and Sisters, plus Bruce and I. Then I brought the leftover bones of the chickens home and made a delicious soup with carrots, onions, celery and spinach and lots of curry pwd, cayenne, cloves, and black pepper! There wasn't a drop of anything else left!

The Elders and Sisters are very gracious and appreciative. We enjoy them very much. This transfer was a real blessing to the Stake. It is amazing to see them reach out--and up!

Elder Walker is even more handsome than the pies!

It is hard to get an attractive candid shot when people are eating!

This next picture is of our Bishop and his wife, Brendan and Mary Cain. They are both converts to the Church--he joined in 2000. He has been a Bishop now for 5 years! They are very loving, twinkly-eyed, serving, people. They came over and looked at our yard and when we left the next time, they came with their equipment and spent 3-4 hours in our yard cleaning it up! She also made two delicate little flower arrangements for our house. She owned a lovely decorating shop downtown for the first few years they were here. (They have been here almost 12 years. They came to the area on vacation and he turned to her and said, "I think we need to move here for some reason!" She said, "We need to what!?!" So, they sold their home in Chicago and moved out!) 

Two of the three Bishops in Sequim are converts to the Church who felt impressed to move here! The two Bishops in Port Angeles are late twenties/very early thirties! One couple has been married for only 5 years and the other for more like 8 years! The Stake President is also a convert of just a few years and has 6 children still at home and one serving a mission.

We have had some good teaching appointments this week. Monday we met with H... and J... and we got to talk about the Book of Mormon! We also learned that she is partial to the "big bang" theory and he believes in evolution! She has real doubts about the virgin birth and the divinity of Jesus Christ. That was a shocker to me!

Monday evening we had FHE at a members home with Jerry. He knows sooo much about sooo many different beliefs that he is very confused! He decided to forgo believing in God for a while, but inside, we can tell he wants to believe. He struggles to decide if God is in charge or Satan. He tears up often when we talk. We didn't get to meet with him after FHE but the Sisters were pleased because he feels that he should probably do the "repentance thing." Another couple was there, converts, she joined the Church in England after touring the Hyde Park chapel on a missionary tour and felt that "it was right!" I just love her! She was the Primary President when we first came, but now is teaching in RS. I don't ever get to go there because I play the piano for Primary, which certainly has its payoffs. The other day a little 9 year old boy and his sister came over to bring us flowers. They visited for a few minutes (the little boy was worried to stay so long because his mother might be worried and not know where they were, but was assured by his 7 year old sister that she had told the Mom where they were going!!! When they left he said, "I hope you never move!" It was so sweet! We found out later that their mother was out in the car looking for them because they were only to run around the block and they were here for about 15 minutes!)

Tuesday was Ch.. and Er.. The little girls came running and stayed the whole time with feet up to be rubbed while we talked. We found that one of her big concerns, in addition to the Word of Wisdom, is tattoos. We had a good discussion--again mostly on the children's level, but she was much softer and wished we could come twice a week. Well, we were so booked last week that we couldn't, but I ordered a large Bible for her because I had noticed that she had a large Triple Combination, but no Bible! When I told her I had a Bible for her, Ch.. told us that she had had one but when she saw a friend struggling to read the smaller print in her Bible and heard her wishing for a larger one, she gave the person hers! I was so glad that we felt inspired to get one for her.

Wednesday we met the Dungeness Elders and went with them to visit Rebecca Young. She is a little lady in her late 80's that is darling! She has all kinds of religious beliefs mixed together. She loves it when we visit her and this time we talked about prayer. Last time we visited she said the closing prayer and prayed to the great Spirit! I think she needs to read about King Lamoni's father!

S.... is a friend of the Happy Valley Ward Relief Society Pres. She agreed to take the missionary lessons, if we would teach them to her, because her life is a disaster! We met with her at Sister Ponds home Thursday evening where we ate a delicious crab something from Costco and then gave her an overview of the Plan of Salvation and part of the Restoration lesson! A sharp returned missionary is dating her daughter (!) and she asked, if they fell in love, would she be able to go to the wedding in the temple?

We explained that one can only go into the temple if they are a member of the Church who is ready to make sacred covenants with the Lord. She seemed to understand, and then she said, "but you're going to take my cigarettes and my coffee and tea? I said we would take nothing away, she would decide, but read her the promise for keeping the Word of Wisdom. She is very sarcastic, for protection from her hard life, but we loved her anyway.

Friday was the temple. We went with some members of our ward. He is a temple worker so he had specific assignments, but the rest of us just relaxed and did whatever we wanted. Dad and I did an endowment session, ate lunch and then I did Initiatory. We wanted to do multiple endowments, but the temple only does sessions each hour and with the length of the film, only one was possible! We don't know how blessed we are down south! As we crossed Puget Sound on the ferry, I heard him ask her if she had brought the cards? Interesting that I had prepared my response a couple of weeks ago! They are both converts and she had never heard that we didn't play with face cards! Nor had she heard much about the Joseph Smith Translation! I told her that I had just gotten a new set of scriptures so I could mark them more conservatively and how I always go through them first and mark all the JST references in the footnotes, then find them in the body of the text and mark them as well. She only seemed to know about Joseph Smith Matthew in the Pearl of Great Price!

I love those clarifications and corrections! It is amazing to me how the Book of Mormon and the Bible testify together! I love the last counsel of Joseph of Egypt to his brethren and sons, found in the Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 50:24-38. Just think how different the world would be if Satan hadn't encouraged men to take so many "plain and precious things" out of the record of the Jews!

I hope we all have them marked in our scriptures and that we love to study them and learn the clarifying truths that come through a prophet of God!

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sometimes the Lord just lets us get sick for a few days so that we can Rethink and Regroup!

We have hauled sick missionaries around enough that by Sunday night I finally had the cold! We had to cancel our appointments and I have just stayed in since Sunday. It has been good--a time to reflect after the physical and emotional push to do the concert, the pressure of getting ready for the MTC, hurrying to Sequim, pushing as hard as I could to clean and then hurrying to get started on our missionary routine--which is never routine! These placid days of illness, reading and pondering have been very healing! And I have been able to do a little more to make our house a home.

Last week we had such a sweet time visiting and teaching a part-member couple with three wild little girls. It was our second visit with them and we had engaged the little girls for a few minutes the first time with a Primary song at the beginning and end of our lesson. This time when we came the girls were watching for us out their window and began singing I Am a Child of God. The dad said that the oldest girl, about 6 years of age, had been practicing it all week and it had helped her to choose the right when she got upset. She sat right beside me all during the lesson and let me help her stay calm by rubbing her little feet and including her in the lesson. In fact, I taught my part mostly to her with her Mom listening in, which also took the pressure off the mom. It is amazing to see the power of music to bring the Spirit! What a blessing it is in our lives! So many have never felt the sweet feelings we have tasted so often! Before we left we committed them to pray with their little girls and to have a 20 minute FHE. I hope they tried to do that. The mother has a very hard time with children. She has lots of problems that are exacerbated by her Word of Wisdom problems. Our job is to soften her heart so that she can feel the Spirit and then desire to learn and be willing to change. Her husband joined the Church 2 1/2 years ago and wants an eternal family.

We were invited to a dinner party with another investigator and heard the wonderful conversion story of our hosts. He was a pilot and she a stewardess! He flew out of Salt Lake for a period of time and got acquainted with some of the LDS pilots there. He and she fell in love and, tho she had been raised Catholic, because he had no faith they decided to be married by a non-denominational minister. The minister knew she was Catholic, but he wanted to know the religious preference of the groom. He said he had none, but if he was ever to investigate any church it would be the Mormon Church because of what he had seen in the lives of the pilots he knew. She was shocked speechless! Missionaries stopped by, but she wouldn't let them teach her. They left a Book of Mormon. She wouldn't read it but her husband did and knew that it was true. Tho she wouldn't read it, nor would she let the missionaries teach her, she did read Jesus the Christ and The Articles of Faith by Talmage, A Marvelous Work and Wonder, Miracle of Forgiveness, The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. She knew every word of she had read was true, so she finally agreed to meet with the missionaries and read the Book of Mormon. She says she wouldn't let them in until she knew it was true. She and her husband have served 2 missions. Sharp people!

We were able to bear testimony to the investigator, Judy, and could feel the Spirit testifying to her. We will meet with her again Friday. She is a nice, very worldly woman who decided that believing there is no God is the easiest way to deal with the hard knocks in life that she cannot understand--much of it coming from alcoholic parents and husband. The young missionaries keep serving her so she keeps listening.

Then there is Jer... The Sisters found him as they were knocking doors and took us back with them to teach him. He moved up here to get away from the trouble he feels is coming in our country. He was religious as a young man but got discouraged with his Church and religion and he also decided there was probably no God! His heart is soft, though he doesn't like commitments, and he has been to Church twice. The first time was the Sunday we spoke about our Pre-Mortal life. (The Missionary pamphlets refer to it as our Pre-Earth life.) He reminds me very much of Lazar Wolf (in Fiddler On the Roof) only cleaner, He reminds others of Santa Claus, which part he has acted many times. He has twinkly eyes and a happy voice. We love him!

And then J... and H... who we did not get to teach last week as we planned because someone called her to substitute for their Bridge partner, and Bridge is her big passion, so she left while we were still eating. She was glad to have us visit with H... He is pretty well homebound and she runs around quite a lot. He feels glad that she has things to do that she loves and doesn't have to stay homebound with him. This week I had promised them an apple pie but then I was sick. She did invite us for next Monday, so I hope that the conversations about our beliefs can start again.

We were invited to the home of a member couple on Saturday. The Sister is Japanese and Philippino, born and raised in Hawaii. Her husband also lived in Hawaii and was the physician for  BYUH there. The husband's son, from his deceased first wife, was visiting and he did the cooking. He happened to be the father of the actor who played Napoleon Dynamite! Of course I had never seen it, but Bruce could talk intelligently? with them. Oh! And now I have eaten barely cooked oyster dipped in a raw egg! She broke the egg into a little bowl at my place and I had to quickly stir it while she waited to put the oyster in! I felt very brave! They were delighted when I said the oyster kind of "melts in your mouth"--except for what must have been his foot, which was very chewy. Now that I have done it I won't need to do it again--even tho he wants me to try raw oyster! I said just the thought makes my head itch! No thank you!

The Stake President gave us an assignment that requires a great deal of visiting with the Spirit. This scripture helped me: "I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and shall dwell in your heart. Now behold, this is the spirit of revelation...therefore, this is thy gift; apply unto it." The words struck me more deeply than ever before, "this is thy gift; apply unto it." I just sat and said them over and over. (Then I thought of the two theater tickets and the gift coupon to Coldstone Ice Cream Parlor that are still in Dad's desk drawer at home. We received the gift--we just never "applied" it!) I am excited to do, and learn, more about using the glorious Gift of the Holy Ghost that we have been commanded to "receive." (And no, there is no Cold Stone here.)

Saturday evening, a member of the Stake Presidency called and asked us to put together a women's chorus for Stake Conference from the 3 Sequim wards and the 2 Port Angeles wards--only two weeks away. Dad and I had to really hustle to find music, get accompanists, call Bishops and choir directors and RS and YW presidents to try to get the word out Sunday morning so that we could hold our first rehearsal Sunday night! Because Dad is the world's great organizer and Michael used FaceTime to help us go through our files looking for the music we wanted him to scan and email to us, by the time Sunday evening came we had music in black folders, rolls for them to sign, both an organist and pianist that we rehearsed with before the choir came so that we were really on the same page! The sisters were wonderful in attitude but rather in shock that they had to learn how to sing parts! A few considered themselves altos and most sang soprano but some were willing to try to learn 2nd soprano. It was very difficult for them and was really hard work for me! The great thing is, that I know that because they are willing to work and try, and because I am doing all I can, the Lord will help us!

(I just looked down at my journal. At the bottom of the left page it says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

The bottom of the right page says, "For after much tribulation come the blessings...) ;)

We love you all!