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