Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
jon speaks...
since i feel like my writings may not be all that they should, i decided to include a letter that jon wrote to our children. just a little documentation of how he feels about what he is doing.
"It has been a very eventful week, but then again, I think every week is not the same as the one before. 2 elders, one who had been out nearly a year and another who had been out nearly 15 months, had to go home early because of pre-mission transgressions. While it was a difficult experience for me and them, I was grateful and proud that they came forward and had trust and confidence in the atonement and that they were more concerned with their eternal standing than anything else. One of the 2 called me from home to check in and told me that he is now engaged and will be married on August 20th. I hope to hear from the other one tomorrow as I have asked them both to keep writing me weekly.
We also have had quite a bit of mental/emotional illness in our mission, along with physical illnesses and I have spent many hours in talking and also praying with them wondering and seeking ways that I might know how to help them. I just can't adequately describe to you how busy and how emotionally and physically draining this has been so far but despite all of that, I feel such a gratitude to be here and to be trying to do something, no matter how small or little, to make a positive contribution in the lives of the missionaries, and the converts.
This morning we got up early and drove to Clearlake to witness the confirmation of a man I interviewed for baptism a few weeks ago. Then we drove back home and I had the opportunity to interview a man and his wife, (in spanish with an assist from one of the elders), also for baptism, and then we participated in the baptismal service for Cheryl Winn, who was a woman that mom taught with the sister missionaries when we first arrived here. To be around these humble missionaries and to meet and feel the love the converts have for the gospel is by far the best part. They inspire me and I look up to them, both the missionaries and the converts. So many have come so far and overcome such trials to not only be on a mission, but to also be serving with such passion and effort that I am lifted and energized by their example.
I feel badly for my missionaries a lot because I know I don't live up to the standards or methods of other mission presidents that I know are more successful, more organized, and better able to inspire and teach their missionaries in ways that I don't. I just vow to keep working as hard as I can and to give all that I can and trust that the Lord will make up the difference, despite my many limitations and frailties. My companion however is the absolute best and I love her; in that regard I have been blessed tremendously!
I love you all and I thank each of you for loving and praying for me and mother. We are doing well and are grateful and humbled to be your parents. The Lord has blessed our family greatly and my desire is to serve Him the best that I know how to."
"It has been a very eventful week, but then again, I think every week is not the same as the one before. 2 elders, one who had been out nearly a year and another who had been out nearly 15 months, had to go home early because of pre-mission transgressions. While it was a difficult experience for me and them, I was grateful and proud that they came forward and had trust and confidence in the atonement and that they were more concerned with their eternal standing than anything else. One of the 2 called me from home to check in and told me that he is now engaged and will be married on August 20th. I hope to hear from the other one tomorrow as I have asked them both to keep writing me weekly.
We also have had quite a bit of mental/emotional illness in our mission, along with physical illnesses and I have spent many hours in talking and also praying with them wondering and seeking ways that I might know how to help them. I just can't adequately describe to you how busy and how emotionally and physically draining this has been so far but despite all of that, I feel such a gratitude to be here and to be trying to do something, no matter how small or little, to make a positive contribution in the lives of the missionaries, and the converts.
This morning we got up early and drove to Clearlake to witness the confirmation of a man I interviewed for baptism a few weeks ago. Then we drove back home and I had the opportunity to interview a man and his wife, (in spanish with an assist from one of the elders), also for baptism, and then we participated in the baptismal service for Cheryl Winn, who was a woman that mom taught with the sister missionaries when we first arrived here. To be around these humble missionaries and to meet and feel the love the converts have for the gospel is by far the best part. They inspire me and I look up to them, both the missionaries and the converts. So many have come so far and overcome such trials to not only be on a mission, but to also be serving with such passion and effort that I am lifted and energized by their example.
I feel badly for my missionaries a lot because I know I don't live up to the standards or methods of other mission presidents that I know are more successful, more organized, and better able to inspire and teach their missionaries in ways that I don't. I just vow to keep working as hard as I can and to give all that I can and trust that the Lord will make up the difference, despite my many limitations and frailties. My companion however is the absolute best and I love her; in that regard I have been blessed tremendously!
I love you all and I thank each of you for loving and praying for me and mother. We are doing well and are grateful and humbled to be your parents. The Lord has blessed our family greatly and my desire is to serve Him the best that I know how to."
Sunday, July 26, 2009
hmmm...what to say
i haven't been writing because i don't feel like i have much to say, but here goes anyway. another week has passed in the mission field. we figured out today that we will have been gone five weeks on tuesday. it feels like at least five months! no kidding!
part of me feels like i have been on a long vacation with jon. not because we have been doing vacation stuff, but because i am in a strange place, here without my children, and i am spending a lot of time side by side my hubby!
this week two of our missionaries were sent home. belated confessions. very, very emotional. they had both been serving a year or longer, so i am happy for them, to have finally come clean so they can get their lives back on the right track, but so sad for them, because the Lord was blessing people through them and they will miss the joy of serving. president took one to the airport monday morning at 9, and the other thursday morning at 3am. who made those flight arrangements?
tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday were spent interviewing missionaries. i have loved the chance to meet and get to know each of the sisters and elders one by one this week. i really think i have names with faces and a couple of facts to go along with each one. it is coming slowly but surely. we still have two more big days of interviews next week before we finish. it is exhausting when each day is over. the Lord blesses you in the process, but when it is done, president feels it for sure :).
today we went to the middletown ward. a man, tj woode and his son, benjamin were baptized yesterday. we were sad that we couldn't make it, so we decided to be there when they were confirmed. it was a great ward! we have never been to clearlake and lakeport before, so this was a new drive for us. beautiful! but a curvy mountain road up a canyon and then down again. a couple of times. i told jon, "i feel like i should be on the back of a horse, and this should be a dirt road." it reminded me a lot of wyoming. again, it was about an hour and fifteen minute drive. the lakeport zone has always come to ukiah to meet us there for the "meet and greet" and zone conference. it was good to see the area for myself. i need a little visual to work with :).
tonight, cheryl winn (one of my first teaching visits) was baptized! what a sweet experience. she is truly the definition of "the pure in heart!" i am so blessed to have been there. afterwards we stopped by the office for a second. this week when we drove away, jon spotted two deer. sundays and the wild animals at the office seem to go together! have a happy week! love to all!
part of me feels like i have been on a long vacation with jon. not because we have been doing vacation stuff, but because i am in a strange place, here without my children, and i am spending a lot of time side by side my hubby!
this week two of our missionaries were sent home. belated confessions. very, very emotional. they had both been serving a year or longer, so i am happy for them, to have finally come clean so they can get their lives back on the right track, but so sad for them, because the Lord was blessing people through them and they will miss the joy of serving. president took one to the airport monday morning at 9, and the other thursday morning at 3am. who made those flight arrangements?
tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday were spent interviewing missionaries. i have loved the chance to meet and get to know each of the sisters and elders one by one this week. i really think i have names with faces and a couple of facts to go along with each one. it is coming slowly but surely. we still have two more big days of interviews next week before we finish. it is exhausting when each day is over. the Lord blesses you in the process, but when it is done, president feels it for sure :).
today we went to the middletown ward. a man, tj woode and his son, benjamin were baptized yesterday. we were sad that we couldn't make it, so we decided to be there when they were confirmed. it was a great ward! we have never been to clearlake and lakeport before, so this was a new drive for us. beautiful! but a curvy mountain road up a canyon and then down again. a couple of times. i told jon, "i feel like i should be on the back of a horse, and this should be a dirt road." it reminded me a lot of wyoming. again, it was about an hour and fifteen minute drive. the lakeport zone has always come to ukiah to meet us there for the "meet and greet" and zone conference. it was good to see the area for myself. i need a little visual to work with :).
tonight, cheryl winn (one of my first teaching visits) was baptized! what a sweet experience. she is truly the definition of "the pure in heart!" i am so blessed to have been there. afterwards we stopped by the office for a second. this week when we drove away, jon spotted two deer. sundays and the wild animals at the office seem to go together! have a happy week! love to all!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
sabbath day treats
just missing my betty crocker's today, who would normally make me some treats on sunday, and then help me eat them! holy cow! what was i thinking? the rest of these are headed for the freezer!
i arrived at church today to be greeted by two of the cutest (literally) missionaries ever, elder berry and elder jackson. after a little small talk elder berry said, "so, your speaking in church today?" i said, "no." he opened the program to show me my name in large letters listed as a speaker for sacrament meeting. i almost ran for the exit! instead i made a bee-line for my sweet husband. he didn't even feel bad...! don't you think it is nice to have some time to think about it, even if you are just bearing your testimony?
the meeting was sweet. a missionary who had just returned home from panama spoke. he was awesome. i really had about two minutes to say something. i survived. i think i just need to always be a little prepared with some thoughts. is that just now dawning on me? YES! i'm slow.
elder trythall is such a great man. we talked for about two hours and he answered some questions and gave a little advise. i like him. i am glad we get to work with him. and, he is kelly coons father-in-law! our love to all!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
sister "happy" bunker
we have an elder serving in our mission from wallsburg, utah (where is that?). his name is addison taylor. we have a couple of elders with the last name taylor. this one got dubbed with the nickname "happy". i guess he has never had a bad day in his life! outstanding. while we were at zone conferences this week, i heard jon ask the other elder taylor if he was elder "happy" taylor. he smiled and said, "no". they all know who he is. the next day, we met the famous elder "happy" taylor. as i got home that night, i thought, maybe a good goal for myself would be to try to become sister "happy" bunker. no whining, no complaining, never another bad day in my life. we'll see how that goes...i just got out of bed! jon got quite a kick out of it when i nicknamed myself. i didn't understand his hysteria :(.
what a week. what a totally great week. i can't believe how the Lord can bless you when you are doing His work!
tuesday we woke up early and headed for napa for my first zone conference ever. it was great! the Spirit was great. i loved every minute. while i was sitting through those four hours, i kept having the urge to cough. no big deal, just coughing for no good reason. we left quickly afterward and headed to fairfield for my second zone conference ever. another great meeting. again the Spirit was great! president was on his game! the temperature outside was close to 110 degrees. the older folks out in the parking lot checking the elders cars were dying. one sister definitely got heat stroke. we got home about 8pm. still coughing.
wednesday morning we woke up early, and headed for my third zone conference ever. it was great! still not bored, enjoying every minute, totally committed to our purpose! cough is getting a lot worse today. i don't sound so good. again, take off pretty quickly so we can drive another hour to ukiah to interview that zone. while president is interviewing, i am chatting with the elders and sisters, checking their planners, asking about their investigators, getting a run down on their health, seeing if they are getting along with their companions, finding out about their families. president comes in to complain that i am too chatty! can you believe it! we are all scared of him, so we break it up, and they hustle on to their interview. drive home another hour, it's around 8:30, i feel sick. really sick. the cough sounds like i am trying to cough up my lungs. president puts me to bed, tells me i can't come tomorrow, i'll infect everyone, and i feel bad.
thursday, send president off with instructions on birthday cookies, setting tables, taking pictures, and writing checks for those who have provided meals. sound horrible. go to the doctor. it is a virus. he says if i don't kiss them or share drinking glasses, and be smart, i won't infect them. so i take off for ukiah, so i can be there to interview/chat with the lakeport zone. i really feel like it is my only chance for a while. next conference/interviews hailey will be here needing me. they all think i am a warrior because i came even though i wasn't feeling well. who am i? actually, the only time i feel good is when i am with the missionaries. it's better than feeling sick! finish interviews around five, grab a bite to eat, president goes to some stake meetings. leave for eureka around 8:30. i am S.I.C.K. it is a three hour (at least) drive. get in about 11:30. feel like i have been hit by a mac truck.
friday, start fifth zone conference at 8. again, it is wonderful. president has mellowed a little. not sure if the Spirit is moving him that way or if he is just tired. :) i think this particular group of missionaries are very motivated. maybe they don't need the other speeches about being "men" and "giving it everything they have" and having "no regrets" when it is time to leave. a great meeting about our purpose, practice inviting people to be baptized, hear some testimonies. all is well! eureka zone interviews. leave the church around 5-5:30, head for home. home around 10. i still sound like my lungs might come out in pieces. cold starts going to my head...ohhh the joys of a virus. advil has been my best friend.
note about interviews: president interviews each elder and sister each transfer (or every six weeks). we have 157 missionaries. 157 X 15 minute interviews. you do the math. scary amount of time, plus the driving to and from. (sort of freaks a person out if they think about it!)
saturday, p-day. can't sleep. body won't let me. work to clear my desk, inbox, lots of things, ALL day. get direct tv installed. getting ready for rebel basketball (mountain channel). first things first!
i am exhausted. totally spent. in a really good way! tomorrow we drive an hour and a half to a 9am sacrament meeting. we are meeting elder trythall there. he is our area authority. then we drive over to fairfield for an interview and i don't know what after that. i think i better head to bed. life is good.
now, if i can just get over this virus...
i know. i have to take the "happy" off the bunker...
too much complaining. bummer!
maybe i can try again tomorrow.
before i get out of bed :).
what a week. what a totally great week. i can't believe how the Lord can bless you when you are doing His work!
tuesday we woke up early and headed for napa for my first zone conference ever. it was great! the Spirit was great. i loved every minute. while i was sitting through those four hours, i kept having the urge to cough. no big deal, just coughing for no good reason. we left quickly afterward and headed to fairfield for my second zone conference ever. another great meeting. again the Spirit was great! president was on his game! the temperature outside was close to 110 degrees. the older folks out in the parking lot checking the elders cars were dying. one sister definitely got heat stroke. we got home about 8pm. still coughing.
wednesday morning we woke up early, and headed for my third zone conference ever. it was great! still not bored, enjoying every minute, totally committed to our purpose! cough is getting a lot worse today. i don't sound so good. again, take off pretty quickly so we can drive another hour to ukiah to interview that zone. while president is interviewing, i am chatting with the elders and sisters, checking their planners, asking about their investigators, getting a run down on their health, seeing if they are getting along with their companions, finding out about their families. president comes in to complain that i am too chatty! can you believe it! we are all scared of him, so we break it up, and they hustle on to their interview. drive home another hour, it's around 8:30, i feel sick. really sick. the cough sounds like i am trying to cough up my lungs. president puts me to bed, tells me i can't come tomorrow, i'll infect everyone, and i feel bad.
thursday, send president off with instructions on birthday cookies, setting tables, taking pictures, and writing checks for those who have provided meals. sound horrible. go to the doctor. it is a virus. he says if i don't kiss them or share drinking glasses, and be smart, i won't infect them. so i take off for ukiah, so i can be there to interview/chat with the lakeport zone. i really feel like it is my only chance for a while. next conference/interviews hailey will be here needing me. they all think i am a warrior because i came even though i wasn't feeling well. who am i? actually, the only time i feel good is when i am with the missionaries. it's better than feeling sick! finish interviews around five, grab a bite to eat, president goes to some stake meetings. leave for eureka around 8:30. i am S.I.C.K. it is a three hour (at least) drive. get in about 11:30. feel like i have been hit by a mac truck.
friday, start fifth zone conference at 8. again, it is wonderful. president has mellowed a little. not sure if the Spirit is moving him that way or if he is just tired. :) i think this particular group of missionaries are very motivated. maybe they don't need the other speeches about being "men" and "giving it everything they have" and having "no regrets" when it is time to leave. a great meeting about our purpose, practice inviting people to be baptized, hear some testimonies. all is well! eureka zone interviews. leave the church around 5-5:30, head for home. home around 10. i still sound like my lungs might come out in pieces. cold starts going to my head...ohhh the joys of a virus. advil has been my best friend.
note about interviews: president interviews each elder and sister each transfer (or every six weeks). we have 157 missionaries. 157 X 15 minute interviews. you do the math. scary amount of time, plus the driving to and from. (sort of freaks a person out if they think about it!)
saturday, p-day. can't sleep. body won't let me. work to clear my desk, inbox, lots of things, ALL day. get direct tv installed. getting ready for rebel basketball (mountain channel). first things first!
i am exhausted. totally spent. in a really good way! tomorrow we drive an hour and a half to a 9am sacrament meeting. we are meeting elder trythall there. he is our area authority. then we drive over to fairfield for an interview and i don't know what after that. i think i better head to bed. life is good.
now, if i can just get over this virus...
i know. i have to take the "happy" off the bunker...
too much complaining. bummer!
maybe i can try again tomorrow.
before i get out of bed :).
Monday, July 13, 2009
zone conference week
tomorrow we have our first two zone conferences. napa and vallejo zones from 8-12. fairfield, vacaville, and woodland zones from 1-5. can you picture me sitting still for so many hours? in a dress and nylons? then put the drive time getting there (napa), going to the next place (fairfield), and coming home. i am a little worried about myself! i hope i don't get sleepy...i am trying to have faith that the Lord will provide!
the president has me a little worried...trying to be flexible, trying to teach me to be flexible. all of the instruction i have received about my participation in zone conference is, "you and i are going to roll play. then, at the end you can give them a little thought or bear your testimony." PLEASE! i need a whole lot more direction! when i tried to pin him down a little more he said, "you've got to be able to go with the flow!" pa-lease! again, i am working on my faith!
last week ended up being productive! i still have more to clean out but that will have to wait until next week. i won't be home practically until friday night. last friday, rhonda and larry came to visit! it was so great to have them come! saturday, ross and lorita taylor came through town and stopped by! again, it was great to see them and visit. sunday the taylors and i went to the brush creek ward again. it wasn't as sparce as the previous week. i really enjoyed our sunday school class! then, i met jon at the rincon valley ward. it was quite large, with lots of youth, and i finally met keri's friend julie sullivan! i can tell she is going to be very helpful to me. anyone keri loves, i know i will love too. kindred spirits!
that evening we were able to attend two baptisms. they were wonderful! i was so thrilled for everyone involved! this morning when we got our report with all of the numbers for the week, it was definitely improved from last week :). who feels pressure about numbers? we just want our missionaries to be busy doing the right things! every baptism is a miracle and a blessing.
today i spent my time in the kitchen and at the grocery store. we feed four of our missionaries breakfast because they came over to help us move some heavy pieces of furniture, on their p-day! first trip to the store. after they all left i started making oreo cookies to give to the sisters and elders that had had a birthday since our last zone conference. the hand mixer i was using burned it's motor up. second trip to the store. upon coming home, i realized i only had enough supplies for two batches and i needed to make three. third trip to the store. and i made dinner! i am weary!
exciting news of the week:
1-we found a 24 hour fitness in santa rosa. not too far from home! i caught jon doing push-ups that morning, because he was feeling so weak!
2-at wcde, megan took 2nd place overall for her number "seated in thought"!
3-i haven't killed my tomato plant yet!
4-hailey is at the u of u, at her bby camp. she is a little homesick tonight :(.
5-sadie and meg are headed for newport beach...i am headed for church meetings...hum...
wish me luck! at least i will be with our missionaries. they make me happy!
the president has me a little worried...trying to be flexible, trying to teach me to be flexible. all of the instruction i have received about my participation in zone conference is, "you and i are going to roll play. then, at the end you can give them a little thought or bear your testimony." PLEASE! i need a whole lot more direction! when i tried to pin him down a little more he said, "you've got to be able to go with the flow!" pa-lease! again, i am working on my faith!
last week ended up being productive! i still have more to clean out but that will have to wait until next week. i won't be home practically until friday night. last friday, rhonda and larry came to visit! it was so great to have them come! saturday, ross and lorita taylor came through town and stopped by! again, it was great to see them and visit. sunday the taylors and i went to the brush creek ward again. it wasn't as sparce as the previous week. i really enjoyed our sunday school class! then, i met jon at the rincon valley ward. it was quite large, with lots of youth, and i finally met keri's friend julie sullivan! i can tell she is going to be very helpful to me. anyone keri loves, i know i will love too. kindred spirits!
that evening we were able to attend two baptisms. they were wonderful! i was so thrilled for everyone involved! this morning when we got our report with all of the numbers for the week, it was definitely improved from last week :). who feels pressure about numbers? we just want our missionaries to be busy doing the right things! every baptism is a miracle and a blessing.
today i spent my time in the kitchen and at the grocery store. we feed four of our missionaries breakfast because they came over to help us move some heavy pieces of furniture, on their p-day! first trip to the store. after they all left i started making oreo cookies to give to the sisters and elders that had had a birthday since our last zone conference. the hand mixer i was using burned it's motor up. second trip to the store. upon coming home, i realized i only had enough supplies for two batches and i needed to make three. third trip to the store. and i made dinner! i am weary!
exciting news of the week:
1-we found a 24 hour fitness in santa rosa. not too far from home! i caught jon doing push-ups that morning, because he was feeling so weak!
2-at wcde, megan took 2nd place overall for her number "seated in thought"!
3-i haven't killed my tomato plant yet!
4-hailey is at the u of u, at her bby camp. she is a little homesick tonight :(.
5-sadie and meg are headed for newport beach...i am headed for church meetings...hum...
wish me luck! at least i will be with our missionaries. they make me happy!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
it's already wednesday?
tod teased me a little about slacking on my posts, so here i am :). thank heaven for children who help you keep doing the important things!
this week, so far, has been a blur. monday we left the house at 7am and returned home at 9:30pm. we probably spent four hours with our missionaries and the rest of that time driving in the car. our mission is VERY spread out! (understatement) jon has put a thousand miles on his car this week!!! we traveled up to ukiah, met with our zones there, and then on up to eureka. it is quite amazing, the different personalities that each of our areas possess. not the missionaries themselves, but the areas they are serving in. there is certainly different geography (these northern areas they are tracting on dirt roads, lots of pot growers, economy is hurting, and a prison that offers the only jobs around), different types of people (from san fran liberals, to wine country, to normal - at least normal to me :), to small town farmers), different economic situations (poorest of poor to great affluence), and all kinds of things in between. i think it helps keep the missionaries interested. moving to a different area means having a completely different experience! i like that!
our missionaries were great! they feel like they are in the back woods being so far removed...they eat it up. and they are being blessed with a lot of success. no sisters allowed in these areas...i think they like that too. shame on them!
this is the eureka zone!
the drive is very beautiful, but it is LONG. i'm not sure i would be looking forward to it every six weeks for the next three years, but seeing the elders makes the drive so worth it, right?
on our fourth day here, jon got his first speeding ticket. i don't know what the a.p.'s thought, but when we went in to our meeting, pres. shared it with everyone. i guess we will have no secrets (almost) from our missionaries. before our first week was up, he got some bad news about a couple of our missionaries and he let a curse word fly (for effect of course) and then quickly felt bad about it :). of course he blames it on all the time he has spent hanging out with the stewarts. i'm going to put the blame on don and united myself! anyway...i am wondering what the a.p.'s are thinking of their president now :). they are pretty pure!
like i said before, because things are so spread out, when a missionary is having a problem, you can't drive over to them quickly, or have them come to you...it is a bit of a bummer. can you effectively communicate with someone and be directed by the spirit over the phone? i guess the Lord can make all things possible! it will be a challenge!
tuesday, i worked cleaning the kitchen from 8 in the morning until midnight! not fun! i kept thinking of my mother cleaning the prestwich's cabin in star valley, so we could live there comfortably one summer, and i knew i could continue on. i felt better going to bed last night, feeling like i had cleaned and cleared space to unpack my things!
wednesday, unpacking...YEAH! the facilities men came over to help us with a few things. they moved some beds and a treadmill, fixed a garage door opener for me, and got rid of some garbage. i am grateful. but when they left i noticed a few big grease stains on our new carpet. resolve did nothing. any ideas?
i just looked at my mail box (email). 64 messages. between jon signing me up on facebook, which i'm not sure i will ever do anything with except accept friend invitations :), and the missionaries sending me their parents email addresses, i can't keep up with it. ha ha. it's great to be so pop-le-ur!
love to all! hope you have a magnificent day!
this week, so far, has been a blur. monday we left the house at 7am and returned home at 9:30pm. we probably spent four hours with our missionaries and the rest of that time driving in the car. our mission is VERY spread out! (understatement) jon has put a thousand miles on his car this week!!! we traveled up to ukiah, met with our zones there, and then on up to eureka. it is quite amazing, the different personalities that each of our areas possess. not the missionaries themselves, but the areas they are serving in. there is certainly different geography (these northern areas they are tracting on dirt roads, lots of pot growers, economy is hurting, and a prison that offers the only jobs around), different types of people (from san fran liberals, to wine country, to normal - at least normal to me :), to small town farmers), different economic situations (poorest of poor to great affluence), and all kinds of things in between. i think it helps keep the missionaries interested. moving to a different area means having a completely different experience! i like that!
our missionaries were great! they feel like they are in the back woods being so far removed...they eat it up. and they are being blessed with a lot of success. no sisters allowed in these areas...i think they like that too. shame on them!
this is the eureka zone!
the drive is very beautiful, but it is LONG. i'm not sure i would be looking forward to it every six weeks for the next three years, but seeing the elders makes the drive so worth it, right?
on our fourth day here, jon got his first speeding ticket. i don't know what the a.p.'s thought, but when we went in to our meeting, pres. shared it with everyone. i guess we will have no secrets (almost) from our missionaries. before our first week was up, he got some bad news about a couple of our missionaries and he let a curse word fly (for effect of course) and then quickly felt bad about it :). of course he blames it on all the time he has spent hanging out with the stewarts. i'm going to put the blame on don and united myself! anyway...i am wondering what the a.p.'s are thinking of their president now :). they are pretty pure!
like i said before, because things are so spread out, when a missionary is having a problem, you can't drive over to them quickly, or have them come to you...it is a bit of a bummer. can you effectively communicate with someone and be directed by the spirit over the phone? i guess the Lord can make all things possible! it will be a challenge!
tuesday, i worked cleaning the kitchen from 8 in the morning until midnight! not fun! i kept thinking of my mother cleaning the prestwich's cabin in star valley, so we could live there comfortably one summer, and i knew i could continue on. i felt better going to bed last night, feeling like i had cleaned and cleared space to unpack my things!
wednesday, unpacking...YEAH! the facilities men came over to help us with a few things. they moved some beds and a treadmill, fixed a garage door opener for me, and got rid of some garbage. i am grateful. but when they left i noticed a few big grease stains on our new carpet. resolve did nothing. any ideas?
i just looked at my mail box (email). 64 messages. between jon signing me up on facebook, which i'm not sure i will ever do anything with except accept friend invitations :), and the missionaries sending me their parents email addresses, i can't keep up with it. ha ha. it's great to be so pop-le-ur!
love to all! hope you have a magnificent day!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
brush creek ward
well, the 4th of july sort of passed over me without much notice. (kind of sad!) we spent until about 3 o'clock yesterday meeting the santa rosa zone and the san rafael zone. we tried to do some unpacking after that...tried being the optimal word. i am having a hard time concentrating on that task when most of my day is over before i get started.
today we attended our new ward. we are definitely in the mission field. but you know what? the church is true here too. testimony meeting was wonderful. i felt the spirit as total strangers got up one after the other to bear testimony. i felt just as good here in my meeting as at home, only all of my ward family was missing! i'm sure we will make new friends some day :), but as soon as sacrament meeting was over, we were in the car driving to san rafael again. it is very close to the golden gate bridge. on the way home jon said, "i'm starting to get this awful feeling that i am going to be living in my car!" ya think?
this afternoon i got to go with a couple of our sisters, sister skotland and sister ruegner, to teach one of their investigators. they even called me to ask if i would like to come with them (out of the blue i thought). the truth was, sister skotland has been having severe headaches for about two months now, and sister ruegner wanted me to be her back-up if sister skotland got sick. as it turned out we all went together, and i got to meet the sweetest sister of all time, cheryl. she was incredible, such a pure heart, and such a desire to be baptized and be able to live with her heavenly father and jesus christ again. she was choice! i am convinced, that if we can spend time with the missionaries we will love this experience!
since i talked about the back-yard i decided to post a picture of it. it is where i have the best internet signal (until tuesday), since i am mooching it off of one of my neighbors! it is pretty out here, pretty chilly as well!!! can you believe i am in sweat pants and a sweat jacket? reminds me of a cool wyoming evening in the fall. jon saw a deer in the back yard last night. they must feel pretty protected here.
also today, i cooked my first meal in our new home. unfortunately, i still feel like i'm camping out! where is all my stuff? i guess i better get through the kitchen to see what i have, so i can practice at least once to make the big meal before i actually have too! YIKES!!!
we are good! heading north tomorrow. it is supposed to be a breath taking drive (though a long drive), through the redwoods along the coast. we will meet the rest of our missionaries! so far, i am loving them all. i'm hoping that continues for three years :)! i miss my family and my friends though! today at church when i was watching the children, my heart got a little sad. my eyes a little misty. i hope everyone can come to visit some time! just give us some time to get things a little put together here first. rhonda and larry, we can't wait to see you friday! love to all, susan
today we attended our new ward. we are definitely in the mission field. but you know what? the church is true here too. testimony meeting was wonderful. i felt the spirit as total strangers got up one after the other to bear testimony. i felt just as good here in my meeting as at home, only all of my ward family was missing! i'm sure we will make new friends some day :), but as soon as sacrament meeting was over, we were in the car driving to san rafael again. it is very close to the golden gate bridge. on the way home jon said, "i'm starting to get this awful feeling that i am going to be living in my car!" ya think?
this afternoon i got to go with a couple of our sisters, sister skotland and sister ruegner, to teach one of their investigators. they even called me to ask if i would like to come with them (out of the blue i thought). the truth was, sister skotland has been having severe headaches for about two months now, and sister ruegner wanted me to be her back-up if sister skotland got sick. as it turned out we all went together, and i got to meet the sweetest sister of all time, cheryl. she was incredible, such a pure heart, and such a desire to be baptized and be able to live with her heavenly father and jesus christ again. she was choice! i am convinced, that if we can spend time with the missionaries we will love this experience!
since i talked about the back-yard i decided to post a picture of it. it is where i have the best internet signal (until tuesday), since i am mooching it off of one of my neighbors! it is pretty out here, pretty chilly as well!!! can you believe i am in sweat pants and a sweat jacket? reminds me of a cool wyoming evening in the fall. jon saw a deer in the back yard last night. they must feel pretty protected here.
also today, i cooked my first meal in our new home. unfortunately, i still feel like i'm camping out! where is all my stuff? i guess i better get through the kitchen to see what i have, so i can practice at least once to make the big meal before i actually have too! YIKES!!!
we are good! heading north tomorrow. it is supposed to be a breath taking drive (though a long drive), through the redwoods along the coast. we will meet the rest of our missionaries! so far, i am loving them all. i'm hoping that continues for three years :)! i miss my family and my friends though! today at church when i was watching the children, my heart got a little sad. my eyes a little misty. i hope everyone can come to visit some time! just give us some time to get things a little put together here first. rhonda and larry, we can't wait to see you friday! love to all, susan
Friday, July 3, 2009
meet and greet
today we met half of our elders and sisters. it was humbling. they are wonderful, and you can just feel of their goodness, love, enthusiasm and spirit! we met with five zones in four meetings starting at 8 (we left the house at 6:45) and we finished about 4, and returned home around 7 tonight. I feel like i could use a good diet coke hook up intravenously right now, but i'm not a drinker anymore :(. fresca is just not making a difference. i am spent!
each meeting lasted about an hour, and then we had a little time for visiting and such afterwards before leaving to meet our next group! it was wonderful to finally see each elder and sister and look into their eyes, and feel so much love from them and for them. we really are blessed! in each meeting we sang a couple of hymns, the assistants spoke for a few minutes, then me, and then president.
to be honest, as i walked into the room at our first meeting, and they all stood, my emotions just got very tender, and i melted a little as i shook their hands and hugged the sisters. it was such a sweet experience. i got to introduce our family to them...so i got pictures printed that we had taken last week with elder oaks and spoke about each member of our family one by one. i told them mike and tod are anxious to go out with them and participate when they come to town. i proudly showed them pictures of the girls and was pleasantly surprised when no one was extra curious about when they would be coming to visit. :) and i showed them a picture of lauren and beau, and told them that to these people we were papa jon and grama thuthie! they are all excited to meet hailey, and elder mcneel especially thinks she will love maria carillo high school.
i feel happy inside, even though i am weak on the outside. i had forgotten my phone today and it was so sweet to get a couple of messages from sadie and megan with great joy in their voices, announcing that megan was in fact, a national champion in this weeks competition! "composition of me" took #1 of the whole show!!! "toe the line" was #3. congratulations and way to go sweetheart! we love you.
we are missing you all terribly!
one picture for the road...
some things will never change...
first thing unpacked and put in its usual spot! :)
sports illustrated adorning the toilet!
i came out to the back porch to see if the internet signal would be a little stronger, and i saw all of the flowers and such that sister stoddard planted for me. i have been watering them; herbs (i don't know how to cook with), flowers, peppers, tomatoes, you name it, it may be on my back porch. i am wondering how long it will be before they are all dead! i tried to ask for instructions on what to do before she left, but she had no idea someone could be as incompetent as me in keeping green things alive.
it is like being on a camp-out out here. i can hear all kinds of wild life walking around in the woods below. doing their calls and such. it is very quiet and peaceful...a little place to rejuvinate the soul!
each meeting lasted about an hour, and then we had a little time for visiting and such afterwards before leaving to meet our next group! it was wonderful to finally see each elder and sister and look into their eyes, and feel so much love from them and for them. we really are blessed! in each meeting we sang a couple of hymns, the assistants spoke for a few minutes, then me, and then president.
to be honest, as i walked into the room at our first meeting, and they all stood, my emotions just got very tender, and i melted a little as i shook their hands and hugged the sisters. it was such a sweet experience. i got to introduce our family to them...so i got pictures printed that we had taken last week with elder oaks and spoke about each member of our family one by one. i told them mike and tod are anxious to go out with them and participate when they come to town. i proudly showed them pictures of the girls and was pleasantly surprised when no one was extra curious about when they would be coming to visit. :) and i showed them a picture of lauren and beau, and told them that to these people we were papa jon and grama thuthie! they are all excited to meet hailey, and elder mcneel especially thinks she will love maria carillo high school.
i feel happy inside, even though i am weak on the outside. i had forgotten my phone today and it was so sweet to get a couple of messages from sadie and megan with great joy in their voices, announcing that megan was in fact, a national champion in this weeks competition! "composition of me" took #1 of the whole show!!! "toe the line" was #3. congratulations and way to go sweetheart! we love you.
we are missing you all terribly!
one picture for the road...
some things will never change...
first thing unpacked and put in its usual spot! :)
sports illustrated adorning the toilet!
i came out to the back porch to see if the internet signal would be a little stronger, and i saw all of the flowers and such that sister stoddard planted for me. i have been watering them; herbs (i don't know how to cook with), flowers, peppers, tomatoes, you name it, it may be on my back porch. i am wondering how long it will be before they are all dead! i tried to ask for instructions on what to do before she left, but she had no idea someone could be as incompetent as me in keeping green things alive.
it is like being on a camp-out out here. i can hear all kinds of wild life walking around in the woods below. doing their calls and such. it is very quiet and peaceful...a little place to rejuvinate the soul!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
http://santarosamission.blogspot.com
tune into one of my new projects for the mission. i'm going to try to post a picture everyday!
answers to questions: before and after pictures will be a LONG way off. i could show pictures of how full the garbage cans are though!
i'm questioning if i dare do a photo tour of the house. hailey may never come out! it isn't that bad, really.
day 2. trying to clean out and unpack. day 3. we start "meeting and greeting" the missionaries. YEAH!
thank you all again for your prayers and support. they are helping!
tune into one of my new projects for the mission. i'm going to try to post a picture everyday!
answers to questions: before and after pictures will be a LONG way off. i could show pictures of how full the garbage cans are though!
i'm questioning if i dare do a photo tour of the house. hailey may never come out! it isn't that bad, really.
day 2. trying to clean out and unpack. day 3. we start "meeting and greeting" the missionaries. YEAH!
thank you all again for your prayers and support. they are helping!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
new address
Here we are...a bit over-whelmed...wondering if we will ever feel organized again. The positives? The weather is nice and it is really pretty to look out the back windows :).
Our home address:
3220 Cobblestone Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
My email:
sbunk@me.com
Home phone number:
707-579-1718
(not working at the moment :)
My cell number:
702-267-7201
More information to follow! Happy Day!
Our home address:
3220 Cobblestone Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
My email:
sbunk@me.com
Home phone number:
707-579-1718
(not working at the moment :)
My cell number:
702-267-7201
More information to follow! Happy Day!
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