what an awesome week!

julia survived her kitchen...and is totally rejuvenated for a long while, I hope!

the incoming and outgoing missionaries and dinners were wonderful and fun! It is very exciting to see our new missionaries walking down the hallway to baggage claim with smiles on their faces looking to see what their "people" look like. i would love to know what their first impressions of us are :). maybe it is better to just imagine what they are thinking!



testimony meeting, and our little program with our returning missionaries, is totally a highlight for sure! the beef brisket was delish...i didn't forget anything too important for dinner so everyone was happy. all in all monday was a great day, just tiring! tuesday we got to go to the temple, for me the first time since i arrived in the mission field. IT WAS A TREAT! we didn't make the 10 o'clock session due to bad traffic so the next one wasn't until 11. kind of stressful, but we survived. i miss my weekly trip to the temple with my loved ones! (i definitely missed those loved ones that morning at the temple.) still, it was a gift from heaven to be inside those sacred walls again. president hunter and his wife nan (the temple president and son of the Prophet, President Hunter) were there and we got to have the sweetest conversation with them and our missionaries. they told us some great stories about president hunter, the Prophet, and the fact that he was a musical genius, seriously, and some other wonderful little insights about him, and also some very sacred things about the oakland temple itself. what a sweet experience! then we came home, president did one last interview with everyone, and I got my one and only hug from my elders.


wednesday we went back to oakland (third day in a row), to get on a plane for our mission president seminar in orange county. the seminar was a three day spiritual high! another mtc experience for me. elder christofferson, elder clayton, elder arnold, and steve allen (head of the missionary department) taught and taught and taught us! elder and sister christofferson are such warm, real people. so humble, so funny and quick witted, so in tune, so incredible. it is really unreal to spend so much time with one of the Lord's apostles. we were in the temple with them, sitting next to them at dinner a few times, visiting and laughing, but most importantly, being taught by them.



the women had a break out session on friday. the wives of the "Elder's" were in charge. we all shared a scripture that had been a particular help to us as we have had to deal with hard things...either personally, or family related, or with one of our missionaries. my soul was fed and my heart was filled, clear to running over. and then elder christofferson came in and spoke. as he concluded, he pronounced an apostolic blessing on us. it was as if his hands were on my head, and i could feel the power of his words sink deep into my soul.

i don't know why i have been so blessed. i don't know why i have had these opportunities the past few months to be in the presence of the Lord's anointed. but i do feel the influence of their guidance and words upon me. i felt differently as i spoke today in stake conference. i felt the power of that blessing within me. i was able to speak without notes, and perhaps with a little more power than before. i know i want to be the "influence for good" that the Lord expects me to be, and that i am going to more faithfully do my part, that He can more completely guide me and bless me in this work we are involved in! sorry to go on and on, but i have to remember the things i have felt and heard this past weekend...they have to keep me going for another year.

we had a short break between 4:00 and 6:00 on friday, so bill met us at the hotel for a visit. that was another sweet treat! his words and comments and love and wisdom filled my heart up even more. it was so good to hug him and see him. i love him!


i was so surprised how much i loved the newport beach temple! i loved the interior. it is small but beautiful. it was probably because we were so prepared when we went, (we had been learning all morning) but the feelings i felt that day in the temple i will never forget. the veil was very thin. it was the sweetest blessing of the weekend. being there. feeling that love.



as tod would say, "it has been an epic week!"
my cup runneth over!