The Changing of the Guard

This week marked a change in our mission president. President Larry Gelwix and his wife Cathy completed three years of service leading young men and women into adulthood and ready to take on the future of the Church. With change, there is always a lot of speculation about leadership style, mission culture and loyalty. The change in the mission president has been an interesting phenomena to watch. As we held our final zone conference and specialized training session with the Gelwix', emotions were high and at the surface. Many tears were shed and long hugs were the order of the day.

With the emotional good-bye's behind us, it was time to move forward and embrace the new. A couple of months ago President Gelwix asked us to begin praying for the Clark's daily. Yesterday Sister Olson and I got to attend the "Meet the Clark's" gathering of missionaries from two of the Fresno zones.

President Jeff and Sister Bonnie Clark 

Because of a funeral at the church, the meeting got bumped back and then the Clark's meeting with the north zones in the morning went longer than anticipated; so our 12:30 meeting began around 2:30.  After sitting in the chapel waiting for over two hours, the anticipation was palpable. As the Clark's came into the chapel, all the missionaries stood in respect. The Clark's immediately began embracing and shaking hands with the missionaries. It was delightful to see the yearning in every young missionary's eyes to be recognized by and to touch the new president. He did not disappoint - and made a point of hugging the elders and shaking hands with the sisters (even us oldies). Sister Clark did the same in hugging the sisters and shaking hands with the elders.

 

President Gelwix had previously explained in zone conference that the moment President Clark stepped off the plane onto Fresno ground, the mantle passed to him. President Clark testified that it was an actual passing that he felt physically and spiritually. Elder Castaneda, one of the Assistants to the President, testified of the same - that as he watched President and Sister Clark step off the plane, he received the confirmation that "Yes" - this is the right man for this mission. All is well.

 

We loved them immediately. After a brief introduction of themselves they each spoke briefly then began personal 3 minute interviews with each missionary there. In my interview President Clark expressed his unconditional love for each of us and asked what he could do to bless me and to serve me.  President reassured us that nothing in the mission culture will change - as it would be foolish to change anything that makes the CFM the top baptizing mission of the 17 California missions! With the focus on retention of new members recently laid out by the Church, he only expects this mission to get stronger and lead out in the surge of baptisms throughout the church.

 

It is a new beginning, not only for the Clark's, but for each missionary in the California Fresno Mission. No personal information is passed from the old to the new. Everyone starts fresh. It is an opportunity for each of us to love unconditionally and go forth in faith serving in the Lord's Vineyard. The same happens each Sabbath as we partake of the sacrament with a repentant heart. We start fresh. We begin anew striving to be better. Our Savior makes it possible for this to happen for each of us. 

 Sister Olson wrote this poem regarding the change of leadership:
Mantle Passed  

The Captain turned to leave the field.

Soldiers paused, some stood, some kneeled-

“No regrets!” … “This step I'll make.”

-A tear tugged glance- “Your love I'll take.”.

Another Captain, true and clear,                    

Approaches now, with righteous fear.

His step is planted, as they greet;

The Mission transfer is complete.

One Captain's mantle, is heaven sent.        

The other's mantle, 3 years lent.

From Him it radiates to cover,

Protect, illume, direct and buffer.

 

The soldiers rally, increase their vigor;

Their shout, “we baptize”, even bigger.

Our Captains we follow, who first love our King,

We pledge them our lives- “For the Kingdom”, we sing. 

            by Linda Olson/July 2014  



Opportunity Lost

On Thursday morning when we had our staff meeting, Steve said that he was going to offer Carlos a job in the employment center. Steve has 2 or 3 internships where the Church pays them to help in the ERC and to basically spend their day looking for work - YES, paid to look for a job. Wow!  Is that amazing or what! Carlos is a recently returned missionary and Sister Olson and I just loved him from the first time he came to the center. He is courteous, sweet, followed through on assignments. We have told him he makes us and his mother very proud. We were thrilled for this opportunity for him! He is starting college in the fall and this internship was a perfect opportunity for him to find the "perfect" job for his school schedule.

His appointment time came – and went. No Carlos. There is no gray in this area for Steve. He had an appointment, a professional appointment. Carlos didn't call. Steve does not 'hire' those who do not follow through and keep their word, or for that matter, are even late.

He informed us that Carlos would NOT be offered the internship. We could see he was not happy. 

Early afternoon Carlos came in, happy as ever. He hugged us all and went in to talk to Steve. By then, Steve was also meeting with his boss, Mindy, and both of them must have talked to Carlos for quite a while. It had to have been the learning lesson for the day, and maybe life. THE MIRACLE JOB was lost.  He came out with some job leads- only - We wanted to cry for him. We wanted him to have that internship! We were torn between the motherly compassion for him to HAVE the job (maybe with a minor punishment) and the wisdom to know this was a pivotal opportunity to learn. But we knew he had to  remember his Mission lessons – keep appointments; be responsible. Whatever was done, was right. 

This is the second time this has happened. A Sister Missionary, also an amazing girl, was not finding a job and Steve was ready to offer her an internship. He called to make an appointment, but didn't specify for what. She didn't come. The offer vanished.

Sometimes opportunities in life only come to us once.  We must be prepared and ready to act.  What do we learn from missed opportunities? Miracle opportunities CAN be lost! This might be likened to the parable of the 10 Virgins. Five were watchful and prepared. Five were not watchful and when it was time to go the wedding feast, they were out of oil. They arrived to late and were not admitted. The opportunity for them was lost.

BE RESPONSIBLE
BE RESPECTFUL
BE PUNCTUAL
KEEP YOUR WORD
BE PREPARED
Have NO REGRETS (this is the CFM Mission Motto)

 

Humility and Obedience at It's Best

Rhonda is a sister that we met while attending Orchard View Ward. She joined the church 17 years ago and following a divorce has been inactive for the last 13 years. We sat by her the first Sunday she came back to church and she has not missed a meeting since March. She seeks us out every Sunday to sit with her and is very sad that we aren't attending that ward anymore. Sunday we decided to attend Orchard View because Kyle, an investigator we met in a workshop was getting confirmed. He was baptized last Sunday. Rhonda took the bus to Church and saw us as she got off the bus and came running over immediately, arms open for her hugs. We walked together towards the Church building and Sister Olson noticed she had about 5 stud earrings in each ear. Because we know her so well, Sister Olson commented casually, “You know the Prophet has asked us not to wear more than one pair of earrings." “Really?” she queried. Without another breathe, she continued, “Then I will take them out right now... I didn't know that. I don't want to do anything the Lord doesn't want to me do.” She stopped in that spot, and started to take them out (all but one pair), asking for help with one that didn't want to budge.

This may seem like a rather simple and unimportant story, but it SHOULD impress us all. Rhonda COULD have been irritated or offended that anything was said, even by a friend. Then she COULD have chosen to wait until later to take them out. But she was humble, grateful for the further knowledge, and was IMMEDIATE in her actions. OH!!! - that all of us could be so easily instructed, so quick to DO the word of the Lord, in the large and small things. If we did, we would have a Church of Captain Moroni(s), and of Mary(s). 

Go forth, and do likewise-be obedient-and humble!


Kyle's Baptism with Elder Joyner and Elder Smith.












                                                                                          Rhonda

Quick Trip to the Coast

This week we had the opportunity (tough job, but someone had to do it) of traveling out of our mission boundaries to Santa Maria (3 1/2 hours away) to teach the Career Workshop to members of that stake. We had to receive permission from President Gelwix to leave the mission. We left Friday before noon and arrived around 2pm at Pismo Beach and got to play around on the beach and eat fish chips at a local favorite shop.

 

Pismo Beach is a great little beach town with a variety of seashores. First stop was the rocky, craggy beach and then on to the smooth white sand and a little wade in the ocean. We then headed to Santa Maria to meet a Stake High Councilman and set up the room for class, preparing for about 25 candidates plus 5 or 6 leaders. That done, we headed back to Pismo Beach and had a nice dinner and looked around the town and people watched!

 

We had a good turnout with a few extras for the Saturday workshop. We normally teach the class in two full days and this time we only had six hours so we had to cut out a lot of the activities. It was a good smattering of what we teach. The Ward and Stake Employment specialists in the stake need to fill in the gaps. Most of those attending were very gracious and appreciative of the instruction. It was fun and I felt like they got the bones of what they need to move forward in their job searches.  

This picture is of those who were there during the lunch break. The high councilman who arranged the workshop is Randy Harris - 2nd from the right - and is a descendant of Martin Harris's brother - so he is a shirttail relative on the Ball side of the family.

With the workshop done and the room cleaned up we drove along the coast to Morro Bay where we took a bit of time to enjoy watching the otters in the bay - stretching and floating and sometimes playing and on the opposite side of Morro Rock we watched the surfers - but I was so enthralled with watching them that I forgot to take pictures. The waves were huge and is was delightful to see them succeed in riding waves in to the shore.  

 



 A face only a mother could love!

A small submarine on display.  

^{Then we headed home. It was a very long but productive day. Once again I am in awe of the beauty and wonders of this earth. God is Great. God is Good.}

Miracle of the "One" - In this case - "Two"

Each week in Sister Olson's letter to her family she tells them of a miracle that week.  We have so many, some days it's hard to keep track. This is her post from last week.
 

Monday, June 2^nd, 2014... At noon Sister Ball did a 'house call' (no, we don't normally do these),  to see Sandra T. and help her for over an hour with a computer problem. She is a family practice physician but is basically computer illiterate. Then after work we went over to Sandra T's again and Sister Ball spend almost another 2 hours helping her with her computer. It is interesting to see a mind capable of becoming a doctor, who hates computers because she knows nothing and doesn't feel able to tackle it, at all – it was over whelming for her. Recognizing her limitations, she was greatly appreciative for the help and the patience. It was an double act of charity on Sister Ball's part, as Sandra has dogs and cats. Woah..... Sister Ball is allergic.  I was concerned she would finish the tasks but not be able to breathe and I would have to drag or carry her to the car – or worse!!!  Serious! But she made it. “I” am grateful, for her charity and for still breathing!

Tuesday/Wednesday, June 3,4 -  Career Workshop  The Lord's handiwork for the individual continues..

Last Friday I called all those who were signed up for the Career Workshop, (that I could contact), to see if they were coming. Three were definite. Two I couldn't contact and at least three of the others had unexpected conflicts and asked to sign up for  the next workshop. A man that was on standby, had a job interview on the second day,  and then his brother died- so a funeral. By late afternoon, it appeared we had 3 for  So, Monday I called again. Jennifer P. and Sandra T. were two of the for-sures - still YES... Brad, another for-sure yes, who has been anxiously waiting for the workshop, had his wife call to tell us he had come down with the flu. He was ready to come, sick, but his wife did not want to expose us...  Two that I had not been able to contact last week called back to apologize – they have jobs and don't need to come in. I called two from the next sign up, but  they weren't able to get a babysitter for children...SO....

By Tuesday morning, we had gone from about 12, to 2... I would have been greatly disappointed except I reminded myself that we PRAY, for only those the Lord wants in that class to come, and we have seen that work over and over...   

CLASS BEGAN: with the two...

I have been working with Jennifer and got to be her mentor last week, so there was good rapport with both Sister Ball and I. (She wants to work with fish.) Sister Sandra T. is early 70s, a doctor who was let go because (it appears) she was making too much, and in the last year has had severe medical issues herself. She still wants to practice. Unfortunately, she has NO computer skills and she is very negative... and combative about most things. Sister Ball and I were worried we would not fill her needs... then we worried her negativity would be challenging to the whole class... BUT, we told ourselves, 'she signed up, and there was something for her to learn'. A good portion of the first morning is self esteem, and she contended on several points. I had expected this and felt prepared. I thought I handled her concerns even though she did not seem convinced of the worth of some of our advice... we plugged on.  By the end of the day, Jennifer was thrilled with all she had learned. Sandra seemed to feel she would continue to see if there was something that applied to her interviewing with DOCTORS, whom she said didn't interview the way we were teaching... 

We went home feeling we had not taught with the spirit sufficiently. I thought I may have been  too prepared to 'protect' us from the negatives, and felt a need to repent of that protective attitude. I felt I needed, again, to simply teach as the spirit directed, and what was needed would be given.  Not worry about ANYTHING else.

Wednesday they both came back! Things seemed to go more smoothly, but with some of the same negative attitude and combativeness from Sandra. Later in the day, there were several times when both Sandra and Jennifer expressed gratitude that there were no others there, as they needed the individual help and they didn't see how we could really do adequately with more. Yes, we acknowledged,  the practice times would be shorter – and less personal attention or questions... I found several times that I was able to give more examples relating to self-esteem and happiness etc., than I normally would. I went with the promptings. 

Late afternoon, Sandra confessed she was normally a positive happy person but she didn't have cause to be right now...  So yes, we did have to address that - it does affect how you interview. (She even said we were both good teachers, and the class should continue... whew)  By the end of class a whole NEW perspective emerged...

THE PEOPLE WHO NEEDED THIS CLASS AND ATTENTION HAD COME!  Anyone else would have detracted from the need, or been affected by the negativity...

-"I"  was reminded... The law of the return – what we throw into the air, we will attract back. Sister Tiller is currently very negative and in the afternoon acknowledged happiness is a choice, and right now she isn't. In both of her practice interviews she didn't crack one smile, or much of one. THE good news is that she could see this when we video-taped her. She commented on how she 'really is' a happy person normally... and I told her we looked forward to seeing that, said with a sense of humor – and she smiled. With some discussion she even thought she could put a smiley face on the inside of her port-folio to remind herself to smile... Ahhh some progress...[ Even when talking on the phone we suggest they smile...  SMILES can be felt over the phone (try it)...   NO ONE wants to hire a frowning face...]

 

-I was reminded there was not a need to be protective (against negative thoughts), of Sister Ball or myself -but just speak by the Holy Ghost. That is sufficient. Be selfless. We teach who HE wills, and it is God's timing.

-Heavenly Father knows us and our class individually... We would NOT have been as successful with Sandra if Sister Ball had not taken the opportunity to SERVE her in charity, before class... We could NOT have blessed these two ladies if there had been others. This was the ONLY way we could have blessed them, and not been distracted by others needs (They will be blessed later – and individually.)    

At Home in Utah

May 16th

Seminary Graduation - May 18th

 

 

                                                Kaycee's Graduation Day - May 20, 2014

 

So very proud of this beautiful young woman and her accomplishments! She is an amazing example to her siblings and to the rest of our family. 

Chase your dreams Kaycee-Naycee!! 

 

 Kelly's 6th Grade Graduation - May 21st

 

 

May 22nd -  Grandparent's Day with Sophie-bug!

DJ's Piano Recital - A great performance!

 

 

Memorial Day Week-end. Wellsville on Saturday

 Kaysville on Sunday. 

 Traditional Memorial Day BBQ with the whole family -

  there is no greater gift in life than FAMILY!

 

The Draper's Visit Fresno

Last week brought family to visit. Rod and Rose arrived on the 26th and left on the 29th. We had a great time seeing the sights of Fresno! Highlights were a session at the Fresno Temple and a trip to Yosemite. They fell in love with Yosemite. This is the first time I have been there when there was water running over the falls. It is absolutely beautiful. Each season brings new sights and sounds. We could not have asked for more perfect weather.

Yosemite Falls - look closely and you will see the lower falls also (right above Rod's head to the left).  The picture below it is Bridal Veil Falls.

 

Last night we attended a luau hosted by the ward we were visiting today (Riverside Ward). The meal was delicious and the entertainment (though not quite luau style) was fun. It was a group doing 60's music! The pavilion where it was held was right next to the temple so we had this lovely backdrop to the entertainment.

  

HOW DOES HEAVENLY FATHER GET US TO WHERE HE CAN BLESS US?

ONE OF THE MIRACLES of earth life is how Heavenly Father is constantly beckoning us - "Come this way"... "Do this." (or don't)... Yes, he could just tell us, give us the co-ordinates etc., but it is a little hard for our mortal ears to hear something so exact . For example, Heavenly Father wanted the Joseph Smith family to be in Palmyra, New York. If the Spirit had said: " Go to New York", they may have responded, "WHY should we go there?"   WHY? hmmm- Ancient records, gold plates, angels, blessings and hardships... Really?... None of that would have made sense... So, it took a couple of droughts to finally get  them to THINK they should go there for good farm land. It was for that reason and for a purpose far more amazing as well.

This happens to us all the time as missionaries. The Lord is in every aspect of our lives, trying to direct but not force.
Laura R. came to the ERC on Wednesday - a bubbly blonde in her late 40s. She sat with Sister Olson and I and almost immediately her story spilled out. She was crying enough that Steve motioned that we could go to his office if we wanted to, but the moving would have been more disruptive, so we stayed, and softly spoke and listened. The tears were not so much for sadness as for the amazement at how the Lord had been leading her for years, and NOW she was where He could work with her.

 

Her single mother and family were introduced and baptized into the Church when she was about 13 years old, in Pennsylvania. There wasn't a Church near by, so it wasn't long until they were completely inactive. She lived her life and a finally married a successful Doctor, and they had a son. This, however wasn't a perfect fit as he wanted her to be a socialite equal to his position, and that wasn't comfortable. She preferred her motorcycle, a variety of activities, etc.  About 7-8 years ago her husband was killed in a car accident. With her life turned upside down, she sold her home and bought a small RV, and travelled across the US (her sons now on their own).  After many stops and adventures she ended up in LA at a trailer park.   Here she met a lovely lady who said she was working in LA but her family was in Fresno with her husband, and the children were 'running amuck'.  Laura was invited to go up there and be a nanny for them.

Not too many days after her arrival,  there was a knock on the door and she heard someone tell two young men at the door that their father wasn't available right then. They started to leave, but Laura was propelled to ask if they were missionaries...YES... and she opened the door and raced down the walk to invite them back. She knew she was a LATTER DAY SAINT. These were her people!  They talked, made appointments, and invited her to Church,  and yes, this family was taking the discussions. WHO WOULD THINK?   That Sunday, she talked with the Bishop; he immediately asked one of the sisters to shepherd her. She agreed and was on it with precision. The Sister suggested she go to the LDS Employment Center, as she was  now out of money.

 

She came. We talked about her skills and experience. She had worked with autistic children so we had her call- right then- an LDS lady who has a 23 year old autistic daughter and wanted a companion for a few hours a week.  The lady was thrilled and will meet with her next week. Laura was pleased.... then we looked up a hand full of possible jobs, filled out some forms etc.  We loved our time with her and she came back the following day for more leads. She loved being with us, and said she didn't want to leave, as the spirit was so warm and comfortable. She said over and over how she could see how the Lord has been softly directing her to this point in her life.

Her story continues - as does ours.

I am continually amazed and grateful at how much the Lord is involved in the details of our lives.