Missionary Adventures of Skip and Emma Booren

Weeks 79-80, An End of one Adventure and a New Beginning. New Venue/New Direction – ALL Good

Two very good and very full weeks, but for us no more numbers.

On April 9, 2019 we started heading home, via Virginia, with a stop there to see our oldest son and daughter and their children. One highlight was participating in the Priesthood ordination of our grandson, Nathan Kleinman.

Nathan waited for his grandfather, Elder Skip Booren, to be in attendance, before receiving the Aaronic priesthood and being ordained a Deacon by his father. We also got to watch another grandson, Brenner Booren, score the winning (only) goal in his Middle School soccer game. We enjoyed our time with our family in Virginia before heading for Indiana and another Booren family.

There, grandson, Ethan Booren, who also waited on his grandfather, received the Melchizedek Priesthood and was ordained an Elder as part of his preparations to go on a full-time Mission. While there, we attended a Stake Conference, where we very much enjoyed the Lord’s Spirit.

Much of the joy of this week was simply spending time with kids and grandkids, something that we have done little of the past 18 months.

From Indiana, Emma flew home to Oregon (her health isn’t up to an extended road trip). While Skip began the rest of the road trip home with daughter Melissa Jones, who flew out from Oregon to assist in this part of the journey. Gotta love these kids.

The first day of the rest of our road trip, was a stop in Omaha, Nebraska to see the Visitor’s Centers at Winter Quarters and Council Bluff, where the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped briefly after getting kicked out of Nauvoo, Illinois, before proceeding to the deserts of Utah. Their incredible willingness to sacrifice so much, due to their testimonies of Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God and of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as the word of God, allowed them to endure so much for their faith. I think that both Melissa and I were greatly inspired by what we saw, heard and felt through the Spirit of the Lord.

We then drove on to Gillette, Wyoming, for a short visit with my almost 93 year-old Aunt Patty Jessen. Aunt Patty is actually the sister-in-law to my last step-mother. That said, for the longest time, I have viewed their family as part of my real family because of the love I always felt when around them. They also hold a special place in my heart, because if Patty’s husband Jess hadn’t invited my up to replace the roof on their ranch house, so many years ago, I might not have met and married my Sweetheart Emma and thus might not have been introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was, and certainly wouldn’t have had the wonderful children that came into my life as a result. While Aunt Patty is still very active and lucid, I wasn’t sure when I would next see her and I wanted to tell her in person, how grateful I am for her and her family and all that they have meant to me over the years.

I got to be a missionary with Aunt Patty, at least a little bit of one. While she is firmly convinced that our Church is NOT for her, she nonetheless had a lot of questions we were able to discuss. We also talked a lot about how important families are in the greater scheme of things. And it was fun to hear about how well her family is doing. Even though my contact with them is limited, I do love that family a lot.

From Gillette, Melissa and I then drove 1175 miles in 17 hours to get back to Oregon. Along the way in our driving, we listened to a few April 2019 General Conference talks and to a lot of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. I love Dickens’ works, because the good guys are generally very good, courageous, and moral, even if young and sometimes a little immature. The bad guys leave no doubt as to their evil intentions. That said, karma plays its role and the different players reap what they sow, whether for good or for ill. All of this plays out in beautifully described scenes from early 19^th Century England, where many of the challenges faced are not so different from what we see today. Despite the changes in technology, people are still people and politicians still fight the media even like way back then.

On arriving in Oregon, we found ourselves again surrounded by loving family. Truly life can be a preparation for heaven as we learn to love one another.

Saturday morning, 20 April, our Stake President formally released us as Full-time Missionaries. The reminder of that still brings a tear to my eyes. Not of sorrow, nor of gratitude at being released, but of gratitude for the opportunity to have served. It is so hard sometimes to express the joy of being a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and having the opportunity to share that joy with our Heavenly Father’s children. More often than not, it brings a tear of joy to my old eyes. Our release interview was a wonderful experience. We are even more grateful to have done it in person. We had heard of some Missionaries being released via Skype or some similar means, but it is important to do this in person so that the Spirit of the Lord can be there for everyone involved.

Afterwards we went to our daughter, Melissa Jones’ home for a family Easter Egg hunt involving all four of our children and their families in this area. It was fun. Then we drove down to Springfield, OR to see a special, as in extra-special, musical performance by a group in which our daughter-in-law Charlotte Booren was performing. It was the oratorio, “Lamb of God” by Rob Gardner. Charlotte sang the part of Mary Magdalene – “Gloria (My Savior Lives).” All I can say is “WOW!” It was beautiful and what a spiritually powerful way to conclude the day of our Missionary release.

And then came Easter, wherein we remember the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ and ALL that means to us, Because of Him. One of the Personal Study segments in this week’s Come Follow Me guide, spoke to the fact that the Savior’s Atonement can and should be a source of hope as we deal with the trials that come into our lives. Spoiler Alert – even senior Missionaries have things that don’t go quite right, for example families don’t always respond in the way you hope, young single members don’t come to the fantastic meal Emma prepared for them, and even things can go South on the home front.

In addition to the above, in our case, while we were serving, things went awry between a few of our children, that has left a rift in our family, that is breaking our hearts, in part because it has also affected the relationship of a few of these children with Emma and me. That said, to paraphrase the quote in Come Follow Me, because of Easter, we have hope that we will be healed as a family, that there will be no more rifts in our family, and that though the eventual cleansing process may be painful, we will once again be whole and ALL, as in every one of us, will be filled with the joy that comes only from the Lord. On our journey home, we experienced some small steps in the right direction. In fact, those steps represented one of the all-time highlights of our Mission. We were promised that our family would be taken care of by the Lord. We just need to be faithful. We are hopeful, very hopeful.

Here are a few reflections or Lessons Learned from our Missionary Adventure – some we already knew, but were thoroughly reinforced:

1. God’s Love is Real – We felt this every Sunday in our services at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, with the ward members of the Beaufort Ward, and in our interactions with the less-active/returning members to whom we ministered. This is a wonderfully powerful aspect of Missionary service and indeed in simply living. The more we can experience it through unselfish service, the brighter are our lives and the lives of those we touch. This is the Pearl of Great Price.
2. When we feel God’s Love, we also experience Joy – One Missionary said that Missionaries are Spiritual High junkies. I think it is what keeps them coming back day after day, even when things don’t go as they hope. Alma 27: 18 speaks to this. We experience this joy when we “go about doing good,” unselfishly serving others. It comes as we consecrate our lives in the service of the Lord and His children. The more we try to fully turn our lives over to the Lord in His service, the more we feel this joy. The more fully consecrated Missionaries are also the happiest. This is the kind of joy that helps one to feel “finer than frog’s hair.”
3. Daily Scripture Study is key to being Guided by the Holy Spirit – We sought to read from the Book of Mormon every day, in addition to our other studies in Come Follow Me and Preach My Gospel. This was valuable counsel from our Mission President that we hope to continue into the future. One thing we discovered is that Preach My Gospel is not just for Missionaries, but is valuable for ALL members of the Church.
4. Persistence and Consistency – When interacting with and ministering to less-active members of the Church who are returning to activity, persistence and consistency are essential for success. Small steps are what will be seen most often, so don’t be surprised when you don’t see success overnight. This also applies to our own conversion process, as we study, ponder, pray, and unselfishly serve. The more we freely do the little things, the more dedicated we become to the Savior and His Church and Kingdom on earth.
5. As I feel of the Spirit of the Lord, my love for my Honey grows – This happens most every time I go to the Temple, but I also felt it when Emma and I were serving someone and the Lord’s love was there with us. It happened multiple times as we served on our Mission. I am confident we will experience this love again in the future.
6. Consecration and sacrifice – In the Book of Mormon (Alma 22: 15&18), there is a story about how one king is initially ready to give up half of his kingdom in order to save his life. He then says that he is willing to give up his whole kingdom that he “may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy.” He then prays and says that he is willing to give away all of his sins in order to know God.

I have found as we have served the Lord on our Mission, that the more I have sought to consecrate as much of my time and energy as I could in serving the Lord, the more I have felt of His Love and joy. So, while to some, the consecration of time, resources, and energy required in serving a Mission may appear to be a sacrifice; in reality for me, it was only a source of wonderful blessings.

We hope to continue putting to use these valuable lessons learned as we move into our next adventure in life, and live and serve here in Oregon. We are so incredibly grateful for everything the Lord has done for us. We are grateful for our testimonies of His Restored Gospel and knowledge that Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior, for modern-day Prophets from Joseph Smith to Russell M. Nelson, for the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and the Bible we are studying this year in the Come Follow Me Home-centered and Church-supported curriculum. We are grateful to know that our Father in Heaven is real and really loves us, imperfect though we are.

Having been so greatly blessed, can life be anything other than good out here? And so, our friends and family who have followed us these past several months, “Adieu and may the Good Lord Love and Bless you All.” We close this, our adventure, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

P.S. Today we took part in a session in the Portland, OR Temple, thanks to daughter Sara. It was another wonderful homecoming.

Another good and very full week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 70 in attendance Sunday. 40 Males and 30 Females joined us. Since I am now out of the loop on reporting, I don’t know how many identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 3 1^st time attendees who stood up.

This was our last Sunday at Parris Island. Interestingly, as we walked out, it was raining hard. Could it be PI was sad to see us go?

Testimony meeting was interesting this week. One Marine who is graduating Friday mentioned how one of my favorite hymns, “How Firm a Foundation” kept running through her mind, helping her deal with the challenges of the Crucible. It turned out to be our closing hymn and was sung again for General Conference. In both instances I was glad to see the 7^th verse included. It is particularly meaningful to me.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

Another spoke on the differences between hard things and challenging things. He said that Boot Camp is challenging; but for him, not hard. He mentioned that when we have prepared ourselves, it is NOT hard to say, ‘No’ when tempted. I almost thought he had been listening to the Priesthood session of Conference Saturday night.

Emma and I shared our testimonies and our love for the Recruits and New Marines. We have truly come to love these courageous young people who have stepped up to put their lives on the line for our country.

Emma led her class discussion on Forgiveness and its relationship to the Savior’s Atonement. And that went well.

After our services at Parris Island, we were invited over to the home of Matt and Lisa Clancy for a last brunch with them and the Elders. They are such good folk and we really love them both.

Last Monday, we had another good Family Home Evening with our Young Single Adults (YSA). We were making the transition to the Ward YSA couple to continue on in the Church building on Mondays. That said, I got the opportunity to shake my booty trying to get rid of ping pong balls in a tissue box tied to my back. I think all were suitably amused. Fortunately, any blackmailable video hasn’t surfaced yet.

Tuesday was our last District Council and again there was great discussion as the Elders counseled together on ways to help the families and individuals they are teaching. I love to see how they interact. Mention was made of Alma 9:9 and how the Lord led Lehi and his family out of Jerusalem and through the wilderness. I thought about how the Lord led us here to the joy we have experienced in Beaufort. Since Emma and I are dying as Missionaries, our funeral was held and we each eulogized one another. Those might make it on line – we will see.

Tuesday was also Emma’s birthday, so at her suggestion, we took the Elders to lunch with us to celebrate. She even got sung Happy Birthday by an Outback waitress with a truly amazing voice. It was fun.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we had more Missionary apartment inspections – again, our last.

Wednesday we made our last trip to Savannah for our last Mission Interviews with our beloved Mission President and his Companion. How wonderfully uplifting that good couple is and how we have enjoyed coming to love them and feast on the Spirit they bring to the Mission. We also had our last Ward Missionary Correlation/Coordination meeting. Boy am I now converted to the power of these meetings and the importance of having good representation from the Ward Council, especially the respective counselors from the Relief Society and Elders Quorum presidencies.

Two of our friends from the Religious Ministry Center – Jim Hand and LCdr Chris Martin

Thursday, we had our last Family Day. It was simply good. Our new Marine is a young man, active in the Church, an Elder and one who we could count on to help every Sunday. His mother was a Seminary teacher and in seeing them, I thought of Helaman and his stripling warriors as described in Alma 56.

Friday, I went to a last Graduation. It was kind of interesting in that when I got there it was dark and drizzly, but when I came out the skies were clearing. Perhaps some romantic symbolism, because the same thing happened on Sunday as we came out of our services at Parris Island, it was very rainy, but then cleared up for us. That evening we had the Elders over for one last dinner. Emma has been cleaning out the refrigerator and the pantry, since we aren’t sure as to when the couple will be coming to replace us. We understand someone has been called, but know nothing as to their status beyond that.

I was able to go out on a couple more ministering visits. One night with the Elders Quorum President (Dustin Mock) and another with the Elders. Both were good. The one with President Mock was especially good as he really connected with a young husband/new father who has really been making an effort to get back into full activity. What was particularly sweet is that right after we left, he called his dad to tell him about the visit. The next day, the father texted me to express his thanks, but it wasn’t me, it was President Mock and how he related to this couple. I truly love this work and hope that I will get some good ministering opportunities when we get back to Oregon.

Sunday evening the ward held a going away for us at the old Bishop’s home, the Morgan’s. They are such good people in their own right. There were a number of people there, particularly many of the women who have brought lots of joy, laughter and smiles to Emma’s face. So that was especially nice.

Interesting sidelight. In my personal scripture study this past week, I again found myself reading in one of my very most favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, this time in Alma 7: 11-13, I think I have referenced those particular verses pertaining to the Atonement of Jesus Christ more than any other while serving here. That said, one morning I made particular note of how in verse 13 it says that Jesus will “take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance;” On that day, the words “blot out” struck me and I decided to research them some. I learned that to “blot out” means to wipe clean, to cause to disappear, to make indecipherable or imperceptible, to destroy all traces. That makes for some very powerful doctrine and very comforting at the same time.

I love the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s role in bringing it forth. I am so grateful for our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and all that He has done for me, who so didn’t deserve what I have so joyfully received.  I loved General Conference and especially President Nelson’s remarks. I am so grateful the Lord saw fit to restore His Church upon the earth and that He allowed me to take part in the Gospel and then to come here to serve with my eternal Honey.

One final tender mercy. As we were saying our prayers tonight, my phone rang. After we finished, I called the caller back and it turned out to be a young Marine I have been trying to connect with for several months. At any rate, she indicated that she wants to come back into full activity, to meet with the Missionaries to help with that. It felt so good talking with her and rejoicing in her decision.

One last “last”. I bought this little notebook at the beginning of our mission and now as we come to an end, it only has a couple of pages left to use. It is pretty beat up and well used

Our prayer is that our mission has helped us to become more than we were 18 months ago, perhaps a little more useful as tools in the Lord’s hand.  Tuesday, April 9, our mission ends and we head home.

Having been so greatly blessed, can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 77, The Start of “Lasts”

Another good week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 72 in attendance Sunday. 42 Males and 30 Females joined us. 25 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 17 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, two are members of The Church.

As you come to the close of a Mission, you also come to a number of “last” experiences. That started this past week and will go on into this coming week. It is truly bitter-sweet. You just have to suck it up, deal with it, and make the best of things. It is going to happen.

This was my last Sunday conducting Sacrament meeting in the Branch. One nice thing – we had a baptism just before our meeting started and so had a confirmation to start the meeting off well.

One new Marine is graduating this week, and we had 2 who completed the Crucible Saturday and thus earned their coveted Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Two shared wonderful testimonies. One mentioned how she was twice diagnosed with 60% pneumonia in both lungs, but was still able to continue on, thanks to her own prayers and those of family members far away. Every week there is testimony after testimony on the power of prayer.

Our Stake Patriarch was one of our speakers and he very movingly told the congregation how he felt that Parris Island and specifically our meeting place is sacred ground, much like the Temple, because of these young people and the life of service to which they are committing their lives. I felt the Spirit’s confirmation of those thoughts.

Emma led her class discussion on Repentance and its relationship to the Savior’s Atonement. To open the discussion, she used a video, “The Savior Wants to Forgive,” which has a very powerful message about how the Lord’s arms are always outstretched to us, even when we may feel we don’t deserve it. One young woman commented that she “is saved.” Emma asked what that meant in terms of how this young woman lived her life. She didn’t know. Emma notes that in discussions like this many of the Recruits have a deer in the headlights look in their eyes. So many have never heard of these concepts before. She reminded them that as it says in James 2: 17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

I got to be part of a Restoration discussion with two 1^st time Recruits. When we were done, they both took a copy of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, but for now they aren’t interested in learning more. Such is Missionary life. Not everyone is ready to learn, but hopefully a seed or two was sown, but for now, I’m not sure the soil was ready for it – needs a little more harrowing and dunging.

Last week, Emma noticed that one of the older sisters in the Beaufort Ward usually sits alone and always wears the same dress and that it was getting a little worn. So, she decided to do something about that and went and found a couple of inexpensive new dresses that she then gave to this good sister on Sunday. That is something I love about my Missionary companion. She is often looking for little ways to help brighten the lives of those around us.

The Ward got a new Bishop Sunday, since our old one is now a member of the new Stake Presidency. The new Bishop is also the new head Chaplain at Parris Island and a very good and well-experienced brother. The Ward should do well with him. Due to General Conference next week, this was our last Sunday meeting with the Beaufort Ward. We have come to love a number of people in this ward and a number came up to express their love for us as well. We may see some of them next Sunday at a farewell for us at the old Bishop’s house, following the last session of General Conference on Sunday.

On Monday, we had another good Family Home Evening for our Young Single Adults (YSA), and even had two new military members for the first time. Again, there was lots of laughing and giggling as in nights past. This was the last FHE we will have in our apartment, as we are turning this activity over to the Ward YSA couple to continue on in the Church building on Mondays.

We had our last Backpack Buddies packing project. I know that this is a worthwhile service project that connects the Church to a lot of people in our community. It also gives our Elders the chance to talk to a number of good young military people while setting up and getting things ready. One Elder said it is the best service project of his mission. All of that said, I am truly glad to have that responsibility behind me.

Another “Last” was my last day at the Naval Hospital, working in Patient Admin. I was even surprised to be presented a Letter of Appreciation in front of the department staff. It was nice, even if there was reference to an insane number of records I was alleged to have touched or done something to over the course of the last year. I think the Department’s Deputy’s calculator wasn’t working very well. Since we aren’t allowed to actively proselytize on military bases, hopefully we were able to preach the Gospel through our actions, if not our words.

We had another good Family Day – not our last. That will come this week. Interesting thing though. The young Marine graduating came with his grandfather, James Weagle, who attended the Lake Forest Ward in Laguna Hills, California the same time we did back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. There were many people we both knew, even if for some reason we hadn’t run into each other.

One evening, I was able to go out with two of our Elders to meet a young mother we initially met with several months ago, she joyfully welcomed us and set a return appointment for this week. Every time we have been in her home there is always such a joyful, loving spirit present. We have even been able to set up one of our YSA’s and her new boyfriend to go with the Elders when they have this appointment. That is so hopeful.

After that visit, we stopped at a member home to see what we could coordinate in terms of teaching the friend of a young lady who was baptized in November. Again, there was present in their home a wonderful feeling of the Spirit of God. This interestingly is a family which combines daily reading in Preach My Gospel with their Come Follow Me scripture study. Could there be a connection? I think so.

Skip, Emma, Chloe, Heather, John

Friday evening, our old neighbors, the Fry’s – John, Heather and Chloe came over for dinner and games. We so enjoyed having them as neighbors and while we weren’t able to teach them in our home, they have been meeting with the Sister Missionaries. They are an example of a few of the people we have really come to love here in Beaufort – the kind of people you want to see again and to know how they are doing.

I got up one last time at 0330 Saturday morning to participate in my last Crucible with the Living History unit. I know it must seem crazy to do that, but I had so many young troops and DI’s afterward tell me that our being out there meant a lot to both groups. So even as crazy as it sounds, hopefully we were being of service and in the process, as it says in Mosiah 2:17:

“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

I will admit, it was fun too, as well as afterwards in the Mess Hall congratulating the new Marines and seeing the joyful smiles and light in their eyes. I have had more than one Marine who is a member of the Church tell me that completing the Crucible and receiving their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor was one of the most spiritual moments in their lives – in one case, this was from a returned Missionary.

Later, on Saturday, I worked for the last time with Steve Price at the Parris Island Museum. Steve was the one who invited me to first come out on the Crucible adventures, when he perceived, in his words, that I was a worthwhile individual. Not sure what that means, but I was glad for the opportunity. As we parted on Saturday, he accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon from me and hopefully that will have a positive impact of his life as well. It was interesting how our friendship developed over the past several months.

In our Come Follow Me studies and discussions we have looked at so many different “Pearls of Great Price” and that has been such a blessing. One of those Pearls relates to John 5: 1-16 and the beleaguered man, who was “made whole”. I then thought of how like the loaves and fishes, the Lord can take the little we offer and make a whole lot more of our efforts. All of this is in the process of “becoming wholly converted” as is brought out in Elder Oaks’ October 2000, General Conference talk “The Challenge to Become”.

President Oaks challenges us that it is not enough to “know” that the Gospel is true, we must be ready to live it, to have our hearts “converted” to the Gospel, as he says,

“The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and teachers were given that we may all attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. “

Our prayer is that our mission has helped us to become more than we were 18 months ago, perhaps a little more useful as tools in the Lord’s hand.

None of this would be of any consequence without the Savior’s Atoning Sacrifice in our behalf. Without a modern-day prophet (Joseph Smith) and his successors, combined with the Book of Mormon and the Bible, I for one would have no knowledge or understanding of these powerful and comforting concepts. How grateful I am that I have been given the gift of this wonderful knowledge and understanding. How grateful I am for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Having been so greatly blessed, can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 76, Our Treasures

Another good week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 61 in attendance Sunday. 35 Males and 26 Females joined us. 23 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 18 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, six are members of The Church.

Five new Marines are graduating this week, and we had 1 who completed the Crucible Saturday and thus earned his coveted Eagle, Globe. Three shared wonderful testimonies. Two of them spoke forcefully on the importance of being aware of others and that there is NO room for being selfish. I love hearing the wisdom that comes out of the mouths of these wonderful young people. As I stood up to conduct the meeting, I almost had to catch my breath for a minute. The feeling of the love the Lord has for them was almost overwhelming. And we get to participate in that love.

Emma was feeling much better and so was able to lead her class discussion on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She has found that with these young folks, that videos have a good impact. For this particular lesson, she likes to use “The Mediator” and “Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet”, because of the powerful way their message of the Savior’s Atonement is conveyed. In her typical quiet, take charge fashion, she decided that there were too many people on the back row, so she told them that the back pew was off-limits for her class. Everyone back there got up and moved and there was less distraction for all-concerned. Go Emma.

I got to be part of a Restoration discussion with 4 female 1^st time Recruits, and a long-time attendee, who is a member, who brought 3 of her friends. When we were done, all 3 of them expressed an interest in meeting with the Missionaries. One already had a copy of the Book of Mormon she had gotten from their chaplain. This is the power of everyday member Missionaries. One said that she grew up in a Buddhist-Dao environment and wanted to learn more about Christian beliefs. All 3 said that they’ll be back next week. Three were interested in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The last individual, not so much, but she did say that she enjoyed our services.

On Monday, in our Family Home Evening for our Young Single Adults (YSA), we again had a good group of Missionaries and YSAs altogether. Again, there was lots of laughing and giggling as in nights past. After a good spiritual discussion of the role of the Holy Ghost in our lives, they played a good loud tie tying game, in addition to a game of “Mafia”. I think it is one of their favorites.

One evening, I went to a discussion with Elders Whitaker and Brenchley and a man (Jeremy) with whom they have been meeting. In their last meeting, the topic of the Word of Wisdom came up, but only briefly. It was enough. Jeremy pulled a can of tobacco (Dip) out of his pocket and gave it to the Elders. When we met, he said that he was 3 days without coffee, tea, alcohol, and smoking. He did say that once, he had slipped and taken a dip of tobacco. But it was only in his cheek for 5 minutes, when he said to himself, “What am I doing?” took it out and threw it in the trash. We were so proud of him. Dip or chewing tobacco is even more addictive than the smoking. We then had a good discussion on Repentance and the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

We talked about how Repentance can be looked at in one of two ways. One – we are turning away from something we thought we enjoyed, but was wrong or even sinful, like drinking or smoking or fornication in all of its forms. OR Two – we are turning to the Lord, seeking to do His will and not our own and experiencing His great love and joy as we do. Somehow, it just seems crazy to seek to follow Satan, whose only imperative is our eternal misery and despair. This is especially crazy, when the Savior’s arms of mercy are extended towards us as He beckons us to Come Follow Him and experience ALL of the joy He has to offer to us.

This past week, I was also able to go out and do some more ministering visits with the Elders Quorum President and again, had a really good time. As I have said before, it is a great blessing to be in the homes of these wonderful families and to feel the Lord’s love for them. As an example, we knocked on the door of a family Emma and I have been trying to contact for several months with little to no luck. This time, the young mother came to the door, still chewing the supper we interrupted, but she was so gracious and apologetic about the timing. What struck me was the wonderful feeling of Love our Father in Heaven and his Son have for this young mother with blue hair and multiple tattoos. It was obvious to me that those things were minor to Him.

We also had transfers this week, and in addition to losing our Sister Missionaries, we also lost our Spanish Elders, who were replaced by our Zone Leaders. We are going to have an interesting District. Since we didn’t have District Council we decided to make use of a gift card Sara gave us for a restaurant in Savannah. We were glad we did. Emma had a shrimp, crab. and fried oyster stew that had her saying over and over again, “This is so GOOD!”

On Saturday morning I conducted another Veterans History Project interview for the Library of Congress. This time it was with General Walter E. Boomer, USMC Retired, former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He had a very varied and obviously successful career in the Marine Corps. What was most interesting was his comment that the character attributes that were the underpinning of his success had come from his upbringing by hard-working parents and especially a strong mother, who didn’t let him get away with anything. It was a strong testimony as to the value of families and he acknowledged that the family is the basic unit of society.

When I got home and went to get the video ready to work on, I couldn’t find 2 of the 3 segments I recorded that morning. I did some very serious praying, as I didn’t want to go back and re-record an hour’s worth of interview. Fortunately, my prayers were answered and I figured out what I was doing wrong and got it working the way it was supposed to work.

Our mostly nightly Come Follow Me discussions have continued to be a great uplift for both of us. This last week we were very much touched by our discussion of the Savior’s parables, in conjunction with Matthew 13.

As we discussed the parable of the Sower, I thought of how our individual soil can be prepared and loosened by simple, but kind and unselfish acts of service, how it can be moistened by our tears as the Spirit of the Lord speaks to ours, and how it can be warmed by the bright sun of gratitude for the blessings of the Lord. But we also need to give up the weeds of the temptations of the world, and especially the rocks and stones of selfishness or malice toward others, if we are to be truly ready to receive the blessings of the Word in our lives.

In considering that, we wondered if through our loving acts of service, we might help to prepare the soil in others’ lives to be ready to receive the blessings of the Word of God. That brought us to some of the people we have come to know and love here, who on first encounter weren’t much interested in our visits, but who over time have come to welcome us and a simple message. We hope that in some small way we have been instruments in the hand of the Lord for good.

Then there were the parables of the Pearl of Great Price and the treasure found in a field. As we considered those, the first treasures both of us immediately mentioned, were our testimonies of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and the Lord’s true church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; our children (each and EVERY one) and our grandchildren (Each and EVERY one).

I thought too of what a treasure Emma is and has been in my life – how I love her mischievous smile, her giving heart, and the beauty of her white hair that represents our years together. As I have thought of this some more, I realized that like the man who found a treasure in a field, we have found MANY treasures in the people we have come to love while serving here in this corner of the Lord’s vineyard – the Recruits and new Marines at MCRD Parris Island, the families and individuals to whom we have ministered, the young full-time Missionaries, and the many kind and loving people of the Beaufort Ward. Truly, we are talking about MANY Pearls of Great Price.

Having been so greatly blessed, can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 75, A Good Week, Plain and Simple

Another good week, but first the numbers:

We again had a total of 55 in attendance Sunday. 33 Males and 22 Females joined us. 18 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 12 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, only one was a member of The Church.

No new Marines graduating this week, but we did have 4 who completed the Crucible Saturday and thus earned their coveted Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (I got to be there with them) and of those, one came up to share her testimony. She was again, another non-member who said our services reminded her of home.

Unfortunately, Emma had a bad night and wasn’t able to make it to our services Sunday. You know it wasn’t good when that happens, but she is feeling better now, so that is good.

Emma’s lesson, that I got to teach, was a continuation on the Plan of Salvation and we had some good discussion on this important topic. When you think of the Savior’s Atonement and its impact for our lives, it is so easy to see why it is called the Plan of Happiness. When I asked the Recruits how they felt about the things we talked about, one young man said that he felt, “enlightened.”

Last Monday, in our Family Home Evening for our Young Single Adults (YSA), we again had a total of 17 of us, Missionaries and YSAs altogether. Again, there was lots of laughing and giggling as in nights past. They played a huge and very active game of “Cover Your Assets” and I think had a ball. I even noticed one of the young men sitting next to one of our young sisters in Sacrament Sunday. Who knows where that will go?

One evening Elders Whitaker and Brenchley accompanied me to the home of a family we have visited few times over the last few months. We were having a good conversation, when all of a sudden, their young dog decided he needed to mark Elder Brenchley’s shoe with a little urine. The young owner was beside himself with embarrassment. We laughed and told the good Elder that it will make a great journal entry. We then had a really good Gospel discussion. Our young friend mentioned that he was glad to see my text asking if we could come over, as he had been hoping to see us anyway. He had a big exam the next day and was hoping for a good spiritual uplift. Elder Whitaker then gave him a very nice blessing. Not bad for an individual, who a few months ago, was hesitant to even have us come to his home.

This past week, I was also able to go out and do some more ministering visits with a counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency and again, had a really good time. What a great blessing it is to be in the homes of these wonderful families and to feel the Lord’s love for them. Since we don’t know how long it will be before we are replaced, we are working to transition the ministering support to the Elders Quorum so that these families won’t fall between the cracks again when we leave.

One evening, while out with the Elders, we had a little time after one visit and I suggested stopping at a home we have visited a number of times in the past. One of the Elders commented that he didn’t like dropping in unannounced and so we didn’t. It got me thinking though of the number of positive unannounced drive-by ministering visits I have been on during our mission.

Too often, people won’t answer their phone or return phone calls or voice messages or texts. So, we would just stop and knock. This led to a number of good doorstop visits as well as visits where we were able to stop in and leave a spiritual message and even develop a friendship. On more than one occasion, things turned out that it was a good thing we stopped, as the family was dealing with a challenge where they needed some spiritual uplift and to know that the Lord loved them specifically. While it is perhaps not as considerate as one would like, I am a big fan of drive-by ministering.

There was no graduation this week, so no Family Day activities. ☹ I volunteered at the Parris Island Museum instead and that was good.

Friday evening, our friends, Matt and Lisa Clancy took us out to dinner, courtesy them and the parents of Elder Patterson (One of our all-time favorites – Wowsers. Yes, I know we aren’t supposed to have favorites, but he was/is one – deal with it). We went to a Greek restaurant and the food was great, practically like eating in a Greek home. It was fun and the food was great.

I think Lisa was the first to welcome us to Beaufort, with a box of Chocolate Tree chocolates – Remember Forest Gump and “Life is like a box of chocolates?” That store was the source of his box of chocolates. In many ways, this mission has been like a box of chocolates, so many sweet and wonderful people and happenings and there has been many a time we didn’t know what to expect next, but the Lord has been so very good to us and we are so very grateful.

On Saturday morning I was up early to take part in another Crucible. I know it sounds crazy to get up at 0330 in order to be standing out on a dark deserted road, at Parris Island, waiting for a few hundred tired and beleaguered Marine Recruits to come marching by so we could give them words of encouragement and motivation, while dressed in the uniforms of Marines long gone by. But I have been thanked by so many who recognized me afterward. They often say they are on their last bits of energy and then we step out of the dark and give them uplift.

I have also had a few Drill Instructors thank me and tell me that they have seen our words bring tears to the eyes of some of the young, tired, and worn troops. That makes me feel like we are doing some good in the service of our fellow men/women and thus in the service or our God. Now, I know that hundreds of other Marines have gone on to graduate just fine without us being on that roadside, but it is nice to know that for a few, we at least made a little difference.

Saturday afternoon, I was again volunteering at the Museum. I have developed a good, and I think lasting friendship with one of the staff there, Stephen Price. He’s an interesting character to say the least, with lots of tattoos, a big frame and an even bigger gruff voice. That said, when he talks to his wife or teenage daughter on the phone, you know there is a gentle, golden heart inside that rough exterior. I have been thinking and praying about how to share the Gospel with him, but so far, no luck. But this is one of those friendships that I think will go on beyond here.

Parris Island Museum History Society – Living History Unit

After the Crucible, Steve gave me a challenge coin from the Living History unit (see picture) and that was particularly touching to me. The back story to the coin is pretty cool in and of itself. I was honored to receive it. He told me that if we ever come back to Beaufort, I will always be welcome to come out on a Crucible Saturday. Made me feel good.

Saturday evening, we again fed the Missionaries and later that evening, it was again, the dreaded Transfer Call. Now we knew that we were losing Sister Wall and since our Elders failed to give her a decent funeral, Emma made sure she had one, complete with a BIG cake (Ok it wasn’t supposed to be that big) and an over the top eulogy as only Emma can give. We then discovered that not only was she leaving, but she wouldn’t be replaced and we would lose both our Sisters area and the Spanish companionship of our District (Elders Krager and Carr) would also be replaced with another English speaking companionship. Wow. How about that?

Our mostly nightly Come Follow Me discussions have continued to be a great uplift for both of us. This last week we were very much touched by our discussion of consecration, in conjunction with Matthew 10: 39, wherein the Savior says.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Our use of the New Testament Student Manual, in addition to the Come Follow Me resource guide, led us to Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s October 1995 General Conference talk, “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father.”

In this talk, Elder Maxwell highlights the importance of our desires, which reminded me of the Pharisee’s desires to be commended of men, instead of seeking ways to be of service to their fellow beings and hence to their God (Mosiah 2:17). As Elder Maxwell says,

“Actually, everything depends—initially and finally—on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God (see D&C 4:3). God can “educate our desires”. Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the “thoughts and intents of [our] hearts” (Mosiah 5:13).

…. One’s individual will thus remains uniquely his. God will not override it nor overwhelm it.

Another cosmic fact: only by aligning our wills with God’s is full happiness to be found. … The Lord will work with us even if, at first, we “can no more than desire” but are willing to “give place for a portion of [His] words” (Alma 32:27).”

We love the Lord, and His Restored Gospel. We know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us and has restored His Church to the earth. We are grateful we can serve Him as his servants. So, if our desire is to keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 74, A Witness to Joy

Another good week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 55 in attendance Sunday. 30 Males and 25 Females joined us. 15 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 16 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, none were members of The Church.

No new Marines graduating this week, and so none of the sweet testimonies of weeks past. Our primary speaker, a fairly recent convert, bore a powerful testimony of how the Gospel has blessed him and his family, but I think he misunderstood how long he was expected to speak and when he sat down there was still 25 minutes left in our service. Since I was conducting, I got the opportunity to ensure the time wasn’t wasted. So, I stood and started talking, not knowing what I was going to say. But the Spirit seemed to help as thoughts kept coming to mind. One of the young Recruits told me afterward, that everyone was paying close attention. I was grateful for the Lord’s assistance.

Emma’s lesson was on the Plan of Salvation and she had a good discussion on this important topic. Brother Jonathon Irvine helped me teach a Restoration discussion for 5 of our 1^st timers. Four of them asked for copies of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We told them to NOT believe us when we told them of its truth, but discussed with them how to find out for themselves. It is always so exciting to share testimony of that great book and to feel the Spirit as we do.

Back the Beaufort Ward we had an unexpected surprise in seeing some friends from Jacksonville NC from 30 years ago – Larry and Michelle Cooke. They are now Senior  “Resilience” Missionaries. We knew them when we were stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River. Michelle taught Seminary to Josh and Nichole. Even though the years are long, it was so good to see them. That is one of the joys of the Gospel and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Friendships are quickly renewed almost like there was no interruption.

On Monday, our Family Home Evening for our Young Single Adults (YSA) grew some more. We had a total of 17 of us, Missionaries and YSAs altogether! We even had a non-member accompany one of our military YSA – he had noticed something different in the member and wanted to come and see. There was lots of laughing and giggling as in nights past. So, based on that, we decided on the spot to have our usual monthly YSA dinner on Friday. Come Friday morning we were again looking at a total of 17 folks showing up. Sadly, we only had 11.

This is one of the challenges of being a Missionary for the Lord and one with which our Missionaries constantly have to deal. There is a never-ending roller coaster of emotion from when you are in the room with someone and the Spirit is strong and you know they are feeling it, because they admit it themselves. And they accept invitations to read or to study or to pray and the Missionaries are so excited. And then accepted invitations are missed and it is so disappointing, because the Missionaries KNOW that there is an opportunity being missed by the person with whom they are interacting. I am so proud of our young Missionaries that they do NOT let these disappointments make them cynical. They just keep at it, day in and day out.

Ever since my baptism almost 50 years ago, I have recognized that many returned Missionaries had experiences that I always felt gave them certain innate spiritual advantages, that they had the opportunity to develop skills in ways that I didn’t. In retrospect, there are things that I have learned while serving here that I wish I was aware of when serving as a Bishop, that I might have helped the young men and women we sent into the Mission field enjoy even greater success. That said, I am hoping to share some of these lessons learned with my grandchildren as they prepare for the adventure of missionary service. I so love this opportunity to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and my feelings about His great Atonement in our behalf. I love the Book of Mormon and the Bible and all that the Prophet Joseph Smith contributed to the Restoration of the Gospel and organization of the Lord’s Church. I hope that as many of my grandchildren as are able will  have the chance to experience this great adventure.

On another evening Elders Whitaker and Brenchley accompanied me to the home of a family we have visited many times over the last several months. As we did we shared the video I am a Child of God with the family. Their 2 year-old daughter got right up close and with eyes filled with pure joy closely watched and smiled through the whole video. I don’t know that I have ever witnessed such pure and simple joy like that before. It was simply beautiful. I was just sorry that her parents couldn’t see what I saw. This family has come such a long way since we first knocked on their door. And our love for them has grown exponentially in the process.

This past week, I was also able to go out and do some more ministering visits with a counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency and had just a wonderful time. What a great blessing it is to be in the homes of these wonderful families and to feel the Lord’s love for them. Since we don’t know how long it will be before we are replaced, we are working to transition the ministering support to the Elders Quorum so that these families won’t fall between the cracks again when we leave.

On Saturday morning our Missionary District was up early to provide service at Parris Island in support of the Iron-Man Triathlon being run that day. With one of our military YSA, Sisters Giles and Wall helped out at the Finish Line. We had been told by the race organizers that giving encouragement to the participants would be appreciated. Sister Giles was over the top in enthusiasm for everyone as they came in. Later that day, I was told by an experienced tri-athlete how much he had appreciated that kind of enthusiastic encouragement in past races he had run.

I used that analogy in my talk on Sunday to remind our young Recruits of how much they appreciated having their parents at their events growing up. I then let them know that Our Father in Heaven is even more enthusiastic in cheering us on through the trials we encounter. I love the many references, especially in the Book of Mormon to the Lord’s outstretched hand to us, if we will but reach out and grasp it.

Saturday afternoon, we again were performing service in our little town of Port Royal in behalf of one of the schools where some member kids attend. In the course of that I ran into another family I have come to care a lot about. When I mentioned to the good Sister, that our Mission is rapidly coming to a close, she queried, “But you will be coming back sometime, won’t you?” In that moment, I realized and told her that “No, the odds are extremely slim that we will ever be in this corner of the Lord’s vineyard again.” While we could be very happy living here; without our grandkids, it just wouldn’t work and there is no way they will move here, which we understand. So, no, we probably won’t be back.

That said, we will just do the best we can and try to make the transition as smooth as we can for whomever follows us, whenever that may be. We have been told that there have been gaps in the past, but with a full-on Branch in operation now, who knows? Our stewardship is to work as hard as we can for as long as we’re here and hopefully make a small difference in helping as many people as possible feel the love that can only come from our Father in Heaven.

Helping us in this regard are our mostly nightly Come Follow Me discussions. We have drawn spiritually closer as a couple as a result of these conversations and our understanding of the New Testament has grown as well. One of the beauties of the Come Follow Me curriculum is that it is so adaptable to each family, as can be seen in this Sariasis blog post from my daughter Sara about her family’s ongoing experiences. They aren’t perfect and neither are we. Some days are better than others, but we are using the resources as best we can and the blessings keep coming.

So, if we can keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 73, Living After the Manner of Happiness

A lot was going on this past week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 58 in attendance Sunday. 32 Males and 26 Females joined us. 23 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 13 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, 3 were members of The Church.

Once again, we had a handful of new Marines graduating this week, and once again the sweet testimonies of weeks past. I can never get tired of witnessing the faith and courage of these young women and men, of hearing their powerful testimonies of the virtue of prayer, and of their renewed relationships with our Father in Heaven and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

One young sister said that the blessing she received a few days before the Crucible was very much like the blessing she received from her father before coming to Parris Island. That memory helped her continue on when she subsequently got sick a day before the Crucible. First, she prayed mightily for herself and then as she gained strength, for the Recruits around her. Another sister spoke of how overnight, a Priesthood blessing took away her almost debilitating hip pain, the day before the Crucible began. She mentioned the value and peace she received from daily reading the Book of Mormon. Another young brother told of how he got dropped for an injury the day before the Crucible, after 56 days of training and that he will fight to continue on, to get his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

Emma’s lesson was on Who Am I? Why, a child of God, our loving Heavenly Father, of Course! If the young men and women who come to our services learn nothing else, we want them to know without doubt, that essential truth.

I was able to meet with 5 of our 1^st timers and share with them the Restoration of the Gospel. Two of them were already members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but wanted a refresher. I enjoyed it as they added their testimonies to mine. One of the non-members had met with the Missionaries before coming to Parris Island, and already wants to be baptized. Another said that he is an ordained Baptist minister, who wanted to learn more about our beliefs.

Last Monday, Emma had a medical procedure to take care of, so I didn’t volunteer at the Naval Hospital or go to Zone Conference. She is recovering nicely. That evening we had another Young Single Adult (YSA) Family Home Evening (FHE) that included 2 of our military YSA, 2 YSA daughters of a military family, plus the 6 Missionaries of our Beaufort District. A little at a time, our numbers are growing.

It was our turn to give a lesson from Come Follow Me. The lesson referred to Matthew 5: 13 and “salt.” We found out that in ancient times, burnt sacrifices were prepared by first being thoroughly washed and then heavily salted. The salt, while also being a preservative acted on the sacrifice in such a way that as it burnt, it gave off a pleasant odor, a sweet savor, if you will. Contamination destroys the salt’s effectiveness and hence as the Savior said, it is then good for nothing. Thus, we need to keep our lives free from contamination that will take us away from the Lord and the blessings He wants us to receive. To me, the fire that consumes the burnt offering is like the trials of life that are a part of enduring to the end, and that if we will let them, they will burn away our impurities and rough edges, further preparing us to meet our Lord.

We then played some games and I even got some video (couldn’t load it here – sorry) of a very rousing round of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Again, there was a LOT of laughter and everyone had fun. We hope to keep doing this until we leave.

Tuesday, we had Backpack Buddies again. We had 26 young Marines and Sailors helping set up and pack. It is great to see the motivation and desire to serve of these young people. We packed over 2000 bags in about an hour.

I was then able to go out on a ministering visit with a member of the Elders Quorum (EQ) presidency. The family we visited isn’t ready to be in the “returning” category, but they were receptive to our coming by. They were baptized about 12 years ago, but I don’t feel were truly converted by the Spirit of the Lord and hence it was relatively easy to slip away. It is sad, as they are such a nice family who would fit in well in this ward, but they are now on the EQ radar so good things can yet happen. As I reflected on this, I was reminded that initially, when I was baptized, I was wasn’t truly converted either, but with Emma by my side we were able to get to the point where we both were fully converted to the Lord and His Restored Gospel.

Thursday was another successful Family Day, with 4 of our newly minted Marines, who came with their families. Two of them initially came to Parris Island together. It is always so much fun to see these Marines and to let their families know how proud we are of these fine young people.

Friday was another good day. I had to do my annual Prostate check – it was actually removed 5 years ago due to cancer. Another year cancer free. MEN, IF YOU ARE OVER 40 GET THIS CHECKED!! We had a Marine LtCol die recently of Prostate cancer. This used to kill men when they were VERY old, but this man probably wasn’t even 45. Times have changed. CHECK IT!!

On my way to that appointment, I stopped to buy our usual supply of cough drops for the troops, but the store was running slow so I waited until after the Dr. appointment and went to a different one. Lo and behold the cashier was a young woman I had invited to learn more about the Church a few months prior at the earlier store. I mentioned that to her and she said that she had just been talking to Elders Whitaker and Brenchley and they gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon, but her husband was so interested that she hardly got to see it. I asked if she would like a copy for herself and she responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” Fortunately, there was one in my car.

That night were some more ministering visits. This time to a young military man whose job precludes him coming to Church on Sundays. He indicated that for while he had been away from Church, but now was hungry for that contact and very much enjoyed our visits. We showed him how to use the Gospel Library app on his phone and how Come Follow Me can also help with his and his wife’s spirituality. I’ll be introducing him to the EQ presidency soon.

Saturday, was my 70^th birthday. I used to think that you were old when you got to that age, but I was able to slog (slow jog) 4 miles before going to volunteer at the Parris Island Museum for the afternoon. My slogging speed hasn’t improved as much as I would like, but I am still doing it a few times a week. That evening we had a nice dinner out together. At the end of the day, I was humbled by and grateful for the many well wishes and birthday greetings. Even got to talk with most of my kids and quite a few grandkids. It was a very good day – vertical, mobile, still able to fog a mirror, AND Smile.

Yes, it has been a full and busy week, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Emma and I have also kept up on our nightly Come Follow Me discussions. The more we do this, the more we enjoy it, as we share our thoughts and feelings in conjunction with what we read. It has definitely impacted my morning personal study, as I find things, I then want to discuss with Emma that evening. One scripture that was especially meaningful to both of us was Matthew 7:21-23, wherein the thought of the Savior saying, “I never knew you” was horrifying.

21 ¶ Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Then we discovered that the Joseph Smith Translation reads “You never knew me” instead of “I never knew you.” This makes so much more sense, and is so much more comforting. I think that I get to know my Lord and Savior more each day as I seek to serve others, especially as I feel His Love for those we seek to serve. I feel like we come closer to Him and are thus better positioned to know Him as we accept the invitations of our Church leaders to do things like Minister to others, to participate in things like Come Follow Me discussions, as we pray for the happiness and well-being of others, and as we are kind and considerate. In 2014, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a wonderful devotional at BYU(I) “Living After the Manner of Happiness.”

He said something I think directly pertains to how well we will come to know our Savior:

“Happy people aren’t negative or cynical or mean so don’t plan on that being part of the “manner” of happiness.  If my life has taught me anything, it is that kindness and pleasantness and faith-based optimism are characteristics of happy people.  From the words of Mother Teresa, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.””

Our goal is to finish out the last few weeks of our mission following Elder Holland’s and Mother Teresa’s counsel to let no one who meets us go away without leaving happier and better.

We hope to share our testimonies of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church with all who will listen, for as we do, our testimonies are strengthened. Also, as we do, we will feel and know the Lord’s Spirit all the more clearly, that we may truly know Him. It was following a prompting of the Spirit that brought us here and we want the Lord to know how grateful we are for that, by what we do and say every day.

So, if we can keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 72, A Good and Busy Week – I Loved It

A lot was going on this past week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 58 in attendance Sunday. 32 Males and 26 Females joined us. 22 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 10 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, 2 were members of The Church.

Again, we had a handful of new Marines graduating this week, and once again the sweet testimonies of weeks past. I can never get tired of the usual and powerful testimonies of the power of prayer, and the renewed relationships with our Father in Heaven and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Week in and week out, we hear of young members of The Church, who had strayed, but whose testimonies of the Church have now been strengthened and recovered.

Emma’s lesson was on Marriage. Its one of her favorites to teach and as usual, she got a lot of wonderful comments and participation from many members of the class. She was shocked when she discovered that most of the young people in her class came from single parent families and how many had been in foster care or who had suffered abuse as children. What was interesting was the number of thoughtful attributes these young people sought in their future spouse – things like being responsible, nurturing, thoughtful, hardworking, good sense of humor, patient, good communicator, etc. No one mentioned the importance of a “Hot” body, rich, or things like that.

After our services at the Recruit Depot, we headed off for Stake Conference, where we found out that the Bishop of our Beaufort Ward, is now President Morgan, 1^st Counselor in the brand new Hilton Head Stake Presidency. This wasn’t a surprise, as he is a good man. Now it will be interesting to see who our new Bishop will be.

A telling comment was made by our Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Grayson, on the topic of Ministering. Quoting Mosiah 23: 18 in the Book of Mormon, they said that “Ministering is how truly others feel the Lord’s love in our arms.” I was reminded of how our Recruits and new Marines line up to share hugs with Emma as our services come to an end each Sunday. I think they know that they are loved by us and hopefully by the LORD as well. We want them to know that they are children of God and loved by Him as His children.

One other thought from Stake Conference came from Elder Weatherford T. Clayton of the Quorum of the 70, who said, “The mists of darkness in Lehi’s dream (1 Nephi 8: 23), that cause so much confusion and discouragement quickly disappear when we turn our hearts to God.” That beautiful word “Repentance” simply means that we are turning our hearts toward our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in order to become more like Him. Amazingly, it is that simple, we just need to keep looking in the right direction.

Last Monday, we started out with volunteering at the Naval Hospital. That evening we had a Young Single Adult (YSA) Family Home Evening (FHE) that included 2 of our military YSA, a recently returned Missionary, plus the 6 Missionaries of our Beaufort District. It was our Sister Missionaries’ idea, who also gave a lesson from Come Follow Me. We then played some games and I am sorry that I didn’t video the very rousing round of a game called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It brought out a LOT of laughter and everyone had fun. We hope to keep doing this until we leave.

Tuesday, I was able to participate with our Bike Elders in a very good discussion with a family we have been meeting for a while, only this time, the wife/mother was able to join us. She was very engaged and said that she is in need of a good faith community. We hope to see her and their kids in Church this coming Sunday.

Wednesday, I went on some ministering visits in the barracks at the Air Station with one of our YSA military members, and that worked out well, especially as we introduced Come Follow Me to another YSA member, who said that he will be joining us for FHE.

Thursday was another successful Family Day, with 2 of our newly minted Marines, who came with their families. It is always so much fun to see them and to let their families know how proud we are of these fine young people.

Friday, we had Mission President interviews in Savannah. I always come away from those uplifted. After we got back, Emma and I stopped by a few military member families to share some of the goodies left over from Family Day. Just trying to maintain contact in a loving way.

Saturday, we fed Missionaries and 3 military YSA, who then went with me to the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference.

Yes, it has been a full and busy week, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Emma and I have also kept up on our nightly Come Follow Me discussions. The more we do this, the more we seem to enjoy it, if only because of the variety and opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings in conjunction with what we read. It has also positively impacted my morning personal study, as I find things I then want to discuss with Emma that evening.

This past week, I was struck by the words of Mormon in Moroni 7: 9, wherein he says that if a man “shall pray and not with real intent of heart … it profiteth him nothing” That led me to thinking about what I am hoping for when I pray for people. Am I praying that they will change their behavior? If so, am I trying to infringe on their agency and will. Or do I pray that they will feel the joy that comes only from the Spirit of the Lord. Am I trying to counsel the Lord, or counsel with the Lord, to align my will with His? I am afraid that I do both, sometimes more of the former than the latter.

Along these lines, I found myself thinking a lot this past week about two of our old friends, Tom and Sandy. I had spoken with them a few months ago, thinking they would be a great couple to come here to take our place. Unfortunately, during that call, I discovered that Sandy was dealing with Stage 4 cancer. When I spoke with her this past week, there appears to be no change in her condition, but to hear her voice, one would be hard-pressed to believe she is so ill. We talked a bit about accepting the will of the Lord, even when it doesn’t appear to immediately align with ours. Afterall, the Lord has been at this a lot longer than any of the rest of us. We just need to trust His loving heart and then do the best we can. He will then make up the difference and all will be well, more often than not in a far better fashion than we would have created.

Our goal is to finish out our Mission as completely and fully as we possibly can, leaving nothing on the table undone, that we should have done.

So, if we can keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here?

Week 71, A Good and Quiet Week

Not as much going on this past week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 65 in attendance Sunday. 39 Males and 26 Females joined us. 22 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 9 1^st time attendees, but of the 1^st timers, none were members of The Church.

We had a handful of new Marines graduating this week, and once again the sweet testimonies of weeks past. In addition to the usual and powerful testimonies of the power of prayer, one bore a wonderful testimony regarding the wonder of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Another told of being a less-active member before finding himself at Parris Island, only to become a Lay Prayer Leader for his platoon. Each night he has led prayers for a small group of his com padres. Small as in starting with only 2 of them, but now up to 6.

Another testimony came from our young woman from last week, the one who asked for a Priesthood blessing from a Marine. She was the one who decided to give the Church another chance, after being away from it for a while. She told of how during the Crucible, at one point she found her prayers answered when another Recruit marching next to her grabbed her hand and thus gave her strength.

Funny story – I was once more up at 0330 Saturday morning to go out to the Crucible and as we were marching in with the soon-to-be Marines, I found myself next to the women, and unbeknownst to me, in proximity to the aforementioned young woman. I didn’t recognize her and she didn’t fully recognize me either, but I noticed that she seemed to be alternately laughing and crying, but when the troops started calling cadence, she called it out with a vengeance. I had taken an interest in her, because she was always so positive, in spite of a number of possibly troubling injuries, but she fired Expert on the rifle range and came through just fine in the Crucible, just like her blessing promised. It is many little things like this that help me feel the Spirit of the Lord in our work and His love for these wonderful young people.

Emma’s lesson was on Chastity. Its not one of her favorites to teach to a group of non-members, for whom this is such a foreign topic. One young lady asked, “But how will you know if you fit together?” Emma’s reply was, “Do you have to try on every shoe in the store?” Without at least some sort of Gospel basis, in today’s age, this is a hard one for these young folks to understand.

I on the other hand, got to teach our 1^st timers Restoration lesson to a couple of young men, who readily grasped the concepts, even as extraordinary as they are. Both asked for copies of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as well as the Restoration pamphlet that goes along with the discussion. When we finished, one of them gave a very powerful prayer, asking for knowledge and for the Lord to be with his comrade who has been having problems with swim quals. He even asked the Lord to bless me. We left with a very strong Spirit in our hearts. I find great joy in sharing my testimony of this work. It NEVER gets old or tiresome.

Emma received some validation for the fancy greeting cards she makes and gives to our young Missionaries. We received a chat message from the mother of one of our Elders who had sent her one of Emma’s Valentine cards. She said, it was “the most beautiful handmade Valentine I’ve ever seen.” And it brought her to tears. That is kind of fun.

One of our young Marines, Carlin Warren, is a professional photographer who will soon be returning home to Utah, as his time in the Marine Corps comes to a close. He thought it would be fun to give us some pictures of our District and the Missionaries we love.

When I work out, I often listen to General Conference talks or BYU/BYU(I) Devotionals as a way to stay focused on why we are here. This last week, I listened to one given by Elder Lawrence Corbridge, of the Seventy. In his talk, he mentioned that a number of years ago, his assignment required him to read a great deal of material that was antagonistic to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and events relative to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our times. While this material didn’t raise any doubts in his mind, it did leave him with feelings of gloom and darkness. The peace that comes from the Spirit of the Lord was nowhere to be found in that material and his testimony of the Gospel remained intact, even growing stronger.

He noted that when we encounter spurious material like this, and we all will at one time or another, we need to have firmly established in our hearts and minds the answers to four Primary Questions, as follows:

1. Is there a God who is our Father in Heaven?
2. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Savior of the world?
3. Was Joseph Smith a prophet?
4. Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth?

If we can answer affirmatively each of these questions (we can), then all other questions lose their significance, and even if we find ourselves not liking the answers we receive to any secondary questions, it just won’t matter in the eternal scheme of things. How do we get the answers to these Primary Questions?

The answers come as we regularly Study the scriptures (Book of Mormon and Bible in particular), provide regular unselfish service, and pray to be in tune with the Spirit of God, with the goal of becoming more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a remarkably simple process and wonderfully elegant in its simplicity. Doing a little each and every day has great power, much like compound interest. Each little act of faith builds on the ones that came before.

We don’t have one and done salvation in this Church, because each and every day that we engage in study, service and prayer, our testimonies of the positive answers to these Primary Questions will grow more and more sure and solid. On the other hand, if we don’t make those regular spiritual deposits, but instead make recurring spiritual withdrawals, i.e. being self-centered, giving in to anger, not keeping the commandments, etc., in time we will be left with nothing and our souls will shrivel up and die. 2 Nephi 28: 30, in the Book of Mormon, says it all too well:

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Another beauty of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is that when we mess up and make mistakes, even for a while, turn away, all is not lost. The Savior’s outstretched arm is there for us, His hand is there for us to grasp and get back onto the Covenant Path, because He loves us unconditionally, and thankfully so. We see this regularly with our young Recruits.

In one of our nightly Come Follow Me discussions this past week, Emma and I had a good conversation about John 3: 3-6, wherein the Savior said that we must be born again. We talked about how we begin life in the womb as embryos, and then have to grow and grow, changing daily, before we are ready to be born and to enter the world. So too with our spiritual growth and development before we will be ready to stand before the Lord. Our goal is to daily give ear to His counsel, to hearken to His precepts and learn wisdom. We are so grateful for His outstretched arm and willingness to take upon Himself ALL of our sins and stupid shortcomings if we will but come unto Him.

It is said that wisdom often comes from experience (ours or others’). Experience comes from good or bad judgement and decisions. Good decisions come from wisdom, while bad decisions come from the lack of or failure to heed wisdom. In either case we can gain more wisdom.

It has been and continues to be our experience that as we seek to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ, seeking to be like Him, giving heed to the counsel of His Prophets and Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that our lives have been and continue to be blessed. We know of no other source of true happiness and joy. With this we give our testimony that we know that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is true, the word of God and that as it’s translator, Joseph Smith is the Prophet of God who restored the Lord’s Church to the earth in these the last days before the Savior’s Second Coming.

So, if we can keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here, even though Emma is a goober?

Week 70, A Good Week All in All

A lot was going on this past week, but first the numbers:

We had a total of 61 in attendance Sunday. 34 Males and 27 Females joined us. 21 identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were 17 1^st time attendees, and of the 1^st timers, 2 were members of The Church.

With no new Marines graduating this week, we missed the sweet testimonies of weeks past. We will have 8 graduating next week. We have a number going through the Crucible this week. One young lady, who likes and respects the full-time Missionaries, nonetheless asked for a blessing from Marines before she takes on the Crucible this week. I got to participate in that. She is a neat young woman who told us that before coming to Parris Island, she had been away from Church, but decided to give it one more try. She has been a regular ever since and full of life and energy.

This is part of the wonder of a Mission, experiencing the joy that comes as you feel our Father in Heaven’s love for His children. This is a picture that periodically flashes on my computer that I think expresses the kind of exuberant joy we can and should feel. It was taken when our oldest grandson, Parker Booren was on his mission four years ago in Porto Alegre Brazil.

I think a corollary of this is found in a very short video, “How Will God Interview Parents?” The suggestion is made that the Lord will not be as interested in how many sports teams our children played on or whether they did drugs or not or were star performers in school. The suggestion is made that the Lord will be more interested in knowing how we loved our children and how loved they felt by us. I think as Missionaries the question could be asked of us, How well do we love the people we have been called to serve and how well loved have they felt by our service?

I think this is in keeping with the Savior’s Gospel of Love. In Mark 12: 30-31, He teaches us to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart mind and strength and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. And again in John 15: 12, He commands us to love others as He has loved us. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is then, “How well do I love my children, or those I am called to serve, or even those I simply chance to meet in my daily activities?”

The rest of our Sunday was good. Our Elders’ van was badly rear-ended on Friday evening by a drink-impaired driver. It appears that our Missionaries escaped injury, although the van was totaled. As a result, though, when the Bishop asked them to go to a member’s home to give a blessing, I was called to help with transportation. Emma and I joke that a big part of our mission has been for me providing transportation for Missionaries, and for her, cooking for them. Its all good, as we have been grateful to be able to help in this fashion. It is good to know that the Elders feel comfortable in calling me, even at the last minute. My hope is to always be one that the Lord or His servants can count on, when help is needed.

In our Priesthood discussion today, we reviewed Elder Neil L. Andersen’s October 2018 General Conference talk “Wounded” wherein he talked about how bad things do in fact happen to good people, even those who are living in a righteous manner.  I love the phrase, he used:

“In the crucible of earthly trials, patiently move forward, and the Savior’s healing power will bring you light, understanding, peace, and hope.”

He went on to say,

We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. But intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when your soul will be wounded.

At times like that, we need to decide how we are going to react. We can be like one individual in a story I saw posted in the January 1996 New Era by Larry A. Hiller called, “Pockets-full-of-rocks.” It is a story about a man that decided to pick up a rock and put it in his pocket every time he had been wronged or someone made him angry. He did this to remind him of how he felt.

He started picking up rocks every time this happened until his pockets became so full that he had to start piling them in his house. His collection became so big that it covered almost every part of his home. He even sometimes placed a rock in his bed so he could remember to be angry about an incident through the night.

One day he received a call from a Geology Professor who had heard about his collection and wanted to bring his class to see the rocks. Upon seeing the great piles of rocks, the professor and the class asked how his collection came to be.

“That is very interesting”, said the professor upon learning the origin of the collection. “Can we also see your other collection while we are here?”

The man said he didn’t have one, but wondering what the professor meant, he asked what other collection the professor had in mind.

The professor said, “I thought you would have a collection of items to remind you of all the times someone was kind or did something nice for you.”

This made the man think. He decided to get rid of his rocks and instead plant something in his yard every time someone was nice. His neighbors watched him haul off all his rocks and loved his unexplained new-found love for gardening!

A good question to ask ourselves. Are we harboring rocks or planting flowers?

“If we are looking for fault, we will find it. If we are looking for good, we will find that too!”

Life is far greater and full of more happiness when we focus on the good and forget about the bad.

As then President Uchtdorf has said, “We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way.

“Sometimes we can take offense so easily. On other occasions we are too stubborn to accept a sincere apology.  Who will subordinate ego, pride, and hurt – then step forward with, “I am truly sorry!” Let’s be as we once were: friends. Let’s not pass to future generations the grievances, the anger of our time“?

When those times come as surely they will, we need to apply the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and put our faith in Him, that this too shall pass. We don’t need to hold on to the hurt. We don’t need to feel ill toward whomever caused the hurt either.

Family Day, the 50% rule applied. Eight Marines said they were coming. Four came, and we very much enjoyed seeing them and their families. Two were members and two weren’t, not that it made any difference as we were just glad to see them. We could be irritated by those who say they will come and then don’t. Rather we find joy in those who do.

As an example, a tall, as in 6’ 6” African American Marine, built like a football player, came with his mother this last Family Day. Emma commented to the mother that she felt the African American Recruits and Marines give the best hugs. Then this giant of a young man bent almost in two so Emma could give him a hug. It was a wonderful sight to behold. Unfortunately, Marine Corps rules don’t allow us to post pictures like that, even if we could take them, which we can’t.

Just us and a fun day.

On Friday, we shared a day “just for us” and did a little sightseeing. When our son, Phillip, and his family visited us last year, our daughter-in-law Natalie expressed an interest in the Penn Center on Hunting Island, but we didn’t have the time to visit it. So Friday, we took the time to see what was there. On the way home, we stopped at a roadside, mom and pop BBQ for some good ribs. We enjoyed a good day together.

We also discovered that the Penn Center was established as an experiment in 1862 by Northern Abolitionists, following “The Great Skedaddle”, the 1861 Exodus of the locals during the opening days of the Civil War. Instead of waiting around to see if their homes and town were going to be destroyed, they simply left, leaving their servants to tend the house in their absence. The experiment was to see if newly freed slaves could be taught to read and write. Over the next 100 years the experiment paid off bountifully in the education of 1000’s of African Americans. We were glad we took the time to learn more about this important historical location.

This week there were more ministering visits to less active, returning members’ homes as a result, this time, of names showing up in the new move-in report. Again we found families and individuals, for whom there was instant affection and love as we invited them to an upcoming ward activity or told them about Come Follow Me and bore testimony of the fruit those discussions have brought to us.

This brings us to our own Come Follow Me discussions this past week. We talked about how the Savior was tempted and the temptations that trouble us. For me it can be as simple as wasting my time with Internet surfing of the trivial and worldly, forgetting what is truly important. We talked about following the Lord, and President Ezra Taft Benson’s statement that, “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.”

At one point we both laughed heartily as Emma said she will smack me if I ever become a grouchy old man and I told her that I will ask her if she wants cheese with her whine, if she becomes a whiny old woman. We both decided that we do not want to ever retire as servants of the Lord. We can’t. He has blessed us so richly, that to “retire” from His service would be the ultimate in ingratitude. We are so grateful to be led by a living Prophet of God, as members of the Lord’s church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We are grateful for the scriptures and especially the Book of Mormon and the insights that come to us from that second witness of Jesus Christ. The Lord has been so very good to us.

So, if we can keep on keeping on, Can life be anything other than good out here?