Family

Adam and Tiff, with their three children, are visiting Matt and Breanne in Texas.  They posted a Marco Polo while they were playing a game on a Saturday evening.  It was such a joy to watch some of our grown children being together and playing together.  Family is what matters most.  Today we went to both Fast and Testimony meetings in the Lyneham Chapel.  Both meetings were a bit subdued because of Simon Mimouney's death.  The funeral will be tomorrow morning and there were several expressions of love from the pulpit.  I've often reflected on that Sunday morning after Joseph departed this life and wondered how the church meeting went. As I recall, one of the boys attended church but the rest of us stayed home and tried to arrange for things that felt overwhelming.  Sometimes that feels like so long ago that nobody else would remember the day but, for me, it is seared in my memory and heart.

Last evening we took a drive out to Sutton.  It is such a quiet part of the community and within minutes of Belconnen it felt like we were in another world.  It is the ultimate feeling of what I anticipated when thinking of Australia.  Rolling green hills, kangaroos everywhere and Eucalyptus trees dotting the hills.

Friday we didn't have District Council but we were visited by the Sisters.  One of the happiest parts of this mission call is being around the young missionaries.  Evelyn made a treat for Sister Smith's birthday and they've scheduled to come to lunch on Thursday.  Sister Heridas wants grilled Spam with mashed potatoes.  We've got all of the necessary ingredients thanks to Costco. We have stocked the flat with enough food to last for 30 to 60 days.  With so many countries shutting their borders due to the Coronavirus it wouldn't be surprising if the store shelves became a little bit empty.  It's weird to think about potential problems because all of my life I've been raised to have a storage.  Whether it was Boy Scouts and being "prepared" or the Prophet telling us to have a supply, it has always given me a peaceful feeling.




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