A Wonderful and Wonder Filled Week

What a wonderful and busy week we have had!  Simply wonderful.  It has flown by with all of the things that we had going on.  Here are some of the highlights, but hang on, because this will be a long post I'm afraid!  But I never want to forget these things!

On Sunday evening, after speaking in the Logandale 5th ward, we had the opportunity to go to the Smith Center in downtown Las Vegas, a new and beautiful venue for performances.  We were able to see the Zion's Youth Symphony and Chorus, made up of youth from the Las Vegas area.  They performed "Saints and Pioneers", a musical tribute to church history and the pioneers.  It was so professionally done with such beautiful lyrics and music that it was truly a highlight of our stay in Las Vegas.  We were able to go with our friends, Jay and Valerie Chapman and we had a wonderful evening together.  I'm so sad that the quality of this picture is so poor!  See how cold we look--it WAS cold!  It was 37 degrees when we woke up Monday morning--so so cold!

On Monday morning we came to the mission office and learned that we had no internet connection due to a modem problem that affected our whole building.  We rely so heavily on the internet for IMOS--internet missionary operating system--and for our email--that I couldn't get the work done that I needed to get done.  Of course there are a million other things that needed to be done, but they could wait for another day. I really needed the internet!  Hopefully we would have the internet on Tuesday. . . but no!  We didn't get the internet back until Wednesday at noon, and I was so far behind in what needed to be done!  How did we ever get by without the internet?

But on Tuesday we had an event that we had been looking forward to for a few months.  Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the First Quorum of the Seventy and his wife were coming to Las Vegas for a mission conference.  He met with the mission presidency, the office staff, and the assistants in the evening at the office and it was just a joy to hear him and his wife.  They are truly gracious and wonderful people.  On Wednesday it was a full day of meetings with half of our missionaries and Elder and Sister Conder and Elder Dana went on that day to attend the conference while Glen and I stayed at the office and "held down the fort."

After the Wednesday mission conference, the Mesquite Zone came to the office to take care of some business.  Since they are a few hours away, we don't see them very often and it was so fun to see them!  I'm standing by Sisters Garcia and Hanson, and the zone leaders are Elder Findlay and Elder Duwona-Hammond. 

 On Wednesday night we had another fabulous treat.  We were able to go to the Smith Center again with our friends from our ward in Layton, Dave and Diane Lemmon.  It was so fun to see them and to spend the evening together!  They are such great people.  It was another great concert with pops music.  We got our tickets from the the sister missionaries at the Employment Center and we were so grateful!

On Thursday, the other half of the mission met together to be instructed by Elder and Sister Echo Hawk and President and Sister Black.  We attended this day and it was truly a spiritual feast to hear Elder and Sister Echo Hawk tell their conversion stories and other inspirational stories.  I took pages of notes.  It would be hard to describe just how wonder filled it was.  He is truly a man of God. 

After the morning meeting in the chapel, we ate lunch in the cultural hall.  Glen and I fixed our plates and as we walked by the table that the Echo Hawks were sitting at, Sister Echo Hawk motioned to us and told us to come and sit by them.  They didn't have to twist our arms!  We had such a wonderful conversation with them and with the other sister missionaries at the table.  Oh my, I just can't get over it.  We didn't ask them if we could take a picture with them, or even have our camera at the table,  but she said, "You can take a picture with us!"  Glen went to the chapel and got our camera and we were thrilled.  After lunch, Sister Echo Hawk said to me, "Your spirit radiates and speaks to my spirit.  I feel like we could be such good friends."  I will never forget it, it meant so much to me.  What an incredible woman she is.  I just hung on every word she said.

After lunch we sang "Army of Helaman", singing again, "And we are now the Lord's missionaries to bring the world His truth."  I just love that.

After the conference, so many missionaries lingered in the parking lot, just savoring the experience we had just all had.  We love these missionaries so much!

Elder Skinner, Elder Paz, Elder Jones, Elder Blanco and Elder Schmidt.  We were at the MTC with Elder Jones and  Elder Schmidt and they will always be special to us.

Glen discusses a housing issue with Elder Carlson that will have to be taken care of.

Some of the Las Vegas zone members--wonderful missionaries. Then after the mission conference, I was able to go teaching with Sister Carr and Sister Dewey!  We went to two different families and taught their children.  Oh, I just love doing that!  They are such good missionaries and I loved being with them.

On Friday morning, we had another gift--Dave and Chris Rothschild, also from our ward in Layton, stopped by the mission office.  They were on their way to Long Beach California where they will also serve as office missionaries!  It was so so great to talk to them and hear about their experiences at the MTC and they listened while we told about some of our experiences!  We wish them the best!

On Saturday we had another fabulous day.  We stopped to inspect a new missionary location in Las Vegas and then we drove to Logandale again to inspect four missionary apartments.  Here is one of them with Bishop Evans, Elder Cedillo, Elder Hoskins, and Glen.

Check out this beautiful place with Elder Kraft and Elder Jones!  They love it here!

Bishop Evans and his wife, Susan, had invited us to go four-wheeling with them after we spoke in church in their ward.  Since we wanted to go to Logandale to see the elders' apartments, we were so excited!  Oh, what an amazing couple they are.  We had the time of our lives with them.  They were so hospitable and gracious, and we loved every minute of it.  Susan fixed us the most delicious lunch, and we were able to see their beautiful garden.  Check out these green beans!  We picked them and she gave them all to us!  She also loaded us up with butternut squash, peppers, kale, pomegranates from their tree, and a half gallon of pomegranate juice!  We were ecstatic!  

Then they took us four-wheeling in their cadillac of four wheelers--check this out!  It had such great suspension that it was just an awesome ride.  The flag with the pirate on it is for Moapa Valley high school where their grandson plays center on the football team.  

Look at this beautiful terrain.  We loved being on the sandy roads as well as the rocky ones.  We even saw big horn sheep up on the rocks! 

Bishop Evans even let Glen drive for a while.  Can you see me taking the picture in the back seat with Susan?  We will never forget this day--it was just so great to see the beautiful Moapa Valley and spend time with our wonderful new friends.  We really did have a wonderful and a wonder filled week.