Week 11 - Twilight Zone
Dearest Children, Grandchildren, Family and Friends!!
Another week has come and gone and this one has been just a bit busy!! Monday was great at the temple. I worked in the office with a sweet, sweet sister who lost her husband in February. She is such an amazing lady and it was fun to get to know her better and serve with her. The office was fairly busy. I like working there because I get to help a lot of people. On Friday, I also worked in the office. That day we had so many crazy things happen but I was able to learn a lot more about how things are done so that I can help people better the next time. It is a joy to serve patrons and help them to have a wonderful experience at the temple. That is why they come….from all over!!! Toward the end of the shift, the Presidency member who was there asked Richard and I to take the brother shift coordinator who had gotten ill and couldn’t drive himself home. It was such a privilege to be asked to serve him. Richard drove his car and I followed to bring Richard home again. We got home about 5:00 and then went to FHE. We had our last FHE with Brother Morey who is so knowledgeable about the temple and church history. He told us about the history of the Smith family and others who lived in the vicinity of Palmyra. The missionaries gave him a book as a thank you gift and he was very touched.
Tuesday was busy with laundry and then we went to the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center to be trained by the site missionaries there. We will be taking over as site missionaries there on Tuesday, the 4th, while they have a meeting from 10:00 to 2:00. It will be a wonderful experience, I’m sure. After that, we helped a couple set up a blog and it was fun to visit with them.
Wednesday brought the temple again with two sealing sessions and working on genealogy between our shifts. Such a sad thing happened, though. I received an email from one of our friends in our home ward and his angel wife has decided that she doesn’t want to go through any more chemo for the cancer that has come back. She has decided that she is content to go home. My heart aches for them and for all of us who will miss her. She is such an amazing person….and so is her sweet husband!!! Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with them during this time.
Thursday was moving day. We had to leave Zion’s Camp to make way for the Hill Cumorah Pageant crew and cast who will be moving in during the next week or so. We came to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort. ('Affectionately' called The Twilight Zone) We were sad to leave our safe little haven, although it was already becoming a bit crowded. When Richard and I woke up that morning, he said, “We can either have a positive attitude or a negative one.” We decided that if we had a positive attitude about everything here it would be better for us. After all, we don’t really have a choice so we might as well be happy with our situation!! As we were all hooking up and leaving, one of the sisters said that in a few short months we would be doing this “for real”. That made us stop and think and we immediately decided that we wouldn’t think about THAT!!! I love these missionary friends so much that I will be beyond SAD to leave them!!!! But, on the other hand, I will be SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to hug my grandkids!!!!!! All in all, this is an okay place made better by my neighbors!! There have been some problems with some of the electricity for some of the Elders and Sisters but we have seemed to be unaffected by it. We feel badly for our friends who are struggling, though!!! The Internet, though, has been real trial!! On Thursday night we had an impromptu game night because none of us could get on the Internet. So much fun!!!! LOVE these people!!!
Friday we had a torrential rainstorm that flooded our "yard" (See pics) but the rest of the day was fairly uneventful as was Saturday, except we were in the temple for over 10 hours and were very tired. It was a GOOD tired, though, because we were able to serve so many people. Quite a few “real” patrons came and that was fun. The definition of a “real” patron is someone who voluntarily comes to the temple and is not a missionary or worker assigned as a patron. Today was a good Sabbath. There was flooding in the branch area and they were afraid they might have to cancel church but today dawned sunny and bright….and dry!! We had a wonderful Fast and Testimony meeting and then Sunday School was great with two of our girls there. We surely do love them!! What is so sweet to me is to be able to serve with my dear companion. This is the first time that we have ever been able to serve together as teachers of a class. It seems that our callings have always taken us apart from one another. Missions are GREAT!!! In Relief Society and Priesthood (taught by Richard) we talked about Visiting and Home teaching.
Well, this brings me to the end of the week. I wanted to share one thought with you. In one of our preparation meetings this week one of the sisters shared the words of a poem that has been turned into a song that was sung by the Tabernacle Choir in the last conference. It is entitled “Take Time to Be Holy”. That really touched me especially in connection with some scriptures that I encountered this week during my study. I was reading something else in D&C 130 but the first verse struck me. “When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is.” I was immediately reminded of a part of Moroni 7:48 that says: “…that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is…” When all three of these came together in my mind, I asked myself, “Am I taking enough time to be holy? Am I taking enough time to become like the Savior?” I think I am not but I want to do better in the future. I ask each of you the same question: “Are YOU taking enough time to be Holy.” This is the purpose of our existence on this earth.
I love you all and miss you.
Mom, Grandma and Sandy oxoxoxoxoox
Fun pics!!
Packing up
Loading up
Driving away
Our sad, empty little spot
Here we are at Lilac Circle in the Twilight Zone....can't figure out where the lilacs are, though!! Maybe they disappeared....it IS the Twilight Zone after all.
Unloading
Setting up
Tying things down
Our "yard"
Our little spot
Putting up the important things
Go Cougs!!!!
Our flood
...and Coxson Pond has migrated to the Twilight Zone and become Coxson Lake...
Another week has come and gone and this one has been just a bit busy!! Monday was great at the temple. I worked in the office with a sweet, sweet sister who lost her husband in February. She is such an amazing lady and it was fun to get to know her better and serve with her. The office was fairly busy. I like working there because I get to help a lot of people. On Friday, I also worked in the office. That day we had so many crazy things happen but I was able to learn a lot more about how things are done so that I can help people better the next time. It is a joy to serve patrons and help them to have a wonderful experience at the temple. That is why they come….from all over!!! Toward the end of the shift, the Presidency member who was there asked Richard and I to take the brother shift coordinator who had gotten ill and couldn’t drive himself home. It was such a privilege to be asked to serve him. Richard drove his car and I followed to bring Richard home again. We got home about 5:00 and then went to FHE. We had our last FHE with Brother Morey who is so knowledgeable about the temple and church history. He told us about the history of the Smith family and others who lived in the vicinity of Palmyra. The missionaries gave him a book as a thank you gift and he was very touched.
Tuesday was busy with laundry and then we went to the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center to be trained by the site missionaries there. We will be taking over as site missionaries there on Tuesday, the 4th, while they have a meeting from 10:00 to 2:00. It will be a wonderful experience, I’m sure. After that, we helped a couple set up a blog and it was fun to visit with them.
Wednesday brought the temple again with two sealing sessions and working on genealogy between our shifts. Such a sad thing happened, though. I received an email from one of our friends in our home ward and his angel wife has decided that she doesn’t want to go through any more chemo for the cancer that has come back. She has decided that she is content to go home. My heart aches for them and for all of us who will miss her. She is such an amazing person….and so is her sweet husband!!! Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with them during this time.
Thursday was moving day. We had to leave Zion’s Camp to make way for the Hill Cumorah Pageant crew and cast who will be moving in during the next week or so. We came to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort. ('Affectionately' called The Twilight Zone) We were sad to leave our safe little haven, although it was already becoming a bit crowded. When Richard and I woke up that morning, he said, “We can either have a positive attitude or a negative one.” We decided that if we had a positive attitude about everything here it would be better for us. After all, we don’t really have a choice so we might as well be happy with our situation!! As we were all hooking up and leaving, one of the sisters said that in a few short months we would be doing this “for real”. That made us stop and think and we immediately decided that we wouldn’t think about THAT!!! I love these missionary friends so much that I will be beyond SAD to leave them!!!! But, on the other hand, I will be SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to hug my grandkids!!!!!! All in all, this is an okay place made better by my neighbors!! There have been some problems with some of the electricity for some of the Elders and Sisters but we have seemed to be unaffected by it. We feel badly for our friends who are struggling, though!!! The Internet, though, has been real trial!! On Thursday night we had an impromptu game night because none of us could get on the Internet. So much fun!!!! LOVE these people!!!
Friday we had a torrential rainstorm that flooded our "yard" (See pics) but the rest of the day was fairly uneventful as was Saturday, except we were in the temple for over 10 hours and were very tired. It was a GOOD tired, though, because we were able to serve so many people. Quite a few “real” patrons came and that was fun. The definition of a “real” patron is someone who voluntarily comes to the temple and is not a missionary or worker assigned as a patron. Today was a good Sabbath. There was flooding in the branch area and they were afraid they might have to cancel church but today dawned sunny and bright….and dry!! We had a wonderful Fast and Testimony meeting and then Sunday School was great with two of our girls there. We surely do love them!! What is so sweet to me is to be able to serve with my dear companion. This is the first time that we have ever been able to serve together as teachers of a class. It seems that our callings have always taken us apart from one another. Missions are GREAT!!! In Relief Society and Priesthood (taught by Richard) we talked about Visiting and Home teaching.
Well, this brings me to the end of the week. I wanted to share one thought with you. In one of our preparation meetings this week one of the sisters shared the words of a poem that has been turned into a song that was sung by the Tabernacle Choir in the last conference. It is entitled “Take Time to Be Holy”. That really touched me especially in connection with some scriptures that I encountered this week during my study. I was reading something else in D&C 130 but the first verse struck me. “When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is.” I was immediately reminded of a part of Moroni 7:48 that says: “…that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is…” When all three of these came together in my mind, I asked myself, “Am I taking enough time to be holy? Am I taking enough time to become like the Savior?” I think I am not but I want to do better in the future. I ask each of you the same question: “Are YOU taking enough time to be Holy.” This is the purpose of our existence on this earth.
I love you all and miss you.
Mom, Grandma and Sandy oxoxoxoxoox
Fun pics!!
We like the pics, glad the move went okay for you! Love, the Hicken's.
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