Kaytee and Josh Visit the Old Hometown

Kaytee, Josh, Adyn and Skylar came for a visit this week, arriving late on Easter and heading home the following Sunday.  It has been two years since Kaytee and the girls were here … much longer since Josh has been in St. George.  Kaytee had a long list of “things to do and people to see” including shopping and catching up with friends and family. Not sure if she accomplished all she wanted to get done but we sure enjoyed having them around.  We played in the backyard wading pool, went to the Childrens Museum (big tears were shed when Momma announced to her two little girls it was time to go home), had a fun family gathering on Thursday night to celebrate Stacy’s …. ummmm, 29^th birthday.  It was a drama-free evening, including hamburgers bar-be-qued in the backyard, Stacy’s favorite “white-on-white” birthday cake from Harmon’s along with lots of laughter and chit-chat about a variety of topics!  The only problem - as it is when David and Jan'L visit - is we didn't get enough time with our youngest daughter and her family because we had to share them with the in-laws!!!

Going to General Conference

Finding tickets for General Conference is not an easy task.  But, since we have never attended these wonderful meetings in the Conference Center – and because Selwin Lovell was getting ready to leave on his mission – I decided it was worth the effort.

I contacted our bishop … no luck.  I contacted our stake president … no luck.  Finally, I decided to see if friends on the Wasatch Front could find us some tickets to ANY session.  Several of them asked around and had no luck either.  Finally an excited Karen Harris (from Layton and with whom we served in Guyana) called to say she had six tickets for Saturday and three for Sunday.  Where did she find them?  Her cousin in Boise, ID got them from her bishop.

On Saturday, April 5, we traveled by Trax Train from Provo to downtown Salt Lake City to attend the morning session of General Conference in the 21,000-seat Conference Center.  On Sunday, we returned for the 5^{th –} and final - session.  The talks were amazing and the music moving.  When asked how Selwin enjoyed General Conference, his response was, “it was awesome!”

My impressions?  I know ours is a worldwide church with now more than 15,000,000 members, but being in the conference center really makes that statistic a reality.  Among the 40,000 who attended the same two sessions we attended, there were members of every age and ethnicity.  There were a fair share of seniors but most were young men and women (16 – 25).  There was a large number of people of color – black, brown and Asian – and many languages being spoken all around us.  It was beautiful, brought tears to my eyes and certainly showed the fulfillment of the prophecy in Doctrine and Covenants 133:37 which promises, “and this gospel shall be preached to every nation, and kindred and people.” 

The only downside was numerous “street preachers” making lots of noise, but they were mostly drowned out by many dozens of young people singing church hymns along the sidewalk leading to the conference center.  I can’t help but wonder what these (mostly apostates) are trying to accomplish.

No question, it really was an amazing experience!!!

It's M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I for Elder Selwin Lovell

Elder Selwin Lovell left his U. S. home with us, on Wednesday, April 9 for the MTC in Provo to begin his "best two years" in the Mississippi Jackson Mission.  A 21-year resident of Georgetown, Guyana, South America, he and his identical twin brother Simeon, first met the missionaries and joined the church at age 14 - and remain two of only 3 members in their entire family. In the United States only since mid-September and in St. George since Halloween “the twins” always knew the next great adventure in their lives would be a mission. 

Opening his call to the American south was an exciting moment – not only because “it is finally here” but because his brother Simeon also received his call letter to the Georgia Atlanta Mission on the same day!  He was pleased to be serving in the states, but I was a bit concerned to know he would be serving in the "deep South" with a long history of prejudice and injustices toward blacks!  As his "missionary mom" I am reminded I need to have faith and pray daily for his safety and success (as I did when Michael served in the Philippines)and hope his sweet personality and wit will get him through the hard times.  I will miss him!

The fact there are only 21,760 members in 44 wards and branches – and 16 family history centers - in all of Mississippi does not trouble this elder.  He just recognizes there are more to teach, more who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ – and he considers himself up for the challenge.

Early church records indicate missionaries first arrived in Mississippi in 1839 and baptized 13 people amidst much persecution. In April 1842, nearly 90 Mississippi Latter-day Saints in 40 wagons escaped opposition by fleeing to Nauvoo, Illinois. Persecution from enemies in Mississippi continued for the next four decades, culminating in 1880 when an attempt was made to persuade the governor to force Church members from the state. In 1846, a company of Church members left Monroe County expecting to join the main body of Saints in the Rocky Mountains. Instead, they became the first group of Latter-day Saints to cross the plains, wintering with fur trappers in Colorado that year.

Gathering of the WIM

“How many shall we expect,” asked Sisters Beecher, Beutler and Andrus when we first arrived for the WIM Reunion on Friday, April 4 in Provo. “Beats me,” I responded because I really didn’t know… but come they did!!!  I had sent an “official” Smilebox invitation to those whose e-mail addresses I had … posted it on Facebook and then encouraged the recipients to “pass it on.”  At 6 p.m. they began pouring in and before long we had a crowd of more than 90, including RM’s of every age … as well as spouses, fiancés and girl / boyfriends. President Gamiette didn’t arrive until quite late because he and all other area Seventies were invited to the viewing of a new movie put out by the First Presidency, but almost everyone stayed!  Finally, at about 10:30 - after hearing an inspiring message from our former mission president - people began leaving for home.  It was a delightful evening including a delicious pot luck dinner.  It appeared everyone had a great time!!!

Miracles on Shadowglen Way

Some in our family feel Larry and I may have “jumped the gun” selling our mother’s home prior to her death.  It was a difficult decision for several reasons, but she is not ever going to live there again and, even with no one living in the coach, there are costs for utilities, maintenance and repairs … while the property deteriorates from neglect.

An older couple purchased it.  He is a bar owner in Orange, CA and his wife has Alzheimer’s / dementia … but she is our mother’s clone – an excessive, compulsive shopper / collector of toys (i.e., Beany Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbie Dolls and other collectibles), jewelry and other knick-knacks!

We hadn't even listed it yet, but the first people to look at it bought it for a reasonable price and wanted a 30-day close but that didn’t work for us … so we held out for a 45-day close.  Here’s his story:  he lived on a street, which the State of California took through a claim of eminent domain so they could build a freeway onramp.  As we got closer to the 45-day mark, I was getting more and more phone calls from the realtors and the title company asking, “when …. when … when?” I couldn’t understand why everyone was so stressed until I actually met the new owner who told me his was the last house on the street to be bulldozed … and on the 45^th day, the bulldozer was sitting right outside his front door waiting for him to move his wife and the last few boxes out.

So, we were literally moving out the front door while he was moving in the back door.  Luckily he has lots of people on his payroll, so he just reassigned them from the bar to his “new house” for a couple of days.

OK, so here are the miracles:

1.    We sold the property at a good price - for cash - and to the very first "looker!"

2.    Bob (the new owner) walked thru the coach, prior to the sale, and immediately fell in love with the furniture.  He wrote us a check right on the spot … and we don’t have to move any of it!!!

3.    Bob was so busy getting ready to move, he didn’t request an inspection of the property before the sale went thru.  We were unaware of any problems, other that a small leak in the plumbing, but on the last day we were told the coach needs a new roof!!!  Because he had not requested an inspection and because the property is in a trust … and because Larry and I are not the property owners … we are not responsible for any repairs.  Bob’s response?  "It’s OK, I’ve got plenty of money and can take care of anything needing to be done." 

4.    My mother has, over the years, made about 30 beautiful square dance dresses with matching shirts for my dad.  She also has about a dozen petticoats in various colors.  I have posted them on Craigslist and tracked down at least a dozen square dance groups in and around Corona to see if I can find someone – or several someone’s – who want to buy them, but to no avail.  Then on the last day in Corona – at the time we were getting ready to throw the dresses, petticoats and shirts on the truck – not knowing what I was going to do with them all – one of Bob’s employees said, “oh, I know someone who can take care of these clothes for you” and gave me a phone number.  She tells me she will sell the clothes and send me a check … no charge!

I want my kids to go thru Mother’s things and decide what they would like to have as a memento and I’ve still got to do an estate sale to get rid of the rest of it, but for the most part, the hard stuff is over – and now there is money to take care of Mother for as long as she lives.