News from CAM                                                                                                                     July 3, 2017

Well, P-Day started out normally enough with laundry, cleaning, and repairing some problem pants and lately I’ve been getting shirts with the pocket torn.  They must be trying to put everything into it that they put into their suits during colder weather.  I also made a card for our Bishop’s wife who had a birthday this week, as well as one for a bridal shower that somehow I have become involved in.  Then we got a call that our Hungarian Maria had hurt herself again by missing the chair as she tried to sit down, and was in the hospital.  So we went to visit her before doing our grocery shopping. 

Tuesday morning we met the first counselor in the R.S. over at the R.S. President’s house to help her husband go through stacks of mail that has been piling up because first she was too busy to go through it, and then because she has been in the hospital followed by rehab centers following surgery for bleeding on her brain.  It took the three of us with Brother K. 3 hours to sort it, and it almost filled their giant garbage can.  We tried to make visits and phone calls with little success although we did discover that one had recently married and moved.  On our way home we picked up the mail for our widow lady and found they had returned home so we got to visit there.  I also made a turkey dressing casserole to share with whomever we deem needs it.  We got a return call from a member we have been trying to visit since we got here.  Elder Macbeth has been mailing him a Home Teaching Message every month.  He called to say that his wife was expecting their baby any day now and he would have us come over after the happy event.  That would be super nice.

We got to Skype with our youngest daughter, her husband, and their toddler on their anniversary.  It is amazing how time flies.  It seems like yesterday they were getting married and now they are home owners with a cute little girl.

On Wednesday we went to the Mission Office to return the repaired problem pants.  The only trouble was there was no name on them so I pinned a bright hot pink post it note saying that I hoped they finally got back to their owner because I didn’t have a clue whose they were.  We then visited Keith and Maria before going to Mary’s Kitchen.  That is always a happy service for us.  On our way home we stopped at the store for some powdered sugar and a few things for the bridal shower on Thursday.  This week I made Fun Fetti cake mix cookies and frosted them.  After supper we were able to catch up to an inactive and had a good visit with him on his doorstep.  He lives with his mother and nephew and to my knowledge none of the missionaries have been invited inside.  Maybe someday.  Elder Macbeth saw a peach pie and picked it up so when we got back we took it up to share with the Westergards because peach anything is a favorite with Elder Westergard.  The fruit was tasty, but if I had made the crust, I’m sure it might be hinted that I needed a different recipe.

Thursday was a wild day.  We started off with District Meeting.  The cookies were a hit.  Then we hurried to pick up Janet (one of the investigators at our Book of Mormon Class) who is the one that decided that we needed to do a bridal shower for one of the members of the class who will be getting married as soon as they decide on the date.  It was a rather impromptu affair.  We had no idea who would be attending since to my knowledge it was only announced in class last week.  I texted one of the recent converts to let her know about the shower and she texted back asking for details and offering to make a pasta salad.  Elder Macbeth had ordered a set of sheets that some had contributed to, but I didn’t know about anything else.  We went to Costco, and decided on the artichoke spinach spread, crackers, fresh strawberries and grapes, some frozen fruit bars, and water to drink.  We also picked up some meatballs and Janet wanted to get Rebecca a tiara and silk flowers which meant a stop at Walmart.  We dropped off some of the food at the church with a note that it was for a bridal shower that evening before taking Janet to her place to wash the berries.  We then rushed to the Mission Office to meet the new mission president, President Golden and his wife, before returning to our place to heat up the meatballs with BBQ sauce, wash and cut the grapes into serving sizes, and make a bouquet with the silk flowers and collect some serving plates and a few decorations I had, then off to the church again.  Elder Macbeth and Janet pulled out some tables and chairs and set them up in the cultural hall and I hunted down some tablecloths and other flowers in the R.S. closet and it looked quite festive when we were done.  There was enough food with a decent variety and the bride to be was delighted.  We had about 13-14 people attend.  When we finished there we all went into the Book of Mormon class.  We didn’t serve the frozen fruit bars until the end of class which the Elders were delighted about.  Clean up was much quicker than the set up.

Friday we dropped off some skirts that were donated to a sister who is in need of Sunday clothes.  Then we took the residue to Goodwill on our way to the Loara Building for a meeting with our half of the mission where the Goldens were introducing themselves to the missionaries.  The other half got to meet them on Saturday.  They seem like they’re going to be great leaders of our mission which is good because one of the best just went home.  Elder Macbeth took pity on me and we went to Wendy’s for some lunch afterwards.  I don’t know why, but coming up with meals some days seem such a chore.  We tried to make a few more visits before we went home to make a salad to accompany the Bishop’s meatball sandwiches that evening.  Before finishing off the day with Scriptures and prayers we got to visit on the phone with one of our daughters, and a close neighbor, always a treat.

Saturday, among other things, we visited with some of our people in 2 different care centers and a hospital which is new to us.  I think that health is more and more precious.  We went to Vons to replace the grapes we used for the bridal shower, and we caught up with the bother of one of our widows who is in charge of the funeral of her son.  Sometime life seems a little complicated, but I guess when all is said and done, it is how we meet our daily challenges that count.  We did get to go to Joe’s Italian Ice for the best of the best, (Mango Tango for me, and Badda Bing for Elder Macbeth.)  Delicious.

Sunday Elder Macbeth didn’t have his first two pre-block meetings, which meant that we had almost an extra hour before we had to be to church.  Fast Sunday is always such a treat because in addition to hearing the testimonies of our members, we always get to hear some from the visitors.  This Sunday two young boys (probably under the age of 8) got up.  The oldest spoke first and he said they attended a Spanish Ward and because he didn’t speak Spanish he really didn’t know very much of what they were saying, but that he could always feel the Spirit.  Then the younger one got up and said that his testimony was the same as everything his brother said, but that he didn’t know any Spanish but his brother would teach him.  What powerful testimonies coming from babes.  Anyway hope you all had a marvelous week, and that this week will be even better.

Love, Sister and Elder Macbeth             Go!     Fight!!       WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Smile