News from CAM                                                                                                         September 5, 2017

Dear Loved Ones All,

Seems like mostly all I did was Relief Society stuff, from printing R.S. calendars and Women’s Conference flyers to putting them into envelopes with stamps and addresses, to traveling to the Bishops’ Storehouse to get orders then delivering them, as well as visits in homes and hospitals.  Thank goodness Elder Macbeth was here to help, especially with teaching the computer how to do the address labels for 50 + letters or I would have been forever doing it by hand.

On to some high lights.  This week was President Golden’s interviews with the missionaries.  I am so happy to report that his transition from President Taggart seems fairly seamless, although he says the learning curve has been extremely steep, and the Lord has had to be on his left hand and right hand and has gone before and behind.  Isn’t that marvelous.  Anyway, it is nice to be appreciated.

Most days have been filled with one thing after another.  Wednesday was no exception.  I got up to pre-cook bacon because we had invited the young Elders to supper and they wanted “breakfast for dinner.”  I have heard that before.  I also needed to bake my cookies for Thursday districts meeting because we were going to the temple to be with one of our Book of Mormon attendees.  Amazingly it has been a year since she was baptized.  How exciting to go to her baptism as well as getting to go to the temple for her endowments.  I finished the cookies and Karly called.  She couldn’t get her sewing machine to work.  As it turned out she had it threaded wrong.  Then we got to go to Mary’s Kitchen.  It is so fun to be warmly welcomed each time we come.  After serving lunch and help wash pots and pans, etc. we barely had time to drop off some things at our apartment before we needed to be at WMCM.  That gave us the chance to remind the Elders not to be late for 5:00 pm dinner hour.  (They were a little late because they parked in the wrong building…there are at least 4 parking garages in this complex.)  Since phone reception here is almost nonexistent we couldn’t call to see where they were.  Thank goodness we have a microcell in our apartment or nobody could call us when we got home.  Needless to say we were happy when they showed up and they were happy to eat.  Going to the temple was the best, and Angela was so happy. 

On Thursday I had to frost the cookies because I hadn’t had time the day before.  My Visiting Teacher Coordinator got home from her vacation and I had to spend some time on the phone tweaking some of the V.T. assignments before we went to District Meeting.  It was a timely message on diligence. Of course they were all excited to get frosted Funfetti cookies, as were the Mission Office Missionaries.  We spent the next couple of hours making phone calls as well as texting. 

That evening we went to dinner with the Mission Office Missionaries because it was both Sister Westergard’s and Sister Thomlinson’s birthdays.  I had BBQ ribs and Elder Macbeth had some fancy hamburger.  Yummy.  We couldn’t stay for dessert because we had to rush off to Book of Mormon class.  It was gratifying that we had 22 people in attendance with a couple of investigators, recent converts, members, as well as missionaries. 

On Friday we made more visits, one with Keith who said he was doing just fine but he wanted to take a nap before going to dialysis so it was a very short visit.  We went to a little restaurant that the young missionaries like to go to on Friday because they have a special on fish tacos.  There were a whole bunch of elders leaving when we arrived, but there were two sets of sisters still eating.  It was fun to visit because some of them had served with us.

We got to go visit with a new couple who moved into our ward.  She is having her 89^th birthday this month.  It was also fun to find out that she is sister-in-law to Elder Oaks.  Sadly she has dementia but is so delightful to visit with since there is nothing wrong with her long term memory. He is a few years younger and very fit and spry.  People are so fun to get to know. 

That evening we went to the Gudmunsen’s to take them Del’s print of “The Angel in Gethsemane “  They are both in their 80s and still serve in the Newport Beach Temple every week so they get to see the original of that painting.  He has told us many times that it is his favorite and loves to go stand there and look at it every week.  They were both thrilled.

Keith called saying that dialysis had taken so long that he was too weak and shaky to fix something to eat and could we please go to Taco Bell and get him some burritos.  By the time we found a Taco Bell (our GPS is crazy) it was 9:00 pm.  I decided it was too late to remind him that he needed to make sure he had something ready to eat when he gets home because he knows he will need it.  Oh well, next time. 

This month is our ward’s turn to clean the building so on Saturday morning we headed to the church to help.  We usually wash all the glass doors and side windows at all the entryways.  We were done a little after 9:00 am.  We have been waiting since we got here to be able to see this awesome Victorian house at Founder’s Park over by the “Tree of Life.”  That is what the missionaries have named the tree because it is so awesome.  Last month we saw a banner announcing that the buildings would have an open house every first Saturday of the month.  At last we got to go inside and see.  It was full of memorabilia from the early periods, as was the first wooden house built in the area and the carriage house.

We needed to go down to Fountain Valley to pick up some food orders from the Bishop’s Storehouse.  Last time we went I didn’t notice until I got there that the order had not been approved so we spent an hour back and forth on the phone to get approval. This time I checked first, and one of the orders had not been approved so we drove to the Bishop’s home.  He said he had approved it but for some reason he had to approve it again.  It takes about an hour to drive down and back and whatever time to fill the orders, plus delivering them.  I will say that the Bishop’s Storehouse is an awesome facility and the people are very helpful.

Sunday morning seems to come earlier and earlier.  I’m sure it seems that way because it stays dark longer and longer.  I need an hour to get ready for church so that means 4:45 am if we have to leave at 5:45 to be there in time for Elder Macbeth’s first two meetings at 6:00 and 6:30 am.  I usually print and fold the bulletin or work on my R.S. stuff while he is in Bishopric Meeting.  We both attend Ward Council.  We sing in the choir and our ward is participating in the choir for stake conference so we have been having practices at 8:00 am prior to church.  The block of meetings went well.  My 2^nd counselor gave a very good lesson today in Relief Society.  We were the only ones of the presidency there since the other two were on vacation. 

We got to go to Laguna Nigel to have supper with Brad and Becky and the grandkids.  Elder

Macbeth was tired of freeway driving so we took the scenic route.  Actually there was not much that we could see as we drove along the coast from here to there because the road is lower than the sides and there were tons of holiday seaside goers parked everywhere.  At any rate Elder Macbeth said it was a pleasant change.  We got there shortly before the family arrived home from their church.  I helped fix dinner while Elder Macbeth entertained the kids.  Brad grilled steak on the BBQ and I helped with the spinach salad and corn on the cob.  They had also invited a new family in the ward.  It was a fun interlude before we came back to our place.  I was exhausted so after scriptures and prayers we went to bed earlier than usual.

Hope this finds you all healthy, happy, and grateful for your many blessings.

Love, Sister and Elder Macbeth. 

PS. Thought you might like to see how we look after 17 months.  Go!   Find!!    WIN!!!!!!!!!!!   Smile

took the scenic route.  Actually there was not much that we could see as we drove along the coast from here to there because the road is lower than the sides and there were tons of holiday seaside goers parked everywhere.  At any rate Elder Macbeth said it was a pleasant change.  We got there shortly before the family arrived home from their church.  I helped fix dinner while Elder Macbeth entertained the kids.  Brad grilled steak on the BBQ and I helped with the spinach salad and corn on the cob.  They had also invited a new family in the ward.  It was a fun interlude before we came back to our place.  I was exhausted so after scriptures and prayers we went to bed earlier than usual.

Hope this finds you all healthy, happy, and grateful for your many blessings.

Love, Sister and Elder Macbeth. 

PS. Thought you might like to see how we look after 17 months.  Go!   Find!!    WIN!!!!!!!!!!!