My Little Missionary

I'm so proud of Mallory and what she is accomplishing as she is serving her Father In Heaven in
Tennessee.

This is a letter she received from her Mission President:

"Dear Sister Gertson,

thank you for accepting the new assignment to serve as a sister training leader in the Franklin zone.  You have received this assignment because you have distinguished yourself as a leader in the Tennessee Nashville Mission.  You have earned the trust of Heavenly Father through your striving to be obedient, your work ethic, your Christlike attributes and your skills in teaching repentance and baptizing converts.

Being a successful sister training leader is far more about what you do than about what you say.  Please lead by example.  Find constantly, teach repentance from the Book of Mormon, and baptize converts.  If you do that, and if you teach others how to do that, then you will be an exemplary sister training leader.  Remember that you are a keeper of the TNM Christ-centered culture of high expectations and charity.  Please help the missionaries in your zone to get swept up in our mission culture.

You will train the sister missionaries I your zone.  You do this primarily through exchanges and at zone conferences.  Remember to find opportunities to lift, build and inspire the best efforts of the sisters.  Missionary work can be challenge.  Always seek to encourage the sister missionaries in their faith and joy.

Cultivate the qualities of persuasion, long=suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned and kindness.  it is also very important that you continue to strive to obey and repent with consecration, and to work and practice all day in the Preach My Gospel way.  Place Preach My Gospel and the Missionary Handbook at the very center of your missionary work each day.

Love,

Jared W. Stone
President, Tennessee Nashville Mission"

Tears

Olive Beth Kimball Mack (Bobby) passed away and her funeral was on Friday.  She was 96 and had lived a full life.  I went to her viewing on Thursday evening and visited with her some of her children.  It was fun to see so many that I had not seen for years.  I also attended the funeral on Friday afternoon and enjoyed hearing what her 5 boys had to say about her.  As I sat there listening, I also thought about my own mother who died at the age of 96.  Then my thoughts went to Annette and on to my son, Jeffrey.  Funerals are not always easy, but I think necessary.  It gives us time to ponder and let the emotions we are feeling be expressed in a gentle quiet way.  It is a closure but also a reminder that they have just passed through the veil and are still living.  I let the tears roll down my cheeks and I remembered a quote that mother had written in one of her journals.  I came home to find it and this is the quote:

"There is a sacredness in tears.  They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.  They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love."    Washington Irving

I've said 'goodbye' to many in my life time and will say 'goodbye' to many more before my journey ends.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and am so grateful for my testimony and knowledge that we all be reunited as a family and loved ones again.  

 

Thought for Sunday

President Russell M. Nelson:

"Because the Savior offered Himself as the infinite Atonement, you and I have the opportunity, the privilege, to be forgiven when we repent.  We an also turn to Him for healing of our hearts, for strength where we are weak, and for help to do things we simply cannot do on our own."

"When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him .  . . . you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do."

Miniature bottles of jam

Mallory loves miniature things so when Annie and I saw these little miniature Mason jars we had to buy them for Mallory.  When I was doing the jam I thought how fun it would be to fill them with strawberry and raspberry jam and send them to her.  Here is a picture of them.  the jar in the middle is a pint size and the two on either side are the miniature ones.  They probably hold about 1/4 cup of jam.  That's how tiny they are.  I'm going to put them in the mail this week.  Wish I could be there when she opens this package up.  It is fun to send her Gam's Jam in little bottles!

I Love Jets! Fighter Jets!

Neal and I were home Saturday evening and we heard some jets flying over our home.  I was sad that I missed them.  A few minutes later we heard them again.  Then a few minutes later we heard them again!  So I ran out on the patio and sure enough here they came again.  The same four jets just kept circling and flying over our home.  It was so exciting to watch them.  I wish I could have taken better pictures but felt good I got the ones I did.  As I was getting ready to go in I heard them coming again, looked up and right above my head all four of them flew side by side on their way back to the their base.  They were so low that I could almost see the pilots.  Of course I waved as if I thought they could see me.  Goodness, by the time I had my had up to wave they were past!  What a thrill it was to have them flying over so closely.

Saturday project

Saturday morning rolled around and I knew that it was time to get the strawberry jam and raspberry jam made.  I ran to Costco and bought all the ingredients, including the berries and home to spend from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. making over 80 1/2 pints of Jam!  I divided up the jars between Maren, Lynda Ann and Neal and I.  Most of the jam went to the girls because I can't eat anything with seeds in it so that totally eliminates both those jams.  I always feel so happy when the last bottle is filled.

 Of course Mother's old metal funnel.  I LOVE that I saved this little piece of canning equipment from Mother's kitchen.

Delivered the jam to Maren and Lynda Ann today and had a nice visit with both families.  We also go to see Maren and Greg's home.  They said it should be done by the 1st of November.

Jeff's Birthday

Lynda planned quite a birthday celebration for Jeff's 50th birthday.  She arranged for his brother Ken and his good friend JC to come to Salt Lake and surprise him.  Annie picked Jeff up after work and surprised him by taking him to a hotel in Logan and then golfing at Bear Lake the next day.  On the way back that late afternoon they stopped for dinner and Ken and JC were there to surprise him.  The next day Jeff, Ken and JC headed off to Wendover for the day.  Friday they went golfing and Friday night Lynda had a birthday dinner of Navajo Tacos and the trimmings.  I was invited out to the dinner and it was a fun evening listening to Ken and JC talk about their childhood and about Ken and Jeff's conversion.  JC's father was the one who was a great influence in getting Jeff and Ken baptized.  I hope Jeff records his story along with Ken's side of the story.  Ken was in the MTC and was able to baptize Jeff before leaving on his mission.

Here are a couple pictures of the celebration:  First picture of Jeff blowing out his 50 candles and the rest of us singing happy birthday to him - which was a little off key - to say the least :-)

 This is a picture of Jeff, JC and Ken from left to right.  What a fun evening to listen to them sharing their teen years experiences.

Stitching Update

I think I forgot to post my monthly progress on my new project.  I've actually made some headway but still have hours left to do!

Funny Tucker!

If you remember, a few posts back I showed a picture of Annie doing a selfie of the two of us.  We were laughing so hard after she did it that we nearly wet our pants!  So I just had to send it to Tucker because I knew he would get a kick out of it and that he would have to give Annie a bad time.  This was his response which made me laugh until I couldn't breathe!!

 My personal favorite below:

Thanks, Tucker, for always making me laugh and laugh and laugh!

St. George with Annie

Lynda Ann wanted to see the stage production of Matilda so she and I headed to St. George yesterday to see the show, do some shopping and celebrate her birthday.
We left Friday morning and did some shopping at Eddie Bauer.  She took a picture of me holding up a shirt to send to Jeff to see if he liked it.  He didn't!

From shopping we headed to Judy and Ron's condo, unpacked and then headed to Tuacahn to see Maltida.

 We had great seats in the center section about the 6th row up.  We had a young girl in front of us take a couple pictures and of course Annie and I got the giggles.

 While we were at the play we got a text and message from Abby that she and Emmi were at the theater to see Christopher Robin again.

 We got back to the condo about 11:30, talked for a bit and then off to bed.  The next morning we met Mary at the Bear Paw for breakfast before heading back to Salt Lake.

 On the way back, we stopped to fill the car up with gas and get a drink and had to take a picture of these wood carved beavers.  Obviously we were in Beaver, Utah!!

 Happy birthday Annie.  Hope you had as much fun as I did.

Taylor is chosen for Home Coming Queen

Everyone was excited when Maren informed us that Taylor was voted home coming queen.  Here are the pictures Maren sent.

So happy for you Taylor!!

The Fair cont. . .. .

 Digby came to the fair and was such a good dog.  Abby is an amazing trainer.
Couldn't resist taking a picture of the mother and her new little piglets.  They are cute as babies.

 The babies trying to nurse as the mother stood up.  She wasn't being very cooperative.

 Picture of Abby and Emmi getting ready to come down the slide.  Annie and I came down on the turn earlier.  The slide is always a must when at the fair.

Thanks Gertsons for inviting me to come along.  It was a great evening.

A trip to the Utah State Fair

Annie called and said they were going to the fair on Thursday evening and wondered if I would like to go with them.  Neal was up at the Scout Camp so I gladly accepted the invitation.  I had entered three counted cross stitch projects and was anxious to see how I did.  I got a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbon.  I was a little surprised at the one that I got a 1st on and a 2nd on.  I thought it should have been reversed but I'll have to wait and read the comments on the back of the judging sheets to see what they had to say.  I actually thought I would have a 1st on all three of them!  I certainly thought they deserved it so even though the ribbon says 2nd and 3rd I'll think 1st and 1st!  Abby also entered some pottery and got ribbons on everything she entered.

 This is the one that I thought should be a first and it got a second.  I'm anxious to read what the judges have to say that they felt it only qualified for a 2nd place.

 Not too surprised that this one got a 3rd.  It wasn't all that hard to do.  I'm happy they all placed.  There are so many that people enter that don't get a ribbon.  That would be a little disheartening to think your hard work wasn't even worth a ribbon.

If anyone wants any of these, they are up for grabs except for Zippity.  It hangs in the little bathroom and replaced the Happy Everything that Lynda Ann now has.

Neal's Scout Training

Neal went up to Tracy Wigwam on Wednesday evening and had me follow him.  They had a nice dinner to kick off the training and spouses were invited.  The trainers had prepared a song and a skit.  Here are some pictures.  They don't do justice to the skit.  Funniest thing ever.  I was laughing so hard I could hardly steady my hands enough to take some pictures.

 He also got another woodbadge bead, making it his third for being on staff, along with a certificate.

I left right after and headed home.  It was a nice evening up at Tracy Wigwam.