A Treat of a Day. 31 October 2016

I will be spending quite a bit of time with friends this week when I am not at the Library, so the posts will be short.

Today at the Library was quite busy and I helped a number of people.

Later I had supper and a nice time with some friends.  Tomorrow evening I expect to go to the temple with friends.

Hope all of you had a nice Halloween.

Return to Das Buch Mormon and to the Tabernacle. 30 October 2016

Having finished our intensive Book of Mormon challenge the mission now has the challenge to read the October conference talks three times in three months.  I will be glad to do that, but I will continue to read The Book of Mormon, but in German.  This morning I began with the Title page and the Introduction.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really do understand almost all of the words.  It was almost like meeting an old friend!

After two weeks of missing the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast in the Tabernacle, I stepped through the doorway to be greeted by the powerful "Gloria in Excelsis" from Mass in C Minor,  by Mozart, immediately bringing me to tears.  As I was again on my own I decided to go to the balconey and sit as far up as possible, right in the middle.  The first thing I noticed was that the seats were different than ones I had used before--my feet did not touch the floor!  The second thing I experienced was the vibration from the organ--I could feel it way up there, more than I had noticed on the ground floor, or in other spots in the balcony. I did enjoy that perspective, but for the actual broadcast I went back to my spot by the tympani.  Today I got a bonus as the chimes had been moved to that side of the stage, whereas other times they had been on the south side.  One interesting observation was seeing the cameraman up close and personal with the chimes!  I hope the orchestra keeps this configuration.

In the hour I had between the broadcast and going to choir I got 10 batches of Kentucky  Marriages arbitrated. I checked the arbitration results on batches I have indexed recently, and was pleased that even on the German ones I did pretty well.

Our fifth Sunday meeting featured a talk by President Cecil Samuelson, president of the Salt Lake Temple.  He has been a General Authority since the mid-90s, and he told some interesting details about temples around the world.

My Sweetheart and I both have early days tomorrow, so we did not talk as long as usual, but it is always a blessing to talk with him and pray with him.

Research Afternoon. 29 October 2016

My day started out nicely  as I got to talk with my Sweetheart. Then I did the in-service at the Library, and had 2 hours in which to help guests.  Part of that time I translated a German marriage record, and I did ok with the German part, but some of it was Polish, and that I needed help with.  The consultant who came to help used some techniques I had not seen used so much before, so I had a good learning experience also.

The hour I served as Floor Manager seemed to drag on, as we had very few guests come in during that time.  Then it was time for lunch, which I actually stayed at the Library for.  This was my research afternoon, and I wanted to leave a half hour early, since I needed to make another trip to the nearby market, so I only took half an hour for lunch.  I don't know if I ate too much peanut butter, or if not getting outside did me in, but I dozed through about half an hour of my research time.  Then I woke up and got a dozen or so children added to my Family Tree from Eppingen and I got a sheet of temple cards printed.  I worked some on a line that was a real mess before I realized that it really was not my line, so I could just leave it for someone else.

When I got back to the apartment I finished up reading The Book of Mormon.  I did not read the end--I did that a few days ago--but I had realized that in my second month of reading I had skipped about 30 pages, so for the last few days I went back to read those.  I always enjoy reading this book, and by now I have done so at least 50 times.  Like with other scriptures, there is always something new to learn or a reminder of something important that was learned previously.  These three times through in three months have reminded me of the dangers of pride.  Pride destroys relationships, and in this past half year I have begun to more fully recognize when I am acting in a prideful manner.  I think this is one of the reasons I needed to come here. I surely do not want to experience any more failed relationships, especially now that I have a Sweetheart who has demonstrated throughout his life his commitment to relationships.  I am richly blessed, and I want to do all I can to keep it that way.

Tonight I made more flax seed crackers, and also cooked some kidney beans.  The beans are always so yummy.  Tomorrow I plan to cook a bit more.

My daughter is getting home from Disney World tonight.  She enjoyed the special food celebration a lot.

German and Latin Fun, and Two Shopping Trips! 28 October 2016

Today was a busy day at the German/Slavic desk.  There were two groups that came in, one from Minnesota [I think] and one from St. Louis!  Members of the St. Louis Genealogical Society apparently make one or two trips a year to do research at the Library. Some of them made arrangements to meet with specialists, so the work load for the missionaries did not seem to be overwhelming--although I spent very little time out on the floor, so I may have just missed the big push.

I did get to do a Latin translation today, and had it almost all right, but resisted the correct notion that the groom was listed as a widower--I think I will not make that mistake again!  I also got to help a guest with whom I have worked before on German records.  She  was quite excited to find records of her ancestor's birth and marriage.  The mother and father's names were on the records, too, as well as a note indicating where the family register was!  Despite the difficulty in reading the old records due to darkened pages, one of the more experienced missionaries was able to make out the two words I couldn't decipher, one the middle name of the father, and the other the surname of the husband.  I was able to find that surname through a Google search--at present there are 51 people world-wide with that surname, and 3 of them are still in the general area where the records we looked at were from.

I spent three hours in the Training Room, and actually was needed there by the couple who just started recently, and a long-time missionary who requested and was given designated study time.  We actually got notes with our next week's schedule today indicating that in the slower winter months we would be given such time for skill development.  In the last couple of days I had been working a little on How to Guides for GenTeam, an online collection of genealogical databases in Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. So maybe I will actually achieve my Level 3 certification.

I began a PowerPoint today for the in-service on the next training module.  First I went through to prove to my own satisfaction that there are parts of the certification that were not covered in the lesson or in the quiz.  I then gave some feedback on that  issue.  After getting through that process I was able to make a start on the PowerPoint.

During my lunch hour I went to the nearby market to get Honey Crisp apples.  Then after my shift I went to the market farther away to get some cheese and more celery. I did not know at the time that I would be asked to make some dinners for a sister who had surgery, but all this will come in handy.

Made flax seed crackers tonight, but they did not dry out as well as I had hoped.  I tried again to make sweet ones, this time with coconut sugar.  Maybe after they sit a while they will be OK.

Talked with my Sweetheart tonight and I am ready to hit the hay, as my Mom used to say on occasion.

Half a Year Has Passed! 27 October 2016

While writing the date in my scripture notebook I realized that today is exactly six months from the day I left Missouri.  I mentioned that to my Sweetheart this morning, and he asked if it seemed like that long.  My reply is that it does in some ways feel like a long time, but that the weeks seem to go by quite quickly.  This afternoon I found that he had sent me an extra video to commemorate having made it through this far.  Just six months to go!

Since I get to talk with my Sweetheart every day [and get songs from him, too], and I talk fairly regularly with my daughters and my Virginia granddaughter, and Skype occasionally with my Arizona grandchildren, I have not had too many emotional issues to get through.  I like my apartment quite well, especially in its current configuration.  I have not yet had to deal with winter weather--this next week we will have lows in the upper 30s and low 40s, but the day time temps will be mostly in the 60s.  One thing I do notice is that there is much more of a nip in the air when I am walking in the shade.  I guess it is the lack of humidity that makes the difference.

Today I went shopping early--one store had solid tuna for 50 cents a can!  I stocked up on that so I can have my fish each week until I leave.  I made two impulse buys when I found water chestnuts were 25 cents a can and artichoke hearts were 50 cents a can.  I am pretty sure I can find a use for those!

I was at the temple for 3 activities, and that went well.  Then I went to the Library to identify persons I wanted to get back from Temple File.  Identification took me almost 2 hours, but the actual process was quite quick.  Then I stayed to print off temple cards.  Next week, while the weather is still good, I am planning to visit some of the other temples in the area.  I just found out that there is an In-N-Out Burger at the exit going to the Mount Timpanogas Temple--I will definitely eat there!

I realized this evening that I needed to process the watermelon rind left from Tuesday's social if I was going to make pickles.  I had just finished cutting it up when my Sweetheart called for the evening.  I still have to make the brine but it should not take long.  The cut up rind filled the big bread-and-butter pickle jar that I used previously.  I am close to being out of the pickles, so I am anxious to make more.

Ticket Offer Declined by one, accepted gratefully by another. 26 October 2016

I traveled down to South Jordan this morning to get my hair cut.  I went there because I wanted to offer the ticket to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert to the hairdresser I met when I first got my hair cut here in Utah. I have been waiting for several months to have an invitation to an event on Temple Square, since she said she had never been there in the several years since she moved here.  She ended up declining to take the ticket, telling me that her son will be coming back here in December and they will be busy getting him an apartment so that he can go back to school in Logan.

I am sad she declined, but I have already given that ticket and the second one to the sister who prompted me to request tickets in the first place and told me how to possibly be successful. She had told a lot of the missionaries on our floor, but very few, including she, herself, actually got tickets.  I was more than happy to pass the two on to her, as she had mentioned to me that she and her friend were going to take turns standing in line to possibly fill up unused seats--and that just does not sound like fun in early December. So she was delighted to get the two tickets.  Had the hairdresser accepted one, I knew of another sister who could have used just a single ticket, so none of them would have been wasted, that is for sure.

Once my hair was done I got to go to the big warehouse grocery store.  I was glad they had coconut sugar in bulk, in case I want to make more Apple Crisp.  The other two times I was at that chain the container was empty.  They also had peppermint wafers on sale, I guess for Halloween.  I got enough to have 5 for each of the times I plan to feed young elders, and 2 for each other Sunday when I have dinner with my Cuban sister. I also got Tropical Krab Salad for my lunch--YUM!

I got to talk with my Sweetheart this morning and this evening, which was delightful!

My afternoon at the Library was a bit stressful as I had a full schedule for certifying, and the instructions have changed.  A bit of good news was a reply to my feedback on the removal of The Learning Center in FamilySearch Get Help.  There is supposed to be a new, improved Learning Center coming.  I hope it does not take too long!

This evening at the Library I reviewed the certification manual somewhat and then I worked on my own lines, cleaning up the records and attaching a few more--my brain was just to fuzzy to work on anything else.

Happy Bookends. 25 October 2016

The day started out very nicely with some texting and then a phone call with my Sweetheart.  In a few minutes I will get to talk and pray with him for the evening.  So the bookends of my day are happy.

Not that the rest of the day was awful, except that the Training site was not accessible all afternoon, and other aspects of FamilySearch were not working all that well either.  We all hope this will be corrected very quickly.

I spent 3 hours in the Training room today--one hour before lunch and two hours after--and I think that may be why I felt really tired as I left the Library.  I was not sleepy, exactly, just tired.  The ceilings on the floor are fairly high, while that is not so in the Training room, so the florescent lights bother me more, I think. But after my shift I was able to go to a little get-together with my MTC group, and that was a nice change.  I also was given a ticket for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, so I will be happy to attend that, as it is an early evening meeting, starting at 6 pm. There were some tickets for other Christmas events, but those did not start until 7:30 or 8, so that just does not work well for me.

I also learned more about a daytime event called The Big Picture.  I had not thought I could go, even though I got an invitation, but I learned from my friends that I should be able to get off work in order to attend.

I helped several guests at the Library, even though I was not scheduled to be a helper.  One couple ended up having ancestry back into Switzerland, but the need was not really research so much as it was how to deal with conflicting information between records.  The woman was fun to talk with.  She has been doing family history since she was 12, and now she is learning to do it on the computer--and she is considerably older than 12!

I presented my first prepared-by-me in-service today.  The people in my section seemed to be fairly happy to be learning a few new computer skills.

Got them back! 24 October 2016

One of the perks of being on this mission is the ability to go right to the people who can fix certaicln problems associated with Family Tree. I used this to advantage during my second week in the Training Zone when my trainer took me to the Library to fix a problem with the records of one of my great-granduncles.  During my lunch hour today I went downstairs to the Escalation Department to see if I could get back my people--and I was successful. Since the person who submitted the names I was concerned with was not doing the work himself, but sharing it with the temple, in a few minutes I was able to claim them myself.  Although it is an option, submitting just to the temple delays the work by years, since there is a long back-log.  I am very grateful that I know the procedure, and that I was pretty sure of the process.  I might not have thought of this had I not recently helped a guest who also was successful in getting some of her family names released because they were submitted to the Temple File.

On Sunday I learned that my Virginia granddaughter will be able to do a temple trip in early December--on the 8th, which is her great-grandpa's birthday. He would have been 115 if he were still alive!  Anyway, if it was not for her I might not be as concerned about others doing submissions--except for the delays when it is put into Temple File.

The Elijah Choir again was praised for bringing in the Spirit to our Mission Devotional.  I am very glad to be able to sing under the direction of our leader.  He has made a big difference in our ability to perform the sacred music.  Today we sang "Sweet is the Work", a familiar hymn in the Church.

Four of my MTC group gave their three-minute talks today.  It is nice to learn more about one's friends. This was also the day to say farewell to many of our departing missionaries.  As I know several of them quite well now, I could see how it is very sad for them to be leaving.  I was so glad the one sister I invited for dinner last night had been able to come.  I saw her briefly at the Devotional this morning, and this afternoon at the end of my shift I stopped by to take her recipes for the Apple Crisp and for Flax Seed Crackers, as she had asked for them last night.  I was also able to help her reset her email password and get back into that.  Apparently she has not accessed it for a while.

During our Trainers Meeting today I was able to present this week's in-service, which is the first of many based upon the New Missionary Training.  The next hour I went to help certify some missionaries who are beginning the training--and learned that the module I based the in-service on has changed and expanded a little. There are all sorts of things to learn when it comes to working with computers--and there seem to be multiple ways to get things done!

There was a little bit of rain this morning, but then just a few showers.  The temperatures are headed back up into the 70s later this week.  So far, I really cannot complain about the weather.

Stake Conference, Skyping with Grandchildren and Feeding the Young Elders. 23 October 2016

A minor miracle occurred for me last night at the adult session of stake conference.  Despite the fact that I was worried almost the whole time that the meeting would run late [and it did] making my talking and prayer time with my Sweetheart very brief; I did not take notes at all; and I did not pick up the handout that was available at the close of the meeting; when I was writing in my journal I could recall the main points that were being made,

Then this morning the stake president reviewed those points and I did take notes through that meeting. I might not have, but the first speaker was the wife of the mission president who had been injured in the suicide bombing  this spring in Brussels.  Her story was inspiring.  Then her husband also talked.  One of the most memorable things he said was that he knew that in the end, everything would turn out all right.  And if things were not all right, it was not yet the end.  I felt there was great wisdom in that statement.  I plan to remember that when things are perhaps not to my liking--"It is not yet the end."

I got to see and talk at least briefly to each of my Arizona grandchildren through Skype.  I especially enjoyed talking with my teenage granddaughter about her interest in Asian languages.  She shared with me also some music that she really likes.

My home and visiting teachers came.  I was glad to have a Esnack to offer them, which I had prepared for the Young Elder dinner tonight:  Apple Crisp.  They seemed to enjoy it, which was nice because neither of the young elders chose to have any!  One of the other sisters brought cookies, so that and cantaloupe is what they had for dessert.  Everyone liked the rotisserie chicken, which I had decided to de-bone.  That worked out better than other ways I have served it.

As I was making the Apple Crisp I was thinking that I probably needed to get more aluminum foil.  The sister who brought the cookies also brought me aluminum foil, and plastic wrap and parchment paper.  She is going home to Arizona after 7 years serving here at the Library, and did not want to transport them.  Truly I receive blessings in many ways.

This afternoon I downloaded 10 batches of United States marriages to arbitrate--only one batch had more than one image, so all of them were quickly done.  I enjoy finding some of the families for whom the names are not written clearly by doing searches on FamilySearch or through Google.

Research Kept Me Awake! 22 October 2016

This was my half-day of research, and I used almost all of it.  I did get distracted into following a line that was not really mine--Zutavern just is a very intriguing name! So I forgot I did not really need to follow it back and find another generation on a microfilm from Switzerland. I enjoyed the genealogyitis high that comes with pushing back yet another generation! That kept me awake, for sure!

I had a rude shock when I found that for persons I just have put together into my line this week, someone else is submitting them!  It should not bother me, but it did.  What matters is that the work gets done, but I was counting on doing some of it myself.  Grrr! From now on I will just have to reserve the work immediately when I attach family names, and then look for the duplicates.  

I presented the in-service this morning, and also filled in as pianist for the prayer meeting.  I helped several guests this morning, even though I was a helper for only an hour.  The first hour I was Greeter, and the third hour Floor Manager.  

I was grateful that my Sweetheart and I got to talk a bit earlier in the day. He was so kind even though I had thought my lunch time was an hour earlier--Saturday the Library opens at 9, not 8, so I had mistakenly told him I would be available an hour earlier than I actually was. And then this evening a meeting went way longer than I thought it would, so we only had a very brief time to talk and pray together,  

I got to talk a longer time with my friend from Missouri who writes to me every month.  I thought it was only fair that I at least leave her a voicemail--and was pleasantly surprised that she answered the phone and we got to talk for a while.  We call each other "long-time friends", not "old friends", since we are both pretty young at heart.

As I think about tonight's meeting, one thing I am reminded of:  Our Heavenly Father and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, want to help us, are anxious to help us, improve our lives.  They are waiting anxiously for us to ask them for this help. I need to do better at this..

Training is Good. 21 October 2016

Fridays are my earliest days at the Library.  [Very early Mondays don't count, because I do not actually get to the Library until close to 9.] I have two prayer meeting responsibilities on Friday mornings--playing the hymn for prayer meeting, and presenting the in-service lesson. However, as usual on Friday morning, everyone who is there has already seen the in-service lesson, so I will just need to present that tomorrow morning.

I had originally been scheduled as a Helper for the first hour, but that was changed to being the Greeter. Then I had an hour as Pager, and then I got to go to the Training room.  On my way I was met by another trainer who is finally getting to do the new beginning missionary modules [there was an issue because in the computer system she showed up as being in another Zone, and in fact, not even at the Library at all!], and she felt intimidated by the module on the FamilySearch catalog. I remembered that the certification part was not all that bad, so I went and looked up what needed to be done, which was very hands-on, unlike the module which was very wordy. [I can just hear some of you readers say, "She's very wordy, too!  The pot is calling the kettle black!"]

Anyway, I walked her and two new missionaries through the process they would need to search--and my fellow-trainer later gave me a hug and said she no longer felt worried about the certification for that process, and the couple expressed their appreciation also.

The rest of my two hours in the Training room I spent on preparing two more in-service lessons, and a couple of assignments.  I got to check with my Zone leader about the assignments, and she approved them.  She also approved a slight change in my schedule for a couple of weeks from now when I will spend several days going to outlying temples.

In addition, I talked with her about working more on the certification schedule.  The only two hour blocks I usually have available are when I am scheduled at the German/Slavic desk.  She wondered if I wanted to give that up, but as I told her, I do not feel all that useful there.  And I like training, and teaching, rather than trying to do something I am just mediocre at.  I will see how this works out.

I did get to help a few guests today who just wanted brief overviews of what we have available through FamilySearch.  In the latest computer upgrade, so of the customary links were no longer easily found. Sometimes things just change too quickly for me to keep up!


After my shift ended I went shopping for more apples, and a rotisserie chicken to have for the young elders on Sunday.  Now I am just waiting to hear from my Sweetheart, and then I think I will turn in for the night.

Another Different P day. 20 October 2016

I started the morning with three goals, and I got them all accomplished--but not really how I envisioned them.

This morning I awoke way early, read scriptures, and then decided to take a nap.  The phone woke me about 7:30, which was good, because I had those three goals!  My daughter and I talked for a while, then I got ready to do my stair-climbing and my Sweetheart called--again, pretty perfect timing!

Stairs and breakfast got me to a little past 9:30, and I decided to go for my first goal--attending the temple. I made it with about 5 minutes to spare to the 10 a.m. session.  I had realized earlier in the morning that a luncheon that missionaries were invited to was from 11 to 1, so I thought I would maybe get another temple work focus done in time to attend that, but if I didn't it would probably be better if I just ate at home--less temptation.  As it turned out, I left the temple at about 12:55, so there was a slight chance I could make it in that 5 minutes, as the Church Office Building is just two buildings over.

While I was hurrying along, I noticed that one of the sisters from my MTC group was sitting in a quiet spot close to the COB.  I stopped to greet her, and as I was getting ready to go on my way, I thought [was inspired?] to ask her if she knew of a notary that missionaries could use, as this year my absentee ballot required notarization of my signature--getting that taken care of was my 2nd goal.  She did know of someone, and told me the notary was on the 2nd floor.

I did not think to ask for further directions, and I spent the next close to half an hour trying to find said notary.  No one I asked seemed to have a clue.  It was a huge blessing that when I went back outside, my friend was still there--and she offered to take me to the correct office, as she was still on her lunch break and it was chilly sitting outside, even in the sun.  When we got to the office, the notary was busy, but shortly she became available.  My 2nd goal was accomplished, thanks to my friend.  Then my friend even took me to the Mail Center in the COB, where I was able to get that ballot in the mail. I went with my friend up to where her office was, and then I left the COB, having taken care of that 2nd goal because of the tender mercies of the Lord.

My third goal was laundry, which I got done while I was eating lunch--Waldorf Tuna Salad and Apple Crisp!

Last night I had forgotten to bring home some papers concerning this week's In-service lesson, so I went to the Library just in time to observe the afternoon presentation of the In-service, during which I picked up a pointer which will help me personally.  Then I also was able to be the first person to receive a stamp for accomplishing one of the goals in our new course of learning, for the Latin worksheet which I filled out a couple of days ago.  I do not know how much of the course I will do.  That worksheet was the very last section--but we do not have to do them in order.

I actually accomplished a fourth goal today--vacuuming the apartment.  I managed that because this morning I went to the storage closet, pulled out the vacuum, and set it is my hallway--and a few minutes ago I decided it was foolish to wait any longer, so I got it done!

I might do a bit of family history tonight, attaching memories as sources so I can clear off more space on my iPad, which would be a very good thing to do!

Three times Apple Crisp--and the Winner is Pressure Cooker Apple Crisp! 19 October 2016

My late start day, Wednesday, often seems to be a morning to cook.  Today was no exception.  I needed to figure out a dessert to serve Sunday to the Young Elders; my MTC social group is meeting Tuesday evening and treats are invited; the International Zone Recognition potluck will be here in less than two weeks; and our branch will have a Hail and Farewell soon, and I signed up to bring a side dish.

Since I have a lot of apples, and I can get more for a very reasonable price at least through Saturday, I began with an Internet search for Apple Desserts.  Why I had not thought of Apple Crisp on my own, I don't know, but those recipes seemed the best option.  The first one I looked at called for flour and   no oats, so I decided against that one.  The next one used a little white sugar and cinnamon mixed with the apple slices while one prepared the topping, so I followed that recipe pretty well, except I used coconut sugar [my Japanese sister had given me some of that] in place of the white sugar.  The other change I made was to use peanut butter as the fat.  I have not bought any butter or margarine while I have been out here, and I did not think that olive oil would be the best substitute.  On the other hand, yesterday when I opened a new jar of natural peanut butter I had poured off the separated fat to save for other uses, and had decided to try to just keep the solids on the shelve, and not refrigerate.  It occurred to me that the instructions to "Stir and refrigerate" were not so much to preserve the peanut butter--after all, I do not refrigerate my not-natural peanut butter--but to keep the oil from separating out.  The peanut butter I have been refrigerating has gotten quite solid, a lot like butter, so I thought I would give it a try. I also subbed in wheat berries for the flour it called for.

I made the first crisp using just one apple, to see how it turned out with the coconut sugar and peanut butter and wheat turned out--and I cooked it in the microwave.  Despite some errors in method, it turned out just fine--so I ate it all for breakfast!  Then I thought I really should make a batch and refrigerate it and see if it was OK cold.  That batch turned out to be the basis of my supper--and it was quite tasty also, even though I used a different variety of apple [Gala, not Fuji].

I still was checking out other types of recipes, and the one that caught my eye was Pressure Cooker Apple Crisp.  The good part of that was that in the pressure cooker I could make a bigger batch, which would be smarter for the uses I needed.  I used three types of apples--Gala, Fuji, and Red Delicious. Again I subbed in wheat berries for the flour, and since neither the coconut sugar nor the peanut butter had negatively impacted the taste of the first batch, I went with them.  That batch was the winner.  It was good warm, and it was good cold.  It made a nice amount, so if I did not eat any more before Sunday, I could probably just use that batch--but I think it will be used up by then!  Anyway, I will be making several batches over the next couple of weeks, and I will enjoy having this available.

Today was again Mission Conference, and the choir did well on If You Could Hie to Kolob.  It was nice to get to hear the speakers again, and pick up on a few things I missed yesterday.  After the conference we had practice, which ran a bit late.  We began practicing Christmas pieces in earnest--two modern carols in addition to the Ukrainian Bell Carol [which is such fun!].

It was close to 6:30 when I returned to the Library, which was not very well utilized, so I worked some on my own things, for a while, then helped with closing duties, and even made sure that one of the Level One certifications had been completed appropriately.

I talked twice with my Sweetheart, but missed a call from my youngest, because I was still at the Library. Tomorrow I am sure we will talk, and I will do laundry and go to the temple.  

Birthday Greetings, Singing for Mission Conference and Checking out the Candidates. 18 October 2016

I thought this morning that I ought to try to wish my Sweetheart a Happy Birthday in as many ways as I could long distance [next year will be different!!].  The first was a text, then a Facebook post and a Facebook message.  Then this evening I even got to do a LinkedIn message, which was very appropriate, since a LinkedIn invite  more than a year ago was the impetus for our relationship.
In addition we got to talk a while by phone this morning, and should talk again tonight when he finishes his temple shift.  And he did get the birthday card I sent, so I think maybe he got the message!!!  It is fun to be a little crazy and creative, even though we are separated by so many miles. I am truly grateful for the electronic miracles that can keep us connected.

Today was the first section of our monthly Mission Conference.  Our musical number was If You Could Hie to Kolob, one of my favorites.  As usual our practice was not the best.  And I think I was not singing the last verse correctly even to the very end.  But it was very well-received, and I got a bit choked up, as I usually do when singing one of the most powerful hymns I know of.  Tomorrow we get to do it again, and I hope to be able to practice in the morning a bit on the part I still do not know.

The speakers were the 2nd Counselor in the mission presidency and his wife, and our mission president. I was able to hear and understand most of what was said.  I especially liked being reminded of the misunderstood passage in Matthew:  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.  President Hanson reminded us of the footnote in our LDS edition, which indicates that "perfect" actually means "fully developed or mature", not "without flaw".  That sure is comforting.

During my shift I completed another in-service PowerPoint and began a second one.  For a while I wondered if I would get to do this--the computer in the Training Room was upgraded to Windows 10 [it had been so nice to go back to Windows 7 when I got here], and it took a while for the computer to recognize my flash drive. I also did some follow-up on learning materials with members of my study group.  Then, in the late afternoon, I figured out how to change some of my attached documents into sources!  That is rather amazing, and will increase the value of those documents in the historical sense.

This morning I blessedly looked more closely at the enclosures for my absentee ballot, and learned I needed to get my signature notarized on the envelope when I send it in.  So I decided this evening to actually check out some of the candidates for offices for which the Constitution Party has no candidate.  I was pleased with the Republican candidates for almost all of the offices, so except for President/Vice President and US Senate, where the Constitution Party has candidates, and an Independent running for Governor, I voted Republican.  The ballot issues were a mixed bag, and I almost never feel competent to vote about the judges.  I may check out a few more things tomorrow, but Thursday, on my P day, I need to find a notary public.  I live within a few blocks of a school, and in the Missouri public schools the secretaries are notaries, so I hope that is true in Utah also.

Just finished a nice chat with my Sweetheart, so I am off to slumber-land.

Absentee Ballot Arrives. 17 2016

I have been wondering when my absentee ballot would arrive, and the day has finally come.  Even better news is that the Constitution Party actually has a candidate for President and one for Vice President!  In the past I have often voted for Constitution Party candidates, but not ever for the highest offices in the country.  This time I will be relieved to have this option. I know these candidates have no chance of winning, but voting for them means that their party, the principles of which I tend to support, will at least be more likely to keep a place on the ballot in future elections. When I talked with my Sweetheart he went to the Constitution Party website, and confirmed that the things this party and candidate stand for are things we want to support.

I enjoyed singing "The Spirit of Elijah" in the Elijah Choir for our Mission Devotional.  We got a compliment from one of the speakers, and several of the missionaries I knew in the Training Zone told me personally how much they appreciated the singing.  Several of my MTC cohort spoke today.  They all did well at keeping their talks to the three-minute time limit. After devotional I decided I would check my weight in the nurse's office, and was relieved to find that I have not gained like the scale I got at the swap meet would indicate. So now I can just try hard to keep on keeping on.

I helped a Jewish guest today who asked why we do all we do for family history, so I got to explain that we are under covenant to put the world's family together.  I like to be asked so that I can then testify of this truth.

I was able to share two of the three PowerPoints I made for in-service in our Trainers Meeting this afternoon. A couple of them are based on new items that I had learned were added to the New Missionary Training Modules--and not even our Zone Leader knew about that update. Sometimes it just seems like I am in the right place at the right time to hear of things like this.

I learned this evening how to upload the photos from my iPad to my computer.  That is a relief, because I am running out of space on the iPad.  Now that I have it backed up like this I feel better about deleting the photos I have uploaded to the FamilySearch Family Tree Gallery.

No MoTab, But a Nice Sabbath. 16 October 2016

The Tabernacle Choir broadcast from a different venue today, and although one could get free tickets, those were gone before I knew they were available.  So I had a longer Sunday morning than usual.

I slept well last night, and woke up just a few minutes before the alarm went off. I usually call my granddaughter in Virginia a short time later, and that is what I did today.  I got a bonus to get to talk for a nice while first with my daughter.  We had a good chat, and then I talked a while with my granddaughter,

The rest of the morning I spent on indexing.  I have actually put on the arbitration hat in response to a suggestion in the program.  The marriage records from the state of Washington are rather interesting, and not too difficult.  I got three batches completed, and am working on a fourth batch.  I do rather like arbitrating better than indexing in English.  When I do German, though, I prefer to index, because I am nervous about my skills in reading the script.  It is nice to know that an arbitrator will have the last word in the German records.

I am enjoying singing soprano in our branch choir. I am glad we have begun to practice Christmas music--Glory to God, from the Messiah, is the one we are practicing most.

I was able to help some of the participants in the Family Tree Sunday School class with accessing their partner accounts.

Dinner with my Cuban sister was good as usual.  I actually contributed more than usual today, as she enjoys Basmati rice, but does not usually get it for herself, while that is the only kind of rice I buy. So I made some with Onion Soup mix, and also took some Waldorf Salad, which she also enjoys.

As I was beginning this blog post I heard an email alert from FairMormon.  The questioner asked what the policy of the Church was on remarriage after the death of a spouse or after divorce.  As I was writing a reply--this was one I could easily address--I realized that today was the eighth anniversary of my husband's death, although his official death date was October 17 because the hospice nurse did not come until after midnight to make the official pronouncement.  I trust he fulfilled his mission here, and is busy working beyond the veil to help our extended family members to recognize the blessings of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the other principles of the Gospel. When I talked with my Sweetheart, he remarked that his wife had died November 16, 2009, so it was one year and one month later.  Undoubtedly she is also busy teaching and working also, as she was very active in family history and temple work here. We expect to someday have a wondrous reunion all together!
What a remarkable thing our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness is.

Lots of Research. 15 October 2016

Today was my research day in the afternoon.  I did not struggle to stay awake, so I worked nearly four hours on my Eppingen people.  I was able to verify some records through research in the many microfilms that have Eppingen church records.  I was not able to verify everything I looked for, unfortunately.

The earlier part of my shift at the Library was quite busy.  I served one hour as Greeter, and one hour as Floor Manager, and managed to help several guests at the same time, as we were quite busy.
I actually stayed into my lunch hour to help a guest whose in-laws I had worked with at the St. Louis Temple. I had thought she looked familiar, and when she mentioned St. Louis I told her I was from Missouri.  She only had a few minutes until she was going back home.

One of the guests I have helped several times before.  He had good news.  His mission papers were finally found and approved, and he and his wife will serve a one-year Church Service Mission in this Family and Church History Headquarters Mission.  They will have their interview soon with the mission president.  He is really praying to get to come to the International Zone in the Family History Library.  Today he found two more children for one of his direct line families. I was able to read the second of those records for him. This was really another Elijah Moment for him.

Once I got back to my apartment I had a lot of cleaning up to do, but for the last hour or so I have been working again on the Eppingen records.  I was thinking the other day how strange it is that I am really concentrating on these lines.  I had thought to do more work on my Mom's lines, or my Dad's father's line, but instead it is his mom's line--the one he told me once were just common folks and did not amount to much.  Yet they are the ones who apparently want to be found--and they were actually nearly all minor officials.  Not common at all.  In addition, they are my probable connection to my dear President Kimball through his wife.  Very faithful people, I am sure.

I am not sure why I was so blessed, but I was told today how to go about getting tickets for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert--and I was able to get two tickets.  Most of the other missionaries were unsuccessful in this first come, first served ordering.  Maybe it is because I requested tickets for the Thursday night performance.  I actually will be unlikely to attend myself.  I wanted tickets to give to the woman in South Jordan who has done my hair a couple of times.  Next week or the following week I will go down there to get my hair done and I will offer her the tickets.  If she does not want them, I know several missionaries who will probably be glad to get them.  The reason I will not likely want to go myself is two-fold:  I would miss being there with my Sweetheart, and I have to work early the next morning.  Regardless of that, I am glad I was able to get the two tickets.

Happy News in a Letter! 14 October 2016

My dear friend from Barnhart sends me a letter every month--and one arrived today!  Along with other interesting items there was good news about her friend who has begun to read The Book of Mormon!  I know the power of this book, and if her friend sincerely prays to learn if it is true, Heavenly Father will answer by the power of the Holy Ghost.  The really wonderful thing is that Heavenly Father wants to establish a communication link between Himself and each of us.  One author describes this as dialogic revelation.  I like that term, and even more I appreciate the communication I have occasionally received in this process.  Often this comes through feelings, but I have also received direct instructions.  So I know this process is effective.  And in a world where there is so much turmoil and confusion, I am so grateful to know for myself that when necessary I can receive guidance from my Heavenly Father.

This morning began with something a little unusual for me.  I am a volunteer with FairMormon, an online group which strives to give faithful answers to sometimes difficult questions.  I usually spend some of my morning stair-climbing reading emails that are sent in.  Only rarely am I the volunteer who answers an email [my biggest contribution to the group is facilitating the transcription of talks given at our annual conference]. This morning I read the emails.  One of the questioners asked how we can believe in a loving Heavenly Father when the majority of people in the world live or have lived in very difficult circumstances.

During breakfast I try to read at least one of the articles in our Ensign magazine, and the article I read today seemed to address the questions in that email, so I sent this link to the questioner:
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/09/refiners-fire-and-fullers-soap?lang=eng
Our Savior describes Himself as a Refiner's Fire and Fullers' Soap, and this article explains those terms. I invite you to also read this article.  The questioner emailed me back to thank me for sending that link.

At the Library I mostly was busy with occupying positions--two hours as trainer, one as Floor Manager and one as Greeter.  I did get to help one man learn about our resources--and he followed an impression to look up German Military Records through a Wiki link, and found his grandfather's death and burial information!  He said he comes in to Salt Lake City often on business, so he will be back to follow other suggestions, including looking up his grandmother's lines in a small town in Brandenburg which has microfilm records from the 1920s back into the early 1800s.

The other help I gave was to one of my fellow missionaries whose grandmother's record on FindaGrave gave an incorrect maiden name.  I helped her learn how to send in an edit, and also how to contact the original contributor, including how to word her reason statements so she would be taken seriously. This week's in-service in on Reason Statements for FamilySearch, and as I told her, it is all the same process.

I had such a good talk with my Sweetheart tonight. We reconstructed a memory from last year, thanks to his great visual memory.  We figured out the incident had to have happened in September because it was still warm, and we did not see each other again for any length of time until more than a month later, in the middle of October.  It is so much fun to relive those times in reminiscing together.

I made flax seed crackers tonight--and discovered that adding sugar just makes them stick tight to the parchment paper, and does not even make them very sweet.  So I hope to remember to just stick to making savory crackers--I can always drizzle them with honey to make them sweet!

A Day with Unexpected Events. 13 October 2016

Today I kept doing things that I had not expected to do.  Laundry was done in two sections, separated by chatting with my daughter over car issues.  That conversation actually spanned a couple of hours in several sections.  The good news is that the car should be taken care of pretty well until next spring, including new tires replacing ones that may have been original equipment back in 2005!  Although the car in fairly old, it was well taken care of by the first owner, and it should last several more years with regular maintenance.

During the last stretch of our talks I was getting my supplements ready for the next week.  That was providential, as I have been meaning to ask her to let me know when Calcium Citrate was on sale at either of the discount stores.  Turns out she knew that it was on sale right now.  So late this afternoon, after some time at the temple, I drove South to that store.  One of the perks there is food samples, so I ate some cheese, and chicken, and Asian samples--Yum--in addition to the calcium.

For lunch today I was cutting up some celery when I remembered the Tuna Waldorf Salad I made a couple of weeks ago.  I decided to make it today. and since I had already microwaved a sweet potato I just added that in. I may never eat regular tuna salad again.

I only got to talk with my Sweetheart once today, in the evening, because this morning he took two older ladies to the store, as he does each month.  I so much admire him for continuing this service which he and his wife began many years ago.  We had a good talk this evening, and a prayer together as usual.  I am grateful that we already have many good traditions in place in our relationship.  We often remark about the miracles that brought us together, and tonight was one of those times.  Happy memories.

Flu Shot, Shopping, and Beautiful Music. 12 October 2016

I knew I would be having a cash outlay for my flu shot, but did not think I would buy several birthday and Christmas gifts today.  That was the result of a trip to Deseret Book! Three of the four books I bought I had planned to get anyway--just not quite yet.  But it is good to have that taken care of already.

I did not sleep well last night, so I am pleased that I still did OK during my shift at the Library, since this was my late day.

I got to talk with my Sweetheart in the morning for a while, and then this evening, so I am doing well on that score.

At Choir practice this afternoon, our conductor was a bit frazzled by our slowness in singing several pieces, but we all enjoyed the new piece we just got today:  The Ukrainian Bell Carol.  I have loved that piece since the very first time I heard it, many decades ago.  And to get to sing it now in the choir is just a real treat!  I actually like the alto part best, because we get the sing the sustained Dings and Dongs--so much fun!

We are also practicing one of my favorite hymns:  If You Could Hie to Kolob.  For any of you who might not be Mormon, I think you would really enjoy listening the the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing this piece.  It is easily found on YouTube. Wonderful piece.


I had a bit of an "Oh, dear!" moment when I came back to the apartment for supper.  My iPad was not in my purse.  I was pretty sure I would find it in the Training Room at the Library, because my usual routine had been interrupted when a missionary actually came and asked for help with a Case Study just as I was preparing to go to afternoon prayer meeting.  Sure enough, when I returned for the evening, there it was, safe and sound.

During the evening I worked on another in-service PowerPoint, this one on how to use the Snipping
Tool.  I learned by looking for an image of the Snipping Tool to include, that I could use PrintScreen when I needed a screenshot of a drop-down menu.  I ended up using that trick several times this evening--especially after I apparently forgot to save the changes in the PowerPoint, and had to redo several slides.

This evening my Sweetheart sent me a video of another beautiful song:  A Time for Us, from Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoyed being reminded of this lovely piece.  Of course, the two of us apply it to ourselves, but it is quite wonderful in its own right. I actually went looking for its origins, as it has a classical music feel to it.  The composer scored 150+ films, but also wrote orchestral music--beginning at age 11! Such beautiful music there is in this world--one more gift from our loving Heavenly Father.

Enjoyable Study Group Meeting. 11 October 2016

I got to talk with my Sweetheart this morning, for which I was grateful as tonight will be a very short conversation.  We had both slept longer than expected--I think having put up the swap meet drapes really is going to make a difference for me.  They block out a lot of the light from the streetlight and the yard light, so when I awoke about 4:30 I did not have much trouble going back to sleep. What a blessing!

I got to be the learner this morning during the Study Group meeting.  One of the sisters is already working on certifying in our new Level 3 program.  She needs to present two topics in our study group, and today she presented on GenTeam.at, a genealogical website specific to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.  I have tried using this site before without much success, so I was glad to learn more about it.  Next week none of the study groups will meet because a big conference will take all the rooms that the groups meet in.

I helped a few people with German script translation, including one of the missionaries who was working on his own line.  Since he also heads a German/Slavic study group I was surprised that I could figure out the words that he was struggling with--and then I translated them with the help of Google translate.  You might be surprised at how often we use various aspects of Google in our work at the Library.  It really is quite a handy tool.

At lunch time I went to the market. I will go again, perhaps, on Thursday, since the watermelon I intended to get seemed to have disappeared!  I am not sure what happened to it, but I did not get charged for it and it was not in my bags!  A mystery.

After my shift I talked with my daughter.  She had looked unsuccessfully for a box of a particular type of rice--and I impressed both of us when I was able to tell her exactly where it was!  There was another item that I was able to suggest where she might find it--and while it was not exactly where I thought it was, it was not very far away.

I remembered to get some cash out to take to get my flu shot tomorrow. Prevention is definitely a wise thing.  I do usually get a flu shot, and since i am with so many people here on the mission, it makes sense to get it this year, too.

Switzerland, Germany and Minnesota, not Greeter and Monitor. 10 October 2016

Walking to practice for Elijah Choir at 6 the air was chilly.  By noon it was warm, and by 5 when the Library closed it was tending towards chilly again.  Our choir performed quite well on In Hymns of Praise, even though we started the morning practice a bit roughly.  But, as one of the Young Elders said, "I had the most trouble with this piece, but I finally got it today!"  I think many of us felt that way.

My first duty at the Library was to be a Helper, and towards the end of the first hour I became just that.  A guest with Swiss ancestry found that records for her area were available in the CD-ROM collection--only we do not actually have the discs.  Instead they are loaded onto only one specific computer on our floor, and another guest was using that computer.  Blessedly he was willing to move to a different computer, and the guest figured out how to get the program to work, so after a short while she assured me she could do what she needed to do on her own.

That was a good thing, because a delightful couple arrived almost immediately and I spent the next two hours helping them find records and make plans to find more information.  As we spent time looking at a microfilm, I was inspired to ask the woman if she had any older relatives living in the place in Germany where her family was from--she still has cousins living right in the house her ancestor lived in early in the 1900s!  She agreed it would be a good idea to write to them to get the birth and death information.  The man found lots of information just through searches on FamilySearch, and at the end of their time they each got a FamilySearch account and began entering information.

After our Trainers Meeting this afternoon I was supposed to be the Monitor, but a sister asked for my help with a guest, and she took the Monitor's badge, and I worked with that guest until nearly time for the Library to close! His family lived in Minnesota, and we could not get him across the pond, but he will come back later this week, and I encouraged him to go to the floor that specializes in finding records that will get him a place name in Europe.

Once I got home I decided I needed to make broth with Saturday's turkey carcass before it went bad. So I had that cooking and cleaned out the frig, which netted the makings of supper.

I just finished a nice talk with my Sweetheart.  Tomorrow will be another busy day, I am sure.

Back to the Tabernacle! 9 October 2016

I was blessed again to have the opportunity to enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the Tabernacle.  I decided to sit front and almost center for the rehearsal, which was nice.  One of the young elders enjoyed making comments during the rehearsal, as he is acquainted with some of the orchestra performers.  I enjoyed the different perspective, but was quite happy to move to the right side by the tympani for the actual broadcast, not only for the sake of watching the tympanist, but also to have the closed captioning on the monitor to help with nuances in the text.

This had been a rather sleepy morning for me [probably because of my food intake at the dinner last night] so I made sure I set my timer for the various times I needed to be awake.  I did get to talk with my granddaughter in Virginia, and also with her mom.  I asked about my grandson who has gone off to work on a farm--he is close to living his dream life, living off the land.  He gets room and board for planting in the large garden and taking care of chickens.  He is signed up for 3 months.  I don't know if he has the option of extending.

My daughter has been very involved in helping a family of refugees from Cameroon.  For many years she has had the desire to help people in Africa--and as she said, "The Lord brought Africa to me." I am pleased that she gets this opportunity, and even more pleased that she has the desire to give this service.

Our branch choir sang "In This Very Room" today for our service.  We also are practicing a piece from The Messiah:  Glory to God.  We are learning that from memory--which is a bit of a challenge for someone whose memory is not working as well as previously.  I was glad to be able to find the music in the public domain, so I now have it downloaded on my iPad.

The room in which our Relief Society meets is very large, with high ceilings, so the acoustics are a large enough problem to require the use of portable microphones for anyone who wants to make a comment.  Today I was asked to get a microphone to those who needed to talk.  I did not have much to do because the "business" portion of the meeting took up almost all the time, leaving only 10 minutes for the lesson.  The sister who was the teacher did a great job of cutting the lesson to the essentials.  I am amazed at how well she handled that situation.  She had been one of the speakers in sacrament meeting, too, so she said after the meeting she was relieved to have gotten through all of it!

A Day Full of Heavenly Hugs. 8 Oct ober 2016

My day started out with a temple session.  That can be a heavenly hug all on its own, but this time I had a little question about a logistical issue--nothing big, nothing theological--and at the proper time things worked out that the answer was right there.  I felt my first heavenly hug for the day!

Talking in the morning with my Sweetheart was another heavenly hug.  Because he had the opportunity to stay close to his work and the temple, he had time to chat a while this morning, which is always special, and today definitely contributed to my list of heavenly hugs.

Then I got to attend the swap meet.  Swap meets, garage sales and thrift stores are a bit dangerous for me.  Sort of like buffet dinners are dangerous.  Everything looks way too inviting.  Today was mostly a series of heavenly hugs.  I found every item that in the past week or so have been on my mind magically appeared at the swap meet, with a few bonus items to boot! 

The first thing I saw was a scale. For many years I have had the habit of weighing myself nearly every day.  Generally this has helped me to back off from overindulging when the scale inches up.  But that item was not on the short list to bring out to Utah, and one did not seem like a good investment out here, because I can weigh nearly every week at the nurse's office after mission devotional on Monday.  But I had thought this last Monday that it sure would be nice to have one in my apartment. I even thought of the swap meet, but dismissed the idea that another missionary would have a scale, and even if they did, would leave it behind for the swap meet.  But somebody did.  And nobody else had claimed it, even though I was a little late arriving! So now I have a scale to weigh on every day! Yay!

This morning while my Sweetheart and I were talking I explained that from my chair I cannot see the only clock I have which is on the range.  Well, now I have a working clock that sits facing my chair.  Another heavenly hug.

With the colder weather coming on I have wondered whether the coat with hood that I got at the swap meet in May was going to be warm enough, as I have no experience to judge that by.  When I got to the clothes racks, there was a long wool coat [pretty elegant, too]. Back in June the sister who was in charge of the swap meet opened up the storage shed for me one weekday so I could maybe find a blanket--and I did.  But I gave that blanket to the Japanese sister, since she was cold in the middle of July!  Again with the temperature dropping I had thought it would be nice to have an extra blanket--and there was a lovely electric blanket today in the shed.  In fact there were two--but the one I chose is so very soft to the touch.  I will not use the electric feature, but the blanket itself is now in place on my bed. Two very warm and comforting heavenly hugs.

For many years I have avoided looking at shopping circulars and catalogs as a way to avoid buying things I did not really need.  However, last week there was a circular from a large store I had seen, but had never entered, that had curtain panels for a really nice price.  My sliding glass door has vertical blinds that are less than optimal at shutting out the light from a streetlight and another light on the apartment property.  But the thought came to me that I should wait until I checked the swap meet--and sure enough, there were two insulated panels--exactly what I wanted.  Another hug.  

This afternoon I picked up a sister to take back to the temple with me, and several people showed us extra kindness, and I had a near-repeat of my experience at the morning session, so I felt hugged indeed.

The International Dinner turned out a bit differently than I anticipated, and I did overindulge, but I also got to bring home a turkey carcass with which to make stock, about a quart of pineapple chunks, a serving of a really nice Ukrainian dish, and a lot of lemon slices which I felt would be better to freeze than to throw away.  Lots of comforting food--more hugs.

This evening, another talk with my Sweetheart was, of course, yet another hug to end my day.

As the Primary song states: "I know Heavenly Father loves me."  As I typed that last sentence, I thought, "What a contrast to the message I got as a 6 year old!" as I wrote in my mission devotional talk.  I am grateful to see now the hand of a loving Heavenly Father in my life.

The Certified Becomes the Certifier. 7 October 2016

Today I held my first sessions certifying other missionaries in the  Family History New Missionary Training.  One of the two was well-prepared, while the other was less so.  The one who was well-prepared was happy to have had the training.  I gave the other one some individual instruction, but forgot to remind her that there is an open lab one can go to in order to practice.

I worked on my PowerPoint today for in-service, and I think I have it pretty well done.  The assignment, which I have not yet prepared, will be a hands-on assignment if I can get that approved. Opening a new browser window and splitting the screen are not too difficult, I don't think--but we will see.

After my shift I went to a fellow choir member's apartment with a piece of music we need to learn and my iPad with a music app.  It is hard to play on the miniature keyboard, but I got through it, and she seemed grateful to have the recording she made.  We have several months to perfect the piece, which is a good thing.  We will do it as a double trio.

I had thought I would just be home this evening, but I learned there was a meeting concerning the Relief Society International Dinner which will be held tomorrow evening. I will just be helping with serving and cleanup. We will also sing "I Am a Child of God" with the chorus in Russian!

A good talk with my Sweetheart was a great way to end the day.

Watermelon Rind Bread & Butter Pickles. 6 October 2016

The other day I bought a smallish watermelon [I could not pass up 20 cents a pound!] to have for taking to our zone potluck today.  I cut up half of the red inside portion, nibbled on the red-to-white portion, and took the rind off the rest of the white.  Then I went looking on the net for a bread and butter pickle recipe.  I would have used the one for the microwave, but I knew that I had way too much watermelon rind for that one to work, so I did a more traditional recipe, that called for salting cucumber and onion slices for 3 hours before putting them into boiling brine.  Since I was gone for about 4 hours, the process worked well, but I think I used a little too much salt [I did not measure it]. Anyway, I think the results will work for me--I definitely won't have craving for salt when I eat a few of those.

The other issue was that I did  use the white sugar the recipe calls for, so like with commercial bread and butter pickles, I will have to refrain from downing much of the liquid when I eat the pickles.  But I got a nice size jar of pickles in the frig now--and I still have half a watermelon, along with its rind, so maybe I will make another batch next week.  I don't know if I could maybe pickle some celery [I have lots of celery] or carrots [ditto] with the brine that will be left when the pickled rind is eaten up.  I will have to see how ambitious I am when that time comes.

I opened up the zoning site to work on the last two pages of the batch--and learned that my touch pad really does not work for this program.  I will have to do it at the Library, where the computers have mice with scroll bars. Last night part of the training indicated it would be hard to do with a touch pad--I just did not think it would be impossible! Oh, well, wrong again!

The potluck luncheon was well under-way by the time I arrived.  This is my P day, but I had signed up to bring the watermelon, and I enjoyed having some time to chat with others there in the zone.  I did indulge in one chocolate-covered cake bite, but was able to leave the bread alone.  Someone brought chili, another brought an Oriental dish that I think was chicken nuggets with Hoison sauce--way too good!

Anyway, apparently my carb intake was high enough to trigger afternoon sleepiness as I went afterwards to the temple.  Otherwise it is just the peacefulness there which lulls me into dozing.  Either way, I was glad to be there, and to enjoy the Spirit.

Laundry, phone calls, a little shopping and cooking took up most of the rest of the day. It is rather amazing that another week is drawing to its end.

A 41 year-old Blessing. 5 October 2016

Last night I did not sleep very well. I was awake at about 1 a.m., tried to get back to sleep without success, and decided I would get up to read The Book of Mormon section I had planned for much later in the morning.  While writing the date in my study notebook, I was reminded that 41 years ago today I received my patriarchal blessing. Examples of such a blessing are found in the last few chapters of Genesis, for those of you not familiar with our Latter-day Saint terms.

In reflecting upon this blessing in recent weeks I have come to realize that my sojourn here in Salt Lake City has provided me with some insights regarding certain aspects of this blessing that I probably could have gotten in no other way.  I now feel quite peaceful about the fulfillment of those parts of my blessing that have always seemed totally out of reach.  I am so glad to have come to these realizations.


The day started out chilly, in fact the heaters, which I have set to 55, came on this morning.  I decided to make flax seed crackers.  I made a few more changes, in procedure mainly, and they turned out very well.  What I did differently was to add the salt and some minced garlic and a bit of celery seed to the boiling flax/water mix.  Then I added basil and oregano.  Once the crackers were mixed and spread out on parchment-lined pans, I sprinkled a bit of sea salt on them.  They baked nicely in about 2 1/2 hours, and I had some with my lunch and some with supper.  Yum!

As I was going to the Library, a little rain started.  As I walked to Choir practice at 4 it was warmer and the sun was shining--I almost stopped at my apartment to leave my coat, but thought better of it and I am very glad I did!  As we left choir practice the clouds had returned and rain was coming down.

Choir practice went pretty well, even though our choir director's wife got to lead the women's sectional practice by default.  She did very well, I thought.  I enjoyed singing In Hymns of Praise and If You Could Hie to Kolob, and even the new piece, The Spirit of Elijah, which has a few very unusual harmonies. We did not get to sing the piece from The Messiah, And the Glory of the Lord.

Tonight at the Library I attended a class in Zoning.  This is a pilot indexing program in which old newspapers are scanned for information relating to births, marriages, and deaths, in preparation for the records to be indexed.  My first batch included newspaper pages from Southern Indiana, with some death notices apparently from close to the area where I lived as a child just before moving to St. Louis! Very interesting work.

Tomorrow will be quite a full P-day, but it ought to be good.  I do hope the rain stays away!

Another Good Day. 4 October 2016

I enjoyed a nice conversation with my Sweetheart this morning before heading to the Library.

Once at the Library I started out with the study group. That did not go as I expected, but that was quite all right.  I mentioned as we started that I had been helped in my working with the guests by what I learned in the study group. That prompted a request to show a pattern of how one can help any guest--so that is what we did and it went quite well.

During the rest of the day I helped several guests and felt I did pretty well, which was a happy thing.

After my shift was over I decided to go to the market to pick up a watermelon, pomegranites, celery and carrots, all of which were on a really good sale.  I will be taking the watermelon to the potluck luncheon on Thursday, instead of doing Waldorf Salad.  I think it will be easier and, I hope, yummier.

When I got back to the apartment I discovered I had missed a call from my youngest daughter, so we chatted quite a while.  Soon my Sweetheart will call again, and then I will be off to bed.

Good Monday! 3 October 2016

My day started out with Choir practice, which seemed to not really be going very well, until the very end.  Then things clicked, and our rendition of Jehovah, Lord of Heaven and Earth went quite well.

Today I gave my 3 minute talk--which seemed to be well-received.  In fact, our mission president asked me for a copy [unlike most of the talks I have given in church the instructions for this one were to print it out, give a copy to the signer for the deaf, and read it verbatim!] so I just handed him the copy I had read from.  So that I do not lose track of the talk, I am going to copy it and put it at the end of this post.

The day at the Library went well, too.  This morning I was scheduled to be a helper for the first three hours, and that is exactly how I functioned.  I helped four guests, and was successful in helping 2 of them find individual records of ancestors.  The other two were happy with being taught how to use the records and resources that we have on Family Search.  One brother committed to putting his information onto Family Tree, and one of the other guests also plans to add information to the tree.

The weather turned sharply cooler today, but I did not get rained on.  I was happy I had gotten out my all-weather coat last night.

The Trainers meeting went over time, but I did not have any specific duty to attend to afterwards, so that was not a negative.  I presented my first in-service PowerPoint--and received some additional information to add to it.

At the very end of the shift I was able to finally take a picture of a family entry in the Eppingen Ortsippenbuch which I needed in order to clean up another set of records.  This evening I worked on that until my Sweetheart called.  Then we enjoyed a nice conversation for more than an hour.  I so much appreciate having the opportunity to talk with him and pray with him--a true blessing.

Below is the talk I gave this morning in the Mission Devotional:

I am Ellen Fehr.  I was born in Indiana, but was “carried by my father” to Missouri when I was 8, and I have lived there ever since, except for 9 months when I was in college, before I left school to marry. I am the mother of three daughters, grandmother of eight, and great grandmother of two with one on the way. My husband died in 2008. 

I have had numerous experiences with seeing the hand of the Lord in my life.  As a child I was apparently quite spiritual.  My mother said of me that I sang before I talked, and that I baptized all my dolls.  At age 6 I asked my Mom if we had the right church.  Until a few years ago I did not realize what distress this must have caused my parents, as my father was a Lutheran minister.  All I knew at the time was that my mother told me never to say or even think of that again.

What I did not connect until recently was that I was taken along at age 6 by my father to confirmation instructions which he taught to the eleven and twelve year olds.  I was just quite delighted to be given my own catechism—but the internal result of those instructions was that I learned that while maybe Jesus loved me, God did not like people, and He especially did not like women, because sin and trouble were brought to the earth by Eve. 

I was also taught that the Old Testament prophecies were all done away—only the prophecies that had to do with Jesus had any validity.  After all, we now had the New Testament.  But a few years later I realized that at least one of those prophecies was fulfilled in the year of my birth, 1948—Israel was restored as a country! Perhaps a decade after that I began to wonder why there were no prophets in our day—why did God not care enough about us to send us prophets?

Eventually, through many difficulties, I became humble enough to agree to learning with my husband about the Mormon Church—of which all I knew was polygamy and race issues

What a joy it has been for me to learn the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have now been a member for more than 42 years. I am here on this mission because of a wonderful blessing given me at another humbling time last year by my home teacher and former bishop.  I will be here until the end of April, when I will return to Missouri and marry my Sweetheart, who turned out to be the gift I was told in that same blessing that I would receive. 

I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Last Day of Conference. 2 October 2016

For many Latter-day Saints, Conference is quite an experience, especially attending in person.  My friend who moved here recently from Missouri was able to get tickets through her ward, and wanted to share her first experience in the Conference Center with me.  I was grateful for her thoughtfulness.  We sat in the Plaza 9 section, which had better acoustics than my Plaza 1 seating yesterday, and was close enough to the front to have a nice view.  The 30 foot wall-mounted monitor was not too far away.  My friend loves music and singing, so I was especially glad that the Tabernacle Choir sang for this afternoon session.  She remarked on how unified the choir was. The speakers gave us very good counsel, of course. Joy through repentance seemed to be a recurring theme, as this focuses us on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Our ability to repent is actually one of the primary gifts of the Atonement. We do not need to be stuck in negative behavior.  We can choose to change, for which I am very grateful.

This morning I was grateful for multiple electronic devices!  The laptop I usually use was not very cooperative, so I decided to shut it down--and maybe was mistaken in telling it to do updates!  When that process finished after more than an hour, it definitely started working better, but by then the first session of Conference was well underway!  I was reminded that I had my other laptop here, so I got that out, and also my i-Pad. I actually needed to use both of them as they both kept on glitching--fortunately at alternate times.  The last part of the morning session I was able to use the original now-cleaned-up laptop.

My friend and the couple she was coming with were taking Trax to get here, so I walked to the Southeast corner of Temple Square to meet up with them.  The weather seemed a bit threatening--but I had forgotten to bring my umbrella.  When we got to the Conference Center, and before we got inside, we did get rained on for a few minutes, but nothing too drastic.  By the time the session ended the sun was back out shining nicely.

After the session I came back to the apartment and got a batch of indexing done, and then started on cleaning up records on FamilyTree.  I found that I had some of the pictures I needed of sources, so I have been able to get a couple of families in much better shape record-wise. The computer is working much more efficiently now, for which I am very grateful!

My Sweetheart and I got to talk a bit this morning, and later this evening we will compare notes on Conference--a lovely opportunity.

Beautiful Day for Conference. 1 October 2016

The rain that was in the forecast for today did not appear.  In fact, the weather was actually quite warm.  My Sweetheart told me of an April conference when it snowed, so I guess good weather does not always occur, but this was rather dramatic.

I listened to the morning session while working on my Family Tree, and I will do the same for the Priesthood session which starts in a minute, but I did get to attend the afternoon session in person. Thanks to a suggestion from one of the other missionaries, and getting a ticket from my zone leaders for Plaza 1, I was just 4 rows back and a mere 15-20 feet from where President Monson and the other General Authorities entered the Conference Center.

I thought the Conference Center would not fill up all the way, because during the opening part of the session, there were still many empty seats, but people were still entering, and later I saw that every seat seemed to be taken.

I was seated right in front of a small monitor, which was good, since I find I must do some lip-reading in order to get the most from talks.  This was very evident when Elder Yamashita spoke.  I really enjoyed his talk, but would have gotten little from it had I not had the monitor to rely on.  The acoustics, at least on the far South side of the center, did not seem quite as good as in the Tabernacle. Despite that, I felt very blessed to be in attendance.

There were several talks of note:  My possible cousin, [12th, 2 times removed:)], Quentin L. Cook, talked about impediments, a great sifting, and repentance; Dallin  H. Oaks' talk included a reference to this being the last days; and Jeffrey R. Holland's talk on home teachers who care brought me to tears, and prompted me to remember my previous home teacher who gave me the blessing that set me on the road to this mission, and promised me the gift who is my Sweetheart.

I really enjoyed a conversation today with my middle daughter.  It has been a while since we had talked so we had a lot to catch up on!  I also enjoyed seeing and talking briefly with my two youngest granddaughters.  It is always good to see them even on Skype.

I decided to check my possible relationship to Elder Cook--and found a set of many generations back great grandparents who were undoubtedly Ashkenazi Jews!  This goes back into the early 1500s: Rechel Batmaharal Ashkenazi Spira, born 1532, died 1603, and Moshe halevi Heller Wallerstein, born 1520 in Germany.  Of course, the lines have no sources, so this is more mythology than genealogy, but maybe the sources will eventually be found.  I am delighted to have this confirmation that I am part of the House of Israel!