This morning I was not at all displeased that a meeting I had been scheduled to go to had been postponed. The extra hour gave me the opportunity to reread some of the blog posts about experiences I have had where I was helped by the Spirit, and send them on the the assistant zone leader who makes up a booklet to encourage other missionaries, and to give to departing missionaries. I was grateful to have the blog to refer to, as I had forgotten many details, and even some of the incidents. "Yay" for journaling, which is part of what this blog helps me to keep up with.
I am very glad that when I went back to the apartment for lunch I decided to check the weather forecast. I had planned to do some shopping tomorrow on my P day--but we have a 70% chance of snow in the morning! I had not yet cleared the snow off of my car from Monday's storm, having the starry-eyed notion that the sun would do that for me--decidedly not! So as I was returning to the Library I took a few minutes to clear the car of snow. Then, once my shift and choir practice were finished, I went to the market to get apples, which were the cheapest I have seen yet, and then to pick up a few things at the dollar store. I really plan to not drive the car at all during snowy weather, and I am just grateful I followed the prompting to check the forecast.
Today was my certifying time, and I had only one missionary show up, and he passed his last 5 modules, so he is now certified. I was not at all upset that the missionary who was supposed to come at the end of my time was unable to come due to a doctor's appointment. The module he was supposed to do was the one I am the least comfortable with.
My Sweetheart and I got to talk this evening--we both agree it would be really difficult to make it through without our talk and prayer every night. tonight another month ends--can it really be almost Christmas? In my case, I am grateful the time is going quickly!
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
A Bit of a Later Start. 29 November 2016
Today's start time at the Library was just about perfect--late enough to get to talk with my Sweetheart, and an hour before Study Group, so I had some time to prepare. Talking with my Sweetheart is always good, and he keeps surprising me with good things--I am so blessed!
Study Group was rather animated, as one of the elders had just discovered how to use a catalog feature called "Places within", and he was enthusiastic about sharing this. I do not mind at all when someone besides me leads the discussions! In addition, this was a good segue into the Baden Church Records, and Germany Civil Registration collections which I had planned to share today. The only problem with the group was that we were having so much fun we went 10 minutes over--and I had another assignment! We had a closing prayer, and I left the other three talking animatedly about what we had studied--a very good outcome, I feel. After serving as Greeter instead of Monitor I had an hour as Helper when no one needed my help, so I got the study group report written up, printed, and sent off.
This afternoon I had an hour of Skill Development time, and I spent this hour getting help from others in the Training room to figure out how to save a OneDrive file to a flash drive. Thanks to one of the new missionaries who is still in training, I was able to learn how to do that--and later in the afternoon I taught one of the other trainers, who had asked me in the morning how to do it. We did have enough time together this afternoon for her to learn how to do it also--and how to upload files as well.
When my shift was over I walked through Temple Square and on to the temple. Despite the cold, a group of the young sister missionaries were out singing Christmas carols. It was nice to hear them.
My time in the temple was well-spent, and I returned to my apartment by walking west on North Temple, enjoying more of the Christmas lights and decorations. Now I am waiting for my Sweetheart to call this evening. We will probably talk about our experiences in the temple, 1300 miles apart.
Study Group was rather animated, as one of the elders had just discovered how to use a catalog feature called "Places within", and he was enthusiastic about sharing this. I do not mind at all when someone besides me leads the discussions! In addition, this was a good segue into the Baden Church Records, and Germany Civil Registration collections which I had planned to share today. The only problem with the group was that we were having so much fun we went 10 minutes over--and I had another assignment! We had a closing prayer, and I left the other three talking animatedly about what we had studied--a very good outcome, I feel. After serving as Greeter instead of Monitor I had an hour as Helper when no one needed my help, so I got the study group report written up, printed, and sent off.
This afternoon I had an hour of Skill Development time, and I spent this hour getting help from others in the Training room to figure out how to save a OneDrive file to a flash drive. Thanks to one of the new missionaries who is still in training, I was able to learn how to do that--and later in the afternoon I taught one of the other trainers, who had asked me in the morning how to do it. We did have enough time together this afternoon for her to learn how to do it also--and how to upload files as well.
When my shift was over I walked through Temple Square and on to the temple. Despite the cold, a group of the young sister missionaries were out singing Christmas carols. It was nice to hear them.
My time in the temple was well-spent, and I returned to my apartment by walking west on North Temple, enjoying more of the Christmas lights and decorations. Now I am waiting for my Sweetheart to call this evening. We will probably talk about our experiences in the temple, 1300 miles apart.
Monday, November 28, 2016
The Snow Arrived! But the Cold is not Bitter. 28 November 2016
Although my experience of hot weather in the desert area of Phoenix, AZ, several decades ago belied the "it's a dry heat, so it isn't as bad as in St. Louis", the dry cold here--even with snow, has not been too bad so far. Of course, the temps were not in the teens or single digits--if that happens it will undoubtedly be pretty bitter--but walking to choir practice and then back and forth to the Library was not unbearable.
For the Mission devotional we sang a beautiful lilting version of "From All That Dwell Below the Skies"--it took a while for me to regain my composure once we finished. During our practice time we sang several of the carols we are learning--also very touching.
I had study time today, and enjoyed revisiting Baden, Germany, Church Records online, The beautifully written records from Voerstetten, Emmendingen, are the ones I "cut my teeth on" with learning to decipher the old script. FamilySearch has the indexes, so I looked up Joseph Fehr's marriage to Christina Gross [this couple were the immigrant ancestors of the St. Charles, Missouri, Fehr lines, and my late husband's 2nd great grandparents], and their son, [his great-grandfather] Johann Jacob Fehr's, birth/christening record. I plan to share these tomorrow with the study group.
During my time in the Training room I worked on another in-service lesson, and later in the day I prepared an assignment for that in-service and for a 2nd lesson also. I have 7 or 8 more presentations to prepare to go along with the training modules--and then I will need to come up with about 8 additional lessons before I leave in April. A new trainer has been asked to help in our zone, and I asked her to look at and give me some feedback on what I have done so far, both for the presentations and for the assignments.
In our Trainers meeting today we learned how to use OneDrive, which will help with sharing the in-service lessons, and with other files.
I took some time during my lunch break to go downstairs to the Escalation department and get some names released from temple file. I learned several valuable pieces of information. Marriage sealings and child to parent sealings are not dependent on completion of other ordinances. Female names submitted to the temple take an average of five years to complete, and male names take about eight years. So I am very glad I am right where I can speed that up for my own family names.
When I looked closely at my schedule for tomorrow I discovered that I do not have to start until 9 a.m. I am happy to have an extra hour in the morning to get prepared. Wednesday will be an 8 a.m start, and Thursday, despite having P-day I have to go in at 7 a.m. to help clean, but then I can take a nap if I need to!
For the Mission devotional we sang a beautiful lilting version of "From All That Dwell Below the Skies"--it took a while for me to regain my composure once we finished. During our practice time we sang several of the carols we are learning--also very touching.
I had study time today, and enjoyed revisiting Baden, Germany, Church Records online, The beautifully written records from Voerstetten, Emmendingen, are the ones I "cut my teeth on" with learning to decipher the old script. FamilySearch has the indexes, so I looked up Joseph Fehr's marriage to Christina Gross [this couple were the immigrant ancestors of the St. Charles, Missouri, Fehr lines, and my late husband's 2nd great grandparents], and their son, [his great-grandfather] Johann Jacob Fehr's, birth/christening record. I plan to share these tomorrow with the study group.
During my time in the Training room I worked on another in-service lesson, and later in the day I prepared an assignment for that in-service and for a 2nd lesson also. I have 7 or 8 more presentations to prepare to go along with the training modules--and then I will need to come up with about 8 additional lessons before I leave in April. A new trainer has been asked to help in our zone, and I asked her to look at and give me some feedback on what I have done so far, both for the presentations and for the assignments.
In our Trainers meeting today we learned how to use OneDrive, which will help with sharing the in-service lessons, and with other files.
I took some time during my lunch break to go downstairs to the Escalation department and get some names released from temple file. I learned several valuable pieces of information. Marriage sealings and child to parent sealings are not dependent on completion of other ordinances. Female names submitted to the temple take an average of five years to complete, and male names take about eight years. So I am very glad I am right where I can speed that up for my own family names.
When I looked closely at my schedule for tomorrow I discovered that I do not have to start until 9 a.m. I am happy to have an extra hour in the morning to get prepared. Wednesday will be an 8 a.m start, and Thursday, despite having P-day I have to go in at 7 a.m. to help clean, but then I can take a nap if I need to!
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Expecting Snow. 27 November 2016
Snow was supposed to come in today, but we seem to have just gotten rain showers. The chance of snow tomorrow is 90%--we will see if that happens!
I woke up early, and got up to do some work on the Family Tree, both in FamilySearch and in Ancestry. [I am not sure that was a wise choice as I fell asleep during the talk of the third speaker this afternoon in sacrament meeting.] Putting titles on the memories I have attached to Eppingen records will be a time-consuming job, but I am progressing on that and have worked out a system to make it a bit easier.
At choir practice we got our first introduction to most of the Christmas music we will be singing. Some of it was unfamiliar, but did not seem to be too hard. We sang today for sacrament meeting, and I was glad that one of the sisters who, like me, was singing alto previously came to join the second sopranos. She has a strong voice, and a great ear for the music, so she kept me on track when she was right next to me.
I learned some new tips during the FamilySearch Sunday School class, especially when attaching sources. Our new instructor gives us half the time to work on our own things, so I almost always pay attention during his instructions, and I am well-rewarded when I do. [I have developed a bad habit in my old age of not paying strict attention in classroom settings.]
I was introduced to the sister who will be helping with the Young Elder Dinners, and who will take my place, presumably, when I leave in 5 months. I think we will work fine together.
I made fried apples to take to dinner with my Cuban sister. She fed me rice, fried cabbage with meat sauce, and salad. Then we topped it off with mint patties, my habitual contribution to our usual Sunday suppers. In two weeks we will feed the young elders again, and have our new helper be our third sister. We will only have two weeks to feed the young elders in December, because we will have a branch Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.
Got to talk with my Virginia granddaughter this morning, and my youngest this evening. Just waiting now for my Sweetheart to call. I started a batch of German indexing--death certificates from 1862. I actually prefer the older church records to the civil records, maybe because I have done so much more of them.
I woke up early, and got up to do some work on the Family Tree, both in FamilySearch and in Ancestry. [I am not sure that was a wise choice as I fell asleep during the talk of the third speaker this afternoon in sacrament meeting.] Putting titles on the memories I have attached to Eppingen records will be a time-consuming job, but I am progressing on that and have worked out a system to make it a bit easier.
At choir practice we got our first introduction to most of the Christmas music we will be singing. Some of it was unfamiliar, but did not seem to be too hard. We sang today for sacrament meeting, and I was glad that one of the sisters who, like me, was singing alto previously came to join the second sopranos. She has a strong voice, and a great ear for the music, so she kept me on track when she was right next to me.
I learned some new tips during the FamilySearch Sunday School class, especially when attaching sources. Our new instructor gives us half the time to work on our own things, so I almost always pay attention during his instructions, and I am well-rewarded when I do. [I have developed a bad habit in my old age of not paying strict attention in classroom settings.]
I was introduced to the sister who will be helping with the Young Elder Dinners, and who will take my place, presumably, when I leave in 5 months. I think we will work fine together.
I made fried apples to take to dinner with my Cuban sister. She fed me rice, fried cabbage with meat sauce, and salad. Then we topped it off with mint patties, my habitual contribution to our usual Sunday suppers. In two weeks we will feed the young elders again, and have our new helper be our third sister. We will only have two weeks to feed the young elders in December, because we will have a branch Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.
Got to talk with my Virginia granddaughter this morning, and my youngest this evening. Just waiting now for my Sweetheart to call. I started a batch of German indexing--death certificates from 1862. I actually prefer the older church records to the civil records, maybe because I have done so much more of them.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Two New Generations on the Allwardt side! And Some Eppingen Conflicts cleared up. 26 November 2016
While I have been working on Eppingen, someone else has found my 3rd great-grandparents and a 4th great-grandfather on my Weisshahn line in Mecklenburg-Schwerin! That is a great cause for rejoicing! Ancestry has parish records that give the birth and christening of my 2nd great-grandmother, Maria Elisabetha Weisshahn. There are a few problems with the source attached, but I have found the correct source and have written to the submitter--who must be a cousin, and LDS to boot!!!
In my work at the Library today I got a hug from a young woman who found her ancestors when I suggested she keep looking a little further on the film--and found the marriage record she was seeking in the following month. I told her it was not me, it was the Spirit, since I ordinarily would not have suggested that. She was very happy!
I was also able to clear up some conflicts in the Eppingen records. In one case, the priest had recorded the father of a Johannes as Johannes. That did not match any other records, as in that family there had not been another Johannes for at least 2 generations! It was a blessing that at the end of the record the father, Friderich, had signed his name and declared he was the father of the child. I was also able to find the record of his marriage to the mother.
In another case I found that a man had changed his surname from Kesselrung to Kesler between when he was born and when he died! So I can detach him from my Kesler line and attach him where he belongs.
I helped one guest with German translation, and was relieved when even the more experienced missionaries could not make out the names of places that I had trouble with.
Late this afternoon I was able to go to the temple. When I went home I walked through Temple Square to experience the beautiful lights. Unfortunately, a lot of other people were also there to experience the lights! I expect I will have some other opportunities to enjoy them without the crowd.
I had a rare treat this morning as I got to talk with my oldest granddaughter for a bit. Then this evening my Sweetheart and I talked and prayed together. I have much to be thankful for!
In my work at the Library today I got a hug from a young woman who found her ancestors when I suggested she keep looking a little further on the film--and found the marriage record she was seeking in the following month. I told her it was not me, it was the Spirit, since I ordinarily would not have suggested that. She was very happy!
I was also able to clear up some conflicts in the Eppingen records. In one case, the priest had recorded the father of a Johannes as Johannes. That did not match any other records, as in that family there had not been another Johannes for at least 2 generations! It was a blessing that at the end of the record the father, Friderich, had signed his name and declared he was the father of the child. I was also able to find the record of his marriage to the mother.
In another case I found that a man had changed his surname from Kesselrung to Kesler between when he was born and when he died! So I can detach him from my Kesler line and attach him where he belongs.
I helped one guest with German translation, and was relieved when even the more experienced missionaries could not make out the names of places that I had trouble with.
Late this afternoon I was able to go to the temple. When I went home I walked through Temple Square to experience the beautiful lights. Unfortunately, a lot of other people were also there to experience the lights! I expect I will have some other opportunities to enjoy them without the crowd.
I had a rare treat this morning as I got to talk with my oldest granddaughter for a bit. Then this evening my Sweetheart and I talked and prayed together. I have much to be thankful for!
Friday, November 25, 2016
Post Office, Pleasant Walk, and Practice of German Script. 25 November 2016
I had a hard time getting started this morning. I awoke at the usual time, but it took a long time to read my chapter in Das Buch Mormon since I kept falling back to sleep, even though I was sitting up. Once I did get up and start moving I did OK.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving! 24 November 2016
I hope that all of you, friends and family, have had a very nice Thanksgiving.
Through the modern miracles of electronic devices, I was able to text, or talk, or Skype with several family members, as well as my Sweetheart. I am very grateful for this blessing.
I roasted a turkey and made stock from the remains today. Our branch had Thanksgiving dinner in the late afternoon. That made it possible to even sneak in a bit of a nap, which probably was brought on by the turkey I ate as I was carving up the bird!
I spent some time attaching photos of Eppingen Ortssippenbuch entries to long-ago relatives. I have come across a family which will require some research in the microfilmed records, but the cousin lines seem quite clear.
Sometimes I like to make a list of things I am thankful for, and tonight seems like a good time to do that in this blog, not necessarily in order:
1. My Sweetheart
2-4. My daughters
5-6. My sons-in-law
7-14. My eight grandchildren
15-16. My grandson-in-law and soon to be granddaughter-in-law
17-19. My great grandchildren [the third will join us soon]
20. The Savior
21. Heavenly Father
22. The Book of Mormon
23. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
24-27. The electronic devices I used today to stay in touch [My eight-year-old granddaughter included electronic devices in a Thanksgiving book she wrote and read to me today, so I am following her lead!]
28. Dear friends
29. Car
30. Good heating!
31. Good footwear [Until I found the brands of footwear I now use, my feet hurt often!]
32. Eyes that see quite well [Before I had cataract surgery about 20 years ago, I could not see much without glasses. Now I see quite well!]
33. The coats I got at the Swap Meets--I wore one of them today to the dinner
34. Serving a mission in the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission
35. A living prophet
36. Getting to attend the Music & The Spoken Word broadcasts [I watched a few of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas songs this afternoon--it was fun to see that the older man who now just plays the cymbals occasionally was the typmanist not many years ago!]
37. Getting to make flax seed crackers and watermelon rind pickles
38. Happy memories to reflect upon, especially in this past year [Last year about this time my Sweetheart and I began to recognize that we might grow a long-lasting relationship--and that is what we have been blessed to do.]
39. Delicious food.
40. Family history work
41. Temple work
42. Good parents
43-47. My siblings
48-49. The pets I left back home
50. The apartment I live in now
I hope all of you can also recognize lots of things to be grateful for.
Through the modern miracles of electronic devices, I was able to text, or talk, or Skype with several family members, as well as my Sweetheart. I am very grateful for this blessing.
I roasted a turkey and made stock from the remains today. Our branch had Thanksgiving dinner in the late afternoon. That made it possible to even sneak in a bit of a nap, which probably was brought on by the turkey I ate as I was carving up the bird!
I spent some time attaching photos of Eppingen Ortssippenbuch entries to long-ago relatives. I have come across a family which will require some research in the microfilmed records, but the cousin lines seem quite clear.
Sometimes I like to make a list of things I am thankful for, and tonight seems like a good time to do that in this blog, not necessarily in order:
1. My Sweetheart
2-4. My daughters
5-6. My sons-in-law
7-14. My eight grandchildren
15-16. My grandson-in-law and soon to be granddaughter-in-law
17-19. My great grandchildren [the third will join us soon]
20. The Savior
21. Heavenly Father
22. The Book of Mormon
23. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
24-27. The electronic devices I used today to stay in touch [My eight-year-old granddaughter included electronic devices in a Thanksgiving book she wrote and read to me today, so I am following her lead!]
28. Dear friends
29. Car
30. Good heating!
31. Good footwear [Until I found the brands of footwear I now use, my feet hurt often!]
32. Eyes that see quite well [Before I had cataract surgery about 20 years ago, I could not see much without glasses. Now I see quite well!]
33. The coats I got at the Swap Meets--I wore one of them today to the dinner
34. Serving a mission in the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission
35. A living prophet
36. Getting to attend the Music & The Spoken Word broadcasts [I watched a few of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas songs this afternoon--it was fun to see that the older man who now just plays the cymbals occasionally was the typmanist not many years ago!]
37. Getting to make flax seed crackers and watermelon rind pickles
38. Happy memories to reflect upon, especially in this past year [Last year about this time my Sweetheart and I began to recognize that we might grow a long-lasting relationship--and that is what we have been blessed to do.]
39. Delicious food.
40. Family history work
41. Temple work
42. Good parents
43-47. My siblings
48-49. The pets I left back home
50. The apartment I live in now
I hope all of you can also recognize lots of things to be grateful for.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
I Really Cannot Complain. 23 November 2016
Seven months minus five days ago I arrived in Utah. I brought, or expected to need to buy, plenty of cold-weather clothing. Yet just today, the day before Thanksgiving, the weather feels wintery. Snow is falling, and my walk across the street from the stake center after choir practice an hour and a half ago, when the precipitation was merely rain, was chilling. But in about five months I will leave here, so less than half my year will be mountain-cold.
My two hours as trainer went quickly, and I did not get as far along as I would have liked with an additional in-service lesson, since there were four missionaries in training, and questions did come up. I enjoy the interaction with those who are learning.
I spent an hour as floor manager, but there were few guests who came in during that time. Then I had an hour as pager, but there was little going on then, also. Then off to lunch, and back for a time as certifier. The first hour there was no one signed up, so I got to down to escalation on B-2. That was a quick, productive trip. The folks down there are so good at fixing Family Tree problems, and today was no exception.
The second hour of certification I had a new certifier shadowing me. That kind of makes me chuckle, since I do not always follow the instructions. Today was no exception, as the person certifying did things differently, but had totally good reasoning behind the unorthodox answers.
Choir practice went well, except the chapel never did warm up. We are enjoying learning Christmas music, as well one more Thanksgiving-type hymn: Let All That Dwell Below the Skies.
My two hours as trainer went quickly, and I did not get as far along as I would have liked with an additional in-service lesson, since there were four missionaries in training, and questions did come up. I enjoy the interaction with those who are learning.
I spent an hour as floor manager, but there were few guests who came in during that time. Then I had an hour as pager, but there was little going on then, also. Then off to lunch, and back for a time as certifier. The first hour there was no one signed up, so I got to down to escalation on B-2. That was a quick, productive trip. The folks down there are so good at fixing Family Tree problems, and today was no exception.
The second hour of certification I had a new certifier shadowing me. That kind of makes me chuckle, since I do not always follow the instructions. Today was no exception, as the person certifying did things differently, but had totally good reasoning behind the unorthodox answers.
Choir practice went well, except the chapel never did warm up. We are enjoying learning Christmas music, as well one more Thanksgiving-type hymn: Let All That Dwell Below the Skies.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Different Kind of Day. 22 November 2016
As I typed the date I remembered that today is the anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination, which was a life-changing day for me as a 15-year-old. There was something that happened that morning which set me on a different path, and then the assassination solidified that path. Although the path took me into a dark period of my life, but that was necessary for me to recognize 10+ years later that I wanted truth and light, and that prepared me to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. God truly works in mysterious ways.
Today I did not go to the Library at all. I had been invited to attend a day-long meeting with leaders in the Family History Department, along with about 20 others, some of whom were staff members, and some of whom were fellow missionaries, including about half of my MTC group. I enjoyed the meetings--and the breakfast, lunch and snacks--quite a lot.
After the meeting I took my Ukrainian sister to the warehouse store that we had planned to go to yesterday, but decided that rain plus rush-hour was not a smart time to travel when an earlier time plus a sunny day today would work better. We enjoyed the time together as well as the cheaper prices at the warehouse store. We also went to a dollar store. I also went to the credit union.
When I returned to the apartment I realized it was still quite early! So I decided to go to the temple. I usually do that on my Thursday P-day, but this week Thanksgiving will make that impossible. So I took an hour and went to the temple on the spur of the moment. It was so spur-of-the-moment that I forgot to take my cell phone! I cannot remember the last time I left the apartment for any length of time without my phone! I actually survived just fine, of course.
My morning was a little later than usual, so I got to talk with my Sweetheart for a while then. We will talk again and pray together this evening. I am very blessed.
Today I did not go to the Library at all. I had been invited to attend a day-long meeting with leaders in the Family History Department, along with about 20 others, some of whom were staff members, and some of whom were fellow missionaries, including about half of my MTC group. I enjoyed the meetings--and the breakfast, lunch and snacks--quite a lot.
After the meeting I took my Ukrainian sister to the warehouse store that we had planned to go to yesterday, but decided that rain plus rush-hour was not a smart time to travel when an earlier time plus a sunny day today would work better. We enjoyed the time together as well as the cheaper prices at the warehouse store. We also went to a dollar store. I also went to the credit union.
When I returned to the apartment I realized it was still quite early! So I decided to go to the temple. I usually do that on my Thursday P-day, but this week Thanksgiving will make that impossible. So I took an hour and went to the temple on the spur of the moment. It was so spur-of-the-moment that I forgot to take my cell phone! I cannot remember the last time I left the apartment for any length of time without my phone! I actually survived just fine, of course.
My morning was a little later than usual, so I got to talk with my Sweetheart for a while then. We will talk again and pray together this evening. I am very blessed.
Monday, November 21, 2016
My First Skill Development Hour. 21 November 2016
This morning for Mission Devotional we sang Come, Ye Thankful People, Come. We also practiced a Christmas song.
My first hour at the Library was my first time to have an hour of set-aside time for study. I chose to stay in the Training room and I began with the German Research Lesson #1. I have looked at this before, but this time I actually listened to the whole lesson, and I did learn from it.
The next hour I was scheduled for the Training room. I reworked the In-service lesson for next week. It was a good thing I did that, since in the Trainers meeting this afternoon I was asked to share the lesson.
I spent several hours as Monitor and an extra as Greeter in order to free up another missionary to do something I could not do. I was able to get several documents attached in Memories while filling those positions because there were very few people coming to our floor who needed help from missionaries or staff.
I was planning to go shopping this afternoon, but it was raining and rush hour, and tomorrow I will get out early, so I will probably go shopping then.
This evening while waiting to talk with my Sweetheart I have been listening to some BYU Devotionals--worthwhile listening.
My first hour at the Library was my first time to have an hour of set-aside time for study. I chose to stay in the Training room and I began with the German Research Lesson #1. I have looked at this before, but this time I actually listened to the whole lesson, and I did learn from it.
The next hour I was scheduled for the Training room. I reworked the In-service lesson for next week. It was a good thing I did that, since in the Trainers meeting this afternoon I was asked to share the lesson.
I spent several hours as Monitor and an extra as Greeter in order to free up another missionary to do something I could not do. I was able to get several documents attached in Memories while filling those positions because there were very few people coming to our floor who needed help from missionaries or staff.
I was planning to go shopping this afternoon, but it was raining and rush hour, and tomorrow I will get out early, so I will probably go shopping then.
This evening while waiting to talk with my Sweetheart I have been listening to some BYU Devotionals--worthwhile listening.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Two Elders Came for Dinner, and Two Did Not! 20 November 2016
As I was putting the finishing touches on dinner for two young elders and two of my sisters I got a phone call that there were four young elders whose host family had already left the mission! The sister who called said she could feed another two, but not all four. So I told her to send them over, and I got some of my wheat and garbanzo beans heated up, and cooked some frozen broccoli [adding water chestnuts to dress it up]. My Cuban sister had brought a sweet bread for dessert along with some peas and carrots, and the other sister brought rolls and butter, so we had plenty of food. We delayed our meal for a few minutes to allow the extra elders to arrive--but they never showed! We all had plenty to eat; one of the elders gave us a nice spiritual thought, and we sent plenty of food home with the elders who had come. It was a very pleasant dinner.
This morning the Music and the Spoken Word Broadcast focused on gratitude, and gave a confirmation of something I began practicing a few days ago--falling asleep counting blessings. I have found this to be helpful and a peaceful way to end the day.
I did not get much indexing done today, but I will have Friday to work on that. I had a short texting conversation with my middle daughter, and will talk with her on Thanksgiving. Earlier I talked with my oldest daughter who was having a good time during the visit of my oldest granddaughter and her family.
This evening's conversation with my Sweetheart was very nice--six months from today we will be married. What a joy to look forward to!
This morning the Music and the Spoken Word Broadcast focused on gratitude, and gave a confirmation of something I began practicing a few days ago--falling asleep counting blessings. I have found this to be helpful and a peaceful way to end the day.
I did not get much indexing done today, but I will have Friday to work on that. I had a short texting conversation with my middle daughter, and will talk with her on Thanksgiving. Earlier I talked with my oldest daughter who was having a good time during the visit of my oldest granddaughter and her family.
This evening's conversation with my Sweetheart was very nice--six months from today we will be married. What a joy to look forward to!
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Happy News! 19 November 2016
Seven months to the day since our engagement, my Sweetheart confirmed that we can be married for time in the St. Louis Temple. That will happen six months from tomorrow! Happy, happy news!
I got to the Library long enough before prayer meeting to print off my letter to the Mission President and his wife about my experiences with reading The Book of Mormon. The letter is now enveloped and in my choir folder so I should not forget it on Monday.
I filled in at the keyboard for prayer meeting, but another trainer did the in-service and her husband conducted the meeting, so no repeat of yesterday.
I spent an hour at the Greeter desk, and almost immediately thereafter I spent the better part of an hour deciphering several German/Latin records. I needed help with the Latin, but the German was fairly easy. After one more hour at the German/Slavic counter I got to start my research time. Again I spent the 4 hours in Eppingen records. There is a lot to clean up, and I have access now to the microfilmed original records, which I used today to separate some records which had been erroneously combined. I hope that in the 5 months that I will continue at the Library, I will be able to get through all of my lines from Eppingen. Right now it seems a bit daunting!
I took just a brief lunch so that I could leave early and get to tithing settlement on time. After my brief time with the branch president I was waiting to talk with his wife who serves as the Relief Society president. The sister who is in charge of the Thanksgiving dinner for the branch came in, and I found out where to pick up a turkey which I will roast on Thanksgiving morning.
Of course, I had to call my daughter to get the recipe she uses to roast a turkey. We got to talk for quite a while after I picked up the turkey.
Finding room in the refrigerator to thaw the turkey out was a challenge, but I managed to get it in, by taking some other things out. That led to cutting up the last half of a watermelon, and then preparing to pickle the rind. I now have about 2 quarts of rind turning into sweet pickles in my frig.
I so much appreciated getting to rejoice tonight with my Sweetheart as we see the hand of the Lord working in our behalf.
I got to the Library long enough before prayer meeting to print off my letter to the Mission President and his wife about my experiences with reading The Book of Mormon. The letter is now enveloped and in my choir folder so I should not forget it on Monday.
I filled in at the keyboard for prayer meeting, but another trainer did the in-service and her husband conducted the meeting, so no repeat of yesterday.
I spent an hour at the Greeter desk, and almost immediately thereafter I spent the better part of an hour deciphering several German/Latin records. I needed help with the Latin, but the German was fairly easy. After one more hour at the German/Slavic counter I got to start my research time. Again I spent the 4 hours in Eppingen records. There is a lot to clean up, and I have access now to the microfilmed original records, which I used today to separate some records which had been erroneously combined. I hope that in the 5 months that I will continue at the Library, I will be able to get through all of my lines from Eppingen. Right now it seems a bit daunting!
I took just a brief lunch so that I could leave early and get to tithing settlement on time. After my brief time with the branch president I was waiting to talk with his wife who serves as the Relief Society president. The sister who is in charge of the Thanksgiving dinner for the branch came in, and I found out where to pick up a turkey which I will roast on Thanksgiving morning.
Of course, I had to call my daughter to get the recipe she uses to roast a turkey. We got to talk for quite a while after I picked up the turkey.
Finding room in the refrigerator to thaw the turkey out was a challenge, but I managed to get it in, by taking some other things out. That led to cutting up the last half of a watermelon, and then preparing to pickle the rind. I now have about 2 quarts of rind turning into sweet pickles in my frig.
I so much appreciated getting to rejoice tonight with my Sweetheart as we see the hand of the Lord working in our behalf.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Nearly a One-Woman Show! 18 November 2016
As I came to the International Zone this morning I noticed that the B1 computer lab where we hold prayer meeting was fairly dark (there is always emergency lighting on). Sure enough, the person who was supposed to be in charge was not there. I set things up, the piano, the PowerPoints, etc. The other trainer who was there helped also. We waited about three minutes past the regular starting time and there was still no leader--so I followed the example of one of the sisters who is an assistant zone leader, and conducted the meeting. I was also playing the keyboard, and I was the one scheduled to do the in-service.
Ordinarily on Friday morning there is no one in attendance who has not already had the in-service for the week, but today was an exception. There were several missionaries, including three young elders who have recently been assigned to our floor.
I spent an hour as Greeter, and then had an hour to prepare for a review class of the 1st level of International Zone training. I could not find the PowerPoint that the trainer I replaced had given me! That turned out to be a blessing, because I just accessed everything on the internet. We came across some errors during the class--and you can't fix what you don't know is broken. The five missionaries who attended the class gave positive feedback, including one who said he learned several things from the presentation. In fact, I learned a couple of things myself!
I worked with several people in the Training room today, as I was there for five hours. One of the sisters had done a batch of German indexing as part of her study for Level 3, so we went over that. There were a couple of things that we learned together about the scribe's handwriting. The sister found a new example of one puzzling letter--but it turned out to be three letters in one: "Sch"!
I got next week's schedule, which is quite different due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and to a special all-day meeting on Tuesday. Instead of 13 hours in the Training room I will have 3!
When I finished at the Library I went shopping to get a rotisserie chicken for feeding the Young Elders on Sunday. I took along my Japanese sister, and we went to three stores, which took close to three hours. I have never been much of a fan of shopping, and that was more tiring than the 7.5 hours of working at the Library!
My Sweetheart gave me very positive feedback on the letter I have written to the Mission President and his wife about my interactions with the Book of Mormon. I do love The Book of Mormon, for it has had more influence for good in my life than any other book.
Ordinarily on Friday morning there is no one in attendance who has not already had the in-service for the week, but today was an exception. There were several missionaries, including three young elders who have recently been assigned to our floor.
I spent an hour as Greeter, and then had an hour to prepare for a review class of the 1st level of International Zone training. I could not find the PowerPoint that the trainer I replaced had given me! That turned out to be a blessing, because I just accessed everything on the internet. We came across some errors during the class--and you can't fix what you don't know is broken. The five missionaries who attended the class gave positive feedback, including one who said he learned several things from the presentation. In fact, I learned a couple of things myself!
I worked with several people in the Training room today, as I was there for five hours. One of the sisters had done a batch of German indexing as part of her study for Level 3, so we went over that. There were a couple of things that we learned together about the scribe's handwriting. The sister found a new example of one puzzling letter--but it turned out to be three letters in one: "Sch"!
I got next week's schedule, which is quite different due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and to a special all-day meeting on Tuesday. Instead of 13 hours in the Training room I will have 3!
When I finished at the Library I went shopping to get a rotisserie chicken for feeding the Young Elders on Sunday. I took along my Japanese sister, and we went to three stores, which took close to three hours. I have never been much of a fan of shopping, and that was more tiring than the 7.5 hours of working at the Library!
My Sweetheart gave me very positive feedback on the letter I have written to the Mission President and his wife about my interactions with the Book of Mormon. I do love The Book of Mormon, for it has had more influence for good in my life than any other book.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Post Office, Pleasant Walk and Practice of German Script. 25 November 2016
I had a hard time getting started this morning. I awoke at the usual time, but it took a long time to read my chapter in Das Buch Mormon since I kept falling back to sleep, even though I was sitting up. Once I did get up and start moving I did OK.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
Post Office, Pleasant Walk, and Practice with Script. 25 November 2016
I had a hard time getting started this morning. I awoke at the usual time, but it took a long time to read my chapter in Das Buch Mormon since I kept falling back to sleep, even though I was sitting up. Once I did get up and start moving I did OK.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
After talking with my Sweetheart I decided to combine my trips to the Post Office and to the temple, and to put off doing laundry. The day was chilly but sunny, and the navigator on my phone showed a post office about half a mile away. The reason for my trip there was to mail a birthday card which, it turned out, I had correctly estimated was a bit over the one-stamp weight limit. I figured that after my Thanksgiving meal yesterday, a little extra walking would be a good thing.
I decided to take a less-direct route to the temple, and just sauntered along, stopping to read a few historical markers as I noticed them. I have driven on most of the streets I walked, but there is a whole different level of learning that occurs when not whizzing by. I doubt I will go to any of the stores I passed, but it is nice to know where the theaters are located, including the new one, and I found a couple of interesting-looking stores.
As it happened, the temple was not open today, so I just went back to the apartment, and got my clothes to the laundromat.
Most of the rest of the day I spent on family history research and on studying for my next Level of learning at the Library. I focused today on German script, taking a three-episode handwriting course, and enjoying a BYU script tutorial that features quick quizzes, and pretty immediate feedback. I could easily spend lots of time on that! A better use of my time, though, will be to go back to index German records. The US Marriage records project is pretty well complete, apparently, since I often get the "there is no work available for this project" screen when I try to index or arbitrate. I learned some things in both the handwriting course and the tutorial which will help in indexing and in my own research.
The research I did today was actually in looking for the parents of a wife of my grand-uncle. I knew they had to be found somewhere in the United States Census records for 1900 and 1910, since there children were born in Wisconsin, and they died after 1910. The computer program apparently was not recognizing the father until I searched with the mother's name--then it got the 1910 census as a hit. But the 1900 census did not come up until I searched with the wife's name as the principal, and the daughter as an additional person. That gave me both census records to glean info from. I have not yet entered their data, as I decided I should really get busy on the language course. Even though I get two hours a week at the Library to study, it is hard to do a course which is lecture based in that environment.
From Sandals to Snow Boots in less than 40 hours. 17 November 2016
I really did wear my snow boots today--but mostly so that I could title my post as I did. We did get snow last night, but by the time I got to the laundromat there was none on the sidewalk in the apartment complex. There is still snow on the grass though, whereever the day-time sun did not reach. And tonight will be quite cold, in the mid-20s.
I did not drive today, but I did go to the temple. When I started out, the nice coat I chose to wear--the one I got at the very first Swap Meet--was almost too much. At that point the sun was nicely shining. But nearly four hours later I was very glad I had chosen to wear it. I bundled up and put on my gloves, and was pretty comfortable walking home. I am already thinking that this coat is a keeper--even though I had thought I would just turn it back in to the Swap Meet when I leave in April. I think it looks really nice, and is definitely warm. The other coat I got a couple of months ago I do not think I will keep. It is a very long, heavy woolen coat, and is quite bulky. If the weather gets severely cold here I am sure I will be glad to have it.
I decided to make more cooked wheat today, and it was so very nice to have some freshly made to mix with oats this morning, and freshly cooked garbanzo beans this evening. I really do like wheat, although I am not a fan of bread [I probably have a sensitivity to yeast]. Not that I refuse to eat bread if it is available, but I can tell after I indulge that I just do not feel as well as I might like. Cooked whole wheat, on the other hand, just makes everything taste better for me, and I don't feel bogged down after having it.
I finished my letter to the mission president and his wife on my reading of The Book of Mormon in accordance with the mission challenge.
I got to talk with my Sweetheart this morning, and I will again this evening. That is such a blessing when our schedules allow for that.
I did not drive today, but I did go to the temple. When I started out, the nice coat I chose to wear--the one I got at the very first Swap Meet--was almost too much. At that point the sun was nicely shining. But nearly four hours later I was very glad I had chosen to wear it. I bundled up and put on my gloves, and was pretty comfortable walking home. I am already thinking that this coat is a keeper--even though I had thought I would just turn it back in to the Swap Meet when I leave in April. I think it looks really nice, and is definitely warm. The other coat I got a couple of months ago I do not think I will keep. It is a very long, heavy woolen coat, and is quite bulky. If the weather gets severely cold here I am sure I will be glad to have it.
I decided to make more cooked wheat today, and it was so very nice to have some freshly made to mix with oats this morning, and freshly cooked garbanzo beans this evening. I really do like wheat, although I am not a fan of bread [I probably have a sensitivity to yeast]. Not that I refuse to eat bread if it is available, but I can tell after I indulge that I just do not feel as well as I might like. Cooked whole wheat, on the other hand, just makes everything taste better for me, and I don't feel bogged down after having it.
I finished my letter to the mission president and his wife on my reading of The Book of Mormon in accordance with the mission challenge.
I got to talk with my Sweetheart this morning, and I will again this evening. That is such a blessing when our schedules allow for that.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Bi-polar Weather. 16 November 2016
On the one hand it has been very nice to have an extended fall. On the other hand, abrupt changes in the weather are a bit hard to adjust to. Yesterday the high was 73 and it was very sunny. Tonight we are due for snow, with the first frost coming also. Before this mission I thought that only Missouri weather was schizophrenic. I was wrong!
This morning I chose to stay in the Training room instead of attending a committee meeting. I am glad, because I think I would have just gotten upset, and I would not have been there to reassure one of the new missionaries when a difficulty came up.
I pointed out to the scheduler that I have not been given any designated time for skill development, which has newly been implemented in our zone. I do not mind so much, as long as I can use some of the time in the Training room to work on How to Guides and lessons, and I was assured that was just fine.
I dozed off again during Mission Conference, and woke up at about the same place in the talk as yesterday. Our singing went Ok--I actually think we did it better yesterday, but it was still pretty neat. During our practice after conference we began learning a version of the beautiful "Mary, Did You Know". I had not before realized how tricky the timing is in that song--it has a lot of syncopation.
Since I did not have to work late tonight I went to the nearby market and also to a dollar store. This evening I enjoyed talking with my Sweetheart. Before I went to the Library this morning I talked with my oldest daughter.
Tonight I noticed some drafts, so I covered the air conditioner and blocked off some of the sliding glass doors. Winter weather is definitely here.
This morning I chose to stay in the Training room instead of attending a committee meeting. I am glad, because I think I would have just gotten upset, and I would not have been there to reassure one of the new missionaries when a difficulty came up.
I pointed out to the scheduler that I have not been given any designated time for skill development, which has newly been implemented in our zone. I do not mind so much, as long as I can use some of the time in the Training room to work on How to Guides and lessons, and I was assured that was just fine.
I dozed off again during Mission Conference, and woke up at about the same place in the talk as yesterday. Our singing went Ok--I actually think we did it better yesterday, but it was still pretty neat. During our practice after conference we began learning a version of the beautiful "Mary, Did You Know". I had not before realized how tricky the timing is in that song--it has a lot of syncopation.
Since I did not have to work late tonight I went to the nearby market and also to a dollar store. This evening I enjoyed talking with my Sweetheart. Before I went to the Library this morning I talked with my oldest daughter.
Tonight I noticed some drafts, so I covered the air conditioner and blocked off some of the sliding glass doors. Winter weather is definitely here.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
An Oil Change Leads to a Gospel Discussion! 15 November 2016
Because of changes in my schedule, I was on the early shift, so I had wanted to get the oil changed in the car. Yesterday was so busy that I had not made an appointment, but during my lunch hour I did get an appointment for 5. Mission conference ran a little over, but the shop was only a ten minute drive away, so I made it in plenty of time. Free WiFi was advertised, but I decided instead to make some phone calls while I waited [and watched--the shop has a big window into the bays, and my car was the closest]. I did make several calls, but only one person answered--the friend who drove with me out to Utah. We had no trouble finding 30-some minutes of things to talk about.
When the young man came to let me know that the car was in good shape, but I might want to get new tires before the snow came [we are due for a storm tomorrow night], I told him I just would not drive in the bad weather. Then as I was paying I mentioned that I was on a mission. He mentioned that he went on a mission to Mexico, and I told him that my grandson-in-law went to Mexico on his mission. The young man had gone for a month on a building project, and I told him my grandson-in-law and my granddaughter went to Mexico this last spring to help with a library.
He seemed to think that was pretty neat. He also asked if I lived close to the library, and I told him I lived just 3 regular city blocks away, and about a block farther from the temple and to where I went to church. Then he asked about the temple. I explained that the temple was not where our regular Sunday worship was held, but we did special ceremonies there. He seemed to be interested so I said maybe he was familiar with the Bible--and he confirmed that. So I told him about 1 Corinthians 15:29 where baptism for the dead is spoken of, and how traditional Christians did not know what to make of that passage.
He asked how we did baptisms for dead people--and seemed satisfied with the answer that when we get baptized for ourselves that is done in a font in a regular chapel, but in the temple we are baptized as proxies in a font resting on the backs of 12 oxen, as is described in the Old Testament.
I told him that there are several ceremonies performed in the temple, and the most special ones were the sealing ordinances--because Heavenly Father wants all his children back, and our job is to seal the whole family of Adam back together.
I got to tell him also that I was a convert who had not wanted anything to do with God or with Mormonism from the time I was in my mid-teens until the Lord brought me to a place where I would listen.
He said he grew up in the area, and many of his friends and some extended family were members, and he was curious. I suggested that when he reached a point of being more than curious he could find out more. I left him a Mormon.org pass-along card. I hope he actually does choose to find out more.
Mission Conference was about the Church History Library. It is a good thing that I get to go again tomorrow, because I must admit to dozing off. The Elijah Choir sang a stirring anthem "How Wondrous and Great" to end the meeting.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Long Day, but Productive. 14 November 2016
Singing "Heavenly Father Loves Me" and "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" were both emotional this morning at the Mission devotional. This is the week we say "Goodbye" to another group of missionaries. The longer I am here, the more I am affected, of course. Yet in 5 months, I will be leaving also. The time is now passing quite quickly.
We had a very interesting presentation at the devotional about how our mission, The Family and Church History Headquarters Mission, came to be. I was particularly touched by how this got to be a place that young elders could serve a full-time mission, even if their circumstances prevented them from serving a typical proselyting mission. In 2006 there was a young man who was accepted as a Church Service Missionary to work here at Temple Square. He was not satisfied with the replies to his questions of where he was to be housed, or who would be his companion. He was told he would not have a companion, he could live at home, and he was not required to have a typical missionary schedule.
The young elder proceeded to get an apartment, and he worked not just 16 hours a week, but worked at the Library every day from opening to closing for two years. He protested the lack of a companion, as he explained that he needed the experience of adjusting to living 24/7 with someone. His example showed what such a young elder could do, and we now have nearly 100 young elders serving at any time in this mission. They each have a companion [sometimes two if the numbers require], they live in the same apartment complex that I live in, they get transferred to different zones [there are about 20 zones in the mission], they switch companions, and they work similarly to proselyting missionaries. Each Sunday, each companionship gets the experience of sharing the gospel through teaching us older missionaries from Preach My Gospel. Of course, they are nearly all computer experts, and much of this work just could not get done without them.
At the Trainers meeting I presented three PowerPoints. One of them needs to be reworked, but the other two were well-received. One of them was based on a 1-Minute Training presentation which helped me feel more comfortable with helping guests by teaching them how our website is organized. Within a half hour I was actually helping two guests, one from Germany along with his friend with Italian ancestry--and by following the pattern, each of them found at least one generation back that they had not previously known. I was glad I had the refresher within the hour!
I had a letter from my friend in Missouri today. That was delightful. She reached her goal of indexing 25,000 records! I am so proud of her! Indexing is so important--as evidenced by the success of the two guests I helped today. Way to go, Diane!
Our branch social went nearly an hour later than I had expected, but I still got to talk with my Sweetheart tonight--so despite a somewhat bad attitude as the social dragged on, I was blessed.
We had a very interesting presentation at the devotional about how our mission, The Family and Church History Headquarters Mission, came to be. I was particularly touched by how this got to be a place that young elders could serve a full-time mission, even if their circumstances prevented them from serving a typical proselyting mission. In 2006 there was a young man who was accepted as a Church Service Missionary to work here at Temple Square. He was not satisfied with the replies to his questions of where he was to be housed, or who would be his companion. He was told he would not have a companion, he could live at home, and he was not required to have a typical missionary schedule.
The young elder proceeded to get an apartment, and he worked not just 16 hours a week, but worked at the Library every day from opening to closing for two years. He protested the lack of a companion, as he explained that he needed the experience of adjusting to living 24/7 with someone. His example showed what such a young elder could do, and we now have nearly 100 young elders serving at any time in this mission. They each have a companion [sometimes two if the numbers require], they live in the same apartment complex that I live in, they get transferred to different zones [there are about 20 zones in the mission], they switch companions, and they work similarly to proselyting missionaries. Each Sunday, each companionship gets the experience of sharing the gospel through teaching us older missionaries from Preach My Gospel. Of course, they are nearly all computer experts, and much of this work just could not get done without them.
At the Trainers meeting I presented three PowerPoints. One of them needs to be reworked, but the other two were well-received. One of them was based on a 1-Minute Training presentation which helped me feel more comfortable with helping guests by teaching them how our website is organized. Within a half hour I was actually helping two guests, one from Germany along with his friend with Italian ancestry--and by following the pattern, each of them found at least one generation back that they had not previously known. I was glad I had the refresher within the hour!
I had a letter from my friend in Missouri today. That was delightful. She reached her goal of indexing 25,000 records! I am so proud of her! Indexing is so important--as evidenced by the success of the two guests I helped today. Way to go, Diane!
Our branch social went nearly an hour later than I had expected, but I still got to talk with my Sweetheart tonight--so despite a somewhat bad attitude as the social dragged on, I was blessed.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Talk about Food. 13 November 2016
Because of going to a family ward last week I did not go to Music and the Spoken Word. Today I entered the Tabernacle as Tenebrae, an English Choral group was singing. It was very nice, but it did not touch me especially.
Then during the regular rehearsal the organist solo was a very light-hearted version of "Sing Praise to Him", which ended in a way to bring a smile on my face. As "Morning Has Broken" began, I thought, "I guess today I will just find the broadcast to be cheerful"--and I was immediately overwhelmed with tears. The broadcast was not just nice--it was Spirit-filled!
In my indexing this morning I had a hard time finding work to do in the United States marriage records, both in indexing and arbitrating. I hope this means that the project will be completed in the hoped-for time-frame of the end of the year.
While I was eating brunch I decided to make a half-batch of peanut butter cookies with coconut sugar to take along for dinner tonight. They were definitely not typical peanut butter cookies, but they were sweet and nicely-formed. That was a glad surprise, because the batter was thinner than I am used to. [My Cuban sister really enjoyed them, and I was glad about that.]
Choir practice seemed to go well, and we sang "This is the Christ" for sacrament meeting. I sang this before for stake conference in Missouri, and I like it a lot.
After sacrament meeting I learned that feeding the young elders will not happen the Sunday after Thanksgiving, nor on Christmas Day, which is on a Sunday. The branch will have a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving, and a Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. Since several sisters had already signed up for 27 November, it took a bit of doing, but I think we got everything straightened out. We also have a branch potluck coming up tomorrow.
My Cuban sister and I will host a set of young elders next week with a little help from our friends from the MTC. We ought to have a nice time together.
Then during the regular rehearsal the organist solo was a very light-hearted version of "Sing Praise to Him", which ended in a way to bring a smile on my face. As "Morning Has Broken" began, I thought, "I guess today I will just find the broadcast to be cheerful"--and I was immediately overwhelmed with tears. The broadcast was not just nice--it was Spirit-filled!
In my indexing this morning I had a hard time finding work to do in the United States marriage records, both in indexing and arbitrating. I hope this means that the project will be completed in the hoped-for time-frame of the end of the year.
While I was eating brunch I decided to make a half-batch of peanut butter cookies with coconut sugar to take along for dinner tonight. They were definitely not typical peanut butter cookies, but they were sweet and nicely-formed. That was a glad surprise, because the batter was thinner than I am used to. [My Cuban sister really enjoyed them, and I was glad about that.]
Choir practice seemed to go well, and we sang "This is the Christ" for sacrament meeting. I sang this before for stake conference in Missouri, and I like it a lot.
After sacrament meeting I learned that feeding the young elders will not happen the Sunday after Thanksgiving, nor on Christmas Day, which is on a Sunday. The branch will have a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving, and a Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. Since several sisters had already signed up for 27 November, it took a bit of doing, but I think we got everything straightened out. We also have a branch potluck coming up tomorrow.
My Cuban sister and I will host a set of young elders next week with a little help from our friends from the MTC. We ought to have a nice time together.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Research Day & Zone Temple Evening. 12 November 2016
I was awake an hour early today, and thought of going back to sleep, but remembered that I have a letter to write to the Mission President and his wife about my three month journey with the Book of Mormon--and I had not yet begun. I wrote several paragraphs and thought that would be sufficient. Then I was reminded of yet another experience, and in looking up the reference I came across other things I want to include--so this will be a bit more of a project than I had anticipated. I am sure it will be worth the effort.
While I was doing the stairs this morning I saw a notice on the bulletin board by the mail boxes for a "garage sale" on my floor. I did take five minutes to check it out, and spent a dollar on some food containers, and another dollar on a purse. I also got a nice jar with a lid for free--that was the best.
I am scheduled most Saturday mornings to do the in-service lesson, and today was one of those Saturdays. There were only a few missionaries who had not yet done the Snipping Tool assignment, and all of them were from other countries. I was able to walk them through the process without too much difficulty, and they seemed to appreciate that.
In my three hours of work on the floor today I served as Greeter and Floor Manager for two of the hours, and then I helped a guest who has done many years of German research. As he told me of his experiences I could see why it is valuable to pin down the research to one question at a time.
I decided not to go to the apartment for lunch, but just eat a little and then begin my research in the Training room. I spent some time verifying some Family Tree entries and correcting other entries. During that process I realized that I had again strayed from my own ancestors to work on some peripheral lines, but I was glad I could clean up those records.
While I was in the Training room I ended up working some on Trainer tasks, and that was not a bad use of my time. I was glad I was there to take care of those things.
I did go back to the apartment for some supper before walking to the temple to join our zone temple session. I had not chosen to go to any of these once-a-month sessions, but today it worked out nicely.
We still are having quite nice weather--but next Wednesday or Thursday snow is predicted. The precipitation will be appreciated by the plants, I am sure.
While I was doing the stairs this morning I saw a notice on the bulletin board by the mail boxes for a "garage sale" on my floor. I did take five minutes to check it out, and spent a dollar on some food containers, and another dollar on a purse. I also got a nice jar with a lid for free--that was the best.
I am scheduled most Saturday mornings to do the in-service lesson, and today was one of those Saturdays. There were only a few missionaries who had not yet done the Snipping Tool assignment, and all of them were from other countries. I was able to walk them through the process without too much difficulty, and they seemed to appreciate that.
In my three hours of work on the floor today I served as Greeter and Floor Manager for two of the hours, and then I helped a guest who has done many years of German research. As he told me of his experiences I could see why it is valuable to pin down the research to one question at a time.
I decided not to go to the apartment for lunch, but just eat a little and then begin my research in the Training room. I spent some time verifying some Family Tree entries and correcting other entries. During that process I realized that I had again strayed from my own ancestors to work on some peripheral lines, but I was glad I could clean up those records.
While I was in the Training room I ended up working some on Trainer tasks, and that was not a bad use of my time. I was glad I was there to take care of those things.
I did go back to the apartment for some supper before walking to the temple to join our zone temple session. I had not chosen to go to any of these once-a-month sessions, but today it worked out nicely.
We still are having quite nice weather--but next Wednesday or Thursday snow is predicted. The precipitation will be appreciated by the plants, I am sure.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Untangling the Ritters. 11 November 2016
This morning I got started untangling the records of the Ritter family from Eppingen, Baden, Germany. It was interesting, but frustrating to see a person with a birth date in the 1660s, christening in the 1680s, death in the late 1660s and burial in the United States in the 1720s! What was really weird was that all this information was attached by the same person over the course of a year! I figured out how to clean up that particular mess, but some of his relatives are in just about as bad shape as he was! I hope I can get this all cleared up tomorrow during my 4-hour research block.
I worked on an in-service not related to the new training modules today that I was asked to present Monday at our Trainers Meeting. I also got to check and clear some Level 3 learning for one sister and the completion of Level 1 for one of our newer missionaries. Our very newest missionaries are progressing nicely with their new training.
I continue to spend a lot of time in the Training room. This week I was scheduled for 11 hours and next week for 13. I was told today I had a lot of patience--and I guess that must be true in some regards. Not in everything, of course--May 20 still seems way too far away!
I heard today that we are due for some snow on Thursday of next week--I wonder what that will be like out here--a new experience, I expect.
I had an adventure taking the meal to the couple in the neighboring apartment building, as I had transposed the apartment number when I wrote it down! It took the help of several people from the branch to figure out who was to get the food, but I did get it safely delivered.
I already got to talk with my Sweetheart this evening, and I fell asleep while writing this post, so I guess it is time to sign off.
I worked on an in-service not related to the new training modules today that I was asked to present Monday at our Trainers Meeting. I also got to check and clear some Level 3 learning for one sister and the completion of Level 1 for one of our newer missionaries. Our very newest missionaries are progressing nicely with their new training.
I continue to spend a lot of time in the Training room. This week I was scheduled for 11 hours and next week for 13. I was told today I had a lot of patience--and I guess that must be true in some regards. Not in everything, of course--May 20 still seems way too far away!
I heard today that we are due for some snow on Thursday of next week--I wonder what that will be like out here--a new experience, I expect.
I had an adventure taking the meal to the couple in the neighboring apartment building, as I had transposed the apartment number when I wrote it down! It took the help of several people from the branch to figure out who was to get the food, but I did get it safely delivered.
I already got to talk with my Sweetheart this evening, and I fell asleep while writing this post, so I guess it is time to sign off.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
I am Finally Understanding the Training! and a Tithing/Mission Blessing. 10 November 2016
I spent four hours in the Training room today, much of the time working on the in-service PowerPoints. I think, after working consistently at putting the training into my own words, I am finally beginning to understand the concepts in the new missionary training. Maybe this is a gift like the melodies I have composed, or maybe I am starting to be open to the Spirit, but it is good to be at this point. One of the new missionaries looked at the presentations today and said it helped him understand better. That is definitely my goal. I have not yet gotten feedback from anyone else, but one of the other trainers also asked me for copies, so one of the improvements I made was in renaming the files in a consistent manner. I am a hard sell, but I am beginning to see the wisdom of organization and order. I hope this will carry over into other aspects of my life.
I got to talk with my oldest daughter this morning before my early start at the Library. She lives on the East Coast, so the 2 hour time difference is a help in an early conversation. Her family had a short visit to Amish Country in Pennsylvania, and they had a good time. She is involved a lot in helping a family of refugees from Africa, and asked what I knew about getting a good job--something I really have very little experience with! I also shared with her some of the plans that my Sweetheart and I made for our wedding next May. In the late afternoon I talked with my youngest daughter. This evening my Sweetheart called and we talked for a nice while, also.
My tithing blessing came when I went to the store to get a rotisserie chicken. I was planning on using this for the two meals I am taking tomorrow to the missionary who has had surgery. However, this morning I decided that I would use some smoked sausage and canned baked beans for one of the meals, with fried apples on the side. This afternoon an email came from the sister in charge of food for our branch social on Monday. This is a planned pot luck--and the sign-up sheets do not show enough participation. I do not remember signing up, so I emailed back with my resolve to make a chicken and potato dish--almost an entree and a side dish in one.
When I went to get the chicken I first saw one that looked pretty big--and then my eye saw one which looked huge compared to the others. Doing a heft test, it felt considerably larger than the others, so I bought that one. When I brought it home, I had almost 3 cups of chicken breast cubes, in addition to 6 pieces which will go with tomorrow night's take-in meal. I think I will have 2 nice meals for the sister, and a nice-sized entree to take to the social.
I got to talk with my oldest daughter this morning before my early start at the Library. She lives on the East Coast, so the 2 hour time difference is a help in an early conversation. Her family had a short visit to Amish Country in Pennsylvania, and they had a good time. She is involved a lot in helping a family of refugees from Africa, and asked what I knew about getting a good job--something I really have very little experience with! I also shared with her some of the plans that my Sweetheart and I made for our wedding next May. In the late afternoon I talked with my youngest daughter. This evening my Sweetheart called and we talked for a nice while, also.
My tithing blessing came when I went to the store to get a rotisserie chicken. I was planning on using this for the two meals I am taking tomorrow to the missionary who has had surgery. However, this morning I decided that I would use some smoked sausage and canned baked beans for one of the meals, with fried apples on the side. This afternoon an email came from the sister in charge of food for our branch social on Monday. This is a planned pot luck--and the sign-up sheets do not show enough participation. I do not remember signing up, so I emailed back with my resolve to make a chicken and potato dish--almost an entree and a side dish in one.
When I went to get the chicken I first saw one that looked pretty big--and then my eye saw one which looked huge compared to the others. Doing a heft test, it felt considerably larger than the others, so I bought that one. When I brought it home, I had almost 3 cups of chicken breast cubes, in addition to 6 pieces which will go with tomorrow night's take-in meal. I think I will have 2 nice meals for the sister, and a nice-sized entree to take to the social.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Early Post for a Late Night. 9 November 2016
I am posting early because tonight will be my late night, and tomorrow will be an early morning, as I swapped my P day to Monday.
I thought of staying up last night to get the election results, but did not--and I slept fairly late this morning. I did some cooking this morning, as I have a meal to take on Friday to someone who had surgery. The biggest deal was to make Peanut Butter cookies--the easy kind that I know the recipe for. I am not quite sure why, but I got about a dozen more cookies than I expected, so to keep me from devouring them in the next few days I took them to the break room. When I left for choir at 4 there were only 2 left.
At the Library I start Wednesdays with certifying.This time was somewhat different, but nice. The first sister had originally signed up for 3 modules--but ended up just having time to do one. She and her husband were serving in this mission while waiting for their visas--their actual call was to Brazil! One of the certifying scenarios has been changed to use a question about records from Brazil, which was fun. The sister said she has been glad for the training, as they will use it in their duties in Brazil.
The other sister certified for three modules. In between I got to work a little on some of my Eppingen ancestors. Then I was back in the training room, and helped one of the new missionaries with some Family Tree work.
I went to prayer meeting--but the person who was on the schedule to direct the meeting had another assignment. Once I realized no one had taken over, I went and got one of the assistant zone leaders and she conducted the meeting.
Then I was off to choir practice, which went rather long. Now I have finished eating supper, and will go back to the Library for 2 hours before I get to talk briefly with my Sweetheart. We were blessed to have some time to talk this morning, also. Then I will sleep quickly, and be off to the Library early.
I thought of staying up last night to get the election results, but did not--and I slept fairly late this morning. I did some cooking this morning, as I have a meal to take on Friday to someone who had surgery. The biggest deal was to make Peanut Butter cookies--the easy kind that I know the recipe for. I am not quite sure why, but I got about a dozen more cookies than I expected, so to keep me from devouring them in the next few days I took them to the break room. When I left for choir at 4 there were only 2 left.
At the Library I start Wednesdays with certifying.This time was somewhat different, but nice. The first sister had originally signed up for 3 modules--but ended up just having time to do one. She and her husband were serving in this mission while waiting for their visas--their actual call was to Brazil! One of the certifying scenarios has been changed to use a question about records from Brazil, which was fun. The sister said she has been glad for the training, as they will use it in their duties in Brazil.
The other sister certified for three modules. In between I got to work a little on some of my Eppingen ancestors. Then I was back in the training room, and helped one of the new missionaries with some Family Tree work.
I went to prayer meeting--but the person who was on the schedule to direct the meeting had another assignment. Once I realized no one had taken over, I went and got one of the assistant zone leaders and she conducted the meeting.
Then I was off to choir practice, which went rather long. Now I have finished eating supper, and will go back to the Library for 2 hours before I get to talk briefly with my Sweetheart. We were blessed to have some time to talk this morning, also. Then I will sleep quickly, and be off to the Library early.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Back to a Busy Day after a Delightful Week. 8 November 2016
Late last night I realized I had not gotten the sign-up sheets for the Young Elder Dinners from the sister who collects them. What a blessing that she responded to my text and note and brought them to me this morning. It was good to have the responsibility of passing on that information electronically taken care of.
One of my favorite guests has joined us on B1 as a Church Service Missionary. His wife will serve in the Library in the Hosting Zone, while he will soak up as much training as he can to further his German research. We have two other Church Service Missionaries training now, for German and Scandinavian research. The training room is getting crowded!
I was so grateful when one of the sisters in the Study Group showed up prepared to present training on the Poznan Project, an ever-increasing indexed online database of marriage performed between 1800 and 1899 in the Poznan region of what is now Poland. This is a fairly user-friendly site, and I was grateful to have another break from presenting.
Immediately following study group was the recognition meeting. I was supposed to do some presenting for a trainer with another responsibility this particular morning--but she showed up after all, so that was a relief. Then was a nice potluck luncheon--lots of yummy food.
Two hours in the training room was followed by playing the keyboard for afternoon prayer meeting [a surprise last-minute assignment], and then presenting an in-service on using the Snipping Tool. That presentation led to a question later on from one of the other missionaries, that led to an hour-long "tutoring" session on using a tablet to take pictures of sources, putting the pictures into Memories in the Family Tree app, using the picture to create an attached source, and also using Tree Seek to create sources from any webpage. I learned a some things from that experience, and will probably create additional in-service training lessons because of that.
I had decided this morning that I would go for a short time to the temple, to again be in the temple with my Sweetheart--although 1300 miles apart.
I am currently waiting for my laundry to finish--and I will be glad to have my late-start day tomorrow. I may even sleep in!
One of my favorite guests has joined us on B1 as a Church Service Missionary. His wife will serve in the Library in the Hosting Zone, while he will soak up as much training as he can to further his German research. We have two other Church Service Missionaries training now, for German and Scandinavian research. The training room is getting crowded!
I was so grateful when one of the sisters in the Study Group showed up prepared to present training on the Poznan Project, an ever-increasing indexed online database of marriage performed between 1800 and 1899 in the Poznan region of what is now Poland. This is a fairly user-friendly site, and I was grateful to have another break from presenting.
Immediately following study group was the recognition meeting. I was supposed to do some presenting for a trainer with another responsibility this particular morning--but she showed up after all, so that was a relief. Then was a nice potluck luncheon--lots of yummy food.
Two hours in the training room was followed by playing the keyboard for afternoon prayer meeting [a surprise last-minute assignment], and then presenting an in-service on using the Snipping Tool. That presentation led to a question later on from one of the other missionaries, that led to an hour-long "tutoring" session on using a tablet to take pictures of sources, putting the pictures into Memories in the Family Tree app, using the picture to create an attached source, and also using Tree Seek to create sources from any webpage. I learned a some things from that experience, and will probably create additional in-service training lessons because of that.
I had decided this morning that I would go for a short time to the temple, to again be in the temple with my Sweetheart--although 1300 miles apart.
I am currently waiting for my laundry to finish--and I will be glad to have my late-start day tomorrow. I may even sleep in!
Monday, November 7, 2016
End of a Very Nice Week. 7 November 16
I took my P day today as I had some finishing up of the weekend to enjoy. Of course, I still had Elijah Choir practice at 6:15 am, Mission Devotional at 7:30 am, and a Trainers Meeting from 1-3, so I only worked 4 hours instead of the 9 I usually devote on Monday. But it was worth it, and tomorrow I will be back to a more normal schedule. I might even get to help some people with family history! We shall see.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Pleasant Sabbath. 6 November 2016
It was pleasant to be in a family ward, and actually see and hear children, something that does not often happen in the branch. Then a lovely brunch to break our fast with friends. Then a nice supper with other friends. I am grateful to have had this short change in the middle of my mission--a tender mercy, for sure.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Another Lovely Day at Mt. Timpanogus. 5 November 2016
I believe I got all my sealings done, although I still have 6 women to take care of. My goal will be to have a Family File card for each of my remaining weeks. Then when I get back to Missouri, my Sweetheart and I will enjoy a superb sealing session together.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Short and Sweet Post. 4 November 2016
The week is flying by, as did this day. An hour as Greeter and an hour as Pager, along with 3 hours in the Training room and 2 hours at the German/Slavic desk made for a very busy day at the Library.
The afternoon and evening was spent at the home of some friends--and it is late now that I am at the apartment, so off to bed.
The afternoon and evening was spent at the home of some friends--and it is late now that I am at the apartment, so off to bed.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
3 Temples and a couple of new routes on my Pday. 3 November 2016
I got to go to southern temples today: Provo City Center, which was my favorite; Mt. Timpanogus, which was highly reminiscent of Bountiful; and Oquirrh Mountain.
The navigator on my phone showed me some different routes, at least one of which I will use again if I need to travel South.
Another good, but long day, so off to sleep.
The navigator on my phone showed me some different routes, at least one of which I will use again if I need to travel South.
Another good, but long day, so off to sleep.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Early Shopping--Late Day. 2 November 2016
I was up way too early, so I went to the nearby market for apples. While that was all I intended to get, my eye noticed a sign I had overlooked before--dried oregano for about $3 a pound! I had noticed last week when I made flax crackers that I was low on oregano, so I got half a pound for about what I usually pay for a couple of ounces! I was a very happy camper where that was concerned.
Last week's Deseret News had an article on microbiome, so I picked up also a bottle of kefir, which was conveniently on sale. Fuji apples did make it into my cart, also.
An amazing and wonderful conversation with my Sweetheart confirmed that we are of one mind on yet more issues. Truly he is a gift--and amazingly he feels I am his gift, too!
I did two certifying sessions, and a bit of training room things, then off to choir practice. I am writing this during my meal break, because tonight is my long night. But tomorrow the plan is to attend sessions in three of the more southern temples--it will be a great day!
Last week's Deseret News had an article on microbiome, so I picked up also a bottle of kefir, which was conveniently on sale. Fuji apples did make it into my cart, also.
An amazing and wonderful conversation with my Sweetheart confirmed that we are of one mind on yet more issues. Truly he is a gift--and amazingly he feels I am his gift, too!
I did two certifying sessions, and a bit of training room things, then off to choir practice. I am writing this during my meal break, because tonight is my long night. But tomorrow the plan is to attend sessions in three of the more southern temples--it will be a great day!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
After Work Could Not Get Much Better. 1 November 2016
A trip to Centerville for an In N Out Burger, then a sealing session at the Bountiful Temple with friends--that's about the best after-shift evening I have had out here in Utah!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)