When Sister Wright and Sister
Smith came to replace us on the mission. Sister Wright informed us that Sister
Smith would be going home for 3 weeks when her grandbaby came.
Sister Wright was worried about being here alone so at that time we volunteered to come back and help her.
Sister Wright went home (to stay weeks ago because of health). We are now here in our OLD apartment on our OLD mission filling in for Sister Smith as she is home with her daughter. (No, no baby yet!)
As for the baby, when Sister Smith left LA, her daughter was dilated and having contractions. Now almost a week later she is dilated some more and still having contractions.
As for us we were told by Sister Wright that
we would have a Zone Conference meal to do right off. Augg!
I thought we were through with those!!!!
Driving down to our mission we were able to call Baylee, who takes care of the mission home and have her order our supplies from Costco. That was such a relief to have that done. Today we pick up the food and start cooking for Thursday.
We arrived Thursday night and Friday morning were busy cleaning the Mission Office and preparing the Needs (supplies) for the missionaries once again.
We then went to check in with Avi at the YMCA and second in command, Debbie. They were both there and we had a wonderful reunion.
Avi helping Santa at Christmas time with the YMCA handout!
Members of our ward had contacted us and told us that there was a greater need for people in that area to get the food from the YMCA.
While checking in with Avi we were able to pick up more forms for our ward members and their friends to fill out and sign up for this food.
Avi’s building has been set up as the drop off and pick up center for the fire victims. Her email was also the one that went out for YMCA's to contact for those needing help. She informed us that when she finally had time to check her emails, she had over 5,000 emails!
These are young people who work sends some of their staff each day to help Avi. Avi said there were many volunteers that came to help her but she had about 300 people each day needing help!
Debbie informed us that someone had not picked up their food for their area that day and ask if we wanted it.
Of course, we ONCE again started
loading up Sister Snyder's poor abused car
(sorry not missionaries now so I may just say “Veva”).
We also connected our very helpful Energized Bunny member, Sister Foreman to let her know and then we got with her so she could take the food to the church that night.
On Sunday the ward members were
delighted to take tomatoes, raw gozamba beans. (which if raw is very good, like
a pea)
We had eggplant, sweet peppers, green beans and juice.
At the YMCA there were so many donations that they had to tell people to stop bringing stuff, but to take them to charitable places instead. The Goodwill and places like that have stopped taking donations because they are out of room as well.
Our little tender mercy was when
we arrived at the YMCA we got a phone call. It was the case worker of Don
Laughlin who we had minister to in the care center.
I had worried for several weeks about if we
should go check on him. We wanted to know how he was doing but the last few
visits he was crazy and out of it. He had lots of demands. The question was, “Do we want to start that again or just check in with the Care Center and
see if he was okay”?
This call was a case worker
telling us that Don had been moved, and he had asked her to contact us to go get
his stuff back from the other Care Center.
We were grateful that we were
both there to take the call and that we weren’t too busy to talk to her; That
we weren’t home in Utah and Nevada wondering what we should do about this. We
now knew what to do and that was to try and track down his belongings.
The Case Worker also informed us
that there would be a meeting on Tuesday about Don if we were interested. We
said, “Yes”! we would be there.
(We had set in on a couple of Mary Ann’s meeting at her Care Center. These people have no other person connected to them except for us in the church).
We then were able to attend the English class for the Farcie people.
Sister Wright and Sister Smith had started helping the Elders that were teaching English to the Farcie people, there were members and nonmembers there. It was for whoever wanted to come. We then went over to the class and enjoyed it so much. What beautiful people they are, and they have been through a lot.
We ended the day by attending the temple and were able to see two members from our ward working in the temple and a friend from the past (Betty) coming to work at the temple.
Saturday we were able to attend the temple once more then follow up on Don’s things, visit our sweet Sister Potter who was in a care center. We found out what she was in need of and then we did some shopping.
Sunday was the most wonderful day
to be able to see old friends and hug people we hadn’t seen for months. The
talks were great. One was from an older sister that we had admired from the
very beginning. It was special to hear her words of wisdom once again.
Johnny knew we were coming so he put on his best socks! He sits on the stand to lead the music and then crosses his legs so everyone can see his colorful socks!
When I served here, I was asked to sit with a young mother that had a toddler and a newborn. When they came into church, I was able to go sit by them and it seemed as though I had never left them.
Our fun and exciting other news that as we drove down here our friend, Bart called. He is collecting some temple work for us all to do together.
When we were serving Gudrun had us coming in as she did her father and brothers baptism and confirmations. But while we were gone a group of our friends did sealings together and had a most wonderful time.
We have (left) Cameron Babcock and Bart in the back
2nd row on (left) is Gudrun, Sister Smith, Johnny Mask and Sister Wright.
If you remember Bart is the one
that left the church to live his gay life style and has now come back and is on
fire. He is loved by so many. He teaches seminary here and goes over and beyond
on his lessons.
Sister Wright and Sister Smith just asked him to make little zip lock care packages for the homeless. What is needed is the toiletries! He said all the stores have their toiletries like razor blades, little Kleenexes and toothpaste under lock and key because they are such a luxury for the homeless.
At one time Bart worked for the actor, comedian Leslie Jordan.
(Who died in a car crash a few months before we got here.)
He loved Leslie and loved being his friend and assistant. Leslie and Bart had a lot in common with their lifestyle choices. While Bart worked with Leslie, Leslie would often go to a new church and get baptized. He would then ask Bart if he thought it took!
After Leslie’s death Bart reached out to Leslie’s sister and finally got permission to let Bart be proxy for Leslie’s baptism. Bart was thrilled and he said, “Leslie, this time it took”!
Bart has got permission now to do a lot more of his family's work. Friday Bart and Gudrun will do the initiatory and the endowments and on Saturday we will ALL get to go in and do the sealings for Leslie Jordan’s family. Bart says, “I’m still working for him”. We are all so excited to be part of this work that Bart wants so badly to do for his good friend.
This week we went out to the Care
Center once again to check on Don’s stuff. Then we visited Don. He looks
thinner and still not quite in his right mind. He said they had tried to put
him in a nut house, but he fought them like crazy.
It sure will be interesting to see what they
have planned for him on Tuesday.
Don says he is going back to that old Care Center, but the case worker said they won’t take him back.
Don told us
he is homeless. (I wasn’t sure if I should cry or laugh).
Crazy, Crazy!
We have Farci class on Tuesday
and Fridays,
Temple on our own and with Bart
and Gudrun on Saturday,
One more day at least this week at the YMCA
And Zone Conference meal to fix and put on Thursday.
We were able to order bags for the YMCA that they so badly needed and Lozenges for Sister Potter which we were so happy to help them both out.
Our last special time was Sunday
night when we got to attend the,
“New Member Devotional”. We just love these!
Once a month, a devotional is held at the Visitors Center. They are the last Sunday of the month, and we just made it for this one.
They always have two speakers who were recently baptized into the church. They will also have musical numbers by the missionaries. It is a very spiritual time.
This devotional had a person
speaking who was from our Hollywood 4th ward. What a surprise for us!
We remember him getting baptized in July when we were here. In fact, Bart baptized him!
This new member is from Turkey.
An older ward member, George and another member from our ward was there with
him. The two talks or testimonies were beautiful.
(George works every Saturday in
the temple so he is one of the people we got to see in the temple on Saturday.
George is from a country that is not on good terms with Turkey but George still
fellowshipped this man.)
It was a special evening!
Then there was a musical number song by a Senior Missionary.
Our Mission Pres. President Lloyd Newell has written hundreds of, “Spoken Words” for the Choir but once, years ag,o he got an idea for a song. It took him a couple of days to get it right then it took a couple of years for him to ask his friend Mark Wilberg to put it to music.
This night a Senior Missionary
surprised us all and sang the song titled,
“May We Be More like Thee”!
Pres. Newell said the choir has song it many times, but it had been a while since he’s heard it sung. Pres. Newell was so surprised!!!!
Oh what a treat that was as well…..We will now sign off and hope you are all well. We just wanted to let you know where we were once again and how it is going.
Love you all...
We will leave you with our special picture of the folks or our friends at Christmas time at the YMCA. They are such fun people.
Sister Wright on the left then Bart, then a cute volunteer and our sweet Avi! Just got to love these good people...
