The End is in Sight

                                                  

                        Driving home through an Atmospheric Rainstorm was NO picnic!

Our 3 weeks of covering for the sisters here in the LA mission is over! 

It has been fun coming back and covering while they went home to family functions.

Mission: After preparing and serving the Zone Conference meal we were able to do missionary supply lists on Friday, clean the mission office, stocked up supplies there that were running low, cleaned out the mission supply shed and organized it where we found a big leak that needed fixing before it ruined more supplies.

We were able to touch base with missionary friends in the Family History Center and ward members and then going out with some of them one last time. Fun! Fun! 

We did attend the Farci class every Tuesday and Friday evening to help the Elders in teaching English to the Farci people. What a great experience that was and we can see why the sisters that replaced us love it so much.

Our Hollywood 4^th Ward is going strong with good and loving members who we just love!  

Our faithful friend Monquie has stopped coming to church for the first time in about 30 years. We are not sure if it's because of limited funds for the 3 buses she has to catch or immigration fear! We have two people who we know will be checking on her.

Sister Snyder was able to feed the hungry single boys-men in our ward that she loves to take care of.

 

Ministering: We had lost track of two of them but found them and can continue to check on them.    (Glad we were here to find them.)

           

Our Sister Potter is doing well and is now getting a ministering sister and the sacrament once a month.

YMCA: We went several times to help Avi. 

It now is mostly cleaning up and getting rid of all the supplies they have on hand.

We were able to take a couple of car loads over to our “Energizer Bunny” Sister Foreman who knows everyone and drives all over giving food and baby items to those who need it.

Bart got some of the supplies as well as Sister Wright has asked him to make baggies for homeless people and pass them out.

At the YMCA they have volunteers that come in shifts and assist those who have been displaced from the fires. Some have lost their home and others their job when their place of business burned down.

They are first taken to the garage that has the food and supplies then they move on into this room to see if there is something they can use.

      The lady is loading up her wagon and the volunteer has the orange vest on.

                               This man is looking for his family.

                                   (Not really looking for his family!) 

                He knows where they are! He is just picking up things they can use.

It was back to our Thursday schedule of getting food out to the needy in LA.

                                The line just kept on growing

We worked long and hard that day. Plus, our fearless leader Avi got really sick and went home.

Our Farci friend Naudia has found a cute baby to tend while her mother looks through the items.

                            This lady came prepared to collect all she could. 

We have our friend JC at the table checking the people's names off. He says he now helps Avi with this which is such a big help because it frees up Avi to keep an eye on what is going on. We ALL or constantly calling Avi's name asking questions about things that keep coming up.

       We are home and so grateful!  Love and missed you all......

Let’s Blame it on the Baby!

 

      
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!

   

This is our YMCA parking facility where we got the food ready to hand out!                                                    What A Mess!

More of the mess!

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!  

                                 The young volunteers for this day...

A truck arrived with a donation of water bottles...

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...

The End is in Sight

                   We’re wrapping it up and the end is insight!  👀

Soon we will be home and so this was our last time fixing a meal for Zone Conference. We were surprised at how many people had not ever heard of “Hawaiian Haystacks”.

                               We enjoyed watching them fill their plates.

                   (Our problem was the plates had a hard time holding it all!)

We had invited one of the sisters that will be replacing us to come and help with Zone Conference so she could see how it was done. Sister Wright is from Salt Lake City, and she will be serving with her close friend, Sister Smith. 

                              Sister Wright spent the week with us.

Besides helping with Zone Conference she spent Friday morning learning how to get the missionaries needs list out. She also met some of our ministering people and was beneficial in helping us serve them. She was able to go to the YMCA and spent the morning working with us and also taking it out to our ward members.

 

                       Let me share our YMCA delivery man with you. 

He likes to attend a Labyrinth convention here in LA every year.

                         This is him in his costume for this year.

He may not look like it in these pictures, but he is the nicest man!

We were asked by our mission office staff to help with the incoming and outgoing of our missionaries (transfers). We had done the catered meals, but they needed help with all the tasks of checking new missionaries in and old missionaries out.

It did however break our hearts that we would miss our day at the YMCA. 

In a panic we called a faithful member to cover for us and she willingly accepted to spend her day getting this done for us. The tender mercy and miracle that came that day was that our friend, Bart had come and helped once at the YMCA. 

On this day he decided to surprise us and show up to help out. He didn’t call us because he wanted to surprise us. (Had he called he thinks he wouldn’t have come when he found out we weren't going to be there.)

Once he called and said he was at the YMCA looking for us we were able to tell him of the sister in our ward that would be coming for the first time. (they are both in our ward). Bart went right to work and helped her know what needed to be done. To us it was such and blessing and a relief to have someone there helping her.

Bart sent us proof that he had found her and was helping her and all was well.

Because of Bart's help we were able to help the mission home with arriving and departing missionaries.

We still have some elders that use bikes. We often have elders that lose their driving privileges and have to start using bikes. 

Elder Newey was talking to one elder and said because he only had about 600 miles of driving experience, he wouldn't dare give him a car to drive; thus they ride bikes.

Sister Snyder weighed luggage of outgoing missionaries. 

And when all was done, we were able to do all the washing (sheets and towels and whatever else left behind) for the Office people.

As we wrap this mission up, we are having our LAST times…..

Last time for us Single Sister Missionaries taking an outing with the Bohn’s.

This was our last Monthly Get-to-gather with our Senior Missionaries. We made it a birthday party for everyone with cake and ice cream and a candle to blow out after we sang. On this last get-to-gather we sat around the fire and those leaving bore their testimonies and said their farewells. 

Pres. Newell asked that we then sing, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”.

                       It was such a sweet and spiritual time for us all.

 

Some of the sweet single sisters serving here. They are in the Family History Center.

Our Mom and Pa! 

They are the Newey's. They run the office, or you could say, 

They run the Mission!

A few more of the sisters (husbands not allowed in this picture) that serve here in this mission. We are so grateful because we hear of missions that do not have any senior missionaries, and we would be at a loss without ours. 

In closing, this is our Sweet Mission President and his wife. I hope you recognize HIM at least. 

President Lloyd Newell and wife Karmel Newell!

                                 See you all too soon for us...... 

Sorry if that didn't sound right but it is so very hard to leave this work and these people.