Nous sommes arrives..... We have arrived !!!

After being up for 30+ hours on a plane flight from Salt Lake City to Chicago to Frankfurt to Lyon, France....we finally arrived !!!  It was 10:30 am and we had tried to stay awake so that we could go to sleep on Tuesday night and be in sync with the rest of the people in France. President & Sister Brown were there to welcome us and the 18 other missionaries who flew in on another airline. (They flew Delta, we flew United).

We went directly to the Mission office where the missionaries all put their luggage & they have a breakfast for all of us. It's a tiny office, so- with all that luggage it is an obstacle course. We took a picture in front of the mission logo sign - but since we were sleep deprived, we stood in front of it so you cannot see the sign....

It's official now!  We have begun! Let's get this party started!!!

Week 2 in MTC & Our anniversary

Today is our 44th Wedding Anniversary. We are celebrating by starting week 2 in the MTC and being trained for the office. Roger had planned for us to go to dinner where we originally got engaged. (Then it was called Le Chateau - now it's the Chef's Table).  But, it was totally booked for a wedding tonight. So, we decided we'd go on Wed. night. We were so tired today after the training that we didn't want to cook - so we spent our anniversary at the BYU Creamery - with toasted ham & cheese sandwiches and fries....and of course ICE CREAM!!!

Tuesday nights are the MTC devotionals where a General Authority comes to speak -so we couldn't go out for dinner then.  Last week we hear Elder Larry J. EchoHawk and this week we heard Elder Lawrence Corbridge. They were both wonderful.  So, our big anniversary dinner was held over until Wednesday night.

Roger had the Medallions of Beef and I had QUAIL !!!!  wow! That was a first! I forgot to take a picture but suffice it to say - it was fine once, but I'll probably never order that again!
Our office training is held on the 4th floor of the same building where we had our classes last week. It's like a huge computer lab.

Sometimes we were together, other times we split up - with the men going to learn cars, apartments, and finances, and the women stayed here to learn referrals, baptism forms, letters, transfers, etc.

Here's the office group:  lft to right- on floor is one of our instructors: Sister Fairbanks. The other instructors are: first left on back row: Brother Brandon, the tallest one in the center: Bro. Tyler, and 2 over from him, Brother Heaton.  The couples are: left to right: The Hawleys- headed for North Dakota, the  Halberts- headed for Australia Perth, the Larsens -headed for Roseville Calif, the Halladays- headed for Ghana, the Peppingers- headed for Calgary Canada, the Buxtons- headed for Denmark, Sister Weiner - headed for Bentonville Arkansas, the Hellewells- headed for Raleigh North Carolina and us.
Of course we ended the week with Sister Weiner - who is from Riverton, brought in the most gorgeous donuts I've ever seen!!!

The one in the top picture that has a small straw sticking out of it was the one Roger took - it was rootbeer float.  I was tempted to take the one in the bottom picture, bottom row - maple bacon... but I took a mint one instead.

Our first Miracle-

We were told to watch for miracles, and we had our first one. Our son-in-law, Chad Monroe came home from work yesterday with a terrible headache. Laying down for awhile only made it worse and then it was radiating down into his neck. A physician friend who lives in the neighborhood, also a member of the church, took him to the hospital ER while Brooke had to go & pick up all her children at their various sport practices. The Bishop soon arrived and they gave Chad a blessing - promising him he would recover fully.  They did a CT scan and found he had suffered a brain bleed. (Considering we had just lost a good friend to the same thing, we were incredibly worried) But, it turned out not to be inside the actual brain, but in the membranes surrounding the brain. He stayed in the hospital several days, they did a cerebral angiogram, he had to be flat on his back for quite awhile, but they released him to go home.  He was told that the body would absorb the blood into his blood stream, but it would probably be quite painful in many joints and areas of his body. This has proven to be quite true! He is on the mend, slowly, and is still experiencing pain, but it is less and less each day. How thankful we are for good friends in their area, for priesthood blessings, for good physicians and nurses, and for the faith of all of our family who fasted and prayed for him from the beginning.  It is truly a miracle!  We love you Chad ! Keep healing.

In the hospital with the kids: lft to right - Trevor, Kaden Chad, Tanner & Devon. Ashlyn and Austin are in front.   Below is Chad at home.

KOLACHES !!!!

A lot of people in our family know about Kolaches from our daughter Lindsay's husband Cameron. He went to High School in Texas and got them at a place called Shipleys. The only ones they have are like a pig-in-a-blanket. It is this wonderful dough wrapped around a small sausage.  But in Provo they have TONS!!!  There is a place down on center street in Provo called Hruska's. The owners grew up in Texas and know about Shipley's kolaches.  They have really gone overboard. They have sweet ones - which look like a danish - (but it's that same wonderful dough) and they have breakfast ones- like bacon, egg, & cheese Kolaches, and they have savory ones - like asiago chicken & feta cheese fillings. Our morning teachers, Sisters Smith and Baer raved about them all week, so we went & bought some for the whole class.  We decided on the sweet ones that looked like danish.

I'm not sure Cameron & Lindsay would like them as much....but we thought they were pretty tasty!

Tender Mercies

We experienced a tender mercy this morning. During the first week in the MTC the Senior Couples study Preach My Gospel. Sometimes we are all together, other times we split up into our districts to have morning and afternoon classroom instruction.  When we arrived this morning we sat right behind our District Leader - Elder & Sister Keyes from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We told them we had served our last mission in the Montreal Canada mission and spefically in Cornwall. Sister Keyes just BURST into tears and told us that is where Elder Keyes father lived. Turns out that his Father - Glenn Keyes was the man who's home we would teach in each Monday night on our mission and he would also feed us dinner. He took us around to see many sights and just was the most wonderful man! The week we left the mission field, we heard that he had slipped and fallen on the ice and hit his head & died.  Now, 2 years later, who is our District Leader? His son from the other end of Canada!!! They told us that they had often heard from Glenn how much he loved us and how he loved holding the Book of Mormon Class in his home because he was a widower and very lonely.  What a blessing to meet them. They are headed for BYU-Hawaii. He will work in their Mental Health Dept. as that is what he did for a profession.

Our morning group was wonderful. We had the Keyes, pictured above... Then the Calderwoods, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - heading for Auckland, New Zealand (she's in the red shirt below), and the Vincents, from Alpine, UT, heading for Portland, Oregon. Our teachers were wonderful too. On the first day we met Sister Smith - (one with very blonde hair below) - turns out she served her mission in the St.Paul/Minneapolis Mission with the Husteds. They worked together in the YSA wards- chinese program. Sister Baer (the one with the long redish/brown hair below) and Sister Yazzie - the dark haired one. She was actually more in our afternoon classes, but we got one of her with the morning teachers.

Here is a shot of our district with our afternoon teachers: Brother Rowe & Sister Yazzie
Left to right: Brother Rowe, The Vincents, Us, Sister Yazzie, The Calderwoods & the Keyes.

Entering the MTC

On Tuesday, August 19, 2015 we entered the MTC. (Normally we would have entered on Monday, but unforeseen circumstances made it impossible, so we went in on Tues.)  We took these pictures of all the Senior Couples who entered this week.  The first week begins with training in Preach My Gospel - which trains us on teaching and giving lessons to help people learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are 2nd from the right edge.  But our entire district was in a different picture!

Those in our district are the Calderwoods - fourth from the left. They are from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and will be serving in Auckland, New Zealand.  The Vincents - fourth from the right from Alpine, UT who will be serving in Portland, Oregon. And the Keyes - 3rd from the right - from Victoria, BC, Canada, who will be serving at BYU-Hawaii.

The rest of the missionaries. They told us this was a small week...only 60 people. It always fluctuates, but mostly there are from 80-100 each week.
Of course we HAD to take the traditional picture in front of the world map of where we are headed:

We were reminded again of the incredible spirit that accompanies this place. Where you are surrounded by 2500 people, all of whom are called & set apart as missionaries, with one purpose in mind.... serving the Lord by inviting all to Come Unto Christ!  It's going to be a great week!!!

Here we go again !

After awaking one day in March 2015 and feeling like we really needed to go and serve a full-time mission again, we submitted our papers. In June our whole family headed for Lake Norris, Tennessee for a family reunion. We really wanted to have our mission call by then so that we could open it in front of the whole family. But, as we prepared to leave for a few days at Brooke & Chad's home before going to the reunion, we still had not received it. Our wonderful neighbors, Kelly & Jolynn Marcum agreed to watch for it & maybe they could overnight it to us.  Well, it finally came, the day before we were ready to leave - so Jolynn scanned it and sent it by email to Brooke. As Brooke didn't want to see & read it while printing it off, her non-member neighbor came over & emailed it to himself and printed it out & gave it to us.  So, on Father's Day - June 14, 2015 - we read it to our assembled family at the the Lake House.

We had put in our paperwork that we wanted to serve in the office of the Lyon, France mission. The mission President - Pres. Roney - had also requested us.  But, until the actual paperwork comes, you just never know. Roger was especially hopeful because this is the same mission he served in as a young 19 year old Elder.  We were thrilled when we read we were,  indeed, being called to Lyon France !

We were so thrilled to be able to open it in front of our entire family ! Especially knowing that next year or possibly the next - at least 2 of our grandsons will be doing the same thing !

So, we are off !! We speak in our ward and will be set apart on Sunday, August 16, 2015. We enter the MTC on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015 for one week of Preach My Gospel training and one week of actual office training.  Then we board the plane on Monday, Aug. 31, 2017.
We consider it such a privilege to serve the Lord for 18 months in France.  We feel that we have been so blessed and given so much in our lives, that it is a small way for us to try and give back.

LYON - FRANCE ...
HERE WE COME !

The long road home....

We're excited to be going, but sad to be leaving... what a mixture of feelings we were having today.
We headed first to Chad & Michelle's home in Virginia. This is what greeted us:

And... we arrived in time to help celebrate Annalese's first birthday - on the 6th !

She was being pretty particular with the cake -

But she finally came around...

They showed us their newly-built playroom - up in the attic.

Next, it was on to the Sanders' home.

Cameron just accepted a new job with a company in Tennessee, so while we were there we helped them pack some things.  Colby and Cambria will finally have a little more room.

Cambria would have her first birthday right after we left:

While we were there, we ran into some old friends. Ron and Charlene Olson from Lindon, UT were serving in their ward on a mission!

We drove from there to see Uncle Bill in Marion, Ohio. Of course, did I even think to get a picture? NO! Sheesh. Uncle Bill is Roger's Mother's brother.... the only one still alive of the 3 kids. He is over 90 - so we wanted to see him on the way home, in case we didn't get another chance.
Then it was on to the Monroes - This is what greeted us there....

It was fun to see everyone and especially see how our little miracle, Ashlyn was growing:

We gave Kaden his candy bar poster for earning all of the activity badges in Weeblos:

And HAD to take a picture of Ashlyn - in one of her darling outfits:

Then we set out to cross the rest of the country. We got stuck in Topeka, Kansas for 2 days in the "Blizzard of Oz". Luckily we were in a very nice Hampton Inn... but getting meals was a little hazardous.  We hit another blizzard only an hour south of home in Price Canyon. It was the worst road conditions we had the whole trip!

We finally made it home - but because Barbara and Dick were out of town, there was no one there to greet us... Just this homemade sign from Chelsea and Shay.  

It was wonderful to be home, and sad all at the same time!  What a marvelous experience this mission was for us. Our testimonies have been strengthened, our boldness has increased, our knowledge has expanded, our love for so many has exploded!  We thank our Heavenly Father for the opportunity we have had to show our love for Him by serving in the Kingdom and hopefully helping the work to go forth. If our example and service has made even 1 of our grand-children desire and determine to serve a mission for themselves or encouraged our children to serve when they are older, then it has been totally worth it! We have already received our blessings!  Thanks for the Memories!