Trail Center Run

On your mark,

get set...

GO!

And our winners are...

Zach, Elders Petersen, Savage, and Johnson.

Great job to all!

Welcome to NOM

A big welcome to Elder and Sister Tros

from San Diego, California.

Thank you for your sacrifice

and the sacrifice of those you've left behind.

We love you already!

Rachel

Our sweet Sister Lamplugh, now Rachel,

came to visit us with her wonderful family.

It was a joy having her in our home again.

We miss her very much.

Class of 2011

President and Sister Howell

We have grown close to many of the

mission presidents and their wives

who have attended the President's Training Seminars along with us.

Several are going home this year

and have been our mentors since the beginning.

It has been an amazing experience

to be able to associate with such

wonderful people.

We wish them all well

and know the Lord is pleased with their service.

President and Sister Ely

President and Sister Van Komen

President and Sister Pfile

Detour in Denver

We had a Presidents Seminar in Denver, Colorado

which is where Milan's family lives,

so we took an earlier flight in hopes of spending a little time with them

before the conference started.

We hadn't seen the adults since David's wedding reception

five years ago

and even then it was just briefly,

and we haven't seen their kids in years!

(Seriously, like twelve years or so.)

Needless to say they have all grown up.

It was so good to see everyone.

This is Milan's niece, Corrie (who I still think of as a teenager)

with her teenage daughter Jamayla,

Not pictured is Corrie's husband Brent.

A nephew Wes, and his girlfriend.

Another nephew Chas,

and Jamayla again.

These are Corrie's other kids, Ashlee, Logan and Charles.

I just realized that Milan and I are their

great uncle and great aunt.

Now I am really feeling old.

This is Jessie,

who belongs to Milan's brother, Gary

(somehow I missed getting a picture of Gary's wife, Dianne),

and finally, Chuck and Milan's sister, Diane.

We had a lovely time with them and hated to leave so quickly

but we throughly enjoyed our time together.

Conference Weekend

How we love Conference Weekend:

inspired words from prophets and apostles of the Lord,

Conference Cinnamon Rolls,

snuggling together and taking notes

to hold us over until the talks come out on the internet,

and a few extra minutes of shut-eye here and there.

It's the best weekend of the year!

Welcome

Announcing the arrival of Elder and Sister Hales.

Sister Hales is the sister of our Elder Watson.

How fun to go on a mission with relatives

and share this experience together.

We are so thrilled to have them with us.

Good Night Moon

Tonight Matthew called me outside to look at the moon.

He had learned at school that the moon

would be the closest it has been to the earth in five years.

It was huge and so bright.

We stood there looking at it and I was so grateful

for my sweet boy

who still wants to share moments like this with his mom.

Zone Conference

The Unity Demonstration worked so well

that we decided to do it again for the Zones.

They had a blast!!!!

OPPS!

Companion Unity

In our last Zone Leader Council

we focused on the great need for unity

both in the mission and as companions.

To introduce the importance of unity

we began with some projects that required

cooperation, compromise, and good old team work.

The missionaries first assignment was to create a poster.

Each member of the team was assigned one color

not to be traded with anyone else.

Here is a finished product...wow!

They even combined some of their colors to

make a few they were missing.

All of these young people are leaders now in the mission and

sometimes they found it hard to have so many "chiefs"

and not enough "indians".

The next project was to build a tower

using five large pieces of construction paper.

It was interesting to see the creative ideas.

Then followed...Cup Stacking

but

they could not touch the cups with any part of their bodies.

Each team was given a little contraption I made

out of rubber bands and string.

Once they figured it out, they did great.

The final project was to create a missionary

out of different parts of each missionary on the team:

one's arms, another's head someone else's hands.

This was going to be interesting...

How beautifully Paul taught unity:

"But now there are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand,

I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet,

I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body,

which seem to be more feeble, are necessary;

And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,

upon these we bestow more abundant honor;

and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

That there should be no schism in the body;

but that the members should have the same care one for another.

And whether one member suffer,

all the members suffer with it;

or one member be honored,

all the members rejoice with it."

1 Cor. 12:20-27

And the Savior Himself taught:

"I say unto you, be one;

and if ye are not one ye are not mine"

D&C 38:27