Surprise - No Flower Pictures

Our friends, Keith and Wendy Pugmire, from Arizona stopped by to visit us on their way to Idaho.  They live in Arizona in the winter and in Idaho in the summer. We have very smart friends!!

Keith, Wendy, Pam & Byde (Winston, the dog, too)

On Wednesday this week we had a devotional with Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Bednar as well as Elder Alan Packer. They were there to introduce our new mission president. President Peterson and his counselors will be released July 1 and the new President will be H. Ross Workman who most recently has been the President of the Hawaii Temple.

Elder Bednar spoke first and talked about the importance of being generalists not specialists in the church. He talked about the importance of  turning peoples' hearts so that they can get important ordinances taken care of.

Elder Scott said he wanted to tell us something we probably didn't know about Elder Bednar and Elder Bednar's face turned VERY red. He said "Did you know that Elder Bednar's shoes are so shiny,  you can comb your hair by looking in them?"  He told the joke again about the way to wake up in the morning with a smile on your face in the morning is to put a coat hanger in your mouth before going to bed at night.  He said it works every time.

Scott & Byde

Byde had the opportunity to fly to Phoenix this weekend to ordain our oldest son a High Priest as he was called to the Bishopric in his ward.

Byde with Crew, Finley, Brady, Sutton & Emme

Each new missionary has to give a talk about themselves to help the other missionaries get acquainted with them and it was our turn on Monday this week. I have posted our talks here if you'd like to know more about us.

My name is Elvin Byde Fuller but I have always gone by Byde. I was born in Mesa, Arizona and grew up in Prescott, Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale. I am the youngest of 5 children; I have 4 older sisters; I was born 5 years after my last sister. When I was little and the Hymn, “Abide With Me,” was sung, in church, I was sure they were singing to me

My parents are Elvin Fuller and Alberta Millett. On my mother’s side I am the 3rd Great grandson of Artemus Millett who was known as the Kirtland temple builder. You may recall the story of the Prophet Joseph sending Brigham Young to go to Canada, convert Bro. Millett, bring him to Kirtland to superintend the building of the Temple, and tell him to bring $1000 with him as well.”

My father was a baker so our home was always flooded with bakery products and my friends loved it when I brought fresh warm donuts to school.

I met my sweetheart at a dance at the Institute at Arizona State University;   I told her that I was a returned missionary; she thought I looked too young and must have broken into the college dance and decided to go along telling me that if I was a returned missionary she was an only child (you’ve already learned she was one of 12 children).

Shortly after we moved to California, when I was 24 I was called to be a counselor in a Bishopric.

For a period of time I worked for Disneyland assisting visitors at the attractions. After the birth of our first child, I became employed by a large retail company and eventually became the Vice President of Real Estate. I owned my own Commercial Real Estate Company from 1978 until 2012.

I served in 3 Bishoprics before I was called to be a Bishop in Mesa Arizona. I also served as a High Priest Group Leader, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, High Councilman in 2 Stakes, and the Stake Executive Secretary for the past 13 years for 2 Stake Presidents. My most enjoyable church service was teaching the Stake Temple Orientation classes. The classes were taught one-on-one in our home to any member of our Stake who was scheduled to receive their endowments for the first time.

When our children were young I served 1 year as the PTO President.

We feel blessed that our children are active. The week that Sister Fuller and I reported for our Mission, our first grandchild also reported to the Provo MTC prior to serving in the Michigan Lansing Mission. We have a grandson who just graduated from High School, will turn 18 in August, and is in the process of completing his mission papers.

I know Joseph Smith is a Prophet and that President Monson is the Living Prophet. I have a testimony of the power of the atonement. I have seen it bless and bring comfort to those who have need of repentance and to those who have been wronged. I know the Savior lives. He knows you and me by name and he loves each one of us.

Pam Fuller - I grew up on a farm in Snowflake, Arizona the 5^th of 12 children of C J Sherwood and Theda Willis. William Jordan Flake, who was sent by Brigham Young to colonize in Northern Arizona,  and who Snowflake is named after, is my maternal great grandfather.

I was taught at an early age the value of work as there was much that needed doing to keep a family of 14 going. In the summertime, my parents grew cucumbers commercially and our entire family was involved in that endeavor. I have great memories from those experiences including riding a cultivating horse, planting and thinning cucumbers, hoeing weeds, picking the cucumbers and riding in a truck to take the cukes to the dock to be graded. My mother helped support our family by sewing and my father worked at a lumber mill on a green chain.

I attended Arizona State University and earned my bachelor’s degree in preparation to attain my goal of becoming a teacher. I met my husband at a dance at the ASU institute in the summer of 1964 and we were married in December that same year. I graduated the following June and we moved to Buena Park, California where I had signed a teaching contract, and thereafter taught school for 3 years.

We have lived in California, Oregon, Connecticut, Texas, and Arizona and have children born in each of those states except Texas.

Over the years I have served in most of the auxiliaries of the church but have spent most of my time serving in Relief Society. Our 6 children have given us 27 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. I became a quilter when I was about age 40 and my husband hasn’t been able to leave the house since without a thread somewhere on his clothing. I love to make bread to share and I like to figure out how to get the computer to do what I need it to do.

I returned to work when our youngest was 10 and retired in February of this year.

Our 4 sons served missions and their insistence is one of the many reasons we are serving.  Their attitude has been “You expected us to serve missions and we expect the same from you.”

 Being a wife and mother has been the greatest blessing of my life. I am grateful for the blessing of motherhood and for a husband who has always been supportive of me despite my weakness and shortcomings.  

 I’m grateful for the knowledge I have that whom God calls God qualifies. I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. I’m grateful for the truths that have been restored by the Book of Mormon and so thankful for so many who sacrificed greatly that I have the wonderful blessings and privileges that I do today.

 I’m grateful for the temple and for the covenants I’ve made there. I’m thankful for a living Prophet. I’m inspired by the example of each of you and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be serving here with you in this important work.