Ambassador Classes

Last week I mentioned that we had Monday off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day and that we would go to the movies and indeed we did.  We went with Sister Cantwell and Sister Gregory and saw Saving Mr. Banks.  We loved the movie and Tom Hanks' portrayal of Walt Disney acquiring the rights to make the movie Mary Poppins.  I wasn't expecting it to be so sad but it was! It was a most enjoyable outing for all of us and I would definitely recommend seeing it if you haven't already.

Byde and I had the privilege this last week of attending "Ambassador Classes" at the Library.  The class was created as a help for missionaries returning home to continue to be of service in their home wards and branches.  We learned new ways to search for ancestors and spent time in familysearch.org learning how to use some of the tools that often get overlooked.

We also spent time working on photos and stories and were given good ideas of ways to include "memories" of our ancestors without having to write an entire book. During the class we were assigned to write a "memory" on one of our ancestors and we each wrote on our fathers and later I put one in on my mom as well. It would be a great family activity to choose a departed ancestor, do the research on that person, and then enter a memory; you'll find it's very easy to do.

The Family Search site, like many other web sites has so much information that one could never devour all of it.  If you haven't been there recently you ought to nose around a little, you'll find lots of GREAT information to help you with your family history goals. As you can see from the screenshot below just in the Learning Center there are so many great courses to help you.

Screen shot from the Learning Center in WIKI

Almost all the snow from the last snowfall has melted here in SLC. When we drive north to Bountiful there is still plenty on the rooftops and the ground. According to the weatherman the snow is 50% short of the normal accumulation which makes for a real concern about drought and the "inversion" is making for some very nasty air. Despite the lack of snow, the temperatures are still low and we bundle up everyday as we brave the outdoors. BUT, we continue to see plenty of people walking around in short pants and shirt sleeves; apparently it's "cool" to go without a coat. We will happily remain amongst the "uncool" people who continue to wear our warmest coats.

The Inversion in SLC - (that's not fog)

Monday is a Holiday; We'll Go to the Movies!

Due to the recognition of Martin Luther King Day we won't be working tomorrow at the library. We're planning to go with the two sisters we home teach, Sister Gregory and Sister Cantwell, to see the movie, "Saving Mr Banks." We've heard that it's worth the price of a ticket to watch Tom Hanks do his impression of Walt Disney.

Sunday comes so quickly especially knowing that it's time to make another entry on our blog. We do pretty much the same thing from one week to the next so there's not a lot to report unless you get a blow-by-blow of  our arrival at the library each morning and what goes on throughout the day. I won't bore you with the details of our routine.

Panorama of departing missionaries (you'll notice some overlap)

On Monday night we had our Hail and Farewell which we have every other month. The purpose of this event is to welcome the new missionaries and say goodbye to the ones who are leaving.  The next one won't be until March so we were in the group of departing missionaries being recognized (we have received our release date of February 26, so we'll be back in Arizona by March 1). The theme for the evening was "Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold." We enjoyed a baked potato bar and then some very fun entertainment including a skit/melodrama written by Sister Moser and a clarinet solo by Elder Holman.

Our dear friends from Japan, Elder and Sister Shio

Patrick (aka Elder McCarty) was the "hero" of the melodrama

Elder Brake (2nd from left) from our home stake in Arizona (part of the group of incoming missionaries)

Theme posted on the cultural hall wall

Dessert table for the Hail and Farewell

More dessert table

Elder Holman played two clarinet solos (he is also a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square)

We were able to attend "Music and the Spoken Word" in the Tabernacle this Sunday morning. We go almost every Sunday morning but for one reason or another we didn't make it the last two weeks. Today was a tribute to Nelson Mandela and all the songs the choir sang were Spirituals including "Deep River" and "Down by the Riverside".  The music was great as usual.

The message included the following thoughts: "History is marked by great leaders whose moral influence has steered the future of nations. In that list of luminaries stand people like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.

While they lived on different ends of the earth, eacfh perceived an injustice and chose to do something about it. They championed the value of all people, seeking what Mandela described as a "democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities." It wasn't easy - Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his efforts - but remarkably those years produced a man who sought peace, compassion, and understanding, not retribution and revenge.

This is not the work of a select few. Each of us can reset history, even if it's only our own. Each of us can champion peace and harmony, even if it's only in our family or workplace. Mandela's leadership reminds us that true success comes from humility, love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and most of all, patience. He spoke for all of us when he said: "I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my walk is not yet ended."

Still snow in Salt Lake

Another week has come and gone;  it's hard to believe how quickly time is passing. We have new missionaries in our zone from Tasmania and Australia to add to our already diverse group that includes missionaries from Ireland, England, Canada, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and of course Arizona.

On Tuesday night we went to a lecture by Andrew Skinner entitled "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Emergence of Early Christianity" that was held at a building called The Leonardo which is a museum converted from the Public Library.  There were many other missionaries there and the lecture hall was filled to capacity.  Much of what Brother Skinner talked about was over my head but interesting nonetheless. Brother Skinner is one of Byde's favorite authors so it was a special treat to get to hear him.

Our daughter-in-law, Heather sent us a picture of the Flatley Family (flat from a fall from a bulletin board) and asked us to take them with us to the Temple so that she could share it with the primary. Apparently they were having a lesson about Temples and wanted as many "visits" as they could come up with.  The Flatleys visited both the Salt Lake and Bountiful Temple while they were with us and got to see lots of snow in the process.

The Flatley Family

Flatley family with us at the Bountiful Temple

Snow outside our back door

More Snow

Taken from the car window

On Saturday night we had a Zone Social at Sister Kathy Mickelson's home in Sandy.  There were about 30 of us there and we had a wonderful potluck dinner, good visiting and sharing stories. One of the Elders brought his clarinet and serenaded us with a couple of songs. As a young man he played in a dance band.

Dessert Table

Salad and rolls

Sisters Murdock and Barwick

Elder and Sister Rust (He is a brother to our former Arizona neighbor, Marvin Rust)

Happy New Year

How quickly 2013 slipped away and what a GREAT year it has been for us. Not only have we had the opportunity to serve a mission but we have been blessed to see 2 of our grandchildren called to serve. Our granddaughter is serving in the Michigan Lansing Mission and our grandson is serving in the Mexico Chihuahua Mission.

We got a new snow on Saturday morning which made the whole landscape beautiful and white again. It has been several weeks since the last snow and it had become pretty dirty and ice packed.  I still don't like the snow but it is beautiful to look at.

On New Years Eve we had friends from the Library come to dinner and we played Rollick (reverse charades) and a "Who is the Best Liar" game.  We enjoyed a fun time together and then about 9 pm (VERY late for us) we went to Temple Square to join in on the New Years Eve activities.  There were singing groups in the various buildings on the campus so there were lots of choices.  Our favorite was Dallyn Vail Bayles and Friends who did a number of Broadway show tunes including "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis which is one of our favorites.

Dallyn Vail Bayles & Friends

"On film, Dallyn portrays Hyrum Smith in Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and Emma Smith: My Story.  He also stars in three movies in the “Liken the Scriptures” series.  Dallyn has performed leading roles in numerous LDS Church stage productions including Joseph Smith in the Nauvoo Pageant, Joseph the Carpenter in Savior of the World, and Alma Richards in Light of the World.  He has also performed as a soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on "Music and the Spoken Word," and at “Time Out For Women” events across the country.

Dallyn has recorded two solo inspirational albums: Song of Redeeming Love and Prayer.  Prayer received two Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association, and the Listener's Choice Award from the LDS Booksellers Association.  His recording of “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul” is featured in the new movie, 17 Miracles.

Dallyn graduated from Brigham Young University with a BFA in Music Dance Theatre, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.  He and his wife, Rachel, recently moved from the New York City area to Springville, UT, and are the proud parents of four children." 
 It has been amazing to watch the Christmas decorations come down on Temple Square; what took months to put up has come down in hours. We will miss getting to see the lights as we went to work each morning in the library.  The lights are turned off each night at 10 pm but they are turned on in again in the early morning hours when it is still dark.

We continue to be very cautious as we go to the library on snowy days. The area immediately surrounding the library is red brick and for some reason it always seems to be slippery when we have new snow.  It was there that the sister from our floor and fractured her skull so we walk very carefully as we encounter that area.

The patrons coming to the Library during the Holiday Season have been fewer than the previous months so we are looking forward to having them return to give us more people to help. We are already beginning to see an increase perhaps the result of New Years resolutions to finally do the family history work they've been meaning to do for years.

Last but not least, my last picture for the Christmas season.  This is the tree and fireplace that was on the British Floor.  The fire in the fake fireplace looked real enough to make you want to get near it to get warm.  The decorations are all taken down now and the library looks very bare without them. So it's on to 2014 and the adventures it will bring.