Sep 16 07

September 16, 2007

Happy Birthday to Robert today! He pretty much just went to church, but we’ll celebrate later in the week. I did cook steaks for lunch today, and he opened all the cards his great family sent him and talked to everyone on the phone that managed to catch him before he left for another meeting tonight. Thanks for all your love and thoughtfulness!

Our very good experience yesterday just kept going today. We had a wonderful day at church. The Wilcocks came in and they were still on a high from the temple session yesterday. They just couldn’t believe that it worked out for them to have all their family in the same session as the branch attended. They said it was like having two families in the temple with them at the same time. They were so sweet. They told us they feel blessed to have been the couple serving in Cibecue when we got sent here. We could say the same about them. They’ve been great Stake Missionaries.

Then we went into our meeting with President Bonito and he said that one of the names they did a sealing for was a Charlton. Wouldn’t that be neat if he was able to do the work for some distant relative? He also told us that during the sealings for some reason he started thinking about his grandfather. It was his grandfather who brought him to church as a boy. That grandfather was branch president many years ago, and now his grandson is branch president. After the sealings were finished the sealer started talking to David and Maxine. He asked them if they were from Cibecue, and then said he used to work as a stake missionary here many, many years ago and that the branch president at that time was Brother Lupe, who I’m sure you’ve guessed, is David’s grandfather. Another “coincidence” to add to a long list from yesterday.

President asked Cecil how Myrtle got along in the temple. He said that when she was finished she was more alert than she has been in a very long time. He said she usually sleeps all the way home when they go to Snowflake, but yesterday she stayed awake and talked all the way. This morning she woke up earlier than usual and was awake and talking to him when he left for church. I was amazed. I thought she would be exhausted after all the effort she put forth in the session. How can something as simple as going to the temple bring so much joy to so many people?

Church was good. I enjoyed Primary again. The kids weren’t as well-behaved as last week, but I was more relaxed. I managed to get my points across, but didn’t get as upset when they were inattentive. They’re Apaches. I’m never going to get the kind of discipline I would have expected in Idaho. I have so few weeks left. I just want to enjoy the children, and I managed to do that today and still teach a little bit about the gospel. Guess that’s OK for Cibecue Primary.

President Bonito announced that Sister Charlton is preparing a “feast” for the Sunday of General Conference. Great! More cooking! I told him I would feed the people, but a feast? Fortunately Thelma was right there after the meeting asking what we were serving and wanting to help. Bless her little heart! And Byron asked Robert how he could get a Patriarchal Blessing. And tonight Byron, Abbitt, and maybe Cecil went with Robert and David to the Priesthood Meeting in Show Low.