Freedom to Worship

Above is a picture of the Caruso Chapel on Camp Pendleton.  This is where we meet with the marines from SOI on Sunday.  It is an old building and is named after Marine Sergeant Mathew Caruso.  Sergeant Caruso was a chaplain's assistant in the Korean War.  On December 6, 1950, just after midnight the chaplain and his assistant were in an ambulance.  The padre was reading the last rights to a gravely wounded Marine.  Suddenly a rapid burst of machine gun fire could be heard and bullets began penetrating the ambulance.  Mathew yelled for the chaplain to get down but knowing the padre would continue ministering to the fallen marine, Mathew threw the chaplain to the floor of the ambulance and shielded him with his body.  Sgt. Caruso was riddled with machine gun bullets and killed.  Father Griffin was wounded in the jaw and shoulder but survived.  Two years after recovering from his wounds, Chaplain Griffin oversaw the construction of the Mathew Caruso Memorial Chapel at Camp Pendleton, where marines still worship today.  The chapel is used by a variety of denominations each Sunday.  Even though the building is old and doesn't have air conditioning, it provides a safe place for marines to worship.  Article of Faith 11 states:  "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."  The Caruso Chapel is a memorial to a selfless sergeant and the principle of freedom of religion.

It's hard to believe we are finishing up our third month in the California, Irvine Mission.  I received an odd email yesterday from another Military Relations Missionary serving in South Carolina.  Apparently, we were students together at BYU in 1973.  She remembered my name and wrote to see how we were doing.  Unfortunately, her memory is better than mine because I can't place her in my past.  Seems like only yesterday that we were young adults at BYU about the same age as our marines.  Interesting to envision what the future holds for each of them.  I pray it includes safety and   a strong valiant family.  I hope their lives are built on gospel principles that will bring them true happiness.

We had the privilege of working several days this week with Carol and Bob Sweetwood.  Carol will have her 83rd birthday this week and Bob is 85.  They are really amazing.  They inspire us to endure to the end with grace.  They have had an exciting life and have called both India and the Philippines home.  They are a great example to us.

We were able to visit Marine families on the base this week and actually found several home.  It was exciting to see them in church on Sunday.  Sometimes people just need to know they are missed and needed.  They were both young talented couples. We enjoyed our time with them.

Our work at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society is very interesting.  We have been sitting in cases where young marines need financial assistance. Brad actually took the lead in two of the cases.  He will soon be working on his own.  It is heartwarming to know that we can help them in some small way.  We are learning a lot.  I get to teach my Budget for Baby class Wednesday.  So excited to be able to share my feelings about family with them.  I've called Heidi to get the most update-to-date budgeting information.  She is a great example on how to live within a budget and raise a happy family.

We took in our car for an oil change on Saturday.  We were wearing our missionary badges.  A lady in the cafeteria looked at my badge and said--He's my friend too! (Referring to Jesus).  When paying the bill, a lady mentioned she had a friend serving as a missionary for another church.  We are examples wherever we are.  Jesus is our Friend, our Redeemer and our Savior.  It is privilege to be serving as a missionary in this area representing Him.

Family Time

The highlight of the week was spending time with Scott, Nicole, Ivey, Tate, Beau and Hazel.  We were so excited that they were able to spend some time with us on their way to Redondo Beach for a Smith Family Reunion.  On Friday we had beach time in San Clemente at T Street Beach and the kids had a blast on the boogie boards we had picked up at the thrift store. (Didn't realize what a good decision it was to buy those for 75 cents each)   I made the mistake of getting in the ocean and could hardly get out. The undercurrent was really strong.  Ivey stayed with me as I floated down the coast.  Scott pulled me out.  Have to remember I'm not as young as I used to be and just walk along the beach when I see big waves. We stopped at a fun place called the Packing House in Anaheim for dinner.  Tate treated us to a dessert consisting of liquid nitrogen cereal balls that was unique.  We were all blowing smoke.  We then went to an Angels baseball game.  The attached picture shows the scoreboard welcoming the Halvorsen Family to the game--unfortunately it isn't very clear.  Although the Angels lost, we had a fun evening.  Saturday we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped for pictures at the Newport Beach Temple.  We also went to the Lamborghini store where we got a glimpse of what a $3 million car looks like.  Hazel had her picture taken with all of the cars.  Burritos for lunch and then it was time to say good bye.  Such a wonderful weekend.  We love this great family.  Looking forward to more visitors.  Come and see us when you are in the area!

We started working with the members in the San Clemente Ward this week.  I made some cinnamon pull aparts and we popped in to visit members living on the base.  Unfortunately, we only found one couple home.  But, we had a delightful visit with them.  The husband is an instructor in the SOI (School of Infantry) program.  It was fun to have him relate what happens in SOI and compare it to the reports we get from our marines.  There is always two sides to every story.  We really enjoyed getting to know them.

We also started attending the weekly missionary correlation meeting at the Lang's house.  Bro. and Sister Lang are really incredible people.  They live in a house very near the beach--Bro. Lang said it is a retirement home for old surfers.  It was such a beautiful area.  It was impressive to see how much concern they have for the members of the ward.  Love associating with these good people and look forward to many fun evenings with them.

Work at the Relief Society was interesting.  We got to sit in on several cases.  Makes me so thankful for the many blessings we have in our lives.  People really have to face some difficult situations and challenges.  It is nice that there are organizations who are able to help them.  Thankful that we were taught to live within our means and plan wisely for the future.  You never know what is just around the corner and it is nice to be prepared for whatever it is.

Brad has been having some back problems the past few days.  Glad he seems to be improving a little. I'm realizing you can't take good health for granted.  It is a real blessing.

The topic for our Sunday services this week was "Deepening our roots in the Gospel."  We enjoyed reading several Conference addresses that were based on this theme.  I enjoyed reflecting on Helaman 5:12 "Remember that is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."   My experience at the beach reminded me that I want to have a sure foundation for my life so that the tides won't carry me away into the gulf of misery.  How thankful I am for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is my rock.

Honorary Members of the Mormon Battalion

It's official.  We are honorary members of the Mormon Battalion in California.  We visited the memorial in San Diego this week after attending Family Day at MCRD. (We were trying to avoid rush hour traffic but it didn't help much.)  What a wonderful interactive display.  It was really fun to hear the story of the soldiers who marched 2000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California.  This was one of the longest continuous marches in US military history.  By the time the Battalion reached San Diego, the war with Mexico had ended and they never fought in any battle.  Along the way, however, they did forge a road that would be followed by the Southern Pacific Railroad to open the Southwest for travel and commerce.  When the Battalion reached California, they provided service by digging wells and constructing buildings in the area.  Several of Brad's ancestors served in the Mormon Battalion--William W. Spencer and John Brimhall.  If you ever go to San Diego, it is worth the visit.

Monday night Brad presented his Candy Bomber presentation at our Senior Couples Fireside at the Mission Home.  The highlight of the evening was having Grandpa (with Marilyn's help) Skype in to talk to the group.  Everyone certainly enjoyed talking with him.  Karen Zimmerman, a child during the Berlin Airlift, was with us.  She told us how much the candy from heaven meant to her as a child. She said her father brought home buckets of "slop" for their family to eat--telling people he had dogs at home that he would feed it to.  In fact, this is how their family survived.  She was thrilled to talk to Grandpa and thank him for his kindness.  It was touching to hear her story too.  (She is the mother of Karen Rogers who is also serving in our mission).  The presentation was streamed on FaceBook and had 342 views--many in Germany tuned in.  Technology is remarkable.  It was quite the event.  Brad and Grandpa did a fantastic job.

We had a busy week with our service activities.  Brad is being trained as a Case Worker at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and I will soon get to start teaching the Budget4Baby class.  I'm excited about that.  We're learning a lot and loving the people we associate with. We're communicating with our marines via texting.  One marine said he actually attended the meeting last night because he had received a text telling him where it was--our system is working.  Brad is sending information about the marines to their next service station.  Several marines have mentioned how much they appreciate the help they are receiving.  Nice to know we are making a difference.

We were able to visit the Family Day in San Diego again and met a new group of marines.  We also met Elder and Sister Nelson who are serving in the San Diego Mission.  It was fun because they work under Chaplain Ryan Williams (our nephew) at the Balboa Naval Hospital.  I'm always amazed how we are so connected with people.

Sunday morning President and Sister Clark joined us at the Basilone Branch.  It was such a nice surprise to have them join us for that meeting.  President Clark shared an inspirational message about Semper Fi (always faithful). This is the Marine Motto.  There is so much tradition and honor associated with the marines. Sunday evening the first group of marines arrived who we had connected with in San Diego a few weeks ago. It was like welcoming our sons with a big hug.  So fun to see them again.  They are a terrific group of men.  Constantine (from Provo) played a piano solo in our evening meeting.  Playing the piano is one of his favorite pastimes and he was so thankful to be able to share his talents with the marines.  It was a special event.  We were also able to transport Shawn Nichols to receive his Patriarchal Blessing.  He was thrilled to have that opportunity and we were happy to help him receive that blessing.

We were able to FaceTime with several of our children and their families.  Delightful to see the faces of those we love.  Once, again, thankful for technology.  We're looking forward to seeing Scott and Nicole, Ivey, Tate, Beau and Hazel this week when they come for a short visit.  Ready to enjoy some sweet family time.  They just returned from a terrific family trip to Glenwood Springs.  That brought back some fun memories.  Sure love that part of Colorado.

Happy Birthday to Chelsey today.  Kate and Susie are off to Girls camp this week.  Hope Kate's leg feels better soon. Good luck to Cathy who is in charge of Girls Camp in her ward (a big job) and Boyd who is providing a boat for the activity.  Aspen and Emma will be participating.  Nice to hear that Craig is enjoying the work at Eaton.  So happy for their family.  Wisconsin has been very welcoming to them.  So blessed to have such a wonderful family.

God Bless the U.S.A.

Since we arrived in San Clemente, we've been praying that we would be able to keep busy.  Our prayers have been answered.  Now we are running hard to keep up.

Last Sunday, we started attending the San Clemente Ward.  We were so impressed with the love and concern of the Ward Council for all of the members of their ward.  They really knew their members.  Bishop Howard regularly goes to lunch with a young man whose dad is deployed.  He visits a member in his upholstery shop each week to see how he is doing.  The Relief Society President had contact with those who were ill or had family members who were injured.  It was so impressive.  They truly were instruments in the Lord's hands.  We left with a long list of military families who could use some TLC.  We are now praying that we too will be inspired as to how we can support these families.

The other meetings in the San Clemente Ward were also uplifting.  Brother Denning taught Sunday School.  He loves math.  He said when you follow the steps in math, you will always get the right answer.  He related this to faith.  If we keep the commandments perfectly, we will be perfectly happy.  The Relief Society lesson was based on the thought-Life is like a box of chocolates.  You don't really know what to expect unto you bite into it.  They showed a touching video their stake had produced of sisters who were facing very difficult challenges--widows, cancer, children who were killed.  They all concluded when we lay our burdens at the Lord's feet, He will carry them.  Our Basilone Branch is also outstanding but it was really nice to sit back and enjoy a real ward setting again.  Our Branch Council met on Wednesday night.  We felt the same love and concern there for the members of our branch.  The organization of wards and branches is divinely inspired.

Many of our favorite marines graduated this week.  We have already grown to love them and will certainly miss them.  Such outstanding young men.  They have now moved on to their first duty stations where they will be trained in their military occupational specialty.  Many left for the east coast for this training.

We did start attending the Family Day in San Diego and met five new marines and their families.  They will join us next week.  Making this connection was exciting.  Loved meeting their families.  One young man had served his mission in Colorado Springs and knew some of our old friends.  His parents were in the middle of an unhappy divorce so a couple from Colorado came to celebrate his graduation with him.  Wow, that is going the extra mile.  What a neat couple!!  One marine from Tucson had served his mission in Africa.  His wife is from Nigeria.  She is studying environmental science so she can help her people have more productive crops.  She was such an intelligent, beautiful person who really cared about her people.  The parents of this marine live in Honduras.  Such interesting people.  Another marine was from Grantsville and had five brothers who were there to support him.  We will be blessed to already have a connection with these young men before they arrive.  They are all in the reserves.  It's exciting to have the opportunity to connect with so many from all over the country.

Brad was asked to share the Candy Bomber story at two Zone Conferences this week.  So preparation and attendance took much of our time.  He did an outstanding job. The Candy Bomber theme was used to decorate for the conference.  They had parachutes with a Hershey's chocolate for each of the missionaries.  It was the perfect Fourth of July Zone Conference. He will do the presentation for the Senior Couples at our monthly fireside on Monday night.  He's getting to be quite the public speaker.  We're so thankful for Grandpa and all he has done to make the world a better place.

Our Fourth of July was spent with the missionaries during the day.  We went out to dinner with the senior couples after the conference--they are such a fun group.  We watched fireworks from the San Clemente Stake Center that is located at the top of a mountain.  So we were able to watch five fabulous displays from one location.  Apparently, Californians love fireworks.  They were magnificent.

We worked at the thrift store and Navy Marine Corp Relief Society several days.  It is getting more fun as we become more comfortable with their operations.

We've had two major brush fires in the area.  The one this week was stoped 1/2 mile from our apartment.  We're thankful for firefighters who dedicate their lives to protecting our property.  Had to give up swimming for a few days because of the smoke-filled air.

We experienced many family blessings since my last entry.  Grandpa had surgery and is recovering well.  Kate got the royal treatment at Girl's Camp while she was wearing a walking cast.   She got her cast off on her birthday (July 5) and her leg is getting stronger--the ability of our bodies to heal is such a miracle. Susie also celebrated her birthday on the 5th.  Reese fell off of a trailer while helping her dad collect flags for their ward.  One of the wheels ran over her leg.  So thankful nothing was broken and she was protected.  Boyd's family had a fun trip to Flaming Gorge.  Today is Aspen's 15th birthday--she is an amazing young lady. Heidi's family is getting settled in Wisconsin.  The people there welcomed them and invited them to Fourth of July celebrations.  So nice to have friends waiting for you when you arrive.  Looking forward to Scott, Nicole, Ivey, Tate, Beau and Hazel coming to visit us on July 20.  We can't wait.

Feeling very blessed for family blessings, a noble heritage and the opportunity to live in this great country.  God Bless the USA.  God bless each of you.