September 4, 2017

Brad's job at the Thrift Store is to verify

that all of the donated electronics work.

The store guarantees everything purchased

is in good working order.

Gaylene sorts clothing--mostly children's clothing

and hangs them to go on the racks.

Here are some of our Thrift Shop friends.

There are only a few paid employees.

Everyone else volunteers their time and smile.

On our trip to San Diego we see some pretty

neat cars.  When Scott's family visited,

we went to a Lamborghini store.  They sell

a Lamborghini every other day.  

Californians love their cars.

The path to the San Diego Temple.

We met a charming woman taking pictures

of the temple this week.

We were able to do family sealings with

Elder and Sister Sattley in

the San Diego Temple after the

Cake Cutting at MCRD this week

Can't believe September has arrived.  The months are moving by quickly.  We met some very interesting people this week.  The best part of serving as a missionary is having the opportunity to meet and work with wonderful people.  

On Tuesday, after the graduation ceremony, we took Elder Mueller and Elder Haycock out to lunch.  Elder Haycock is really quiet so it was fun to chat with him over a meal and get to know him a little better.  These Elders are working so hard.  They were going to help someone replace drywall after lunch as a service.  They both had watched their fathers do it, so they were confident they would be able to do the job.  All sorts of talents are needed to serve a mission.  

That night we went to find a lost sister.  Sister McAuley is probably around 80.  She graduated from BYU in math, moved to California and married George who was an aeronautical engineer.  She stopped working to raise their growing family. We had the most delightful visit with them and their daughter.  They showed us a picture of them at the Salt Lake Temple last year for Sis. McAuley's 75 year old sister's wedding.  In the picture was one of her closest childhood friends--Susan Warner who happened to live just a few houses from Grandpa on Locust Lane.  It never ceases to surprise me what a small world it is.  When we left, their daughter thanked us for our visit.  She said they don't have many friends.  Hope through fellowshipping, these wonderful people find many friends in the San Clemente Ward.

Wednesday was a difficult day at the Relief Society for me.  I had to deny a young man's request for assistance--not fun.  It amazes me that some young people know absolutely nothing about personal finance.  That is one thing we can give our children as they are growing up--a sound education on how to manage their finances.  Amazes me that some children can become adults without knowing the basics.  We were both pretty exhausted that night after working several cases each.

I've included some pictures of the Thrift Shop this week.  Thursday is one of our favorite days because we get to work there.  The volunteers are so fun.  The work keeps us busy and it is amazing how much money can be earned each day at the shop.  They are open from 10-12:30 for business and can bring in over $1000.  When most items are less than $1, that means a lot of items go out the door.   However, this week it was soooo hot!!  Left for San Diego with my hair dripping wet.  But, we had a fun morning.

Our drive to San Diego was quick and easy.  Boy, it makes a difference in the traffic once school starts.  Now is the time to come to California.  The Family Day was the biggest yet.  We had 21 LDS graduates and over 90 family members in attendance.  It was fun to be able to congratulate the marines and their families for completing Boot Camp.  We sat down by the Fielding family.  They saw our name tags and said Barb and Brian said to tell us hi!!  Bro. Fielding is Barb Thomas' cousin.  They were such a neat family.  Fun to meet a relative of Chelsey and we're excited to have their son join us at SOI in a few weeks.  

After the ceremony, we went to the temple with the Sattleys for dinner.  Elder Sattley had been asked to help with a few baptisms so before meeting them for sealings we walked around outside of the temple.  We passed a lady taking pictures of the temple and walked a few feet when Elder Halvorsen paused and said--we need to go back.  He asked the woman if she would like to have her picture taken in front of the temple.  She was thrilled.  We had the best conversation with her.  She was from Ohio and knew exactly where Wooster, Ohio was where Heidi and Craig had lived.  She was Hindu and had numerous questions about the temple and what we did there.  We talked about eternal marriage and the ordinances that take place in the temple.  She said she totally understood eternal marriage.  In the Hindu religion, they can expect to be married to their spouse for seven lifetimes.  She said she is amazed that many people today aren't dedicated enough to live together for one lifetime.  She was such a cute lady and we were so thankful that Elder Halvorsen felt inspired to turn back.  After that experience, we entered the temple and were able to complete sealing ordinances for seven of my ancestors and several families from Sister Sattley's.  It was a beautiful experience. 

Friday was not quite as lovely.  I threw something down the disposal which plugged the pipes.  We did our best to take everything apart but couldn't get the water flowing.  Spent most of Saturday working on the same problem.  Finally, Saturday afternoon the maintenance man arrived and he had it flowing within minutes.  Next time, we'll just wait for the professionals because our efforts were so frustrating.  I guess every day can't be perfect.

Sunday was a wonderful day.  We had 25 marines come to our evening meeting.  Many were the marines we had met at MCRD a few weeks ago and they were happy to see us again.  Our Sunday meetings at San Clemente were so inspiring.  We sat by the Herzogs again (we will do that until their Dad arrives in October).  The kids were darling.  However, I let Danny wear my missionary badge and he was devastated when he had to give it back.  He liked the idea of being a missionary.  Bro. Lang's Gospel Principles class was amazing.  He shared the story of his parents and two younger brothers crashing in a small airplane in Hawaii.  His father was killed at 48.  His 12 year old brother was burned over 90% of his body and lost a leg.  His mother was badly burned and his 16 year old brother walked away without a scratch.  He shared touching experiences that took place before his little brother died.  His father had come to visit him and invited him to join him in heaven.  The boy was torn because he knew his mother would be devastated if he left, but he wanted to go with his father. The veil is thin.  There is life after death.  Families are forever.