Marine Corps Mechanized Museum
on Camp Pendleton
WWI Ambulance
WWI Ambulance
Brad by Desert Storm Vehicles
Motorcycle
WWI Recruiting Poster
Let's get one of these to go to the cabin
This Four-Wheeler would be fun but
no protection if someone is shooting
at you.
Desert Ambulance
Ready for Land and Sea
Emma Dawson performed
in this play.
October 2, 2017
A new month. We can hardly believe it is already October and we have been in the field for five months. Time really moves quickly. The weather has been lovely here, but I'm getting a little homesick when I see the autumn leaves on many Facebook postings. I do love the autumn and am missing my beautiful red Sumac trees.
I finished reading the Book of Mormon again on Monday. How I love that book. Our mission was challenged to finish the book before our Zone Conference on Wednesday. As part of the conference, many missionaries stood to share their testimonies of the book. These Elders and Sisters are such amazing young people--so dedicated to helping others find true happiness. It was announced that our mission would be one of two to become Smart Phone Missions. Each missionary will be able to use a smart phone to post on social media and share information with their investigators. The missionaries are going through extensive training on how to use technology appropriately. It is an exciting time. My favorite part of Zone Conferences is hearing farewell testimonies. We had 10 missionaries in our zone who have completed their missions. It is a privilege for us to be in attendance as they share what they have learned and how they have grown. They have become true disciples of Christ.
We were very busy at the Thrift Store this week. Many of the volunteers are out of town so there were only a few to accomplish a lot of work. It felt rewarding to be able to help. We did miss going to San Diego that day because there was no cake cutting this week. Funny when your routine changes, it feels like you have missed something important. Since we had a few extra hours, we went to the Marine Corps Mechanized Museum that we drive by every Thursday. The building was filled with replicas of vehicles used in WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea and the Middle East. I've included a number of pictures of vehicles we saw. We thought our grandsons would have thought this was really cool.
We supported one of our marine families Thursday night by attending the San Clemente High School production of Little Shop of Horrors. While we were waiting for the play to begin, two darling teens came to talk with us. They both gave me a big hug. They looked like sisters but the younger girl (12) said they were almost sisters. Their family introduced Grace (18) to the gospel by inviting her to watch General Conference last October. Grace embraced the gospel and was baptized. She is the only member in her family but loves the gospel. Grace is living at home and studying to be a nurse at Saddleback College. She was a darling young lady. Such a treat to meet her. Emma was one of the main characters in the play and did a fantastic job. Her dad will return from deployment in 50 days. So sad he wasn't here to see her performance. But, soon he will be able to enjoy family activities again.
Friday after working at the Relief Society, we took some mint chocolate chip ice cream to Rooks (6) for his birthday--it's his favorite. When we pulled up the yard was full of neighbors and friends who were there to celebrate. Cute Rooks came over and gave me a big hug even before we gave him the ice cream. He was just so pleased to have us there. He is an adorable little boy. His mom is expecting their 4th child this month and dad is deployed. Rooks definitely has been the man of the house while his dad is gone. He helps his mom with the younger kids and is so mature for his age. We love this little family.
Absolutely loved listening to conference on Saturday and Sunday. We were thankful to be able to watch it on TV. The talks were so inspiring to me. I especially loved Elder Holland and Elder Christofferson's messages. Sunday the Basilone Branch met at 9 am and 7 pm for our regular meetings with the marines. We had a wonderful testimony meeting in the morning. I need to share a two of the testimonies the marines shared with us.
Sam never wanted to be a leader. He doesn't like to stand out and he wanted to be liked. But, he was selected as a squad leader at MCRD and SOI. Since he didn't have a choice, he decided he would try to be the best leader he can be. He said he never wanted to feel guilty for leading his men in the wrong way. He decided he needed to learn to lead as the Savior leads. He has studied the scriptures intently and spent time on his knees. He said he is thankful for the examples in the scriptures of men like Captain Moroni. But, he is most grateful for the example of the Savior. As he tries to follow his example he has found that his men have become loyal to him. He can feel their trust and support.
Hicken shared an experience he had at MCRD. He was standing in line for a haircut and was talking to someone when he shouldn't have been. So he was punished with extra physical training (IT). Apparently this training is pretty tough. As he arrived at IT, everyone else was leaving so he had the instructor all to himself. The punishment was rigorous. After he finished 15 minutes which seemed like hours, he went to get his stuff that he had emptied from his pockets. That's when the instructor saw his Book of Mormon. Hicken thought--this is my Ensign story. The instructor is going to ask if it is true and I'm going to answer YES!! But, instead the instructor yelled that he was not to carry religious materials with him. Then he sent him back for an additional 30 minutes of IT. As he had to suffer for having the Book of Mormon, Hicken thought of the Savior's suffering and that was helped him get through it. He said if it was for the Book of Mormon and his faith, he could endure the suffering.
It's been a great week. Looking forward to experiences we will have this week. Life is good.
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