May 28, 2018

Elder Pack, Elder Sanford

Sister Flanders, Sister Baker

Ward Party--Great Turnout

Gringo Bingo

Bob Jackson, Elders Pack & Sanford, Sister Baker

Chaison Leavitt Graduation

Elder Halvorsen, Elder Sanford, Chaison Leavitt

Elder Pack, Sister Halvorsen

Chaison Leavitt and parents

Elder Pack, Luke Klingenberg, Elder Sanford

Montage Beach

Beau, Scott and Tate

Ivey and Hazel in the Sand

Ivey, Hazel, Beau, Elder Halvorsen

Tate and Scott at Caruso Chapel

May 28, 2018

Happy Memorial Day!!  We're so thankful for all of those who have gone before us and sacrificed so that we can live such a rich and abundant life.  

It's been a fabulous week with so many highlights.  Monday was our service day.  We made dinner and delivered it to two families who are dealing with health issues.  Sister Colman is recovering from surgery.  The Sakievich family was supposed to be celebrating the birth of their little boy but when we called to make arrangements to deliver the meal, we found Sister Sakievich had been admitted to the hospital and was in ICU with an infection from the delivery.  After delivering the meal to Colmans we were going to drop off some food to Ashley's sister-in-law.  But, the gate to their housing area was blocked off by fire engines and police cars.  There had been a suspicious package left at the playground.  So, we got to wait outside of the gate for 70 minutes to make our delivery.  We were thankful when we got the all clear and we were thrilled that Ashley was able to return home to her family a few days later.

Monday was the ward party sponsored by the ward missionaries.  After our late food delivery, we arrived after everything was decorated.  Bob Jackson had done a fantastic job.  Bro. Lang had sponsored a food truck to provide street tacos for the event.  We thought about 100 would attend but instead we had nearly 150.  It was amazing that we had enough of everything--a small miracle.  We had gathered interesting facts about all of the new families who had moved into the ward during the last 12 months and Bro. Jackson prepared a "Gringo Bingo" game to share the facts.  It was such a fun night.  Well done to the San Clemente Ward Missionaries.

Tuesday was graduation for Charlie and Golf Companies.  There were so many from these companies who attended our church services.  It was hard to say good bye.  We were able to visit with a few of the graduates at the ceremony--Leavitt, Peters, Newbury and Klingenberg.  After the graduation we dropped off a bouquet of flowers to Tiffany Herzog to help her celebrate her birthday.  Then, we were off to FAM for our weekly sorting.

Things were hopping at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society this week.  We completed 21 Quick Assist Loans during our shift.  I guess everyone wanted to get out of town for the Memorial Day Weekend and needed a little extra cash.   It was the busiest day ever.

The cake cutting at MCRD was the smallest ever--only two marines and their families attended.  But, we did have fun dining with our missionary friends.  Then we stopped by the San Diego Temple to do initiatory work on our way home.  President Stubbs from the San Diego Mission called to ask us questions about our work at SOI.  They are working on improving the oversight of MCRD and wanted to get our input.  We appreciated him getting our feedback.  

I thought Wednesday was busy at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.  Three of us completed 21 QALS.  But....Friday I did 14 QALS by myself in four hours.  It was crazy!!!  But, I was able to help a lot of marines this week.

Saturday was the big day of the week.  We waited patiently for the arrival of Scott, Tate, Beau, Ivey and Hazel. (Nicole was participating in a Cross-Fit Tournament near San Diego so she joined the family on Monday).  We were thrilled when they pulled into our complex about 3:30 pm. They unloaded and then we hopped in their car and went to the Montage beach.  The kids had a blast with the boogie boards and playing in the sand.  We got home about 7:30 and ate dinner before they all crashed.

It was special taking Scott's family with us to the Basilone Branch on Sunday.  Because of holiday leave, we only had five marines at our morning meeting and four of them had just arrived at Camp Pendleton.  Tate was able to help by passing the sacrament for us,  Wayne Smith from the high council spoke about recognizing miracles in our lives.  Sister Weber had a great object lesson about filling our lives with the things that are most important and setting our priorities.  It was a great meeting.  Beau wants to be a pilot so he had a lot of questions for the marines.  The marines were so cute with the kids and gave them lots of feedback.  They were especially impressed with Marine Rodriguez from Rexburg Idaho.  After breakfast, Scott's family drove to San Diego to visit the Mormon Battalion Museum.  While waiting for the exhibit to open, they ate a picnic in a park nearby.  There they met a family from Rexburg Idaho who were in Rodriguez' home ward.  When they returned with us to the fireside Sunday night, Rodriguez said his mom had called him to tell him their friends had seen Scott.  He then proceeded to ask Scott to give him a blessing to make it through his training.  Talk about divine design--in just one day this marine had a real link to Scott and his kids.  It was so neat.  Bro. Pernal spoke in our fireside meeting about safely going home.  Part of his talk was centered on baseball which caught our kids' attention.  Bro. Pernal was a marine pilot and that caught Beau's attention.  They really enjoyed the meetings and Ivey said she would go there every week if she had the chance.  They are great kids and we so enjoyed sharing part of our mission with them.  

We got a sweet email though our Stake President from Newbury's mother this week,  We truly are learning how to minister as missionaries.  She said:  I just wanted to express my sincere thank you to the San Clemente Stake for taking such great care of my son while he was at Camp Pendleton for SOI training.  He was there much longer than expected because of an injury.  He really loved attending church.  We are able to attend church services with him this last Sunday before he was shipped out.  It was so wonderful to see how these young marines were cared for by all of the leaders and missionaries.  I just wanted to thank all those who volunteer to make food for these marines every week.  I can tell you they really appreciate it, and as a mom, I am thankful for those who take the time to take care of my son while he is away form home.  I am thankful that he will be able to find a church family wherever he is stationed.  This is truly what ministering is all about.  My heart is so full of thankfulness...   

May 21, 2018

Elder Halvorsen's Orchids

Sea Glass Hunt on a Rainy Day

May 21, 2018

Monday we got the news that Grandpa does have shingles in his eye.  He is improving a little each day.  He is such a trooper and never complains.  We are praying for his full recovery.  I have started a project of reading all of Russell M. Nelson's conference addresses since he became an apostle.  It has been a very interesting read.  So thankful for a living prophet.

We attended Fox Company's graduation on Tuesday and got to talk to Chantry.  He has been a faithful member of our branch.  He is married and his wife is expecting their first baby any day.  Military spouses sacrifice a lot so their husbands can train and serve our nation.  We emptied several boxes at FAM.  It is nice to see we are finally making some significant headway with our sorting.

Wednesday I got to help train a new volunteer at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.  The Society is only able to function because of the generosity of volunteers.  The people who participate come from a wide range of backgrounds.  The new volunteer is a young navy nurse and will volunteer on her day off.  Her husband is a deployed marine--a dedicated couple.

We missed going to San Diego on Thursday.  There was a break in the action and there was no graduation this week.  After working at the Thrift Store, we delivered a beautiful plant to Lindsey Colman who is recovering from surgery.  She was a bit lonesome so we stayed about an hour.  She is a brave woman who despite numerous health issues is determined to be the best mother possible for her four children.  

We celebrated a six-year anniversary at the Addiction Recovery Program with one of our members.  As he shared his story, he said this is the second time he has reached the six year mark and then he relapsed.  It is discouraging to realize addiction is a life long struggle that will never end for these wonderful people.  One spouse in her share said that her attitude changed when she stopped thinking of herself as an innocent victim and realized Jesus was always an innocent victim.  When she grasp that concept and clung to her faith in Jesus Christ's Atonement, she was able to start making progress.  One brother told how he had buried two of his brothers due to addiction but at the dedication of the last grave he was impressed that those who die with addictions will have the chance to overcome them in the future--that is why we have temple work.  The facilitators for the Addiction Recovery Program--James and Teri Kennedy have helped so many face their struggles and progress to overcome them.  

Friday after working at the San Onofre Office we mailed our last box to Wisconsin.  Heidi and Craig were able to secure a home in Eden Prairie and will move the end of June.  When they were having trouble finding a house, as a family they discussed whether they should try and stay in Waukesha.  The boys all said they wanted to move and see what it was like in Minnesota.  Heidi was relieved to know they were all onboard with the move and then things fell into place for the house.  God is in the details of our lives and is there to bless us.  We corresponded with Allison Halvorsen and she said this week our contractor was walking our lot and preparing to start building.  That was exciting news.

Saturday I woke up with the urge to go to the beach and hunt for sea glass.  I should have looked out the window first.  I didn't realize it was a real Grey May Day and it was raining.  But, we went to the beach in a drizzle anyway.  There were a few sprinkles but we had a great walk.  Didn't find much glass.  We realized we need the sunlight to illuminate the glass so it will sparkle in the sand.

We attended the evening session of Stake Conference.  Elder Hallstrom was the visiting authority.  The conference was centered on ministering.  President and Sister Clark were among the speakers.  One of their daughters has a new baby who is very ill.  They have sacrificed much to serve as the mission president of the California, Irvine Mission.  We are so thankful for their dedication and the love they share so abundantly.  They are great examples to us.  

It was my turn to make breakfast for the marines.  Elder Halvorsen suggested I make a healthy baked oatmeal casserole with strawberries and apples.  It was a good plan until Sister Richards surprised us by bringing four dozen Krispie Kreme Donuts too.  The marines each ate 5 or 6 donuts and loved every bite.  So much for adding to their physical health.  At least we gave them a nice helping of spiritual food. At Stake Conference, Bro. Hallstrom discussed the Doctrine of Reverence--the profound love and respect of deity.  Our lives and actions should reflect our love of God and Jesus Christ. We had a guest speaker at our Fireside--Kevin Anderson.  He had some great WWII stories about his father who had earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.  However, he was a humble man and didn't share his heroics.  Instead he focused on knowing who he was--a Child of God and instilled the desire in each of his children to never forget who they were. When his father died, he received a letter from his commander saying what a great example of integrity his father had been and that meant more to Bro. Anderson than the medals.  Bro. Anderson told a great story of setting a trap as an eight-year old child to punish a bully.  The trap was laid with boards and long nails under grass.  Unfortunately Kevin tried out the trap, fell and one of the nails went through his foot.  He knew his dad was going to be very angry at him but Kevin cried out for him in pain.  After rescuing Kevin his dad hugged him and told him how much he loved him.  The father said he knew Kevin would never do that again and he left it at that.  Kevin said that was his first insight into how a loving Heavenly Father treats his children.  Even though we do stupid things and punish ourselves, our Heavenly Father is there to love us and help us to move forward.  He challenged the marines to remember who they are--marines, children in an earthly family and a Child of God.  It was an outstanding talk.  

We got home and received a text that Eric had been injured this weekend cutting down some dead trees.  He separated a rib from the cartilage connecting it to his sternum.  He will have a 4-6 week recovery.  Made me think of Bro. Anderson's talk and wish we could take away Eric's pain.  We have such amazing children who know who they are and we're so thankful to have them in our family. Praying for his quick recovery.

May 14, 2018

Table Settings for Senior Couples Dinner

Senior's Dinner with Elder Christensen and Elder McKay

Flowers from President and Sister Clark

Andrew Cherrington (second from right)

Honor Graduate--Assault Man Course

Andrew Cherrington with his mom

May 10 Cake Cutting--Largest Ever

San Clemente Stake Relief Society Conference

Guest Speaker--Sheri Dew

Sprinter Ride to the Temple

Elder Pack, Jaxon Tubbs, Spencer Bradley

Elder Sanford, James Smith and Chaison Leavitt

Newport Temple--May 12

Elder Sanford, Elder Pack, Jaxon Tubbs, Spencer Bradley

James Smith, Chaison Leavitt, Elder Halvorsen

Dinner at the Dawson's

Elder Sanford, Elder Pack, Michi Stephens, Andrea Dawson

Keith Stephens, Sister Halvorsen and Elder Halvorsen

Sunset from the Dawson's 

Mother's Day Lei

May 14, 2018

We've had an amazing week.  Monday we were able to attend a Zone Conference that was so inspiring.  Elder Craig C. Christensen and Elder Kyle McKay were the visiting Seventies.  They were both great speakers and I learned a lot.  Elder Christensen taught that we are writing our own story.  What do I need to do today to prepare for tomorrow?  In life we have glimpses of our eternal potential.  What do we know because of the First Vision?  Elder McKay led a discussion about Christ's Atonement.  If Christ was able to suffer for every sin-He is capable of knowing every sinner.  Jesus' Atonement closes the distance between us and God.  It restored perfect justice.  The missionaries were given the chance to ask questions of the visiting authorities.  We need to be sharp instruments for the Lord to use.  What questions should we ask?  We need to ask God to teach us what He wants us to know.  We need to assess where we are.  We need to walk the path with our investigators helping them in their search as Christ did.  We should simplify our prayers and visit with the Lord--let Him rejoice with us and mourn with us.  Consecration is giving up everything and in response the Lord will give us all He has--a good exchange.  If we paint a picture of what people can become, they will strive to become what we have pictured.  D&C 67:10 instructs us to give up jealousy and fear and become humble and we will see God.  

After the instruction we had a lunch with the all of the missionaries.  We studied at the mission office until it was time to attend a dinner with all of the senior missionaries and the visiting authorities.  I sat next to Sister McKay at the dinner.  They are a delightful couple and are the parents of nine children. Two of their children are still young teenagers.  I learned that serving as a general authority is exciting, inspiring and exhausting.  Elder Christensen shared his testimony that Russell M Nelson is the prophet for our day.  He shared personal experiences he has had with the prophet. He said we can expect to see the work progress at a rapid pace.  After the dinner, each couple was given a lovely bouquet of flowers from President and Sister Clark.  They are always so thoughtful.

Tuesday was the best graduation yet.  We sat with Andrew Cherrington's parents and celebrated with them when Andrew was recognized as the Honor Graduate for the Assault Man Course.  He is now in Chesapeake, Virginia for Security Forces.  We were thrilled to hear that Jacob Barker is going to be his roommate there. (Jacob was the marine we thought would be baptized before he left but he ran out of time so having Andrew with him is a tender mercy.  We look forward to good things!)  We were also able to talk to Terle Buck (an investigator who attended all of our meetings), Jacob Barker and Hunter Payne.  It was great!!  To show how the military relations program works--Elder Halvorsen then contacted the military relations missionaries at the marines' MOS bases and let them know they were arriving.  We received a note Sunday from the Bishop in Chesapeake telling us Andrew had attended church and had come to their house for dinner.  It is so wonderful to see how doors are opened and marines are cared for throughout their training.

Tuesday was a monumental day in that the church announced in 2020 we will no longer have the scouting program as the curriculum for the young men.  Our kids were all jumping for joy.  I didn't realize that they were not looking forward to having their sons in the scouting program.  It was interesting to see the reaction to the announcement.  

After a slow morning at the NMCRS on Wednesday, we went to a training session at the Thrift Store with Nina, the area trainer.  We have taken so many classes from Nina she has become our friend.  The first thing she did was ask about the change in scouting--so she definitely knows who we are.  She is a wonderful trainer and will retire at the end of June.  We hope she finds joy in her retirement and we will miss our association with her.

Thursday we spent the morning working at the Thrift Store.  It was another slow day.  We drove to San Diego for a huge cake cutting.  There were about 90 people in attendance.  One of the marines grew up in Grandpa's Spanish Fork Ward--Riley Christianson.  It was fun visiting with his family.  After dinner with the Sattleys and Kapololus, we hurried back for our Addiction Recovery Class.  It was packed--about 25 in attendance.  The step was surrendering our will to God and using Christ's Atonement in our lives.  The shares were powerful and sweet.  The people are so honest and sincerely desire to change.  

Saturday was super busy.  I attended the tri-stake Relief Society Conference where Sheri Dew was the guest speaker.  Sister Dew said questions are good--they show that we are seekers of knowledge not doubters.  She also pointed out in Mosiah 50:23 it says that there never was a happier people--even though they were surrounded by war and political chaos.  How was this possible?  Moroni had the people prepare safe places--our homes can be those safe places.  She shared a great example of the solar eclipse this year.  She showed pictures from Idaho where it was a total eclipsed and Park City where it was a 93% eclipse.  In Park City it looked like normal day.  She said this is how it will be in the last days.  Although the majority of the world will be in darkness, if we focus on the Son, even though there are only a small number who are living righteously and living in the light our lives can be happy.

After the conference, Elder Halvorsen picked me up in the Richard's Sprinter and we drove to the base to pick up our two faithful elders--Pack and Sanford--and four faithful marines--Leavitt, Bradley, Smith and Tubbs.  We drove them to the Newport Beach Temple.  Elder and Sister Kapololu met us there.  Bradley did an endowment session and the others did baptisms.  When I was walking into the temple with Bradley I asked him how his morning had been.  He said--awful, just terrible.  He said the entire week had been awful but as we entered the doors of the temple he remarked--I think things just got a lot better.  After the session he was smiling and more relaxed.  The end of the event wasn't quite as relaxing for me.  A strap of my suitcase was locked in someone else's locker.  It was a time-consuming process to get dressed.  I appreciated the patience of the marines.  By the time we got back to the base they were starving so we bought them dinner at Sonic and they were thrilled!!  The activity seemed to be a huge success.  In fact, on Sunday Elder Halvorsen pointed out that all four of the marines seemed to be in high spirits at church.  They enjoyed the blessings of the temple.

The day wasn't over when we dropped off the marines.  We went to Andrea Dawson's home for dinner with the Elders and President and Sister Stephens.  Love, love, love these people.  What are we going to do when the Dawsons pack up for Japan???

Sunday was a special Mother's Day.  Sister Dew on Saturday had referred to a talk she gave years ago--Are We Not All Mothers?  I feel so blessed to be the mother of Boyd, Scott, Grant, Eric and Heidi.  They are all such amazing people and I cherish my relationship with each one of them.  They are righteous mothers and fathers and are blessing the lives of our posterity.  Families are central to the Plan of Happiness.  Sister Dew quoted President Nelson as saying "Men prepare for the present but women shape the future."  Each has special gifts and bless our family.  Elder Halvorsen gave me a gorgeous orchid lei to celebrate the day.  We had seven marines attend in the morning along with several of their families.  We had 40+ at our Fireside.  Bro. Jolley shared great stories about heroes and challenged the marines to live their lives like everyday heroes and make a difference in the world.  The sisters from the branch prepared a special dinner for the marines--turkey, "funeral potatoes", homemade rolls and orange fluff.  It was my job to make lots of orange fluff (orange/mandarine jello salad)  The men seemed to enjoy the meal.  We encouraged them all to call home and offered phones for them to use if they hadn't done so yet.  Nothing a mother loves more than to hear the voice of her child on Mothers Day.  So thankful to be where we are, doing what we're doing and feeling what we're feeling.  We are blessed.

The one down event of the week was hearing Grandpa spent Mother's Day at the ER.  He was having pain in one of his eyes.  Today his eye is swollen shut and he is on an antibiotic.  He was going to a specialist.  They are concerned he may have shingles and/or a sinus infection.  Praying for his quick recovery.  Thankful for Marilyn and Denise who devoted their day to assisting him.  They are both such wonderful daughters and amazing mothers.

May 8, 2018

Mickey welcomed us to 

California Adventure

Dad, Chelsey and Reese

Leaving the Park

Keri, Marita and Col Nuzzo, Diane

NMCRS Volunteer Appreciation

Campfire at Del Mar

Kaden and Tige at 

United States Marine Corp Mechanized Museum

Kaden, Tige, Eric and Gwen

Del Mar Beach, Camp Pendleton

Montage

Drew's birthday gift.

Hazel's Baptism Day

May 8, 2018

It is our one-year anniversary!  We've had such an amazing experience serving in the California, Irvine Mission.  So thankful for this opportunity.

We felt a little out of wack on Monday.  We changed up our schedule so we could celebrate our P-day on Tuesday this week.  So, we worked at the FAM Thrift Store on Monday afternoon and then we had our missionary correlation meeting at Bob Jackson's beautiful home that overlooks the ocean.

The most amazing part of the week was driving to Anaheim Tuesday morning and hugging Chelsey, Eric, Reese, Kaden, Tige and Gwen.  What a treat!!!  It was so wonderful to be able to spend the day with them at California Adventure.  The weather was a bit dreary and cold but that didn't dampen our fun.  In fact, we're told it may have kept the lines a little shorter.  We had a blast on the Soaring California, Cars and Toy Story rides (to name a few).  Chelsey, Reese and I went to a fantastic musical based on Frozen that we all loved.  We ate churros and laughed a lot.  Eric and Kaden were even brave enough to go on the Grizzly River Run and get soaked.  (It was the shortest line because it was freezing!!) Their hotel was close enough for us to walk to Disneyland so on our way home we stopped and bought pizza and sandwiches for dinner and ate in their apartment.  When I got home my body was tired from head to toe but my heart was so happy.  We had a fabulous time with them.

Wednesday, it was back to the NMCRS for our normal shift with me teaching Budget for Babies and Brad doing casework.  It was actually a very busy day and we helped a number of clients with Quick Assist Loans.  After we finished, we drove to Del Mar Beach on Camp Pendleton where the San Onofre Navy Marine Corps Relief Society office gathered for a volunteer appreciation dinner.  What a beautiful location--sandy beaches and blue skies.  Donna had rented a beach cottage and we used that as our home base.  We built a great bon fire and enjoyed dinner and a delightful evening with the friends we work with.  It is interesting Marita is the wife of Col Nuzzo who is the Infantry Battalion Commander at SOI.  Elise is married to Capt. Howard who is the Company Commander for Alpha Company at SOI.  It's nice to have a working relationship with these fine leaders who are directly responsible for the marines we work with.  Volunteering does give us the opportunity to network.

Thursday we took another day off to be with Eric's crew.  This time they drove to San Clemente to see how we were spending our time.  We took them on a tour of Camp Pendleton.  We stopped at the Mechanized Museum and the kids really enjoyed seeing some of the cool equipment there.  We bought some Subway sandwiches and took them to Del Mar Beach for a picnic.  When I turned my back to get Gwen, some seagulls swooped in and carried off a 12 inch sub.  I've never seen anything like that.  What a shock!  Thanks to Kaden and Tige for sharing their subs with their dad.  It was windy and the ocean water was pretty chilly but the kids and Eric enjoyed a little boogie boarding and diving through waves.  After we finished there, we drove up Highway 1 to the Montage and walked along that beach--one of the most beautiful spots in the world.  We ate dinner at Baja Fresh on the way home before we said a tearful goodbye.  We're so lucky to have such an amazing family.  

Thursday was also special because it was Drew's fourth birthday.  We sent him a swimming pool and even though they are in Wisconsin, they went swimming.  (I think Heidi is preparing her boys to participate in the polar plunge next January. ) 

Friday they turned off the water for the day at our apartment to complete some repairs.  When you don't have water, you realize how blessed we are to have clean water in our homes on a daily basis.  On our way to the San Onofre Office, we saw smoke.  There was a large fire near the School of Infantry.  The smoke was pretty bad but they didn't evacuate the area so we were able to complete our shift.  One of the marines I helped that day was from Phoenix and grew up in the area where we lived in 1982.  I'm so thankful for the life we had in the Air Force that gave us the opportunity to live in so many different places.  

Saturday was Hazel's baptism day. Sure wish we could have been there but we were thankful the Smith Family was able to celebrate the special day with her.  We love Hazel!  Grandpa was able to do a Candy Drop on Saturday in Spanish Fork as the kick off for the Aviation Center that is being built there in his name--pretty exciting.  We went for a walk in the evening.  It was the hottest day of the year.  Amazing that on Tuesday I was wearing a coat at Disneyland and Saturday we were broiling.

We had a wonderful sabbath.  We had a terrific testimony meeting where most of the marines participated.  One young marine (Tubbs) told how he is 18 year old and this is the first time he has ever really been away from his family.  He had to complete a hike this week and he was exhausted.  He remembered the story of having the faith of a mustard seed and being able to move a mountain so he decided to try his faith.  He thought he at least had that much faith.  He was able to complete the hike and finished at the front of the group.  He was thankful for the help he received along the way.  Bradley spoke about the importance of being good examples.  Craun shared his testimony of eternal marriage and how thankful he is to be sealed to his wife.  Elder Halvorsen shared some inspiring thoughts about Captain Moroni and the courage to stand for truth and righteousness.  It was an outstanding meeting.  

We were able to talk to Grant and his family between meetings.  We're so thankful for Facebook that allows us to see the smiling faces of the ones we love so much.  Had a great time talking with them.

We had hoped to have a baptism this weekend and we were disappointed when Barker was unable to have the time and liberty to be baptized. We pray that things will work out for him to make this covenant at his new duty station because he graduated today.  We did have a sweet experience with Andrew Cherrington and his family at our Fireside.  With tears in her eyes, Sister Cherrington shared that the previous night they had had a family dinner to celebrate Andrew's upcoming graduation.  During the dinner, Andrew told his family how much going to church had meant to him and how thankful he was for our love and support.  He said he felt we were like his second parents.  It was touching to have someone share tender feelings like that with us.  Andrew gave us a hug at the end of the evening and told us how much he is going to miss us and how grateful he was for our support.  Moments like that are tender mercies and remind us why we have been called to serve at Camp Pendleton.  

Cal Weber was he speaker at our Fireside.  His topic was Jesus Savior Pilot Me.  Cal if a sailor.  He has sailed a boat from Florida through the Panama Canal.  He said when he reached the Canal, he was required to have a pilot guide him through it safely.  He testified that the Savior is the pilot of our lives and only through his aide will we be able to navigate our lives and safely return to our heavenly home.  It was a  powerful talk.