July 2, 2018

Final Temple Trip with Missionaries

Completing Their Missions in July

Elder Halvorsen at Newport Beach Temple

Hiking Trail--Things are Dry

Johnson boys ready for fun in Minnesota.

Can't wait to visit them!!

July 2, 2018

We took dinner to the Colman family again Monday night.  Hopefully, Sister Colman will soon be able to care for her family as she would like to.  We finished reading The Kolob Theorem.  We had some great discussions regarding the ideas outlined in the book.  Our missionary correlation meeting was cancelled so we had an extra evening at home.  The Kapololus let us know that it has become necessary to change the time for the MCRD cake cuttings so now it will be very difficult for us to attend on Thursdays.  We will miss our weekly meeting with our good friends in San Diego but Elder Halvorsen is not going to miss the drive each week.

Tuesday I finished reading the third volume of The Book of Mormon Made Easier by David Ridges.  I have really enjoyed those books.  In the final pages Mr. Ridges pointed out that Mormon wrote his epistle on faith, hope and charity when he was surrounded by evil.  We can personally be strong and faithful no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

One of the volunteers at the NMCRS was unable to be there on Wednesday so I got to fill in and teach Budget for Baby--my favorite volunteering activity.  I had a very interesting class and enjoyed it very much.  In the afternoon while Brad was doing casework, I worked with Carolyn and had the chance to teach her about ministering.  She was neglected as a child and has chosen not to have any children.  It was nice sharing with her examples of how our children parent and serve.  She was touched by how much time and love our children have to share with their families and minister to others.  

We had a huge sale at the Thrift Store.  All of the clothes were 25 cents.  One lady bought 200 garments to send to her relatives in Mexico.  She got a lot for her money today.  Even with the sale price, we collected over $1000 in 2 1/2 hours.  We sold a lot of merchandise.  Brad was extremely busy working on electronics.  He does such a great job assuring that all of the items we sell are in working order.  They really appreciate his service.  The Langs invited us to dinner at there home with the Elders.  Unfortunately, Sister Lang had hurt her back so we had Guicho's take-out.  It was delicious.  The Elders had an appointment so we got some time with Bro. Lang on our own.  He is so generous and has such funny stories of how he tries to help others.  It was a delightful evening.

We found out that the HOA in Midway had not approved our building plans again.  We have been trying to get the last approval to begin building and had sent several emails to make sure everything was in for that approval.  We were told today that the samples we had submitted were lost and we would need to resubmit everything to be reviewed the end of July.  I was so upset.  I started calling people on the HOA Board and let them know how frustrated we were.  They agreed as soon as we can assemble the samples again, they would hold a special meeting to approve our plan.  As I was tossing and turning during the night, I had the distinct impression that I should call Brooke Halvorsen Ellsworth and ask for her help.  What a blessing this turned out to be!!  Brooke has worked so hard to make sure we will have a beautiful home.We even ended up changing our stone once she took a picture of a house with the stone we had selected.  Although I was frustrated, I am sure this will end up being a tender mercy.  So thankful for Brooke.

On Friday, we adjusted our shift at San Onofre so we could attend the 3 pm temple session with the Elders and Sisters who will complete their missions in the next few weeks.  The session was packed and the Spirit was overwhelming.  These young missionaries truly have lived the temple covenants 100% during the last two years of their lives.  They have been so dedicated.  Besides the six senior couples and the 22 missionaries there was room in the session for a few more individuals. (Newport is a very small temple.) We were touched when we saw a recovering addict from our ARP class and his wife in the temple.  We had a wonderful opportunity to share our love with them.  It was a sweet experience.  After the session, Elder Halvorsen surprised me by driving to get a Papa Murphy's Pizza.  The restaurant is so difficult to reach it is really a challenge.  But, I appreciated his sacrifice and enjoyed every bite of my pizza.  

Saturday we were able to chat a little with Eric, Kaden and Gwen.  They were getting our car inspected in Utah.  We appreciate so much all of the time they have spent helping us while we have been serving in California.  Spent a lot of time working with Brooke on our house.  She is detail oriented and has thought of so many things we had missed.  Went for a hike up our nearby trail.  Everything is so dry.  We're hoping there won't be any wildfires this year in our area.  We are assigned to bring breakfast to the marines on Sunday so I prepared my French Toast Casserole to cook the next morning.

July started off with a bang.  We never oversleep, but we did a little Sunday morning.  I leaped out of bed to get my casserole in the oven and was very thankful it had enough time to cook before we had to leave.  There wasn't a crumb left so it was a hit.  We had a new marine at church--Boucher.  His father was an army officer and when we compared notes we found, like us, he had lived in Darmstadt, Germany and Colorado Springs.  It was fun to have that connection with him.  He's a wonderful young man.  Because of holiday leave, we had a very light turnout for our fireside.  Pres. Curtis Reece (former president of the San Clemente Stake) spoke.  He gave an excellent talk about the sacred covenants we renew when we partake of the sacrament.  He had special experiences he shared about tender mercies marines had received in order to partake of the sacrament in war zones and in the Basilone Chapel over the last 20 years.  

Heidi and her family have moved to Minnesota.  We're thankful their move went well and they will have the chance to establish new friendships.  From the picture they sent, it looks like their home is going to be the perfect fit for their family.

As we prepare to celebrate July 4,  we are so grateful for those who serve our nation today and those who have served to maintain our freedom throughout our country's history.  So blessed to be an American and thankful to be serving with the marines here at Camp Pendleton.