October 25, 2018

Love this sign at Heisler Park

Heisler Park by Laguna Beach

Gorgeous Flowers at Heisler Park

Bird of Paradise

Another view of from Heisler Park

Elder Halvorsen at Heisler Park

Sister Halvorsen at Heisler Park

Cute sign at Heisler Park

Laguna Beach

Graduation October 23, 2018

Bill and Scott at NMCRS

Carolyn. a volunteer at NMCRS

Cheryl--Volunteer Coordinator NMCRS

Terry and James Kennedy ARP Group Leaders

ARP with the Kennedys

October 26, 2018

Newport Beach Temple

Farewell Session with Departing Missionaries

With Elder and Sister Nygren at

Lucille's for Farewell Dinner

Elder Halvorsen hiking in

park near our apartment

Ed and Melodee Pernal (Executive Secretary)

Cindy and Vic Lundquist (2nd Counselor)

Gayle and Michael Manning (Stake High Council)

Alana and Lee Jolley (Stake Missionaries)

Freda and Cal Weber (1st Counselor)

President Keith and Michi Stephens

October 29, 2018

Lots of pictures today.  Want to make sure we include pictures of some of our favorite people.  

Monday we took a P-day and went to Heisler Park near Laguna Beach. We thoroughly enjoyed walking in the park.  It's hard to beat the temperature, the weather and the views in Southern California.  We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to live in this little bit of paradise.

Our favorite Alpha Company graduated on Tuesday.  We were disappointed that all of the marines were in such a hurry to leave that we didn't get a chance to talk with them and take pictures.  We did enjoy sitting with the missionaries and visiting with them.  The afternoon was spent at FAM working in the sorting area.

We had a very slow day at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society on Wednesday but the cases we had  were complicated.  Marines can certainly get themselves in difficult financial situations.  Above are pictures of Bill (the director), Scott (assistant director), Cheryl (volunteer coordinator) and Carolyn (one of my favorite client services assistants).  All of the people we have worked with at the Relief Society are truly outstanding.  After our day at the office we stopped by to see three of the Marine families in the San Clemente Ward.  The Colmans, Herzogs and Stiefvaters were all at home.  It has been such a joy getting to know all of them.

I got to unload tubs of winter clothes at the Thrift Store and get them ready for military families to use when they go to visit their families over the holidays.  It really is hard to believe it's almost Halloween when the weather is so beautiful.  Elder Halvorsen tested lots of electronic equipment.  Someone is really going to have big shoes to fill when he leaves.  He gets so much done every Thursday.

The ARP meeting on Thursday was amazing.  We got to see several of our friends receive chips for six month and two-years of sobriety.  We loved celebrating their achievements.  The "shares" that evening were very thought provoking.  James Kennedy is a big fan of acronyms.  Here are several he used.  GUT--God's Undeniable Truth.  FEAR--False Evidence Appearing Real.  HOPE--Hang On Pain Ends.  One brother shared insight into the tools Satan uses.  1) Deception  2)  Distraction and 3) Spiritual Desensitization.  He said when we try to rely on the "arm of flesh" and fight our demons we will always lose.  We need to remember Christ has already won.  We need to just turn our back on our addictions and turn to Christ.  He has paid the price.  Surrender and win!!  Bro. Kennedy added our addictions are like fighting an 800 lb. gorilla in a cage.  If we open the door and go in, we will lose.  The monster is in a cage.  We need to trust in God and leave the cage closed.  Have faith that the monster can be contained because of Christ's Atonement.  Bro. Kennedy in his closing remarks said some very nice things about us attending ARP--I definitely shed a few tears that evening.  Attending ARP has taught me so much about how Christ's Atonement can heal each of us.

Heidi's youngest son, Reid, turned two on Friday.  It was fun visiting with them and seeing the darling "digger" cake Heidi made for his birthday.  We skipped our shift at the NMCRS Friday afternoon so we could attend the Newport Beach Temple with the Departing Missionaries.  It was a small group but the session was very inspirational.  After the session, we had pictures with the missionaries.  It was nice to get a couple's picture by the temple.  Sister Sansom showed me how to edit pictures on my phone which was a new skill I will use for many years to come.  All of the senior couples went with us to Lucille's BBQ for our farewell dinner.  They presented us with some very special gifts.  We each received an official Irvine, California Mission apron with our names embroidered on them.  We received a beautiful book by Boyd K. Packer that all of the missionaries signed.  The Nygren's gave us one of their favorite books by Hugh Nibley.  It was a special evening and the gifts will help us always remember it.

Saturday we hiked up the path in a park near our apartment.  The weather is perfect for being outdoors.  In the evening, we met with most of the couples serving in the Basilone Branch for dinner at the Mannings home. (Unfortunately Richards were out of town).  I have included pictures of all of the couples who were there.  It is interesting that Grandpa was the first bishop the Mannings had when they were a young married couple at BYU.  They have been so kind to us as have all of the couples we have worked with. The group gave us some marine sweat shirts and a beautiful plaque thanking us for our service which included a picture with all of us.  We will treasure that.

The meetings on Sunday were outstanding.  Brad gave his final talk in the evening session.  He centered his comments on light and salt.  He shared some very interesting insights to inspire the marines to not lose their savour and be a light to the world.  In our morning meeting, Sis Stephens talked about how her mother taught her to know God is real.  Her mother was 9 years old in Okinawa during WWII.  She suffered with her fellow countrymen through the war and struggled to survive.  But she always lived with gratitude knowing that God had watched over her during that time.  She was never alone.  Joey Jorgensen our Stake Young Men's President also spoke.  He talked about fear and shared personal experiences overcoming his fears.  Some were quite humorous and others very tender.  Last summer he was diagnosed with brain cancer which was very traumatic for him and his family.  He referenced Elder Rasband's October 2018 Conference talk in which he suggested three ways to overcome fear.  1)  Stand in holy places.  2) Be not troubled (pray and keep the commandments to maintain peace in our lives) 3) Trust in the Lord and his promises.  Bro. Jorgensen said when he was dealing with his diagnosis a friend asked him to read the Book of Mormon and highlight every instance in which the Lord promised to deliver his people from trials and/or bondage. Then he said to note how often the Lord kept his promise.  There was never a time he did not.  And, he will keep his promises to us too.  We never have to walk alone.  We can be at peace knowing with God nothing is impossible.  

October 22, 2018

Elder & Sis. Burtonshaw

Pres. and Sis. Clark

Bro and Sis. Kimball

Elder and Sis. Bass

Elder and Sis. Carver

Nancy, FAM Director

Shannon--FAM

Liz--Thrift Store

Elder Halvorsen and Nene--Thrift Store

Jenny, Donna and Linda

Thrift Store Cashiers

Last Cake Cutting--October 18, 2018

Elder and Sister Kapololu--San Diego, CA Mission

Elder and Sister Sattley--Carlsbad, CA Mission

Elder Halvorsen at San Onofre Beach

Surfer at San Onofre Beach

October 22, 2018

I decided to include pictures of some of our favorite people in this week's blog.  We have really learned to love all of those pictured and they have each left an imprint on our hearts.

On Monday, October 15, I made some Panera Butternut Squash Soup for the Senior Couples FHE held at Sister Venable's home.  Sister Venable is the Nurse Practitioner for our mission.  Sister Kimball led a discussion on Chapter 9 of Jesus the Christ--The Boy of Nazareth.  She shared a very interesting thought that when Jesus was teaching at the temple he was "lost" to Mary and Joseph for three days.  This could have been a type of Christ's death on the cross.  He was "lost" to the world for three days.  But in both cases when he was "found" he was alive and well doing his Father's business.  I also loved this quote. "Jesus was a close observer of nature and men.  He was able to draw illustrations with which to point His teachings from the varied occupations, trades and professions; the ways of the lawyer and the physican, the manners of the scribe, the Pharisee and the rabbi, the habits of the poor, the customs of the rich, the life of the shepherd, the farmer, the vinedresser and the fisherman--were all known to Him." We had a great discussion.  Always fun to be with these wonderful senior missionaries.

We were able to visit with Cox and Prebo at Tuesday's graduation.  Both have expressed a desire to be baptized.  Many times marines who are going to Florida are delayed and spend a few extra weeks at Camp Pendleton.  We hoped this would be the case because both are going to NAS Pensacola.  But, they told us on Tuesday they had tickets to fly to Florida within 24 hours.  We were all really disappointed but Elder Wells' parting words were--Well, the Church is true in Florida!!  There will be someone there waiting to baptize you.  What a great attitude.  Our missionaries planted the seeds and missionaries in Florida will continue to love and fellowship these great young marines.

Lots of donations at FAM so we were very busy.  We updated the calendar and reminded Nancy that October 30 will probably be our last day volunteering.  She replied that we had been an answer to her prayers.  She and Shannon have been delightful to work with.

After our work at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society on Wednesday, we started delivering gifts to the families we have worked with in the San Clemente Ward.  We purchased purse-size measuring tapes and wrote a little message starting with--It's hard for us to measure how much we have enjoyed getting to know your family...  Our first two deliveries were to Jayde and Grayson Lee and Amy and Danny Gibson.  Two of our favorite families.  The Lee's are looking for a home in Utah where Grayson will attend the U to complete his degree.  So, we had a lot to talk to them about.  Gibsons are so amazing.  Danny is special forces and is gone a lot.  I so admire Amy and how she holds her family together and has time to care for the other wives while their husbands are deployed.   She is always the first to volunteer to help.

Thursday we took pictures of some of our friends at the Thrift Store.  Liz actually moved to Hawaii on Friday, October 19. These ladies have all been so friendly and kind.  We will definitely miss our association with them.  We left a few minutes early to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Diego for our last MCRD Cake Cutting.  The views were spectacular.  We had a large gathering at the cake cutting.  It was sad to have our last meeting with Sattleys and Kapololus.  We feel our coordinated efforts have really made a difference in the lives of the Marines at SOI.  We truly have had our hearts knit together through our service.

There was a small group at ARP Thursday night but the Spirit was very strong.  James and Teri Kennedy have personally touched so many lives for good.  James always says at the end of the meeting--There is no place I would rather be on a Thursday night than here with all of you.  His love for those struggling with addictions is enormous and he is a great example to all of us.  

Elder Halvorsen woke up with a pretty nasty cold on Friday.  We had planned to go visit more families but decided we should wait until he is better so we don't carry germs into their homes.  We did go to the San Onofre Office for our shift.  Brad was not scheduled to have any appointments that afternoon.  I completed seven Quick Assist Loans which is a lot for that office.  Brad did end up helping one client (hope the marine didn't get sick).  

Saturday we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and took one more trip to San Onofre Beach to look for sea glass.  We didn't find much but the ocean was breathtaking.  We have been so lucky to live here in Southern California for the last 18 months.  Talked to Eric's family in the evening and Kaden told us all about his very cold morning on the mountain looking for deer.  Hope we're ready for the cold temperatures when we return to Utah.

Only four marines were at our morning meeting on Sunday.  But, one of them was Matthew Boucher. It was so wonderful to see him again.  We're still praying he will get assigned a great MOS.  Bradley also caught a ride with us for the morning meeting.  He is suffering from Asthma which could potentially disqualify him from serving in the Marines.  We're hoping things work out for him.  Kaden received the Aaronic Priesthood.  We're so thankful he was prepared to be a Deacon.  Grandpa was able to be there for the ordination.  He really enjoyed being with Eric's family for that event.  He and Kaden share a birthday so it was special he could attend.  We had 49 marines at our Fireside which was fantastic.  Alpha Company graduates this Tuesday so I'm afraid our numbers will be dropping.  We've sure enjoyed knowing the faithful marines in Alpha--such an amazing group of men.  

October 15, 2018

Elder Bonds, Samuelian, and Jones

Elder Bonds from Coppell, Texas

Elder Jones from Blanding, UT

Zone Report

Mission Statistics

Sister Mooseman and Baker

Final Zone Conference

The Boot Hunt Ended

October 11 Cake Cutting

Sword used at Cake Cutting

Kerri and Julianne at NMCRS

October 15, 2018

I can't believe I forgot to write the blog yesterday.  My perfect Monday record ended.  We were busy trying to plan our future home strategy.  We're praying things will fall into place when we get home.

Monday Elder Halvorsen was super busy preparing a talk and doing paperwork so my time was focused on reading the scriptures.  I was impressed with how the Book of Mormon really is written for our time.  Alma and his people were facing many of the same struggles we see in our lives--prosperous circumstances led to pride and the feeling that God was not needed in their lives.  At our missionary correlation meeting we discussed similar conditions here in San Clemente.  When people are prosperous, they don't see a need for religion.  It was fun getting to know our new missionaries--Elder Bonds is from Coppell, Texas a little town close to Dallas.  Elder Jones is from Blanding, UT.  Both are very enthusiastic and excited to be serving.  

Four platoons graduated on Tuesday.  It was a large company but we didn't really see them much at our worship services.  Apparently, they kept them all very busy.  We took the Elders to Panda Express for lunch.  Elders can eat a lot!  We are always happy to treat them to lunch.  Sorting was fun at FAM that day.  We had some wonderful donations.  People must empty their entire closets on a regular basis.  One donation was filled with Chico clothing.  It was like looking through the racks at the store.  Shannon was back.  She has been sick so it was terrific to have her there.  Nancy greeted us when we arrived with a big hug and told us how much she appreciates all we do at the store.  It always looks better when we leave.  Elder Halvorsen carries a lot of merchandise from the basement upstairs each week and clears out the sorting area.  He will be greatly missed when we leave.

October 10, 2018--Grandpa turned 98!  Mike, Kalleen, Denise and David helped him celebrate with a birthday luncheon.  He is such an amazing man.  His health is improving.  So thankful he is still part of our lives.  He often calls and encourages us.  We have certainly appreciated his love and support.  We attended our last Zone Conference and shared our parting testimonies.  It was definitely a sad event.  We have loved attending with the young missionaries and hearing about the miracles that are happening in the mission.  Each Zone shares stories of the people they are teaching and baptizing.  It is always so inspiring.  I posted a picture of the mission statistics this month--120 baptisms for the year, 335 scheduled before the end of the year and 1701 have been able to hear about the restoration.  The work rolls on.  We were able to see Sister Mooseman and Sister Baker (Who served with us in San Clemente).  It has been amazing to see how they have grown while serving.  The Carvers shared with us stories from their first mission to the Philippines.  It made me VERY thankful to be serving in the California, Irvine Mission.  We have been exactly where we were needed.  It has been a marvelous place to serve the Lord.

It wasn't my best day at the Thrift Store.  Technology can be fickle.  I have loved using the new cash drawers until today when mine would not connect to the internet so it was extremely frustrating.  We ended up using my lane for cash only so people had to stand in line a long time to pay with a card.  My machine finally started working about 1/2 hour before we had to leave.  We went to San Diego and finished our "boot hunt".  We decided to send all of our boys and older grandsons Marine boots.  When recruits drop out at MCRD, their uniforms are returned and the government sells slightly used boots at greatly discounted prices.  The only problem is retirees can only buy one pair of boots per visit.  So, we have been searching through bins of boots for weeks looking for the sizes we needed for everyone.  The size we need might be there one week and not the next.  We finally found our last pair on Thursday.  It was the cause of celebration.  We included a picture so we can remember the fun we've had searching.

We thought this was our last cake cutting and Couple's Council but we found out they are not changing the time next week.  So, we may return again.  We really enjoy meeting the Marines and their families.  This week we met the Guymons.  The grandparents had lived in Sitka so we talked a lot about Alaska.  They mentioned three of their sons had served missions in Russia.  Then we discovered that their oldest son had served with Gail and Alta in St. Petersburg.  It always surprises me that it is such a small world.  

Sattleys are headed to Utah on Monday for Marcia to see a doctor.  She once had surgery in Provo on her back and she is having more problems so is going to consult with her surgeon.  While they are there they will meet with the Fairhursts who are now supervising the military relations missionaries.  They will also have a farewell lunch with the Sparrows who we have learned to love.  It was fun to review with them what we have learned on our mission so they would be prepared for the meetings.  Charlene Kapololu gave us a sweet farewell gift.  She is so thoughtful.

President Clark called Thursday night wanting to make sure everything was in place for a baptism on Saturday for Aaron Cox and Joseph Prebo.  Unfortunately, marine baptisms are scheduled around training and we never know when they will have leave.  We came up with a plan for an ocean baptism on Saturday night at 5 pm.  But, it didn't happen.  They could not participate that night.

Friday was hard at the San Onofre Office.  It was our last day to work with Julianne.  She has been such a delightful person to associate with.  She is leaving for a full-time position and we will miss her greatly.  Lots of tears.  Our hearts have been knit together.  It was a very slow day and Donna needed to leave on time for an appointment.  So...we had two marines in need at 3:55.  True to her commitment, Donna stayed until they received the assistance the needed.  She is so dedicated to the mission of the Society and caring for the marines.

It rained--no it poured Friday night.  It was glorious!!  It even rained on our way to San Diego.  Our temple trip Saturday morning was for the one.  We had seven initially sign up to go.  But, Spencer Bradley was the only one available to attend.  Sattleys and Kapololus met us at the temple.  It was a very busy session--only three open seats.  I felt an outpouring of the Spirit and it was a wonderful session.  We ate in the temple cafeteria and enjoyed our time with these dear friends.

Sunday morning we thought it might be our first meeting with no marines.  We finally had three show up about 20 minutes late.  They had just been released from their barracks.  We were thrilled to see them walk in.  Elder Halvorsen presented a great Sunday School lesson on the importance of heeding the counsel of prophets.  He reviewed what President Nelson taught last week.  He did an excellent job. We were sorry to miss Grandpa's birthday celebration in Midway.  But, we were thrilled that Scott, Grant, Eric and Boyd's families were all able to be there to celebrate with extended family.  So blessed to have such a terrific family.  We had 49 marines at our evening fireside plus five Elders.  Elder Wells, Arner and VanDyke came to interview the marines who have requested baptism.  We are all praying the baptism will be able to take place on October 20.  If not, they will be able to be baptized at their MOS school in Pensacola.  The work will continue even if we need to pass off these great marines to another set of missionaries waiting in Florida.

October 8, 2018

Woolley's new patio

Phil Woolley

Elder Halvorsen, Phil Woolley and Dianne Woolley

Elder Halvorsen, Sister Halvorsen

Elder Bob Sweetwood and Sister Carol Sweetwood

Graduating Marines 10-4-18

Boathouse at MCRD

Elder Halvorsen on Boathouse Ramp

Dayan Honie and Loren Wright

Loren Wright baptizing Dayan Honie

Dayan Honie with John and Charlene Kapololu

Cafe Rio "reserved table" for Couple's Council

Elder Will Sattley, Sister Halvorsen

Elder John Kapololu,  Sister Charlene Kapololu

Sister Marcia Sattley

October 8, 2018

One month to go--unbelievable.  

On Monday we took our car in to be serviced to make sure it is ready when we pack it up to return home on November 8.  Elder Halvorsen is really diligent is making sure our autos are in good running order.  After the service appointment we stopped by Costco so I could get a hot dog.  Brad loves the Acai Bowls there--hope they have those in Utah.  Bro. Lang's family was in Hawaii so no missionary correlation that night.  I received a beautiful card from Charlene Wells.  She has been a constant source of love and encouragement while we have been serving.  I feel so blessed to have her as a friend.

It was an unusual Tuesday--there were no graduations.  So our main activity that day was sorting at FAM.  We did get an extra treat though.  Dianne Woolley who worked at Basilone Branch when we first arrived was shopping at the store and we got to see her.  The funny thing was her husband Phil had sent us a text earlier that day inviting us to dinner on Wednesday night.  We got a good laugh out of that because we haven't seen them in about a year. 

Wednesday started off terribly.  We were in a huge traffic jam on I-5 south.  So, we were late to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.  That was the first time we have been late since we started working there.  And, as life would have it, the computers were down that morning.  We had five appointments that needed to be checked in before 8:30 am. (usually we have 2 or 3).  So, it was total chaos.  I was teaching Budget for Baby at 10 am and between customers, I had set up the room for four couples.  When I walked in to teach, there were two extra couples.  So, I had to scramble to get more supplies ready.  At the end of the class, I had to leave the room to get gift cards from the safe.  While I was gone, I instructed those in the class to help themselves to an item from the Thrift Store bucket and a blanket as as gift.  After getting the gift cards distributed, I realized the group had been a bit overzealous and took most of the Thrift Store items and additional blankets.  What a day full of surprises.  

As miserable as the day was, the evening was total delight.  We went to the Woolley's home for dinner.  We thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Dianne and Phil and hearing about all of their adventures.  Phil is a motivational speaker and travels around the world for his work.  We loved his stories.  They are such wonderful people.  We feel so blessed to call them friends.

Thursday was filled with special experiences.  Linda, a friend from the Thrift Store, shared with me some medical concerns she was having and asked for our prayers in her behalf.  It was humbling to know that she felt comfortable doing that.  She is a wonderful Christian woman and we pray her body will be healed.

The cake cutting was huge.  There were 10 marines being honored and close to 100 in attendance.  It was a two Costco cake day.  Elder and Sister Sweetwood were in attendance.  I'm not sure we will have the chance to see them again before we leave.  They are an amazing couple and dear friends.  After the cake cutting, many of the group went to the Boathouse on the MCRD grounds to witness Dayan Honie's baptism.  He was baptized by a fellow marine--Loren Wright.  We were so impressed by Dayan's big smile and the joy he radiated.  It was a privilege to be there to witness his baptism.  

After the sweet baptismal experience, we met with our dear friends at Cafe Rio.  Seems like we have a reserved table there for our Couple's Council Meetings.  I think we will only have one more meeting like this.  On October 18 they are going to try having a hot dog luncheon again which interferes with our work at the Thrift Store.  Since the marines graduating that day will arrive at SOI after we leave we will probably not attend.  Makes my heart sad to know this is coming to an end.

On Friday, Elder and Sister Sessions (our replacements) contacted us and we set up a time to talk on Saturday.  At the San Onofre Office, we had the chance to visit with Juliann.  She just got a new job and that may be the last time we see her too.  So many goodbyes coming too quickly.  

Conference weekend was wonderful.  We really enjoyed listening to all of the sessions.  It was a historic conference in that they announced our Sunday block will now be two hours instead of three.  There will now be an emphasis on individual study and  parents teaching their families in the home.  I looked over the new family resource manual and it is fantastic!!  I'm really excited about the resources that have been developed.  We talked for 90 minutes with Elder and Sister Sessions about our mission.  They are very excited and we are thrilled that they will be coming to serve in the California, Irvine Mission.  I'm sure they will do a terrific job.

Sunday we were sad to find out that Matthew Boucher was dropped from the Recon program.  Now he has to wait and see where he will be assigned and what his occupation will be.  We're praying it will be something he enjoys.  He is such a wonderful young man and will be a great marine. We met the new elders assigned to the Basilone Branch--Elder Jones and Elder Bonds--and had them follow us to the chapel. We held our normal meetings at the Basilone Branch and had a great turnout at both of the meetings.  It is a joy serving with these young people.  Enjoyed all of the conference talks.  Many were centered on forgiveness, facing trials, being inclusive, not judging others and taking upon us the name of Christ.  We were very moved by the counsel we received.  So thankful to have a prophet on the earth at this time.  So many are facing difficult struggles in their lives and through Christ we can receive comfort and healing.