One of Those Really Good Weeks

Donna, David, Major Smith and Jarred got jobs this week!
I learned how to make Tamales, Guatemalan style and it only took 7 hours!!! Aye!
Derek graduated from Medical School and thanks, to Chad's sending me a video, I got to hear "Dr. Derek Cord Mitchell" called out as he received his diploma!
McKay and Kelci graduated from Richland High School - such great kids!
My companion and I got to take Oscar's relatives visiting from Guatemala to the Spanish Branch, and when we dropped them off, they sent us home with....tamales!  Yum!
Attending the temple....always the spirit and love in the temple.
I am incredibly blessed!

Mother's Day

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new." - Rajneesh

This is my bedroom door with Mother's Day Greetings that I see every time I look up from my "desk".                                                                          Lucky Me!

Small Things to Remember From These Past Two Weeks

This is the design Get Israel screen printed on the front of a t-shirt he gave me.  It says, "The Lord Is My Shepherd" in his native language, Amharic

Scott, a professional who just got his dream job:  "For years I resisted asking LDS Employment for help, but I have come to learn that if you want the Lord's blessings, you have to use the Lord's programs and His servants."

The ripple effect from one member's living the gospel:  While being interviewed by the VP of a successful company, a candidate was asked an illegal question...."Are you a Mormom?"  When the candidate responded that yes, he was, the VP went on to say, "The manager at one of our plants is Mormon and is the hardest working man I know - full of integrity."  The interview was cut short and four days later, this candidate got a job offer.

Receiving an illustrated booklet from Macy and Davis portraying me as a "party-grandmother" whose sleepovers are missed."

The spirit in the Temple.

Karina calling me after she had a miscarriage to come spend a few hours with her.  Praying with her, Oscar, and their sons, Kevin and Joshua and feeling the out-pouring of love from Heavenly Father and the Savior for them and for the little one that is not with them at this time.

Awaiting the birth today of a precious new granddaughter.

Chad's sending prom pictures via text of McKay - so handsome in white!

She was just born...blonde hair and blue eyes..8 pounds and 10 ounces...April and baby are fine...and she's beautiful!

Attending an evangelical church meeting and feeling the spirit witness to the sincerity of a worshiper I looked at and of his love for God.

The experience of the Bible Study Group at Lee Ann's who is not a member of our church but who we feel a kinship with united by our love for Jesus Christ.

Get (pronounced "gate"), Reed, Douglas, Jayme, Wendy, Lindsey, all getting jobs.

Finding a kind note on my desk Monday morning from a former Stake President who is now the Stake Employment Specialist I work with in one of my three stakes.  The timing was perfect!

Legal advice from Chad to help a client.

An email from Pam saying she is going to attend one of our wards today all by herself.

Priesthood.

Calloway Gardens - For the Beauty of the Earth

Our senior missionary outing last week was to Calloway Gardens, a bit south of us.  It was breath taking, but you know I love this kind of thing.  People can actually buy homes there and live in the Gardens!  We just missed the azaleas...they are planted throughout the "forest".  There is something going on there every season...wake board contest in summer...hot air balloons in September...triathalons...fly-fishing school...mystery theater...monarch tagging and more.  A lovely day in a beautiful place with great people.

A Different Kind of Sunday

My friends Karina and Oscar said if I went to their church, they would go to mine, so today I attended Spanish Speaking Services at their Evangelical Church where I was warmly welcomed. My companion was with three of her children who came to town, so this was a good Sunday to spend with one of my favorite families. I understood very little that was said in the services, and it was a very different type of worship, but I felt the devotion of the people to God, and felt a heart full of love for them as my brothers and sisters...and the thought went through my head, "I hope they all have jobs." Oscar told me later that several people were surprised that a Mormon Missionary would attend their church, but Oscar spoke words of truth when he said we are all God's children. He explained to me that the gist of the sermon was preparing to meet Jesus Christ when he comes by being the same person all week that you are on Sunday. The pastor called them to repentance in a loving way. Oscar invited me to go out to lunch with them but when I declined and then explained why, when asked , they changed their plans and we made lunch at their house: carnitas, home-made tortillas, beans, guacamole and grilled scallions. Their sons, Kevin and Joshua are cute little guys who made it such a nice family time together. Karina sent me home with a beautiful apron from San Salvador and a cloth for warming my home made tortillas. It will be several weeks before I invite them to church as next Sunday we are having a special meeting with the Presiding Bishop, yes...I spoke correctly. The next Sunday after that is fast Sunday, the next Sunday after that is Mother's Day, and I want them to hear a regular church meeting, at least that is what I am thinking at this point. We are going to attend the Spanish Branch instead of my English-speaking Brockett Ward.

Scott Kern emailed that he got the Controller position! Great news! Even better - in the interview with the VP he was asked if he was Mormon. When Scott said he was, the VP said that his plant manager in another city is Mormon and the hardest working honest man he knows..... Scott and I agreed that he had to find out that plant manager's name and send him a thank you note for setting such a stellar example!

Highlights

Spring has come early to Georgia - a month early, and with spring, came General Conference. I want to be told what to do by the prophet and the General Authorities. The themes of Faith in Christ, strengthening our precious families, and showing mercy, stood out to me. Much like forget-me-nots started appearing everywhere in church settings after President Uchtdorf's talk in the RS broadcast last September, I suspect the bumper sticker he introduced to us in Conference will as well: "Don't judge me because I don't sin the way you do". "Don't delay - it's getting late", from Elder Holland continues to ring in my ears as well.

Alex, after months of searching and applying for an accountant position, received two offers on the same day, and accepted one. He is a faithful EQ President, and this certainly has been a trial of his faith. Another favorite candidate of mine, Seth, who serves in his branch presidency, was on the verge of being offered branch manager, when he failed the credit check. Oh, that was so disappointing! I am privileged to be working with Damien who recently moved her from Columbia. His passion is marketing but in order to be able to work during the day and get a college education at night, he had to choose Human Resources for a major as Marketing was not offered. He is a stellar individual and quickly, very quickly, rose to the position of Director of Human Resources; however, he now was in a position to pursue his passion, so for the past three years he has worked to position himself to make the change. He moved to the United States, enrolled in an intensive ESL class and learned English, secured all the necessary papers and documents to become a citizen, got a job as a waiter to support himself, and now we are crafting a resume. The challenge is to convince a prospective employer to take a serious look at a candidate who is switching careers, and we are doing that by highlighting the transferable skills he so ably developed in HR.

My dear Karina had a miscarriage and we were all very very sad. There is only One who can replace sadness with joy. When we knelt in prayer, Oscar and Karina could feel the love Heavenly Father has for each of them, their sweet family, and for this little one that for now is not coming. A turning point

Fasted with Jaya for Heavenly Father's guidance as she struggles to move ahead with her plans to finish her last year of med school.

A fervent prayer was answered for Catherine, a recent convert who has suffered abuse her entire life. Her father, who is near death, rallied and had the clarity of mind to insist that Catherine be given title to her car. She has made the payments and needs it to get to work;however, since her parents were co-signers on the loan, they insisted the car be put in their name...now that has been remedied.

I have felt so much joy and gratitude at the blessings my family members are receiving back home....from the little ones to the big ones, and those in between. I also love the pictures, notes, calls, emails, and skypes I receive.

Senior Missionary Outing to Cyclorama

On a Saturday earlier this month Elder and Sister Gibson picked us up to go to the Cyclorama at the Atlanta Zoo where we met up with most of the missionary couples serving in our mission for our monthly outing. The 16,000 sq. foot painting standing 40' high depicts the Battle of Atlanta and was very impressive, but the truly amazing part was that the audience rotated around the painting while a narrative played, telling the story of this battle that was the turning point in the Civil War. The painting was originally commissioned for $1100 as a campaign "poster" for a military officer planning to run for the presidency. The "would be candidate", after surviving the war, died of pneumonia two weeks before the painting was finished, so he never even saw it. Today, that painting is worth $23 million. Before finding a permanent home here on the grounds of the Atlanta Zoo, it was transported on wagons after being rolled into sections and displayed throughout the south. After leaving Cyclorama twelve of us tried to eat at Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles, but there was an hour and a half wait. The restaurant was located in a seedy section of Atlanta, which surprised us. "No weapons" was etched on the window! We opted for Plan B and went to The Varsity across from the Georgia Tech Campus. It is a famous Burger and Fry place...I enjoyed the company, but the food was not that great. These days I am used to wheat berry chili, baked sweet potatoes, almond peanut butter, home-made pizza made with a coconut flour crust, and lots of salads....but I am not strange!