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!

Adventures With Nana

This is my friend and client, Nana, the daughter of the former Ambassador of New Guinea. We invited her to lunch and let her choose the place...."Bahama Breeze" complete with a steel drum band! Macy would appreciate that....I enjoyed the music, the food, but mostly I enjoyed Nana. She grew up in a privileged world of chauffeurs, servants, obeisance paid to her, the best schools, living all over the world...everything. She graduated from college, married an internationally famous soccer star, had a child, adopted a child, divorced, and built a $60K a week real estate business that came crumbling down in 2008. Nana is a wonder, and is working very hard providing for her children. She is a devoted conscientious mother. She is also a truth seeker and invited us to attend a Bible study class she attends Monday evenings at a friend's house 30 miles away. I asked her if she would get permission first if two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints could come. It was fine.This from my journal: ….Sister P and I had dinner and dashed out the door a little before 6:30 to head for Bible study in Dacula at Lee Ann’s. Lee Ann met us at the door and after greeting us asked what church we belonged to. I responded, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” and she said, the Mormons? Yes, I said. She said that when Nana asked if we could come she misunderstood who we were and that she was Christian. I said, “Great, we are too”. She said she had a difference of opinion with us, so I asked if she would feel more comfortable if we did not stay. She was gracious and said that we were welcomed to come in and join them. As we went in and sat down and met Timi, her friend, there was such a good spirit present, and we could readily see that these were two good women, and that LeeAnn was devoted to learning about and becoming like the Savior. She sacrifices each week to study and prepare a handout so we can learn too. At one appropriate point in response to a question I was asked directly, I was able to bear my witness and testimony of the Savior and His Divinity. I felt the Spirit and I hope and pray the others did as well. I had put three copies of the Book of Mormon in my purse, but left them right where they were. We had a great discussion centering on Joseph of Egypt. At the end of the evening, LeeAnn invited us to return next Monday if we wished, and we do. Nana has never studied the Bible, so she is eager to learn. We had prayed that Heavenly Father would use us and lead us to someone who would accept the gospel. Now, we pray we will do all the things necessary to be humble, to study and learn and be prepared to share the gospel so truth will be recognized and received.

Please pray for us, Nana, LeeAnn and Timi.

Preferred Mode of Winter Travel in Peach Tree City, GA

We just returned from teaching a two day workshop in one of our favorite places...Peachtree City, GA. I am sure I have told you that this is a community designed by Delta pilots, and it is beautiful....and golf carts are everywhere! We had seven people in our workshop: Patrick Carlson, Laura Ellsworth, Chris Elliott, Drew Tolbert and his mother, Angela, and Peter McDonough. Junior Bogle and Cindy Trull came last night for the individual session. We were pleased and learned a great deal ourselves as Laura is a very talented knowledgeable individual who has worked in state government and excelled, moving right up the ladder to be a Division Manager. Patrick, for the longest time wanted to work for the State Department, but now is changing his focus to business. Chris does not have his GED, is 38 years old, and a talented landscaper and kitchen manager. He is the candidate that actually got an interview from the cold calls he did today! Drew is preparing to go on a mission and is a Math whiz. Angela sells Mary Kay cosmetics and is delightfully funny and positive, and....full of faith and goodness. Peter is an aspiring History teacher who works with the scouts and turned his pinewood derby into the U.S.S. Hunley, (Confederates) which was the first combat submarine used to sink an enemy warship which broke the Union's blockade at Charleston, South Carolina during the Civil War. The most satisfying aspect of the Career Workshop for me is being able to extend to them the promise the Lord makes to them in D&C 104 where He says that He made the earth; it is his; there is enough and to spare; and it is his purpose to provide for his saints. It is a comforting hopeful promise....if these candidates to their part by paying their tithing and work hard to find a job, including learning how to be an effective job search, they will have the employment they need. God does not lie. It means a great deal to me to be able to extend His promise to these good people who we grow very fond of in two short days. We had such great support from Brother Phillips, who opened up on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., helped us set up, checked on us at 7:00 Tuesday night, and returned today at 4:00 to help us take down. Brother Downs, the High Councilor over Employment stopped in Tuesday morning to see how we were doing as well. It is such a great life surrounded by wonderful people!

Andy (Gao Yang) is Baptized!

Last night Sister Peterson and I drove to Suwanne for Andy's baptism. This all started when he came into the Employment Center for assistance. The first step in this most important choice. He was so excited....he came through the door from the font and said, "Yes"! He called his parents last night by radio and told them the news and they were supportive. We drove back up today for his confirmation and ordination to the priesthood as a priest. On March 10 he will be going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. He is in good hands. Have I bragged on Andy before? He is simply stellar and will be returning to Beijing after a year or two to settle there and raise his family where he will be a great contributor to building up the church in China...of that I am sure. He said he would come to Washington for a visit...wouldn't that be nice. My family would love him!

This is the much better entry I wrote in my journal shortly after meeting Andy: Andy is from Beijing China and at 23 has an International MBA. He has received many honors academically, was on a team that built an intelligent car that won an Engineering competition, was the captain of his college basketball team, and was the Outstanding Stadium Volunteer for the Beijing Olympic Games. Besides all of that, he is just a very nice young man. While we were working on his resume and researching career opportunities he asked me twice how he could go about joining our church. I learned he has had missionary discussions before, so I was not sure why he had not been baptized. Andy also asked me if members paid money to the church, so the topic of tithing was discussed. Andy is very concerned about having money to care for his parents but was reassured that sacrificing in faith would secure him the blessings he needed. Saturday night after speaking with the Bishop of the ward he was assigned to geographically, about 30 miles away, I learned he had been taught by the missionaries before he returned to China for a visit; however, the Bishop suggested he attend the YSA Branch. I called the Branch President who said the members of his branch would rally around Andy. We invited Andy to meet us at the YSA Branch Sunday morning and he agreed. By the way, the Branch President frequently travels to China on business. Also in the Branch are the two daughters of Bishop Tam who speaks Cantonese. Long story short, Andy had his first missionary discussion last Thursday evening and will have a second this week with a fellow branch member present who is a returned missionary from Taiwan. Andy says he feels like joining the church is what he should do and is the message he should be sharing with his parents and friends. I like to think that this process will be one that finds him one day playing a pivotal role in the growth of the church in China.

Guatemalan Tamales and Gracias Prayers

This is one of Oscar and Karina's famous homemade tamales, Guatemalan style. Filled w/chicken and a mole sauce that is incredible; but even more incredible than their tamales are these wonderful people. They stopped by the other night for a visit for their "Family Night". They were both baptized as children in Guatemala but now attend another denomination. Oscar sends money back to Guatemala to help build his church at home. Even though they struggle at times, he says he is rich and makes too much not to share. I have given them a Book of Mormon in Spanish along with a subscription to the Liahona in Spanish, and the Friend in English. At the end of their visit last week, Oscar asked if he could pray with us. He offered his prayer in Spanish and we understood every fourth or fifth word - - "gracias". She is going to teach me how to make this delicious dish next Saturday.

Sister Lapin called me Friday....Yang Gao is going to be baptized next Saturday evening in the Sugar Hill Stake Center. I am thrilled! I feel as though he has a great work to perform in China in building Heavenly FAther's kingdom...he is such an incredibly bright and accomplished young man.

Last night Laurinda invited Sister P and I for Indian food as a sort of "going away" celebration for Darlene Anderson. who is leaving tomorrow for San Antonio to finish her last year of medical school. She is the daughter of an Asian woman and a Swedish father. She is the youngest of 9 children and the only one with red hair...all of her siblings have dark hair. Her paternal grandmother thought her mother had been unfaithful, so she tried to drown Darlene in the toilet. Darlene joined the church several years ago and has quite a story to tell. She is a strong woman who is fearlessl

Daryl, the Regional Director of LDS Employment asked me to join him in working with Herbert Lowe, an extremely talented honorable man who is essentially a "hired gun" in Marketing. He has worked nationally and internationally with names like Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's, Athlete's Foot, etc. Since Daryl was out of the office when Herb came in, I was able to do intake and get to know him a bit, then was pleased to join in the meeting he had with Daryl. I learned so much. When you get to his level, you create your job: research companies that have problems you have the expertise to solve, make some friends there (LinkedIn), meet the person with authority to hire, and demonstrate to him you can solve his "pain". Daryl gave me some assignments relative to this, and I am on them!

Received sweet notes from several grandchildren this week, emails from some of my children, and phone calls from others. My sweet friend Pamela and her son Steve sent me a lovely Valentine package. They are coming for Thanksgiving this year which means we will finally meet. She used to be Chad's secretary when he was with Kirkland and Ellis in Chicago...a very special lady. My Christmas cards finally came off my door and now Valentines are up!

I am finding healthy recipes and was surprised to see that the pizza dough I made from high fiber coconut flour, flax meal and herbs was delicious. A must to bake it on parchment however so it can be flipped. Fresh veggies on top and it is a keeper.

Another one of our Career Workshop attendees got a job, plus one other individual. There are promising leads several others are working on. I am grateful.

One Of Those Satisfying Weeks

This has been one of those weeks that make you grateful to be alive simply for small blessings that have come my way: my girls, which includes Bonnie, got together Friday for lunch on the occasion of the three February birthdays, one of my stellar candidates got a job, Lina in Utah translated Adomas' Riauka's letter to me written in Lithuanian, I think I have once and for all overcome something I have been struggling with for my entire mission, I have decided to establish a practice of fasting every four days as that is about as long as I can go before the sturdy natural woman in me begins to make herself known, and I completed my assignment by giving my talk today in Sacrament meeting. I wrote four different talks, the last one begun at 3 this morning, so I am immensely glad that is behind me. Besides the pressure of the responsibility of just saying what Heavenly Father wants me to say, I had to be certain it met all of the criteria I learned in the Bishopric's class last Fast Sunday. Yesterday afternoon I was feeling as though what I had written was all wrong as there was absolutely that deadness of feeling when the spirit is absent, and I couldn't understand why...still don't know, as I thought I would have MORE of the spirit because of overcoming something that has been a challenge to me. When I prayed I received no answer why I was receiving no answer, so there was nothing to do but give it my best effort, go to bed and awake at 6:30 to try again. It felt better in the morning so off I went, and now it is behind me and I am at peace and grateful for all my many blessings.

The Oak Tree

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.
Then snapped its boughs
and pulled its bark
until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around.
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing, Oak?"

The Oak Tree said, I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see
they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn't sure
of just how much I could endure.
But now I've found with thanks to you,
I'm stronger than I ever knew.