Week #46, 21-26 April 2015

The week in the temple was great.  There was a group of Saints from Paris in for the week and they kept us busy.  Many of the sessions were in French and the English had to use headsets, including those officiating.  It was an interesting experience for all of us.   We had a brother from India show up, all on his own, for his first time to the temple.  He gave excitement to our shift and seemed to enjoy his time here.  A young couple also were here for the first time and he is American, Noah David Nelson form Phoenix, Arizona.  You guessed it, he is related to Dad, which makes him related to all of you!  They had a neat conversation in linking up their great grandfathers, etc.

 We were on the early shift, causing us to be out by 2:30 p.m.  We filled the afternoons with chiropractor appointments, shopping, hair cuts, temple session, errands, and such.  Dad took his final driving lesson in preparation in taking the test next week.  We hope for the best.  Wednesday night was a potluck family home evening for our shift to say goodbye to the Davis' since they leave in May.  It was great to be together, visit, and enjoy good food.  Sister Smith wanted to show a couple of You Tube videos but did not know how to get them from her computer to the TV.  She came over on Monday and we used our HDMI cable to get her set up and walked her through how to turn everything on to get her desired result.  She was excited and said her practice later that evening went well.  After family night, a couple of the missionaries talked with Dad and I about this cable we had because they want to watch movies in their flats from computer to TV.  I guess Dad and I are the techno geeks for the group.

The weather was outstanding with days of bright sunshine and warmer temperatures.  I wore sandals on one day and then a sweater the next.  By Saturday it was raining in the am, sunny in the afternoon, and then rain in the pm.  Sunday followed the same pattern.  The trees and shrubs are leafing out and buds are turning into blossoms.  The temple grounds are becoming a lush garden of colorful spendor.
This tree is in front of the lodge and the buds and blossoms were to beautiful to miss.

Thursday night we took the Garrett's to eat at the Siam Orchid in Carshalton.  Dad was fantastic in his driving and the Garrett's were so amazed at how well he maneuvered the narrow streets and one round about after another.  Brother Appleyard is a periodic worker on our shift.

Natalie Green texted on Thursday that she would like to meet us for a drink and to talk.  We set up to do that at Haskins, a garden shop up the road, on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.  We got home from our shift and rested before time to meet her.  Dad said he wanted more than a drink, something more like dinner, and suggested I call her about eating dinner.  I did and she was so excited for the change.  We picked her up and went to T.G.I. Friday, her favorite place to eat.  We enjoyed a delicious meal and conversation.  We thanked her for the invitation to get together and she thanked us for suggesting dinner!

Sunday was a Hi & Bye.  Two couples are leaving and a sister and another couple has arrived.  We enjoyed hearing from them, why they are here, or what they have experienced while being here.  President Irwin sang his traditional made up ditty about each couple leaving.

Left to right:  Danny Rumis, Elder Rumis, Elder & Sister Davis, Sister & Elder Mulholland, Sister Rumis, and Sister Christensen.

The Rumis family is from Belgium.  They are here on a six months mission.  He and their son are doing repairs and maintenance and she is in the kitchen at the temple.  Sister Christensen (other shift) is here for 18 months.  The Davis' (our shift) and Mulholland's (other shift) are going home, Davis' to America and the Mulholland's to Canada.

Sister Davis shared this parable which tells the story of working together, especially in the temple:

A BREAD-MAKING PARABLE

By Nancy Wyatt Jensen

Once there was a baker who wanted to bake a loaf of bread.  He called all the ingredients together and asked them to help.  They all agreed that it would be great to make bread, but you will see how well it worked.

The first time the baker tried to bake bread, the yeast felt inadequate.  She thought of herself as just a coarse, grainy substance, with no spectacular qualifications.  Even when the baker told her that with his mixing and kneading and the help of the sugar and warm milk, she would rise to the occasion, she didn't believe it and wouldn't get in the mixing bowl.  The end result was a flat loaf of bread.  

The second time the baker tried to bake bread, the oil had been thrilled to be asked to participate, but got so busy frying donuts and French fries late the night before, that she slept in and forgot all about getting in the mixing bowl.  The end result was a very tough loaf of bread.  

The third time the baker tried to bake bread, the sugar didn't show up.  She knew that her role was only to support the yeast, and she felt the yeast could easily handle the job of rising by herself.  The end result was a thick and heavy loaf of bread.  

The fourth time the baker tried to bake bread, the salt felt annoyed with her job.  It was a lot of work to spread herself so thin to flavor the entire loaf.  If she had had a better job--or at least one that was more prestigious, like the flour's--she would have happily climbed in the mixing bowl.  The end result was a bitter loaf of bread.  

The fifth time the baker tried to bake bread, the milk was frustrated.  Although she poured herself into her work, no one seemed to notice in the end.  So she stayed in the fridge rather than waste her time and effort.  The end result was a hard, cracked loaf of bread.  

The sixth time the baker tried to bake bread, the flour had already been asked to be in the gravy, the biscuits, the pretzels, and two batches of cookies.  She was sick and tired of doing more than her fair share, so she just plain turned down the request to get in the mixing bowl.  The end result was a glob of goo that didn't remotely resemble bread. 

The seventh time the baker tried to bake bread, the flour, the sugar, the oil, the yeast, the salt, and the milk realized that each of them was essential to the baking of bread.  They each realized that, working together, they were much more than they had been alone.  They each realized their jobs were equally important, although different.  Each finally offered her services in the mixing bowl with a joyful heart and a trust in the baker and his recipe.  The end result was a light and beautiful loaf of bread, much more nourishing, delicious and fulfilling than any of them had imagined.  

From Home:  We were excited to see that Isabel now has her driving permit!  Watch out Tucson!