Soldiers Video

Soldiers Video

Click on the title above to see a very cool video that I shot at a graduation last week.  Here are the words:
                     The Soldier's Creed
I am an American Soldier
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values.

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough,
trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy
the enemies of the Undited States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

Latter-day Soldiers

Here are a couple of our faithful soldiers sitting at the sacrament table.  I love it when they give talks in Sacrament Meeting and take care of the sacrament.

Here we are eating lunch after sacrament meeting.  The full-time elders are with us sometimes, as well as a soldier's wife and the wife of a deployed soldier.  The deployed soldier's wife teaches some of our lessons for Priesthood/Relief Society. 

Set My Feet A Dancing

We attended a party last night that celebrated 24 years of the Fellowship House.  They are a group of volunteers (not unlike senior missionaries) who support the soldiers on Fort Eustis.  They are connected to the Protestant Worship Services and provide concerts, fellowshipping, and relaxation, along with promoting Jesus in the lives of those soldiers who want to participate.  We had a nice dinner then stayed to see some of the entertainment.  We were delightfully entertained.  Part way through I realized that the little camera that I had with me could take videos.  So I got a little, even though it is not very clear.  I thought y'all would enjoy some of this "rocking music" as well.  In case you can't understand the words of this fun lady, she is singing a song that she wrote. "Holy Ghost set my feet a dancin'; Holy Ghost thrilled me through and through;  Holy Ghost set my feet a dancin', and set my heart a dancing too!"   She is accompanying herself of the Autoharp.

Ezekiel Saw the Wheel

This was from the same concert.  "Ezekiel saw the wheel, Way up in the middle of the air, Ezekiel saw the wheel, way in the middle of the air.  The little wheel ran by faith, the big wheel ran by the grace of God...............Now there's one thing that you can't do, (Way in the middle of the air), That's serve the Lord and the devil too......

Newsletter Success

     Last week we delivered nearly 40 letters to the chaplain to get to our soldiers.  We decided that we needed to have more contact with our soldiers, especially the ones that we meet on their first day, then never see again till graduation.  So we wrote the first edition of our newsletter, "Latter-day Soldiers".  Then I added a personal note to each soldier, according to his situation, inviting him/her to join us on Sundays.
     We were delighted to see three soldiers who appeared to be attending on Sunday because of the newsletter.  
     First is a returned missionary who just needed to get better organized and do his laundry and stuff at times other than Sunday during church.  He always has good intentions and a little nudge in his direction made a difference.
     Second is a new member who was baptized in Basic Training, so he  barely knows what the Church is about.  He came out for a while, but we hadn't seen him since November. He needs to have the new member lessons taught to him.  He has helped with the blessing of the Sacrament but needs more teaching before he can advance in the Priesthood.
     Third is a man who was baptized 3 days before he left home.  He knows very little about the Church and wasn't even sure if he held any priesthood.  We were able to contact his bishop and learn that he had been ordained a Priest at the time of his baptism.  His wife had been a less active member and is becoming more involved in their home ward.  The bishop was happy to know that  he will be getting some teaching here.  The soldier said that he was nervous about trying to do anything with the sacrament because he didn't know what to do.  We told him that we can arrange for him to learn all of that and he seemed pleased.
     Today at In-Processing we asked for any church members or anyone "interested" to raise their hands.  One man raised his hand.  We took him aside and learned that he is a non-member who had an LDS "battle buddy" in Basic that he attended meetings with.  He was very impressed with what he saw and with the missionaries that he met.  He wants to learn more.  Since we only have about 3 minutes to talk with these soldiers in this situation, we get their contact information and give them ours.  We will follow up with him and hope that he can attend church on Sunday so we can introduce him the the full time Elders.  He seemed very sincere and genuinely interested.   It was such a cool experience.
     We've been kind of sad as we've seen some of our most faithful soldiers graduate and move on, wondering if we would get anyone to take their places.  Some of those holes are being filled and we are excited. What a great experience to work with people at all levels of faith and experience.  What a joy to see people choose righteousness in challenging situations.
     I am always encouraged when soldiers have the courage to raise their hands and identify themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We sometimes know which soldiers to look for, as we receive emails from missionaries at other military bases.  Some soldiers don't raise their hands and don't step forward.  Are they afraid of the reaction of their peers?  Are they in the Army to get away from church? Sometimes.  Once in a while we get a soldier who raises his hand and as we talk with him it becomes obvious that he has no idea who we are, or thought we represented a different group, so he isn't really that interested.   Some, like today, know who we are and are glad to be invited to join us.

     If we are here to make a difference in the life of only one soldier, it is worth the sacrifice.

    
 

Stripling Warriors, Chaplains, and the Title of Liberty

 We had a nice visit with one of the chaplains last week.  He is quite helpful and we work with him  often.  In our visit he said, "I'm sure you've noticed how the army officials 'tolerate' our presence.  It seems like they are always trying to figure out what our 'agenda' is."  It was a revelation to me.  I thought it was just our (LDS) presence that the chaplains and army officials were questioning.  I didn't realize that any and all religious presence on the base is a threat to so many people.  He related how they sometimes have to be a bit pushy and demand the rights of the soldiers to have religion in their lives, in spite of the officials who wish chaplains would go away.  If a soldier wishes to go to church they can't deny him that right - unless he is in trouble and being disciplined.  Some of  the less experienced soldiers don't understand this rule, and often get intimidated to not attend church activities.
     Chaplain B also mentioned what a mess the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule is going to be for chaplains.  Some of the trouble that will come is obvious.  But he said that because of his own personal religion, he is not allowed to work with another chaplain who claims to be "gay".  What will the army do with a chaplain who refuses to work with a gay chaplain?  That would probably be against the law.  Ahhhh! What a mess!
     It was refreshing to talk with this man who is doing the best he can for these soldiers, and see the respect that he gives us, to do the same. 
     The Lord's work goes forth.  May we continue to appreciate our soldiers who fight for this right, in our free land.  Our soldier PFC M spoke of Moroni and the Title of Liberty in his talk on Sunday.  It is so cool to hear our soldiers talk of the soldiers in the scriptures and relate how the Lord's work can go forth only when there are people willing to fight for that religious freedom.
     It might be interesting to note that the two soldiers we were taking pictures of here never did attend any of our meetings.  We show up at their graduations whether they were active or not, and take pictures of this special occasion, then send the pictures to them.  When this is the case, they are surprised to see us, but always seem pleased to have someone there to represent their "family".  You can see by the smiles that this is a positive thing.  (Click on the picture to see more clearly) Top picture: the soldier farthest right in back.  Bottom picture: second from left.  We ask if it is OK to take these pictures for them, and also if there are any buddies they want pictures with.  We always feel good when we have made them happy, and represented The Church in doing so.  We feel that this is part of our special calling, to help them have a positive experience with the church.

Our Chapel

This is the chapel that we use for Sunday Services.  Instead of using that table to teach from, we use a wooden pulpit similar to one  you would use in Primary, wheeled over in front below those stairs.  We also don't use the drum set.  Elder Elkins plays the electric piano for our music.  The cross that is hanging in front is a nice work of art done in stained glass.  We were told that we could remove it for our services, if we wanted, but we told them that it wouldn't bother us to have it there, and we didn't want it to get broken.

Here are the windows along the sides of our chapel.  Someone did some nice stained glass a few years ago.  The wreaths were for Christmas. This is a pretty nice building, that we are glad to use, especially since our group used to meet in a basement.  This is not the main chapel on base, but is the "chapel annex", another building. 

One of the windows in the chapel annex.

This is the restroom door in the back of the chapel annex.

Here's what you see when you open that grey door.

Looking from the inside out, you can see that the ladies have one door and the men have another, but they use the same sinks.  Interesting set-up.

CANCELLED CHURCH!

    The storm that flooded California, Nevada, and Arizona is now in the East in the form of snow.  I just went out and measured 12 1/4 inches so far and it is supposed to keep snowing a few more hours.  Church was cancelled, so we didn't have to get out on the road.  People do not know how to drive in weather like this so the roads are really dangerous.  It is nice to stay home where it is warm and cozy and watch the snow fall.  Next week it is supposed to be in the 50's.  This is an interesting winter.

    We just watched some people making a snowman.  They made a large mound of snow, about 3-4 feet high, then carved the snowman "ball" shape into it before adding twigs for arms.  I've never seen anyone make a snowman with that method.   Do the people out here not know how to roll balls and stack them?  Hmmm.

We made a snow lizard on our car.

Did the geese come for a nice skating spree on our lake?

MISSION CONFERENCE

     Yesterday we spent a wonderful day at a Virginia Richmond Mission Conference.  There were lots of musical numbers by various missionaries, and even the Mission President and his family.  We were taught some great truths by President Perry and his 2 "Assistants to the President".  It was all very sweet and spiritual.  When it started, the assistant who conducted told us that throughout the day we would laugh, and cry, and feel The Spirit.  It was all true.  We were fed a wonderful meal by the Stake Relief Society ladies, and our spirits were fed too.
     One of the lighter moments was when it was announced that the next musical number would be by the Virginia Beach District, singing "O Holy Night".  So they all stood where they were, in the congregation and grabbed their hymn books.  The pianist had a funny look on his face, and the announcer realized he had made a mistake.  He got back up and said, "Oops! Wrong district!  The Chesapeake District will now sing for us."  The Virginia Beach district looked visibly relieved and sat down.  The Chesapeake District then went up to the front and sang the song that they had practiced. The really funny thing was that the Virginia Beach District was going to do it.  They were all looking in the hymn book for the song, but it's not in there.  We laughed about that one for the rest of the day.
     The senior missionaries (at a fun senior missionary Family Home Evening activity) had put together some stockings for the younger Sisters and Elders so we were able to present those at the end of the conference.  It was fun.  The stockings, goodies and gifts had been gathered by the Relief Societies all over the mission.  I'm sure we got some of them wrong too.  Some Elder is going to find some pink fuzzy socks in the bottom of his stocking and some Sister will undoubtedly find some nice black dress socks.  Oh well.  We did the best we could.
     When we were stuffing all those black dress socks into the stockings for the Elders, I couldn't help but think, "It's too bad that I don't have time to write 'sock notes' for all of them."  When my kids went on missions, they found little personal notes in their socks.  It was a fun thing for me to do, to let them know that they were loved.  There were a few  Christmas stockings from one ward that did have notes written by Primary children.  Too bad all the wards didn't think of it. 
     We plan to have one set of Elders over for dinner tomorrow evening on Christmas.  That should be fun.

Flooding?

     It is interesting to read of FLOOD WARNINGS in our hometown in Nevada.  Six years ago we were evacuated from our home but were fortunate to not have any damage to our house.  The flood went through our yard and our shed, but sandbags at the basement windows kept the water out of the house.  We can read of the warnings but can't do anything about it except wonder.  Will the worst happen, or will it all wash downstream this time?  100% chance of rain in Caliente is pretty rare, but that's what the weather reports say for the next couple days. 
     Here in Yorktown today it felt quite nice in the 40s, warmed up from the 20s and 30s that we've had this past week. There is still a little snow on the ground in the shadows.  The lake looks almost thawed out.  We'll see what the rest of December brings, along with Christmas.
     We feel almost lazy this week because our soldiers are all gone home for Christmas.  The base clears out for a couple weeks for a "block leave" they call "Exodus".  We attended a regular ward on Sunday because we had no one to teach.  It felt weird not taking lunch to church with us.
     It was cool to be in attendance in this regular ward.  They sustained a new member of the bishopric.  It just happened to be our friend Seth Holloway, that we knew from Caliente.  Sherri said it was like having family in the ward with us sitting there in the congregation.  It sure felt like home to us.  How fun to raise a hand to sustain someone that you know and love.   The world gets smaller all the time.

Snow in Virginia

Here's our frozen lake with a layer of snow on top.  32 degrees here is a lot colder than 32 in Nevada, especially when the wind is blowing!

A Disappointing Day

     A few weeks ago one of the chaplains told us that a meeting was held and it was decided that the Protestant Group which meets before us in the Chapel Annex would hold a lunch for the soldiers at 11:00 on Dec. 12, and wanted to know if our group would like to join them.  Our services are scheduled for that building from 11:00 to 1:00.  Since it didn't appear that we had any choice, we graciously accepted the invitation to be included and asked what we could do to help.  They said they'd let us know.
     A couple weeks later we asked what we needed to do and they said the committee was going shopping the next day, and they would let us know.
     Last week we came early and ran into one of the ladies on the committee and asked what we could bring or do.  She said it was all planned but, um, would we like to bring a dessert?  So I said that we would.  We said that we had announced it to our soldiers and planned to attend.
     So we reminded our soldiers to all come at 11:00 today for the lunch.  We didn't know how long it would last, or take to clean up, so we would hold a short sacrament meeting afterwards, if it worked out, with Elder Elkins as the speaker. 
     So we arrived shortly before 11:00 today and when we walked in, we were dismayed to see that the dinner was pretty much over and they were starting to clean up!  A couple people said, "We thought you were coming, where were you?"  We stated that we had been told that the lunch was going to be at 11:00 so that is what we told our men, and planned on.  (Who has a turkey and ham dinner and finishes by 11:00am anyway?!!)
     So a few of our soldiers and the full-time elders showed up after us, and we scraped together enough left-overs to feed them.  It was embarrasing and disappointing.  A couple of the people apologized but I was pretty unhappy with the whole situation. 
     It is kind of typical of the treatment we get from some of the people on the base.  I know they didn't tell us the wrong time on purpose, but they sure didn't go out of their way to include us in any plans, after announcing that they were using our time slot!
     I'm almost over it now, almost calmed down.
     Next time I will double check everything. 

Missionary Mail

Here are a couple examples of the mail that missionaries receive and love.

Working with the Chaplains

See the pretty trees around "our lake".

Our Christmas tree and a bear, of course.  :)

     This past couple weeks have been very challenging.  In an effort to try and give the LDS soldiers a nice Thanksgiving Day, we tried to arrange a nice day for those who didn't have the opportunity to go home.  Some did go home, but many can't afford to fly home at Thanksgiving, and then a month later for Christmas.  (The weather was bad for flying that week anyway.)
     We tried to arrange for some of the soldiers to go to homes of LDS memers for the day.  So we asked for permission to do this.  One person told us that it would be better to use families of service members that live on the base so that we wouldn't have to worry about how to get them to the homes.  Then we were told that was not allowed, because it would be "fraternizing" if these soldiers ended up in an officer's home.  So we then pursued finding non-military families off post.  We were told that we could do that if we gave the names of the families so that background checks could be done on the heads of families.  But they would not be able to be picked up by the family because none of these soldiers in training are allowed to ride in a POV (privately owned vehicle).  They could hire a taxi, for $20 one-way, but not get in anyone's car. 
     Well, we didn't have enough time for these background checks, and the transportation was a problem.  So we thought we would have a dinner at the church in town.  The only reasonable way to get them to the church is to have someone with a military drivers license volunteer to drive an army van.  The person who sometimes does this for us was unavailable for Thanksgiving, due to family travel plans.
     So we thought OK, our last resort is to have a dinner on post, in the building that we use for church services.  Travel would not be an issue because the soldiers could walk to it.  So we formally asked for permission to use the building that day.
     After the request passed from one person to another, it ended up on the head chaplain's desk.  He called us and formally denied our request.  He said that since all chaplains would be off duty that day, he couldn't allow us to use that building and have an event there, "in case something happened, and a chaplain was needed".  So we gave up. 
     Next year we will start earlier if we decide to pursue the "Adopt A Soldier" program.  The thing is that we want our soldiers to go to LDS homes so that they can relax in an acceptable atmosphere - not to just any home that might volunteer. 
     This week we got a call about a problem in the Chapel Annex that we use.  The furnace broke and it was thought to be dangeous to use because of a gas leak.  We were pleased to note that the chaplains had already arranged for another place for us to hold our meetings.  We felt that they were being very helpful and we appreciated their efforts.  Later we got another call saying that the building has been cleared and that we can use it after all.  It was a good week though, knowing that they do want to help us carry out our purposes.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

     One night after we were asleep, about 11:30pm the phone rang.  It was one of our soldiers.  He is one of the few who has a family staying in the area.  His wife was having some problems and he asked us to go check on her.  He could talk with her on the phone, but couldn't leave base and was worried about her and their baby.  So we quickly dressed and drove about 5 miles to their apartment.  We found them to be fine, but she was scared to be alone that night because of some unusual circumstances.  So we bundled up the sleeping 6-month-old baby and took the two of them home with us.  She slept on our couch, and baby on the floor nearby.  It worked out, and we were glad to help.  The crisis passed and all was fine.
     This week we attended the graduation of the only female soldier that has attended church since we got here.  We only saw her one Sunday.  So when we walked into the graduation and she saw us, her face lit up and she exclaimed, "I DO have someone here!"  Few of the graduating soldiers are fortunate enough to have family members attend.  She was so pleased that we would support her in that manner.  We took pictures to send to her.  It was a good feeling to represent her family.
     Last Sunday we had homemade stew, bread, and chocolate chip cookies.  It was funny when I brought out the food, they were so excited about the home baked cookies that they started grabbing those first.  One soldier said, "Hey, you can't eat the cookies before the dinner!"  Another soldier said, "My mother's not here."  A third soldier said, "Besides, it has been a long time since my mother has been able to tell me what to eat, anyway!"  They ate their fill of stew and bread, then cookies for dessert again. 
     Today we had Shepherd's Pie, rolls, and pies for dessert.  We always have a Chaplain Assistant who is present in the background who helps us set up and clean up, and is the "official chaplain presence" in the building.  We usually invite them to eat with us, but they always decline.  Today, the Assistant couldn't resist the Shepherd's Pie.  He took a little bit, then came back for seconds.  Ha ha.  I loved it.
     Today we took a soldier to the AT&T store to solve a problem with his phone.  Normally we can't take the soldiers anywhere, but because of the Thanksgiving holiday, he had a special pass.  He had to go in the mall to get to the phone store to solve his problems.  So we were feeling pretty weird walking through the mall in our missionary clothes on a Sunday. I debated about taking my name tag off, but decided to leave it on.  As we were standing there waiting for him, a young lady said, "Hey, what does your name tag say?"  So I walked closer for her to read it.  She said, "I've been looking for you.  I need to know how to find the church so that I can start attending. It's been a long time and I want to get out of the situations I'm in now."  She looked like a really nice girl, not like she was in very bad trouble.  So we took her phone number and told her that we would have someone get back to her.  We felt much better about being in the mall.
     When Elder Elkins was set apart as the Military Group Leader, the Stake President said in the blessing that he would know why he is here, "in the next 10 days".  We thought that was an interesting thing to say.  That was 11 days ago.  So what have we learned?  It is mostly that "We are here for the soldiers." They each have unique needs and circumstances.  Some need Priesthood blessings.  Some need a father figure.  Some need a friend.    Some need a place to get away from the Army for a couple hours once in a while.  All need to feel The Spirit.  We fill many different needs and it is great to help the Lord's children when they need us.  We will also be getting to know people at other military bases in the area, to make our presence (the Church) known.  We are so blessed.
     One soldier announced today that his wife gave birth to their 4th child on Thanksgiving Day.  He was planning to be home for the planned C-Section on Dec. 10, but for some reason they had to do it early.  He was sad to not be there for her but glad that mom and baby are OK. 
     We had a dinner with other senior missionaries on Saturday.  There were 3 couples in attendance who serve the military.  It was interesting to learn that even with the same calling, our mission duties are vastly different because of the different situations we are in.

Jumping In

Elder and Sister Elkins, Sister and Brother Lord, Elder and Sister DeLaney

 Yesterday I was thinking. 
     You know how, when as a youth, you go to the swimming pool with your friends.  They all jump in and start having fun.  You stand there at the deep end, wanting to jump but knowing that the water will be cold and quite a shock at first.  As a younger person you would have waded in from the shallow end, but you now know that it isn't any easier than getting it over with all at once. 
     So you hold your breath and close your eyes and with a rush of adrenalin you jump.  It was just as you expected, a cold shock!  Success!  You did it!    In a few short moments the water feels good and you join your friends for fun and games.  It was worth it.
     Just as you are starting to have fun, you look around and see the lifeguards packing up to leave.  Do you still feel safe?  Will you survive without their guidance?  But you know how to swim and you aren't completely alone after all.  Isn't this why you took all those swimming lessons?  You take another deep breath and swim...


     Our lifeguards left this week.  Our trainers, mentors, and friends.  The missionary couple we are replacing completed their 18 months and left for home.  It was a bittersweet moment for us, seeing their joy and longing to see grandchildren, yet knowing that it's our turn to serve. 
     I have felt like we jumped into the deep end by embarking on this senior mission.  Yet, we do know that we aren't completely alone and we do know how to serve.  The water is getting more comfortable and we are loving everything that we learn. 
     We had no idea that we could love people so fast as we do these soldiers.  They are like our own sons.  We understand their fear.  We feel their longing for family.  We feel the anticipation of the unknown.  We swell with pride when they succeed and overcome.  They are the reason we are here.
It is worth it.

Way to Go Mom!

A touching scene at the graduation yesterday.  This little girl gave her mom a big thumbs up when she graduated from her AIT training.  The graduation speaker told how much the soldiers appreciate the support and prayers of families. Our soldiers sacrifice much for us.

Magnificent Show

We are official now!

Monday and Tuesday of this week we attended SCTC Training. (Support Cadre Training Course) It is required of all personnel who work or do anything with the soldiers on the base. Our instructor had a heavy Spanish accent (seemed kind of funny since he claimed 22 years in the US Army). After we got used to his accent it was easier to understand his words, but he still had funny sentence structure or words at times. The course was about rules, laws, offices, reporting, sexual harassment, suicide prevention, punishment, and all things to do with soldiers. Most of those in attendance were platoon leaders, so we were the odd people there. Most things didn’t apply to our job, but it was interesting to learn what the soldiers have to deal with.


After Family Home Evening, on Tuesday,  Private G___ asked for a blessing because of his big tests coming up. He asked Elder Elkins to give it. It was special and sweet. What a privilege to help these young men, and see their faith.

A new soldier had also asked for a blessing but didn’t stay around long enough on Sunday for it. Two returned missionary soldiers in his unit were asked to give him the blessing. It is also sweet to see this happen, soldiers supporting each other in the gospel.

After lunch we went to the base chapel and met the Garrison Chaplain, Colonel Garrison. (funny name for that position) We were impressed with him, and he was very gracious about our position and the LDS people. He told us about his brother who is an active LDS member. They have a good relationship with each other, and that sure helps us! It will be good to work with him.

Friday the mission cell phone was turned over to us. Elder DeLaney showed Bryan all of the forms on the computer, and Sister DeLaney explained lots of other paperwork to me so that we could completely take over now. They are really getting excited about going “home”, and we are glad to be here to continue the work.

Sunday there were eleven soldiers in attendance, including one female soldier. Private F__ taught the RS/Priesthood lesson and did a great job. He mentioned that he has 4 children and another on the way. He said that sometimes when he feels like quitting, and when he is doing push-ups or other hard things, he can almost hear his children saying, “Come on Dad, you can do it!” He told about a drill sergeant who got really mad at him because he refused to swear, even when ordered to do so. He said that the soldier was “forcing his religion” on him by not swearing. Private F__ explained that he was raised like that, and he wanted to set a good example for his own son. The drill sergeant swore that he would get him to curse by the end of Basic Training. (he didn’t) Times like that he said he would think of a Primary song to get the bad feelings out of his mind.

Fast and testimony meeting was wonderful. Elder DeLaney was conducting so he spoke of leaving soon and how much they have loved serving here. The soldiers bore their testimonies also of how much they appreciate the Military Relations Missionaries, and how much it helps them. Private A__ choked up when he said how much he appreciated all that the military missionaries do for the soldiers. Private T__ said that thinking of the beautiful wife that he is sealed to, gets him through the tough times, when he wants to quit. (He attends the LDS meetings faithfully) Private R__ told how he was greeted by the LDS missionaries at In-Processing (the day he reported here for duty). He was so grateful that they found him on that very first day.

Private T__ told about how he started attending church in Basic Training after 10 years away from the church. When he attended that first meeting he felt calm, and thought, “I’m home”. He said, "How nice it is to be able to slip away from military life on Sundays for a couple hours of peace and escape." If it weren’t for the Military Service missionaries, there would be no place for these LDS members to be together.

Since the soldiers have to miss their lunch to attend our Sunday services, we feed them afterwards. I made pumpkin bread (from our Halloween pumpkin), and 4 pans of enchiladas for lunch after church. The soldiers loved it! They all had seconds and said how good it was to have a home cooked meal.  I was glad they enjoyed my first official meal. It will be interesting to cook like I’m cooking for a family again. I’ll have to cook healthy things, so these soldiers can stay in shape for their training.

My heart is full when I see these soldiers giving talks, teaching lessons, blessing and passing the sacrament in their camouflage uniforms and combat boots. They are so reverent and grateful for the opportunity. The church is true. We are so blessed to be part of this great work. We receive so much more than we can possibly give in this service.

MAPS

This is the driveway to our apartment. 

MISSING MAPS

We drove across nine lovely states
With only one mistake.
Our trusty maps showed us the way
And which right turns to take.

We thought it might just take a while
To learn our way around.
But streets here don’t make any sense.
Some just aren’t to be found.

The people here are very nice
And show they really care,
But if you ask directions
They just stop and stare.

“Just ask your GPS,” they say,
“It’s really not too far.
Then you will know the easy way
To get there in your car.”

So where did all the maps go
We used to read and drive?
I guess they’re all locked up in--
The National Archive.

Remember back in grade school--
We used to color maps?
But now in school, do teachers say:
“Turn on your cell phone app’s?”

Don’t worry about us now
The simple answer’s “Yes,”
We did succumb to pressure.”
(We bought a GPS.)