Wes' Update on 5/31/09

This past week continued to be a learning week. I think they all will be. It’s amazing how much work there is in an office with all the paper work. In Mongolia, without a stake, everything has to come through the mission including building problems (branch and office), disciplinary councils, CES, and humanitarian efforts. In other words, the mission must do every thing a stake would do plus what a mission does. President Andersen has duties equivalent to a mission president plus a stake president.

A week from today (June 7th) the first stake in Mongolia will be organized. It should take some of the load off the mission president. Since Mongolia has not had a stake, there have been no ordinations of men as high priests and there has been no patriarch. There must be a stake to have a patriarch so the members have had to go to a stake outside of the country to obtain their patriarchal blessings.

The weather has been weird. Wednesday the weather got up to 87° where we were looking for air conditioning, and the next day Thursday it was down to 32° with snow. There were four seasons all in one day. It snowed, hailed, rained, and the sun was out. Friday there was also snow. Back home we blame all the cold weather on the Canadians; here it is blamed on the Russians (Siberia).

We continue to teach our four English classes each week. When I say we that means Joan teaches the classes, and I’m her helper. The big class of about 40 young people does quite well. The class of doctors struggles with pronunciation, but we are making progress.

Wednesday night we went with the Caldwells to a theater for a performance of the Mongolian National Song and Dance Academic Ensemble. It turned out to be a little ballet, folk music, contortions (four young girls twisting there bodies all out of shape in unison), throat singing, the national orchestra, and a few other things. (Joan here. I was really impressed with their orchestra. They don’t have the same instruments we have, but it was very good.) www.mon-ensemble.mn

There has been a couple in town this week from Holiday, Utah, Brother and Sister Harrie. He is an ophthalmologist and has been conducting a vision clinic here in UB. One of the vision problems here is botched cataract surgery on younger people.

Friday night we went to a baptism at the Chingeltei building where two people were baptized. At the Bayanzurkh building there were eight baptisms. I don’t know how many baptisms there were Friday night for the entire mission, but mission wide for the last three weeks there have been between 15 and 20 baptisms each week. The mission is looking to have about 1000 baptisms by the end of the year.

After the baptism we enjoyed going out to eat at the Indian restaurant with the Clarks and Hitchmoughs.

Joan here again. On Saturday morning each piano class had a recital for the students in the class. In the beginner’s class there were 8 students who played; in the advanced class (more than 6 weeks of lessons) there were 10 students who played. Sometimes I wish the students could be worked with one on one to develop more technique, but despite this and the lack of opportunity to practice, they are making progress, and you can see that some students have talent.

Saturday evening we enjoyed going to the Caldwells for a pizza dinner and visiting with them.

Today we attended church at Sukhbaatar before Wes had to come back to Bayanzurkh for another meeting. We traveled by taxi. Taxi means you put your arm out with your palm down at about the 4 o’clock position. You take a ride with whoever stops for you (it is seldom an official taxi). The driver takes you where you want to go and you pay him. I guess you can call it paid hitchhiking.

Some of the cars here have the steering wheel on the left side as we do, and others have it on the right side. The roads are like ours so you can imagine the problem on a country two-lane road when a driver with a steering wheel on the right wants to pass the car in front of him. He can’t see so he pulls way out so he can see. Also despite the dangerous driving, only the people in the front seats wear seat belts. I looked in the mission van for a seat belt and couldn’t find one.

Today is the senior couples’ fireside which is usually held on Fast Sunday, but next week won’t work because of the district conference. The couples alternate at which home it is held and a lesson is taught from Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. TPJS hasn’t been translated into Mongolian so it isn’t used here for Priesthood / Relief Society.

Update on May 24, 2009

What I’ve enjoyed is attending the baptism at Chingeltei on Fri. May 8th, attending church at the branch at Nalaikh on Sun. May 10th, and attending church at the branch at Sukhbaatar on Sun. May 17th. The people are very friendly and line up to be sure to shake everyone’s hand before the meetings begin. The meetings themselves can be difficult because they are all in Mongolian. A missionary translator sits behind us, but we lose a lot in the translation.

At the baptisms here first they have the talks on baptism and confirmation as we do, but the talks are much longer. Then after the baptism, all the new converts stand in front and bear their testimonies. The Mongolian brothers and sisters have no problem standing on their feet and bearing their testimonies and giving talks.

Today we attended church at the Selbe branch at 10 a.m. in the Bayanzurkh building (the mission office building). We attended here instead of our assigned branch because Wes had a meeting here at 11:30 a.m. In this branch there is an English Sunday School class. It was great hearing a lesson in English. I don’t know if the class will continue because several of the people in the class are leaving Mongolia.

Backing up to last Saturday night (May 16th) we had our Cinco de Mayo party at President and Sister Andersen’s. It was fun getting together. There are some good cooks in the group. They even made a piñata with candy inside. A group game they played afterwards had everyone divided into two groups. The leader said the word “sun.” Each group had to take turns singing a song with the word “sun” in it. The group only had to sing maybe 6 – 10 words of the song (I forget how many), but they could sing the whole song. When one group got stuck and couldn’t think of another song, the last team to sing a song got the number of points for how many songs had been sung. The next word from the leader was “rain,” and we went back and forth with that song.

Sunday evening (May 17th) was a departing missionary fireside. There were eight sisters and one elder leaving. The room was packed with missionaries, RM’s, and other Church members. The district president, President Odgerel, spoke first. Then each of the departing missionaries bore his/her testimony. It was a special meeting and reminded me of the zone conference with Elder Perkins.

One lady in attendance at the departing missionary fireside was a Polish lady who lives in Finland and is writing a thesis on religion. Elder Clark invited her to take the missionary discussions to help her with her thesis. Elder Clark doesn’t lose any opportunities to invite people to hear the gospel.

During the week we work in the office. We get there a little after 8 in the morning and stay until around 6 p.m. or later. We do leave the office for teaching our English classes. We taught our first hospital classes last Tuesday and Thursday to doctors at Hospital 2. Some of the students do know some English, but they haven’t talked much with Americans. We found some materials on discussing a patent’s health ailments; however the doctors will need to use a dictionary for more complicated medical terms. There are doctors coming from Utah in a week or so to have a conference with them.

The Tuesday and Thursday evening class is taught at Bayanzurkh. I don’t know how many in the class are members of the Church. The building is a popular place. People come in and attend classes and activities; they say they like the feeling in the building. Tuesday night we just observed; Thursday we taught the class for the first time. The class turned out great.

An hour before class I went down to the room and rearranged the tables and chairs so I could see down the lengths of the tables and relate better to the students and wander among them. When I got to the class at 6 pm, the students had helpfully(?) rearranged the tables and chairs back to their usual arrangement. They then helped me restore them to my arrangement, but I had a couple of tables angled, and they thought the tables should make right angles with the walls.

There is stress with teaching the English classes since we’re new to it and have to find materials and decide what we’ll teach to both classes each Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday morning I helped Sister Anderson teach her piano class. She is in charge so I don’t need to think about what I’ll teach at this point; I can just help students at the keyboards.

Friday night we were supposed to attend the baptism at Sukhbaatar, but we didn’t get there. Professor Otgon from Hospital #2 called us late Friday afternoon and asked if we could look over a grant application which the hospital had written in English. It may be for the American doctors who are coming. I went over the English, asked him what he meant by certain phrases, and corrected them. It took a while. I think the doctors at the hospital didn’t want to be embarrassed by their application.

Well I’ve now found four things to cook for dinner. I’ve cooked tuna noodle casserole, burritos with refried beans (made from scratch), scrambled eggs and pancakes, and today I made pork stir fry. The pork was the first meat I’ve purchased. Sister Andersen recommended it, and it came nicely packaged. I still have been too squeamish to buy beef; I’m afraid I’ll end up with horse meat instead of beef.

I still need to find some chicken bouillon cubes so I can add more recipes. You can find a lot of things here, but you need to keep looking for them. You just can’t go to a store and find what you want right away. I’ve been told if you find something you want, buy it right then. There are a couple of stores that look more like our supermarkets, but most of them are vendors side by side, selling whatever they’ve found to sell.

It has surprised me to occasionally see Costco’s Kirkland brand here. Bonnie, I’ll be sending you a request for Greg to take some spices out of my cupboard, put them in a padded envelope, and send them to me.

Let us hear how all of you are doing. We miss you.

Elder and Sister Caldwell

Earlier I mentioned that Elder and Sister Caldwell, who knew Wes' twin brother Stan, were also on a mission in Mongolia. To learn more information about Mongolia and the mission, you might want to look at their website: http://mikeandmelba.blogspot.com/

Week 2 in Mongolia

We have been busy and often feel exhausted. Maybe we’re just not used to the schedule yet. The mission office was quiet on Monday because President Andersen was still out of town visiting with Elder Perkins. Tuesday with the president back everything came to life. There are people everywhere in the Bayanzurkh building between conferences, interviews, employment, and all of the different programs.

As part of my office responsibilities I file the correspondence from the missionaries to the president. Also right now I’m putting together 10 farewell booklets for missionaries who are going home. Eight Mongolian sisters leave this Tuesday.

There is a lot of good work happening here in Mongolia. I’m impressed with Deseret Charities; they’re involved in digging wells, providing wheelchairs, and providing other humanitarian services.

Elder Jackson has done a tremendous amount of work in finding returned missionaries. He sends them an email each week. Today (Saturday May 16th) an all-day RM conference was held with 140 in attendance. Dad got the opportunity to give a 15-minute presentation on repentance to five different groups.

Thursday night we had dinner with President and Sister Andersen in their apartment. Elder and Sister Clark were also there, and we played games after dinner.

We received our English teaching assignment from the Hitchmoughs. To be in the country we must teach English. The Hitchmoughs provide a report to the government on how much and where we teach. We will be teaching in the mission office building (Bayanzurkh) on Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6 to 7:15 p.m. We will also teach English to physicians in Hospital 2 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 3 to 4 p.m.

Now that our week of orientation is over, I’ll have to think about cooking. There is a driver for the mission who takes us shopping each Friday. We were gone 2½ hours Friday so I owe him $10 American dollars for the trip. Last night I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for the Zone Conference today, and today I made a 7-layer dip for the senior get-together tonight.

There is a lot of socializing among the seniors. Even so I’ve still lost 5 pounds this week and Dad has done the same.

Today for breakfast we went to the 5th floor of the Ghengis Khan Hotel (it is across the street from the apartment buildings in which we live) at 7:30 in the morning for breakfast. They fixed omelets to order. President and Sister Andersen, Elder and Sister Clark, Elder and Sister Hitchmough, and we were there. Then people had to leave to get to the church (the Bayanzurkh building). Tonight we have a Cinco de Mayo celebration for the senior couples (only 2 weeks late).

We received our branch assignment today. We will be assigned to the Sukhbaatar Branch. We will go there with the Hitchmoughs, and then we will be the only couple there when they go home in July. This is one of the branches that will not be in the new stake. The couples are assigned to branches not in the new stake in order to strengthen them so they can form a stake.

The decision as to whether or not there is enough priesthood strength to form a stake is based upon the number of Melchizedek priesthood holders who are full tithe payers.

We were scheduled to have the first stake in Mongolia organized at a district conference next weekend. However, because of an election for the president of Mongolia, the use of a building in UB for the conference was cancelled. Therefore the stake will not be organized until the weekend of June 6th and 7th.

Zone Conference

Welcome to Mongolia

At 8 am on our first morning (Thur. May 7th) we had an interview with President Andersen who was to leave soon to pick up Elder Perkins from the Asian Area presidency for a tour of the mission. We needed to boil water so we could take quick baths before reporting to the mission office.

After the interview we met people and were shown around the mission building. On the 1st floor is the chapel. On the 3rd floor is the Mongolian Service Center. The 4th floor is the mission office, and the 5th floor is the mission president’s home.

Everyone has gone out of their way to welcome us. I’ll attach the schedule they gave us for the first week. Every night we have dinner with a different couple. Elder and Sister Clark have shown us around some stores and taken us out to eat.

Elder and Sister Stevens Orientation

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Because Elder and Sister Perkins were in town, the first evening we attended a singing and dancing performance at 6 pm by Tumen Ekh, a Mongolian National Song and Dance Ensemble. This was enjoyable. (http://mongolianmusic.blogspot.com/2008/03/tumen-ekh-ensemble.html)

Following this there was a potluck dinner at President Andersen’s apartment. There were 10 couples in attendance.
President and Sister Andersen, mission president
Elder and Sister Perkins, area presidency (area president on July 1st)
Elder and Sister Clark, senior couple with humanitarian services
Elder and Sister Caldwell, senior couple over employment
Elder and Sister Anderson, senior couple from Choibalsan
Elder and Sister Hitchmough, senior couple over teaching English in Mongolia
Elder and Sister Anderson, senior couple, husband is mission doctor and wife is teaching music
Elder and Sister Jackson, senior couple (he was President Andersen’s mission president years ago), he is over finding returned missionaries and she is over family history
Brother and Sister Nolan, service center manager going home at the end of the month
Elder and Sister Stevens (that means us, brand new senior couple)

We are the office couple, but we do not have our assignment to a branch yet. President Andersen may be waiting for the weekend of May 23-24 when the first Mongolian Stake will be organized. Some of the branches will then be part of the stake instead of the mission.

Wes gets the privilege of getting a driver’s license here; I’m glad I don’t have to get one. The traffic is horrendous and people don’t know how to drive. We were told when driving to stay close to the bumper of the car ahead or someone will try to cut in. If you allow other cars in, that will block traffic.

Friday (May 8th), our second day, we attended a Zone Conference. After the conference we had dinner with Dr. and Sister Anderson and then went with them to a baptism at 6:30 pm at the Chingeltei building. In the mission every Friday night is baptism night at each of the buildings. I enjoyed meeting with the members at the baptism. However, I never understand what they are saying.

For the elders and sisters, in addition to the English missionaries learning Mongolian, the Mongolian missionaries are encouraged to learn English.

Yesterday (Saturday May 9th), our third day, we went shopping in the State Store, viewed some of the sites in UB, and had lunch with the Clarks.



Then in the evening ate dinner with the Clarks and the Nolans at an Indian Restaurant, Hazara. Gloria Wheeler was also at the dinner. She is a retired professor from B.Y.U. and is teaching research methods on a Fulbright scholarship for an M.B.A. class at the university in Mongolia.

Afterwards the Nolans showed us pictures of their trip in April to China (they are not missionaries). The pictures were beautiful. Everything was green and blooming. They said China is very clean, and the people are happy.

Today we are to attend church with the Caldwells at Nalaikh followed by dinner with them. When Elder Caldwell saw Wes, he wondered about it. Apparently he was friends with Stan, Wes’ identical twin brother, in West Valley.

Arrival in Mongolia

We arrived in Mongolia close to 11 pm on Wed. May 6th. We were met by President and Sister Andersen who drove us to our apartment in Ulaanbaatar. My first reaction to UB was I’m not sure about this. When we walked up to our apartment, I knew I was in a different country and culture. Things did look better in the light of day.

The flight from Salt Lake City to UB was over 24 hours including layovers. The most difficult problem was in San Francisco where Korean Air did not accept the carry-on limits from Delta. Delta allows a 40 lb. carry-on whereas Korean Air only accepted 24 lb. We ended up buying another small suitcase and dividing one carry-on into two suitcases, one for each of us. Then we checked the other original carry-on and paid Delta’s fee of $200 for a 3rd checked bag. We were glad they didn’t weigh our “personal” item which was a computer bag with two laptops inside.

The service on the flight from San Francisco to Seoul, Korea on Korean Air was great. Incheon Airport in Korea is a very nice airport. Up until that point the trip didn’t seem too long; it was daylight the entire time. But after the wait at the airport and the flight into UB, the trip became long.

Mission Home - Week 2

We have now finished our second week at the MTC. The first four days we had mission office training with the church program MOS (Missionary Office System).




On Friday we received EIL instruction which stands for English International Instruction. It differs from ESL in that ESL teaches English and American culture and EIL teaches English without the American culture. It is designed to help students learn English so they can improve their economic situation since English is an international language. We will finish our EIL instruction and teach an English class on Monday.

This week on Friday we found the couple going to Mongolia who will enter the MTC in July. They are Elder and Sister Lassen. They live in Salt Lake City and come down to the MTC for their language instruction three days a week. They are a great couple. It was difficult not to shake their hands.

At the fireside last Sunday night the MTC mission was given the directive to not shake hands. You forget how ingrained shaking hands is, especially in a Church setting. We are to wash our hands a lot, use hand sanitizing lotion frequently (there are dispensers all over the MTC), and not to shake hands.

The couple and elders and sisters who are to go to Mexico are on hold because of the problem with the Swine Flu and the airport closed in Mexico.

There is a couple here, Elder and Sister Berrett, who entered the MTC Feb. 2nd. They were to go to Vietnam which is part of the Cambodian Mission. Their first assignment was Saigon, then Ho Chi Minh. After a while it became apparent that no visa would be issued for them to enter Vietnam. Last Sunday they received a reassignment. Now their mission call is to the Philippines, and they are again waiting for a visa. After having learned Vietnamese, they are now trying to learn Tagalog while awaiting their new visa.

There is a branch in Quartsite, AZ which has a lot of snowbirders. In March their branch president issued calls to some of the snowbirders to serve a 6-month mission to Cove Fort. Last week’s incoming senior group included 9 couples from Quartsite, AZ. One of the couples who arrived didn’t receive their call until Mon. April 27th, but they were in the MTC by Wed. April 29th. They will live in their own fifth wheelers or trailers. I understand one couple didn’t have a trailer so they went out and got one.

We met with our tutor Sarah (Сарантуяа) Batbold WF evening last week and MWF evening this week from 6-8 pm and on Saturday morning from 10-12 am. Sarah’s mother, her aunt, and her uncle flew in from Mongolia for her wedding which is Saturday May 9th in the St. George Temple. She brought them to class Friday night so we could practice speaking Mongolian with them. We enjoyed meeting them; they are very nice people. We found that her uncle knows more English than we know Mongolian.






Our speaker at last Tuesday’s devotional was Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the 1st Quorum of Seventy who is an assistant executive director of the missionary department. His talk was on developing Christlike attributes. He quoted 3 Ne 27:27 “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” and 3 Ne. 27:21 “That which ye have seen me do, even that shall ye do.”

He said just as vital as what you do is what you are. He said you can’t have DO without BE or you have the appearance of godliness, but deny the power thereof. You also can’t have BE without DO because faith without works is dead. We are to set specific DO goals to develop a Christlike attribute since a BE can’t be measured. Then scores of DO’s will result in a BE.

Sunday morning was a missionary conference from 10 am – 12 pm where the members of the mission presidency and their wives spoke. Sister Smith, the MTC mission president’s wife, said, “If you are faithful, he will make you more than you are alone.” She quoted Elder Holland, “Missionary work is hard; get used to it.” Then she added, share with everyone who will listen; be anxiously engaged every minute. Thus we’ll fulfill our covenants.

For the Sunday evening fireside the speakers were Elder and Sister Anderson from an MTC district presidency. They both spoke about the prophet Joseph Smith. Sister Anderson remarked, the Lord expects obedience with exactness as exemplified by the prophet Joseph Smith.

Thursday evening was our first free evening since we’ve been at the MTC. We had the pleasure of having Stephanie come to visit us. She returned from Israel on Thur. April 23rd after we’d already entered the MTC; we were happy to see her.

Saturday afternoon Wendy and Travis came to see us. We enjoyed spending time with them. Wendy received her master’s degree in accounting the day before from Weber State University.

Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. Connie and Elden came to see us. Then after 5 o’clock and before our fireside, Marjorie, John, Jordan, Amanda, and Chelsie came to say goodbye. It’s hard to say goodbye to all of our family and our friends. We love all of you and will miss you, but the Lord will watch over you.

Weekend at the MTC

For our preparation day on Saturday, first we went looking for the 4 elders and 1 sister going to Mongolia. They entered the MTC on Wednesday April 15th. Before they came there were no Mongolian missionaries in the MTC. These missionaries will be in the MTC for three months and go to Mongolia in July.

We thought they had a class at 9:15 in the morning, but when we found them, they were doing personal and companion study and didn’t have a class until 2:15 in the afternoon. We went back in the afternoon and had a Mongolian class with them from 2:15 until 5:30 p.m. I enjoyed the class; it was very helpful. If I have a chance, I want to meet with them again, but their classes are usually during the day when we have our own training.

One thing I discovered by meeting with them was that the MTC has a program called TALL to help with learning a language. The teacher Marta gave me her logon so I could access the program. I wish someone had informed me about the program a week earlier.

With Saturday morning now free, we attended an endowment session at the Provo Temple. We’d never been inside this temple before.

In the evening we watched recorded devotionals. Elder Holland had spoken at the MTC devotional on Tues. April 14th. His talk was very down-to-earth and even feisty emphasizing the importance of not wasting the opportunity of serving a mission and of obeying the rules and not being stupid. He said going out by 2 or 3 together keeps covenants secure.

Next we watched the devotional by Sheri Dew from Sunday April 19th. She indicated that feeling the Spirit and hearing the voice of the Spirit are two separate things. We know we need to learn to recognize when we feel the Spirit, but then we need to go beyond that to learn to hear the voice of the Spirit, what it is telling us to do. She suggested getting on our knees and praying and asking the Lord to teach us what it feels like for us individually to receive revelation. The scriptures and purity will unlock the language of revelation.

Sunday morning we attended sacrament meeting, watched the Spoken Word, and then attended Relief Society. Sister Cook, 1st counselor in the YW presidency, was the speaker. She spoke about virtue which is now a YW value. The YW are invited to complete the virtue value along with their mothers and grandmothers.

After Relief Society a member of the MTC Relief Society presidency spoke about our dress. We are to dress professionally, not casually, and we are to dress modestly. That just about sums up what we need to know. The packet sent to us was misleading; she indicated we can wear lots of color. We are to fix up and look the best we can; we are to be our most beautiful self. She also said the layered look is not a professional look so when sister missionaries wear layers, only the hemline of the top layer is to show at the waist.

Sunday afternoon I worked on my blogs. In the evening we attended a fireside where Brother Allen, managing director of the missionary department, was the speaker. He had a missionary read Alma 26:27-31 phrase by phrase while he commented on it and applied it to us in an entertaining way. He also emphasized obedience, not letting Satan divert us from being missionaries, and returning home as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Finally we concluded the evening with a video of a talk given by Elder Bednar on Feb 1st, 2005(?). Missionaries are not just to go through the motions. They must have the Spirit with them. A missionary must have a change of heart and be converted. Missionaries are to open their mouths, and it will be given them what they are to say. If a missionary has no clue what to say, he is to bear testimony of Joseph Smith and the restoration. Joseph Smith will lead a person to Christ.

A missionary represents the Savior, his gospel, and his plan. Elders are sons of God and of the seed of Abraham with the responsibility to bless the seed of Abraham. When they return home, they are to continue with a lifetime of ministry.

Mission Home - Week 1

John C, Amanda, and Chelsie drove Wes and me down to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Monday April 20th. Monday was orientation. Our group is a small senior missionary group; there are only 27 in our group, 12 couples and 3 sisters. When introducing ourselves, they ask how many missions you have been on as a couple. They want us to serve more than one mission as a couple.

The first week from Monday through Friday is Preach My Gospel instruction from 8 am to 5 pm every day. There is assigned reading each night in Preach My Gospel in preparation for the next day. Because we are learning a language, Wes (Elder Stevens) and I also meet with our tutor Sarah Batbold from 6 pm to 8 pm MWF. Tuesday evening is an MTC devotional. Sunday is Church plus a Sunday evening fireside.

Seniors do have freedoms the younger elders and sisters do not have. We are allowed to have laptops and cell phones. Because of language study, Wes and I were always busy, but those without a language to learn were free in the evening other than doing their reading. They can sign out of the MTC and go out in the evening.

At orientation Brother Graham emphasized that we are heads of families. This is different from being a member of a family. There may be an occasion for which a senior could get permission to leave and then return to his mission because of his role as the head of a family where a younger elder and sister could not. (I still think this would be rare.) From Brother Graham I realized the importance of our role as heads of families.

Throughout the week the emphasis has been on the purpose of all missions, even if you have a special assignment such as mission office, visitor’s center, or military relations. All of our trainers have emphasized that we are missionaries in the same way as the younger elders or sisters. We have been set apart and are authorized representatives of Jesus Christ and have the power and authority to invite people to come unto Christ and to invite them to commit to live his teachings.

Missionary Purpose: Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

We need to keep focused on our mission because it is easy to be busy on a mission and be doing good things and not accomplish our mission.

As we have received training, I’ve realized the importance of Preach My Gospel and how brothers and sisters in the wards should be trained with it. We can use these principles in our home teaching and visiting teaching as well as being member missionaries.

When we meet someone, we can in one minute tell them something about the gospel as truth and then testify of what we’ve said so the Holy Ghost can bear witness to them.

As a missionary we teach, testify frequently (“I know ..”), invite the investigator to commit to something (“will you ..”), promise blessings (“I promise ..”), and then follow up on the commitment.

Activities we’ve had during the week include preparing and teaching lessons to community volunteers who came to our room and acted the part of an investigator. I believe we taught about four lessons. One day we answered phone calls at the call center where people who’ve received a pass-along card or seen an ad on TV call in to request a book or video.


On Tuesday Wes and I finished getting our hepatitis, typhoid, and meningococcal shots. That cost us $453. Our shots for our mission to date have cost us a total of $686. Monday afternoon they showed us a health video so we will know how to keep our food safe and how to stay healthy.

At Wednesday’s Mongolian lesson our tutor Sarah brought her cousin who has only been in the U.S. one week so we could try to communicate with him. We can do a little, but we have a long ways to do.

Everyone at the MTC is very friendly. The elders hold doors for you. One night we noticed a group of elders and sisters at the cafeteria. Whenever one of the sisters came to the table to sit down or stood up, all of the elders (about two tables long) stood up. We wondered if the elders were going to get to eat because they had to keep standing up.

When we arrived we inquired and they told us our visas had arrived. We were scheduled to leave for Mongolia on the morning of Sunday May 3rd. Those with an additional assignment stay a second week in the MTC. Our office training is from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday of the second week (April 27th through April 30th). However since we are going to Mongolia, we must also have an ESL certificate. This is only taught on Friday (May 1st) and Monday (May 4th).

Thus we’ve been rescheduled to leave the MTC on the morning of Tuesday (May 5th). It will take us 24 hours to get from Salt Lake City to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia with approximately 6 hours of layovers. We will fly first to San Francisco, then to Seoul, Korea, and finally to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia.

To send a letter to us in Mongolia via pouch, you send a one-page letter folded in thirds, fastened with a piece of tape, and addressed to us (no envelope).

Elder Wesley Bischoff Stevens
Sister Joan Matheson Stevens
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
USA

For any other mail, use the following address.

Elder Wesley Bischoff Stevens
Sister Joan Matheson Stevens
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission
P.O. Box 242
UB – 49
MONGOLIA

Depart for Mission

On Friday April 3rd we left home to begin our missionary journey. It was difficult to get away, but we arrived at Bonnie’s on Friday. We were able to listen to General Conference with Bonnie’s family. Bonnie helped me finish getting ready. We flew from Arcata, CA to Salt Lake City on Wed. April 8th. (The baggage was just within the weight limits.)

We stayed at Marjorie’s home as Wendy was finishing up her last semester for her master’s in accounting. We enjoyed being able to visit with Marjorie’s, Wendy’s, John’s, and William’s families.

On Sunday evening (April 19th) before we entered the MTC, Wendy arranged for the family to hold a family home evening at her house. Dad taught the lesson on feasting on the word of God, and he and I bore our testimonies to the family. It was a special spiritual experience. Thank you Wendy for arranging it. We particularly wanted our children and grandchildren to know that we are serving missions because we know the gospel is true and desire to serve the Lord. “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Also we want our children and grandchildren to stand together and strengthen each other so we can return to live with Heavenly Father as a family. We love all of you and will miss all of you; we will be thinking of you and praying for you.

Setting Apart for Mission

The stake president agreed to set us apart early while the family was home so we were set apart by President Southwick as full-time missionaries on Sunday evening March 22nd. It was a special occasion. Suzanne and Cheryl took notes. I’m enclosing a copy of the remarks President Southwick made before the blessing along with the words of the setting apart blessings. Being set apart as full-time missionaries means having the honor of being set apart as full-time representatives of Jesus Christ.

Wesley and Joan's Setting Apart Blessings
(click on the square on the top right to enlarge the document)

Missionary Farewell

The weekend of March 22nd was our missionary farewell in Ukiah. It was wonderful to have so many of the family home that weekend. Bonnie’s family, Marjorie’s family, William and Skyler, Celeste, Suzanne, and Cheryl were able to be with us. On Sunday Wes and I gave our talks. In my talk I wanted the congregation to understand that when God calls us, we accept calls. The choir sang A Marvelous Work Is About to Come Forth and The Lord Bless You and Keep You. Marjorie, Suzanne, Amanda, Celeste, and John joined the choir. See Bonnie’s blog for more pictures. http://bonnie-dancingintherain.blogspot.com/2009/03/fun-with-family.html

Joan's Missionary Farewell Talk
(click on the square on the top right to enlarge the document)

Happy Birthday Wendy Rae!

Happy 10th Anniversary William and Wendy!

Peace Corps Mongolia

I found this blog Peace Corps Mongolia. In reading it and looking at earlier posts, I see comments about learning the language and what it is like to live in a ger - which we'll not be doing.

Mongolia in Church News

03/02/09 Mongolia: Needy parents receive layettes for newborns
10/18/08 Mongolia Youth Forge New Friendships

Apartment in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

From pictures I've seen of where the Mongolians in the country live, I thought it would be pretty primitive.

However, the Paynes, who are the current mission office couple sent us these pictures of the apartment in Ulaanbaatar where we'll be living. It looks pretty modern; there is even a microwave. Most of the pictures are of the apartment, but Brother Payne is standing in front of the mission office, and I believe the two stairwells are from the mission office. I think the mission office is on the fourth floor of the building.

Happy Birthday Cheryl!

Mongolian Keyboard New Information

New Information: With this keyboard I can now type on my computer in Mongolian. However when you type on the virtual keyboard, if the new letter you type goes on top of the preceding letter, follow the method below.

I noticed if I can get some text onto the screen part of my virtual keyboard, from then on the letters will not go on top of each other. So just cut and paste some English text from my blog. Then type in what you want and delete the English text.

If you uncheck the box next to Моигол (Mongolia), you can also type in English.

Self Reliance

Wes and I had the opportunity to speak tonight in the evening session of stake conference. Our theme was self reliance. As I prepared my talk I was reminded of the spiritual foundation of self reliance. Some of my quotes sounded political, but I was able to use them because they were printed in the Ensign. I let the quotes speak for themselves.

I enjoyed sitting on the stand and watching all the people fill the room. It is inspiring to watch the saints in our stake gather to hear the Lord's message. It reminds me of when I'm working as a follower at the temple. I'm always impressed by the faithful brothers and sisters who have come to the temple that day.

Dad gave a wonderful talk on spiritual self reliance and faith.

What follows is a copy of my talk. (Again click on the square on the top right to enlarge the document.)

Also for fun be sure to check out Wendy's blog. http://ubmaz-blacksheep.blogspot.com/2009/02/budgeting-advice.html

Self Reliance

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Health & Medicine Business self corporate

Ronald Reagan Quote on Government

“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.”
—Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address

Quote on Food Storage

Here is a quote from a fiction book, Hearts in Hiding, by Betsy Brannon Green, page 105.

I believe that food storage is to the Latter-day Saints what lamb's blood was to the people of Moses. If there is wheat stored in your house, it's a sign to God that His children reside within.

Phone Call from Mongolian Mission President - President Anderson

Last night we received a phone call from President Anderson welcoming us to the Mongolian Mission. He was very friendly and helpful. He also wanted to know if we could start our mission earlier since an office couple is leaving at the end of March. This morning I called the Travel Department. When we will actually enter the MTC and the mission will depend upon when we receive our Mongolian visa.

I'm attaching a letter I received this morning from the mission president's wife, Sister Anderson. (Click on the box on the top right to enlarge the letter.)

Welcome Letter to the Stevens

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other news articles

Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

For those who do not know, our official mission call came last Saturday. It was postmarked Tuesday Jan. 20th and arrived Sat. Jan. 31st.

Dad and I are working on learning the Cyrillic alphabet so we can begin to pronounce words. What is helping the most is the following guide to reading the Cyrillic Alphabet. I also have a link on the right in my Mongolian Websites section.

When I was going through the alphabet in order, there were too many strange symbols. Now I take the easiest letters first. It also helped me to see that some of the letters came from Greek. When I see gamma, I know why it’s pronounced with a “g.” The guide is designed for learning Russian, but it works fine for me although there are two additional letters in Mongolian that are not in Russian.

The guide also gives words so I can try out the new sounds. Then I go to the missionary grammar guide (I sent you a copy in an email) and my YouTube links to hear the words pronounced. I'm happy to be having success today. This afternoon I learned over half of the alphabet although I do feel tongue-tied when I pronounce the words. I'm sure my combining of the sounds into words leaves much to be desired.

Mission Call to Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission

Today we received a call from the MTC about our mission. We said we hadn't received our official papers yet (they were mailed two weeks ago), but he told us our call was to the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. It is an office mission and we need to learn Mongolian. We've ordered the scriptures and language materials from the MTC bookstore. Then we are to have three one-hour tutoring sessions per week until we report to the MTC on April 20th. Between each tutoring session we are to study Mongolian on our own for at least two hours.

Later when the mail came, there were papers from the travel department which we need to submit in order to get a visa. We need to get some color passport-type photos, create a resume, and a write a letter to the Embassy of Mongolia. I called the mission department and asked, and they said the call was for 18 months.

At four o'clock we had a conference call courtesy of William's boss at Pricewaterhouse where we were able to tell the family at the same time where we were going. No one had guessed it would be to Mongolia.

Maintaining a Christian Attitude Toward the Stimulus Package

Looking around the internet tonight I found the following article which I thought was humorous. http://mormanity.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Maintaining a Christian Attitude Toward the Stimulus Package

So much contention is being stirred by the proposed stimulus program! Maybe most of the money is going to bureaucracy, special interests, wasteful programs, and fraud, and maybe it does look like just much more of mismanaged finances that got us into trouble in the first place, but is that any excuse for negativism? This is the time when we need to look to the teachings of the Bible for guidance (I'm using the Bad News translation):

If Congress seeketh to take away thy coat, and thy cloak, and thy chariot, and thy gold, and thy silver, and thy vineyard, and thy calves, and thy oxen, and thy home, and thy 401k, and verily all that thou hast and all that thy children might have, and verily all that thy posterity might have until seven generations, and shall seek to make thee and thy posterity into abject slaves, give also thy iPod.

Be Prepared for Tribulations to Come

Is More Government the Answer?

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/ideas/090126more.html

Happy Birthday Wendy!

Internet for the Friend Magazine

Not only do the Young Men and Young Women have the internet and widgets and downloadable MP3s at http://abrandnewyear.lds.org/index.html, now the Friend magazine also has an internet page. Read about the web page at http://www.meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/090118friend.html.

Mission Call Letter Sent

As of Jan. 16, 2009 we see that our mission call letter has been sent. This makes a mission more real and makes me nervous. We should know where we're going by the beginning of next week.

Happy New Year!

A New Year's Celebration Website

Celeste was in this special youth presentation. At midnight on New Year's Eve it came online and Celeste played it for us. I believe the presentation is to be shown to all youth this New Year. Check it out. We haven't found Celeste in the videos yet, but I understand she is wearing a deep purple shirt. At the side of my blog is a widget so you can play music from the celebration. http://abrandnewyear.lds.org/index.html

Mission Papers

Last Sunday night the 28th Wes and I met with the stake president and he finished submitting our mission papers to Salt Lake. By Thursday the 31st the online site shows us ready for assignment. We have no idea where we'll be going, but the family is now guessing where we might be assigned.

2008 Ending on the Road to Disaster

"As 2008 draws to a close, for each of us this should be a time of cheerful season festivities and spirited anticipation for a bright new year. Regrettably, I am having a hard time with either – as I watch our great nation slowly commit economic and moral suicide." By Stephen M. Studdert. CLICK TO READ MORE.

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. Bonnie, Greg, Jacob, Austin and Cheryl and Jim joined us for Christmas. I love having family with us. We had plenty of food and goodies. We also played many games. It was sad to see everyone leave. For pictures of Christmas go to Bonnie’s blog: http://bonnie-dancingintherain.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-2008.html

Bonnie left the morning of Monday Dec. 29th, Dad’s birthday. Dad appreciated receiving phone calls, but after that not much happened for his birthday. We went to the store and found him an angel food cake with strawberries and cool whip. I sang happy birthday to him, but I forgot to give him the birthday card I’d bought for him.

We were planning to leave for Utah at 4 am on Tuesday morning, but Monday night we decided we were tired and around 9 o'clock that night we bought tickets to fly to Utah the next morning.

Photoshop Class

Today was the last day of my Photoshop class. I am still a beginner, but this is an image of the web page I created for my last assignment. (Doubleclick on the picture to enlarge it.)

Brianne's Baptism

Last weekend we enjoyed Thanksgiving with Suzanne’s family. A special event was Brianne’s baptism on Saturday Nov. 29th. Brianne was so excited and had a beautiful smile on her face. Brianne’s grandmother Sandra gave a talk on baptism, and I gave the talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Caitlin and Brianne have lovely voices and sang Baptism together, accompanied by their mother. Brianne was baptized and confirmed by her father. There was a wonderful feeling in the room in which we could feel the Spirit. I’m grateful for the gospel and the choices our grandchildren are making to be baptized and live the gospel.

WE ALL ARE MORMONS....by Rabbi Shifren

We are living in an era of insanity! Witness the latest attempt to remake the nature of our country, founded and established on certain principles that have been the envy of the entire world. The latest assault on our country and its values comes in the form of vicious and criminal violence against the Mormon church in Westwood, California.

Interesting how the selective self-righteous indignation on the part of the radical Gay activists is played out here: they bewail the blow to freedom and justice! But I thought we just had elections, where the majority of Californians expressed their views in a free and open manner. Are we not a nation of laws? Dare we relive the McCarthy era, where Americans were harassed and threatened with the loss of their jobs for believing in a certain way? If the Gay radicals should have their way, untold numbers of Americans would live under the threat of the Gay-Lesbian "thought police," where individuals that reject the Gay lifestyle would be sought out and have sanctions brought against them.

It's bad enough for those working in the entertainment industry here in Los Angeles, where a fog of political correctness and a bending over backwards to accommodate, even promote Gay lifestyle is in full gear. Let none dare say that this type of activity is anathema to our country, our morality, and the debauchery of our young people.

Let it be stated unequivocally: The radical Gay attack on the Mormons is the shot over the bow against the United States of America. There was a time when what a man did in his bedroom was sanctified between himself and G-d. Now we are being served an "in-your-face" smorgasbord of smut and licentiousness as being between people who only "want their civil rights."

Hogwash! We are dealing with the equivalent of a moral takeover of the country that has as its bedrock a belief in G-d and His promise for humanity. They don't want civil rights! What they desire is quasi Gay/Lesbian hegemony, where a huge "bookburning," reminiscent of the Nazis, will purge any remnants of the "Christian, White, mainstream America" that has given ALL AMERICANS the most profound scope of freedom, liberty, and justice that Mankind has yet to experience.

People have perhaps wondered: why the Mormons? Answer: they are a small, yet vocal Christian minority. They have been selected by the mobs as vulnerable, a group that might not have such massive support among America's Christians.

We who are friends of the Mormons, their patriotism, their family values, will not falter in our continued support of these dear Americans. Let us recall the Christian minister Niemoller, whose admonition during those dark years of Nazi Germany moved us to our core:

"When they came for the gypsies, I said nothing, because I wasn't a gypsy. When they came for the homosexuals, I said nothing, because I wasn't a homosexual. When they came for the Jews, I said nothing, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I said nothing, because I wasn't a Catholic......then they came for me, and there was no one left to defend me."

My fellow Americans, in the coming battle for the heart and soul of America and everything we cherish, may this call to arms be the mantra of every concerned patriot:
"WE ALL ARE MORMONS!"

http://www.lawatchdog.com/RabbiShifren-WeAreAllMormons112008.html

Ukiah Chapel on Sunday Morning

Newt Gingrich Warns of ‘Gay Fascism’

Newt Gingrich Warns of ‘Gay Fascism’
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 12:21 PM
By: Jim Meyers

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich warns that a “gay and secular fascism” in the U.S. is prepared to use violence to impose its will on the rest of the country.

Appearing on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” on Nov. 14, Gingrich and host Bill O’Reilly discussed the recently passed California ballot initiative, Proposition 8, amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

O’Reilly cited the protests by gay activists that broke out after the vote and troubling incidents associated with them, including a woman who had a cross knocked out of her hand and a Michigan church invaded by gay activists.

Gingrich responded: “I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion. And I think if you believe in historic Christianity, you have to confront the fact.”

He went on: “For that matter, if you believe in the historic version of Islam or the historic version of Judaism, you have to confront the reality that these secular extremists are determined to impose on you acceptance of a series of values that are antithetical, they're the opposite of what you're taught in Sunday school.”

The Georgia Republican, who left the House in January 1999, added: “I think when the left, when the radicals lost the vote in California, they are determined to impose their will on this country no matter what the popular opinion, no matter what the law of the land. You've watched them, for example, in Massachusetts, basically drive the Catholic Church out of running adoption services, drive Catholic hospitals out of offering any services, because [the radicals] impose secular rules that are fundamentally … sinful from the standpoint” of the church.”

Among the most prominent targets of gay outrage is the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to the Yes on 8 campaign. It has been already become a focus of protests, with demonstrators gathered around Mormon temples not only in California but across the country.

African Americans, 70 percent of whom voted yes on Prop. 8, according to exit polls, have also become targets, according to Time Magazine’s Web site. Eyewitness reports published on the Internet indicate that racial epithets have been used against African Americans at protests in California - with some even directed at blacks who are fighting to repeal Prop. 8.

Gay rights activists also have begun publishing lists online exposing individuals and organizations that have donated money in support of Prop. 8, according to Time.

On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Prop. 8 are publicized, and readers are urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of $1,000 and more and all contributions of more than $100 given before Oct. 17.

“Dentists,accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Company Inc. of Garden Grove, which gave $250,000,” Time reported.

Gingrich had released a video urging Californians to vote for Proposition 8, which overrode a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in the state.

The Proposition passed by a vote of 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent.

© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/Gingrich_Gay_Fascism/2008/11/18/152539.html

More of the Same - Wizard of Id

Little Red Hen

THE BARNYARD

Once upon a time, on a farm in North Carolina, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"

"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.

The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.

"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.

At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen shouting obscenities.

Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."

"But I worked hard and earned the bread," said the little red hen.

"Exactly," said Barack the farmer. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful for now I truly understand." But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established. Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared... so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

EPILOGUE

Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs. Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?

Source: Email from Grace Jones

A Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day in Ukiah for Cheryl and Jim’s Open House on Saturday October 25th. The temperature was 88°; it was our last very warm weekend. It was wonderful to have Cheryl and Jim here along with Jim’s parents, his brother Joe and his wife Tiffany, Bonnie, Greg, Jacob, Austin, and William and Skyler and our beloved Ukiah friends. Bonnie in her blog gave a good description of the Open House. The Open House was held at the lovely home of the Morgensens. Their new patio was perfect for people to comfortably sit outside at tables. Sharon prepared the delicious food: shrimp nachos, veggies with dip, strawberries Romanoff, fruit salad, phyllo with sausage, meatballs, ham, turkey, and tri-tip, Greek Easter bread, wedding punch, and black bottom cupcakes. Leanne, Barbara, and Nina helped Sharon with the food on the day of the Open House. Marjorie Fowler earlier went to Santa Rosa with me to buy flowers and created the table centerpieces. Bonnie arranged the flowers on the cake; it was a double layer full-size pumpkin spice sheet cake from Schat’s.






When I woke up Monday morning, it seemed bleak. After all the excitement, everyone was gone. The family had arrived Friday night and was gone by Sunday. I would love to have everyone in the family live closer to us. We're looking forward to flying to Texas two weeks from Monday so we can be with Suzanne’s family for Thanksgiving and Breanne’s baptism.

On another beautiful day during the week following the open house, I thought what more can we want in life than a beautiful day. Then I thought I would add people we love and who love us. Further I’d add something to believe in and something to do. Then it dawned on me that my list is the same as what President Hinckley said new converts need: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God.” His list was only lacking a beautiful day compared to my list. A beautiful day is a gift from God which we perhaps appreciate more because we don’t have one all the time.

Why Support Traditional Marriage?

1) Marriage is first and foremost about children. Traditional strong healthy families reduce social ills and the need for government social programs such as child welfare and child-support enforcement. The government is most intrusive in personal lives when marriages fail. Thus traditional marriage needs strengthening, not abandoning.

2) Gender is not interchangeable. Nature determines a male and a female are needed to produce a child. Parenthood has always been tied to biological parenthood unless a biological parent releases his right to another parent of the same gender through adoption. Children need both a male and a female influence in their rearing.

3) A nation has an interest in the birth and education of children. When males and females do not value marriage and children, more and more children are born out of wedlock and there is a decline in the births of children resulting in a demographic death spiral. EU countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, and Spain are in the death spiral, demographically and culturally, which threatens their economies and social stability.

- Joan

Yes on Prop 8 Ads

FIRST AD - "Whether You Like It or Not"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kKn5LNhNto

SECOND AD - "It's Already Happened"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PgjcgqFYP4

THIRD AD - "Everything To Do with Schools"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7352ZVMKBQM

FOURTH AD - "Truth"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61Pd5_jHQw

FIFTH AD - "Have You Thought about It?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YRQZwNfQ0o

Mitt on FoxNews after Debate

http://committedtoromney.com/2008/10/15/mitt-on-fox-news-2/

Cheryl and Jim's Wedding October 11, 2008

Cheryl and Jim’s wedding was a special occasion. Cheryl looked wonderful in her white dress in the temple. It was great her sisters were able to help her dress in her temple clothes for the wedding ceremony and then help her dress in her wedding gown for the pictures afterwards. Elder Lamar Heslop, first counselor in the Los Angeles Temple presidency, performed the ceremony. Being united in the temple as a family, for Cheryl and Jim’s wedding, was a sacred experience.

Afterwards the usual wedding pictures were taken. Cheryl and Jim looked so happy, and the photographer took many great pictures. We are happy to have Jim as our new son-in-law. One picture I particularly liked was Cheryl with her nieces; she looked like Cinderella with the nieces admiring her.

In the evening a reception was held on a patio outside a Los Angeles stake center. The patio had appeal with arches and was surrounded by lights. Cheryl’s colors were dark red and brown. Go to www.myfamily.com to see pictures of the wedding and reception so you can appreciate the beauty created by Cheryl and Jim for the reception.

Wedding Pictures

President Monson

I’ve been listening to the Sunday morning special between conference sessions about President Monson. I’m amazed at all the detail; President Monson must keep a detailed journal. If you recall, when we attended Aspen Grove I told him about the lady I sat next to on an airplane who talked about Tommy, with whom she’d attended high school, and what a good boy he was. President Monson got out a pad of paper to record the name of the lady, but I didn’t know her name.

From the 9/13/08 Church News I believe the name of the lady must have been Jane Beppu Sakashita. Quoting her, “He is the kindest, most compassionate person.” Also, “He was always friendly, and helped others. There wasn’t a person he would leave out. He was always close to people. You could see the friendship in his eyes.” http://www.deseretnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,500006892,00.html

Our Church Service

I’m excited that Cheryl’s wedding is getting closer; we’ll drive down to L.A. two weeks from today. Cheryl and Jim, your website adds to the excitement of the upcoming marriage.

Since I retired, I’ve been attending the Oakland Temple when Wes works there on Tuesday. Yesterday (Tues. Sep. 23rd) I was set apart by President Darwin B. Christenson as an ordinance worker for the Oakland Temple. My calling will begin next Tuesday morning; I need to be there by 4:30 a.m. As I think about my new calling, I realize I need to have the Spirit with me and smile and be loving and radiate Heavenly Father’s and the Savior’s love to the sisters.

In the past month for gospel doctrine, I've taught from the war chapters in Alma and then the book of Helaman. It is good for me to teach. When I teach, I study harder than I do if I'm just reading the Book of Mormon. I can see how these chapters are of value to us in today's world. I've been extending my Chief Judges Chart so I can keep track of all of the people and events.

Wes and I have been very involved with Prop 8. In the past month we’ve been out walking on 10 different occasions and have personally contacted 228 homes. We still have work to do in the next week to try to finish our Alexander Estates neighborhood and the new houses to the south of us. Prop 8 is extremely important to the future of traditional marriage, the teaching of our children, and also our religious freedom. Traditional marriage as a constitutional amendment is up for a vote in Florida, Arizona, and California. (See my links on the right.)