May 20th through May 26th, 2024 - Our Family Has Grown Again!

Our family grew again this week!  Our grandson, Jaxen, was married to Lizzy Phelps in the Gilbert, Arizona Temple on Saturday, May 25th.  Haven't seen pictures yet so I can't post one here, but I will as soon as I can.  Congratulations Jax and Lizzy!

Hello People We Love!

Every one of you receiving this email is dear to our hearts ~ family and friends.  Each of you has played a role in the joy and blessings we feel.  Thank you for being you.

What a week!  So much to share.  I apologize for the length of this email right up front.  We know you are busy and anytime you take time to read what we send is so appreciated.  There will be more detail and more pictures on our blog for those who don't have time for a novel. We hope you will read to the end because on Sunday we had an amazing experience for which we will be forever grateful to have witnessed.

Over the course of five days we drove 900 miles     

Monday Cheboygan to Lansing:

Dinner with Elder Sikehema at the Mission Home with 48 other senior missionaries serving here.  Elder Sikehema is a Seventy and was sent from our leaders in Salt Lake City to tour our mission and teach.  He is also a former NFL player and a two time Pro Bowl participant, and happens to have gone to Mesa High School where some of our boys played years later.  He asked us all to meet with him so he could share his gratitude for senior missionaries.  Years earlier he helped his parents (at the age of about 45) to serve a mission in Tonga, his native land. Tender mercy... his younger brother was serving there at the same time which doesn't happen. 

Tuesday Lansing to Grand Rapids and then Grand Rapids to Detroit and back to Lansing:

We helped do vehicle inspections in Grand Rapids at the other Zone's Conference.  First time in Grand Rapids where a new Temple is being built!  Then since it was my birthday our Mission President gave us permission to go just outside our missionary boundaries and serve in the Detroit Temple.  Seeing that we love the Temple, we were so grateful.

Wednesday Lansing to Mt. Pleasant to Cheboygan:

We attended our own Zone Conference, helped do vehicle inspections, were taught by Elder Sikehema and were given lunch.  Sister Peckham is responsible to make lunch happen at each Zone Conference.  She is the loving, spiritual power behind all these missionaries.  She is like the Missionary Mom.  She is asked to teach at times as well and I always feel her genuine love for the Savior.  We got home in the evening in time to go with the Elders to teach a family whose father is a member, but his family is not.  

Sunday was a day to remember.

The number of people attending church about doubled.  We had three friends who visited, but apparently during the summer we often get out-of-town visitors.  A large family group here for a reunion joined us as well.  They brought children and teenagers and hearing the little voices was heavenly.  One of the men played the piano for us.  Boy do I wish I had learned to play it.

What happened after our church meetings is what I want to share before I end my email.  

We had a Branch picnic just after our meetings, but we were not able to stay and attend.  Just as Sacrament Meeting started we heard that the grandson of one of our members had gone missing overnight.  As we finished, Elder Gibbons walked outside the building and one of this young man's aunts pulled up.  He asked how he could help and she said that they knew the general area where the young man was, but they need someone that could run to help stop him.  The police had been notified, but they hadn't been able to find him.  He went and got the Elders and me and we took off following his grandmother to the area.

We prayed as we went.  When we got to the area, the Elders went in opposite directions but keeping within our ability to see them.  We saw one of them stop again and pray.  After a couple of minutes they came back our direction and we heard by phone which field he was thought to be in across the street from where they were.  Picture green, open fields surrounded by many different groves of trees and bushes.  So many places for this young man to hide.  We watched the two Elders in their white shirts and ties move together combing the area.  Eventually they saw something black, thought it was a tree stump or something, then saw it move.  They stood where they were and watched it slowly walk toward them.  Can you imagine seeing two young men in white shirts in the middle of a field?  This young man was drawn to them.  His grandmother, mother and we could not hold back the tears.  We saw the Elders get down on their knees with the young man, who plopped down on the ground and eventually knelt too.  They prayed for him.  They talked for 15 minutes or so and then the policemen and sheriff walked out to join them.  The Elders said the young man was muddy and a bit wet and exhausted.  They asked him if he was hungry and he showed them some candy in his pocket, but being young men themselves one Elder joked with him and said, "Come on man.  You gotta be hungry."

We testify that God knows and loves each of His children.  He hears and answers prayers.  In this case, a mother's prayer, a grandmother's prayer, His missionaries prayers and many more.  His work is about rescuing us and when called and commissioned to His work, our work is to help rescue others... sometimes literally.  God is so good!  Elder Sines and Elder Rogers were the perfect two people to be there, find and love this young man.

Being the missionaries they are, these two servants invited this young man to join us at church when he can and they invited the policeman to join us too.  One said to them, "How did you find him so fast when we couldn't?"  Their humble answer was truth.  "The Holy Ghost."  We testify that God sends his Spirit to lead and guide us as we ask and seek for help.

Elders praying in the field.

The walk back                 

His family was so grateful

Other notable thing to mention:

One of the Sister Missionaries in our District, Sister Froelich, is always so thoughtful.  She remembered it was my birthday so when I saw her at Zone Conference she gave me a little, pink box and in it a necklace she had made.  She serves in Petoskey and everyone that goes there collects "Petoskey Rocks" of all shapes and sizes.  When polished the stone is beautiful and looks like a fossil.  She found a tiny one and figured out a way to hand drill a hole in it and then put it on a chain.  It is beautiful.  Sister Froelich is beautiful.  

Sister Froelich at District Council with us.

A sweet gift from Sister Froelich.               

We decided to do what we've seen some of the Elders and Sisters do.  See the picture of Christ 

at the front windshield?  Always keeping Christ on our minds and in our hearts.  No way you can have road rage when looking at His picture.

Our current District during our daily chat when we have a spiritual thought and prayer.  We have a new Sister!  Sister Wehrmeister.  It is so easy to love these missionaries.

We are blessed!  You are blessed!  May you see His hand in your life. 

May 14th through May 19th

  

One of my favorite songs ever is Louis Armstrong's song, "What A Wonderful World."  Not only does it remind me of my Dad, it brings gratitude and the Spirit of the Lord into my heart everytime I hear it.  It describes so much of what I feel about this world and even now experience such feelings everyday here in the beautiful State of Michigan.  Literally every mile we drive and every road we traverse is a reminder of God's love for us through the beauty he created.

"I see trees of green, red roses too.  

I see them bloom for me and you.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white.

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky.

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see friends shaking hands saying, "How do you do?"

They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow.

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know.

And I think to myself what a wonderful world." 

This past weekend we drove to Traverse City to attend our District Conference.  (This is like Stake Conference back home, but with small Branches instead of Wards.)  We can testify that The Church of Jesus Christ is led by the same authority, taught in the same way, with the same truths and that gathering together as a people brings great joy and connection no matter where one is in the world.  The church building was full and many more who could not travel the long distances to attend watching from home by Zoom.

I want to share one portion of one of the true stories told about this area. It shows how the Lord's hand, and miracles, are in this work.  It shows that He knows His children and He loves each of us and His ultimate desire is that each of us have a chance to learn of Him and His Son in order to return back to their presence.  Hearing this story touched my missionary heart and gave me a renewed and greater desire to spend everyday of my mission seeking those whom God has prepared to receive His Gospel.  

Many years ago (in the 1980's) the woman speaking attended a meeting where a General Authority told that as a young missionary he was sent to Traverse City.  It was a time when the mission boundaries were much larger, taking in more than one state.  His Mission President sent him and another Elder on a long bus ride to Traverse City in order to officially close down the missionary work.  The Church at the time didn't have sufficient members to support even a "group."  After several hours of riding, the Elders stepped off the bus and walked three miles down a dusty road.  They saw a woman in her yard fall to her knees and call back to her husband, "We haven't been forgotten!"  She saw the Elders approaching and saw their name badges and knew they were from the Church.  They had been praying for someone to come.  The Elders returned to the Mission home and told the President that they just couldn't do what they had been sent to do.  Close the area.  They related their experience with this woman.  Now, many years later this same missionary was back in the area and speaking to a gathering at District Conference in Traverse City and witnessed the miracle.

The Lord works His miracles one by one and slowly over time.  We have been praying for our little Branch here in Cheboygan.  They are loving and super supportive of each other, but they need to increase in numbers, especially in men and Priesthood holders.  We know that with the Lord's help and direction one day they will become a Ward!  Hearing this story helped me refocus my heart and efforts. The missionaries in the great Michigan Lansing Mission pray often that this will happen in the eleven Branches.  We are also helping prepare the people in Michigan to receive a new Temple in Grand Rapids.  The first in the Mission. This is ALL about coming unto Jesus Christ and being blessed with the greatest blessings the Lord has for His people.

Turning to other events this week...

We had to visit a dentist.  Elder Gibbons had his front, top veneer crack and chip.  Why didn't I take a picture?!  Fortunately he kept the big piece that chipped off and the dentist was skillfully able to put it back together an hour and a half later.  The dentist is a member of the Church and when we walked out to pay, he had told his staff not to charge us anything.  We feel so blessed and we pray many blessings upon him.

The members of the Branch love to get together and eat when they do.  There were four of us sisters with birthdays in May so the RS Presidency invited everyone to go to a little town called Onaway and meet at "Ma's Diner" for lunch.  Lots of people showed up and we were showered with love.

 

The RS President (right) and Sheree, our friend who will be baptized on June 2nd.

Elder Gibbons, our Elders and Brother Olson and Hill

It is a wonderful world full of wonderful people all striving to do wonderful things!

May 7th through 13th

I'm thinking of that song we sang when I was a child, "Over the river and through the woods..."  The state of Michigan Website says "You are never more than six miles away from water in Michigan and 85 miles away from a Great Lake."  We are finding that to be true.  In the past three month, we ourselves have seen Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and this past week we saw Lake Superior from a distance.  We traveled across the Mackinac Bridge where Huron and Michigan lakes meet and went to the very top of the state where Superior is located, right at the Canadian border in Sault Ste. Marie.  There are woods, streams, rivers, lakes everywhere!

We took this trip on Tuesday to visit three sets of missionaries and inspect their apartments.  Safety is top priority and making sure they have all the things they need is important as well.  We make sure they are keeping their apartments clean too. It was a beautiful trip.  We made sure to take pictures with each set of missionaries and we text them home to their parents.  Two of the Elders are from Arizona.  We happen to know one of their families.  

Elder Loar and Elder Kiene serving in St. Ignace which is just on the other side of the bridge.  Elder Loar is from Arizona.

Elder Anderson and Elder Allen.  Elder Anderson has been serving as the Branch President for the last couple of months in one of the Branch's in Sault Ste. Marie (pronounces Sue Saint Marie.)  That's a ton of responsibility for such a young man.  He is headed home this week.

Elder Mower and Elder Plowman (from Arizona) are the two missionaries serving as far north as we are assigned.  Apparently many of the missionaries covet serving in the Sault Ste. Marie, but not every missionary in the mission gets to even cross the bridge to the UP.  We will most likely never serve in the southern half of the state, but that is OK with us.  We are considered "eternal."  Meaning we will be here in Cheboygan forever while on our mission.  We are grateful we don't have to change companions or pack our bags every transfer to move to a new place.  There is a lot of slang missionaries use that we are still learning.  If there is a "funeral" it means you are going home.  If you train another missionary, you call that mission your "kid."  Then if someone else then takes over with that same missionary you become the "grandparent."  I think...

On Thursday morning we left at 3 AM and drove south, the opposite direction, taking Ken and Kathy to Traverse City so he could have surgery on his eye.  Neither can drive in the dark.  Ken is not a member of the Church, but Kathy is.  Five hours later we headed back home, and when we stopped for him to stretch his legs he was pretty loopy.  He wanted a picture with Elder Gibbons and then later posted it on his Facebook account with the caption, "Don't ever mouth off to the LDS!"  

We have been fed five times this week, along with our Elders, by Branch Members.  We always loved having the missionaries for dinner at home in Arizona.  Now I guess it's our turn, but I am eating so much food!  How do you say no?

Sweet Sister Gotz, asked us all to come to Arby's for lunch on Wednesday.  She read us a story she wrote and then asked us each about our siblings.  I just love this picture showing how the Elders were being so kind and careful to listen to her.

Saturday we drove an hour and a half to Alpena to inspect an apartment of two sister missionaries, Sister Ward and Sister Forsyth.  Then we took them to lunch.  These two are experiencing so much success. 

Mother's Day was wonderful.  It always makes my heart happy when our children remember and reach out.  We sure hope all you amazing women had a blessed day as well.  We continue to see more people attending Church.  We had two new members return this week.  Brings joy to our hearts!

We had a really fun District PDay here at our house today.  It was to be our last time with Sister Radmall.  She is being transferred to Cadillac.  Boy, it's hard to say goodbye to these super great young missionaries.  We played Corn Hole and Ladder Toss outside, and games inside as well as painted portraits of each other.  They know how to have good, clean fun.

Elder Sines, Sister Radmall, Sister Froelich, Elder Rogers

We cannot begin to express how this experience is changing our hope and optimism for this world.  Ultimately Christ will prevail as people's hearts are softened and turned to Him. One person at a time.  There are good people everywhere and in many religions.  We all just want to draw on the love of the Lord.  "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."     Moroni 7:47

The Nixon's, the other Senior Couple serving in our District, picked up a really cool map of Michigan made out of a wood pallet.  It's in our living room here, but we will be bringing it home with us.  The Nixon's are fun and thoughtful.  Michigan is shaped like a mitt.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, who tries to explain where they live in the state holds up their hand and points to where they live.  The tiny little area between the mitt and the Upper Peninsula--also known and the UP-- is where we crossed the Mackinac Bridge.  But beware, it is pronounces (MackinaW.)

Another interesting thing we saw as we drove through Indian River--a truck made out of stone.

April 30th - May 6th, 2024

The Lord does magnify!  This Senior Missionary Couple (who used to take naps once in a while, go to bed at 8:30 pm and watch a Hallmark movie every so often-- okay just one of us) is somehow keeping up with a couple of young, 20 year old young men now serving with us here in Cheboygan.  These two are dynamic and energetic and they are motivated to find anyone the Lord has prepared to hear and learn about Jesus Christ.  And they are so much fun and did I mention they can eat a lot too?! 

Meet Elder Rogers in the forefront and Elder Sines (our new District Leader) behind him.

On Wednesday, May 1st, we met these two giants for the first time at our weekly District Council.  We spent a few hours of the day helping them get moved in and settled and made a run to Walmart with them to get the things required for their apartment for missionaries.

This is our current District, in addition to the two Sister Trainer Leaders who joined us.  

From left to right:  Elder Sines (Utah), Elder Rogers (Utah), Elder Gibbons, Sister Gibbons, Sister Wilson (Texas), Sister Noble (Arizona), Sister Bridge (Arizona,) Sister Froelich (Utah), Sister Radmall (Utah), Sister Nixon (Utah), and Elder Nixon (Utah).

Sister Wilson and Sister Noble were the two sisters that came to Cheboygan a few weeks ago and went on "exchanges with Sister Gibbons."  We each recently received a small plastic container labeled "Think Celestial" and inside some very sweet things they wrote.  

We love the Sisters in our District--Sisters Froelich and Radmall--serving about 30 miles away in Petoskey.  We have mentioned them before, but they had a a third Sister join them for almost 2 weeks, Sister Bridge.  We instantly loved her happy, kind heart.  It was even better that she is from San Tan Valley in Arizona. 

                                                                         Sisters Froelich, Radmall and Bridge at Zone Conference

We found this on our car one day from                        Sister Froelich wrote this to us one day.

these silly sisters.  I guess they felt we

needed it!

We were so sad yesterday to have to say goodbye to Sister Bridge.  She was sent to pick up a returning sister and be her companion in a different Branch south of here.  We hope we get to see her when we return home, but her family is moving from Arizona to Alaska while she is out here serving.

Beautiful Sister Bridge (left).  Sister Bridge and Froelich call Elder Gibbons "turkey."

On Friday and Saturday, our Traverse City District (which is comprised of the 11 Branches in the Church here at the top 1/3 of Michigan) held a Relief Society Women's Retreat at Hide-A-Way Inn in Indian River which is about 20 miles from here.  Elder Gibbons was asked to accompany me so that he could help as Priesthood support along with Elder Nixon.  He was asked to give the opening prayer and bless the lunch.  After the meal, he went to the kitchen voluntarily and started in on the dishes.  Not to my surprise.  He said teasing, "I see why I was asked to attend."

We had a nice group of sisters from our Branch.  Attending was a sister who is trying to overcome some things so she can go to the Temple.  Yesterday she told us that she felt more "refreshed" than she has in years.  That's what happens when the spirit is present.  Also there was Sheree Woollard who has been attending and learning for several weeks now.  When the retreat was over she said I want to set my baptism date for June 2nd.  She felt the love and sisterhood amongst the group.  What a blessing to part of the world's largest women's organization found all over the world, the Relief Society.

First picture, is the group from our Cheboygan Branch.  Second picture, left to right:  Elder and Sister Gibbons, Sheree Woollard, Pat Bendel, President Kielizewski, Cindy Pugh, Dawn Kielizewski, Camille Barrow, Kathy Gotz, Kathy Buckingham, Chris Amundson and Ann Harris.  Second picture is our District missionaries who attended.

                                                           

                                                                                      

We also saw other missionaries who we have come to know and love.  The Sister Trainer leaders along with the two sisters serving in Alpena--Sister Ward and Sister Forsyth, southeast of Cheboygan.

In the beautiful lodge, there was a huge elk mount on the wall.  I think there was a big of "elk envy" on the part of Elder Gibbons.

We have been teaching a young couple in our Branch.  They are returning members and have been attending Church.  They want us to come and teach them things that they have yet to learn as well as the Temple Preparation classes and we love being in their home.  They have a little girl named Amara and an Australian Shepherd dog (like we used to have) named Echo.  Teaching Austin and Madison can be a bit challenging because of the attention the dog and Amara enjoy. I couldn't help myself.  I had to stop the lesson and take this picture.

Michigan is such a beautiful state!  It's been getting greener and warmer everyday.  Last night we and the Elders were invited to have dinner at Brother and Sister Pugh's house.  She is the fabulous RS President and her husband is a wonderful, wonderful man who has not joined the Church.  The have a gorgeous home right on Mullett Lake.  We ate on their enclosed patio and watched as the sun was going down.

But, after dinner and showing them a video called, "Hold Up Your Light," we stepped out on their patio and saw a most spectacular view.  God's creations sure draw us closer to Him and bring us peace.  Here are a few pictures.

I told the Elders that I couldn't see their faces, but they wanted this silouette picture.  So cool.