Another Baptism!

We felt privileged to have a part in teaching Dave Thomas and witnessing his baptism. He asked Rob to baptize him, however Elder Hales filled in since Rob (elder Zollinger) was still recovering from carpal tunnel surgery. Dave asked me to speak at his baptism which I was happy to do. Dave's journey began when he was given a blessing at a time when he was ill. He felt the Spirit and wanted to learn about the gospel. He is now a changed man.  So happy for him.

Transfers again

We are getting used to seeing missionaries come and go. We've enjoyed watching these Elders grow and become excellent followers of Jesus Christ. They've been great examples to us. Pictured are (from left) Elder Jarrard, Elder Opper, Elder Berry, and Elder Hales.

Temple Day

We enjoyed a day at the Medford Temple with all the missionaries in our district. Pictured with us are Elder Berry and Elder Opper. 

A rare sunny day in March

We've had so much rain lately. We decided to take advantage of a rare sunny day and go for a hike at Susan Creek Falls. Signs of spring were a welcome sight. We enjoyed nature and each other's company :-)

Bran Muffins

I love to bake!  I'm always "on the lookout" for extra special recipes. These bran muffins are superb. We eat a few and share the rest. These muffins were shared with the Yoes (a couple we visit who have become dear friends). Missionary work is furthered by sharing baked goods for sure!

Transfers...again

We enjoy and have so much admiration and respect for all of these outstanding young missionaries. They serve with all their hearts and give their best. Monday's are sometimes transfer days. From left, Elders Etherington, Jarrard, and zipper are staying, and Elder Borden (from Pearl City Oahu Hawaii) is being transferred to Corvalis. We will miss Elder Borden. He is  quiet and humble. He says beautiful prayers. 

Valentine Craft

Even though we serve a mission there is still time for this Nana to make a Valentine craft. Made a banner for each of our kids' family. Wish I would have made one more for us!

Zone Conference

We always enjoy attending Zone Conferences. This one was especially good as we become better acquainted with all of the missionaries. One segment of the meeting featured showing the DVD "Infinite Gift" which was so powerful. We loaned the DVD to President Russel and thought he might like it. He liked it so much he showed it to the entire zone! We learned new ways to teach and tried to take it all in.

New Year's Day Brunch

We enjoyed a wonderful, relaxed brunch and visit with our friends the Raus and the Cutlers on New Year's Day. It was delightful! I made some yummy food and the company was excellent. We decided it should become a yearly tradition.

Transfers

Sister Hokanson and Sister Wood worked really hard in the Winston ward. Transfers are always hard but these two will do well where ever they serve.

Haircuts

I'm always glad I can help the missionaries out by giving them free haircuts. It's fun to get to know them better when they come to our house for a haircut on preparation day.  They don't seem to mind that we set up shop in the kitchen! 

Christmas with the Winston Missionaries

We were excited to have the missionaries come to our home for Christmas dinner. Their youth and enthusiasm brought an excitement that we appreciated. We enjoyed a ham dinner with all the trimmings. We also gave each of them a Santa stocking with several small gifts. They seemed to enjoy the time they spent with us. Sisters Wood,Hokanson and Elders Borden and Finlinson left with light hearts and full tummies!

Bitter Sweet

We said goodbye to Elder Watson today. He is being transferred to the Springfield area. We watched him transform from an inexperienced, scared new missionary a couple of months ago to a capable, knowledgeable, confident yet humble missionary. It has been a pleasure to serve in the same ward with Elder Watson and his companion. We enjoy our association with these great young people. They enrich our lives.

Back to the Work!

After taking a month off to recuperate from cervical spine surgery Elder Zollinger is healing well. He is making great progress in his recovery. We are happy to get back to our missionary assignments.

Side Lined

Our missionary work has been interrupted for a necessary surgery. Elder Zollinger had a cervical fusion on October 23rd. He is doing well but will need to wear a collar for stability for a month or so. We appreciate the many prayers offered on his behalf. We hope to get back to missionary work soon. So grateful for doctors and nurses who do their jobs well. God is good.

Excellent Elders

These young Elders became very dear to us. Elder Thurgood (on the right), was our District Leader. He was a great example to us as well as his companion Elder Watson. We enjoyed working with both of them. It was fun for us to take them to lunch on Saturdays after our correlation meetings. We will miss Elder Thurgood as he transfers to Klammath Falls. What fine young men we have the pleasure of working with and learning from.

Our First Zone Conference

We drove to Grants Pass bright and early on. Tuesday morning for our first zone conference. We didn't know what to expect, but enjoyed it immensely. We were taught by President and Sister Russel as well as the zone leaders. We were so impressed at the quality of these young elders and sisters. We came away spiritually fed, lifted, and encouraged. It was a great day!

Home made Bread

As missionaries we have discovered that it never hurts to bring a loaf of fresh, home made bread with us when visiting less active members. Who wouldn't want that? We were told at the MTC that bread, or cookies always help warm people up. It's true! We've tried it and it works. We need to start buying giant bags of flour at Costco. I have a feeling we're going to be using a lot of it!

Getting together

Our mission President and his wife invited us along with three other couples who serve in the Oregon Eugene mission office over for a barbeque. It was nice to meet them and spend time in a casual setting. All great people.

Scheduled

Our calendar is filling up fast with district meetings, visits with members, and classes. We made sure to schedule a Friday night date for ourselves. Busy missionaries are happy missionaries.