Happy Pioneer Day!

Talofa Lava Family and Friends,

      July 24th is the day that people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints celebrate the early Pioneers of the Church entering the Salt Lake Valley.  I think it is pretty amazing that my Great Great Great Grandparents, James Bowers and Mariah Bowers on my Grandma Kendrick side, joined the Church near Birmingham, England in 1839.  They left every thing, including 4 children, and set off with their six children to join the saints in Utah in 1856.  And who did they travel with?  Edmund Ellsworth, Brent's relative who led the first handcart company.  James died on the journey and Mariah continued on alone with her six children.  She settled in Nephi Utah.  Today I am grateful for the sacrifices of these good people.

     Friday night, while driving a couple of Sister Missionaries back home to the South side of the island, we came upon this horrific bus crash.  It happened on a very steep section of road and on a sharp curve.  It appeared that the driver probably lost his brakes.  The bus was full of 50 high school students from the village of Siumu, returning home from an athletic competition in Apia.  The paper 

Bus Crash at Tiavea

today is reporting that no one was killed - which is truly a miracle considering the condition of the bus.

       During Primary today I became aware of a very strange sensation - the ground was definitely rolling.  It was the strongest tremor I've felt since we've been here.  There are tsunami escape route signs posted around the island, but I am hoping it will never get bad enough that we have to run.

Tsunami Signs are posted around the islands

       After Church today I drove a Sister Missionary to the airport.  I have lost count of how many trips we have made - but it is a lot!  However, I loved driving home on a Sunday afternoon.  Samoans take the commandment of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy quite seriously.  You see the Protestant women walking home from church in their white dresses and white hats.  Unlike Saturday night, there is no one out playing ball, and very few children out playing.  There are very few cars on the road, and almost all businesses are closed. It was wonderful to drive through the villages at at a leisurely rate, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  There is no way to adequately describe the beauty of this country.  I love the millions of sparking diamonds on the aqua ocean, the countless varieties of flowers, bushes, trees, the changing cloud formations and the different hues of the sun.  Boy - I am sure going to miss Samoa!

Elder Cutler's "Best Socks"

     Our internet has been off and on at the house for the last couple of weeks.  (Mostly off)  Since our daughter, Annie, is expecting a baby girl any day I have been anxious about missing her important call.  There are sacrifices that have to be made when serving a mission, and not being home for the birth of a grandchild is a biggie.  It is lucky that I am so busy that I don't have too much time to dwell on it.  

      This last week Elder Cutler was working in the office and slipped off his shoes.  I was shocked to see his stockings!  He said they were the only clean ones he had, and when his shoes are on they appear to be fine. Since Samoans seldom wear shoes, socks are not a priority either so they are difficult to find.

       Saturday morning we had a wonderful sunrise Relief Society Activity at the Temple.  If you look closely you can see us sitting at the church across from the temple.  Elder Schaefermeyer's drone is responsible for these amazing photos.  The second photo is all of us standing on the front temple stairs.  I am next to the last on the right (Just in case you were wondering).  Sister Anderson said something in her talk that I have been thinking about.  She said that Christian churches do a great job bringing people to Jesus Christ, as does our faith.  But it is only in the temple where people are also bound to Heavenly Father through the process of making covenants.  It is the only way to get back to our heavenly home.  

     The Starkes arrived this week from Portland, Oregon.  They will be working with teachers at the Pesega Campus.  They expressed an interest in going to the beach, and you know how hard they had to twist my arm.  The Spencers and Davis' joined us at Matereva Beach.  We were well rewarded for the effort to go with the most 

amazing snorkeling experience yet.  There were literally thousands of fish of every description in the coral reefs.  Being there at low tide helped us to see more than we usually do.  It was awesome!

     My Scripture from the week comes from our Primary lesson today.  We are teaching the children in our class stories from the New Testament this year.  Today we talked about the Good Samaritan, and how important it is to be kind to people, even when they are not kind to us.  An important lesson for the world today.  Luke 10:34-37:

" But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Love and Peace to You and your familes!

Oute Alofa Mo Outou Uma Lava, Patty

       

   

The Tribe has Spoken...

July 13th Intake of new missionaries - What a great looking
group of missionaries!

 Talofa Lava Family and Friends,
Today is July 17th, and if my mother was still alive she would be 88.  I still talk to her on my morning walks, and believe that she is my guardian angel.  I miss you Mom!
   This week went relatively smooth.  We welcomed 10 new sisters and 6 new elders to the mission, and got them all sent off in different directions to 3 different islands.  We also said goodbye to three elders who have completed their two years.  Elder Mikkelsen served in the office with us several months ago, so we got to know him better than the missionaries who only come into the office once in a while.  He suffered through more boils than Job, and never complained.  If he is able to play on the BYU football team this next season, we will definitely have to make the effort to go see one of his games.  We also had a visit this week from Elder Anderson, another AP, who returned to tour Samoa with his family.  We have a date with him next March to attend his wedding in St. George - all he has to do is find the right girl.

Apparently the seat belt law doesn't always apply

Elder Mikkelsen packing for home

Some of the things I want to remember about Samoa:  It is so strange that the police pull you over if you are not wearing your seat belt, and right next to you is a truck crammed with people, often standing up.  Also, in Samoa if you feel like something is crawling on you, something IS crawling on you - you just have to look very carefully to see these itty bitty bugs. I also have this little ants that live in my Ipad.  They crawl across the screen regularly. Driving down the road it is not unusual to slow for pigs crossing the road, or to see a brood of baby chicks.  On Saturday nights the roads have more people walking than cars driving, and there is either a volleyball or rugby game being played by the youth in every village.  Naked little children play in their yards, often under the supervision of older siblings, and women sit in groups and visit while they work. There is a sense of community that is missing in the states.  The people take great pride in their villages, working together to beautify their villages, adding extra touches that say they are proud of their homes.                                                                                      

Shanna with Survivor Torch

For the last couple of months the Australian version of "Survivor" has been filming in Samoa. Several times we have planned to go to a beach, and found it closed due to the filming of this tv show.  Yesterday the Schaefermeyers were walking along the Coastal Walk, one of the places they had been filming, and discovered one of the contestant's torches.  They are trying to get it returned to its rightful owner, but it was still fun to see.
     Yesterday no one wanted to go to the beach so we went by ourselves.  After a leisurely drive to the south side of Upolu, through picture postcard scenery, we arrived at our favorite "Mermaid Cove" where we snorkeled, seeing an amazing variety of fish.  This was also one of the locations for  the Survivor show.  We then set up our chairs and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, and enjoying this beautiful location all to ourselves.  We didn't think it could get any better until Schafermeyers showed up later with their Survivor torch and Theron's new birthday gift, a JC Phantom Drone, which he was more than willing to demonstrate.  What is that saying, little boys never grow up, their toys just get more expensive.

Up, Up and Away!  

It is starting to sink in that we are on the downside of this adventure, and will be returning home soon.  However, this beautiful country will always have a place in my heart, and be a part of who I am.

     My scripture for the week comes from the 13 Articles of Faith, #10: " 10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory."  This past week as I have input baptisms into the computer it hit me that in a small way I am participating in this literal gathering of people who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days.  It is exciting to see the evidence of this prophesy being fulfilled around the world. We are blessed to live in a time when we have a living prophet and twelve apostles directing this gathering of Israel, and preparing the earth for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  If you would like to know more go to mormon.org.  
 God Bless all of you as you go through out your week.  I send all my love.
Alofa atu, Patty 

4th of July at Nu'umau Beach - Gotta love those
Schaefermeyers who do everything with a flair!

 Talofa Lava Family and Friends,
      The 4th of July was celebrated in high style with the Senior Missionaries at Nu'umau Beach. We closed the office at 1 pm and by 2 pm we had arrived at the beach where the Schaefermeyers and Gillettes had set up tables and chairs in the water, red,white and blue ballons added a festive touch and Rusty's handcrafted Bar-B-Q was sitting out in the water ready for hamburgers and hotdogs.  60's tunes (my favorites), were broadcast out across the water, and salads, desserts and chips were potluck. As the tide came in we just kept moving the tables, until by the time we left the water was up to the 2nd post.   We had a wonderful time celebrating the greatest country on earth!

Senior Missionaries 4th of July Picnic

After lunch Brent and I swam out to the small island in the background.  On the backside we saw several of the bright blue starfish, several sea slugs, and a few fish.  It was not the best snorkeling but it was good exercise, especially for Brent, who often pulls me through the rough spots.  Gotta love that man!
      Saturday Brent and the Senior Men had a male bonding experience going scuba diving.  It was pretty pricey at $350 WST. After some instruction in a pool, they were taken out in the ocean. I was disappointed that they didn't see anything cool like a shark or a whale for that price, but they still had a good time.

Bright Blue starfish are common but still pretty!

 I got up early Saturday morning and participated in the ward's "Fit for the Kingdom" 5K run/walk.  It was almost the exact route I walk every morning by myself, so it wasn't strenuous.  I enjoyed walking with Shanna and Linda, and our mouths got as much exercise as our legs.
       Tomorrow starts another transfer week, and the stress is already building.  We are expecting 16 new missionaries, and will have an additional 16 missionaries come into the office as trainers; that equals 32!  They start arriving tomorrow and the mission president is off island until Tuesday afternoon.   The logistical planning for housing, feeding, training, transporting, by van boat and plane, makes for a interesting week.

"Fit For the Kingdom" Activity at Pesega

We were finally able to arrange a set time for volunteer work at the Children's Shelter.  The plan was for us to go in and assist the teacher with tutoring kids in reading, English, math and writing.  There is one teacher for over 50 kids of all different ages.  They forgot to mention that the kids were on "Winter Break" last week, so we just had to improvise large group activities.  I am looking forward to this weekly opportunity, and hopefully we can make a difference for the good.  We will go in every Wednesday from 1-2 pm, which isn't much, but it is a foot in the door.

Linda Spencer, Patty, Shanna Schaefermeyer
Slow but Steady finished the race!

        My scripture for the week is from the "The Family Proclamation To The World" that was issued by the Prophet and 12 Apostles in 1995.  It came to mind last week after returning home from the shelter, and also in reflecting on the direction our country is going.  If you want to read the entire text you can Google it or go to ldschurch.org.

"WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

I am again saddened as I hear about this past week's happenings in the United States.  It is obvious to me that we continue to see these atrocities because of the breakdown of the family.  If we want to have peace in our nation, we need to keep the commandments of God.  Love to my family and friends.  Patty

God Bless America!

Beautiful Sunset over Pesega

Talofa Lava Family and Friends,
      Sometimes life gets so crazy here that when I get back to the apt. I just collapse in exhaustion. So here is a summary of what I do in an average week: Record 30-40 Baptisms, answer emails from parents, make up new missionary packets, make up departing missionary packets, take Afalua food shopping, keep track of arriving missionaries, keep track of temporary missionaries, keep track of when missionaries are supposed to go home and make sure their travel is requested, check on missionaries who have been ill, order supplies, check on where in the heck the supplies are that I ordered 6 wks ago, take missionaries to the airport, plan Senior Missionary activities and Family Home Evenings, make up agendas

Elder & Sister Fata's FHE Presentation on their mission to PNG

for meetings, attend meetings, take care of medical emergencies when the McBrides are gone, help missionaries who come into the office with problems, sort mail, answer the phone a zillion times...  Well, you get the idea.  Just didn't want anyone to think that we we lounging at the beach everyday.
      Speaking of beaches, tomorrow is the 4th of July and we have planned a Senors 60's Party.  Hey Dude, we will be cruising to Nu'umau beach, catchin some waves, jamming to the tunes, Dude, eating some grub and celebrating the Greatest Country on Earth.  We might even try a Chinese Fire Drill.

Anna's Banana Gram message

 
Last Monday night Elder Fata shared his experiences when he was serving as Mission President in Papua New Guinea.  He had some amazing stories about baptizing people in waters infested with crocodiles, traveling in groups for safety from bandits, traveling for hours in small boats to get to different areas of the mission.  I am sure Sister Fata will go straight to heaven for enduring the challenges they had there. The bottom line was that they loved their missionaries and the people.  I am impressed that some of the people there travel for days in canoes to get to church conferences.  Their faith was inspiring.  Today in Primary we had several children visiting from PNG - they were beautiful!  I had no idea there were 8 million people who live there, and this presentation changed my perception of this country.  The church currently has two missions there that are both very successful.

Oh-Laa-Laa Ice Cream Parlor

I decided I better start capturing some of the everyday places that I want to remember.  I have mentioned Oh-La-La Ice Cream before, but from the photo you can see why it was such a great discovery.  From the street you would never know that there is great ice cream inside.  The girl that works there has a sister who is serving with my niece's daughter in Pittsburg, PA.

Brent and I have sent for our absentee ballots to vote in November, however we are at a loss of who to vote for in the Presidential race - we really don't want either of the candidates.  I'm waiting to see who they pick for their running mate.   However, I have never missed voting in an election, and I don't plan to start now.  I am going to have to spend time researching the other local elections, so if any of you have personal information on candidates or issues, I'd appreciate it if you passed it on to me through email - ellswor@hotmail.com.

My scripture for the week is for the 4th of July, and comes from the Book of Mormon. It reflects the .  belief that the United States of America was founded by men who were inspired of God, and that it is choice land.  Ether 12:2 " Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."

I know that all of our family in Las Vegas will be gathering at Chad and Amy's home to swim, bar-b-q and watch the fireworks.  Sure wish I could be there!

Happy 4th of July and God Bless America!

Love, Patty

Samoan Rugby

Spaghetti Dinner with Elders

Tolofa to dear Family and Friends,
     It has been another week of hellos and good-byes. We added a much needed office worker, Sister Darla Anderson.  This is her 2nd mission to Samoa.  She just happens to be the sister of Elder McBride who is also in the office.  It will be wonderful to have another set of hands to help stay on top of the endless tasks that need to be done.
     We also welcomed Kent and Sandy Davis from Escondido, Calif.  They are a volunteer Dentist couple who will be here 6 months.  These volunteers pay all of their own expenses plus bring supplies.  We have also had the Blacks and Bills on island this week, so it has been fun to meet new people.  Elder Black is an attorney from the Pacific Office in Sydney.  The Bill are from Sarotoga Springs, and are here to work at the Pesega school campus.  As an added bonus the Jordans have been here visiting from American Samoa and the Callahans from Savaii.  These two amazing couples are pretty isolated from the rest of the senior missionaries, but work hard at their assignments in Institute and at the Viola High School.  It is always a treat to visit with them!
       We always love having the missionaries over for dinner, and they always love spaghetti, which is good as it is something we can fill their hollow legs with, and not break the bank.  Elder Brown, on the left, had never had spaghetti before.  It is pretty funny to watch the Samoan elders, as they are not sure they want to try those strange, noodles.  With a little coaxing they will take a little bit on their plate, but usually end up having a couple of big servings, after they realize it isn't so bad.

Fond Farewell to the Satius

Monday night we all gathered at the Orator Hotel to honor Elder and Sister Satiu who will be leaving this week  for their

home in Auckland New Zealand.  They are finishing their 2nd two year Temple Mission.  I have so much love and respect for these two good people.  I wish them the best as they return home.  Sister Satiu helped me stuff the Thanksgiving Turkey (her first) last November, and that will always be a great memory.

         Monday Brent and I, along with Sister McBride and President Hannemann had the opportunity to tour the Victim Support Shelter for abused and neglected children.  The children put on a beautiful program of singing and dancing for us and we had the chance to hug each one of them.  To see children with no light in their eyes is heart wrenching.  The purpose of our visit was to try and set up a service opportunity for our young sister missionaries to go in once a week and give a gospel message and hopefully tutor some of the older children in English, math and reading.  Sister Gillette has gone in for the last several months every week and taught sewing classes for the older girls.  There is so much that needs to be done there, it is overwhelming when I think of it, but hopefully we can set up something that will make a difference.  The two sister missionaries who we arranged to go in starting Tuesday both have viral pink eye, so I am afraid it will have to wait a week.

"

The Seniors enjoyed attending the Samoan vs Tongan Rugby Game yesterday.  Rugby is a national passion, and yesterday there were flags flying and a lot of excitement surrounding the game.  I finally figured out what was going on, thanks to the Callahans who knew the rules.  That was something on my bucket list to do while I was here - so check that off.  I think next time I will save myself some money and watch the game at home with air conditioning.  However, we had a great time and I am glad we went.

It is time to go to Choir, and then I promised peach cobbler to the elders tonight so best close.  My scripture for the week is a reoccurring theme in the Book of Mormon.  Our country will be secure and prosper as long as we keep the commandments of God. (Think of the 10 Commandments - how do you think we are doing as a country?)  Alma 44:4

4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.

We booked our flight home this week.  We will be returning Dec. 18th, just in time to enjoy Christmas with our family.  Love and hugs to all of you.  God Bless you in your daily lives, and remember that keeping the commandments of God will bring peace to our lives and our country.

Love, Patty

Families are Forever

A wonderful week with Chad, Amy and Kids

 Talofa Family and Friends,

A Welcome cool down after hiking the South Upolu
coastal walk and then to the Ma Tree

The pictures will be telling of why I missed a week posting my blog - some our kids came to visit.  We had an incredible time showing them around the islands of Upolu and Savaii.  We swam at beautiful beaches and waterfalls, kayaked, snorkleled, hiked, played games, and had an absolutely amazing time.  However, as they were leaving last Monday morning I said a quiet thank you that I had survived the week - I was exhausted!  My right knee is giving me a lot of problems from the injury sustained right before we left.  I see an orthopedic in my very near future after arriving home.

Besides the thrill of having the kids visit, they brought a suitcase of treats from the states.  Sees Chocolates have never tasted so good!  There were also some new desperately needed clothes, walking sticks (a must now if I'm going to hike), and many other surprises, it was like Christmas.

Thank you Chad and Amy!!!  

       On the far side of Savaii there is a place where you can swim with sea turtles. The kids and Brent had a ball trying to catch and hold onto these turtles.I had a great time watching them, as my knee was not going to do good on the rocky bottom.

        After  visiting here Chad agreed with me, there is no way you can adequately describe the natural beauty of these islands.  Besides the natural beauty you have this entirely different lifestyle where many people "live off the grid."  Life here for many of the people is the same it has been for hundreds of years, with very little change.  It is really the perfect place to vacation if you want to get away from the rat race.                                                                                     

       We really appreciated the McBrides, who filled in at the office for us while we were gone.  Their kids are coming in October, so we will be able to repay the debt.  However, there was still a price to pay last week, as I had to work longer hours to catch up, on top of transfers.  These missionaries that left last Thurs.were young people we have worked with since we arrived.  It was hard to say goodbye to them.  I have become a BYU football fan on this mission, as we 

several young men who play on the team.  I'm afraid I'll be trading in my red for blue when we get home. 

      Yesterday we welcomed Elder and Sister Best to Samoa.  They will be working with the Whittles in Self-Reliance.  Tuesday we will be welcoming Sister Darla Anderson, (Elder McBride's Sister) and a new volunteer dentist and his wife, the Davis'.  As new people come, we also have to say good-bye to others. The Satius will be leaving at the end of June.  They

have served in the temple for 2 years - They are a wonderful couple who will be missed.

9 Amazing Missionaries
Returning Home

Seeing how it is "Father's Day" in the States today, I 

want to give a shout out to Brent for the wonderful

father he has been to our children.  Also a Happy 

Father's Day to our 3 sons and 1 son-in-law who

are all wonderful fathers.  They all work hard and

teach their children correct principles.  I have

thought about my dad today, and how lucky I was to 

have Paul R. Milligan as my father.  Fathers are

so important!

South coast of Upolu

Swimming with turtles in Savaii

Kids Jumping off cliff at Sua Trench

My scripture for the week is actually advice Alma gave to his son Helaman many years ago.  It is found in Alma 36:3

" And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

 I have serious concerns about the direction our country is headed.  I know that strong families who have a father and mother and who teach their children to be moral, to have integrity, to keep the commandments of God through their example, is the answer to many of the problems we face today.    In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we believe that Families are Forever.  If you want ideas on how to strengthen your own family or more information on what is meant by a "Forever Family" go to mormon.org.

Happy Father's Day to all of you wonderful Father's!

Alofa, Patty

Feels like Christmas!

Sunday Selfie - We are in the "Pink of Things"

Talofa Family and Friends,
       Our son, Chad and wife Amy, along with 7 of our grandchildren are arriving in Samoa in just a few hours.  I have been so excited, I have felt like a kid on Christmas Eve.  I hope the G-kids are prepared to have their eyeballs squeezed out!
       This morning was Stake Conference with a Seventy visiting from Australia.  Our ward was in charge of the choir for the conference, thus the matching pink shirt and tie.  In the states we don't all dress the same, but this is a very Samoan thing to do.  The material was hand printed, and then we had to find someone to sew it for us.  Afalua came through for me again when she had a friend that sews.

New Intake & Trainers

      Busy, Busy week.  It was transfer week which means we welcome new missionaries to the mission and say goodbye to those who have finished.  We were supposed to have 15 arrive, but one broke his leg in the MTC, one lost his passport in LAX (he eventually got here), one of our local elders got sick in the MTC and went straight home, and two other visa waiters had their Visas come through.  We managed to get the ones who arrived through  orientation and out the door, and said good-bye to three missionaries returning home.  I know that I have said this before, but these are amazing young people and it is such a pleasure and privilege to be able to serve them.
      June 1st Brent and I celebrated our 46th Wedding Anniversary.  We finally finished with our office responsibilities about 6:30 and made it out to dinner at Tatou Bistro, a very nice restaurant in town.  While we were dating we promised each other that we would serve a mission together, and here we are 46 yrs later making good on that promise.

"Preach My Gospel" Missionaries

Samoan Pioneers - Independence Day

On top of transfers and our anniversary, June 1st also started 3 days of festivities here in Samoa for Independence Day.  There were parades, huge dance performances involving hundreds of dancers all in sync, feasting and formal balls. Unfortunately, our schedule did not allow us to attend most of the celebrations, but on June 2nd about 70 of our missionaries marched in a parade (Us included) sponsored by Samoa Central Stake.  The floats were themed either traditional Samoan or  pioneers.  The parade around Pesega looked more like July 24th in Utah than Independence Day.  Our missionaries marched singing "Called to Serve" and waving their "Preach My Gospel" manuals.  Even though there were very few people watching the parade, except the other people who were in it, we had a great time.
     I love reading my scriptures every day and often find several scriptures during the week that I would like to share from my study.  This week I was reading about the Sons of Mosiah, who had been rebellious, repented and became great missionaries.  They made a great difference in the lives of the people they taught.  I see the same miracles everyday with our missionaries in Samoa.  Their message of the Restoration of the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation brings great and wonderful changes in the lives of individuals and families when they come to understand the truth that this life is not all there is, but a time to learn and prepare to live with God, together as families.

l-r: Brent, Patty,  Kathy & Cliff Vellinga, Alecia and Maurice McBride, Bishop Pauga

           In a world with every changing values, confusion and chaos, it is a great comfort to have something to anchor my beliefs on. It is easy to dismiss the Book of Mormon when you haven't read it, but once you have read it you can't go back - you know it is a true book testifying of the reality of Jesus Christ and his plan for us to return to our heavenly home.  My Scripture is from Alma 24:14   "And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea,
and he has made these things known unto us beforehand,because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our 
children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known 
unto us as well as unto future generations.
      I know I am going to have a great week - hope you do too!  God Bless and Keep you and your families.
Love, Sister Ellsworth