JUNE - JUMBLED and crammed, JELLIED and JAMMED! But a month of JOY and growth.

There is always beauty in hard situations.

Our career initiative has officially taken off. We are connecting with all the returned missionaries in WA from the last three years and matching them up with a coach if they would like one to help them with their career paths. We will then focus on all YSA and married people ages 18-30.

I have been officially trained and put on the health council team, so I am doing more individual counseling and assessments with young struggling missionaries. We are also involved in some Welfare self-reliant cases that are intense. We are involved in trainings, Bishops councils, devotionals, and continuing with speaking in wards. It seems our work load has doubled or tripled!

Since winter has been here, we are using electric heaters. If we use any one of these: the clothes dryer, the dishwasher, my blow dryer, the microwave, or the electric water boiler for hot chocolate, while our heaters are on it flips the breaker and our electricity flips off. FUN TIMES !!!!!

A week ago, Elder Kahmann was asked to transport an Elder home for health problems. It was a very difficult responsibility. He had to travel to Michigan, and then to Utah, which ended up being over 50 hours due to cancelled flights and layovers. He got a few days respite and now is on his way home today hopefully not more than 30 hours. I have been frantically holding down the fort by doing the WSR meeting, 2 Emotional Resilience trainings, Sunday evening teaching with a recent convert, and the 5 hour departing missionary seminar (today) by myself. Looking so forward to the return of my dear companion.

"Preach my gospel" has been updated. We now have new doctrinal points to memorize. AHHHHH! I was sad to put my old ones to rest. They have become a part of me. But the news ones are beautiful and refined.

A great highlight!!!! ZONE CONFERENCE

Elder and Sister Nattress inspired and taught us so much. The picture above is of us with them at lunch.

We got to talk to them and ask them about their lives. Elder Nattress gave a talk in conference in April. He was the one who told the story of Danny. Do you remember that talk? He also talked about he and his wife moving to Idaho to set up a business. Seven years ago, Sister Nattress was diagnosed with a rare cancer in her mouth and she was told that there was only a 20 % chance that she would live. Soon after that, Elder Nattress was called to be the mission president in Gilbert Arizona. President Nelson, who at the time was the president of the quorum of the 12 apostles was the one who called them. He spoke to them over the computer. When he asked them about their health, they told him about Sister Nattress’s cancer. He then gave her an exam over zoom. He had her get close and looked at her neck and throat. Sister Nattress was very sad, because she knew that her husband was needed, but that they would not be able to serve because of her cancer. But they were called anyway. It ended up being the place they needed to go to get the help for the rare cancer that she had. They were right by the Mayo clinic. Part of her tongue was cut out. She was treated and she is now in remission. It was a miracle. I asked Elder Nattress if he has told that story in conference yet. He hasn’t but he has thought about it. It has not been easy.

Each Zone conference, those with birthdays in the last 6 weeks get sung to and given a treat.

Southern River and Rockingham Zones

North Coast and Dianella Zones

We had a zone conference for 2 days. Elder Nattress who is the general authority serving over the pacific area presided at our zone conference.

Pacific Area Presidency Pictured left-to-right: Elder Peter F. Meurs, Elder K. Brett Nattress, and Elder Taniela B. Wakolo (Elder Meurs is from Perth and several of his children live in our Duncraig ward. Elder Nattress is from Idaho!)

Sister Nattress spoke in our zone conference and told us that she grew up in American Fork and her dad raised sheep. So she wanted to share this story told by Elder James E. Faust of the quorum of the 12 apostles. Here is the story she shared:

When I was a very small boy, my father found a lamb all alone out in the desert. The herd of sheep to which its mother belonged had moved on, and somehow the lamb got separated from its mother, and the shepherd must not have known that it was lost. Because it could not survive alone in the desert, my father picked it up and brought it home. To have left the lamb there would have meant certain death, either by falling prey to the coyotes or by starvation because it was so young that it still needed milk. Some sheepmen call these lambs “bummers.” My father gave the lamb to me and I became its shepherd. For several weeks I warmed cow’s milk in a baby’s bottle and fed the lamb. We became fast friends. I called him Nigh—why I don’t remember. It began to grow. My lamb and I would play on the lawn. Sometimes we would lie together on the grass and I would lay my head on its soft, woolly side and look up at the blue sky and the white billowing clouds. I did not lock my lamb up during the day. It would not run away. It soon learned to eat grass. I could call my lamb from anywhere in the yard by just imitating as best I could the bleating sound of a sheep: Baa. Baa. One night there came a terrible storm. I forgot to put my lamb in the barn that night as I should have done. I went to bed. My little friend was frightened in the storm, and I could hear it bleating. I knew that I should help my pet, but I wanted to stay safe, warm, and dry in my bed. I didn’t get up as I should have done. The next morning I went out to find my lamb dead. A dog had also heard its bleating cry and killed it. My heart was broken. I had not been a good shepherd or steward of that which my father had entrusted to me. My father said, “Son, couldn’t I trust you to take care of just one lamb?” My father’s remark hurt me more than losing my woolly friend. I resolved that day, as a little boy, that I would try never again to neglect my stewardship as a shepherd if I were ever placed in that position again. … After more than sixty years, I can still hear in my mind the bleating, frightened cry of the lamb of my boyhood that I did not shepherd as I should have. I can also remember the loving rebuke of my father: “Son, couldn’t I trust you to take care of just one lamb?” If we are not good shepherds, I wonder how we will feel in the eternities.

On our mission, we are trying find and take care of the lost sheep and be good shepherds.

At the close of our wonderful zone conference, Elder Nattress told us that he will be a general authority for 13 more years and he may see some of us again. He said if he does, he wants us to tell him that we are still on the path. He and his darling wife taught us the code of staying on the path. He said if we are in the audience and catch their eye, we can send the code and make their day. We shared the code with a couple of the kids over zoom. The next day they were at the open house of the Saratoga Springs Temple and sent these pictures. It melted my heart to the core.

For you kiddos who we haven't shared this with yet, here it is:

Five hand actions: Pray everyday, Read the scriptures every day, Serve, Take the sacrament weekly, Attend the temple regularly

Sister Stone helped me out with these last 2 groups as Tony was in the US.

Our far away missionaries we have to teach through zoom. We are changing that next month, and having them train when they come to zone conference so we can do it in person.

I told these beautiful sisters if they each get married and have 6 children like I had, that would make 42 children to continue spreading the word of God, and the same number of grandchildren that Elder Kahmann and I have. And same number of doctrinal points.

The missionaries keep on coming!! And they keep going. Lots of work to prepare bedding bags.

Sweet Sister Kurulakopo. She had to transfer to a service mission for her diabetes. She has been such an asset to the mission with a wonderful attitude and sharing of her many talents.

Just before Tony left! He creamed me!!! Ahhh. But I have closed the gap. I'm gonna cream those new doctrinal points. We enjoy playing celestial scrabble. We are smashing the WORK!

I wanted to record and share this incredible experience of my brother and his wife serving in Holland.

"A visit Sister Henricke De Wilde. Doug baptized her and her husband in 1973. It was another wonderful visit with her and her daughter, Judith. Doug and the two of them spent the hour speaking in Dutch and I was again able to understand most of the conversation. The gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues was manifested. At the conclusion of our visit, Doug asked Sister De Wilde if we could offer a prayer. She asked him to pray. The Spirit was so strong. We are so grateful for these dear friends who have not forgotten the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Henricke DeWilde, Doug, Judith De Wilde

This is a picture of my brother Doug and his wife Marcia with friends

Round 2: Good soil this time. They are doing great! And it's winter here.

The lemon tree Cindy gave us.

First time trying Tofu. Tony made it and it was incredible.

The Berrymans I love how her blouse matches our placemats!

Playing the game Geoffery gave me for my birthday.

Sister Johnson Elder Wardle

Elder Johnson

The beautiful missionaries in our family

Today we have reached our half-way mark for our mission assignment. We have seen miracles as promised. God is in charge of His work. If He needs to take care of something, He gives us the ability and He opens the door to ensure that is can happen. His ways are not our ways, but His ways are astounding and glorious. Our job is to be clean and pure vessels, prepared and willing. (I have found it liberating that I don't have to carry the weight of the world or the family, or an individual person's burdens, or even my own inadequacies.)

We are constantly reminded of our own nothingness. We don't need to fear. We don't need to be anxious or depressed. If we are anxious about anything, it must be about our own sins leading us to repent.