P-Day Adventures

We have a very busy schedule at the Visitor's Center. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we work two different shifts.  Either 9 am to 3 pm or 3 pm to 9 pm. Tuesday is our P-day for preparation such as grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we work the three four hour shifts, either 9 am to 1pm, 1 pm to 5 pm, or 5 pm to 9 pm. It is very exhilarating to be at the center and be with the young sister and elders and investigators and we come home very tired. But it is a good tired! We enjoy serving. We pray constantly for inspiration. We visit with many members and their families. We are taught to teach them the same as we do everyone else. We have shared many tears as the spirit touches our hearts and theirs.

We can go to our ward when we work the later shifts. We went this week and met many people from our condo complex. They know who we are now we need to figure out their names to go with the faces. Someone from the ward brought us a secret FHE treat Monday night. One little older lady came to me and said I guess you can see we are the newly wed, nearly dead ward. I laughed. I thought it was only the younger people that said this. Her saying it struck me funny. The building is very old! Not like any ward house I have been in. They just divided a Spanish ward and they come to some of our meetings. We haven't got that figured out yet? When we can't go to our ward we have several others we can choose from to get to a Sacrament meeting each week.

We get up at 5:30 am most days to walk since it's only in the 80's then. When it is humid due to rain it feels more like 100's, but we have been doing it anyway. Then we eat breakfast and get ready for the day. We pack a lunch if needed. Next we study together which we are enjoying.

I only go the aerobics class if we don't work the early shift and then we study a little later.

We used our first P-days shopping, cleaning, ironing and setting up our condo. This week we wanted to try to fit in some fun things. So yesterday we worked 9 am the 3 pm. We came home and Elder Ballard made spaghetti while I did some housework and laundry so we could look around today.

We started at the Alpine bread store. A clerk comes to me and says you get four loaves free for being missionaries. We can't even use four loaves but we took them and then bought two more because Elder Ballard felt guilty. My little fridge freezer is now full of bread. We can share with the Sisters. We also bought some jalapeño cornbread which was yum! We stopped by the Mesa City Visitor's Center and met the Director of Marketing, Milt Fort, a church member who's son served a mission in Ogden. He visited with us for a long time and told us all the great places we should see but not in the summer, too hot! Their center has recently been updated.

Richard in front of a stagecoach used in Western movies filmed in AZ

In front of some Mayan Art. I forgot to mention I had my hair lightened to better hide the gray hair. I feel a little washed out. We'll see if it really lasts 6 weeks and I can get used to it. I have never had highlights before? Oh, hair issues! Hate them.

Threw in some rocks for the boys that love rocks!

Emily shows real animals on her blog, mine are plaster!

Lots of dinosaurs

This is very funny! We went to a Lutheran thrift shop our friends told us about to look for a blender, a treadmill  or whatever. The cart is a walker. He won't go to the Senior center but he'll push around a walker-cart! They have the walkers all lined up in the front and you can take your pick. Some have a red basket to hold your things. I guess they have a high volume of walkers!

We had dinner at the Organ Pizza Stop. The Organ is huge and all around the room are instruments.  When a certain instrument is played on the organ it lights up. They play requests and it is very popular! The pizza was so so but the music was fun. He played the whole star wars score and it was amazing. We also heard Phantom of the Opera (with the lights going off), Little Mermaid, Happy Birthday, and many others. They were having Christmas in July,
(why the trees),  which is a theme used quite a bit around here. They were collecting cans of food for local charities.

Dancing cats. Interesting.

Visitor's Center and some Outings!

Sister Ballard by one of the displays. We take people around many times a day to all the displays and testify of the Savior Jesus Christ. There is an amazing spirit here and we love it. We show movies and visit and talk. Elder Ballard has given a blessing and I have hugged distraught people and lots of cute children! The temple has been closed for two weeks so now it should get busier. 

Elder and Sister Beckstrand the Directors of the Visitor's Center and such great missionaries!

Elder Ballard by the prophets display. At first he felt out of his comfort zone but he is working so hard to meet and greet and gives some very wise counsel. The spirit is there to help us discern the needs of the guests and say the right things. 

This book store "Odds and Ends" which has one of the earliest published Books of Mormon. The owner is a sweet lady from our ward, Helen Schlie. It was made famous a few years ago when someone stole this old Book of Mormon. The FBI recovered it. She has tons of old books. Helen is showing it to the young men below. She keeps it in a locked case.

Elder and Sister Andrus, other missionaries at the visitor's center. They are great people. They have ten children and are from Provo. We are getting to know them. They have helped us with directions and getting around the city, etc.

Sister Andrus and I went to the Senior Center. They call it the Mesa Active Adult Center.  You can't see much from the picture, I just wanted to add it. These ladies work hard and are so interesting. Adele leads us and she doesn't cater to those that are not working. She gets them going. She has been leading aerobics for 30 years. The group is so friendly. It is actually a little missionary work too because they all know Sister Andrus and I are on missions here and have talked with us about it.  They use weights too. The music is the 50's but I enjoy it. I am not trying to age myself but the facilities are so nice. They have a weight room with treadmills. I am really missing my treadmill so this is good. I am all registered and can go one or two days a week. I tried to get Elder Ballard to come but he won't yet.  There are a few there my age. It was kind of funny when I filled out the survey they gave me and I needed to have a health score. You got more points if you had mobility or other issues. Mine was zero and she didn't know what to do but they liked my $15 so I am in! Wahoo!
It is $15 for a year and $2 a week for aerobics, 50 cents for as long as you want in the weight room. Can't beat that! 

Dinner with Senior Missionaries

Dinner ar President & Sister Jenkins home. It was fun to be with all the Senior Missionaries. I forgot to get my camera out until the very end of the evening.

President Jenkins. He is so personable. I think of his calling and how many missionaries he has to care for and guide. They will be in our prayers.

Their home is beautiful. They have a pool in back. He mentioned he didn't request such a home but that is what was provided. It was beautifully furnished. Next time I'll take some better pictures. They plan on getting us together again.

From Farewell to Arizona!

One last hug from Gretchen before the MTC

 Our nice room at the Marriott Hotel in Provo. The couples with cars 

stayed there. The others stayed on campus at the MTC (Missionary

 Training Center).

This is our district. Elder Ballard was the district leader. I am hanging off the edge of the sofa so we could all fit. We had such a wonderful time meeting couples from all over the world, going all over the world and learning together. The spirit was so strong.We all knew this is the Lord's work and we were where we were supposed to be doing what we were supposed to be doing. It was a great feeling to be part of this big wave of missionary work. There were 53 couples and one single sister. This was a large group.

These are all visitor center missionaries. We trained together the second week 

for three days. The photographer didn't tell us we couldn't be seen? Again the 

spirit was so strong and we learned so much. We have e-mails for all these new

friends so we can encourage each other. 

I didn't get a great picture to capture the amazing sight of missionaries pouring out of 
the Marriott center after the devotional. It gave me chills to see missionaries as far back as
you could see. There were over 3,500 missionaries. About 1,500 were in the choir. We 
had meals with these wonderful missionaries and felt their enthusiasm! It was

contagious.

The MTC

The chapel next to the MTC is where we attended classes. Our trainers

were all BYU students and return missionaries. They were dynamic and 
so patient with seniors. You could feel their testimonies as they shared 

their mission experience and taught from Preach My Gospel, a very inspired
book. 

Home for one last time and enjoying a cookout and some fireworks at the Steve
Ballard house. The kids enjoyed sparklers, blowing up watermelon and corn and

a little basketball. Mike's beard was holding a sparkler. The kids got a kick out of that.

 

Rachel get's one last hug. We were hugging these precious grandkids all night
long and we said a tearful goodbye. We are really on our way now.

Arizona Mesa Mission here we come!

Our new home for the next 18 months. Nice!

We moved in on Friday the 12th of July. We unloaded the car, looked around and made a Walmart trip right away to get what we needed to set up a household. It reminded me a lot of when we were first married and did the same thing. We could only take what we could fit in our car. We got enough groceries to get by for several meals. Our AC was not working and we were wishing we could call Michael since the temperature was 113 degrees. It was HOT! We hadn't been able to contact the home owner and the office person was also trying. 

Last night we got in touch with the owner and she sent someone over today. She had been out of town. It was frozen up and we are now waiting for him to come back and see if it is working. It has been up to 89 degrees in our condo but it is going down a little now. Needless to say we were glad to be at the visitors center. We have not cooked much, can't bear to heat up the house. We've driven around a lot to enjoy the air conditioner, and get to know the area. We also have a club house by a pool which is very cool. We hung out there when we needed to get out of the heat. The people in our complex, which is called Temple View Condominiums, are very nice. We have met three different owners so far. We have been written up in the newsletter and there is a party Saturday evening. Most of them are members of the church and some are also on missions or have been. We will get to know them in the ward. We met a couple from Ogden today.

 

This is the front of the Visitors Center.  It is open seven days a week. We work three six hour shifts and three four hour shifts each week. Our preparation day is Tuesday. It is amazing how many people came on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was crazy for our first day. The temple was to be closed for two weeks of cleaning so lots of people came to the Temple. The Temple doesn't have a waiting room so the visitor center acts as a waiting area. We had brides, wedding parties, temple attendees, people wanting to get cool, have a drink or use the restroom. The Sister missionaries are so amazing, they just teach everyone. Our mission is doing well. The work is a lot about technology these days too. People come to see the movies in all the theaters and teaching rooms. The sisters are always busy teaching with the computers, iPads  e-mails or in person. They do it all. They speak different languages and are darling. We had about 400 people go through on Saturday.  Sunday was equally busy. Members come on Sunday to watch the movies also. I took two families through the exhibit  "God's Plan for You". It follows a family with vinettes in life to show how they can be a family forever. They were all lined up with the kids and I was wrapping it up and I told them they were so special to God and how he loved them. I also stated that they reminded me of my grandchildren and how I will miss them. One cute little girl came up and gave me a big hug and of course made me cry! Then three others wanted to too. It was a special moment. I wasn't the only one crying. The week days are a little slower now the Temple is closed and we have been able to get more familiar with things.

View of the temple from the back of the visitors center