November 7th 2010

7 November 2010

Can you believe it – this time last year we were leaving good ol’ Moapa Valley and making our way to the MTC!! Monday, November 9th 2009, is the day we entered it’s doors. It has been quite a year, never to be forgotten. We have learned so much and have had so many wonderful experiences. We have met many wonderful people and have made many new friends. We love the Texas pace and hospitality. I have been reading President Monson’s Biography, ‘To the Rescue.’ He mentions going to Dallas, TX in the 60’s and it being called the ‘City of Churches.’ There are definitely many, many churches of many denominations, resulting in a lot of religious people who put their faith and trust in God.
We are so excited for Chandler Whipple’s mission call to New Zealand!! WOW, that is exciting. (By the way it is one of the most expensive missions there is, there must be a high cost of living there. It was one place we knew that we wouldn’t get sent.) We are also excited to hear about Nick & Bonnie Bowler being called to Denmark. Such a great missionary force there will be.
Julie Poole was out of the Center this week. One of her children was involved in adopting a baby so she was able to take the week and help them and get to know a new grandson. We’re glad that she felt like she could be gone and spend the time she needed.
Monday we had a lady call in and ask if we helped people who were not members of our church, we answered that yes we help anyone who would like to come in or sign on the website. She asked, ‘Do you even help Catholics?’ ‘Yes, we help Catholics too.’ When she came in I was available so I was able to help her. A very pleasant lady. Her husband is also out of work and she is feeling the strain of unemployment. She is having difficulty sleeping at night and always under stress. She repeatedly mentioned how she felt so much peace at the Center. She had some questions whether the Center was actually the church, how we had the money to run such a facility – I was able to share with her about fast offerings and a few other things. She was very impressed with this. She really wanted to be able to work at the Center and wondered if we were hiring anyone. Then I was able to explain about missionary work and service. She was still willing to do it but unfortunately she needs a job that pays right now. She reminded me how fortunate I was to have a husband that had similar goals and ideals and that we were both willing to serve together at the same time. She said that would not be possible with her husband. It was a good reminder to remember some of my blessings. She doesn’t have Internet at home anymore and lives quite close by the Center. I assured her that she was welcome anytime to come in and use the facilities.
Tuesday we had a lot of rain so it was quite slow at the Center. I was able to spend some time calling candidates. I have been quite random in making calls to candidates and ward employment specialist in my assigned stakes. I’ve decided to try to be a little more focused, calling people within a particular ward (requires getting a special print out from Julie – one of the things we are frustrated with about the website because it won’t allow us to do this), talking with the ward specialist in that ward and seeing if there are any insights or special needs that we could help with. Then we could follow up with a visit to that ward on Sunday. The one ward I was able to do this in turned out to be a good experience. For example, the WES was able to tell me that one young lady was expecting a baby any day so she really wasn’t out job searching right now.
I am sure using the few words that I know in sign language and Spanish a lot. Nathan Mahana continues to come in on Monday and Tuesday afternoons for several hours. It is a big help for him to post jobs on the website. We also have volunteers work on this when they come in. We are supposed to have one everyday for 4 hours but that doesn’t usually happen. Then some of the ones who do come aren’t familiar enough on the computer to copy & paste jobs.
Some days the ldsjobs website doesn’t work so well, such was a day on Wednesday. It kept logging everyone off every few minutes, not allowing you to sign back on for a few minutes, over and over. Finally I just had Nathan go home for the day, it wasn’t worth the hassle.
Wednesday evening at Sunbeck Spanish Branch piano class we had announced that if there were any others who would like to begin taking lessons they could come that night. We had about 8 more people come, a few younger children, a couple of Young Women and an adult. We stagger them through from 6:00 to 7:30. We are getting more organized and I feel good about how it’s all going. (Mom, thanks for sending the ‘Crooked Man’ song.)
Wednesday the MacPhearson’s come in to cover while the Phelps have their P-day, however they were sick so it ended up being Elder Nelson, Donna T. and I. It always works out however and we were able to handle everything just fine.
Friday was our workshop day, we had 4 people signed up to come however none of them showed. So that day I went back to the apartment for a lunch break, it was nice to have a little time to relax.
I think I forgot to mention that last Sunday the Mark Morell family invited us to dinner at their home. Charlie and Carla and Kay and her kids were also invited – two weeks ago Sunday was Charlie’s birthday, they had a dinner but so many people were invited and there was not much seating so we were not invited – we were totally fine with that! We really don’t expect to be invited to every get together they have. However, his kids were quite upset and couldn’t believe that we were not invited to the birthday dinner, so Mark invited to his house the following Sunday dinner to make up for it. It is so great, such a blessing to have a whole family let us be a part of their lives like that.
This led to being invited to the Friday night football game. High school football in Texas is quite a big event! Several high schools share a stadium, which rivals any college football stadium. It was the last game of the season and one of the Morell boys plays on the defensive team. We bundled up (this week light jackets in the morning and evening hours have turned to coats and scarves) and made our way to the Plano vs. Plano West game. It was actually very fun to be away from an office environment and away from a computer for a few hours and be out in the brisk open air. They have pre-game show and a half-time show by the marching, band, flag twirlers, drill team that would be something like we try to put together once a year for Home Coming. And the right team won. Football is always more fun when you know some one on the team to cheer for. We enjoyed the evening, even if we did leave at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Bryner’s work at the temple and this week the temple was closed – as some of you know, that’s your time to be able to get out of town, so we didn’t get together and play. We will this week however for Saturday evening we are doing a little evening concert at the Morell home.
Yesterday I was able to go to the orchestra rehearsal for the Messiah. It is a seven piece string orchestra, plus harpsichord and an alto recorder. It was a lot of fun, I kept up pretty good for being my first time of playing it.
Thursday for our P-day we went out to East Texas to Nacogdoches. (Cheers to you if you can figure out how to say that one.) Out in East Texas they really have the Texas drawl, lots of y’all’s and all y’alls. We stopped at a KFC to eat and they asked Jack if he wanted ‘something from this side of the menu or something down yonder.’ He got some good elbowing from me because he kept laughing, but they weren’t trying to be funny. There are a lot of woods and pine trees out in East Texas so it was a beautiful drive. In fact, it’s actually called ‘the piney woods’ area. Dallas area is called, ‘Prairies and Lakes.’
On our way to church this morning we were listening to the radio – the classical station always has preachers on Sunday morning – they told a joke that we enjoyed. You may not get it but I think we will enjoy it in the years ahead.
A man out in East Texas wanted to join a church but the preacher told him he had to answer some questions first. He asked him, ‘where was Jesus born?’ The answered, ‘In Longview.’ The preacher told him he was sorry but that wasn’t the correct answer so he wouldn’t be able to join. So he went to a different church. Once again he was told he had to answer some questions. Again he was asked where Jesus was born. This time the man answered, ‘In Tyler.’ Again he was wrong and wasn’t able to join that church. A third time he went to a different church and asked if he could join. He was asked the same question, ‘where was Jesus born.’ This time the man answered, ‘Palestine.’ (The Palastine, TX is pronounced palace-teen.) This time the preacher said, ‘Correct, you may join the church.’ The man answered, ‘Finally I got it right, I knew it was someplace in East Texas.’ I think you have to be in Texas for that to be funny.
As we continue forward here serving I am ever impressed at how important ‘faith and hope’ are. We must look forward to a brighter day when life’s challenges come upon us. We must act in faith, we must act in hope that the future will be brighter. We must press forward with confidence and hope in making those things happen. At times its very difficult to move forward in this way but we can see that if we give up things will not get better.
Sometimes we visit with people who are losing hope, who become discouraged but we try to instill in them to do the work that they need to do. We’ve had one person in this week who just feels like it’s all too much work, that it’s too hard to make a resume, let alone multiple ones for different jobs, too hard to put in the hours every day to keep searching and getting yourself ready. I really admire Donna T., she can talk with people and be so frank but also so loving and kind, all in the breath. She can tell them, this is what you need to do and get them to commit to doing it. To get them to come in prepared with information, to get cleaned up, shave and dress decent…….. She’s amazing. Then the next minute she is working with an unemployed Stake Pres-y member to help prepare them for an interview where he will be working with a company where he will be handling the accounts that are worth $100 million or more, if he gets the job.
Elder Nelson is doing so good. He has been busy this week putting on many companies and jobs. He and Will Boesewetter do good work together. He is also helping candidates as they walk through the door. He is so good with people, he makes them feel at ease and he knows so much about so many things that he can talk the language of almost any profession. And he is at ease with people from all walks of life, from those seeking the most entry level jobs to those seeking high corporate careers. (His knowledge of trivia is serving him well here.)
We are enjoying our time of service and this time of strengthening our relationship. We are grateful to be serving where we are, doing what we are doing. The Lord truly knows each of us personally. There is only one thing missing and that is YOU.
We pray for you daily and appreciate your prayers for us. We feel of their sustaining influence. Our love,
Mom & Dad, Grandpa & Grandma, Jack & Gaye
Elder & Sister Nelson

Jack n Gaye