Sunday, July 31, 2016

It's been a busy week!!   It's hard to believe how quickly time goes by!!  Elder Tefteller has been busier than usual this past week with his AMA calling.    Which is a good thing!!!  We continue to make our daily visits to people in the Ward we've been assigned to.   The Bishop has been in not quite a year, and he is wants to know who everyone in the ward is and where they live!  It's a great feeling knowing you are on the Lords' errand in helping find his "lost sheep!"  It's sad when we find that some his sheep want to be lost.   But we extend our love and invite them to "Come Back!"
We live in a great ward!   I've mentioned before that it is the Independence 3rd Ward.  I have watched and observed and mingled with these wonderful people.  We have noticed the love this Bishop has for his "little flock" and for the Gospel.  He is truly "On Fire!"  We had the privilege of catering a wedding for a family in the ward.    The wedding was yesterday.   There were about 75 people in attendance.  They requested spaghetti for dinner.   I made 5 gallons of spaghetti sauce....10 loaves of french bread....20 dozen cookies and a green salad.  Most of you know the love I have for cooking and baking.   Elder Tefteller has decided that that is my calling on this mission.  That's perfectly fine with me!   As long as my oven keeps working.    It would be nice to have a convection oven.  I think I have mentioned that before.   But I've learned to operate the one I have and it works.

 We helped decorate the cultural hall, and it was too early to put out all the cookies,

 Elder Tefteller who is my right arm when it comes to helping me!

Shopping for ingredients!   You wonder why I posed for a picture in Costco?   I have a new dress on and I wanted to send it to my fashion consultant to see if she approved!!!   She did!!
We had the Elder's over for dinner last Tuesday.  In the middle of dinner, we found out that it was Elder Carpuz' birthday that very day.   I had made Fajitas which turned out to be one of his favorite, and I gave the Elder's each a bag of cookies.   Elder Carpuz was born in the Phillipines but raised in San Francisco.  His companion Elder Duarte is from Mexico but was raised in Colorado.   I sent Elder Carpuz' parents a picture of him on his birthday.    After they left, I felt bad.   The poor guy was turning 19 on his mission.  19!!!   He's just a baby!!!   So I stoked the fires and made him a birthday cake, and text them and asked them to stop by our house before they called it a day.   I had exactly 19 candles.  So we sang happy birthday again and had him blow out his candles.  He seemed pleased.

 Elder Duarte and Elder Carpuz.  Happy Birthday Elder Carpuz!!

 Elder Carpuz getting ready to blow out his 19 candles!

The three amigos eating birthday cake.

I love serving the Lord.   I have the best of both worlds.   I'm on a mission helping bring souls unto Christ, and at the same time I am able to do what I love doing.....baking and cooking!!!
Once again I would like to encourage all our friends and those who read this to seriously consider serving as a Senior Couple.   You will truly love it.   You will love the people you serve with and become acquainted with!   It will bless your lives in ways you never imagined.
As the Sacrament was being passed today, I looked around the Chapel thinking about the Savior, and how He loves each of us.  No two people are the same...we all come from different walks in life....we are all at different stages in our lives....we all come from different cultures....but He loves us all the SAME!!!  I felt so much love today for the people in the Independence 3rd Ward and my soul was filled with gratitude that I get to spend another year and 2 months with them.
Until next time:   Read your scriptures!!!

Monday, July 25, 2016

Something fun and exciting about our mission, is that every single day is different.   Every week brings new adventures!!   It keeps mission life fascinating and sometimes challenging.   But I've always said I'm up to a challenge!!!  It keeps you on your toes....it builds character!!!  This past week started with a visit from Elder Anderson of the Quorum of the 12.  He spoke to all the missionaries in the Missouri Independence Mission!    And we Seniors were invited.   There were over 200 missionaries in attendance.   We Seniors were asked to sit on the back row.   I tell you, we older generation ain't got no respect!    But we gladly obeyed.  Elder Anderson's wife told everyone when she spoke that we Senior Missionaries are her heroes!  That was worth sitting in the back!!   What an amazing feeling to be in the same room as an Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ.   But what an incredibly down to earth man he is.  He spoke for 2 1/2 hours and I loved every minute of it!!   A spiritual feast indeed!
We made our usual visits to less active in the Independence 3rd Ward.  No two visits are the same.   We don't know if we will get a warm, friendly reception, or someone who you know DOES NOT want us there.  I'm just very grateful that Glenn is my companion, especially when we run into not so nice people.  Why can't everyone just be nice.   Even if you're not interested and don't want any further contact.....just be nice about it!!!  And for the very first time, I had someone refuse my cookies!
Not only am I in charge of FHE's....but it seems I have become the Social Guide as well.   Last Saturday,  11 of us went to downtown Kansas City, MO, to take a tour of the Arabian Steamboat Museum.   Amazing.   Apparently back in the 1800's there were a lot of Ferry boats travelling up and down the Missouri River with not only passengers, but tons of cargo to sell to towns along the river.   In 1856 a boat called the Arabian, sank.   All passengers aboard survived, but the ship sank along with 200 tons of cargo...the museum looks like a store with everything you need to buy from dishes to shoes,,,,hats.....fabric....coffee....everything you can imagine.  And they still haven't put out the remaining 60 ton of merchandise they found.

 A few of us that went....Sister Ross....Elders Tefteller and Ross....Sister Christensen...Sister and Elder Treasure....

Sister Christensen and I waiting for the others to catch up!!  It was a very hot day!!
These are all the pictures I took.  We highly recommend the museum if you ever plan on visiting the Kansas City, Missouri area.   One of our next adventures is going to the Missouri State Fair.  It is in Sedalia, MO which is about 87 miles from Independence.   Then we are going to tour the WWI Museum in Kansas City the end of August.    As I was sending out the information to all the other Senior Missionaries, I told them that we were planning a trip to Branson, Missouri and Nauvoo.  (Both of these places are out of our mission!)   At the end of my email I put a PS.  President Vest
(the mission President), I was just kidding about Branson and Nauvoo.  He is on the Senior email address list.  He emailed me back and told me he thought he was going to have to call Elder Tefteller to help with his Blood Pressure and heart!!!  Did I mention that President Vest is an amazing Mission President and human being.   I know he loves his missionaries, and he runs a tight ship, but he is so down to earth and loving and kind to everyone!!  Sad to say, they will be leaving next July.   So we will have a new mission president 2 months before we leave.
We have seen some miracles since serving here in Independence, and witness how the Gospel changes lives.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ!   It has changed my life!  And continues to change my life.
Until next time....be happy and read your scriptures!!!

Converts...

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Today, we had the privilege of going to two separate convert baptisms.   We drove two sets of Elders to the first baptism and one set of Elders to the second.  The first one was in Kansas City, Missouri.    He was the husband of a woman who was just baptized a week earlier.  In April, the wife went to SLC with a friend to a convention.   They decided to go to Temple Square and check it out.    They ended up talking to 2 sister missionaries   One of them was from the Phillipines.   They got her contact information and parted ways.   This was on a Saturday.   She told me that on Sunday, she flew home(Kansas City, Missouri).  She hadn't been home long when to Elders knocked on her door.   She was baptized last week.   The sister from the Phillipines has since gone home but this new convert told me they still stay in touch.  It was truly a spiritual experience as you could feel the Spirit and know that these two truly were happy!!
The 2nd baptism was in Kansas City, Kansas.   This is a couple who have been married 13 years.   She was a member to begin with.    They have 3 chidren.    And from what I was told, the wife went to the Temple last year to receive her Endowments.    The one thing that impressed me the most is how humble the husband was.   I don't know the complete story, but finally after 13 years of being married to a member, the spirit touched him and he wanted to be baptized.  They have a sweet family.  Another thing that touched me was the ward support.    There were a lot of people there supporting this young family.    And when they spoke, you could feel the love they had for this family.  Amazing!  President Vest the Mission President was there.   When I told him that this was our 2nd convert baptism that day, (and I was feeling good about that), he said this is my 5th!!     Wow!!!  6 convert baptisms in one day.  Pretty amazing!  President Vest allows the missionaries to attend convert Baptisms of people they taught in the past, only if it is less than 1 hour away from where they are currently serving.  I testify that this is the Lord's work.    We are a part of it, and it is so wonderful to reach out to others who are less active and who don't have the Gospel in their lives.   We get some people who are nice,  but not interested.    We have others who are not interested and not nice.  We strive to be kind to all, regardless.   We wonder though, why some people have to be so unkind.  We had a less active we went to see and he told us he would not only not be attending Church, but he did not want us or anyone making contact with him.    BUT.....he was very nice about it.   This is Christ's Church and it will continue to grow....inspite of continued persecution, and the negative remarks against us.   I have a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.   What an amazing Prophet of God He was!!!   I would like to leave you with a quote by Elder Costas.

"When we always remember the Savior, we can cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, confident that His power and love for us will see us through!"

Until next time.....read your scriptures!!

Transfers

July 14, 2016

It's been awhile since I last posted.   I was sick a week with strep throat.   I'm one who never even gets sore throats.   It was a tough week being down when there is so much to do.   But I realize that the Lord is in charge.  Things always happen for a reason.

Today we got to experience Transfers for the first time since arriving in Independence.   It was amazing.     And it sure brought back a lot of fond memories when we lived in Arizona.    At the time, we had a 12 passenger van.   So I would drive the missionaries to Scottsdale for transfers.  I absolutely loved it.  They would meet in the chapel by the mission home, and I was able to sit in and observe a host of missionaries in the same room.   That is great power of the Spirit.   I particularly love it when they sang called to serve.  Being among all those missionaries was such a Spiritual High!!  I felt that same spirit today!!   Today involved the entire Missouri Independence Mission.

 Meeting new companions...Missouri Independence Mission transfers!

 Sister Peterson saying goodbye to a friend.

 Elder Tefteller with Elder Hiatt and his new companion.   Forgot his name  Elder Hiatt is the grandson of a couple we served with in the DC Temple Mission, The Plummers from Blanding, Utah.

 Sister Peterson and her new companion, Sister Moulten.   Sister Peterson was transferred to Liberty Jail.   We love her.   So she is not too far away. She has been on her mission 7 1/2 months and this is her first transfer!!

 A view from our car looking over the parking lot.

Elder and Sister Brown showing Glenn how heavy a sister's luggage is.   Some don't travel light.

Elder Duarte, our ward missionary stayed, and his companion Elder Cox was transferred.   Elder Duarte's new companion is Elder Capuch.  He was born in the Phillipines.   His parents came to America when he was 2.  I'm pretty sure we will be going to transfers from now on!!  Such a fun, spiritual experience.
Our baptism that was supposed to happen last week with Yvonne cancelled.   Her kids told her if she joined the Church they would disown her.   She feels really bad, but we supported her and told her she did the right thing.    That her family is all she has, and it's important to have a good relationship with them.

It's such an amazing feeling being part of furthering the Lord's Kingdom here on earth.  There is so much to do....but I'm grateful that we have the assurance, "Line upon Line...."    I wish all the Senior couples in the Church would serve at least 1 mission.    We are realizing more and more the great need for Senior Missionaries.   This isn't our last mission.   We plan on serving as long as the Lord allows us.   We will take a break after this mission, so we can spend time with our children and grandchildren.  We are loving it here in Independence!    The Alpha and Omega Mission.    Can anyone tell us why it is named that?
Until next time,  read your scriptures!!   Much Love,  The Teftellers