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!!!