BEHOLD A ROYAL ARMY!

So we had training today and Sister Gilliland gave it.  It was very inspiring. She was saying that after this experience of a mission, we will never be the same again.  She talked about it being no “coincidence” that we are here, together.  We have been called out of the darkness of the world, and into His light as we have lived and served here in Nauvoo.  It is an experiment in living a Zion type of life. She also talked about us being a “Band of Brothers and Sisters,” wow, that is comforting, no matter what happens the rest of my life, I know I have people who sincerely love and care for me! I could call on any one of them and I know that they would be there for me.  Now when I go home, am I going to be a Zion type person?  Am I going to take with me the things that I have been taught in my heart? I am a little concerned as I try and ponder exactly what it is that I have learned and what I am taking with me that has changed who I am……..They say that the greatest battles that we face are within the silent chambers of our own souls. No matter where I go, am I going to continue to be one of God’s Army?  I have made up my mind which side I am on and I will never change that. I need to remember, so that the Lord can strengthen me, so that I may be an example when I go home.  Will I be a hero to my children and grandchildren. I pray that it will always be so.

 

Behold! A Royal Army 

 

As called and set apart representatives of Jesus Christ-- What are our opportunities?

PMG We challenge you to rise to a new sense of commitment to assist our Father in Heaven in His glorious work....More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children.

1 Peter 2:9

  R. L. BACKMAN  

You royal generation, you special people that God has reserved to come forth in this day, may God bless you with an understanding of who you are and bless you with a knowledge and understanding of the mission that he has in store for you. May your lives reflect that you are disciples of Jesus Christ, and may you, like our elder brother, grow in “wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52), that you will

be prepared for the awesome responsibilities that he has before you. APR 1973

E.T. Benson:

I am sure that I am looking into the faces of one of the choicest groups of young people that have ever come to this earth. It is my conviction that in this dispensation some of the choicest spirits of all time are being sent to earth to help bear off the kingdom, to help provide leadership in a time of great need....(May 24, 1961, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1961, p.3) 

 

No senior missionary finds it convenient to leave. Neither did Joseph or Brigham or John or Wilford. They had children and grandchildren too. They loved their families not one whit less, but they also loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. Someday we may meet these stalwarts who helped to establish this dispensation. Then will we rejoice that we did not seek the shadows when a call to missionary service came from

the prophet, even in the autumn years of our lives. RMNelson OCT 2004

The Church has done many difficult things, and from these achievements one would not wish to detract. But all the easy things the Church has had to do have been done. From now on it is high adventure!

NAM Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, p 84) All easy things done? NAM Apr 1979 In His Steps Ezra Taft Benson Brigham Young University on 4 March 1979.

For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord.... Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation.

There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Will we be true to our last-days, foreordained mission?

RODEO!

We went with a bunch of missionaries to the annual rodeo in Ft. Madison last night.  We went last year with Jill and Kyle and were excited to go again this year.  Last year was a little uncomfortable with only the four of us in Sunday Best.  This year we had over 25 of us that went.

Much better odds!  I love the rodeo, always reminds me of Oklahoma and growing up.  I hadn’t heard that kind of music since last year, not seen that many tattoos in awhile,a lot of living bras that not only had died, but never been present, but best of all SPARKLE! SPARKLES! SPARKLED! I love all of the sparkly belts, hats, shirts, everything with a bling. All of our friends were laughing at me, I wanted to purchase anything with a bling, and of course, Richard is always reigning me in.  But it was a fun time. Missionaries are always telling us that it will be an adjustment when we go home.  Being back in the real world will probably be just a tad bit overwhelming. I think I am however, up to the task, just to be back with family. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!! WE CERTAINLY NEED IT!

KISSING IN THE MISSION FIELD????

Richard and I were responsible for training again this last week.  We sweat bullets over teaching in front of all these amazing people. So for the last six weeks we have been working to put together a presentation.  Richard says why aren’t you terrified???  I am one cool cucumber. Actually, I just think I am exhausted and all I can do is the best I can do.  Years ago I did a presentation in YM/YW and it was “Improving Our Relationships With A Kiss!” Kiss being an acronym for Kindness, Involvement, Sense of Humor, and Service.  So we did a pretty neat training complete with three awesome videos.  I tell you, things have surely changed from and overhead projector to now jumping right to You Tube. I have decided Richard and I make a pretty neat team.  I generally have the ideas and presentation and he does all of the computer work! Can’t beat that deal.  Jerianne made handouts for us and then we gave Hershey Kisses out at the end.  We challenged them to a week of Kiss-es ( when someone did something kind, or an act of service, or handled something with a sense of humor) and had them to put into each others’ mailboxes.  I went into the mailroom yesterday and saw all of the boxes with kisses in them.  What a thrill

.

I guess everyone thought the idea was really cute. I think that we will have one more presentation before we leave in November.  (By the way, that sounds unbelievable to my ears) That doesn’t however count us speaking in Sacrament Meeting on the 20th of October.  Might as well go out with a bang. 

These are just a few of the notes that we have gotten over the last few weeks.  I always love notes, thank you’s and all.  I have kept them for years. They mean the world to me.  Makes me think I need to write more of them myself.


From sweet Sister Fowers, one of our single sisters who really is like an angel.

From Sister Purtell, who is one very classy lady.  She lives in Sarasota, Florida and she is also one of our single sisters. She is amazing! No one would know that she was 78. Ran her own business and drives like an easterner!!!!

Sister Elia is from Hawaii.  She is also a single sister that has gone home.  They have been so kind to us and we won’t forget them. What a difference a small little note makes. I will always carry these sentiments next to my heart.

NIGHT ON THE TOWN!! VERLINDA, GET ME MY PENCIL!!

We had a night off last week and so people in our cast thought we would go out for a night on the town!!! That is a misnomer here.  Someone had heard of a little restaurant that was in the top of an old building in Keokuk.  They serve dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Wednesdays happened to be all you can eat fried chicken for five dollars.  Who messes up fried chicken, right?  Well, maybe the elevator should have been my first clue.

This young man probably made $100 a night and just took us to the next floor with nary a smile.

We were excited to be able to enjoy one another’s company, but I could just hear my Granddaddy hollering at me, “Verlinda, get me my pencil!” That meant he wanted to check this place off.  Needless to say, we will not be going there again, but the company was nice. Rolaids please…………………………………………………………..

It used to be a fancy place, but dirty silverware and plates should have tipped me off.  Now I need Prevacid!!!

HONEST ABE AND THE REAL WORLD!

As Zone Leaders, Richard and I greet the new missionaries, orient them and answer any questions they might have.  We also happen to give them a handout that Jill had given me of sites to see in the surrounding areas.  One of those sites is the Lincoln Museum and Home in Springfield, Illinois.  So we decided to practice what we preach and actually “see” some of these attractions.  Yesterday was our preparation day and so we started out for an adventure.  We took the back roads to Springfield, and it was beautiful.  The corn is as high as an elephants eye, all around this beautiful state.  Springfield has about 117,00 people, roughly the size of Overland Park.  As usual we parked far away from the entrance to the museum, it is our normal MO. It was an absolutely fascinating experience.  So beautiful, informative, and just plain impressive, the museum was exceptional.  They had everything from his early life and a replica of the original homestead………………………………….

to the White House…………………………………………………………

with life size replicas of the Lincoln family, Robert, Willie, Mary,  Abe, and Tad, and me thrown in for flavoring!

These wax figures were so real looking that it was a little eeeeerrryyyy!   So I had been through a lot of the displays and came back out in front of the White House.  In my mind I didn’t remember “The President,” standing in this particular spot. I was looking at him and he smiled at me, which made me nearly wet my pants!!!! “So Mame, do you own any slaves?”

Need I say more?

Will the “real” Mr. Lincoln please stand up?????

There was everything here from his childhood, to his lawyer career, to the civil war, which by the way, I didn’t realize that they lost almost 600,000 men on each side, North and South.  That was a very costly battle. They had a display that was covered by “modern” newscasters and it was quite interesting to put this situation in our day.  Many people disliked Abe strongly.  So many negative political cartoons, criticism.  It must have been a very difficult decision to keep the country united.  But I am sure he was picked by our Father in Heaven for this specific task and time. They had life sized rooms of the White House, his law office, and even the room in the capital where he laid in state after his death.  They took his body on the train from DC to Springfield, 1500 miles and two weeks, having services along the way.  More people saw him in death than had seen him in life.  We then went to visit the home that his family lived in in Springfield.  They have restored several blocks around this house, making a whole neighborhood into a National Park.

A lot of the furnishings in the house belonged to the family. 

Their formal furniture made out of horsehair. This is the parlor where he was convinced to run for the presidency.

What Not shelf that I love.  My Mother has my Grandmother’s What Not Shelf……

Dining Room where they ate.  Mrs. Lincoln always had “live-in” help.  They said however that she did the evening cooking herself.

Formal sitting room where they entertained guests.

Her mirror and sewing kit.

President Lincoln’s actual bedroom and furniture.  They wall paper was brought from France.

His wardrobe…..

Writing Desk……

His shaving station…

Kitchen…..

Architectural design…..I love it.

Then on our way home!!!!! Lo and behold the real world is still out there. RICHARD PULL OVER!!!!!!!!!!

ANGELS

I have gotten extremely close to some of the Young Single Sisters.  What respect and admiration I have for them.  I look at them and know that I was no where near where they are at their age.  They know the Gospel, they strive to be so obedient and give up the things of the world.  They teach by the Spirit and bring so much light to this mission.  I know that our Heavenly Father is so pleased with them and what joy they have brought to me.  I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be taught and uplifted by them.  They give you a sense of hope for the rising generation.  I have watched them teach a room full of senior missionaries, 240 of us to be exact and not even flinch! So saying good bye to some of them this last week was really hard. 

This is Sister Heather Ripplinger from Driggs, Idaho.  What a powerhouse of a spirit she has.  She has been the assistant to the president and done a masterful job.  But she is as sweet as she is amazing.  We have spent a lot of time together, serving in sites, working in the mission leadership, and just plain being friends.  I want her to marry someone amazing, I just don’t know who.  If I had another son, that would have been ideal.

Little Sister Petricek!  What a sweetheart.  She has made me laugh through this whole mission.  She loves Richard as well, and is always going to him, looking in his treat drawer.  She was adopted from India and it was so funny, when her parents came she whispered in my ear, “My parents are WHITE!”  I will miss her and she had made me cry before this picture.  I am only putting it in to have a record of her.  Fly high little Sarah!!!


So I even hate to stand next to this amazing woman but I love her so.  Her name is Ruth Wortley, and she happens to be a famous opera singer from SLC.  She is singing in Prague next summer and is doing “La Traviata,” at the Capitol Theatre in January that she wants me to come and see. She will take me back stage!!!! She and her husband have been the “Ma and Pa,” to all of the Young Performing Missionaries.  They come out for three months during the summer and basically take care of all their needs.  Her birthday and mine are one day apart.  We are kindred spirits.  She said the minute she saw me with my “blingy,” earrings, she knew we were meant to be friends.  What a treat for me.  We even went to Gypsi’s together and what a ball we had.  Some people you are just immediately drawn to, Ruth is one of those for me.  I miss her already……….


Went to Bentonsport, Bonaparte, Cantril, and Burlington, Iowa with two friends of mine on my last preparation day.  What a blast we had.  But talk about exhausting, I am no shopper compared to these two.  Sister Allen and Sister Taylor from the pageant office.  We had a great time and I love being able to have people that I feel as though we have been friends forever.  Richard won’t let me out of the house with these two anymore. 

THE RAWLINS FAMILY

The Rawlins family from Lehi, Utah were very special people who served with us here in Nauvoo.  I had the opportunity to take their children through the Brigham Young Home when I was the site leader there.  In the Council Room I bore my testimony of how grateful I was for the pioneers who remained steadfast and did not quit when things were very hard.  I have a great amount of respect and admiration for those people as I have stated before.  I also talked about my family and our conversion and how the “world,” needs good LDS people everywhere.  I was telling them a little bit about my grandparents conversion in Gore, Oklahoma.  Well come to find out, Perry Taylor, who is mentioned in the article below, the Rawlins, son-in-law, had been struggling with whether to move his family from Utah to Oklahoma.  No one really wants to leave the “safety,” of Utah.  He told his in-laws that as he was standing there, he received an answer to his prayers, that they were to move to Oklahoma.!!!! He is quite wealthy and has something to do with oil companies.  Not too long after they had been in Oklahoma, the big tornadoes came.  I just cut this article out of the Church News and oh my gosh.  The Lord sure did need him there at this particular time.  Just see the Lord’s hand in our every day decisions.  How grateful I am to be able to see some small fruits of the labor here.