I first need to write about our Sabbath Day because it was a good day. To start, Sister Weist, the Russian speaking missionary, asked me to play the piano for Sacrament Meeting. I think she was happy to have a break from so many responsibilities that are hers each week. Unfortunately, there were some tough songs, so I wasn't completely comfortable playing with only about 20 minutes of practice prior to the meeting starting. If I am asked to play again I will hope for songs that I know better. But it still felt good to serve.
Before the meeting began, someone asked the boys if one of them would be willing to pass the Sacrament. Jacob admitted that it made him nervous, so Tyson quickly volunteered. Just following that, the Branch President came up and asked Jacob if he would give the opening prayer in Sacrament meeting, which he immediately replied yes to. So there was lots of participation from our family and it felt good to serve.
Sunday School is a fun experience each week. We attend with both sets of young missionaries. The senior couple was not there, so we are assuming they had another assignment this week. There are several other branch members who also attend and then 2 sisters take turns teaching. They are probably the two most seasoned members of the church in the branch and it is fun to witness their strong testimonies. They both really like to include the boys and so it makes the class relatable to them and they don't mind coming. I am really enjoying having church be a real family experience. I don't know if I'll like going back to sitting by myself for half of the meeting and then having everyone scatter for the rest of the block.
For Relief Society, we had the lesson on Pioneers from Pres Hinckley, and the teacher talked about almost every sister in the room and how she was a pioneer of the gospel. They each really are pioneers. None of them have extended family who are members and few have children who are members, so they really rely on each other to not feel alone in the gospel. It was truly inspiring.
We have all felt a bond with the full-time younger missionaries here. It occurred to me the other day that they probably get very few dinner appointments. I know we don't ever get to feed the missionaries at home because there are too many members. So we decided to invite them over for dinner. We had to have the Elders come on the weekend so they can be here when Adam is home. For dinner this week, we had already invited the guys over who are here from Utah without there families. There were 3 here this Sunday. Since we were already feeding a group, we figured we could squeeze in the Elders and let everyone enjoy their missionary spirit. However, Sarah and I hadn't planned on 2 more males to feed, so we were worried about having enough food. Luckily, we had some ground beef for our taco night that we instead mixed into meatballs. No one questioned the fact that we had both roast beef and meatballs. We used an entire bag of potatoes to make mashed potatoes and we cooked every vegetable we had bought for the next few days - green beans, carrots and beats. But we had enough food and the elders were in heaven! They couldn't believe they were getting a home cooked meal just like home. To top it off, we made homemade chocolate chip cookies with the brown sugar I brought from home. I wish you could have seen the way their eyes bulged when they saw the plate I brought over! The Elders were actually on splits for the day, so both of them were Utah boys - St George and South Jordan. I am kicking myself that we didn't think to take any pictures.
We had great conversation all through dinner. We got to ask our questions about the members and missionary work in the area. Then the Elders got to hear a little about the upcoming shoot. Before they left, the Elders shared a message with us. Because Tyson has his mission papers in and is waiting for his call, they centered their message on preparing for a mission. Micah commented after they were done how amazing it was how they could be just ordinary guys having regular conversation, but as soon as they stepped into their roles as missionaries, we all immediately felt the spirit emanating from them.
After everyone left, we were able to end the night with Adam giving Sarah and Tyson blessings. For Sarah it was a blessing of comfort and guidance for the big decisions that face her right now. Tyson was seeking peace that he would be able to accept and be ready for wherever he is called to serve. It was a tender way to end an already beautiful day.
So we feel full - mostly full of service and the feeling of community that comes from being a member of the church and opening ourselves up to others. I love the way the gospel unifies strangers and gives a sense of home even when home is very far away. We all went to bed quite happy last night. (Although Adam had the jitters thinking about the shoot the next morning...)
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