What a busy two weeks we just had. Tuesday the 22nd we drove the 1 hour to Mt. Shasta and taught our first Pearl of Great Price Evening Institute lesson to the YSAs there. We had 10 attend the class, which is great. The soup and salad dinner was a good way to break the ice. I taught the lesson and it went very well. There was a lot of discussion and it seems the young people felt quite comfortable with us even though we did not know most of them.
The same lesson was taught at the institute in Redding on Wednesday evening. It too went well. I introduced each lesson by breaking open a live oyster and discussing the 'mother of pearl' and the title Pearl of Great Price and its significance.
Thursday evening was sports night again and we went down to the Stake Center at 8:45. This has become an open gym and I am not sure if it any longer accomplishes what it was meant to accomplish - that being fellowshipping and friendshipping less active members and friends. There are 20+ guys that show up to play basketball but only 2-3 YSA from our branch. An opening prayer was even forgotten by the Elders Quorum member in charge. We will see what happens.
We were quite concerned that numbers in our Institute classes would decrease because of the recent announcement changing the age of missionaries. We know of 4, maybe 5, young women and young men who are not taking classes at Shasta College this semester because they either have their mission papers in or are preparing to do so. There were 60 enrolled in classes last year and as of today we have 67 for this semester. That is mainly because of those from Mt. Shasta but we feel good about our efforts with that. We still pray daily on what we should do to reach more of the young people.
Our day classes are also going well. We have about the same number attending as last semester but my class has a couple less students and Nan's has a few more. That is a good thing.
This week we seemed to cook a lot. Even a little more than usual. Monday it was decided to view the CES Broadcast by Elder Uchtdorf for FHE so we provided a treat after the broadcast. Only 2 attended the broadcast at the stake center on the 13th so we decided to show the broadcast again at Branch FHE. We were pleased with the attendance.
Tuesday we took a green salad for the Mt. Shasta group dinner. Wednesday we made another treat for the Wednesday evening class. Thursday night Nan cooked pulled pork, potato salad and apple crisp for Friday forum. We are encouraged by the attendance on Fridays. At the end of last semester we had 12-15 attending. There have been over 20 attending the two forums we have had this semester. We hoped to have some pulled pork left for dinner at Mt. Shasta but all 11 lbs. were gone when we started the clean-up. We bought another pork roast yesterday that we'll take to Mt. Shasta. Nan will be cooking again.
Another thing that we have felt good about - after the classes more and more of the young adults want to stick around and visit. Nan can be very entertaining. We have stayed 30-45 minutes and just visited with some of them. One thing I noticed at Stake Conference yesterday and today is that some of the young people seek us out and sit with us instead of us having to locate them. It has taken some time but we have made our place here in Redding and with the young adults.
Notes by Nan: Something that really touched both of us - last Wednesday Devon came to us after Institute class and asked if it was hard for us to step in where the Gardners (the previous Sr. Missionaries) had left off. We honestly told him - yes it was/is hard. Several times we were called Elder or Sister Gardner. Many times conversations would begin with "When the Gardners were here," or "I loved the way the Gardners ...," or "The Gardners were so ...." We told Devon we prayed often that we would be accepted by the young people and would be able to make a difference in their lives. Devon said he actually told the Gardners before they left that he couldn't imagine them ever being replaced and if the new missionaries didn't measure up he would drop Institute classes. But - and here's the part that touched our hearts - he said the minute he saw us he was drawn to us and he knew we were the right people for the job. He said he feels a bond with us and he's so glad we came to Redding. It was at that point I actually felt I was going to be a successful missionary.
Thursday, the 31st, I was invited by a member of the Shasta College Board of Directors to have lunch with her and several sisters from her Redding 3rd Ward. We ate at The Bistro, a little cafe the culinary students at the college operate every Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to test their cooking skills. The food was wonderful and presented in a very professional way. But even more wonderful was the opportunity I had to associate with some ladies within my age range - some older - some younger. I had such a good time telling about me and our mission and listening to them tell about their lives. Getting together with these ladies gave me a much needed boost.
Yesterday and today was the Redding Stake Conference. The speakers last evening made a great impression on me. They spoke about people changing their lives, embracing the gospel and becoming stalwart members of the Church; standing in holy places (which include our homes and even school if you are living so you can hear the Holy Ghost when he tries to guide you); giving service (even a small smile might make a big difference in someone's life); and going the "second mile" - doing more than required or asked and by so doing obtaining great blessings. It was a great Conference. Today we watched a pre-recorded broadcast from Salt Lake. Elder Perry was the key-note speaker. These were two great sessions.
Well that's it for this week. We hope all is well wherever you are as you read this epistle. Love to all,
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