Wow! We can't believe how long it's been since we last posted. Things are going just about the same around here. It's nice to have the weather change. It still gets in the high 70s to low 80s in the day but the nights get really cool.
September started off with Break-the-Fast with the YSA Branch. The theme was "Italian." We fixed Crock Pot Italian Chicken. We served it over rice. Nothing fancy but it was great comfort food.
Of course we didn't have classes on the 2nd (Labor Day) so it was a nice long weekend. We spent most of the day preparing lessons.
Friday, the 6th, was Friday Forum. We served homemade Mac-n-Cheese, Sloppy Joes and ice cream sundaes for dessert. It seems no matter what we fix the kids are happy.
The Branch had a BBQ on Saturday the 7th, played sand volleyball and had a fire in the fire pit.
Our very exciting news is that Brynn Leah Barlow, daughter of Tyson and Karlee, sister of Max and Ellie, was born on Sunday, the 8th, at 2:50 a.m. She weighed 7#12oz and was 19" long. Our phone rang about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night with Tyson telling us they were on the way to the hospital. It sure didn't take Brynn long to arrive. We are told Max doesn't pay much attention to Brynn but Ellie has taken over as Second Mother.
Monday evening, the 9th, for FHE the Branch showed a rebroadcast of the CES Devotional from Sunday night. Elder Nelson was the speaker. Although we tried to keep the rebroadcast a secret hoping the kids would still come to FHE, about six showed. There just isn't much support in our little Branch right now. As we have mentioned, many of the YSA attending Institute right now are too young to attend the branch.
Friday, the 13th found us inspecting missionary apartments. We were way past time to do that. Most of the apartments were in fine order but a few needed a little help. At one apartment I asked, "You did know we were coming to inspect didn't you?" We were assured they were. Perhaps the Elders didn't realize they were given the "heads-up" on our inspection so they could make sure the apartment was clean. Anyway, Nan told them what needed attention and said we expected a better effort for next inspection.
We were in charge of deciding what was to be served for lunch at the Friday Forum for the 13th. We chose Hoagie Sandwiches. They were a great success. A fresh green salad and dessert rounded out the menu. The speaker was Pat McEuen from the Branch Presidency. He used his fancy camera equipment as an analogy to keeping our lives in focus.
Julia Johnson, about 19 years old, was baptized on Saturday the 14th. We gave a ride to two gals from the Branch that don't have transportation. We four thought it would be good to support the missionaries. Kent had an interesting experience during the baptism. A woman, in her twenties, scooted over next to him during a video presentation and threw her arms around him, buried her face in his shoulder and cried. Kent had never seen her before. She went up and asked the person conducting if she could be baptized. Come to find out she was suffering from severe depression and was having issues with her medication. She is already a member and one of the sisters who knew her, took her home and with the Elders and her husband, they took her to the hospital.
We finally received our first dinner invitation. After the baptism on Saturday, Britton Runolfson (a student from last semester) and his mom invited us for dinner on Sunday. They live out in Cottonwood, about a half-hour drive from Redding. It was a nice change from eating by ourselves. Sister Runolfson is going through a divorce so it was just the four of us for dinner. Britton will turn 19 in December and getting ready to put in his mission papers. His sister, Kayla, has already been called to Billings, Montana. So that means the Runolfsons will have two missionaries out at the same time.
Our Wednesday classes are going well. So we wouldn't scare anyone off, instead of using the official title of the course "Preparing for Celestial Marriage" we call the lessons "Doctrines of the Celestial Kingdom." We have about 5-7 kids who regularly come. Just not the same ones each week.
On the 21st the Branch arranged a temple trip to Medford, OR. Kalynne sent us a family name from her family for Nan to do Initiatory and Endowment; Pam sent us the name of Nan's great grandfather, John Wenzel Tecl for Kent to do the same. Since we had to be at the temple earlier than the rest of the group we drove up by ourselves. We really enjoy that because it gives us lots of time to actually talk with each other. After the temple the Branch Presidency treated everyone to lunch at DQ. It was a nice day.
Pat and ViVi McEuen (from the Branch Presidency) invited us for dinner on Sunday, the 22nd. We really like the McEuens. They are a lot like us. Same age, same ideas about life, same theory on how to raise children and how they should behave. It was a nice meal and pleasant conversation.
Nan did a special Seder Passover Meal presentation for her classes on Monday and Tuesday (23rd and 24th). She was careful to make sure the students realized Christians do not continue the Jewish ritual of the Passover meal but wanted to actually demonstrate what was being covered in Exodus 12. Nan asked one of the presidency wives to help with white napkins and towel, white candles and candlesticks, and a fancy wine glass for Elijah's place setting. She used a chicken leg bone for the paschal lamb shank bone; fresh parsley to symbolize spring and renewal; horseradish as a bitter herb to symbolize the bitterness of bondage and slavery; and kosher matzot for everyone's plate. It all turned out very nicely and the kids thought it was a great demonstration.
Our grandson, Max, is going to have surgery on October 23rd to help straighten his club foot. As preparation for the surgery, he will have 3 different casts that will stretch his tendon. Each successive cast will stretch the tendon a little further. He got his first cast on Tuesday, the 24th. Tyson says Max is being a real trooper about the whole thing.
We received a grand surprise on the 24th. Delivered right to our door was a box from Brad and Kalynne. Inside - two complete meals from Omaha Steaks. 4 filet mignon; 4 double-stuffed potatoes; 4 servings of vegetable medley. When we called to say thank you, Brad told us they were sorry they had missed Grandparents Day on the 8th. We didn't even know there was a Grandparents Day on the 8th. We're pretty sure Brad didn't know anything about Grandparents Day but Kalynne was right on top of it. We have certainly enjoyed the gift. Steak and baked potato is Nan's all-time favorite meal. It even surpasses steamed crabs (probably because it's not so "labor intensive").
All our children have been so supportive of our mission. We hear from most of them at least weekly (sometimes more often) either by phone or email. They keep us in the loop about family happenings with pictures on FaceBook. Joel has even taught us how to FaceTime with Kent's ipad. They each serve us in different ways. We are certainly blessed to have 12 such generous, caring, gospel-centered children. In Elder Nelson's Sunday p.m. conference address he said God chooses when we will come to earth. We are so very thankful God chose these 12 children to come during our lifetime.
Friday Forum rolled around again on the 27th. Our turn to create the meal: Pizza Casserole, fresh green salad, and Nan's Crazy Chocolate Cake.
Nan gave a ride to one of the gals from the Branch to the General R.S. Meeting on the 28th. Desiree and Nan stayed for the ice cream sundae bar after the meeting.
And now we march into October.
The carpet in the Institute building was cleaned on Friday the 4th so the building was closed and we didn't have any classes. We chose that day to go south to the Anderson Stake to inspect those missionary apartments. We agreed that the Anderson Zone missionaries do a better job than the Redding Zone missionaries on keeping their apartments clean.
Of course we "live streamed" General Conference both Saturday and today. Even though the Church is now live streaming the Priesthood session, Kent attended the meeting at the Stake Center because he had arranged to meet and sit with a less active single adult. The guy never showed up so Kent could have stayed home and been comfortable in casual pants and shirt instead of suit and tie. Oh well, he said Elder Uchtdorf's message was his favorite.
That's it friends. We're doing great. Hope you all can say the same.
Love, The Barlows
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