A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

Signing Off

2011-09-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

At a recent Mission President's Seminar that we attended a couple of weeks ago, the topic of mission blogs came up. We received council and were cited examples of when information contained in mission blogs were harmful to missionaries and offensive to new converts when pictures and names were available in such a public forum as the internet. I had been considering these things myself, prior to the seminar, and agree that to protect the privacy of all involved, I will no longer be posting on the mission blog. I do, however, want to say before signing off how much we have enjoyed the past 2+ years here in Chicago. I did not think we could ever feel at home anywhere but in California. I did not think we could love 164 young people as much as we do our missionaries. I did not think our love for our family would deepen MORE in spite being AWAY from them. I did know that we would feel the hand of Lord so intensely as we have, as we have tried our hardest to help spread His gospel here in Chicago. I did not know that He would let us feel of His love for us in so many tender mercies each and every day. And to the families of these wonderful missionaries ... thank you... for raising such a mighty force for good. Their examples, integrity and dedication have been a joy to work with!!

H.E.L.P! I'm Stuck on the Merry-Go-Round

2011-06-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

This will probably be the world's longest post. If you're reading I hope you have some time. I have been woefully remiss in blogging. I am painfully aware. I have also been stuck on the mission merry-go-round. I am not complaining. I really like the merry-go-round. But sometimes you get stuck and can't figure out how to jump off and take care of some other things ... like blogging. But, here we are, finally, catching you up on the view from the world's most fascinating ride ...

First, a change in assistants ... a fond farewell to Elder David Gates (far right) who returns to BYU, playing soccer and maybe even a little dating. Some girl is going to be very lucky! :) Welcome Elder Castillo (far left). He is a great companion and compliment to Elder McDonnell (middle). They were/are all stellar teachers and examples to all of the mission.

On April 26th we welcomed these 18 diverse missionaries including Sister Mondelli from Italy, Elder Neilsen from Denmark and Sister Pome'e from Tonga!

And said a sad goodbye to these 13 missionaries ... Hermanas Rojas, Jones, and Gailey, Elders Nowell, Matheson, Gates, Johnson, Bench and Whatcott. Hermana Curtis, and Elders Miller, Hunt, and Greenway. We find these goodbyes every six weeks get more and more difficult the longer we are out here!

We spent long hours in the classroom training with missionaries and watching great zone leaders like these (Elder Abe and Elder Johnson) do a wonderful job of training missionaries in their zone.

As did Elder Christensen, and Elder Castillo ....

Elder Gates and Elder McDonnell ...

Elder O'Dell and Elder Nowell ...

And even better is when their zones respond with attention and participation ...

And then role play and practice the training they have received ...

At zone conferences all of the Elders line up for dress inspection. It is good experience for their leaders, who are also their peers, to have the responsibility of performing the inspections. Here Elder Johnson (left) reminds the Elders to leave wristband bracelets at home ...

And we always love it when companions actually LIKE each other. Of course, who wouldn't want to be either Elder Harrison's or Elder Faaumu's companion? Two very likeable missionaries!!

Elder Davidson ... Mom this is for you!!

Rockford Zone Sisters ... love, love, love these wonderful young women!!

The Joliet Zone had no sister missionaries in it ... we have since transferred some sisters in, and they will really enjoy working with this stellar group!

At every zone conference, some wonderful ward provides lunch for our missionaries. It is always a treat to see what they come up with. I am always grateful when someone else is doing the cooking!

And at every monthly training meeting we recognize all of the birthdays for the month with a homemade brownie. These were some of the March birthday brownie recipients.

Here are some other interesting things we saw or did. Above a crash that happened right in front of us as we turned a corner. The gray car rear-ended and then slide under the mini-van. It was a very eerie sight! And surprisingly ... no injuries ...

I drove up to a district meeting to find this sight. Two bikes and a car had been "bunned". I know who the the culprits are, but am bound to silence. All I can say is that the prank was deserved, we all had a good laugh, we all helped clean it up and everyone vowed that the PRANKS STOPPED HERE!

In April we went to the Mission President's seminar in Denver and were able to catch up with old friends from California who have since moved to Denver. In the middle are Paul and Sara Bury and on the right Jerry and Bonnie Curtis. Can I even express how good it was to spend even a few hours of catching up with them IN PERSON??!!

Above are a vase of sunshine and love ... given to me by my good friend and transfer week helper Lois Jean Spencer. Funny how a vase of yellow daffodils can brighten your day in such a large measure!

And so can missionaries who return to visit with a wife in tow! Pictured above are Tyler and Ashley Bell on the right along with our assistants Elder McDonnell and Elder Castillo. Interestingly enough, "Elder" Bell trained Elder Castillo. In mission lingo that makes Elder Castillo his "son". So I guess this is really a family pic!

Once in a very blue moon we get to do something non-missionary related. Between baptisms on Saturday we were able to meet up with our senior missionaries and explore the Cantigny Mansion and gardens....

Next to President Doll is Elder and Sister Morris, Sisters Beck, Dangerfield, and Heward, Elder Waite, and Brother and Sister Jacobson. Part of the delightful group of senior missionaries we are privileged to serve with.

The grounds and gardens surrounding the mansion were beautiful...

Lastly, in May, we had a chance to have a "meeting" with President and Sister Jones of the Milwaukee Mission (middle) at the Lake Geneva condo of our area seventy Elder Ward and his wife (right). Good food, in a beautiful setting with wonderful people. Not a bad way to have a meeting!

P.S. No, I DO NOT understand why the spacing between pics on my last two blog posts is so screwey. I have spent over an hour now trying to edit, and it looks picture perfect until I publish the post and then it jumps around and does its own thing. Any suggestions out there from fellow bloggers??

It's Been Six Weeks, Really?

2011-03-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot explain it. I have never had this problem before (in addition to the weird spacing between the various sections going on in this post that I cannot seem to correct) ... vast amounts of time ... days and weeks go by and I barely notice. I checked my blog and realized my last post was about the "big snowstorm" over six weeks ago. The missionaries that arrived during that time have been here for a month and half now, and are no longer the youngest missionaries in the mission. We had a new group of thirteen missionaries arrive on March 15th. They actually arrived in two groups of nine and four. The nine caught their scheduled flight at 7:00 am and the four .... overslept. That is a first. We won't name names, but the "travel leader" in that group said he set his alarm (and rechecked it to be sure it was set for the right time) but failed to turn the knob to "on". No missionaries were harmed in the process and we had a good laugh about it as we caught up with them on the next flight arriving in Chicago three hours later. Unfortunately they did miss an afternoon of sight-seeing and a chance to try deep-dish Chicago style pizza! Above is the group of nine doing the hallelujah jump at finally being in Chicago! They were a delightfully happy bunch and it was love at first sight for President Doll and I. We see some strong leadership for the future amongst this group. Above is Elder Lee embracing Chicago, his new home.

And Elders Solomona and Eagar equally excited to finally be here.

But no one could have been more excited than Hermana Elsa Miller who returned to Chicago after a six week recuperative period at home.

Can you tell by the body language that it was a cold and windy day in Chicago? However it did not deter them from seeing the sights of the city ...

Elder Solomona checks out the "lady on the wall" whose expressions change every few minutes and who squirts water out her mouth during the summer months to the delight of children in bathing suits.

Notice the remnants of the dyed green Chicago river for the St. Patrick's Day celebration the previous weekend. Here is Hermana Veliz, Elder Barney, Hermana Miller, and Elders Lee, Eagar and Peterson.

We always think it's fun to see how much looking up the new missionaries do as they see a "big city" skyline, many for the first time.

Elders Eagar and Peterson above ...

Elder Findlay ...

Elder McQuarrie ...

And the next fun thing is to see all of the cameras come out (Elder Eagar, above) as they try to capture the skyline on film for their families to share ...

Elder Lee ...

Elder Peterson and Elder Barney...

Elder McQuarrie and Hermana Miller ...

But mostly it's just fun to see the radiant faces and enthusiasm as they get acquainted with their new home ... Elders Lee and Eagar, Hermanas Veliz and Miller ...

Elder Solomona ...

The next four pictures are the only ones we remembered to take of the four missionaries who arrived late. With all of the scurrying to and from the airport (and to and from the airport!) and efforts to orient, interview and feed, I failed to take pictures until the following day when they were assigned their trainers. So here is Elder Williams with his trainer Elder Runner ...

Elder Isaacson with his trainer Elder Harris ...

Elder Alston with his trainer Elder Oborn ...

And Elder Schofield (far right) with his trainer Elder Senator ...

And as with every six week cycle of receiving new missionaries, we send some home that same week. Here is our seasoned and much loved out-going group enjoying their "last supper".

We spent a very memorable last night together in the mission home. They have each worked hard, grown in stature and testimony and left their mark in unique and individual ways. I always have a hard time saying goodbye, a part of me goes home with them in their suitcase. But they are on to the next important chapter in their lives and they are better equipped to do so after their 18 months/2 years here as a missionary. We love you Sister Clark, Hermana Perez, Elder Hill, Elder Perry, Elder Barker, Elder Cardenas, Elder Howe, Elder Devy, Elder Carroll, Elder French, Elder Gardner and Elder Gonzales. We cannot wait until our paths cross once again!

It's All His Fault

2011-02-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

It's all his fault. By him, I mean President Doll. He had been saying for months that he wished we would have a REAL winter blizzard. You know, the kind with 3 foot snow drifts, white out conditions, so much snow in your driveway that you can barely see your car - that kind of snow storm. I kept telling him to stop saying that because he was going to get his wish and it was going to happen during transfers. And I was right ... it did.

Tuesday, February 1st began like any normal transfer week. The assistants picked us up in the van and we headed to the airport to pick up our 13 new missionaries. Notice below that we have one extra assistant. Elder French, on the right of Elder Gates in the center, is one transfer away from going home and so he is being released to serve as a trainer with a new missionary. Elder McDonnell on the left has been called to serve in his place. We love each of these young men. They are exemplary in every way and we cannot express in words the tender feelings we develop for each of them as we serve so closely together.

So the new missionaries arrive pretty much on time and life proceeds as usual ...

Except that on the way to get our usual deep dish Chicago pizza the snow begins to fall - HARD ...

But everyone dries out in the warmth of the pizza parlor and we spend some time eating and getting acquainted.

Upon exiting Pizzeria Ora these troopers didn't let a "little" snow dampen their spirits! They all opted NOT to skip the customary walking tour of downtown Chicago.

However, the plans change as the forecast for a white-out blizzard and anticipation of mass commute problems is being announced on all the news broadcasts. So upon taking one quick picture of the "storm-troopers" hiding out under The Bean, the missionaries head to the Metra Station to find this ....

Long lines ... very long lines of commuters all rushing to get on at the same time before the storm really peaks ...

It took well over 2 hours for them to make the 40 minute commute to the mission home. But all was well. They were fed dinner, had their interviews with President and gladly went to bed. The next morning we all woke up to this ... snow and lots of it ... the biggest snow storm since 1967 ... President Doll got his wish. During the night we had storm gusts of up to 50 miles an hour, white out conditions, and 2.5 feet of snow.

Our buried vehicles needed some serious digging out of the drive-way.

These three hardy young missionaries volunteered for the job ...

They were Elder 7'2" Miller, at far end of table, Elder Strickler and Elder Stumpf. Good men and great sports. I kept trying to get them to come in and eat breakfast with the others, or let someone else spell them, but they stuck with the hour+ job until it was done. I made sure the best breakfast treats got saved and plenty of them. I found out Elder Miller has long and VERY hollow legs.

Next was training ... all day training ... in the basement of the mission home. Normally we would have spent 2 hours doing training at the stake center, the new missionaries would then meet their trainers and be in their areas of assignment by 1:00. But not this time. The storm had roads and freeways closed. No missionaries were moving around today. So we had to improvise and come up with an 8 hour training day and lunch and dinner for 20 mouths. However we soon found out it would be a day of miracles.

The missionaries worked together and cooperated on every level. They were patient as President and the assistants led them through long hours of instruction and role-plays.

They rolled up their shirt sleeves and helped me out in the kitchen with lunch and dinner duties. Here Elder Van Wagenen and Elder Beckstead take on making the green salad ...

Sister Howell prepares some leftover chili I had made and frozen and was saving for a "rainy day"... And Elder McCalister greases the potatoes for the baked potato bar ...

As for the miracles (besides the fact that these missionaries took on every assignment with a smile and that I was literally tripping over all the bodies that wanted to help):

When I woke up at 5:00 am to start breakfast, the heater wouldn't come on and it was COLD. I kept playing with the dial, half talking half praying that it would PLEASE come on. Finally I decided to just go back upstairs and explain to the Lord my dilemma while on my knees. How could we function all day without heat? No repairmen could come out because of the roads and all-day training would be miserable in a 55 degree house. I promised to cook without complaint (He knows I don't care much for kitchen duty) if He would please let us have heat just for today. I went back downstairs, held my breath, turned the dial .... and on came the heat. It lasted until bedtime that night and then promptly went back off. I kept my bargain (didn't murmur in the kitchen) and He kept His (we had heat all day.) The repairman came the next day and fixed the problem permanently.
The second miracle was the food. When lunch and dinner came I literally opened the cupboards and began to see what we could throw together to feed the masses. I found that cans of this, packages of that, which I had subconsciously accumulated over the previous weeks came together in delicious ways. But the biggest surprise was the fruit salad. Two big bowls of fruit salad had been prepared for dinner the night before and for breakfast the next morning. Since there were leftovers, I put out the bowl of fruit for lunch. Everyone that came through the line scooped up fruit and put some on their plate. There was still leftovers and so I put it out for dinner as well ... again everyone that went through the line took fruit, and still we had leftovers. The next morning there was a medium sized tupperware of leftover fruit which I put out for breakfast on Thursday. To my surprise, we STILL had leftover fruit after breakfast. I stored it in the refrigerator, found it to still be fresh, and served it Friday morning to the 10 out-going missionaries. While cleaning up breakfast, I found there was still some left. I did the math and realized nearly 100 people had been fed with two bowls of fruit!
The third miracle was the flowers. I had bought fresh flowers for centerpieces for the going-home missionaries dinner for Wednesday night. But when the storm happened, all of their flights for Thursday morning were cancelled and changed to Friday morning. Consequently the dinner was moved to Thursday night. I put the flowers in a vase of water and put them in the refrigerator in the garage to keep them fresh. When I went out there Thursday morning, everything in the garage refrigerator was frozen (it was THAT cold in the garage.) The water in the vase was a sold chunk of ice and the flowers stiff as boards. Having centerpieces under the circumstances was probably a ridiculous worry considering all we had already been through, but I had my reasons. When the out-going missionaries are going home after 18/24 months of full-time service, I like to honor them by having a nice dinner with china and centerpieces. I love to see their faces when they come in the door that afternoon and see our preparations for their final night in the mission home. So, yes, the flowers were important to me. I decided I would run them under luke-warm tap water and see if I could "save" them. Although they drooped at first, you can see below that somehow they survived and the tables were set and met my expectations.

And the pot roast, baked potatoes, home-made rolls, corn, green salad and apple cake seemed to meet with everyone elses expectations!

I have to say, that I L.O.V.E. that last night of having the out-going missionaries in the mission home. It is a bittersweet moment of testimony sharing, enjoying each others friendship, and playing games. A favorite game amongst the missionaries is Ninja Destruction. It's almost a dance as they make quick fluid movements and try to tap/avoid being tapped on the arm when it is their turn ... Here Elders Jenkins, Gates, Solis, Miller and McDonnell demonstrate their expertise.

While Elder Witham (still awaiting his interview) and Elder Melton (post-interview/casual clothes) enjoy some Wii golf.

And finally our 10 outgoing missionaries ... they served one day longer than they had planned (thanks to President Doll's wish for a "Big" snowstorm, but they will be forever remembered by us for their wonderful service, diligent examples, and strong testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We wish you success in your future endeavors Elders Brough, Witham, Solis, Miller, Bowers, Stanger, Trujillo, Melton, Jenkins and Ahlman!

We Practice What We Preach

2011-01-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

We practice what we preach ... literally. These two photos were taken in the basement of the mission home. It is the location we meet in every month to train the zone leaders. We also invite four sister missionaries to share in this experience. They in turn take the training back to their areas and train the other missionaries. This white board below shows my feeble attempts to help the missionaries visualize the lesson I was teaching. You might enjoy knowing a little about my lesson. The brown shoe on the left (I know, I know ... I am artistically challenged) represents an experience I had just a few weeks after we arrived here in Chicago in July 2009. This is the experience:

I realized after being here a short time that the brown shoes I brought were not comfortable enough for wearing all day. I really needed something more practical. So I ventured out to DSW Shoe Warehouse on a day when I had only about an hour of "free" time. Since it was a large, self-service shoe store, I figured there would be plenty of choices and I could accomplish my task in the allotted time. As I ventured up and down the aisles, I was bent on my task and surprised when a salesclerk approached and asked if she could help me. (Remember, it is a self-service shoe store.) Straightening from my crouched position of finding a size 10 box, I barely made eye contact while responding "No thanks, I'm fine." The clerk, however, did not leave. She noticed my name-tag and asked: "What is that name-tag you are wearing?" I started as I came back to reality. She took me completely by surprise. I had vanished into the "shopping mode" and was a woman with a mission ... and not a religious one ... I had come to find brown shoes ... in an hour. I managed to recover my senses, enough to remember that I was indeed in Chicago on a really important mission, however being as this was the first time anyone had asked me about my name-tag I lamely said I was a full-time missionary for "our church". She was curious enough to ask which church, and as I stood at eye level with her, she carefully read my name-tag out loud:

"Sister Doll"
"Illinois Chicago (North) Mission"
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"

Having her slowly and meticulously read my name-tag like that, should have been my cue to be thinking of what I might say to her to engage in a gospel conversation. Ashamedly, I admit, I was instead looking down at the box of brown shoes in my hand and wondering if they would work. Consequently when she asked her next question I was caught like a deer in the headlights. "What makes your church different from every other church?" It was a great question, a REALLY great question. In fact it was THE MOST important question. But I was caught flat-footed (bare-footed actually), and while many things ran through my head, I managed only to mumble something about our belief in Jesus Christ and the importance of families ... things which are common in all Christian churches and definitely not a great answer for The Most important question. She finished the conversation by saying that she went to a very large, impersonal Christian church which her husband liked but she didn't and then apologized for taking up my time. As she walked away I was devastated that I had missed such a great opportunity to share something about what means so much to me. Well the story ends with me NOT finding brown shoes, and having lost my enthusiasm for shopping, I went and sat in the car thinking of what I might say to her if I could get a second chance. Having gathered my wits, I went back into the store only to find she was gone on her lunch break.

What I would have told her, is that what makes our church different than any other church is our belief in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is the keystone of our religion. In fact a man/woman can get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I then would have asked her if she would be interested in reading it, and when she said "Yes," I would have gone out to my car (where I NOW keep extra copies of the Book of Mormon) handed her one, and asked if she would be interested in learning more...

Not wanting our missionaries to be caught flat-footed, we frequently role-play (see above), how we might engage others in gospel conversations. Just for the record, President Doll and I frequently practice with them in these meetings. I have since been back to DSW Shoes hoping for a chance to redeem myself. While I did find brown shoes, I was disappointed to learn that my salesclerk friend is no longer employed there...

Burned Out in 2011

2011-01-03T15:18:00.001-08:00

These two missionaries, Elder Kelly and Elder Carroll are burned out ... literally. They called us New Years Day in the early morning saying their apartment was on fire. They went to the church and waited for us to arrive. We found them in sweats, dress shoes with no socks, t-shirts, and Elder Kelly wearing a coat a kind neighbor gave him (it was 18 degrees) and Elder Carroll wearing a thin sweatshirt. That 's it ... EVERYTHING was left in their apartment --- wallets, scriptures, cameras, suits, ties, and all of those precious Christmas gifts so recently opened --- all lost, but THEY were safe. They had woken up that morning to the smell of smoke. They looked out the window and saw it was coming from their 3-unit apartment building. They left immediately. It was good they did. The fire spread instantly to their unit. This picture was taken the following day. President Doll and I spent the better part of New Years out-fitting them with the essentials, and they were indeed ready to look like missionaries (minus name-tags) for Sunday meetings. We are grateful for New Years Day sales!

We tried to go back to their apartment on Saturday to check out the damage, but the street was blocked off a good share of the day. We took them back on Sunday and this is what we found ...

The roof had caved in, the windows were boarded up, and one of Elder Kelly's boots was in the front yard.

A charred front door was found in the front yard as well as the remains of this pass-a-long card from their apartment.

This chair was once in their apartment ...

We heard from these missionaries today that they were able to go back into their apartment to check to see if anything was salvageable. Elder Carroll was lucky enough to find his wallet with money, license, credit cards and medical cards pretty much in tack. But that was pretty much all that was left. Here's the newspaper write-up about the fire and what they attribute to be the cause:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2011/01/3-injured-including-mother-and-child-in-southwest-side-fire.html

We are grateful for their safety. Everything except them can be replaced. I do think, however, that we will flinch a bit the next time we hear a hard-working missionary described as "fired-up" or "on-fire"!

Christmas Improvements

2010-12-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

Last year President Doll and I made a B.I.G. mistake. We thought we would REALLY enjoy a break on Christmas Day. We knew our missionaries would be invited to members homes for dinner and so we thought we would just enjoy having a quiet day to ourselves. We began the day by talking with our children, hearing what Santa brought our grandchildren ... and then hung up the phone feeling progressively more homesick with each call. When the calls were over, we looked at each other and said: "What were we thinking?" So this year we decided to "adopt" some children - 16 to be exact - and some grandparents ta boot. 21 in total came to the mission home for Christmas dinner, to share their favorite Christmas memory and to have a white elephant exchange. The lucky invitees were those missionaries who lived closest to the mission home (Naperville Zone) and our office staff.

They included Elder Brough, Sister Romney, Sister Leahman, Sister Frandsen, Elder Thomas, Elder Solis, Sister Dangerfield, Elder Greenway, Sister Lemons, Sister Chen, Elder Lemons, Sister Stewart, Sister Ostler, Elder Johnson, Sister Heward, Elder French, Elder Miller and Elder Gates.

For the white elephant exchange, I went to the Dollar Store and found all sorts of various and assorted "useful" items. Now the rules in this game are that you pick a bag off the table or an item already chosen by someone else. An item can be traded a maximum of two times. Elder Gates, above, started things off as he carefully peered into his bag to discover his treasure. Below, some of the Elders show off their lucky picks: Elder Gates with his shower scrubs, Elder Thomas with his Toy Story night light; Elder French with his tissue packs, and Elder Johnson with his truffles.

Sister Chen, from Taiwan and having her first Christmas EVER, was actually pleased with her highlighter pens, a minimally excited Sister Ostler with her hydrocortizone cream, a very excited Sister Frandsen with her two steak knives, Sister Romney with her 6 pack of Milky Way bars, Sister Leahman with her Extra-Strength Excedrin, and Sister Stewart with her kitchen garbage can liners.

Here Elder French "takes" the $5.00 bill from Sister Dangerfield. That was the golden egg - the only thing not purchased from the Dollar Store. Surprisingly enough, guess what were the two hot items that everyone wanted?? The garbage can liners and the steak knives. Guess that tells you something about missionary apartments! Parents take note!

At the end of the day, President Doll and I felt much better about our Christmas this year. Next to being with our own family, this adopted family filled the gap quite nicely.

12 Steps of Christmas - Illinois Chicago Mission Style

2010-12-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

Step 1: Cold Weather.

Step 2: Lots of snow.

Step 3: Bundle up and brace yourself before you step out.
(Pictured: Elder Newman, Elder Kelly, Elder Cardenas, President Doll, and Elder Hatch.)

Step 4: Lots of gifts from home.
(Pictured below: our faithful office staff Sisters Heward and Dangerfield who kept it sorted and straight.)

Step 5: Lots of donations from generous ward members and families of missionaries. With all of the donations we received, we were able to open a "Christmas Store" at each of our four Christmas zone conferences. All of the missionaries names were put in a hat and drawn out one by one. They went as their names were called to pick-up their Christmas packages from home and then one item from the store. Elder and Sister Lemons from the mission office "minded" the store.

Step 6: Thoughtful Young Women and Relief Society Sisters from the Woodridge Ward who sewed and stuffed 170 stockings ... enough for every missionary in our mission! They were handed out at each of the zone conferences as well.

Step 7: Hope that your name gets called first and not last. Hermanas Lockwood and Jones got some of the last picks at the Christmas Store ... shower caps!

Step 8: Beautiful music in addition to inspiring break-out sessions at each of our four zone conferences. Pictured below ... the chime choir from left to right: Elders Littledike, Melchor, Devey, Wiltse, Green, White, Shippen, Antola, Roberts, Aguila and Sean Miller. Not pictured - the inspiration behind the performance and their director - Elder Kevin Johnson

Step 9: 18 beautiful stockings stuffed and ready for our new missionaries who arrived on the 21st. Again ... more thoughtful and generous donors ...

Step 10: The annual Christmas slideshow shown at our zone conferences: http://vimeo.com/17617671

Step 11: A Christmas luncheon for the office staff organized and provided by Sister Ford, wife of our area medical advisor, Dr. Ford. Sister Ford is great to organize such luncheons on a regular basis, but it was especially appreciated during this hectic past few weeks of zone conferences, new and departing missionaries, and Christmas. (Pictured below: President Doll, Elder Gates, Elder French, Sister Ford, Sister Lemons, Elder Lemons, Sister Heward, and Sister Dangerfield.)

These 11 steps of Christmas have been different than any we have experienced in our Christmas over the years. We have not had white Christmases. We have not bundled up in so many layers. Neither have we witnessed first hand the demonstrations of Christ-like love by so many people in behalf of our missionaries ... the names of which we don't even know. We can only say "thank you" and hope that our missionaries will demonstrate their gratitude by the service they offer in return.

Finally, I need to add:

Step 12: Gratitude to our family and friends ... to our parents and siblings, and to our six children and eleven grandchildren, to our friends, work associates and ward members of 32 years ... thank you for your loving support in our absence from home as we pursue what has turned out to be the opportunity of a life-time and a true labor of love. Merry Christmas to each of you and may the "peaceable love" of Jesus Christ fill your homes and hearts. We love you all! ...

New, Old, New Old

2010-12-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

I know ... it has been a very long time since I have blogged. I am finding it to be increasingly more difficult to find the time to do so. But tonight is Christmas Eve and we are without meetings and the phones are eerily quiet. And so, I would like to introduce to you our November and December groups of new (incoming) and old (outgoing) missionaries:

On November 9th we received 16 new missionaries. On the front row standing next to me are: Hermana Reyes from Las Vegas, NV; Sister Parker from Orem, UT; Hermana Lockwood from Kearns, UT; Hermana West from Lake Stevens, WA; and Hermana Maughan from Mesa, AZ. Behind me on the back row are Elder Lei from Carson, CA; Elder Harmon from Orem, UT; Elder Mortensen from Syracuse, UT; Elder White from Kaysville, UT; Elder Buckway from Ogden, UT; Elder Aguila from Valencia, CA; Elder Steadman from Farr West, UT; Elder Kearl from Surprise, AZ; Elder Franks from Farmington, UT; Elder Winchester from Clinton, UT; Elder Ferry from Sandy, Ut; and Elder Sommer from Ammon, ID. They have been here in Chicago for six weeks now and are starting to get a real feel for missionary life. We have seen growth in them individually and look for even greater things to come as their confidence, and in some cases their Spanish, grows and improves.

Leaving us on November 11th after serving honorably are Sisters Jung and Stokes; Hermana Mendoza and Elder T.J. Hancock; Hermana Padilla, Elders Bailon and Nathan Wilson; Sister Kolb, Elders Boyer, Sorensen and Brian Wilson; Elders Centini, Wiser, Ojelade, and Nathan Hancock; Elder Garr and Elder Neilson. Each has left their mark, each has grown in stature, and each is very much missed.

Arriving on December 21st were 17 new missionaries. Their flight arrived late and it was snowing, so they missed out on the the walking tour of downtown and the traditional Pizzeria Ora deep-dish Chicago style pizza. Since they had been up since 3:45 am and had not eaten all day, they were fine with stopping at Portillos and ordering up whatever they wanted. Pictured behind me (while I'm on the phone making arrangements with Portillos for seating for all of us) is: Elder Hibbard from Fresno, CA; Hermana Noyes from Lyman, UT; Sister Stewart from Stansbury Park, UT; Hermana Romney from Albuquerque, NM; Elder Kent from Huntington Beach, CA; Hermana Sturgess our temporary missionary from Minden, NV awaiting her visa to go to Spain; Elder Thomas from Mesa, AZ; Elder McKamey from Rexburg, ID; Elder Valdez from Flower Mound, TX; Elder Norton from Manassa, CO; Elder Butterfield from Taylorsville, UT; Elder Anderson from Pleasant View, UT; Elder Sardoni from New Harmony, UT; Elder Oliver from Saratoga Springs, UT; Elder McLemore from Escalante, UT; Elder Smith from Nibley, UT; and Elder Harrison from Greenwood, SC. This was an amazing group which bonded together quickly AND ....

HANDS DOWN ... was my cleanest group to date. After dinner and interviews, they each choose a "chore" from the chore can that they do in the morning before they depart the mission home. As you can see, Elder Smith drew cleaning the tub and shower. Most groups do a so-so job on their chores, but this group was exemplary. I usually check out the basement with fear and trembling after a group of 13 elders has occupied the space. But this group left things top notch and left me smiling as I prepared for their 13 counterparts that would come a few hours after they departed.

This was that group of 13. Returning home with honor are Elder Zelenskei, Sister Tawzer, Sister Carmack, Elder Stratton, Hermana Porter, Elder Moore, Sister Ika, Elder Horlacher, Elder Davidson, Elder Bryner, Elder Ferrel, Elder Filippi and Elder Major. This has been an extraordinary group of missionaries. We love them for their testimonies, their patience and their dedication. Sister Porter from this group represents the first of "our" missionaries. She was in the first group President Doll and I welcomed here in Chicago when we were brand new mission president and wife. Sisters Carmack, Tawzer and Ika had been out a mere two weeks. I have a special love for all four of these sisters. It has been my opportunity to go out teaching with each of them and so I know them individually and have great respect for each of them. Once again a piece of our heart goes home with each of these departing missionaries.

The Dream of a Lifetime

2010-11-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

For T.J. Hancock, serving a mission was the dream of a lifetime. His disability however, had prevented him from doing so. But, his brother, Elder Nathan Hancock, had an idea which would make this dream for his brother a reality. Elder Hancock was nearing the end of his mission here in Chicago, in fact he went home last week. After running his idea past his parents, he asked President Doll if it would be possible for T.J. to come to Chicago and serve as his companion the last week of his mission. President Doll thought this was a great idea, and so on November 4th "Elder" T.J. Hancock arrived in a new suit and tie with his uncle helping him from the arrival gate to meet us in baggage claim ...

T.J. had a smile on his face and a heartwarming embrace for his brother Elder Hancock.

Though I did not capture the moment, (couldn't see through the lense because of the tears), it was a tender moment when Elder Hancock put one of his nametags on T.J.'s suit coat.

This photo was taken just after the "pinning".

T.J. became part of a threesome with Elder Dearinger, Elder Hancock's companion, and himself.

We were privileged to have T.J. in the Illinois Chicago Mission for the week. He made friends everywhere he went. The other missionaries were attracted to him like moths to the light. His warm smile and easy acceptance of everyone and everything was his trademark. Elder Hancock took T.J. to meet some of the people he and Elder Dearinger had been teaching and found that when T.J. invited them to come to Church they said "yes" and then really showed up. (People Elder Hancock said he had been trying for months to get to come!) Elder Hancock also told me on the night before they were to go home that T.J. had felt the full 2 year gamut of emotions a missionary would feel in one week: the big eyed wonder of experiencing Chicago on day 1; the joy of being a missionary on days 2-6; and then on his last day he said he was ready to "go home and have his [welcome home] party." Thank you to the Hancock family for sharing both your sons here with us in Chicago ... they have both left their mark and will be missed!

Mostly Just For Me

2010-10-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, it's Halloween, and it's nearly dusk. Tomorrow will be the first of November. Our air already has quite a nip to it and we will be wearing wool coats, snow boots and gloves before we know it. And so, as therapy for the coming winter months, I am capturing this moment. These pictures are what I see out my kitchen and front windows and in our flower beds. The trees are becoming barer every day. For someone like me who delights in the beauty of fall, I am already anticipating how much the brilliance of these colors will be missed during the gray of winter. Hopefully this post will serve as a reminder of what I have loved staring at while eating meals and washing dishes, as well as remind me of the inspiration I have felt while enjoying the view. I will remember the love of our Heavenly Father I have felt in all this beauty outside my window. I have often thought how dull a world of black and white would have been, but rather He has given us this world, so infused with color, it can only be seen as the gift of love it was intended to be. I am, in a word, grateful.

President Doll: Work & Play

2010-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Each week the missionaries e-mail a report and letter to the mission president. And, of course those letters need to be read. A response isn't mandatory, but President Doll has responded to nearly all of the e-mails (about 5,700 so far). One trick that makes it a bit easier is to dictate responses using Dragon Naturally-Speaking (hence, the headset/microphone) and the notebook computer. The software does a great job of voice recognition. The receding hair? That comes from reading missionary e-mails.

There's also time for a little time away from the office. One of the things on President Doll's mission bucket list was to get out of the suit and out onto the farm. Why's this on the bucket list? Well, President Doll spent four years in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) when he was in high school, so it's kinda in his blood. So, he arranged for a visit to the Bingham Farm to experience the corn harvest with his friend Art Bingham.

Art harvests the the dry corn (stalk and all) with this John Deere combine which is fairly high-tech. It includes a GPS and onboard computer that knows just where in the field he is, the moisture content of the corn, and the yield per acre. All of this is recorded and later analyzed.

The combine spits out everything except the kernels of corn. Every few passes a tractor and wagon come along to offload the combine. The tractor then heads to the road to offload to a semi and trailer.

President Doll got a ride out to the field in the semi with Tom.

The corn is taken back to the Bingham Farm headquarters for further drying and storage.

President Doll and Art Bingham spent a couple of hours together in the combine's air conditioned cab talking all about the corn business and mission business. The grandsons would be envious of this hands-on experience with a big green John Deere.

18x The Excitement, 7x The Sadness

2010-10-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

On September 28th we were 18x more excited than usual. On that day we received a record number (for us) of 18 new missionaries. We knew when their plane had arrived, because others who had been on the same flight announced their arrival to us before they could even come down the escalator (you would think we stand out or something they way they quickly put us and these arriving new missionaries together!)

Anyway, it is an exciting time to see all of these fresh from the MTC, excited to be in Chicago, faces. We love them from that first hug or handshake and felt particularly impressed with this group. Not just because of their sheer numbers, but because of the friendships they had with each other, their confidence in their callings as missionaries, and their pure delight to FINALLY be in Chicago.

Now here is the test ... to try and get all of the faces with the right name: front row, left to right: Sister Miller, Hyrum, UT; Sister Walser, Mapleton, UT; Sister Cidre (Visa Waiter - Brazil), Henderson, NV; Sister Woodward, Rifle, CO; Sister Sorenson, Kearns, UT; Sister Daley, Lindon, UT; Elder Wagner, N. Ogden, UT; Back row, left to right: Elder Harrell-Runner, St. Johns, AZ; Elder Anjewierden, Holladay, UT; Elder Payne, Fresno, CA; Elder Chinn, Castro Valley, CA; Elder Calkins, Caldwell, ID, Elder Harris, Holladay, UT; Elder Wiltse, Clayton, WA; Elder Anderson, Castle Rock, CO; Elder Jankiewicz, Underwood, IA; Elder Adams, Emmett, ID; AND Sister Ostler, Richland, WA.

Elder Anderson and Elder Calkins walking the streets of Chicago for the first time with our assistant Elder Gates. Peeking through just behind them is Elder Wagner and Elder Chinn.

As always, deep dish Chicago pizza was a big hit with these newest and very hungry missionaries.

The next day brought us 7x the sadness as our departing missionaries joined us in the mission home along with our assistants and our office staff for their "Last Supper."

We will miss Sister Durfee, Sister Kaufusi, Elder Meadows, Elder Montez, Elder Shaw, Elder Davis, and Elder Bateman. We have trained with them, taught with them, been out teaching with them, attended their convert baptisms, celebrated their joys and cried at their disappointments. They have worked hard, grown in stature and matured in the gospel. We wish them well and God-speed until we meet again.

Changing of The Guard

2010-10-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

Pictured below is what is fondly known as "the transfer board." On it are pictures of all 160 missionaries serving in our mission, arranged by companionships according to the districts and zones they serve in. This particular day was "transfer council" a regular meeting held every six weeks when our assistants (then) Elder Bateman and Elder French, President Doll and I meet to finalize President's recommendations on which missionaries should be moved where. We also make the final decisions on which missionaries should be serving in leadership positions and which should serve as trainers. The first thing we do is remove the names of all the missionaries that will be going home. Here is Elder Bateman removing HIS OWN name card. It was hard for President and I to watch this. Elder Bateman has served for 9 months as an assistant - 6 months to President Roach and 3 months with us. We were fortunate to have him because when President Roach went home July 1st, alot of the knowledge about the south part of the mission remained with Elder Bateman. He was our "transition assistant" and was extremely helpful in answering our questions and giving us counsel. He is a wonderful missionary with a big heart and a huge smile. His tender feelings for the gospel are apparent in his teaching, his manner of interaction with other missionaries, and in his sweet and unassuming service. He has since departed for home, but will not soon be forgotten.

Replacing Elder Bateman (center) is Elder SteVan Gates (right). Choosing him as our new assistant to serve with Elder French (left) was truly inspired. This last week we held an all day training meeting with the zone and district leaders and the trainers of the mission (about 70 missionaries). Elder French and Elder Gates along with President Doll and I did all of the training and we were impressed with the way these two "tag teamed" in their teaching assignments. They are both exemplary in their conduct and their teaching and we are grateful for the role models they are for the rest of the mission.

Mission Tour

2010-10-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

On September 6-8, Elder Richard Maynes of the Seventy and his wife Nancy came to the Illinois Chicago Mission for our annual mission tour. The busy three days began with a dinner for the four of us here in the mission home. During that time, we could tell that being with the Maynes' would be comfortable yet informative as their only desire was to help us in our callings. They were approachable and non-judgemental as we asked questions and learned from their knowledge and experience. By the time the meal was over we knew were in for an exciting and spirit-filled three days. The next morning started early as we drove to the Foster building and met with half of our missionaries in a Zone Conference. President and I spoke for 5 minutes each, Sister Maynes for 10 minutes, and the balance of the 3-1/2 hour meeting entirely featured Elder Maynes. He was a masterful teacher and we all felt that we had been well instructed when he was done. Below are pictures of the 3 Zones who met in that first Zone Conference. Parents ... here's your chance to see how your son or daughter looked 3 weeks ago!

During lunch of both Zone Conferences we celebrated those who had had birthdays during the last month and a half ...

We gave "honorary" birthday treats to Elder and Sister Maynes!

Following the Foster Zone Conference, we met at a nearby hotel and had dinner with the 8 Stake Presidents and their wives. After the meal, Elder Maynes gave wonderful instruction on how the wards and stakes could better work together in supporting missionary work. Finally, in the morning we met in our final Zone Conference in Naperville. These next pictures are of the missionaries serving in the the five zones which attended that Zone Conference.

Quite a group, wouldn't you say??!!

Family Time

2010-10-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

September 22-24 brought President's dad - Roy, sister - Stefani, and her husband -Gary to Chicago. We enjoyed visting the Chicago Botanic Gardens ...

With its beautiful flowers ...

Ponds ...

And amazing gardens ... including this 110 pound watermelon!

We also ventured to the top of the Willis (Sears) Tower for the first time in our 15 months of being in Chicago. If you look to the very top of the photo below, you will see three glass ledges that have been added for the brave of heart who would like to step out and enjoy the view.

We were some of the brave ... this photo was taken from that glass ledge at the top of floor #103. What a view behind AND below!

August 20-23 brought these cute grandkids (and their parents :-) to Chicago.

The weather was really hot and humid during their stay, but the Morton Arboretum offered water and places to splash, so they were happy campers.

Unfortunately, it always takes us a few days to figure out how to slip back into the "grandma/grandpa" roles, and we almost remember when it is time for them to leave. But it is great to catch up and to see that all are thriving while we are away.

What do you DO all day?

2010-10-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

I always chuckle when a new missionary asks what President Doll and I DO all day. The end of August - September was a particularly busy time, so when I was asked that question the other day, I pulled out my phone and read from my Google calendar the following:

August 29th, September 11th, September 19th, and September 26th President Doll and I spoke in 3 Stake Conferences and in one ward Sacrament Meeting.

September 19th we hosted and spoke at a fireside for 40+ youth of the Chicago Stake here at the mission home.

We attended multiple baptisms and one temple sealing.

September 7-9 we participated in our mission tour with Elder and Sister Maynes of the Seventy

We had multiple planning meetings with our Assistants.

September 13-15 we attended the three day Mission Presidents Seminar in Omaha Nebraska.

September 17th we hosted the Seniors Dinner.

August 20-23 and September 20-23 we had visits from several sets of family members.

September 24 we held transfer council.

September 28-30 we welcomed a record 18 new missionaries, transferred multiple missionaries around, and released with honor 7 missionaries.

What I didn't tell the inquiring missionary was that once the missionaries departed in the morning of September 30th, we promptly put our phones on silent and took a 3 hour nap!

Pictures of the highlights from this busy and exciting time to follow in the next post!

Joe Motta

2010-10-01T13:06:00.001-07:00

I have mentioned in previous posts the story of Joe Motta ... Joe was baptized on July 4, 2009. His was the first baptism we attended after our arrival in the mission field on July 1st. After his baptism, the ward had a little luncheon at the Church in his honor, and we sat at his table enjoying rice and beans and burritos. Because Joe speaks both English and Spanish, it was easy to become acquainted. He was a particularly likeable person, and we have enjoyed seeing him many times during the past year at various baptisms and church events.

We were excited when Joe was able to use his newly acquired priesthood to perform the baptism of Flor Morales nearly one year after his own baptism ...

But we were ESPECIALLY excited when we were able to go to the Chicago Temple on September 11, 2010 ...

... to see this beautiful family of three, dressed in white and kneeling at the altar, be sealed as a family unit for time and all eternity. Helping new converts such as Joe prepare themselves to make and keep covenants in the temple that will make their marriage binding on earth as well as in heaven is the core of the purpose of missionary work. We are so happy for the Joe Motta family and the missionaries, Elders Overy and Witham, who were instrumental in bringing this about!

Hello and Goodbye ... again!

2010-08-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

I still marvel that before our mission 6 weeks would have felt like a long time. But something is different about Chicago time. Once again we find ourselves at the airport, waiting anxiously for our 10 new arriving missionaries. They're excited and nervous and tired (having gotten up at 3:15 am to catch the first flight out of Salt Lake), but they smile and give us an enthusiastic handshake which endears us to them immediately. Here are a few of the airport pics ...

Elder Torres from Murray, UT ...

Sister Summers from West Bountiful, UT, and Elder Anderson from Glendale, AZ ...

And Sister Haws from Highland, UT.

And the whole group ... Sisters Haws, Summers, Brown (Salt Lake City, UT) and Leahman (Clearfield, UT). Elders Swenson (Snohomish, WA), Jensen (American Falls, ID), Hall (Las Vegas, NV), Torres, Ostergaard (Cottonwood Heights, UT), and Anderson.

Breakfast was a long time ago, so pizza is always the first item of business ...

And of course we can't skip the traditional group pose with the pizza sign outside the restaurant. (Hmmm shouldn't we be given a discount for all the free blog advertising we give them?) The newbies are joined by our three assistants ... out-going Elder Brown on end on left, newly called Elder French with his hand on Elder Ostergaard's shoulder and center back Elder Bateman. These three missionaries are the "constants" of our mission. They are "constantly" called on to take care of a thousand and one details behind the scenes including helping out other missionaries, assisting President and myself with a myriad of mission-life details and being exemplary missionaries themselves. I try to feed them whenever possible to show our gratitude :-)

After a good nights sleep at the mission home, a hearty breakfast and orientation, the newbies are ready to meet their trainers ... Sister Ika training Sister Leahman ...

Elder Anderson with his trainer Elder Ojelade ...

Sister Brown with her trainer Sister Kolb ...

Elder Castillo, trainer, with Elder Jensen ...

Elder Ostergaard with his trainer Elder Sorenson ...

Elder Torres with his trainer Elder Jonathon Gardner ...

Elder Cory Gardner, trainer, with Elder Hall ...

Sister Curtis, trainer, with Sister Haws ...

And Sister Summers with her trainer Sister Perez. Somehow Elder Swenson escaped with his trainer Elder Horlacher before we could snap a picture of them. We love anxious-to-get-to-work missionaries!

And what tribute can I write about our 12 out-going missionaries?? They have worked hard. They have been true and faithful. All have endured hot humid days and stormy sub-zero weather. All have patiently sought those who would listen to the gospel message they had come Chicago to share. Some had the good fortune to meet many who would listen, believe and accept their invitation to be baptized. Others met just one or two. All have grown in wisdom and stature from the experience. All were loved by us and their previous mission presidents the Roachs and the Stoddards. All will be missed and are wished well in their future endeavors. All had better keep in touch! Our sincere thanks to each of you Elders Baum, Philbrick and Watson, Elders McMullin and Bradshear, Elders Stroud, Johnson and Brown, Sisters Lyon and Secrist, and Sisters Tuttle and Goodman! It has been a privilege to serve with you.

"Their" Missionary

2010-08-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

From the beginning of July to the middle of August we attended many baptisms. These baptisms are always memorable moments for us. Although there were many other baptisms during this past month and a half, these are the stories of those we attended and recorded:

Juan Carlos Dominguez, pictured above with Sisters Porter and Curtis, is a remarkable young man. I was able to go with them on one of their teaching appointments with him, and I was impressed from the very beginning with his desire to learn about spiritual things. He faithfully read every assignment from the scriptures that he was given, and came to each return appointment prepared with questions about the doctrine he needed clarification on. At his baptism, he spoke at the end, sharing with great enthusiasm his new-found testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Listening to him, one would think he had been a member of the Church all his life. He hopes to be able to serve a mission in a year when he is 19.

Flor Morales and Maria Dimas are pictured above with their missionaries Elder Green and Elder Cuentas. These two young women are single moms, each looking to improve their lives and that of their children. They believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers that hope. Pictured on the far left is Joe Motta. Joe baptized Maria, which is significant, since Joe was baptized himself one year ago on the 4th of July. Joe's was the first baptism we attended upon arriving in Chicago.

Ophalia is a single grandmother raising her autistic grandson. She welcomed Sister Jones and Sister Goodman when they knocked on her door. Like many who accept the invitation to be baptized, Ophalia felt immediately comfortable with the doctrine the missionaries taught her and even felt it had a "familiar" ring to it. Elder Wilson on the right performed the baptism.

Peter Monroe is pictured above with his missionaries Elders Greenway and Garr. He was what our missionaries love to call "golden" . . . a young man with a willing and teachable spirit . . . ready to follow Jesus Christ and make life-changing commitments that will put him on the path to eternal life.

The baptism of the Cibaj family was an amazing story. Their daughter Xhilola, on the far left, was baptized a year ago while the family still lived in Albania. Family circumstances required them to leave their homeland and seek for a better life here in America. They arrived with very little, and knowing just a bit of English. Xhilola made contact with the her new bishop once they arrived and together with their new ward they received help in finding a home and employment. The kindness of so many greatly touched the hearts of this family, and they desired to learn more about the church that included so many wonderful people. It was a happy day for Xhilola when her entire family joined her in membership in the church she held so dear. Above are Elders Ojelade and Swope, the happy missionaries of this family. Most touching of all, was when the mom in the Cibaj family (holding the toddler above) expressed her love for the ward members and for the gospel at the end of the baptism. It was a mixture of Albanian and English, but so filled with heartfelt appreciation that it was impossible not to understand her.

Carol Nyankom was baptized by her husband Ato, a recent convert himself. Sometimes that happens ... a couple is taught the gospel by the missionaries, but one is ready for baptism before the other. It is a happy day when both come together, united in their beliefs, and even happier when the spouse can use his priesthood to perform the ordinance. Sister Russon and Sister Chen were their missionaries.

George, Shane, and Danielle Heckenbach experienced some major financial reversals. Losing nearly everything left them ready and open to a message about "Finding Happiness" through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Moore and Elder Dearinger (in need of a haircut - done the next day!) were the deliverers of that message and it has made all the difference. With the help of their bishop and the ward, this family is also getting back on their feet which definitely is a plus as well.

On the same day, and at the same baptismal service as the Heckenbach family, 8 year old Jared Harrison was baptized by his dad. Nothing too unusual in this, most children in the Church are baptized at age 8. The UNUSUAL thing was the amazing talk his 12 year old brother (on right with glasses) gave at the baptismal service. WOW! I have heard few adults deliver such a heartfelt and concise explanation on the blessings of having the gift of the Holy Ghost in your life. It was quickly apparent his Mom didn't write the talk - it was too sincere, too genuine to have come from anyone but him. I hope we get to stick around until he is mission age - we would love to have him serve as a missionary with us!

Patrick Wright has a familiar story . . . his girlfriend Abby is a member of the Church. She invited him to Church and to many youth activities. He was intrigued by all of the people he met who were members of the Church. Finally he decided to see just what this Church was all about and began to meet with the missionaries. Sister Tuttle and Sister Kolb were those missionaries. It took some time, but soon he came to an understanding and belief in the principles of the gospel that Abby loves so much.

Fred Schneider has an avid interest in reading about a variety of topics. When the missionaries knocked on his door and invited him to read the Book of Mormon, he readily agreed. What he didn't know, is that reading, pondering and praying about the truthfulness of this book would bless his life in so many ways. He started coming to church and began to meet many new friends. He developed the inner strength to overcome his long-time addiction to smoking. He felt happier than he had in years. Sister Rogers (far left) returned home after finishing her mission the week before Fred's baptism. But she returned to Chicago to join Sister Tawzer and her new companion, Sister Nardoni for this important day for Fred.

Leticia Sanchez is pictured above with Elder Neilson. I can't remember the details of how she came to meet the missionaries, but I DO remember the joy she radiated as she came up out of the waters of baptism, ready to embrace life as one washed clean of all past mistakes.

Dale Scholttmann, dad, is joined by Cody Schlottmann, son, in center in white. Dale's wife has been a member of the Church all her life. She has waited 18 years for her husband to see the value of the religion she holds dear. It was an exciting moment to see Cody baptize his dad. I asked Dale what had changed his mind after 18 years. He said he "finally opened himself up" to the principles of the gospel and found that when he did, they became important to him as well. Above are the two sets of missionaries who taught him: Sisters Frandsen and Damm and Elders Garr and Greenway. Below is a picture of the entire Schlottmann family.

Karen Raymond, far right, was baptized in June. Since then her 11 year old granddaughter, Jessica, has been attending Church with her. She too wanted to be baptized. Here she is with her grandmother and her missionaries, Elders Bradshear and Miller.

Two months ago, Hector Castenada saw these missionaries, Elder Cardenas and Elder Major, contacting people on the street. When Elder Major saw Hector looking at him, he went over and started talking with him. Elder Major shared a little about what we believe and his response to Elder Major was: "I've waited all my life to meet someone like you." They met with him over the next couple of months, and invited him to make the necessary changes in his life so that he could be baptized. As you can see from the picture above, he accepted the invitation.

Gino Spizirri decided to change health clubs so that he could save $30 a month. He ended up getting the bargain of a lifetime. His first day at his new health club he met Andrew Taylor whom he described as a "young man who was old and wise beyond his years." Andrew is 19 and waiting for his mission call. Andrew invited Gino to come to church that Sunday. Gino accepted and met lots of people who made him feel welcome. Being in church that day Gino said he felt like he was "in the right place." He felt "something different" as he attended the meetings. Later Gino was invited to the Taylors home for dinner. He said he knew then, after meeting Andrew's parents, why he was the impressive young man that he was. In time, Andrew invited Gino to meet with the missionaries, our assistants, Elder Bateman and Elder Brown. About them Gino said: "I have never met two young men so dedicated to a cause, so resolute in their beliefs." These two missionaries invited Gino to make commitments and as he did so, he felt the buds of a beginning testimony. Gino said he completely trusted these two missionaries. He let them lead him and as he did so he felt clearly and powerfully the Holy Ghost bear witness that what he was being taught was true. At the end of his remarks at his baptism, Gino said: "I could die tomorrow, and I would feel ready to meet my Maker."

Finally, this is Arlene Vargas. Her apartment building is nearly impossible to get into. But on the day that Sister Secrist and Sister Perez were out, they managed to get past not one, but two normally locked doors. Arlene's mom answered the knock on their apartment door and in Spanish said: "What is it that you have?" As if expecting them, she invited them right in when they told her they came with a message about finding happiness through Jesus Christ. Arlene came into the room about this time and listened to what these two sisters had to share. Although her mom saw truth in what these two sisters were teaching, she felt content to stay with her own religion. However, it was Arlene who embraced the teachings from the very beginning. From the first moment she read a passage in the Book of Mormon, she knew she was reading true doctrine. Sister Secrist completed her mission last week. The total number of people whom she taught that ended up being baptized were ... two ... Gina Rodriguez and Arlene Vargas. Such is the life of a missionary. In spite of diligence, hard-work and perserverance, the numbers don't always reflect the intensity of their efforts. But I know both Gina and Arlene ... and always and forever they will be grateful for "their" missionary ... one of which was Sister Secrist. As my husband the accountant likes to say: "Not everything that counts can be counted ...".

"The Great Centini"

2010-08-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

In mid-July when we held a four day training meeting with all of the zone leaders, district leaders and trainers, Elder Centini - now dubbed "The Great Centini", entertained everyone at lunch with his amazing magic tricks. There wasn't time to video his full performance, but you can see he is a cut above being amateur. Some of his other tricks were nothing short of amazing. His "volunteers" are first Elder Watson and then Elder Perkins. How fun to get to know these missionaries, their personalities and their talents!

The Great Centini from Sherman Doll on Vimeo.

Elder Ojelade

2010-08-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

At the same 4 day training meeting that "The Great Centini" entertained us at lunch, we were looking for a special musical number to begin the afternoon portion of our meeting. Elder Ojelade volunteered to sing a well-known children's hymn "When I am Baptized." He was joined by Elders Watson, Philbrick, and Stroud. We didn't know that he would be adding a third verse which he and another missionary composed. We thought the verse was fitting and appropriate. We love discovering the hidden talents of our missionaries. Well done Elders!

When I Am Baptized - Illinois Chicago Mission from Sherman Doll on Vimeo.

Meeting, Knowing, Loving

2010-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

In my last post I shared the many activities which have occupied our time these last three weeks. Here are some of the pictures: First, our "meet and greet" meetings held on July 1st and 2nd. Six missionaries from the north, plus our assistants and ourselves, piled into the mission van to form an official "welcoming committee," driving to four different locations in the south part of the mission. This photo and the next shows two of the four groups we met, totaling 72 new missionaries in all.

We were so impressed with missionaries in the south. They were seated and quietly listening to prelude music when we arrived. They stood when we entered the room. They were warm and receptive as we introduced ourselves and spoke with them. We had a sense of their past training from President and Sister Roach and of the seriousness with which they took their callings as missionaries. We were overjoyed as we met this newest part of our mission and delighted and optimistic about what the future would hold as we have the opportunity to become better acquainted and to work together more closely.

Our meet and greet meetings were followed by the arrival of 12 new missionaries on July 6th. We had our traditional Pizzeria Ora lunch and . . .

. . . took the traditional photo out in front of the restaurant. President's sister, Jodi Doll, on the far right (we had fun with that all week - TWO Sister Doll's) was my friend in the kitchen, cheerfully helping at all hours of the day and night to see that this group, and our outgoing missionaries were well taken care of.

Here they are in front of the Mission Home: Sisters Nielson and Mercader; Elders Abe, Finn, McKay, and Knight; Sisters Avance and Nardoni; and Elders Shippen, Nunez, Young and Senator. The new missionaries were wonderful just like the other groups we have welcomed every six weeks. We know that they arrive anxious and a bit nervous, some a little homesick and some overwhelmed by the large city feel of Chicago . . . but each comes determined to make a difference and to share what they hold most dear in their hearts - their love for the Savior and His gospel. We love them immediately and know they will do great things as their confidence grows.

Finally, on July 8th, our departing missionaries pose for one final picture before they leave for the airport. This is a special group. Each has been an exceptional missionary. Two have been our assistants. Some have overcome personal health issues to finish out their time here with honor. Others have been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. teachers of the gospel. All have been dedicated. All have been loved like sons and daughters by President and me. Do not ask how many tears I shed during their departing testimony meeting! I had no idea I could form such an attachment nearing in magnitude to that which I feel for my own children. I believe it is because we are bonded here by an experience that is unique and indescribable. Mission life is filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Nothing quickens the step, broadens the smile and heightens the spirit of a missionary than meeting someone who embraces the gospel message he has shared and is baptized. And likewise, nothing will send his spirits spiraling quicker than someone who, after much time spent teaching, ends up rejecting the very source of happiness the gospel could give them. This has been the life they will move on from. It will be the pivotal point that they will refer to for the rest of their life . . . "when I was on my mission . . ."

Farewell - we love you . . . Sisters Bernet, Cofer and Rogers . . . and Elders Larsen, Rainey, Powell and Jones! We look forward to the day when our paths will cross again!

We've Moved!

2010-07-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

On July 1st the Illinois Chicago North and South Missions were combined to form the new Illinois Chicago Mission. In order to be more centrally located, we moved from Arlington Heights . . .

To Oak Brook . . .

We are enjoying our change in venue very much. I especially love the backyard. As you can see we do not have fences here, instead the homes are divided by trees and shrubs. The park-like setting is beautiful and attracts a great deal of wildlife. Early in the morning we see many birds, squirrels, chipmunks and wild rabbits that freely graze on the lush vegetation. My favorite, which I have been trying to capture on film for over a week, is the cardinal.

Finally, I was successful!

Lest you think I have been only nature-watching since my last post three weeks ago, I should tell you that:

We moved on Tuesday, June 29th and our stuff arrived here at 8:30 pm that night. In exhaustion we didn't even try to unpack that night, but fortunately I had packed an overnight bag with clean clothes and bathroom essentials to get us through until the next day.
On Wednesday we had until 2:00 pm to unpack before we held our 3 hour transfer council with our assistants Elders Brown, Bateman and Larsen. At that meeting we assigned new trainers to the 12 new missionaries that would be arriving the next week, and moved missionaries around between the north and south parts of the mission. After the meeting we grabbed a quick bite of dinner and went home to unpack until midnight.
On Thursday and Friday we held four "meet and greet" meetings which gave us an opportunity to meet the other 72 missionaries we were not acquainted with living in the south part of the mission. Each night we would go home from these meetings and unpack until the wee hours.
On Saturday we were officially unpacked and the haulers came and removed the 50+ boxes and all of the bags of packing newsprint. (I had NO IDEA how many pieces of newsprint is used by the packers to insure our stuff arrived in one piece - we literally must have had at least 40 black garbage sacks filled with the stuff).
On Sunday my sister-in-law, Jodi Doll, arrived to spend 5 days of her vacation helping me with the ominous "Transfer Week". She was truly a saint as we grocery shopped to feed the masses, cooked, cleaned, laughed and visited with incoming and outgoing missionaries Monday through Thursday.
The week culminated with our newly combined Mission Council consisting of Zone Leaders and four sister missionaries spending the mornings being instructed and sharing ideas. Lunch for 26 followed - Jodi being responsible for that while I attended the meeting. Immediately following lunch, we took Jodi to the airport. I really think she needs to come back when it isn't transfer week and see something more of Chicago than our kitchen and basement!! She will, however, forever be in my "hero book" of remarkable women who cheerfully go and do.
On Saturday we attended 3 baptisms, travelling to various parts of the mission, and on Sunday attended two different wards and a baptism.

Not bad for our first two weeks!

June - where have you gone?? - Part 3

2010-06-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday in June found us doing the favorite part of our calling - attending baptisms. The stories of these new converts always amazes and humbles us as we see the hand of the Lord guiding our missionaries and these investigators.

June 4th -Katy Evans - pictured below with her parents.

Katy's story began when she drove by the Crystal Lake chapel one day. She couldn't explain it, but she felt drawn to attend church there, and so on the next Sunday, she did! She met the missionaries and agreed to be taught. Katy had lots of questions and took her time. Many a missionary came and went in the year and a half before Katy agreed she was finally ready to commit to baptism. Here she is pictured with 3 of her many missionaries: Elders Miller, Larsen and Rainey.

As I see Katy and I standing side by side in this next photo, I see myself in embryo 37 years ago, right down to the long brown pony-tail. Katy is the same age as I was when I was baptized a member of the Church. Oh what an adventure awaits her! I can only hope it will be her good fortune to have joys similar to mine as I have married, raised a family and experienced a variety of challenging and meaningful church assignments.

June 12 - The Dean Family

This beautiful family, originally from Pakistan, was recommended to the missionaries by another investigator named Vina. About the time the missionaries were going to make contact with the Dean's, they decided to move and Elder Anson and Elder Gonzalez volunteered to help them out. The family was so impressed with these two hard-working missionaries, they agreed to listen to what they had to say. Elder Cook had been transferred into the area by this time, and so he and Elder Gonzalez (pictured below) met with the Dean family for the first time. Elder Cook was a brand new missionary, and this was not only the Dean family's first missionary lesson, but it was Elder Cook's first time giving a missionary lesson. The lesson went so well, these two missionaries invited the family to be baptized . . . and they said YES! Elder Cook came away thinking this missionary work stuff was a piece of cake!

June 19 - Nancy Silva

Nancy is 16 years old. She and her mom took the missionary lessons together, but her mom was ready to commit to baptism before Nancy was ready. For several months, Nancy struggled to find out if baptism was the right step to take. She loved her mom, but really wanted to be independent in this decision. Sometimes this brought contention between her and her mom. Her mom was very anxious to see Nancy take this step of baptism. The longer Nancy held out, the more tension there was in the home. Nancy, however, tearfully shared at her baptism, that she knew she was ready to make the commitments that come with baptism. She felt peaceful and happy in knowing this step was right and that she was taking it because she had the witness of the Holy Ghost telling her it was right. Nancy is wise for one so young. Chances are she will be more dedicated in her commitments to live the gospel, because she made the decision for herself. The missionaries are Elder Neilson and Elder Johnson.

June 26 - Maren Pollack - age 10 (middle) and Karen Raymond (far right).

Maren Pollack's dad, Brian, standing with her in white in the picture above, grew up in a Mormon family. He was one of 5 boys and 1 sister. All of the boys in the family served full-time missions. Brian never felt like that was for him. Later he married someone who was not a member of the church and continued to be less active as far as his church attendance. Elder Rainey (in white next to Maren) and Elder Miller, far left, began to visit with Brian encouraging him to come to church and to bring Maren. As he began to attend, they encouraged him to prepare himself to use his priesthood to baptize his daughter. He did so and it was a beautiful baptism yesterday. At the end of the baptismal service, Brian came up to the podium and tearfully expressed the great joy it had brought him to be able to baptize his daughter, and to experience in some degree the same joy his brothers had experienced in baptizing others on their missions.

These same two missionaries knocked on the door of Nancy Robinson. Because they were so nice she let them in, but wasn't really interested in hearing their gospel message. However, she just couldn't tell them no when they asked if they could return again the next week. This continued for several weeks, and soon Nancy realized that she was hearing things she had believed all her life. She was baptized in the same baptismal service as Maren on Saturday.

June 26 - Joy Lynn

Joy probably has the most amazing conversion story of all. Joy attended the Baptist University of Indiana for one year. She set a goal after that, that she would bring as many souls unto Christ as she could. To gain a better understanding of other people and their religious beliefs, she began to search out other religions on-line. While doing this research she happened upon a website called www.mormon.org. She noticed that there was a "chat" button, and so she began talking with Elder Thompsen, a full-time missionary in Provo, UT. Joy made it clear that she had no plans of converting, but was just information gathering. Elder Thompsen gave Joy some reading assignments in the Book of Mormon to familiarize her with our doctrine and asked her to pray about the truthfulness of what she was reading. Joy said she would, but told me that what she really did was tell God in her prayers that she already had the truth and she was just going through the motions because this missionary had asked her to. Joy would then go back on-line, chat with Elder Thompson and each time he then gave her more reading assignments and encouraged her to pray about her reading. In the beginning, it was Joy's real goal to try and convert Elder Thompson. But she told me that what happened is that she noticed her prayers began to change, and she noticed she was asking God if what she was reading in the Book of Mormon could be true. The answer began to be clear, that Elder Thompson wasn't being converted, but she was.

Joy then began to meet with the full-time missionaries in her area, Elder Bowers (in white above) and Elder Aryton (on right). It was an easy process from there for Joy to complete the missionary lessons and to prepare for baptism. The hardship came when she informed her family (devote Baptists) and her pastor that she was planning on being baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her pastor told her she would burn and go to hell, and her mom threatened to disown her. Joy told me that while all this was going on, as traumatic and trying as it was, she had such peace in her heart and such a feeling of sureness that the step she was taking was right. In fact she said that the more opposition she encountered, the more the feeling of "rightness" was etched into her heart. Joy's baptism was a beautiful event and we know we will see others who will be influenced for good by her amazing spirit.

June - where have you gone?? - Part 2

2010-06-25T19:41:00.001-07:00

Five days in June were spent enjoying our oldest son Tim and his boys Miles (10) and Caden (7). Tim has started a tradition of taking his boys on a road trip every summer and the trips usually end up combining visits to family with baseball games. This summer we were fortunate enough to be in their path as they came to Chicago to watch their hometown favorites, the Oakland A's, take on the Chicago Cubs at the famous Wrigley Field. President Doll donned his levi's for the first time in a year to join them at the ball park.

Caden enjoyed the ride on the "L" into downtown Chicago.

Caden and Miles kept asking us when they were going to meet some of our missionaries, so we invited Elder O'Dell and Elder Johnson over to the church parking lot to play a little wiffle ball on Preparation Day. Miles and Caden's Little League skills came in handy and they easily impressed these Elders as they pitched, fielded and batted with more ability than anticipated. Teams were soon formed and it was "the gentiles" vs. "the missionaries" with Tim and his boys on one team and President and I and the elders on the other.

If you want to know who won - check out Miles' face (wearing the A's hat).

The rest of their visit including sight-seeing in downtown Chicago, dinner and show at Medival Times, seeing Toy Story 3 and lots of time spent playing Nerf basketball down in "grandma's basement." Mostly I just enjoyed seeing the crazy side of these two come through in nearly every picture we took . . .

After the Cubs game, we went to Giordano's for some good deep-dish Chicago pizza and were excited to meet up with our friends, the Nations, from California who were also here for the game. Notice Miles and Caden's poses once again!

All in all it was wonderful to visit with these three and great to get a short-term grandma fix. We look forward to their next visit when the other half of Tim's family gets to come . . . Brittany and daughters Alexandra (3) and Avery (1).

June - where have you gone?? - Part 1

2010-06-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

June is nearly gone - how has that happened?? Such full days, such a satisfying labor we are involved in . . . so little time to blog! Here is a feeble attempt to share some of my favorite parts. Foster Building and Rockford Zone Conferences - June 2 & 3 . . .

The picture above is what we see when we pull into the Church parking lot of the Foster Building of downtown Chicago. The majority of the missionaries of this zone ride bikes until the snow comes and then they ride the city buses to get around. I love to pull into the parking lot and see this sight . . . bikes parked and missionaries inside 15-20 minutes early, ready to receive inspiration and instruction at our Zone Conference.

Elder Powell was particularly resourceful the morning of this Zone Conference. As he prepared to leave he noticed his bike had a flat, and there wasn't time to change the tire. Fortunately he had a spare bike . . . albeit a girl's bike and much too small for his 6 foot frame. But he arrived on time (perspiring and red in the face) and with a smile as well, in spite of the opposition that began his day.

After great instruction, our missionaries headed into a lunch provided by the Wilmette Stake. We invited two special guests to join us for lunch that day . . . Adam and Barbara Kazlauskaf, known affectionately by the missionaries as "The K's". I first heard about them from Elder Kyle Miller who had been the recipient of their kindness for nearly 8 months while he served in Norwood Park. This wonderful couple is not a member of our Church, but for 10 years they have faithfully fed dinner once a week to whichever missionaries were serving in Norwood Park AND provided sacks of groceries for them as well. When I asked them why, they said that their son had joined the Church many years ago, and that their grandson had served a mission. Because others had taken such good care of their grandson while he was on his mission, they had wanted to return the kindness. We thought it was time WE fed the K's and so they joined us for lunch at our Zone Conference and then were presented with a beautiful picture of the Savior in honor of their Christ-like service. Pictured with the K's are Elder Anson, Elder Miller and Elder Garr who have also been recipients of the K's kindness. Elder Nowell didn't want to be left out, and so he popped up in the back.

After lunch we have a special song we sing to the wonderful sisters who provide us with lunch, and then . . .

Each missionary files through and shakes the hands of these sisters to express their thanks. Above are Hermanas Secrist and Perez and below are . . .

Elders Wilson and Powell showing their gratitude.

On June 3rd at the Rockford Zone Conference, I saw all of the sister missionaries lining up to take a picture and so I jumped in also. I wish I had thought to gather the sisters from the previous days Zone Conference. For now I'll just be able to introduce you to half of them. Since sister missionaries come on their missions when they are 21 vs. the elders who are 19, we see a greater example of maturity, dedication, deep faith and testimony. They will be amazing at whatever they take on when their 18 month missions are over . . . I have such love and respect for each of them! From left to right the sisters of the Rockford and Schaumberg Zones are: Sisters Tawzer, Curtis, Porter, Gailey, Padilla, Rogers, Carmack and Kaufusi.

New, New, Old

2010-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

May 18th finds us headed to the airport to welcome four new missionaries: Elder O'Dell from Vina, CA , Elder Roberts from Grantsville, UT, Elder Lippert from N. Ogden, UT, and Elder Gardner from Ada, MI/American Fork, UT.

These missionaries deserved more than Chicago deep-dish pizza. Their story is a bit unique. Instead of the usual 3 weeks - 9 weeks in the Missionary Training Center that our English/Spanish-speaking missionaries spend, these missionaries were there 12 weeks. No they were not "slow of speech" or in remedial classes. They were learning Greek in anticipation of being sent TO Greece. But Greece is no longer giving visas to Americans. And though everything was done to try and push their visas through, it could not happen. And so the Illinois Chicago North Mission was blessed to have them reassigned here. They are top-notch young men and we know they will do great things while they are here. And besides . . . downtown Chicago has an area known as Greek-town. They may yet have the opportunity to break out that Greek!

After 12 weeks of MTC food . . . Elders Gardner, Lippert and O'Dell agree that this pizza tastes pretty fine!

Now it's Tuesday, May 25, 2010. Exactly one week after receiving our "Greek" Elders, President Doll and I find ourselves once again arriving at O'Hare airport to meet our next group of 9 new missionaries. These missionaries are part of our usual 6 week cycle, and we have been preparing for them. Once again, however, we ask ourselves: "How is it possible that six weeks have gone by again already!" But it has and we are off to meet:

Oops, plane delayed. Turn off the cameras. The flight monitors say their flight is delayed 10 minutes. 10 minutes turns to 20, then 30. Finally after 45 minutes people begin to come down the escalator. They see our Sunday attire and nametags and quickly realize we are waiting for those they saw dressed similarly on their flight. With smiles they are quick to assure us our missionaries are here and will be coming down soon. We smile back our thanks and then . . . here they are: First off are Elders Cook (Syracuse, UT), Lee (Mulkilteo, WA) and Bench (So. Weber, UT), then Sister Murphy (Covina, CA) and Elder Miller (Rawlins, WY). Not pictured, but arriving next were Elders Newman (American Fork, UT), Faaumu (San Mateo, CA), Thoele (St. Robert, MO) and Garcia (Guatemala).

We shake hands and I am always overwhelmed when I see it . . . their warm and excited acceptance of me as the wife of their mission president . . . and the admiration and almost "hero-worship" that is in their eyes as they finally meet their mission president. Ask us about the responsibility we feel to be equal to our missionary's expectations??!! Pictured below is Elder Thoele shaking my hand and Elder Garcia being greeted in Spanish by President Doll.

After the gathering of luggage . . .

The entire group poses for the traditional airport picture. From left to right are: Elders Bench, Faaumu, Newman, Lee, Miller, Cook, and Garcia; then Sister Murphy and Elder Thoele.

After all the luggage is loaded into the mission van, our Assistants Elder Larsen and Elder Brown, take the new missionaries for a ride on the "L" train which will take them to Pizzeria Ora where we will meet up for our traditional lunch. While riding on the train, these missionaries have the opportunity to meet a variety of people and share why they came to Chicago. Their goal is to share a copy of the Book of Mormon with someone they contact. We love to hear their stories when we meet up for pizza. Elder Newman, Elder Bench and Sister Murphy are pictured below visiting with those they met while riding the "L".

These missionaries have been up since 4:00 am. Breakfast, what there was of it, was a LONG time ago. It is hard to be patient and eat Chicago style pizza. Elder Miller (like the others) found out it was "knife and fork" food which definitely slows down the eating frenzy.

After refueling with pizza, these missionaries are off with the Assistants for a walking tour of downtown Chicago. Don't they look like the epitome of everything good in the world?

Yep, definitely a good looking bunch. No doubt heads turned to do a double-take. Up close you can see the depth of their conviction in the gospel of Jesus Christ in their eyes and their conduct. Seeing them in downtown Chicago, they stand out in a league of their own.

Finally, here are the missionaries we retired the next day. They are our "old" missionaries. Their two years of service are at an end. Their white shirts aren't so white, and their suit pants will barely hold a crease. Oh, but what an amazing group of young men have they become! I cannot write enough good things about this group. Each blazed on to the end of his mission with fervor and hard work. As I visited with them on their last evening in the mission home I was impressed again and again with how much growth they had experienced during their two years of service. They have such love for the gospel, love for the people they have taught and love for the missionaries they have served with. They each had their struggles and challenges, but they hung in there and completed their missions with honor. I know we have met future bishops and stake presidents in this group. We have definitely met future husbands who will go on to raise beautiful families of their own. I cannot tell you how hard it is to say goodbye to them. They have become my sons and my substitute family. I stand in my driveway as the mission van pulls away to take them to the airport with tears streaming down my cheeks. I don't remember anyone telling me this part when we took on this assignment!

We love each of you Elder Larkin, Elder Adams, Elder Babcock, Elder Rudd, Elder Layton, Elder Overy, Elder Bell and Elder Schoof! Godspeed until we meet again!

Life-changing Stories

2010-05-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hannah and her daughters were baptized into the Church nearly a month ago today. It was on the one year anniversary that the dad in this family left and never came back. Their story began when Sister Rogers and Sister Tawzer knocked on their door one day to leave a gospel message. Hannah wasn't home, but one of the teenage daughters said that they should come back when their mom was home, informing the missionaries that "she had been looking for a church to go to." Hannah and her girls learned about how faith in Jesus Christ can mend broken hearts and that forgiveness is the only way to find real peace. A new and happy day will now be associated with April 25th for the rest of their lives.

Mark Walters' story began when his son, Mark, began attending activities at church with other members from school. He noticed distinct differences in these youth from the others his son had been hanging around with. He was especially impressed at Christmas time when the youth of the stake worked together for many long hours along with some very patient church leaders to put on an amazing musical production with costumes and backdrops that bordered on being professional. He saw changes taking place in his son over time and he wondered just what was at the source. So Mark decided to give this Church and it's teachings a test run. Elders Rainey and Hancock began to meet with Mark. He found himself making changes as he read from the Book of Mormon, attended church and prayed. Mark was baptized a couple of weeks ago and received the Aaronic priesthood last Sunday. He is looking forward to baptizing his son in the not-too-distant future.

Calvin Terry (in white uniform) is stationed at the Naval Base here in our mission. His bunk-mate (on left in picture) invited him to church and to some of the activities when they first met. He later gave him a Book of Mormon and told him he "had to read this." Calvin did so in three days. Afterwards he told his friend that he wanted to be baptized. Elders Miller and Farley thought that they could help Calvin with that! The good news is that Calvin's wife (waiting in Colorado until Calvin finishes his training) is also being taught by the missionaries and will be baptized after their baby is born in the next few weeks.

Elder Mann and Elder Matheson are the two missionaries below with Charlie Nystrom. Charlie loves these two missionaries and is happy to have the gospel to fill the void in his life since the passing of his wife. Knowing that he will be reunited with her someday has brought him much peace and joy.

This is Elder Rudd pictured with the Johnson family. They are from Sierra Leone, Africa. Their story started four years ago when they came to this country looking for a better life. If you ask them, they will tell you that they have found a better life, and it is centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only two of their children came with them four years ago. Last month they were united with their other two children, and this week they were united as a family in baptism as well. Brother Johnson had the pleasure of performing these baptisms. They are a beautiful family and there was an amazing spirit present at their baptismal service.

Much of the work that our missionaries do is with part-member families and those who are less active in their church attendance. Elder Trujillo and Elder Neilson have been working with the Jiminez family and encouraging them to come back to church. In the process they helped prepare 10 year old Leonardo for baptism. He is a bright and mature young man with an apparent spirituality of his own. He will be the leader now in making sure his mom and brother continue in faithful church attendance.

10 year old Noah Dutcher, pictured with Elder Layton and Elder Littledike, is cut out of the same cloth as Leonardo. He is a happy young man with a huge spirit. He took his baptism very seriously and we can see that he will also lead out in his family in setting a good example.

And lastly, here is Shannon Scharfe pictured with Brother Gillespie (friend) and with Elder Brown and Elder Larsen. Shannon's story began when she was attending Purdue University where she met Orrin, a returned missionary. They struck up a friendship and Shannon decided she wanted to learn more about the church Orrin was a part of. She has been taught by several different sets of missionaries over time. Shannon's search for truth led her to a careful study of the Book of Mormon and much prayer in desiring to know if she should be baptized into the Church. Her answer came, and a baptismal date was set. The interesting part is that Shannon comes from a family of very faithful, practicing Catholics. Her parents, however, respectfully allowed Shannon her space in making this decision. The end result was that Shannon's entire family . . . mom, dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles came out in force to support her on her baptism day. Her dad wanted very much to be a part of the program and actually gave a talk on baptism. Elder Larsen and Elder Brown gave him some materials to study to guide his remarks and he did a good job. Mostly it was his love and respect for his daughter as she "continued her spiritual journey" that came through loud and clear.

Feelin' the love . . .

2010-05-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have experienced many a wonderful Mother's Day in my life. But this year's will go down as being the most memorable. It began on Friday when these beautiful flowers arrived for me from my husband ...

Continued on Friday when this amazing "Edible Arrangement" arrived from my children on Saturday...

Which I had help in eating by these thoughtful missionaries at Zone Meeting on Monday ...

And continued with the arrival of paintings from grandchildren ...

And cards and notes of all varieties from children and missionaries alike ...

And culminated with a most wonderful keepsake delivered by Elder Larsen and Elder Brown on Sunday evening. These two missionaries had all of the other missionaries call them with Mother's Day messages for me which they typed out and laminated into this special book. I was surprised, touched and moved by the expressions of love and appreciation which I read.

How blessed I am to be surrounded by so much love from so many. Thank you. I love you all!

Earth With Her Ten Thousand Flowers . . .

2010-04-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today as we visited Chicago's Botanic Gardens I had this hymn stuck in my head as I witnessed the beauty that surrounded me:

Earth with her ten thousand flowers

Air, with all its beams and showers,

Heaven's infinite expanse;

Ocean's resplendant countenance -

All around, and all above,

Hath this record - God is love.

Sounds among the vales and hills,

In the woods and by the rills,

Of the breeze and of the bird,

By the gentle murmur stir'd -

Sacred songs, beneath, above,

Have one Chorus - God is love.

What beautiful evidence of God's love for us is apparent in the color and detail of the world He created for our enjoyment!

A Little of This and That . . .

2010-04-25T17:31:00.001-07:00

Even in dry weather, the missionaries remove their shoes when they come into our home. It was a tradition that was in place before we arrived and has stuck. I always love this sight of their shoes lined up at the front entry way. Their shoes tell the story of the lives these missionaries live . . . of hard work, long days and lots of walking. We love the shoes AND the missionaries they belong to . . .

President Doll went on a teaching appointment with Elder Powell and Elder Cardenas a few weeks ago. The family bird at the home they were in was on top of the bookcase when they arrived, but found a better perch as their appointment progressed. The bird alternated between pecking on his ear and the back of his neck - a little distracting when you are trying to teach! President knew he was in trouble as the minutes ticked by and the bird had not left his shoulder (or relieved himself in a while). Sure enough, at the end of the appointment, the bird had deposited a surprise on the shoulder of his suit jacket! Just a little memento of the evening!

Today as we drove to Church, I saw these . . . beautiful signs that S.P.R.I.N.G. has made it to Chicago. We have had a few really warm days (mid 80's), some fairly nice days (70's) and some days with a nip still in the air. Today was rainy and in the low 50's. Next week we are anticipating 60-70 degrees with lots of sun. We are hoping to fit in a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens on our Preparation Day where the tulips are reported to be especially beautiful.

These tulips were in front of the Radisson Hotel near downtown Chicago. Hopefully my next post will be ablaze with all the colors of spring we are beginning to see here!

Oh, did I mention . . .?

2010-04-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? This past week found us once again welcoming new missionaries and saying goodbye to the "old." Here they are, Chicago's newest missionaries: Elder Littledike from Kaysville, UT; Elder McKnight from Fallon, NV; and Elder Farley and Elder Walsh both from Sandy, UT. Each of these new missionaries left a great first impression, and we anticipate great things from them during the next two years.

After arriving at the airport, collecting baggage and loading it into the transfer van, these missionaries contacted on the "L" train . . .

Walked the streets of Chicago . . .

Took a few pics to send to mom and dad at home . . .

And posed for a pic themselves with the beautiful Chicago skyline.

Of course the assistants made sure they found their way to Pizzeria Ora for our traditional deep-dish Chicago style pizza. Be sure and notice our newly called assistant, Elder Brown, on the left. He will be replacing Elder Jones on the right. I'll have more to say about them in a minute.

After orientation the next day, the new missionaries were introduced to their trainers: Elder Littledike and trainer Elder Layton . . .

Elder McKnight with trainer Elder Rudd . . .

Elder Farley with trainer Elder Miller . . .

And Elder Walsh with trainer Elder Jones . . . and this is where I need to make a note about Elder Jones. As I may have mentioned before . . . our assistants are our life-lines. We simply couldn't do this job without them. They help us teach and train missionaries, they help missionaries move into new apartments, they counsel with struggling missionaries and do a 101 other things some of which we find out about much later. Always willing, always smiling and unassuming. They set an example for the other missionaries and are very well-respected amongst their peers. Elder Jones has been all of this and more as he has added his unique personality and deep love of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the mix. It has been a privilege to work with him as well as those assistants we have been teamed up with in the past. But, their calling as an assistant is only for a few months, and then they are sent back out to work as a regular missionary. Elder Brown has been an exemplary missionary, and will do well in his new role as assistant as he takes over for Elder Jones. We have found that because we work so closely with our assistants, we quickly form an attachment to them much like we would one of our own children. Consequently they have to put up with me mothering a little as I send them home with lots of leftovers from dinner . . .

and celebrating their birthdays in a very noticeable way. Elder Larsen just happened to have his during transfer week and enjoyed his favorite chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting as well as . . .

being sung to by all 20 attendees of our outgoing missionaries farewell dinner. Sorry girls, he blew out all 21 candles - indicating no girlfriends - not one!

And lastly, here are our out-going missionaries: Elder Soares and Elder Beckstead; Elder Call and Elder Slade; Elder Fisher and Elder Gonzalez; Elder Eager and Elder Ross; and Elder Hansen and Elder Williams.

I doubt you could find ten more unique and different personalities. Yet they all got along really well and seemed to truly enjoy their afternoon and evening together in the mission home. They could be found playing Uno cards, Wii bowling, or gathered around the patio table in the backyard visiting. Their final testimony meeting after dinner that night was tender, heartfelt and in some cases very tearful. We sensed the growth in these young men over the past two years, a mix of some struggles and many successes. Their love for the members in the areas they served, their converts and for the gospel of Jesus Christ itself was very touching to us.

Their individual personalities always come out when President Doll does his photo shoot of them at the end of the night. Above are some of the many faces of Elder Call. Below are the final selections of the photo shoot for the "Returning With Honor" plaque we make of each departing group. On the side bar of this blog you can see the other "Returning With Honor" group shots.

Now normally I would end this blog post here, but there were two surprises early Thursday morning that are worthy of mention. These outgoing missionaries were to be up at 3:30 am, have their beds changed, be packed and dressed no later than 4:30 am, so they could depart promptly for the airport at 4:45 am. I came downstairs at 4:15 am to find the following scene in the family room:

Yep, all 10 Elders showered, dressed, packed and sheets changed before I came downstairs. And what are they doing? Watching the rest of Disney's "Bolt" which they had started the night before. We have NEVER had a group so ready and so chipper at that hour of the morning! We loved it!

The final surprise of the morning was when Elder Eager presented President Doll with his duct tape tie. Elder Eager has been known throughout the mission for his duct tape art which has taken many forms in its depth and scope. His work my some day be patented. My husband is the proud owner of an Elder Eager original. It was the perfect ending to a very fulfilling week. Oh, did I mention how much we love our job??

Changing Hats

2010-04-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

What could cause such a change in hats?

Only Easter break and the arrival of family . . . especially grandchildren. This was the case this past week when daughters Suzi (right), Kati (left) and husband Nick with children Jamison, Carson and Spencer came to Chicago for the first time.

Sunny days found us out-of-doors when the weather permitted. One of our first outings was to Lamb's farm where grandpa infected his grandsons with his love of farm animals and tractors.

I shared my love of outdoor rockers with Jamison. He seemed to like them too.

Rainy days gave us a chance to go to the movies. We really enjoyed "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D.

Of course we had to go see where Grandpa "works". Carson and Spencer liked checking out his desk and chair in the mission office.

Our family got to meet some of our missionaries at Easter dinner. Carson delighted in practicing some Spanish before they arrived, and was able to say hello, ask how they were and introduce himself. Not bad for six!

Early on it became apparent that our favorite memories would not necessarily be found in the excursions, but in the everyday moments . . .

And we are hanging on to these memories as tightly as we can until we meet again!

What's "The Point"?

2010-03-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

In just a few days we will have been in Chicago for 9 months. During this time we have learned that there are many things which can and do take up our time and attention. With that said, it is important to pause and to remember what's "The Point" . . . as in . . . what is our purpose. We, along with our assistants, Elder Jones and Elder Larsen (far right), had the good fortune of spending three wonderful days with Brothers Chris Randall and Jeff Beck (far left) of the Church Missionary Department who helped us do just that. We were reminded that our purpose is: "To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." It was a great experience to learn from these brethren and then be able to meet with our missionaries and share what we learned with them.

Sometimes we have opportunities to train "future missionaries". The young men in the first row below are in the Arlington Heights 2nd Ward and range in ages from 12-18 years. Today we invited them to the mission home where we gave them an overview of life as a missionary, and hopefully got them fired up about serving a mission when they are 19 years old. It will require a haircut in some cases, changing the colored shirt for a white one, and putting on a friendly smile, but those are simple matters. What we really wanted them to come away with was a firm desire to serve.

The young man in white pictured below is Jordan Hill. He is one of the 18 year olds in a group of future missionaries we taught two weeks ago. The young men in his group were all 18 year olds and they signed up to serve a "mini mission" for 48 hours with our full-time missionaries. 48 hours is just enough to give them a pretty good idea about what mission life like. Jordan loved his experience and came home really pumped up about serving a full-time mission. He was even more excited when he had the opportunity yesterday to baptize his friend Kristina Jendrysik. Jordan was lucky enough to experience the fruits of the labors of the full-time missionaries in bringing someone to baptism. Kristina's full-time missionaries below are Elders French and Rudd.

Always "The Point" of what we do is most evident when we participate in convert baptisms. The San Juan family below are an amazing family. Hermanas Padilla and Gailey knocked on their door one day and before they could finish explaining who they were, they were invited in. Hermana San Juan was open and excited about hearing their gospel message and invited the missionaries to come back the next day when her husband was home. The San Juans' both felt the truthfulness of the gospel message these missionaries shared and prepared themselves to be baptized. They expressed how important it was to them to have the foundation of the gospel for raising their children in a world of changing moral values.

Similarly, Rosalia Ensastegui took easily to the message of the gospel after Rosalia learned from her ex-husband in California the joy he felt after being baptized a member of the Church. Rosalia's ex-husband encouraged Rosalia to attend Church with their 8 year old daughter (not pictured) who lives with Rosalia and her new husband Emilio. Rosalia did. She immediately felt at home with both the members of the Church and the doctrine. Emilio took a little longer to come around, but Rosalia waited and continued to attend Church. At last Emilio softened his heart and listened to the missionaries. It was a happy day yesterday for Elders Tapia and Gonzalez as the Ensastegui family came together and were baptized.

Inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel . . . it is "The Point" and the J.O.Y. of what we do!

Just Chillin' on the First Day of Spring!

2010-03-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

According to the calendar, today March 20th, is the first day of spring. This is what that looks like in Chicago . . .

Really, this is the view we woke up to this morning. I know - it is reminiscent of the photos I posted in December . . .

So I just have one question . . . will these bulbs still bloom even with the snow? Please say yes, I have been waiting and watching with much anticipation for that first look at spring . . .

The Stories They Will Tell

2010-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

J.J. met some young single adults who were members of the Church and they invited him to one of their activities . . . that led to an invitation to attend Church with them and that led him to meet Elder French and Elder Rudd pictured above. J.J. liked everything about these youth, really enjoyed their social activities and even found Church to be something to his liking. When he met with these missionaries he also liked what he was taught. Being baptized just seemed like the natural step in his progression.

Esteban loved the teachings these sister missionaries brought him (Hermana Secrist and Hermana Jones), but he had some addictions to conquer to prepare himself for baptism. With much prayer and much patient encouragement on the part of these two missionaries, Esteban was able to do just that and it was a happy day for all who came to support him at his baptism.

Lucila was riding home on the metra one night when Elder Taufa (pictured on right) "felt impressed" to engage her in conversation. It had been a long day and these two Elders were tired, but when Elder Taufa shared his prompting with his companion Elder Bailon, they did as prompted. Just turns out Lucila was open and ready to hear their gospel message.

Sister Cornejo (above in red) was baptized a member of the Church when she was 14 years old. Life and time passed, and she stopped coming to church. Years, marriage and children later, she had a desire to return to church, so she sent her husband to find the closest LDS chapel to them after they moved to Chicago. Her husband walked into the chapel and talked with Elders Cardenas and Nielson (on each end above) and asked to have them come to his home to meet with him. The Elders were shocked to go that next week and find a whole family just waiting to be taught!

I have a special attachment to this lady pictured above. Sister Secrist (above left) and her companion Sister Porter (not pictured), invited me to go out teaching with them in the early weeks after we arrived here in Chicago. In fact, teaching with the Hermanas at Gina's home was my "first". We connected at that first visit and I kept tract of her over the months. Her conversion took time, but she is one special lady. Many family obstacles kept her from her goal of baptism, but her faith was strong and she persevered. Hermana's Secrist and Jones persevered as well and I believe it was their combined faith which made this happy day of baptism possible. We have great hopes that Gina's example will do much to influence her children and grandchildren.

Oh the stories these missionaries will have to tell!

Scripture Power

2010-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

This blog post is especially for the parents of all of our missionaries. At Zone Conferences this past week we talked about the power the scriptures have in helping those they are teaching understand and become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. My grandsons, Carson and Spencer, sent me a video of the two of them singing the children's Primary song "Scripture Power," which I in turn showed to our missionaries at Zone Conference. Our missionaries then tried their hand at making a return video for Carson and Spencer. Sooooo, here are two videos - the first starring the combined Buffalo Grove and Wilmette Zones, and the second the combined Schaumburg and Rockford Zones. It's kind of like "Where's Waldo", but parents, can you find your missionary?

Scripture Power - Illinois Chicago North Mission from Sherman Doll on Vimeo.

Yet Another Transfer Week

2010-03-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Six weeks rolls around quick here in the mission field, and last Tuesday we found ourselves beginning yet another Transfer Week by heading to the airport to meet our four new missionaries. Our assistants are great examples of being good missionaries, and they talk to everyone they meet. While waiting for our new missionaries, Elder Larsen and Elder Jones engaged this airport worker in conversation. Turns out he has talked "religion" with the missionaries before, but this time he was actually interested in a formal visit to his home to be taught more. Elder Jones wrote down his address and the missionaries serving in his area in Chicago will soon be making a house call. The funny part is that I took this picture from a distance and zoomed in. I thought I was being tricky and that the airport worker wouldn't notice - except the flash gave me away. I almost ruined the "missionary moment" because the worker thought I was "management" documenting him being distracted at work. It took some quick explaining on the part of the assistants to reassure him he was not in trouble with "management." Guess I need to develop my paparazzi skills!

Finally, here they come! Can you spot our four new missionaries? Funny how they stand out in a crowd!

First handshakes do much to alleviate the jitters. Somehow President Doll and I turn out to be not as intimidating as expected.

And now presenting the newest missionaries in the Illinois Chicago North Mission: Elder Otto from Riverton, UT, Elder Ayrton from South Jordan, UT, Elder Kelly from Ogden, UT, and Elder Johnson from Bountiful, UT.

As always, the first day for our new missionaries includes their first taste of deep dish Chicago style pizza at Pizzeria Ora.

Wednesday is transfer day and missionaries who are moving to a new area, waiting to catch up with their new companion, or are training a new missionary, all make their way to the Mission Home. My job is to "estimate" the number of missionaries who will be "dropping in" and have enough food prepared. It's always a miracle to me that somehow we always do.

Elders Bowers, Eager, Bird, Condie and Powell are kind enough to polish off the egg casserole, muffins and fruit.

Luckily, Sisters' Layton, Bernet, Lyon, Carmack, Porter, Padilla, Gailey and Durfee were in line first!

And this is Sister Spencer . . . a visiting "angel" who appears faithfully at 10:00 am each transfer Wednesday and helps me keep these missionaries supplied in food. Since we keep to the same menu, she knows the routine well and keeps me on task to be sure lunch and dinner are on time. She is not only organized in the kitchen, but fun to work with as well - keeping me sane and laughing on the busiest day of Transfer Week.

After meeting us, the most anticipated moment for our new missionaries is finding out who their trainer will be. Here is Elder Otto with his trainer Elder Thomas.

And Elder Kelly with his trainer Elder Call.

Next is Elder Johnson with his trainer Elder Schoof.

And finally is Elder Ayrton with his trainer Elder Bryner. These new missionaries are in great hands!

On Thursday morning at 4:45 am our outgoing missionaries pose together one last time before boarding the plane to go back home after two years of honorable service. How we will miss this group (Elders' McCleery, Kirkman, Hansen and Bird!) We know they will go home and do great things and are excited for them as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

Finally on Friday is our mission council meeting. Our assistants, zone leaders, plus two rotating sister missionaries meet together with us every six weeks to help plan the training the other missionaries will receive in upcoming zone and district meetings. The four hour meeting culminates with lunch. Pictured above are Elder Ovary and Elder Montez, Elders' Jones, Hancock, Cardenas, French and Rudd, Sisters' Perez and Goodman, Elders' Rainey, Powell, and Larsen. They are an outstanding group of missionaries and it is a pleasure to work with them.

And that folks completes yet another Transfer Week!

Happy Birthday - Mission Style

2010-03-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that celebrating birthdays in the mission field is much different from home. It is hard to be creative when your husband only wears white shirts and ties and doesn't have time to pursue his old hobbies. Also our schedule doesn't allow time for leisurely days off, especially when your birthday falls during the busiest week of mission life - Transfer Week. Soooo, when I found this card and combined it with these ties - well - it just had to do.

However, Sister Heward, our office secretary was kind enough to supply a cake which we snuck in during our planning meeting with the Assistants. All the office staff gathered round and we sang Happy Birthday, lighting all 56 candles, much to President Doll's chagrin . . .

The funny part was that even though we didn't use trick candles, after one big blow the candles started to go out . . . then relit themselves!

His second attempt proved successful, however, and all 56 candles were extinguished in one big blow. Fortunately the smoke alarm was not activated during the process!

After the cake was eaten and cleaned up - it was back to business as usual and we continued with our meeting.

Thank you office staff for joining in our brief celebration. Here they are: Elder and Sister Lemons, Sister Weekes, Sister Heward and our Assistants - Elder Jones and Elder Larsen.

North Meets South!

2010-02-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

What an amazing week we have had! On Thursday we were privileged to join with the Illinois Chicago South Mission for a joint North-South Mission Conference. We were privileged to be taught by two visiting General Authorities, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy.

L. Tom Perry

Donald L. Hallstrom

This conference was significant in two ways. First, President Doll and I were able to experience first-hand how it will feel from a sheer numbers standpoint when these two missions merge in July. The reality of this occurred when we walked into the chapel at the beginning of our Conference with President and Sister Roach of the South Mission and Elder Perry and Elder Hallstrom. 200 missionaries immediately stood as we entered the chapel and made our way to the stand. The six of us then formed a receiving line and shook the hand of every single missionary in attendance. What a dose of reality to think that in just a few short months all of these missionaries would be OUR missionaries! The line seemed endless (similar in feel to our kids' wedding reception lines) as we shook the hands of the familiar missionaries from our mission and the ones we've yet to get to know from the south mission. And even more impressive yet was to later hear them all join together in song as we sang our opening and closing hymns. I will be honest and say that I could never finish all the verses of the hymns - such a feeling of love came over me as I kept thinking - these are OUR missionaries.

Secondly, it was wonderful to be in the presence of Elder Perry and Elder Hallstrom. We had an opportunity to meet with them and the Roach's prior to the start of the conference. In all of their conversation we felt their love for the missionaries, love for us and for the missionary work we are involved in. Their teaching during the conference was powerful and our missionaries came away uplifted and inspired. It is hard to believe that Elder Perry is 88 years old, and that we were the last stop in the eight different mission conferences (from Denver to Illinois) he and Elder Hallstrom had conducted in ONE week's time! I will never complain about being tired from my duties during Transfer Week again!

Moving Up To The Big Leagues!

2010-02-17T09:52:00.001-08:00

Several weeks ago we received a phone call from Salt Lake letting us know that on July 1, 2010 our mission - The Illinois Chicago North Mission - would no longer exist. They were also quick to tell us that we WERE NOT out of a job and going home. Instead, we were being called to preside over the new Illinois Chicago Mission - a merging of the present North and South Missions. We found out our new mission would be comprised of 8 stakes and 160 missionaries (a change from our current 4 stakes and 84 missionaies.) Our current mission boundaries will expand to include wards in parts of Wisconsin and Indiana as well as all of Chicago. Our expanded mission will require us to move to a more central location which is the current mission home and office in the Chicago South Mission. We visited both a couple of weeks ago and found them to be nicer than what we currently occupy. The merging of our missions is not singular as you can read in the official Church announcement contained in the link below:

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58775/New-missions-10-announced-in-seven-areas.html

So, how do WE feel about it? Honestly, we had our suspicions that something like this might be in the works. We are grateful that we will have had this past year to get our feet wet and to figure out what we were doing before "being moved up to the big leagues." 160 missionaries will bring more responsibility, more mission enthusiasm, and certainly more young people to love. Are we up to it? Time will tell . . . we are busy making plans and planning on being busy(er)!!

Breath of Heaven

2010-02-11T13:57:00.001-08:00

There are some smells that will exist in heaven. I know it. These are two of them.

And all babies in heaven will smell just like Johnson's and Johnson's, I am sure of it.

Today I got a whiff of heaven as I bathed our newest granddaughter, Zoe. Our daughter Jana, and her husband Anthony are visiting from Provo, UT for a few days, and I sent them off to explore Chicago while I enjoyed my first playdate with Zoe.

Since her age (a month and half) prohibits too much serious "playing", we started off with a bath, scrubbed her up, lotioned her down, and got her dressed . . .

Posed her for pictures . . .

And was rewarded with a smile!

Afterwards we did some serious rocking chair time and both fell sound asleep. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it! All the time I just kept inhaling her and enjoying this breath of heaven.

NOT the Same Old Story

2010-01-31T18:57:00.000-08:00

Every time we have a chance to attend a convert baptism I am impressed with the stories that go along with their conversions. For example . . . Mellissa Rhoades, pictured below with Elders Greenway and McCleery is 17 years old. She said she had been praying to find a Church to go to that would help her feel closer to God. It is amazing to me that a teenager in today's world would have religion on her mind with all the distractions the world provides. Yet this beautiful young woman absolutely glowed with happiness as she shared that she knew she had found the answer to her prayers and was so happy to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

And then there is the story of Ernesto Colon . . . Ernesto was at a real low point in his life and needed answers. He saw an ad on TV with a toll-free number which offered a free DVD about Finding Faith in Christ. He called and these two missionaries, Elder Brown and Elder Hatch, delivered it to him. As Ernesto and the missionaries visited regularly, Ernesto began to attend Church, read the Book of Mormon and to pray. Yesterday he was baptized and like Mellissa, he related how truly happy and good he felt. I guess I should have told Ernesto it would be OK to show some of that happiness before I took his picture!

Finally, there is the story of 11 year old Nathan Scott. You will notice that there are swim goggles on top on Nathan's head. Nathan had nearly drowned when he was three years old in their backyard swimming pool, and while too young to remember this near death experience, he has never forgotten his fear of water. Having to face a font of waist deep water was a truly frightening experience for this young man. Yet, armed with his goggles he made his way to the baptismal font. He paused for a few minutes at the top of the stairs, but finally descended and joined his dad in the water. His dad helped him adjust his goggles into place, whispered some encouraging words and then we all held our breath. Nathan, stiff as a board was lowered under the water and, after being completely immersed, came up with a huge gasp and a look of sheer panic on his face. There were even some tears, but Nathan wasn't the only one crying. Everyone who witnessed his baptism, came away with a huge appreciation of what had just transpired. How many adults can face their fears as valiantly as this young man had just done? Nathan taught us that child-like faith can help overcome adult size fears.

Oops . . . I'm Bad . . .

2010-01-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it happened, but I failed to post the missionaries who arrived and departed the transfer cycle before on December 8th and 9th. My apologies to the families of these wonderful missionaries! Below from left to right was our previous Assistant Elder Gonzalez, new missionary Elder Lemke from Milliken, CO; Office Secretary Sister Heward; Hma Curtis from Yuma, AZ; Hma Perez from Lewiston, ID; Hma Jones from Burbank, WA; President and Sister Doll; Office Secretary Sister Weekes; and Assistant Elder Jones. It's actually almost better to post a month later because I can tell you that now that we have had a chance to see them in action, they are going to be dynamite missionaries . . . prepared, hard-working and picking up the Spanish very quickly!

Like-wise it was hard to part with this amazing group of missionaries . . . from top to bottom . . . Elder Smith and Elder Perrin; Elders Gonzalez, Mejia and Hickman; Sister Morris and Elder Lopez. Our thanks to each of these steller missionaries for their dedication, and the difference they made during their time here in the Illinois Chicago North Mission! You are missed!

The Six Week Cycle

2010-01-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

Easily the most intense week for us is "Transfer Week". It happens every six weeks. I think I have blogged about it in the past, but since it involves new missionaries each time, I will share this week's experiences. For me it began last Friday with trips to Costo and Jewel Osco (Chicago's version of Albertson's). This was the menu I planned (the number in parenthesis being the number of people to be fed.) Shopping in this volume literally requires an entire afternoon. I was happy because it was not snowing last Friday which makes loading and unloading the car so much more enjoyable! I am learning some tricks in simplifying the process of shopping and cooking for so many. Keeping the menu simple, tasty, and physically do-able for this non-Martha Stewart are the real secrets. I have actually saved my shopping list on the computer so that I just have to print it out every six weeks, check it out with what's in the freezer and I am ready to roll.

The week began when our Assistants, Elder Larsen and Elder Jones, came to dinner on Sunday prior to our planning of this week's transfer activities. I cannot tell you how valuable these two young men are. They are the glue that keeps President and I together in the careful planning that goes on in making inspired changes in missionary companionships, physically moving missionaries to new areas, making airport runs to receive new missionaries and sending off departing missionaries (as well as the 101 other things they do!)

Pictured below is Elder Kalamafoni. He has finished his two years of service as a missionary and returned home this week to Tonga. Because of the long plane flight he had, he departed two days earlier than our other missionaries. We tried to compensate for his missing the traditional exit dinner by having a special brunch for him on Tuesday morning. His departure coincided with the arrival of our four new missionaries pictured below. But before I tell you about them I need to tell you more about Elder Kalamafoni. Before he was a missionary he was a professional rugby player in Tonga and will return to continue playing rugby. He was drafted before he even finished high school. He stands about 6'6" and is built to match. He served in downtown Chicago for a good share of his mission, and our "smaller" missionaries always felt somewhat protected in his presence. I've heard him called "the gentle giant" by his fellow missionaries, and I can vouch for his quiet, soft spoken manner that commanded respect whenever he participated in a discussion. His quiet faith and testimony were wonderful to be around. Now, normally, our Assistants make the airport run with departing missionaries at 4:45 am, and President and I say our goodbyes from the mission home. However, since Elder Kalamafoni was on a different flight schedule we were there to see him through to security. As he turned to wave that final time, I have to tell you, it was a very emotional moment for me. I knew my chances of seeing him again would be next to nil and a small piece of my heart boarded that plane with that missionary. I am finding that as each six week transfer cycle happens, it is becoming more and more difficult to part with our missionaries. If the emotion I felt as Elder Kalamafoni departed is an indicator of our attachment after only six months together, I can't imagine the boxes of tissue I'll go through with these other missionaries after having spent a full two years serving together!

And here they come . . . our four new missionaries (top to bottom): Elder Tapia from Salt Lake City, UT; Elder Hatch from Blackfoot, ID; Sister Layton from San Jose, CA, and Elder Green from Kaysville, UT. All are assigned to work in the Spanish program.

We love this first handshake! I know many of them are nervous to meet us for the first time, but it usually only takes a few minutes to feel at ease with each other. Our impressions were that we have four top-notch missionaries who will quickly be up to speed . . .

Posing after the luggage is claimed, we head to Pizzeria Ora for the traditional first taste of Chicago deep-dish pizza.

Tuesday is then finished off by meeting up at the mission home for interviews and orientation and dinner and bed. Our new missionaries spend the night in the mission home and we all start early on Wednesday morning with breakfast for unpredicatable numbers. Our new missionaries, the Assistants, trainers who come in to meet their new companions and missionaries who "wander" over all find something to eat as they enjoy meeting the new missionaries and visiting all around. The morning continues with training, lunch preparations and the arrival of our departing missionaries. After lunch the new missionaries depart for their areas of assignment and those missionaries who will be going home enjoy each other and some down-time playing games and visiting. Dinner preparations are undertaken and at 6:00 pm our office staff join us for the "exit dinner" which includes tables set with tablecloths, china, pot roast, gravy, homemade rolls and all the trimmings. The evening culminates with departing counsel from my husband and me and a sharing of feelings and testimonies by our departing missionaries. Tradition allows for jammies after this and a Disney movie to finish out the evening. "Up" was the movie of choice for these missionaries. Then it's bed and the alarm sounds between 3:30 and 4:00 am as we shower, dress and have a light breakfast before these missionaries depart at 4:45 for the airport. And pictured below we pose for one last picture just prior to their departure . . . definitely not the most opportune time of day for a photo, but that is part of the tradition as well. From top to bottom is Elder Winward, Sister Waters, Elder Colvin and Elder Waddington. How we love these missionaries for the lives they have touched and the faithful service they have given!

Today, Friday, was mission council, a time of planning for our upcoming district and zone conferences with our 8 Zone Leaders, two sister missionaries and the Assistants. These exemplary, hard-working missionaries, always leave me thinking of what wonderful future leaders in the Church are in the making. Our four hour meeting was finished off by lunch and lively conversation. If you checked out my menu plan, you will also see that this finishes off the last of the meal preparation responsibilities I have for the week. Always when I get to the end of this week I find myself feeling the same way:

I can't remember when I've been this tired AND
I can't remember feeling so satisfied
BUT . . . thank goodness it doesn't happen again for another six weeks!

A Bright Spot in the Day

2010-01-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

We had more snow this week, and I thought that seeing the build-up on the patio furniture was an interesting way to measure just how many inches of snow we have had.

Like-wise, I thought the patio BBQ was another tell-tale sign of how cold it is.

But in spite of the snow and the cold, there was a real bright spot today when we attended the baptism of Philip Brayboy. Philip's wife joined the Church 12 or 13 years ago, but Philip wasn't interested. Neither was he interested when his 86 year old mother-in-law was baptized a member of the Church 4 years ago. But sometimes life's circumstances will cause a person to "get serious" about religion, and this was the case with Philip when he was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. His relationship with God, the prospect of death and questions about what happens to us after we die, caused Philip to want to meet with the missionaries, Elder Thomas and Elder Beckstead (and previously Elder Larsen). The comfort he found in the gospel of Jesus Christ was what he needed and wanted. His baptism was attended by lots of family, friends and fellow ward members. There was a wonderful Spirit there, and certainly no one could have been happier than his wife who had patiently waited these many years to have her husband join her at her Church. The blessings of Philip joining the Church, however, extend beyond the spiritual. His cancer is in remission and he is looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Even better . . .

2010-01-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

So just yesterday I posted the phenomenal occurrence of having the temperature show at 7 degrees on our car thermostat . . .

Today was "even better". We left home at 6:30 am for our hour drive to the Rockford chapel. As we pulled out of the garage, the car thermostat was registering the same as yesterday, but we noticed it dropped as we continued to drive . . .

-9 degrees - I have never seen that! Honestly, we couldn't feel much difference between today and yesterday - it's JUST COLD. Kinda makes you wonder how "much better" it will get!

UGG . . . it's hard to believe . . .

2010-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up to a beautiful day that looked like this . . . lots of sun and . . .

Deceptively cold . . . see the lower left register of our car . . . yep . . . a whopping 7 degrees . . .

Which explains why I was ECSTATIC when I found these - one pair, in my size, at 70% off on the clearance table at Dick's Sporting Goods Store. They're UGG's . . . a fur-lined wool boot made waterproof thanks to some handy-dandy super waterproofing spray I bought. I always thought this brand of boots was over-priced and appropriately named - UGG, short for UGG-LY. Funny how the cold can make fashion of little relevance. My painfully cold feet since winter has arrived have finally been remedied! STILL, it's hard to believe that a day that looks as beautiful as this out the window could be so amazingly cold!

A Very "White" Christmas

2009-12-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

We knew our Christmas this year would be different from the others we've celebrated in our 33 years of marriage. Having snow in abundance, however, wasn't the only thing making it "white" . . .

We also celebrated four baptisms this week . . . each with an interesting story worth sharing . . .

10 year old Trinity Carlisle answered the door when these missionaries came knocking. Her mother was not interested in hearing the gospel message Elders Waddington and Greenway came to share, but Trinity was. Remember, she is only 10. It seems that Trinity's aunt and cousins are members of the Church and she had wondered about this Church they all seemed to love so much. And so Trinity's mom consented to let the missionaries in and they returned every week until Trinity's mom consented to her baptism. The interesting part is that Trinity's mom had been raised a member of the Church, but had asked to have her name removed from the records of the Church when she was 18 years old. Time and experience have changed her perspective, however, and it is anticipated that she will be re-baptized herself in the not too distant future.

John Jordan is married to a member of the Church who has not attended for many years. When their family grew to include two small children, John realized they needed a foundation to raise their children on. Elders Soares and Fisher were more than happy to share the surest foundation of all - the gospel of Jesus Christ. The entire Jordan family has been attending Church for a couple of months now, and John is sure that he has found what he was looking for.

Carlos Ferral watched his 17 year old son (not pictured) grow and change as the missionaries taught him about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Seeing the happiness and changes in his son made him curious about what he had been taught. Elders Lemke and Gonzalez were part of the several sets of missionaries which taught Carlos and prepared him to take this important step of baptism. Carlos' wife is also meeting with the missionaries and is preparing for baptism as well.

But definitely the most dramatic story of change happened in the life of David Seipold. David came to the door when the missionaries knocked but wouldn't let them in. The missionaries shared a brief message and returned to check on David several days later. This continued for several weeks, each time, they visited on his porch. Finally David let them in and the missionaries soon discovered why David had never done so in the past. His house was littered with beer cans, and drugs of varying varieties were on the counters. David was an addict and his life was totally without purpose or meaning. The missionaries came back the next day dressed in work clothes. David used to be an avid gardener and the missionaries hoped to re-engage him in purposeful activities. The garden patch was cleared and that was the beginning. In time the missionaries were able to get David to stop his bad habits and to attend Church. David's long pony-tail did not put off the members of the Gurnee Ward as they embraced David and made him feel welcome. David has since participated with the ward on service projects and ward activities and they in turn showed up in force for his Christmas Eve baptism. Pictured above is Elder Thomas and Elder Beckstead. Elder Larsen (not pictured) are the three missionaries who became the "gift" in David's life and turning it around for the better.

On a personal note - we too were embraced by members of the Gurnee Ward on Christmas Eve. After David's baptism, Brother Stuart (center back) and his wife, Kate (center front), Alice (her mother) and David (their son) provided a wonderful evening including, dinner, scriptures and thoughts about Christmas, and gifts for 4 missionaries plus ourselves. We appreciated their kindness and making us feel like family while we are away from home this year.

Perfect in Every Way

2009-12-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

What could be more beautiful than this? Zoe Noelle Garrett made her entrance into the world on December 18th at 5:09 pm weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Proud parents are Janalyn Doll Garrett and Anthony Garrett. We will anxiously await a visit from this cute little family in April where Zoe will be smothered with an appropriate amount of kisses by her Grandma and Grandpa Doll in Chicago!!

Pure Joy

2009-12-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today was pure joy. It was our first of two Christmas Zone Conferences. We had worked long and hard to prepare for today (and tomorrow.) The lessons to be taught were prepared, talks were written, assignments made for missionaries to teach as well as to share their musical talents. And, of course, Christmas bags were assembled. We prayed fervently that there would be a special spirit at our meeting today. How did it turn out? It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! We rejoiced in this wondrous time of year as we shared through music and the spoken word the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. We came away filled with the Spirit of Christmas. It turned out, as we had hoped, that the Christmas bags were just an added bonus - appreciated, but definitely secondary to what we felt and learned today. Too bad photos cannot capture ANY of that. But here is what I CAN show you . . .

First, we had some surprise visitors show up during lunch . . . the first group of missionaries that we sent home (after 18 months - 2 years of honorable service), came to Chicago for a visit and dropped in to say Hi! Behind President Doll is Elder Ball, then Sister Nava (who actually went home before we arrived in Chicago), Elder Whiting and Sister Petit. All are adjusting to home life and are as delightful as when we knew them as missionaries. The next two pictures show the missionaries (half at a time) which comprise the Schaumberg/Logan Square Zones.

And, as you can see, some of our missionaries did NOT go home and put their presents under the tree!

We look forward to our Zone Conference in Rockford tomorrow and hope that it will be equally as joyful!

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . ."

2009-12-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

Thursday and Friday of this week are our Christmas Zone Conferences. To bring a touch of home to the meeting, we asked the parents of our missionaries to send any packages they might be giving their missionary for Christmas to the mission office rather than directly to them. The Wilmette Stake then had a donation drive for the missionaries, and everything from socks to cereal, toothpaste to macaroni and cheese were contributed by the members. I remembered to take a picture of the donations after we were two-thirds of the way done dividing it up amongst our missionaries, but you can get an idea as to the quantity and variety of all the donations in the picture below.

Sister Heward and Sister Weekes in front, and Sister Spencer in the back helped me create a Christmas bag for each of our 91 missionaries. Hours and hours of work went into the organizing of this project, but with the help of these good sisters it turned out to be a true labor of love.

Amongst the sea of red gift bags I sit . . . only the finishing touches of replacing the sticky notes with the personalized gift tag and tying off with a bow are left. As our "gift" to our missionaries, President and I made a Christmas slide show from 250 photos our missionaries had sent us to show at the Zone Conferences, and then burned a CD of the slideshow for each missionary. We hope that these red bags will brighten the day of these wonderful missionaries we are privileged to serve with!

You can view the slideshow by clicking on this link: http://www.vimeo.com/8141686

Snow - Day 2

2009-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Day 2 of snow and here is the view from the upstairs bedroom window looking into our backyard . . .

Ahhh . . . the art of snow shoveling, I don't recall him taking THAT class at BYU . . .

I always plant pansies in my planters at home in California because they would still look great this time of year. Looks like it is a California thing because these are how my porch pansies look here in Chicago. We're wondering if the snow will have the same effect on us??!!

I looked out my window and what did I see . . . ?

2009-12-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

S.N.O.W. !

Welcome beautiful Chicago winter!

Would You Want To Be My Neighbor?

2009-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight, three of our neighbors heard their doorbell ring and saw this (plus my husband) when they opened their door . . .

We have been in our neighborhood here in Arlington Heights for five months now, and we have only met two of our neighbors. We decided it was time to fix that. So, for the past few days I have been baking up a storm and thought that the chances would be good that we would be warmly received if we had cookies in tow . . .

It worked! We were invited into the homes of two of our neighbors and visited on the porch with the third. We will visit three others tomorrow or Monday. We are finding out that we have really nice neighbors . . . and are looking forward to getting better acquainted with John and Josie, Josh and Mary Kay, and Brian and Mary Jo and the others we have yet to meet, over the next two and half years.

A Pot-Pouri of Events

2009-11-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, 4 of our missionaries stopped over on Preparation Day to challenge President Doll and I to some Wii bowling. After grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies, the games began. Sister Carmack (in blue) and Elder Colvin (white shirt on left) scored the highest of the four missionaries, and so they then challenged President Doll and me.

Even though Sister Carmack and Elder Colvin scored personal records, sigh, yes, it is true . . . I scored the 239! It was President Doll's first time to be beat by the missionaries. I am sure I won't be able to keep up the undefeated status for three years, but it's great fun being challenged by our missionaries.

Our weather is starting to turn cold, no snow, but some days are in the low 40's with gusty winds. For us Californians, this feels COLD. Elder Garcia agrees and models for us this wonderful knitted beanie which, he proudly adds, he knitted himself after being taught by a local member.

Our bike Elders above, model some of their cold weather gear as they prepare to depart from our Zone meeting last week.

Last month, during transfers some of our sisters gathered for a picture as we prepared to send Sister Horne (next to me in green) home after 18 months of honorable service. Since we received no new missionaries that transfer cycle, we were short a sister missionary, and so Sister Delgado, a local member in the Rockford Stake, (second from right in blue), was called on a 6 week mission to fill in the gap. Sister Delgado is an enthusiastic convert to the Church of two years, and she is serving as Sister Secrist's companion (black coat, third from right) until transfers and new missionaries arrive on December 8th. Also pictured above are Sister Porter and Sister Padilla. All are working in the Spanish program.

Not only was Sister Horne completing her mission, but also Elder Glauser (front row on left) and Elder Monzello (front row on right). Elder Monzello's family came to pick him up and so we invited them to stay for the farewell dinner and testimony meeting. Elder Monzello's little sister was especially glad to see her big brother after two years of being away. They have an amazing bond, and it was very touching to see such open affection displayed between the two of them as we observed them in our home that evening. Rounding out the group are our wonderful senior missionaries who work in the Mission Office.

One last picture before leaving for the airport at 4:45 am!

And finally - baptisms! These are just a few of the many we have had over the past month. Pictured above is Gerbert Ovalle. He was baptized by his recently returned missionary son. It was a happy day for this family to have Brother Ovalle prepare himself and decide to be baptized. His wife waited 26 years for him to "see the light". They will look forward to going the temple and being sealed as family this time next year.

Carlos Barrientos picture above with Elder Mejia and Elder Wilson has made many changes in his life since being taught by the missionaries. His family has seen what the gospel has done for him, and he hopes he can draw his family closer to him now that he has chosen this new path in life.

Elders Carroll and Brown were the happiest of missionaries Saturday night as 5 members the Ocampo and Casteneda families were baptized members of the Church. It is so wonderful to see the uniting force the gospel can be when entire families are baptized together.

But, it was Sophie and Eleanor Thatcher that stole our hearts at their baptism Saturday afternoon. Pictured with their missionaries, Elder Gardner and Elder Garcia, it was not too hard to get them to pose for a silly picture after the serious one.

Lastly, this is my only picture I remembered to take on Thanksgiving. We ended up having 10 missionaries (4 Seniors, 6 younger) over for dinner. We set a nice table, had turkey with all of the trimmings, but didn't remember until dessert was nearly over, that we had not taken any pictures. So, Sisters Padilla and Porter (left), Elders Mejia and Gonzalez (center), and Elders Jones and Wilson (right) were willing to pose by the dessert table for at least one captured memory of our first Thanksgiving in the mission field. All in all we feel blessed and grateful to be out here serving in Chicago. Do we miss our lives in California - a little. Do we miss our family and friends - ALOT! Do we regret our decision to come? Not at all. While the sacrifice of being with our loved ones is our biggest challenge, the joy of working with these wonderful missionaries helps us rebound when we have those bouts of missing home.

T.R.A.D.I.T.I.O.N.!!

2009-11-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

Rewind the tape. It is July and we have been here in the mission field for two weeks. It is the night before our first Zone Conference and we are finishing our preparations for the 6 hour training meeting we will have with our missionaries the next day. The doorbell rings and our Assistants, Elders Hansen and Gonzalez, are at the door. Elder Hansen is holding a bag in his hands and has a suspiciously silly grin on his face. He hands the bag to President Doll and in it is a tie. A Donald Trump tie. "What's this asks President?" "It's tradition," replies Elder Hansen. Apparently, for every Zone Conference the Assistants have been picking the tie the three of them will wear at the two days of meetings. Now, Donald Trump ties are coveted in this mission, however the fashion statement of some of these ties has sometimes challenged my husband's conservative tastes. But he has been a really good sport. In fact, the other day he actually picked one of these ties and wore it of his own choosing - and it was grey with pink stripes! We have collected five of these ties to date. How many are there in the Donald Trump collection, I wonder? In three years he could potentially be the proud owner of 26 of these ties! Pictured below are Elder Hansen on the left and Elder Gonzalez on the right and the first of the Zone Conference ties.

Elder Hansen has now been released as our Assistant and Elder Jones has been called to take his place. The tie tradition continues on however. . .

And so, this got President Doll thinking about starting a tie tradition of his own. At our last Zone Conference, 3 weeks ago, the first ever Great Tie Exchange was held. Each missionary brought one of their own ties and placed it in a bag. Then the missionaries came up one at a time and put their hand in the bag and pulled out a "new" tie. Three of the missionaries actually pulled out their own tie. But President wasn't so lucky . . . he got this lovely green tie, which will probably be traded at the next Great Tie Exchange.

No Nun-sense

2009-11-15T11:59:00.000-08:00

One of the things we have had to adjust to in the mission field is that of being "visible". Because we wear Sunday clothes and nametags every day, all-day, we often forget that people are curious about our nametags. I still have to remind myself WHY people make "shoulder" contact instead of "eye" contact, and as I look down I remember, oh yeah, my nametag. While most are curious, few inquire. Instead they squint and try to decipher what the tag says and who and what we represent. Once they think they have it, I have been told "God bless you" on numerous occasions, been told to go to the head of the line at the grocery store, congratulated for the "good work" I was doing, and even been given extra discounts at the department store. But the best happened the other day. One store clerk after reading "Sister Doll" said: "My . . . nuns' habits have sure come a long ways over the years!" If she only knew - 6 children and nearly 11 grandchildren later and having frequent flyer miles at Macy's - I would be THE LAST to know anything about the latest in nuns' habits! I really need to develop a quick come-back to help steer people straight!

Fortunately, there have been others in Chicago who have seen our missionaries and wanted to know who and what they represent . . . Elders Bryner and Adams pictured above with Chuck and Marissa Chrome and their son J.R. .

Douglas Allen with Sisters Rogers and Tawzer . . .

Robert Sanchez (2nd from right in white) had an interesting story to tell. Elders Carroll and Brown knocked on his door when he wasn't at home. His mom told the missionaries that although she and her husband were happy in their Church, their SON could sure use some religion. They were invited back and began teaching Robert. The other young man in white is Sebastian. He was baptized himself just 2 months ago by these same missionaries, and was privileged to help teach and baptize Robert.

A Bigger Decision Than I Thought

2009-11-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

The Doll Family - June 2009

36 years ago today I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has turned out to be a bigger decision than I thought at the time, impacting more lives than I could have imagined. Here is my story.

I was raised in a wonderful family. My mom was a strong Catholic and my dad Protestant, but we attended the Catholic Church together as a family. I attended Queen of All Saints Catholic Elementary School, went to mass most mornings before starting my school day, and loved being taught by the nuns. For many years during my youth I saw myself becoming a nun, my young heart yearning to dedicate myself to the service of God.

One of my earliest spiritual experiences as a child was going through the pictures in my mom's missal for Sunday mass and seeing the pictures of Jesus Christ being born in the manger, raised as the carpenter's Son by Mary and Joseph, and later in adulthood teaching the people, healing the sick and raising the dead. Most touching to me were the pictures of Him suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and later being crucified on the cross at Calvary. My heart ached at His suffering and I was confused WHY this had to happen to Him.

When I started college I began to ask serious questions about some of the tenets of the Catholic faith, and was most often patted on the head by the priests, being told it was one of the "mysteries" and that I just needed to have faith. The incomprehensible Trinity, the inconsistent answers about where we came from, what our purpose was on this earth and what happened to us when we died led me to start "church shopping" along with some of my college roommates. Every week we would go to a different church service . . . each one being interesting, but none filling the void or answering my questions to my satisfaction.

One day in the spring of 1973 I was sitting outside the door of my U.S. History class pondering such questions when a young man (not my husband) came along and asked what I was doing. I recognized him as being "that cute boy" that sat behind me in class. Being usually shy around young men, I was surprised when I found myself blurting out: "Have you ever wondered where we came from, what our purpose is here in this life and what happens to us when we die?" Not exactly a great come-on line to someone you hoped might show some interest in you. But I was surprised when his face lit up and he said: "Boy have I got some answers for you!" He invited me to go the LDS Institute of Religion across the street from campus the next day where he would introduce me to two young men who could answer all my questions. Well, needless to say, this young man in my history class was a newly returned missionary and he was about to introduce me to two more missionaries from the Church the next day.

I did meet with the missionaries the next day, and it did not culminate with my joining the Church. Although the missionaries shared many points of doctrine about the LDS faith, they did not address the questions which I had. They were tied to a set of "discussions" and the first discussion did not talk about what I wanted to know. Discouraged I turned down any further invitations to meet with the missionaries. Turns out, that would be just the beginning of my contact with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

That summer I was hired to work at Carmichael Park Pool as a swimming and diving instructor. (Sports I had competed in over the years while growing up.) Unknown to me at the time, Don Haws, the pool manager who hired me was a returned missionary and all of the other lifeguards or instructors were either returned missionaries or young men preparing to go on missions. I was the only female and the only non-LDS person on the staff.

That was THE BEST summer of my young life. I was invited out on more dates AND to more LDS Church functions imaginable. While having a good time, I couldn't help but notice the habits of these young men I was dating. They were neat in appearance, polite, never used profanity, and could have fun without drinking or using drugs. Their participation in Church was more than just a Sunday habit, it was a part of them and defined the very essence of who they were. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about what made them tick. The culminating moment came when I attended Church - a Stake Conference - and heard a General Authority (Paul Dunn) speak. When he spoke I felt something tell me - there's something to this Church and I need to find out more.

Once again I began meeting with the missionaries. A real turning point happened on the day my missionaries, Elders Bowers and Terris, were teaching me about the temple. Elder Bowers looked me in the eye and said that he knew through the ordinances performed in the temple it was possible for family ties to extend into the eternities - that people could be married for time AND eternity, not just until "death do you part". It was something I had felt was true all my life, and yet not taught by any other church I had come in contact with. His strong conviction of this principle touched me to my very soul.

The final pieces of the puzzle came together when the missionaries committed me to a serious reading of the Book of Mormon. It's origin as having come forth through the prophet Joseph Smith - being translated from gold plates through the gift and power of God - was a concept I struggled with. I can only say that it required diligent study, time, fasting and prayer to come to recognize it for what it is - real scripture. It was by reading the Book of Mormon that I found answers to the questions of where we came from, why we are here and where we are going. And, it was in this book that I came to realize with clarity WHY Jesus Christ lived and died as He did.

And so, on November 8, 1973 I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What has it meant? Everything. It affected my choice in the wonderful young man I married two years later. It affected our decision to have a large family, the standards with which our children were raised, and gave us the strength as parents to raise them. It has affected where we lived, how we spent our time and our money, and what we would do in our retirement years. In a nut-shell it has been the focus of our life for 36 years, the source of all joy and of every blessing.

Rising To The Occasion

2009-11-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

On Thursday morning of this past week, President Doll and I were rising at the crack of dawn to begin the first of two days of Zone Conferences, one in Logan Square (downtown Chicago) and the other in Rockford - the middle of the cornfields. We always hit commute traffic going to Logan Square and a 40 minute drive without traffic became an hour and 40 minute drive in the traffic you see below (yes with the sun glaring in our eyes the entire way!) Although we left in plenty of time, we still arrived a mere 8 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.
In spite of the rough start, we had a wonderful conference with our missionaries and were impressed with their spirit, testimony, and love for missionary work.

On Friday we arose at the crack of dawn (again) and did the same thing, blessedly without traffic, and met for 6 hours with the other half of our missionaries in Rockford. Perhaps, because it was the end of two long days, perhaps it was the kid in me, but I asked the missionaries to pose for some new photos for the blog and this is what they came up with:

Elder Adams, (blonde center) is getting a "group hug" for his 20th birthday which he celebrated that very day . . . surrounding him from left to right are Elders Howe, Rainey, Beckstead, Bird, Hansen, Nowell, Johnson, Bryner, and McCleary.

Elder Adams also rose to the occasion as he topped the pyramid formed by Elders Beckstead, Bird, Layton, Bryner, Nowell, Nielsen, Johnson, Howe, and Rudd. Elders Gonzalez, Jenkins and Ross look on.

But to my shock and surprise, the Sisters were NOT to be outdone as Sisters Kaufusi, Cofer, Lyon, Bernet, Morris, Rogers, and Carmack, did their own pyramid with Sister Tawzer ending up on top!

Well, from there things were really on a roll, as Elders Beckstead, Layton and Jones helped Elder Rainey rise above the crowd . . .

And Elder Adams ended up on top once again thanks to Elders Beckstead, Layton and Bryner.

And that's what happens when you ask the missionaries in the Rockford Zones for new material for the Mission blog!

***** Disclaimer: No Elders or Sisters were harmed or maimed in the photographs taken for this blog post!

The Price We Paid

2009-10-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is Elder Layton, one of our Zone Leaders and a capable and dedicated missionary. Elder Layton also has a creative side to him which got him to thinking of new ways he could share our gospel message besides going door to door. His brainstorm was to do a sidewalk chalk drawing showing the heart of our message: The Plan Of Salvation. The drawing is pictured below.

Elder Layton first drew the pre-earth life where we all lived as spirits with our Heavenly Father. Next he depicted "today" or our life on Earth - a period of testing - to see if we will do all that is required to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Next he drew the Spirit World where we all go when we die awaiting judgement upon which we will be assigned a Kingdom of Glory . . . Celestial (depicted as the sun), Terrestial (the moon) or Telestial (the stars). Central to this plan is Jesus Christ - our faith in Him, belief in His Atonement, and commitment in keeping His commandments making all the difference in how and where we will spend eternity. And of course, Elder Layton left his phone number where interested parties could reach him should they have questions.

The attention the drawing caused was not what Elder Layton had anticipated. The sidewalk where the drawing was done is in a prominent place in downtown Sycamore (in the "sticks" outside Chicago) . . . and the office of the City Manager a stone's throw away. When the City Manager saw the drawing, he also saw RED and was anything BUT converted. The result was a hefty $200 fine for "defacing public property" and city workers were called to wash away the art-work. To Elder Layton's credit, he remained calm during the verbal attack, respectful, and was more than willing to do the wash job himself. Even though a subsequent letter of apology was written and hand-delivered by Elder Layton to the City Manager, the fine remained. Somehow the price we paid just didn't seem to fit the "crime."

Falling For Chicago

2009-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today I fell in love with Chicago . . . 70 degrees and colors only Fall in the Midwest can produce . . .

Now before all of you rush to move out here, let's wait for my December post . . . rumor has it that this paradise will disappear under a thick coating of white . . . hard to believe isn't it??

DEDMEAT

2009-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

While stopped at a traffic light, we noticed the license plate on this hearse in front of us . . . clever, don't you think? Unwittingly it became the theme for this weeks' blog post . . .

These two sisters . . . hermanas Porter and Secrist were nearly DEDMEAT as I went out teaching with them recently. They know my timidity in speaking Spanish, and I think they secretly delight in making me squirm. If I was being too quiet (as I usually am in the Spanish teaching situations), they would call on me to comment or to share an experience about the gospel principle they were teaching. I would find myself staring them down before smiling and attempting a feeble response. Although I threatened them afterwards, you can see how "mad" I was, as they both got treated to lunch. Actually I am grateful to them both for helping me become braver in using my Spanish.

Juana Salgado is our oldest "new" member of the Church here. Well under 4 ft tall, nearly deaf and blind, she decided at 95 years of age that she wasn't going to wait until she was DEDMEAT to be baptized like her daughter. When she entered the baptismal font, the water that is waist deep for most, covered her shoulders. It was a simple process to dip her back and completely immerse her. Sisters' Horne and Mendoza were her missionaries and can attest to the fact that no one is too old to be baptized.

Below are the pictures from the Zone Conferences we held this past week as our visiting General Authority from Salt Lake, Spencer V. Jones and his wife, Joyce, conducted a Mission Tour. We had the pleasure of hosting them in the mission home and of being trained and taught by them. We appreciated their insights and support and came away with some great direction and counsel.

As this was the first time we have experienced a "Mission Tour", we (mostly me) worried about how the experience would playout. I was afraid that we would be DEDMEAT after the Jones' met with us. However it was soon apparent that there was no need to have worried. Elder and Sister Jones were the kindest of people and anything but critical. Having served as Mission President and wife, they well understood the nature of our calling and all that it entails. They were great listeners and helpful in their suggestions. AND, I could not have been more proud of our missionaries. They arrived 30 minutes before the Zone Conferences were scheduled to be begin, and were seated and reverent listening to the prelude music when we arrived. During the teaching sessions they were active participants, sharing insights, asking questions and taking notes. Elder and Sister Jones were warm in their praises of the missionaries of Illinois Chicago North Mission. President Doll and I could not have been more pleased.

This Weeks Highlights

2009-10-09T11:03:00.001-07:00

Tuesday of this week found us hosting the monthly dinner for our Senior missionaries. There were twelve of us in all - too many for the dining room table - so we set up two big tables in the living room. My job was to create a festive table, the rest was a group effort as our two office sisters (Sister Heward and Sister Weekes) organized the food that arrived potluck style promptly at 6:00 pm.

After the dinner I was unsure what the activity of the night would be, but found that the gauntlet was soon dropped by Brother Taylor (sitting next to President Doll above) challenging my all-time high score of 287 in Wii bowling.

However, neither he nor Elder Child (above) nor . . .

Sister Babcock nor . . .

Sister Heward nor any other challenger could better my record. It should be noted, however, that Elder Taylor WAS the evenings high scorer.

On Wednesday, our Preparation Day, Elders Bowers and Williams returned to challenge President Doll in Wii bowling. But alas, they could not match President Doll AGAIN. Do note that he had his all-time best game . . . 11 strikes, 10 in a row!

Making for a total score of 280. Way to go!

Thursday morning found me doing planning, having lunch, and teaching an investigator named Julio with these two sisters - Hermana Goodman and Padilla. From 10:00 am until 3:30 pm we spoke mostly Spanish, including the lesson we did with Julio. I wish I could wow you with how wonderfully I spoke and taught, but I will be honest and say that having the vocabulary of a 3 year old makes expressing oneself both frustrating and challenging. These two good sisters have been out serving for 7 months and 6 months respectively and they do a wonderful job with both the language and their ability to teach. I was humbled, amazed and grateful to be able to work along side of them.

Getting "Hooked Up"

2009-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday there was a blood drive at our local Church building. I decided it would be a great way to help out AND put my feet up for 20 minutes or so.

Elder Williams (pictured below) was determined he would NOT be participating in this opportunity for service, even though he is normally very ready and willing to help out wherever needed. After much prodding I found out his fear of needles was bigger than his 6 foot plus frame. HOWEVER, my chocolate chip cookies proved to be a pretty good bargaining tool and the promise of a half dozen convinced him to take a seat and get hooked up!

A Common Thread

2009-10-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

What do all these people have in common? They come from different countries, educational backgrounds and family circumstances, but if you were to sit down with them you would hear some very common threads about how their lives have changed since meeting with the missionaries, learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and being baptized a member of the Church . . .

Dennis Scott with Sisters Morris and Carmack . . .

Rita, with Sisters Kolb and Waters . . .

Nike and Olaniyi Adeniyi with Elders Miller and Nicodemus . . .

Manuel and Manuela Rodriguez with Elders Powell and Montez . . .

Jason with Elders Hickman and Christiansen . . .

Pastor Flores with . . . yep Elders Hickman and Christensen (they've been busy!)

In each case a family member, friend, dentist, or massage therapist shared something about what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that led them to have a desire to want to know more. The missionaries were called, they taught them what they know, and then after much study, prayer and thought, it "felt right" to be baptized a member of the Church. How have their lives changed? I think their faces tell the story.

Wii - Hah!

2009-09-26T19:58:00.001-07:00

The word is getting out that on Preparation Day President Doll will take on all challengers in Wii Bowling in the Mission Home. Elders Bowers and Williams thought they were up to the challenge figuring they had an easy win. However, the final tallies showed differently . . .

The final score: President Doll 206, Elder Bowers 156 and Elder Williams with a record personal best of 143. Better luck next time Elders! (It is a little known fact that I hold the all time high score of 287 . . . one of these days I'll come out of the closet and reveal my talents!)