Week 46

December 3, 2017

Dear Loved ones!!!

Thank you for coming so far and bringing so many good things to our Thanksgiving feast.  It was so wonderful to see everyone and just sit and chat. I loved the sound of so many happy voices in the background.  Unfortunately, I totally forgot that I wanted to share some thoughts about Thanksgiving and the Book of Mormon.  I bought a new book about Squanto and wanted to share it! His life is a testimony that the Lord has a plan and when hard things happen it is usually the means of saving us.  If Squanto had not been stolen and taken to Europe he would have died like everyone else in his village. If the Franciscan friars in Spain hadn’t freed him from slavery and told him that his best chance to make it home was with the English; if he hadn’t learned English while in England, our pilgrim forefathers would have all died without someone to teach them how to survive in their new country. Divine choreography!! What I wanted to say about the Book of Mormon can be summed up with this quote I heard, “Stay in the Book of Mormon and you will make better decisions!” my life has taught me that is true!! When I am faithfully studying the Book of Mormon, I have made better decisions in all areas of my life. It is the tool the Lord has provided us, so we can survive in these turbulent times.

I am sitting by Christmas tree that Marsi decorated to perfection!! Too bad it didn’t look like this when we took a picture of Liz, Jenni, Ellery, Christian and me together, I later realized we had 4 generations of oldest daughters together. I added it to my Christmas card.

I love the Light the World program.  I was the happy recipient of someone else’s good turn.  I was cold coming out of Wal-Mart, so I went through the McDonald’s drive thru to get a peppermint hot chocolate.  When I was handed my drink, I was told that the car ahead of me had paid my bill.  It made me happy the whole rest of the day imagining a world where these things happen all the time.

It has been a busy week in the mission.  Monday, we were supposed to have a picture of the office staff taken at Pres. McNab’s. It rained and spoiled the chance to hook-up his horse to a real sleigh for our picture. Tomorrow we are going to try again. Unfortunately, it is raining now. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow so we can get our picture taken.

Tuesday night was my public affairs meeting. Our guest speaker was a local news anchor, Brenda Baumgartner, who has spent her life around Mormons though she is not a member. She has recently published a story about her search for the man who wrote love-letters and left them in a suitcase that ended up in Deseret Industries. I think it was published in LDS Living magazine. She used Family Search to find his family.  

Wednesday night, I went with Pres and Sister Hancock and the Rasmussen’s to this cute theater where Cassidy and I saw “Fiddler on the Roof” this summer.  We saw “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”.  It was darling and reminded me of when Amy Hancock was in a production of that in Logan. I can’t remember if Marsi’s other kids had parts.

Thursday, I took Sister Rasmussen to my “Just Serve” meeting with me.  She seems interested in participating in the program and she can take my place when I leave next July.

Friday, was my turn to work in the office, because it is Missionary Leadership Council.  We have a new Assistant to the President because Elder Slatcher goes home just like Braden will this week. Our new Assistant is Elder Saydee!!! I am so happy.  He is the Elder that let me borrow his key to the church so we could get in for Thanksgiving.  Elizabeth and Glen knew him when he was playing soccer for San Jose State. He will be a strength to the mission.

Well, I didn’t mean to go on so long.  Thanks again for making such a wonderful Thanksgiving for me!! And thanks, Marsi for making Christmas happen in my apartment. We had Messiah playing, ginger cookies in the oven, as she trimmed my tree.

Love and Hugs,

Grammie/Sister Shill