Week 67

May 13, 2018

Dear Family,

Thanks for all the effort you put forth to get family group sheets to me. David just sent me some information that he got from his Sister that answers the concern I had about getting different numbers. I am cutting and pasting it into this letter:
Attached is our Family Group Sheet.

 

I'm not sure what you are doing with these Family Group Sheets.  But you made a comment in your request that I think I know something about.

 

"Please enter all the information on your family group sheet for you and your married children so that we don't end up with different numbers in Family Search."

 

My sister Elna just started a Family History mission and she explained this to me.

 

Family Search is not designed for tracking the information of Living people.  You can enter living people and their information in.  But the information you enter is isolated to your family search only.  And Living People all have different Family Search Numbers in different peoples accounts.  For instance, I was in my sister's account and my parents have different Family Search numbers in her account then in mine.  Family Search knows they are the same person but in different accounts, they are given different numbers.

 

So like I said, I'm not sure what you're doing with all this data.  And you can enter living people into your account.  But if we all enter those living people they will NOT be united in Family Search and we will all have to track the data separately.  For this reason, Family Search encourages the tracking of living people in your own genealogy software on your own computer.

 

This was TOO long.  Sorry if it sounds like a lecture.  I just happened to run into this and have it explained to me by my sister.

 

That is very helpful information for me. I bought Roots Magic I think so when I get home I will try to enter everything you have sent me. That way we can include inlaws without any problem.  Elizabeth sent a portrait family record also and that would be fun to have from everyone.  We will continue work on this when I get home.

Another quiet week at the office.  I am still trying to get pictures labeled and mounted from the last Zone conferences. The women in my Ward are wonderful examples to me.  Sister Pollard is the Pocatello Interfaith leader. Friday our Public Affairs committee was invited to help with an Inter-Faith service project cleaning up the yard of the Aid for Friends house which is a home for the homeless here in Pocatello. We had Muslims, Protestants, Mormons all doing yard work together.  It was a fun morning and the yard looks beautiful and flowers were planted. Sister Pollard brought Italian soda stuff that we mixed sodas. She also had snacks for us.

I loved getting in on the Mella family call from Michael in Uruguay.  It was fun to see my great-grandchildren that are in Texas as well as Jimmy in Provo. I was thrilled to hear that Lori is expecting again.  I am a truly blessed woman.

Time for me to go to Sister Bailey’s house for dinner.  She has been such an inspiration to me.  She spearheaded that amazing Sub for Santa for the children at the Homeless shelter. She had her little girl bring me a rose on Valentines Day and she has invited me to have dinner with her family tonight.   I will miss these amazing women in my Ward.

Love you all,

Grammie

 

 

Week 66

6 May 2018

Dear Loved Ones,

It’s been a pretty quiet week in the mission, but overall it has been the highest Baptizing month since the start of the year. We have had 22 baptisms. Some of those baptisms were in March but they had to wait to be confirmed because of April Conference. The report can’t be turned in until they have been confirmed.

I don’t think I’ve shared with you the amazing adventure one of the companionships in our mission experienced in the last month. These two slender, average-height missionaries must have looked like easy prey to the man who pulled a knife on them (he must not have known missionaries don’t have money in their pockets). The Elders talked the man into putting his knife away. The minute he did, the Elder, that has a black belt in Karate, took him down and his companion called the cops. They held him until the police arrived. Much to the President’s chagrin, the incident made the paper. Reporters keep calling President Hancock for an interview. He always replies, “No comment.”

Thursday, when I went to the Baptist Pantry where I work on Thursdays 4 to 7 they ask me, “Where were you Sunday? You said you would come to the Appreciation Dinner.”  I felt so sad that I totally forgot.  It would have been last Sunday while I was working on my Primary lesson and feeling sorry for myself that I wasn’t in Farmington with Collin and family. They gave me a framed quote from Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”, a tee shirt and a chocolate bar with a cute label.  I will take a picture. I still have the cute label, but the chocolate bar was consumed before I made it home.

I have enjoyed watching parts of the women’s conference.  I was especially impressed with something that Sister Eubank said that she learned to say in her morning prayer, “What is the one thing you want me to do today.” Help with setting priorities and staying focused on the most important thing-- Life is so full of distractions. This is like the Jordan Peterson quote, “Choose the meaning full action over the expedient”.

7 May 2018

Didn’t get this finished because I was invited to have dinner with the George family. David Linford’s niece, Rebecca George, just had her 5^th little girl. David’s sister, Orva, was visiting to help with the new baby and she fixed a delicious dinner.  I even asked for the vegan recipe. They were kind enough to include me. The most fun was holding that brand-new baby. New babies bring a little bit of heaven with them.

Would have loved to be at the family music events this weekend.  I am so pleased with the talents my granddaughters are developing. Kudos to Emily and Elena for their part in Les Mis and to Lila for completing her Suzuki book. It’s painful to be so far away.  I will be home soon and I look forward to not missing important family events.

Love and hugs to all,

Grammie/Sister Shill

Week65

April 29, 2018

 

Dear Loved ones,

I thought Spring had finally come to Pocatello. Trees are in bloom and daffodils are everywhere. However, today has been cold and rainy with a wind that always blows. Hopefully, Spring will come back soon and stay for a while.

Tuesday, at my Public Affairs Meeting we had a couple come from the Mennonite community just west of Pocatello and talk to us about the history of their group. I was sitting next to Brother Funk and he told me that he had grown up in that community.  I ask him if there were a lot of Funks in that group and he assured me there were. We were told that the Mennonites were originally the Anabaptist that broke away from the Catholic Church. They take their name from a man, Mennon, who was an early leader in the movement. They left Germany for Ukraine and eventually left Ukraine and came to Kansas.   This group left Kansas and came to Idaho when the government offered good farmland for them. I always thought that the Mennonites broke away from the Amish. They told us that the opposite was true. There is a broad spectrum of beliefs among all the Mennonite groups with the Amish being the most conservative of the groups.  They recognize each other's group by the shape of their beards. The man who spoke to us had a long narrow rectangular beard. It was a very interesting evening.

Friday night my friends, Kris and Jay Kunze gave me a ticket to the Symphony. Two orchestras combined creating an incredibly powerful sound in that amazing Fine Arts Center on the ISU campus. The ISU civic orchestra combined with the Idaho Falls Symphony orchestra. Each Conductor led two items on the program which included: Prelude from Die Meistersinger by Wagner, Bolero by Ravel, the L’Arlesienne Suite by Bizet and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.  So much powerful music – it was so uplifting.  It seemed like when we left there we could conquer the world.

I have never been particularly fond of Bolero. My roommate in College’s boyfriend wanted to propose to her with that playing in the background, so he borrowed several of the old 33rpm records that you could stack on the old phonograph players. (Wow most of my grandkids won’t know what I am talking about). He didn’t know how long it would take him to get up his courage to actually pop the question. Once through Bolero is enough for me! I was amazed at much more I enjoyed it when I could see it played. When the melody travels from instrument to instrument as you see all the cellos strumming as it builds until the strings can use their bows.  It was so much more of an experience than the just listening.

Sunday, I would have loved to have been with you all.  I appreciate the video that was sent to me of Collin opening his mission call.  I am so happy for him.  I will give him the home address of Elder Moonsarn, one of our missionaries that just went home.  He was so shy when I first came and he grew into a fine missionary.  He will be good leadership for them in Bangkok.

Sunday was a crazy day for me. The teachers of the other 7-year-old class didn’t come, so I had 12 in my class. It was not as bad as I had anticipated.  Things went amazingly well. I talked to Collin on the phone as I drove home. I tried to skype in when I got home, but you all must have gone on to the Eagle Court of Honor.  So proud of Collin for his accomplishments. Sad to not be there to give hugs to him and to Emily on Saturday night with her successful win!! It will be good to be home and not missing such events.

Love and hugs,

 

Grammie/Sister Shill