17 December 2006 – Sunday

I woke at about 3:15 and alternated between dozing and studying Indonesian. It seems I either sleep straight through or play this tiring game. At least I get some vocabulary started so it is not a complete waste.

When I finally gave up trying to go back to sleep, I looked outside I could see that overnight it had snowed. Another couple of inches or so had fallen. I put on some clothes and a pair of gloves to pushed a path down to the end of the driveway to get the paper. Once I got started I decided to keep going and ended up clearing most of the driveway. Luckily the snow was light so it was not hard to clear.

I was released as 1st assistant in the group leadership and Steve Gibson was sustained in my place. The new 2nd assistant had not been interviewed so he will not be sustained until next week. Everyone said nice things and I was regularly embarrassed. But it was nice to say goodbye to a number of the people and perhaps our being there will help some other couple to make the choice to go on a mission. There are certainly any number who could if they wanted to.

I continue to be surprised how much I am touched by the spirit. The new Creer family gave their introduction talks and they were as good a pair as I have heard at sacrament. They were an excellent blend of personal stories, scripture, and gospel discourse. Both talks were on Gratitude but did not really overlap. As they spoke – especially when they shared stories – I felt the spirit very strongly. Even as we sang the closing song – While Shepherds Kept Their Watch – I could not keep tears out of my eyes. I am not usually emotional about hymns but that seems to have changed. 

While we were in church it snowed another two inches and I was rather worried about driving up to Bobs. But I checked the UTA cameras and the roads looked quite clear so we decided to go.

Mary coughed through much of the night and did not feel 100%. I asked Lynn Wardle if he could come by with another PH holder and give her a blessing. He and Jeff Turley came just before we left and gave her a strong blessing.

The trip to Bobs was clear and fast – not much in the way of traffic on the road. We wore our missionary clothes and badges so the grandchildren could see them. It was great to see Bob and Cindy’s families and have dinner. After dinner we had a short birthday party for Lisa. Unfortunately Mary completely forgot about it so we did not bring a present. I guess she had other things on her mind.

We left fairly early and drove home in light snow and the dark. It is always stressful for me to drive at night when it is snowing. Luckily the traffic was still light and people drove well under the speed limit until we reached dry pavement around American Fork. The strain was enough that I developed a headache.

Once home we relaxed for a while and then started cleaning up and getting the last things together for packing. There are still things to do, lots of cleaning up, and of course the final packing before we can leave.

As I write this we are down to less than 48 hours before our plane takes off.