Daily Archives: January 13, 2012

13 January 2012 – The Still Small Voice!

I had a very special spiritual experience that takes a little telling. It started yesterday when Mary and I went out to the Weston area where we asked to serve and took family group sheets and pedigree charts to a couple of families of recent converts. It was a chance for us to be of service but also gave us a chance to get to know the area better.

As we drove down a short street in a gated community we saw the assistants coming towards us. We stopped and talked for a moment and found they were going to visit a family that we met at church last week to see how they were doing. We soon parted and we finished dropping off the sheets before heading back home.

This morning I wrote in my journal how it was quite a coincidence that we happened to be on the same short street at exactly the same time as the assistants. I wondered if there was some reason for that to occur. Later in the day the assistants came into do some work in the office and I mentioned to Elder Neeley that wasn’t it unusual that we met there. I then asked how the family was doing that they visited and he said that the mother had a major problem giving up coffee. She grew up where drinking coffee with the family was a social event and she did not think she could possibly give it up.

I told elder Neeley that I had exactly the same problem before I was baptized because when I was young the family always drank coffee for breakfast and with other meals. I told him perhaps if I went with them to visit I could tell her my story and testify that she could stop. He agreed and we are going to try to do this either Saturday or Sunday. So although it took two days and a lot of spiritual nudging I think I finally am going to do what the Lord wanted done. Hopefully the sister will make the right choice and give up coffee so she and her family can enjoy the blessings of the gospel.



13 Jan 2012 – A great Friday the 13th.

From the beautiful morning reflected in the lake to a Senior couple get together where we never seemed to stop laughing, it was certainly not a bad Friday the 13th. Elder Beagley and myself managed to get the gas card receipt report complete and sent in, I took care of the phone report that needed to be checked and finished, and we figured out a better way to do things in the future.

Mary had a quieter day finishing an afghan for our newest grandchild, getting out the mail and making a salad for the wonderful get together at the mission home with president and sister Anderson all the senior couples and the Graffs who served here and left not long before we arrived.

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The calm morning reflected in the lake. When missionaries get together there is always lots of food and talk so Mary is getting food and sister Collins is talking to sister Sommerfeldt and sister Graff.

The next row starts with sister Steimle, the Graffs, and sister Beagley. Next is brother Graff, the Beagleys and the Collins. And the last picture is elder Sommerfeldt getting ready to take a picture. Memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Elder Graff provides a constant stream of jokes and startling comments. And from what was said it never stops. Not in airplanes, restaurants or even Church. He certainly kept all of us laughing.