Debra

Here is a picture of Relief Society sisters with Debra in the middle (she is the one in yellow).

  She has been taught the Gospel and is preparing for baptism. She leads the music in Relief Society, bears her testimony in church and is my good friend.  I have enjoyed teaching her.  A guy who she dated who is a member introduced her to the church.

Lou Sampson

This golf cart belongs to Lou Sampson, whom I have mentioned earlier.  

When we approached her home for the first time, her stand and fight bumper sticker was good to see.  She answered her door that day, and invited us in after being inactive since teenage years.  She was ready to be taught and come back into the church.  She is an amazing person.  See more on her elsewhere in our blog.

A Day with 3 Wonderful Meetings!

We went to the dentist today and the assistant set up a time for us to teach her.  Her husband was a member, passed away and now she wants to know what he testified to her that he knew !!!  She is very excited.   

Then at the ward family history center, a non-member who was there every time I have been, was leaving to go back to her home in Canada ....so in the foyer we talked about the church, which we couldn't do before. She wanted a Book of Mormon, and plans on going through SLC Temple square. I have her name and address (referral sent).

Next, we went to a hospital in Tucson to visit our friend, Cornell, who lives down the hallway from us at the Peaks.  He fell and had hip and shoulder surgery (sad). He is our good friend and we have been teaching him. He is 86, from Romania, lived in SLC for a few years and is an incredibly intelligent professional man. He is very spiritual. We had a wonderful experience with him today.  

After that, we hurried back to Green Valley (40 min south of Tucson) by 7pm for a meeting with Glen Greer, a formerly less active member but now very active.  We have been teaching him since last September. He comes to church all the time now (he had not come before) and he was just ordained a Priest a month ago. He was interviewed Sunday by the Bishop so he could become an Elder.  We will miss going through the temple with him to be endowed in June when he will also do his deceased wife's work and be sealed to her.  He is a home teacher now and Stake Single Adult Rep. A great guy who runs the Baja in Mexico with his super duper jeep. We taught him a lesson from the manual "Teachings of Joseph Smith" (which I don't have now because he was so interested in the lesson that I gave him the book !!!)  We gave the lesson on the experiences Joseph Smith had in liberty jail.  He was so touched by them,  The spirit was really strong.  He is an incredible guy... He is a miracle and we wrote about him and submitted it to be put in a mission book on miracles

So now... off to bed ...after a wonderful day of picture discoveries and extradinary missionary experiences.  Quite an amazing day !!!  It ranks among the top days I've experienced here on the mission.

Life at "The Peaks"

There are many parties at "The Peaks" where we get a chance to meet people and give exposure to the church.  It has been a good thing for us to live at this retirement center.

Valentine Party

My dear friend, Tommie (Rebecca), at a Valentine's party at "The Peaks" where we both live. She is 84 yrs old and is the life of the party. She has a member who is friend and who has brought her to three church activities plus one of four ward empty nester's parties we helped organize and had at "The Peaks" to expose people to the church.  

Our good friend, Tommy

Brother Stott, Tommy and Elder Marriott

Tommy loves dancing too.  She has shown an interest in the casual conversations we have had with her about the Gospel.  We cannot opening solicit at "The Peaks", but we lay a foundation wherever we can.  

She could easily be a member with the great spirit she has and I feel she will recognize the fullness of the Gospel when the time is right.  She is adorable !!!  

Brother Stott

Brother Stott loves cooking and here he is with his apple pie he brought to the party. 
Whenever we visit him, he always feeds us some goodies he has made.  

He just turned 91.  He is the empty nester's chairman.  Brother Stott is an engineer and from his younger years, he is famous for designing and building the lunar landing module.  He has served 3 missions himself.

President's Day Party

Our President's Day empty nester's ward party at "The Peaks".  Here are Brother Wilhelm, Sister Pitcher, Sister Longwell, and the RS President, Kathy Zollinger.  We had five less actives/non-members come and 15 members.  A good missionary effort!

Exercise class!

Weekday mornings from 9am to 9:30am is an exercise class I attended most of the time.  Many of the 150 people who live here have become my good friends and I have grown to love them. 

We have planted seeds of the Gospel with them whenever we could.  We also got to know them at social events we attended.  We could not proselyte at "The Peaks" but when people asked us, we could talk to them.  

We are teaching the family of a lady who works here.  She has been inactive since the age of 15 and is now having us teach her husband and three children.  They are working towards baptism.  A wonderful family.  
Besides us, three members live here also at "The Peaks".