The other day we came across this mural that spoke to my heart. We've been in Abilene, Texas for 11 months. When we first got here everything was new, somewhat challenging, and we weren't sure how we would be able to get used to mission life. Life had planted us in different, unfamiliar soil. 

So how does someone plant themselves in a new place and bloom with grace?

Grace comes from our Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace is a gift He can bestow. It is His grace that helps us bloom in soil we find unfamiliar, in neighborhoods and wards where all the faces are strangers, in activities we are unused to or have never done before. 

We have spent a lot of time on our knees seeking His grace on our mission. Over and over we are blessed with the Savior's guiding hand or courage when we are unsure. Often times those blessings come after the struggle, after the studying and seeking, even after some failures. Eventually His grace comes as long as we try to keep moving. We have bloomed the best we could.

Sister Sierakowski, the wife of our branch presidency counselor, taught us about "mindfulness" with the missionaries. She gave us each a raisin to experience mindfulness with. We had to feel it, smell it, listen to any sounds it made, look at it closely and eventually eat it and savor every sensation of its flavor. We loved how she said that putting ourselves in a condition of total mindfulness before we read our scriptures would greatly enhance our studies. 

Easter Brunch after branch meetings. We had enchiladas, nachos, and good desserts.

Institute Easter Treats: One young man was totally thrilled when he first saw them and exclaimed as he took a picture with his phone, "Wow, I've never seen something like that. Those are so neat!" His gratitude earned him major points with Sister Brown that night. 

This couple is in our adult religion class that we've become good friends with. They love thrift stores and yard sales. She came to class the other night with these sparkly cowboy boots she bought on "a great deal!" at a thrift store. They both have wonderful stories to tell. Her husband joined the church later in his life. He worked stage crew for many performing groups throughout his life and wore his hair to his waist in beautiful natural blond ringlets. They are so much fun to have in our class.

This is a picture of  the "Foundations of the Restoration" class with our "regular adults". We've had amazing discussions with these "seekers of truth." Three of them joined the church later in life, one of them only a year ago. They truly feed our souls.

The other morning I found a box of cereal on the kitchen table opened upside down. How did that happen? It just felt awkward and uncomfortable to look at. It just wasn’t right.

After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, life became a little upside down for fervent and honest worshipers of Christ. People such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and William Tyndale, began to speak out against the errors of the predominant churches of their day. They felt like things weren't right, like an upside down box of cereal, so to speak. Many reformed churches sprang up, trying to right the box. Paul wrote to the Thessolonian saints, who were anxiously anticipating the second coming of Christ, that “that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first.” (2 Thes. 2:3)

“As a young man [living in Palmyra, New York], Joseph Smith 'was called up to serious reflection' on the subject of religion. Because he was born in a land of religious freedom, he could question which of all the churches was right. And because the Bible had been translated into English, he could seek an answer from the word of God. He read in the book of James, 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,' and he did as directed." 

"In answer to Joseph’s prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. This humble farm boy was the prophet chosen by God to restore the ancient Church of Jesus Christ and His priesthood in these latter days. . .With this divine commission, his work was not to reform nor was it to protest what was already on the earth. It was to restore what had been on earth and had been lost.”  “Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee’” by Elder Hales (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 88–92).

Through the prophet Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ restored his gospel with all the saving ordinances necessary for us to return to our Father in Heaven. 

The blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ are for all of God’s children. Christ invites all to come and partake of those blessings. Come, and eat from a NEW BOX, a box right side up, and be nourished. It will feel right and be comfortable to your soul. 

Arrows, pathways, and stairways all lead somewhere. We see them in our everyday lives. We hardly give them a thought when we know where we are going. We willingly follow an arrow when we know that that direction will bring us what we are seeking. We willingly take that stairway or pathway with anticipation when we know where it leads.  

But when we are lost, every arrow, pathway, and stairway causes some anxiety as we face the unknown. Questions, doubt, maybe even some fear can cause us to hesitate, to stop, and  languish in stifling old habits and attitudes.  

We have learned that God's love for us provides comforting assurance when we find ourselves facing an "unknown" path. We are not left alone; even if we head down the wrong staircase or follow the wrong arrow. The Spirit will let us know if we need to change directions.  

Elder Brown and I struggled with a decision as to whether we should stop picking up one of the young adults for church every week. For months, we have provided a weekly ride, since this young man insisted he had no other way to church. Realizing we won't be in Abilene forever, we pondered and prayed for guidance as to how to help this young man move forward. We sought to do the best thing for him, and to hopefully help him learn some independence and confidence. A couple of weeks ago we chose an unknown path, a path we felt good about, yet the outcome was unknown. We told him that we would no longer give him a ride to church. We felt prompted to tell him that he and his family (church members but not active) would be blessed by helping him get to church. We knew, for him to grow in the gospel, that he needed to walk the pathways and climb the stairways and follow the arrows himself. 

It has only been two Sundays so far, but miracle of miracles, this young man has shown up for church both weeks. He's been driving himself, an option he told us earlier was not possible. That is a huge step in this young man's life. 

This experience has been good for us. We learned that we can't walk someone else's pathway for them. We can teach them, cheer them on, cry with them, and pray for them. But ultimately, each of us as individuals has to make choices, has to take action and move forward and follow the correct arrows, stairways, and pathways to happiness. 

"Happiness," the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote, "is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God." 

TID BITS

 It sure has been great to see Elder Harmon at Zone Conferences. He is currently in our Zone, serving in Brady, a couple hours away from us. He is representing St. Johns well--so proud of this St. Johnsite! 

 

These kinds of trees are all over Abilene. They have clumps of mistletoe all through the trees. I call them "Dr. Seuss trees." 

Every night thousands of birds (no exaggeration--tens of thousands!) congregate at this intersection by Walmart. They fill the trees, the telephone and electrical wires, and the tops of the buildings. It is rather eerie if you've ever seen Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds". We are careful not to park under a tree at this time of night.

It was fun to have Rebecca visit us over Christmas. We went to the Light Fest in Abilene on a very cold night, 21 degrees! But we loved it. It got down to 7 degrees that night. That's the coldest we've seen in Abilene so far. Usually it has been between the 50s and 70s during the day, once in a while dipping into the 40's because of wind chill.

What a privilege it has been to help teach Malachi, a 15 year old boy who loves studying scripture and carries them with him everywhere, even to the grocery store. Malachi was baptized in December. His mother followed her son's example and was baptized 10 days ago. The youth being sent to the earth in these later days are a mighty people and we love them.

Closing thought: This post covers lots of random things, but the one thing they all have in common is their ability to bring joy. Joy in nature, joy in family, joy in shared spiritual experiences, and joy in community. 

Celebrating the Christmas season with young adults is fun. Christmas sweaters and socks are popular. Abilene has a wonderful light festival. The following pictures was our branch activity at the festival.

The Relief Society put a gingerbread house building activity together. Elder Brown won the prize for the most candy decorating his house. It got so heavy the walls fell in on themselves!

Candy, lights, and music have all been a part of our Christmas celebrating. But "Going Home" brings the greatest joy and happy anticipation to our YSA group as they look forward to traveling home to be with loved ones, or spending Christmas with family here in town. We are reminded how thankful we are for our own children and grandchildren. While we are away this Christmas, we hope our children will find joy in family; siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. What a glorious plan our Heavenly Father put in place to send his children to live in families. 

We had Thanksgiving with the YSA Branch Presidency families and some YSA members. It was our first time having smoked turkey and it was so good. It was a special treat for us because Devin and Shelby were troopers and drove from St. Johns to Abilene with their 6 children to enjoy the holiday with us. 

After Thanksgiving dinner we were able to see the Storybook statues Abilene has placed in different parts of the city. There is a Dr. Seuss Park and another park that has Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, and more.

This week we juiced the "center pieces" from Thanksgiving. I am thankful I brought my Bosch and the juicer attachment. Trish Platt encouraged me to bring my Bosch and we've used it a lot - cookies, rolls, bread, and now juice.

Here's the whole crew, except Shelby who's taking the picture, in front of our apartment. It was cold that day but you'd never know it from the picture. Does Colin ever wear long pants?! Friday after Thanksgiving it rained and rained and rained. Luckily we had a museum and the YSA church building to play in. We were introduced to BYU TV shows our grandkids love, we had a little piano recital at the church and played foosball, ping pong, and Colin ran in circles kicking a little soccer ball. Esther got excited about "playing church" and after we came home, she set up her own "church" in our office, complete with stand (our 3 drawer file cabinet), microphone (a butter knife) and spot light (the lamp on my desk pointed at the file cabinet).

Our long skinny backyard got used for the first time by Lewis, Ezra, and Colin, playing ball with Grandpa Brown. We had races, threw the football, and watched the squirrels while visiting on our little patio. For being a cold, rainy weekend, we were able to have a lot of fun together. It was such a treat having Devin's family here with us.

We definitely had a THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

 President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has advised families: “Whatever problems your family is facing, whatever you must do to solve them, the beginning and the end of the solution is charity, the pure love of Christ. Without this love, even seemingly perfect families struggle. With it, even families with great challenges succeed” (“In Praise of Those Who Save,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016).

Our son Mark and his family visited us in Abilene. We had a good time with them. We waited for 45 minutes at a dining place to get the best barbecue in town. We played games, talked, laughed, distracted, had contests, and anything else our imaginations could drum up to keep the kids happy. When we were almost at the front of the line, an older lady tapped Shaunel on the shoulder (my daughter-in-law) and said, "We've enjoyed watching your family so much. You have entertained us all." While sitting at the picnic table waiting for the food, we played Up Jenkins, the game where you pass a quarter under the table and the other side of the table has to guess who has the quarter. We hope we gave more pleasure to the others rather than annoyance in our efforts to keep children happy.

Some of the things we did with Mark's family were the zoo, checked out the "story book" sculptures, had Pres. Luke tell us about the B-1 bomber and other airplanes at Dyess Airforce Base, and the kids came to our Institute class and played foosball and listened to their grandparents teach Institute.