Not So "Picture Perfect" Post

Last week it was potato salad; this week cupcakes with sprinkles on top of buttery frosting.  Don't kids like cupcakes?  The three children of one family enjoyed them but the other cancelled three times.  The Elders got the cupcakes.  After two Family Home Evenings and dinner with the Elders at our one single sister's home, she failed to make it to church 3 weeks in a row, even with reminder calls.  She has sought out the church, welcomes our visits and calls and yet the ability to consistently make the gospel an integral part of her life eludes her.  Our bishop painted a picture that made me laugh:  where is the hammer so I can go hit myself with it again.  He is a very realistic yet compassionate man .  Our other single sister is being threatened with eviction, has been on the streets before and acts like she wants to return.  Old habits are hard to break.  Not only do we feel for these good sisters but for their young children who are growing up without gospel teachings and living.  We all know what a difference a good dose of Primary would make in their innocent lives.

     

  This is a land of cultural diversity.  This tower sits on a corner of University Avenue, a main east west artery.  Not pictured is the tattoo parlor also within the building.  This avenue along with the parallel El Cajon Boulevard house more tattoo, smoke, vape and liquor shops in a 3 mile length than it seems possible for the public to support.   Not only is the area diverse as to culture but is also just south of the San Diego State University campus.  Perhaps those two populations converging explains the multiplicity of such commerce.
     


Pictured here is a Laotian Temple we discovered yesterday set among a neighborhood of single family homes.  The parking area was full of families gathered with their meals under E-Z-Ups conversing as their leader spoke.  The surrounding neighbors would have all been able to "enjoy" the sermon if they chose; if they understood Laotian.

Speaking of temples, we attended an endowment session Friday, mostly filled with young missionaries from the neighboring Carlsbad Mission; a needed refreshment and a wonderful reminder of eternal truths we are working to help others appreciate. 

                              

                              There is an old saying, "All work and no 

 

play makes Johnny a dull boy" so we also take a little time to laugh about life here and to enjoy different activities.
      After teaching a discussion Saturday morning about our pre-mortal experiences and the governance of law to a fine young man who has not attended church for about 6 months,  we attended a performance of the" Commandants Own" Marine Drum and Bugle Corp and the Silent Drill Platoon.  They are headquartered in Washington, D.C.  That experience came because our downstairs neighbors are missionaries assigned to work at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot.  They interface with the new corpsmen as they go through 12 weeks of basic training and coordinate with the leaders at Camp Pendleton (thing Steve and Cindy Lang) where the young men go after basic training.  This last year they had 52 young men baptized during that basic training time.  Besides a wonderful musical and precision presentation we watched those raw recruits going through drills on the adjacent field.  The Lawsons say that you can tell the new from the old just by the strong, fit muscles they have developed by the time they leave.  They begin in tennis shoes and end in combat boots.

 




After our trip to the MCRD we all attended the St. Patrick's Day party held in the club house here in our RV park, put on by the management.  Once a month they sponsor a party with generous food for all who live here.  Bruce and I were able to enjoy a wonderful visit with our night managers who have lived here 8 years.  They are the "salt of the earth" and would do anything to help a person in need.

 Although the picture is poor, Ben and Sue are sitting to the right of Bruce.  The clubhouse was full of friendly neighbors.  As I've said before, we feel like we are living in a campground atmosphere.  People just naturally say hi and treat you like an old friend.  Freeway noise aside,  this is a "nice place to live".

       Just two more pictures.  Sunday we brought a real life investigator to church and she stayed for the entire 3 hours because she wanted to attend the meeting with the sisters.  The Relief Society is preparing to sing in Sacrament meeting next week and she rehearsed with us.  Here's hoping she sings with us next Sunday.  Our Relief Society president asked if I would direct the women.  I asked if she knew I could do it.  She replied, "You play the piano."  It was a fun experience.  The music continues as pictured below.

 

This is rehearsal for the Stake Mission Fireside held monthly with testimonies, videos and musical presentations.  Very effective.  I am at the organ because I volunteered to President Schmitt that "Called to Serve" and "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go", sung as processional and recessional numbers, might be more effectively sung with organ accompaniment.  However, in April I won't be at the organ anymore; I will be directing the missionary choir which rehearses just before the fireside.  In fact, I will be responsible for all the music at these firesides.  Any ideas - send them my way QUICK!
   
Missions are interesting with ups and downs just like real life.  We personally go up and down a lot as we traverse San Diego.  Just to prove we aren't kidding about the hills check out the yellow sign in the picture below.  The picture of the road doesn't do the grade justice.

Life can be like those hills.  Sometimes we go down very steep hills into deep gorges where the way out seems almost impossible to find.  But there is always a road out.  The gospel of Jesus Christ, that strait and narrow path with the iron rod right beside us is always there.  We just have to lay hold and stay on the path.  Follow the Word.

As our former drug dealer commented about her former drug dealer husband:  "He went through his rehabilitation and prison time extra fast because 'he stayed right on the road.'"  She gets it!

Typical Work Week?

What does a bowl of potato salad have to do with a mission?  Or cupcakes with sprinkles, chocolate chip cookies or homemade bread.  They are the same as a 9 x 13 pan of "funeral potatoes".  We serve in any way that will help us share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

Because we live upstairs from Bruce's cousin, our relationship is stronger than just missionary couples living by one another.  We have common ancestors and since the Barlow's come from Cache Valley where our parents grew up we have a shared love for that beautiful valley.  A couple of weeks ago Anna asked if I might be willing to help with a luncheon she had volunteered to create for the leaders in the mission.  Of course the reply was yes.  So we did our homework on how best to satisfy the appetites of 50+ young missionaries spending approximately $3 per person.  If you have some good ideas, we'd love to know as we may be doing this more than once.  Perhaps we were too successful or maybe it was just that we are willing but Sr. Schmitt offered to let us do it again.  Suffice to say, this past Friday, we served, with the help of our good husbands (the schleppers) a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad with brownies topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.  It only took 20 pounds of potatoes and 2 large pork roasts to feed that bunch.  We were glad to do it and they seemed to enjoy it.  Besides, I got to spend Thursday afternoon in my little kitchen (pictured above) cooking and cutting up all the ingredients.  A great exercise in space management and wonderful exercise for the arms!

The best part of serving lunch was meeting another relative.  Pay attention.  My father's youngest brother, Phill Goodsell has a grandson serving in our mission as a Zone Leader.  When he heard we were from Huntington Beach (he'd been prompted by grandparents) he asked if by any slim chance I might be a Goodsell.  That caught me by surprise.  Goodsell is not a common name.  But when I replied in the affirmative he told me how we are related.  He's a good looking (of course, his grandpa my uncle Phill, is the most handsome 80+ year old you'll meet) tall, well spoken elder serving as a leader in our zone.  There is no picture.  Despite thinking about it, we never managed to take one.  Hopefully that will happen for the next post.

In fact, this post will have no more pictures.  We tried but they aren't worth posting.  But here's what's been happening this past week:

        We taught a Family Home Evening on Tuesday to one of our single sisters and her 3 busy little boys.  She lives in a small one bedroom apartment and we sat on the futon/bed in the "living room" to learn about how we are all children of God.  By the end of the lesson after my singing "I Am a Child of God" 3 times, they joined in along with Bruce.  The oldest was quite attentive.  But he is just 7 so why should we ask for the others to pay much attention.
        We attended a Family Home Evening for all the senior couples in the mission held at the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center.  While there we met the couple who directs the Visitors Center.  He grew up in the D.C. area and his mother was a talented musician who directed Relief Society choirs in which my mother sang, including the one that sang at the World's Fair in New York City in 1965.  Wherever you go in the church, there is always someone with whom you have a connection.  But the connection runs deeper than just knowing someone who knows someone.  We have that common bond of gospel knowledge and testimony.  It ties like nothing else.
      Thursday the senior couples who live in our RV park were all invited to dinner cooked by the "night manager".  He and his wife have become good friends with the missionary couples who come and go.  One of them, who lived here, was back for a visit - an occasion to get together.  Ben is a great cook - he does a lot of it on his outdoor grill and we enjoyed a delicious meal.  He and his wife adopted their two granddaughters and have raised them here for the last 8 years.  The oldest is in college, the other on her way there when she graduates high school this spring.  Perhaps during these many opportunities to associate with Ben and Sue they will desire to know more about why we all come and serve as we do.  Our job is to continue that relationship when our downstairs neighbors, the Lawson's return to Utah in April.  We're the new people in the park.
     Thursday morning was our time to teach our Egyptian friend who seemed to more readily accept the idea that God is a personage who can talk, walk, see, hear and communicate with us.  Bruce compiled pages of scriptures backing up that concept, all from Genesis and Exodus.  Muslims accept the first 5 books of the Bible as inspired scripture.  We followed up with a simple "Plan of Salvation" about which he seemed intrigued.  We return tomorrow with more - a deeper look at our pre-mortal experiences and the role of Jesus in our lives.
     Thursday evening we had a delicious meal at the home of the ward Executive Secretary and his wife -  Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cuisine .  Interesting conversation and food.  We had to leave quickly to meet the missionaries for a first discussion.  It is the first time we have observed them in action with an adult non-member.  They worked seamlessly together, teaching her the need for a restoration, the reason for the Book of Mormon and asking her to read it and discover for herself its truth.  We were impressed.
     Thursday was a great day, especially because I made potato salad in the middle of all that!
     Friday was our luncheon and finally an opportunity to clean this little apartment that even with just two of us needed some sprucing up.  The highlight of the day came about 5:00 when we met with a man who, working as a nurse in fairly new employment, cannot get Sunday's off.  He met us at the door enthusiastically, so glad to see us, with his scriptures on the table ready to have a gospel discussion.  Our meeting was mostly a get-acquainted with him (and his roommates, some of whom are very friendly, with one claiming he wanted in on the next visit).  We are returning this afternoon for the first of our Sunday afternoon "if you can't come to church, we'll bring the church to you" visits.
     Saturday:  the day to find people home, or so we thought.  With a list of eleven "heads of household" in hand and our handy Google Map app on the I-phone we went seeking.  No one home.  Not one!  But we discovered that most are in homes or at least rentals in nice neighborhoods where we could knock on a door without a security gate.  We shall return.  But in lieu of a visit we have prepared our introductory letter to mail to each home.  If we can't bring the gospel to them in person we will do it by the written word.
     Sunday:  The best day of the week.  We went to church and sat by our Egyptian friend and his wife.  We enjoyed good meetings and lessons and a wonderful discussion of part of D&C 93 and 88 and Abraham 3 with our newly found enthusiastic friend.  We'll end our day with ward choir practice.  One of the speakers today used Elder Hallstrom's  conference talk about the gospel and the church, their differences and how they work together for our salvation and joy.  We need to learn, understand and live the gospel and we need the church structure to help us in that quest.  They go hand in hand.  Therefore, we've taken our testimonies and moved 60 miles south to share with those who are struggling to learn, understand and live the gospel and teach them use the structure of the church to do so.
    The gospel is true.  Take advantage of that knowledge.

     

Now That's Success!

Now That's Success!

Cultural Diversity

Today as I sat in Fast and Testimony Meeting, I pondered on the call we received to serve as Member Leadership and Support Missionaries in San Diego.  People would ask what that meant and we could only reply that we would serve where and how our president would ask.  We assumed that meant to go into a ward and build it in whatever way might be needed.  Upon meeting with President Schmitt he mused in our presence that he felt prompted to send us to one of two wards.  Then he called the stake president on speaker phone and asked him which and he replied, "Send them to 4th Ward."  In a previous blog you saw a photo of the chapel, a beautiful space that inspires awe just being there.  I still find great joy in
listening to the organ each week, even though it could be played with much greater skill.  But now, as we enter and worship we see more than a space and hear more than a beautiful instrument.  In 3 weeks we have discovered the inner city and its people, especially those who in one way or another are identified with the church.  As the Lord has promised, as you lose your life in serving others, you are blessed.  We are just in the beginnings of losing our life and learning to love these souls, even those who aren't the least bit interested in our finding them or sharing the gospel with them.

The above picture is of a building on a large portion of one block, surrounded by flags of many nations.  It appears to be a cultural center for Asian people.  As we drove by there were many children running around the outside of the building but within the fencing.  Many if not most of the properties in this area are fenced, even our beautiful chapel which sits in a neighborhood of small homes, each one surrounded by wrought iron fencing with apartment buildings interspersed with most first floor windows and doors covered with security bars.  Nearby is a commercial building that is occupied by an agency that works to help Africans assimilate.  The diversity is palpable.

 This is one example of the little homes we find as we look for people.  Some are much smaller, some are in nicely restored neighborhoods, but all are tiny homes built about mid-century.
We don't know who lives here but they have received a letter introducing ourselves, explaining why we are writing to them, followed by some basic information about the restoration of the church, focusing on the role Oliver Cowdery played in the translation of the Book of Mormon and then a picture of our beautiful chapel inviting them to join us, with our meeting times.  We hope they will be enticed.  When we visit a home like this they usually don't have a phone or they have not responded to our calls.

One family of at least three generations in our ward lives in this home.  With no ability to contact them by phone we have struggled to visit.  Finally we caught a man at home who appeared to have not washed his body or clothes since he became an adult and obviously did not live by the Word of Wisdom.  He dismissed us quickly.  The gospel once blessed his life.

This past week one of our assignments was to inspect the apartments of 5 sets of missionaries.
When we turned in our reports, which were all very good (we have obedient missionaries) we drove around San Diego Mesa Community College.  The mission office occupies what was once the institute building across the street from the campus full of large buildings, set literally on a mesa.  Below is the entrance with what we assume is the administration building in the foreground.  Many of the buildings are set on the edge of the canyon which is to the left of this picture.  Obviously, the campus demographics have changed in such a way that an institute was no longer viable in that location.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Mesa Community College

 If you were to turn around from taking this picture and look exactly opposite from the campus you would see the beautiful canyon in the picture below.  This is only one of many, many canyons all over the city.  Sometimes a freeway follows the bottom of a canyon, or as in this case a road.  Many times the canyons are steep and deep, untouched and covered with greenery.  Everything around here seems much more green than in the Los Angeles area, but maybe that is because it is winter.  Only time will tell.  With the rain we have enjoyed

all this day, things will definitely be greener for

awhile and ducks in creek by our property will

be very happy.

Now lest you think we never do missionary work, below is a picture of Elder Smith on the left and Elder Sheppard.  We are hoping when transfer calls come this week neither will be moved.   Because of their diligence, most of the success we have had can be attributed to their help.  They helped us find a single mom with three boys who has come to church with us and expresses sincere desires to turn her life back to gospel living.  We have met with and taught a single man and his young adult son because they thought he would appreciate a relationship with a senior couple. They came to church today.  He  has been inactive since he was 17.  Another woman we are meeting with is a single mom with 4 children and she came to church today.  Our Muslim Egyptian friend did not come today but we will meet with him Tuesday to teach him that God is not just a "force" but a God with body, parts and passions.  Before this week is over we will have given two Family Home Evening lessons to our little families with the single moms, hopefully have convinced our wonderful Egyptian friend that God is a being with whom we can talk and our friendly inactive that he wants to come to church regularly.  Our work is what our returned missionary boys term "real mission work", looking in strange places for missing people, rejoicing when they return.  One last happy story.  At the end of our list of people to find yesterday afternoon was a convert of a few months.  He hadn't been to our ward for about a month.  We found him home, happy to see us, warm and friendly and going to the older singles ward in the area.  As we visited we could tell he understands gospel principles and is happy to be a Latter-day Saint.  That news will make the elders  smiles even bigger.  Now that is success!