Elder & Sister

On Sunday, May 26th, we met with our stake president, President Jacob Lonsdale to be set apart as full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  

Clare, Sammi, Brock and Lydia attended and Erin, Andrew & Cierra joined us via FaceTime.

We were given some pretty great blessings.  Pat was told that he needed to be patient as he would teach a lot of things to others.  I would have the desires of my heart realized.  We should council together.  I can't recall the others things at this very moment but it was all good.

We will be flying to Salt Lake City on June 1st.  We'll spend the day with Andrew and Cierra.  Erin will join us on Sunday.  Then we'll go to Provo Sunday night and stay with Bill and Hawley Barrett.  On Monday morning about 10:30 we report to the Missionary Training Center for 5 days of Preach My Gospel training.

Exciting times ahead!

Releases

Pat and I have served as the Area Temple and Family History Consultants for the past two and a half years.  It's been a calling we weren't sure what we were supposed to do...at first.  There is no handbook for this calling.  Elder Scott is our area Seventy and he extended the call to us on December 4, 2016.  I was very unsure of how things would go.

Fast forward a few months and we began getting our legs under us.  We did our best to get our stake presidencies and high councilors trained and have them get a stake Lead in place.  By the way, the stake lead is no longer a calling.  

When we felt we could no longer move forward, we decided to go out and speak in the units.  We were quite effective at that.  We enjoyed going out and speaking in the units around the stakes.  We were as far north as Houghton, as far west as Prairie du Chien, over to Sturgeon Bay and as far south as Racine and Monroe.  We put on a lot of miles!

Elder Scott was in the area on May 10th and requested that we meet for him to extend our official release.  We invited him over for breakfast and visited about our efforts.  It was a little sad to leave this calling because we both loved it so much.  But there are things waiting in the wings in only a few weeks.

 We went to St. Paul on May 17th and 18th for our usual monthly temple trip.  I wasn't too sure about working in the temple when Pat submitted our names just prior to his release.  I didn't know if I would like it.  Again I was so wrong.  I loved it!  

As we finished our shift on Saturday afternoon, President and Sister Payne met with us in his office to extend our release.  This release was so much harder and bittersweet. We have worked with so many wonderful people over the course of our time in the temple.  I will miss them but will also miss being able to be the conduit through which sisters receive their ordinances.  I've felt the Spirit so many times.  I've had experiences where I know that God is pleased with my efforts.  I distinctly recall the first time I worked an endowment session.  As I was helping sisters, I felt that I was the Savior's hands.  It was so incredible.  I held back the tears as I was so touched.

While visiting with President,I was really thankful that he never actually said the words, "You're released."  I know I would have cried.  It was all I could do to hold them back as it was.  I look forward to the day when we can return again to be ordinance workers.  

Times and seasons in life are wonderful!

Her Name is Kim

In mid-February my brother Pat came over to tell me the world was coming to an end.  Rosy, who had been working at the Wood Fiber for 31 years had found a new job.  She gave us two weeks notice.  I immediately sent out feelers to find someone to hire.  I took over the job at the end of February and worked March and into April. I continually looked for someone who needs a job.  Still I had no one. 

I was beginning to stress about it.  I had Clare coming to the mill each Monday to learn to do the paperwork.  I figured someone needs to know how to do it in case whomever the new hire is, would need to be gone on a Monday due to vacation or would quit.  I was waking up at night and spending hours awake trying to figure it out.  I prayed over and over that I would find someone.  Each time I thought I had someone, it turned out to be a dead end. 

One day in Mid-April I was talking to Chad about the need to find someone and asked him if he knew anyone needing a job.  He said his sister-in-law was looking for a new job.  She called me the next day and we set up a time the following Monday morning for her to come in and see what the job was.  She seemed interested but had an interview with the Stockbridge tribe for a job opening there. She was supposed to know on Friday if she got that job.  Then it was changed to Friday and then it was sometime the next week.

I woke up early one Monday morning and went to the livingroom and got down on my knees and poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father.  I told him how I needed someone this week to hire so I could train them.  I felt really good and settled when I went back to bed.

That day at work I didn't stress about the fact that I didn't have a replacement for Rosy.  The next day was the same.  Just at the end of the day, Kim called me and asked if I still was looking to hire someone.  I told her, "Absolutely!"  She told me she could start the next week.  I felt so good about the fact that I had someone.  No only someone, but the person that God picked out. 

As I was recalling my experience to Pat, he sat in the chair and tears flowed from his eyes.  I, once again, was assured that my Heavenly Father cares about me and what happens to my company.  I've seen miracle after miracle at this company and this was just the latest one.