Funny Sister Van Tielen

So, we were sitting together in Relief Society, Sister Van Tielen and I ... when the clipboard came around. Sister Van Tielen took one look at the top sheet that had today's date and the word "Rolls" on it and asked me, "What activity are the rolls for and why do we need so much bread?" Isn't she just precious!!!

Schedule Change

Well, it was inevitable, really. My biggest fear when I started this mission was that my assigned ward would meet early in the morning. When I found out that the Pioneer 25th Ward meets at 1:00 P.M., I was so happy! I guess the Lord sought fit to humble me. Bishop Angilau announced today in Sacrament Meeting that starting August 21st, our ward will be meeting at 8:00 A.M. to accomodate the extra ward who will be utilizing our building while the new Stake Center is being build. We won't move up to the 10:00 A.M. block until the new year and will continue to change meeting schedule every four months. Ai yay yay! I don't get up in time to go into work at 9:00 A.M. on the weekdays ... how am I going to do this? Well, whatever it takes ... I'll be there. Maybe this will make a morning person out of me and I'll learn to be more productive that early in the morning. If I've learned anything from my life experiences, it is that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor and to never say "never!"

Busy Sunday

What a busy Sunday I've had. Started out with my first Welfare Meeting in the Pioneer 25th Ward. As we discussed families of concern, I am amazed at the love this bishopric, its leaders and the service missionaries have for them. I'm glad I can make a contribution. My companion ROCKS! She is so funny and quite the mover and shaker! I wish we had some assignments in common. I'm sure that time will come when the appropriate family is in need of us.

Sister Van Tielen and I gave talks in church. Funny how we each interpret the same assignment so differently. She gave a talk and sang about keeping the Sabbath day holy. I introduced myself and shared my experience of becoming a service missionary in the SL Inner City Project. Bishop Angilau's son, Willey, gave his missionary farewell talk. I think he'll be a fine missionary. He cried when his dad gave some closing remarks. I think he'll miss his family a lot, but that's all part of the missionary experience.

I came prepared to teach a lesson in the YA Sunday School class, but it was decided that for the next few weeks, we will be joining the Temple Preparation class instead. Brother Machon did a great job in getting people to participate. I look forward to great lessons which will serve as reminders of the great blessings available in the temples.

Ward Enrichment Night

I walked into Enrichment tonight thinking that they had not finished setting up the seats, so I offered to help. The Enrichment Counselor, Sister Betsy Young, told me that setting up a dozen chairs is a sign of optimism. Wow! When I was an Enrichment Counselor, we usually planned enough refreshment for about 50 each month. I remember a particular meeting when we exceeded our goal and got over 80 people there and my committee and I had to run out and get more food. I'm sure the low attendance can be attributed to mothers having to feed their families and get them situated for the evening before they can be at the Enrichment Meeting at 6:30. I'm sure it's even worse for the single moms or if husbands are not home by that time, who's going to watch the kids? Singles take so much for granted ...

Anya Pasi and I went out for some dim sum at the Hong Kong Tea House after Enrichment. What a fun place! Must remember to dim sum there again ...

Young Adult Sunday School Class

Well, I taught my very first Sunday School class yesterday. We had five people come ... that's better than none. I don't think I gave a very good lesson. I was sweating bullets -- don't know if it was because I was so nervous or if the AC wasn't working ... I think a bit of both. The participation was minimal. I need to get these kids to talk. I'll have to ask more questions, I guess ...

The young adults are pretty cool. One of them, Ricky, just graduated from high school. He's working as a telemarketer right now. He wants to go to culinary school because he likes "good eats" and maybe even more schooling to study mathematics. Big and tough looking, but really a nice guy.

Marlene is the Bishop's daughter. She is very pretty. Quiet and a beautiful smile. Very supportive of her dad and has a great love for her family.

Willy, the Bishop's son, will leave for the MTC in a couple of weeks. Already took his endowments out and looking forward to Seattle. I asked if he's got a good raincoat yet ... just said, "yup". He was the last one in the class and first one out of my class room.

Anya was there with her only nephew, Tevita (cute 1-year-old boy). She is so sweet and always have a smile on her face. I was grateful for the comments she offered on the lesson.

Dinah is new to the ward and is the oldest in the class. She is Filipino, served her mission on Temple Square about four years ago, working at some Australian health supplement place at some really weird hours (4:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.) and is living with an elderly woman in the ward, Sister Smith.

I hope as we get to know each other better, the young adults in the class will feel more at ease and will participate more. I'll have to better prepare next week's lesson and be sure to incorporate more opportunities for them to participate in.

SL Pioneer Stake Conference

We had Stake Conference this past weekend. There were a couple of talks that really impressed me. The first one was a testimony by a Latino brother at the Adult Session on Saturday. He spoke in broken English, but the Spirit was strong and I understood him perfectly and WOW! He spoke of how his father taught him as a young man to accept callings (no matter how big of challenge you think it might be), of the need to implement the principles you've learned and to share that knowledge with others. Watching and listening to this brother's talk and how nerveous he was reminded me a lot of my very first talk in English. I was about ten-years-old and I read Psalm 23 in a sacrament meeting. Mom and dad helped me write the whole chapter phonetically in Indonesian. I was so nerveous, but I remember people coming up to me afterwards and told me what a great job I did. Of course, I had to do the same with this brother, I think he appreciated the support and encouragement.

The Sunday Session of conference was a good one too. The talk that hit home with me was one on reverence for our church buildings. The speaker quoted Leviticus 19:30:

Ye shall keep my sabbaths,

and reverence my sanctuary:

I am the LORD.

I like that ... we've been taught to revere our temples, but I think that was the first time I've ever heard how we need to treat our church building with reverence. I had to pass the scripture along to Kent Hepworth who is in charge of getting my home ward chapel cleaned up.

Ward Assignment

I finally met with Bishop Angilau and got my ward assignment ... I am to "restart" the Young Adult program in the ward. The few friends I called Sunday night laughed at the irony that I left my home single adult ward only to be called to work with the single adults. It is somewhat different in that I will be working with the young single adults in the ward between the ages of 18 and 30.

We are going to start by having a Young Adult Sunday School class first. As attendance increases and needs are assessed, we will start having activities. The main focus of the program will be to prepare the single adults attend the temple. Many are not recommend holders and Bishop Angilau would like them to start working toward that goal. I've contacted a single sister in the ward and will work with her in increasing awareness of the program and inviting them out to join us.

YW/Enrichment Night

Sister Van Tielen is so adorable. I called her this afternoon to find out if there's anything I need to be aware of and she told me of tonight's meeting. She asked if she could bring me a sandwich for dinner, since I was coming straight from work. Hanna was waiting for me at the curb when I pulled up. Cute!

It has been so long since I've been in a family ward that this experience of going to a combined RS/YW Enrichment meeting is a new one for me. I think that this is exactly what I need to feel more comfortable in family wards. Tonight we went to workshops on yoga, journals, and gardening.

Inner City Project: Training and Assignment

I went to training this past weekend. Those who know me know that I'm not a morning person. So, to have to be out of the house before 7:30 a.m. was a bit of a concern to me. I didn't sleep well Friday night and woke up several times because I was afraid I might have missed the alarm. But I made it just fine to my training meetings and was actually wide awake without the aid of a Coke.

Here come exciting part ... I have a mission companion! She is a 78-year-old widow called Hanna Van Tielen. Initially, Hanna expressed some concern over my work schedule. She doesn't want to do night visits for safety reasons. But when we were assigned as companions, she willingly agreed to some early evening appointments. Then we got our ward assignment -- the Pioneer 25th Ward. Ha! Before her husband died and Hanna moved to Murray, she lived in the Pioneer 26th Ward area. She already knows half of the people who meet in our building! I hope she feels much more at ease now that we are in her old stompin' ground. Just like Elder Bednar talked about ... another example of the tender mercies of the Lord.

Icing on the cake ... Since I won't be around next week to go to my newly assigned ward, I decided to go to the ward and introduce myself to the Bishop. As, I drove to the chapel, I recognized the neighborhood. So, after sacrament meeting, I asked the Bishop's counselors if they might know my friend who lives about a block away from the chapel ... I've been assigned to Kurt Gibbons' home ward! What are the chances???

My new ward is very diverse. I saw Polynesians, Asians, Hispanic and a good dose of Caucasians. Our bishop is Tongan. This is going to be so much fun!!!