Emily needed some help with washing her hair. Lewis subbed in the Mission Office and took the calls and accepted all of the mail and packages that are involved with a Mission. Emily is so cheerful even right after surgery. Ella is delightful and I love to be with this family. She will need help this month. Her children are very helpful and complain very little. Edgar is a good cook and he is helpful when he is home. The sisters volunteered some of their quick and easy dinners. I typed them up and brought a few items that I didn't think she already had on hand. We also bought several packages of Sukhi's Tikka Masala from Costco. It is cooked and only needs heating up. Someone in the ward brought this product to them and the whole family liked it.
Mindy is updating the Morris Directory for Christmas time. I am so grateful that she is willing to keep that going. Our family is huge these days. Huge and wonderful.
I was so happy to view President Nelson's video in connection with the annual Christmas Devotional. It seemed so personal to me. I need to watch it often. This is the link: https://youtu.be/OtVTdadTx2TnaU?si=L8a3ph1kw0Hgi4Va It is on YouTube The Light of Jesus Christ. Christmas Message. President Nelson.
We drove to Palmdale to help drive back 10 brand-new Volkswagons. Tiguan is the model. I thought it was great. Thankfully we all got them back to Ventura in brand-new shape. We were short one person so we went again with Brothe Nixon who is the car coordinator to get the last one. I haven't made that drive for many decades. I enjoyed it. Lots more going on in that region than I had seen before. When we got back Lewis made bread and we took a loaf to the Ramirez family. We are hoping that they will come to the Branch Christmas dinner this week. They were not at home but the dad, Carlos talked with us through the doorbell with his phone even though they were out shopping.
We have visited with several families. They all liked the bread. One house was at the end of a long lane where you could only see orchards and fields green with plants. The sun was setting and the colors over the mountains were beautiful. I had never seen more of Somis than the houses on Lewis Road. We caught the sister of the woman who is a member. And we talked with the son of a member on Murray Avenue. Across the street all the way east to the corner. Turned out that these three didn't come to the dinner but we tried. Emily had her drain removed and is feeling better with that out of her body. She is a trooper and doing well. The most useful thing I was able to do was sew on Emmett's new badges.
We went to the Court of Honor with the Arellanos. Emmett got three merit badges and his Star award. He is so great. He doesn't mind being up in front of people. Emily wants him to be in the school play and he agrees to get involved.
We had a Senior Missionary Dinner at the home of Presidente and Sister Rodriguez. They made fajitas and we all brought things. Everything was delicious. We brought Mexican rice and brownies. Afterward, we sang Christmas carols and had fun talking with each other. It was a lovely way to share in Christmas cheer. The next day was the Ponderosa Branch Christmas dinner. I was amazed at how lovely the cultural hall looked. there was a huge painting of the Salt Lake Temple and a winter scene. There was a velvet chair in front and fluffy white "snow" on the ground. It was perfect for the guests to take photos of each other after the dinner. There was also a new painting on wood of a Christmasy scene with the lettering of the Ponderosa Branch prominently featured. Brother Rivera made the first one a year ago and the second one for this occasion. They also had a huge screen and a full DJ set up for the dance after the dinner. President and Sister Parra bought lots of food. They brought 9 Costco roasted chickens in case not enough food arrived. It wasn't early but things did roll in. So much delicious food and desserts. Lots of drink choices. We brought enchiladas, rice, a big salad and brownies. Everyone was delighted with the food, the families and friends that came, the video of the Savior, the music to listen to, and the opportunity to sing two Christmas carols. People took a ton of photos. A large frame had been painted with Christmas symbols and families held it up in front of them for a group photo. Brother Stevenson was Santa's brother and worked in the toy shop at the beginning and during the dinner. Later he was Santa himself at the end with a lap to sit on and there were little gifts for the children. He addressed the group in Spanish and they were impressed. Trudy Yeates had been invited so she could play the piano for the carols. Also, Sister Parra's friend Sarah was there so we had a nice time with English conversation. A father and his daughter came. Turned out that she speaks no Spanish so the English was appreciated. He is a member or is close to becoming a member and came to see Elder Nelson who is returning home in a few days. He had a lot of appreciative remarks about the missionaries. He has a lot of respect for the manner in which they taught and shared but never pushed and showed respect for his perspective. It was a perfect day to begin to build the Ponderosa that will be more powerful as we move forward.
The El Camino Real Ward had their Primary Program and it was wonderful. They had a young girl who likes to be a chorister so she helped. She was adorable signalling to stand up and sit down. The person at the microphone to assist each child with their lines was a Primary girl. She did a great job. The Primary president is the Bishop's wife. She was in the congregation so all of the children could see her. It was a lovely Sacrament Meeting. In the Ponderosa Branch, the President and his wife are in Mexico for the week. Brother Law is still in Utah with a sick grandchild (though he attends all of the leader's meetings via Zoom.) Brother Rivera was all alone. Carlos and his family came and they joined us for Sunday School also. Yay. The Gonzalez couple came for the first time in a very long time. And Georgina the grandma with the precocious granddaughter came again as well.
Emmett received his Patriarchal Blessing today. Emily was in tears telling us what a special experience that was for their family.
Edgar's Birthday. We had a wonderful birthday dinner with cakes. His brother Omar and his family came to celebrate. It was a very pleasant afternoon. The Camarillo Christmas Program was after that but we bowed out. We were tired.
We continue to deliver bread that Lewis has made. We had plans to go Christmas caroling with the leaders of Ponderosa but sickness struck and that hasn't happened yet. Our medical things are coming together. We have both been tested and received refills on our pills. I learned that Jo Ann Stockwell broke her hip and I am chatting with her by phone. Katy, my ministering sister has asked me for our address. I have written a Christmas Letter. I used too many words but it is hard to cover a year on one page.
November 29th is Emily's last surgery. At least that is what we are
all praying for. We were asked to go to the Mission Tour Conference in the Ventura Stake
Center. It is a twice-a-year Mission Tour. Elder and Sister Makay and Elder and
Sister Dushku. (I assume that Elder Makay is a member of the GA Seventies and
Elder Dushku is an Area Seventy.) They and their wives are very good speakers
and love visiting with the missionaries. I loved how the women spoke as well as
their husbands and were also excellent speakers with perhaps even more love for
the missionaries. Including the Senior Missionaries. All of the southern part
of the mission was in attendance and the 2 northern groups were joining in on Zoom. Three days and we each get one day live.
Aaron asked for photos of the Pettingill/Barnard group when
Jen was a teenager. I don’t have the negatives so I asked Paige to take a photo
of the photo. Maybe that will work for him. I sent him a couple of photos of
the two of us and some of Lewis’ parents. Hopefully, it will suit his desire
to add Jen’s side of the family to their heritage corner. Lewis put up the
photos of his parents and one of Deanna on Family Search. I finally ate the
persimmon from our neighbor. I liked it. Lewis was not impressed.
Emily’s surgery didn’t begin until the afternoon. Edgar got
her home but she didn’t “wake up” until bedtime. She did have some nausea but
the pain level was not severe. We went to read with Yayo and the sisters.
Went to Emily’s house. She was up and eating. She is uncomfortable but doing pretty well. She needs to keep her elbows down. So she will just have little T-Rex arms for a month. We did laundry and I swept the floors. I made their favorite soup, Chup. Busy household when the kids get home. They are selling more and delivering the already-purchased poinsettias tonight. Evan is delivering. Ella is going to accompany him. Emmett and Edgar are selling in front of a store. We brought home one for our apartment. It is lovely and bigger than I thought it would be. Merry Christmas is coming.
El Camino Real Ward had Edwardo speak and he gave a sincere
talk. I was proud of him. Luis always is involved with the Sacrament every
week. Hope these young men stay on the covenant path. Sister Andrews moved way
up north. I will miss her. We still have Sister Woolley and she has a newbie
who was born as a Spanish speaker. Her last name is Santa Maria.
Sister Bradford left but her two former companions in their trio are ready to
keep it going. Sister Barker and Sister Moon.
Ponderosa Branch – We went to the early meeting. We have two
brand new male missionaries and that is all. Presidente Parra was concerned
that there were 80 people at the dinner and we don’t know the contact info for
all of the investigators. I hope they have the info. They should have it all on
the app that we don’t have access to. They seem to be great missionaries and we
should be able to keep the momentum rolling. There was a new woman in Sacrament
Meeting. She came in later and I didn’t get a chance to speak with her. She
seems comfortable and involved. Hope so. The attendance was very small. The
missionaries spoke and did a very good job. I was able to understand them
because they speak the complete words and native speakers don’t always. We
rehearsed. We are a choir and will sing one carol next week as we meet with the
Valley Vista Ward. Christmas is coming! We chatted with Emily a bit. She had
been hurting but the pain was diminishing. Edgar is out of town. The kids are
helping. I keep trying to offer assistance but she hasn’t called us yet.
6:00 Sacrament Meeting – El Camino Real holds a late
Sacrament Meeting for those who work on Sundays. This is the only way the field
workers can come to church. There is usually 10 or more members and
investigators. We got to sit next to Cynthia who has her baptism scheduled for
next Saturday. That is very inconvenient because that is when the Morris Cookie
Party is scheduled in Palmdale. But the mission comes first. This woman is not
a field worker. She speaks English very well. We will need to get to know her.
We already talked about the Temple excursion happening on January 6th.
She started to cry at the end of the Sacrament. I felt that we all should be
crying. The Spirit was really there and the talks were simple and strong. Our
Bishop closed his talk by singing a Spanish carol that I had never heard before.
It was beautiful. We are privileged to be here. Brother Bacigalupi talked with
us afterward and suggested that we go to the Mission Leader meetings with the
young missionaries. We will ask for permission. I hope that works out and
doesn’t happen at a time when we need to be in Camarillo.
David is at work but Jenny and Andrew are
sick. Some flu virus that is clingy. Hope they are all feeling well soon. Lewis made 3 more
loaves of bread. We went to the Mission Office and gave a loaf to the Perrys.
President and Sister Rodriguez were there and we forgot one for them. We went
to the Cardiologist that Kaiser assigned Lewis to. They took his blood pressure
and did an electrocardiogram. His LDL was 136 and it should be under 100. His
blood pressure 169/90. Not good numbers.
The doctor talked him into taking a different cholesterol-lowering
prescription. He will take the statin that he recommended and the blood
pressure med as well. We went to Winco and decided to get a big box of fishy
crackers and a very big bag of M&Ms for our white elephant gifts on
Christmas Eve. Sent the Morris Directory and Christmas letters to our kids.
Lewis made bread. We delivered a loaf to Evarardo Corral. In the
sunlight, we could find a way to enter the property. He is a very active member
but the only one in his family as far as I know. There were a couple of places
we still couldn’t find and people who were not a home. We found Carlos Pallo da
Costa. He is a college student studying to work in a doctor’s office and is nearly
certified. He hasn’t been to church in quite a while. He said that he is not
very comfortable with Spanish. His mother came out to thank us for making the
bread and bringing it to her son. She told us that she was born in Portugal and
lived in Spain where her children were born. She said she has been here for 23
years. She is not a member but she knows Julia Zurcher and admires her. She speaks
English very well and lives in an impressive house in Lakeshore, behind where
we used to live. She lives next to the lake. Wve we went back again
to try to find Ismael on Glen Drive. We found Diego who said Ismael left about a year ago. We
gave the bread to Diago and invited him to church. When we went to the English
Connect class. Lewis told the missionaries that they should visit Diego.
Unfortunately, no one came to the class tonight. We asked the missionaries
again to please call us when they need help to teach a female who lives alone
or whenever we could be helpful.
I finished sending the Christmas Letter to all the people.
We have a lot of family and even some wonderful friends. We learned that we are needed to
carry the office tomorrow. We made cornbread and another soup. Presidente Parra
suggested that the leaders fast beginning Wednesday evening. We stopped eating
at 2:00 and are glad to join that effort. We are fasting for President Law of the branch. He had a heart attack. We went with the sisters to visit Yayo but the
elders came as well and the sisters went to visit with someone else. Yayo had
cut his hair and it needed some help so after we read chapter 4 of Jacob in
the Book of Mormon, we excused ourselves and the elders stayed a little longer
to help with the haircut. Our first time with elders on a visit. They are
invested and inspired as well. Yay for missionaries.
Zone Conference was held at the Thousand Oaks Stake Center
with two chapels (kind of like the one in Van Nuys when I was young.) Each of
the 11 districts had been given a Book of Mormon prophet and they were to
respond to the qualities that were taught by that prophet to his people. They
also were to perform a musical number. It was fun to hear from each missionary,
and they had fun musical ideas. Voices with and without piano, cello, guitars,
violin and went from very simple to fairly impressive. It was both fun and
inspiring as the missionaries told what had been significant to them
personally. The Senior Missionaries had Elder Parry assigned to speak and we
all sang Silent Night together. The food was delicious. They had pulled port
and tender slices of beef, fancy and delicious mashed potatoes, salad, and
orange and banana pieces plus fluffy rolls. The desserts were amazing but I
didn’t go look and see what was on that big table. The missionaries felt like
they had a special Christmas dinner. The tables we decorated and the napkins
were the nicest I have ever seen that are disposable. President Rodriguez spoke
about choosing a gift for Jesus Christ that we would individually focus on all
year. He passed out little boxes and a card inside to write out our gift. This
is a thoughtful commitment he is asking for and an important opportunity for
us.
We got there early enough to help set up the table settings.
The office missionaries had made the meal. President and Sister Rodrigues
cooked the meat (I think). Sister Moon made 50 pounds of potatoes. They all
worked very hard, planned, and executed all of the plans. They have another one
tomorrow.
The showstopper was the pinata and the Rodrigues. She put on
the blindfold and he moved the pinata at just the right time. They set it up in the cultural hall and it
must have been industrial grade. All of the women and about half of the guys
got three swats and no candy was appearing. They were very good at manipulating
the pinata. Finally, they let some guys pound it without the blindfold. They
had to tear it apart with their hands to get all of the candy out. It was fun
to watch and the missionaries enjoyed every minute of the activity.
Lewis and I went in early and started washing dishes. We
haven’t done any cleanup so far and wanted to help. We did almost all of the dishwashing.
It was hard on Lewis’ back but we did make it a lot easier for them to get the
job done. We found out later that we missed the photo. Oh well. They borrowed
the SLC Temple painting that President Rivera made and hung it on the wall in
the cultural hall. It is beautiful and lots of the missionaries took lots of
photos.
In the evening we went with Sister Moon and Sister Barker to
visit Francisco Plascencia. We also went with them to visit a young man
who is an investigator. His apartment is surprising and colorful because he has
the walls lined with small boxes of plastic toys. Things like Pokémon - Floor
to ceiling. I thought there couldn’t be children because they would want to
play with them but we did meet a 5-year-old girl. Nothing was out of order and
she spoke amazingly well with all of the adults. The visits open and close with
prayer. There are scriptures and discussions.
The missionaries do well and grow close to the people they teach. A
member joined us for the second visit. That is great because over time missionaries
disappear and the members usually remain.
Lewis made more bread. We took a loaf to Francisco Plascencia. He was pleased. We always read the Book of Mormon together. I do the Duolingo lessons a couple of times a day and the We Believe app
The El Camino Ward had a lovely meeting. Several musical
numbers. The missionaries sang. The girl who plays the piano sang an amazing
very timely Christmas song that I had never heard before. Four men sang
together with another one on his guitar. A woman spoke and I understood little.
She spoke very softly. Bishop Mario Corona gave a wonderful talk. I like
him. Very sincere and open with his feelings. He is a good man! Cynthia
found us after the meeting. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find her. She
said she found a job and will start right after Christmas. She is happy and I
hope that it will be a good experience for her. The Spanish people are so much
more open than gringos are. They want to greet everyone and wish each person a
Felix Navidad. We could learn from them. This is the little Christmas tree that a member gave to me.
Then we went to the Ponderosa Branch in Camarillo. We practiced our song - Angels We Have Heard on High. Last week Sister Parra drilled us in how best to sing. She was very helpful. Brother Zurcher is back so he took over. We were meeting in the chapel with the Valley Vista ward (Emily’s ward). The program was 7 different songs. There was the ward choir, four men, a mom, and two small children, the Lassen Family, the Primary – Ella was the tallest one. Come January we won’t have any grandchildren in Primary any more. But we do have great-grandchildren. They sang a song that I had never heard before. It was all about Joy and they sang it with a lot of enthusiasm and joy. It was perfect. And there was the Ponderosa choir. It was anyone they could find that would practice and show up. I was surprised that it turned out so well. Everyone had red on top and black skirts or pants. And in my humble opinion, it was well sung. I was happy to be part of it. And I got to get a hug from Charlene Bushman before the meeting started.Then both President Parra and Bishop Sean Terry each spoke. They were short talks but very relevant and heart-felt. It was a beautiful day.
This is Ella singing with the Primary. She will be a Young Woman in January.
We went home and went back at 4:00 with a salad for Christmas Eve dinner. The
Oxnard Arellanos were delayed but it all came together. We had Lucy, Omar and
his family, Christian and his son, and Mizraim's daughter, Letzea, who is probably 26
and is an engineer in Mexico. She drove to the border and flew from Texas. In Mexico, she was clipped by another car that was passing, and her car was flipped five
times before it came to rest. Fortunately, she is still living. She is a
beautiful girl and her ribs are very sore indeed and she has many bruises. The insurance is taking care of everything and she will recover. The car at
fault never even stopped to see if she was all right. She speaks English quite
well as do the rest of them except for Lucy. I had difficulty understanding
Lucy but we all had a great time and enjoyed the delicious food. After dinner
and dessert, we played the white elephant game. Everyone brought a wrapped present. We got random numbers and we opened presents in order. Each person
could get a present from the pile or they could steal a previously opened
present. We all had fun and everyone was at least mildly happy with their
present. There were a lot of cosmetic items (I got a package of bath bombs)
watches, toys, candy, fish crackers. The little boys got presents chosen for
them so they were thrilled. It was a very comfortable time with good people and we
all enjoyed ourselves. The Arellano group went to see the Christmas lights but
we chose to go home. Lucy had spent all of her time finishing Ella’s blanket.
She made a fluffy soft blanket with elephants and Ella’s name. She crocheted
all of the edges. She spent a lot of time and love. Very kind of Lucy. Ella was
pleased.
We learned that Khristine is still struggling. One ear is quite a bit better but the almost normal ear is now worse. She can’t sleep. They are trying so many different things to relax her enough to sleep. Doctors say she must wait two more weeks for the procedure to heal. David says that Jenny and Andrew are getting better but are still coughing. Her father is still sick as well. No fun but it will get better over time. Dan is on his trip. Tea is not feeling very well. Beverly is babysitting Jessica’s dog and enjoying the company. She says she needs the two weeks to rest up and be ready to go back to school. Leiann, Cary, and Paige spent time with the Walkers. They all had a great time together. We talked with Christie. Travis will have a long difficult recovery from his ankle fusion. When it is healed, he will need to spend time with the therapists to learn to walk differently and help his muscles strengthen and work in a new way. Nancy is still sick but improving. Christmas did happen and they all enjoyed being together.
We loved spending time with the Arellanos. We went over in the afternoon and watched a silly movie and played games. We enjoyed enchiladas that contained cheese and chopped-up Migas mixed with a Hatch chili salsa. They were very good and everyone loved the fruit salad. Lovely day to wind down and enjoy being together. We are still enjoying all of the treats. Yummy. My sister Chris sent a supply of her signature chocolate-covered toffee. I do like it. We also got a gift box from The Somis Nut House and a big selection of nuts from Emily as well. Emily gave me a beautiful necklace that has a tree in a circle. Perfect for my push for family history and also for the new emphasis on the scriptures beginning with the Tree of Life and ending with the Tree of Life again when the Savior returns. I love it. Emily also bought me a box of Almond Roca which is a very long tradition. I still love them. Rich and Khristine sent us the newest book by President Nelson, Heart of the Matter. I’m thrilled to have that. Sister Russell gave us a lovely card and each of us now has a Christmas ornament that has our names, the dates, and the name of our mission. It is the perfect way to honor this mission each year. We received lots of cards and good wishes and we thank all who reached out to us!
Went to the doctor for Lewis’ appointment. His blood
pressure is too high and his LDL number is too high. The doctor wasn’t to
worried about his A1C but it is 6.6 and 6.5 is the top value for pre-diabetes.
Lewis needs to improve his eating and so does his wife. I asked to have Dr.
Cruz be my doctor too since I haven’t met the one that was assigned to me. I
will go on Thursday and see what he has to say to me. I will ask about my
coughing and my skin problems. We went to the English Collect class at the Oxnard
Stake Center. Sisters Barker and Moon had been asked to teach the class. Everyone had earlier appointments. The class started late but
Hermano Gonzalez of the bishopric was there and Victor and Edwardo. The sisters
were teaching how to pray in English. It went well. Sister Woolley and Sister
Santa Maria came in near the end with Luis. It was his birthday and he had a
big pizza and a big bottle of soda. But first, they taught a lesson on the First
Vision. It was very touching I thought and it looked like the others were
feeling it also. Victor must be an investigator. I haven’t met him yet. Edwardo
and Luis are members and involved with the Sacrament each week. I’m glad I was
there. Lots of energy and informality with Luis but he is serious about the
Gospel and anxious to share it with others. Perhaps Victor will join them as a
member. It isn’t an easy thing to learn English but they are putting in the
effort and can make progress. Lewis felt he needed to have a piece of pizza so
he didn’t make Luis uncomfortable. He enjoyed eating it.
Went for a walk as always. It is 52 degrees in the mornings but the sky is clear now. I dived into our book from Khristine. It is wonderful! Everyone should read The Heart of the Matter by President Nelson. So lovely to have the good wishes and lovely photos from family members. Leiann had included a gift card from Deseret Books as well as our box of fruit and nuts. I wrote an email to the church to find out if there is an employment office near here and how to learn more about Pathway.
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