Zone Conferences - Three Days Worth

We had Zone Conferences March 1, 2, & 3. We have 9 zones in our mission. We are spread out quite a ways, so we bring 3 together at one place, rather than try and get them all into Santa Rosa. Missionaries with cars are allotted a certain number miles they can drive each month, and a gas card to pay for the gas. So, we don't want them to use up their miles and gas traveling to meetings. Zone Conferences were good. The President's message is on our mission blog. Also, Sister Bunker puts pictures of all our meetings on the blog. Thought you might like to see a few I took. Remember, we're at 3 different places.

Assistants to the President (And a District leader)

Elders Bevan, Hancock, Harper, & Manciati

These young men are three of the Assistants to the President. Elder Manciati is a District Leader in our zone. They were in the office doing their on-line blogging and facebook. Thought I'd let you have a look at them. They are pretty cramped in their office when 4 show up. We are also getting ready for transfers, so lots of discussions and prayers.

More Sad news

Carol Robinson, Jane's sister-in-law ( Larry's wife), died of a massive brain hemorrhage on Friday. She was 66. Larry died of a heart attack at age 43. She will be buried beside him at White Salmon, Washington. They were living at The Dalles, Oregon and running the airport when Larry died. Carol stayed on there with the boys. Families are eternal. They were sealed in the Provo Temple.

Sad News for the Family

Mom & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary picture with all the children, 1987.

Joanne, Jeanne and Phil

Jeanne with her infectious laugh.

Elder Adamson's sister, Jeanne, died of a massive heart attack February 4, 2011. She had been watching TV, got up to get ready for bed, and said she didn't feel well. By the time the paramedics got to their home, she had died. Jeanne and Joanne are twins. They had their 61st birthday just 2 days before this happened. We are all so sad, yet so grateful for the knowledge we have as a family of God's plan for us to return to Him. We all had a chance to visit with Jeanne at the Adamson Family reunion in August. It was a tearful goodbye because she didn't know when she would be able to make the trip again - if ever. We know of a surety we will see her again..only now it will  be with mom & dad and others when we have all passed on. We love you all and truly believe "Families are Forever".

Fleet Office

I had to sneak into the Fleet Office and catch these two off guard because they are ALWAYS so darn busy I can never get them to pose! Elder Adamson is holding down the Fleet Office until Elder Neuenschwander takes over next month. Elder Anderson had been handling things by himself for about 6 months - too big a job for one person. He's the Fleet Assistant - Advisor. We call him Elderly Elder Anderson to distinguish him from young Elder Anderson (and not because he's 81! - you'd never know it!) He is up and down 3 flights of stairs to the office at least 10 times a day. He is a Service Missionary who wound up staying for 5 years. I think Dad and he would have been the best of friends; same personality, work ethics and outlook on life.

Crider Family

Elder Jackson, Ben, Charmaine, Jessie, President Bunker, Elder Thueson and Devon in front.

Sunday, February 13, 2011, Charmaine Crider was baptized by President Bunker. She and her son, Devon, live in the Stony Point Ward. Her brother, Jessie, was baptized last month. We are so blessed to have them in our ward. Outstanding friends! Her boyfriend, Ben Hoops, lives in Peterson Lane ward but attends ours to be with her. It's a whole new environment for them all, and they bring such testimonies with them. President Bunker even gave Jessie permission to give me a hug. (not allowed!? for any opposite sex - it's hard not to when they feel like family). Elder Adamson gave a talk on Baptism and Sister Adamson gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.

All Mission Conference and Transfers

Monday, January 31 was All Mission Conference in San Rafael. The ones in Eureka left at 2am to make it to the meetings. Also, we had new missionaries flying into Oakland at 9:30am. So transfers needed to be done the same time. And exchanging vehicles.  Whew!!!!!
Elder Kearon form the Seventies and Elder Packer from the Area Presidency were our speakers. They were actually the reason we had the day so full and on a Monday. We had a wonderful day of messages and being uplifted. It is good to meet these brethren and realize they are dads, and working men along with their callings. It was also good to have Sister Bunker attend. She has finished her radiation treatments and is starting to get some strength back. I still don't know how she has been functioning with chemo, operations and radiation. She and President Bunker have been blessed for their service.
We found out we had 60 baptisms in the mission for January - 21 last week.  We know 3 of those baptized in our Ward boundaries. I was asked to speak at a double baptism for 2 sisters and play the piano. Seeing new brothers and sisters and the joy on their faces strengthens my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm learning more each day.

I didn't get any pictures.....what a bummer!

Sacramento Temple

Sisters Bytheway, Stebar, and White. Elders Watts, Lybbert, Bisnet, Marriott, Roper, McMurray, and Williams. All great missionaries!

Today we took the departing missionaries to the Sacramento Temple. It was a great experience. We had never been there. It was like a miniature Mt. Timpanogos Temple. It was really pretty inside. It's 2 1/2 hours from Santa Rosa.

Friends and more food

Our first California seafood dinner was with a wonderful family - Gerald and Julie Gwin. Gerald is not a member, but only in name. They fed us some of the most wonderful crab, shrimp, molluscks, clams, and sauce and bread.. It took 2 hours to eat because of using your hands and talking while you enjoyed the cuisine. Good friends!

Pomo Indian Sister

 This is Sister Franklin. she is a Pomo Indian. There was an instant connection to her and her family. Her husband was branch president for the Lamanite branch when it existed. He has since passed away. I really love her and her family.

This is Tami Lucas. She keeps making quilts for all the general authorities. Her passion is genealogy. She has now been called into the Primary and loves it.  She and Adrienne are very close friend.

Elder and Sister Snow hand over the "Keys to the City - Office"

 Elder and Sister Snow have been handling the office  for a number of months. Elder Anderson has been handling the Fleet by himself. We won't be that ambitious. The Neuenschwanders are coming in March and the Murrays are here 3 days a week so we can have time to  visit and teach "our families". in the Stony Point Ward. The Snows are great people and hard workers. Hope we can fill their shoes. At least I can read Elder Snow's "poker face". He can't help but laugh when he is trying to put one over on the missionaries. Sister Snow keeps volunteering us for KP duty when all 200 missionaries meet. We've got to rope her in.

Senior Missionaries Social

OK, so we do socialize once in awhile. Let me introduce you to the group. From left to right:
 Elder and Sister Snow from Roosevelt, UT, going home on Feb. 8; Elder and Sister Neuenschwander from Star Valley, WY; President and Sister Bunker, our mission president (young aren't they); Elderly Elder Anderson and Sister Anderson, he's 81 and she was his sister-in-law until they married after her sister died...good people and better story; Bro and Sister Stewart, she's the Mission Nurse, and yes the picture tells all; Elder and Sister Murray, Service missionaries who served a full-time mission at the MTC during the time we were there and apparently didn't get enough of the office the first time so they are back. And of course us. All great people and good friends.  This was supposedly a birthday celebration for Sis Snow (Jan12 - 63), myself (Jan 13-62) and Sister Neuenschwander (Jan 26 - 64), but we think it was a farewell party for the Snows. The president was presented with a pair of yellow rain bike pants as a reminder that ALL missionaries are to come with rain gear. Lots of good food and a fun time. Thanks to Sister Snow for putting it together. (Even if it really was her farewell party).

Christmas Day!

 Notice the BYU hoodie I'm wearing. Some things you just have to get for yourself. I'm still in the BGS program at the "Y". They have put me "on hold" until after our mission. I hope I don't have to retake Algebra. Lots of gift cards for fun stuff. I used mine for clothes and a folding camp chair - a lounger (not like mine at home; one that squashes together).  Food gift cards have sure come in handy on long days at the mission office. We also got some copies of the Book of Mormon to hand out. Yahoo!

All I want for Christmas is a new tie!

Christmas Eve at Bishop and Dana Preston's house

Waiting for pie!

Preston Family

Elder Anderson in Bishop's Massage chair.

Enough with the pictures!

We were able to have dinner with the Preston family on Christmas Eve. Elder Jackson and Anderson were there also. Lots of good food, good friends, and music! Ben is heading to USC (not University of South Carolina!), and Bev is heading for Semester abroad. Davy is in 11th grade. Sister Preston is one of the best accompanist around. Bishop Preston is a great singer. Elder Jackson is a professional singer and Elder Anderson is a professional Jazz trumpet player. They are the 2 oldest Elders in the mission...besides Elderly Elder Anderson.

Max's 1st Birthday and Lisa home from the hospital

Really?! This is all mine????!!!!

We were still at Lisa's and Tyler's when Max turned 1. Once he found out he wouldn't be in trouble for sticking his hands in the food, the cake was a goner!

Home in St. George

I had a request to publish a picture of our home in St. George. I think it is so the missionaries here can find it when they come to visit. This was the day we left for the MTC in Oct. 2010.  Need an address???
2315 S. Camino Real
Washington, UT 84780
We sold our home in American Fork the week we got our mission call. The Lord does have a BIG hand in our lives. The kids in St. George area found this house for us while Phil & I were at the beach. Long story, but we were able to purchase it and live here for a couple of months before we left for the MTC. The Bell's are living here til we get back.

Miracle

We made an emergency trip to Utah because our daughter, Lisa Hughes, had a life-threatening experience on Dec. 29. She was in a coma for 25 hours due to a heart condition. We had no idea what had happened, and neither did anyone else, as Tyler found her lying in the snow on their driveway. She has no memory of what happened. All we know is that we were told she was given a 1% chance of surviving. And survive she did! All the faith and prayers of family, friends, wards, and even people we didn't know brought her back to us. She's doing great now, with no lasting effects caused by her being unconscious for so long. The Dr.'s inserted a difibrilator into her chest so there will be an instant shock to her heart if she has another episode. I could tell a whole lot more about this experience, but let's just say God answers prayers and fills us each with hope. We stayed in Utah until we made sure she was OK, then we headed back to our mission in Santa Rosa California. 

Christmas Tree in our "Home"

Our little Christmas tree is just right in our apt. It looked pretty good when we put it up, but looks better now that we have presents under it from our family and friends. Thanks so much for the cards and gifts. We are having dinner with the Bishop and his family on Christmas Eve, after we deliver a few presents around the mission to missionaries whose families were late mailing out. We'll spend Christmas with missionaries and visiting.

Everyone have a GREAT CHRISTMAS!

Friends and Food

This is a family, or I should say 3 generations living together, that we had ribs with...and not even southern style. Ricco  loves to try out new recipes with meat and we all love eating. Grandma Raylene is fighting breast cancer after having had a quadruple bypass in January this year( and losing her husband in Dec of 09) and just had surgery on her eyes yesterday, and is having her gall bladder out tomorrow. Now, anyone want to complain about their health?

Oakland Temple

Phil with two ward member friends who drove Elders to the Temple...Les Wood and Jim Frasier.

Phil looking out over Oakland on a misty day. It has sure been raining a lot!