Last Night...the Finale

Dear Friends and Family, 

I am sitting here and it is almost midnight on the last night of our mission.  I am in a state of denial that it is really over.  I look at the schedule and our name is not on it.  We have lived by that schedule every day for the past year and to not see our name is a very disconcerting feeling.

We have so enjoyed this experience and feel so blessed to have served in St George.  These memories are precious and the friendships we have made are treasures we will hold dear for the rest of our lives. But the icing on the cake is the growth and strength of our testimonies.  Serving with Bruce has been wonderful.  I still claim he missed his true vocation.  He really should have been a lawyer.  You really do not want to debate Bruce, he his relentless when he wants to prove a point. The guests didn't have a chance if he decided they were going to walk away with a Book of Mormon.   He was a fantastic missionary and a wonderful teacher.

We ended in style. The last 10 days of our mission was spent in Manti working the Miracle Pageant, taking the Cleverly's to Hole in the Rock, and planning our last Bye party for the Sutherlands, plus working our regular shifts at the sites.

The Manti pageant was beautiful.  We worked the booths handing out pamphlets, Books of Mormon, referral cards and pictures of Christ.  The sad thing about this event, are the protesters who line the street in front of the Temple and hassle those entering the gates.  This year they took it to a new level.  They had 34 women dressed up like pioneers but with a twist. They all had a sign around their neck saying they were Joseph Smith's wife # such and such and their name is...  They lined up right along the sidewalk that everyone entering the grounds had to walk past.  Not sure what their purpose was but it made some guests feel uncomfortable.  They are very aggressive and obnoxious.  I was worried about Bruce confronting them, but they put us on the opposite side of the Temple.  "Tender Mercies".

Our trip with the Cleverly's was unreal.  We left Monday night after our shift and drove to Escalante and checked into a motel.  We then went to the Escalante Heritage Center and toured the displays of the Hole In The Rock adventure.  Tuesday morning we left early and traveled down a 60 mile dirt road that takes 2 1/2 hours one way.  We arrived at Hole in The Rock and were just amazed at what these pioneers did.  All the way their we kept asking "How did they survive and who in the world ever thought they could drive a wagon over a cliff and if Brigham was with them would he have turned them around?"  These people were unstoppable.  We made two other stops to stare in amazement at Devil's Garden and then a two hour hike to a slot canyon.  Soooooooo Fun!

Our last Bye Party was last night.  The Sutherland's leave in 10 days and we celebrated with a "My Favorite Things" party.  It was great!  These parties have been so instrumental in bonding the Sr. Couples together.  We work very hard and it is nice to get together and laugh, eat, laugh some more and of course end with eating more.

So now, We close this chapter of our lives.  We thought we came on this mission to pay back the Lord for the blessings we have received the last 43 years, but we are leaving more in His debt than ever.  I hate the principle "Endure To The End", but I think I understand it a little bit better.  I am sure we need to keep serving in any capacity when asked, but I'm not sure the next experience can match up to the past year.  We'll just keep on truckin'!!!

We send our love to all of you and pray for God's choicest blessings to surround you.  Here's to the end of our Mission and this blog.

God Bless,

Bruce and Dawna

Elder and Sister (for at least 12 more hours)

Things---They are a Changin'

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, we truly are the Senior Couple now.  There are only two other couples who were here when we arrived in St. George last June.  We welcomed another 3 couples this week with a Hi Hi Hi party at Jacob's.  We had Indian fry bread with all the toppings, beans and dutch oven cobbler. We then listened to a guest speaker who helped restore the Jacob Hamblin home when the church obtained the property in 1970.  He has a real affinity for Jacob.  He owns property right next to the home and has constructed a tepee and has other period pieces of farm equipment etc.  He is very involved in the Scout program and has troops from all the over valley come and hold their Arrow of Light ceremonies in the tepee.  It was a fun night, but the fact that Bruce and I are the oldies of the group just reminds me how quickly this all coming to an end.

It was transfer day yesterday, as well.  Which means more of our sweet sisters departed to places all over the world.  Sister Ruiz went home to Puerto Rico, Sister Morales to Mexico and Sister Biery to Kentucky.  Again, there are only a few of the Sisters who were here when we arrived still serving. But the work does not stop.  It doesn't even skip a beat.  Three Sisters left and six arrived, ready to hit the ground running. It truly is the analogy of pulling your finger out of a bucket of water.  There is no hole, it just fills in.  Now I follow all of these sweet girls who have gone home, on Facebook. Some are engaged and getting married, others are working, others going to school.  But I now have friends from England, Tonga, Germany, Pennsylvania and other wonderful places in the world. There is no other organization like the church, who brings people from every country, every culture and throws them together and says "Now get to work and go bring the message of the gospel to all you find."  Just think if governments did this.  Don't think we would have as many conflicts as we do.

The only thing that doesn't change here are the visitors who just keep coming.  We are in the thick of our busy season, and will see hundred of people a day.  The last two Sundays we had 10 French and German buses at the VC.  Funny thing happened on the way to the Bus, our Director, Elder Cleverly, was in the Annex and a German Bus pulled up and the guests came in through the annex.  Elder Cleverly does not know German so as they entered he got frustrated and just pointed towards the VC.  After they left, he went to Sister Groeneveld, (who is from Germany) and said, Sister Groeneveld "you have to teach me a few phrases or words in German.  I look like an idiot just pointing."  She replied, "Elder Cleverly, the way you say hello to Germans, is HELLO."  Most speak some English."  We do tend to act goofy when the French or others from other countries visit.

But Bruce and I both had great visitors who asked questions and wanted to understand more about the church.  I had a couple from Beijing China and when they understood I had been to Beijing, they got so excited. They couldn't believe I had visited their country. Then when I offered them a Book of Mormon in Chinese they were ecstatic but they wanted an English copy.  They did try to pay me and we bowed several times.  I'm sure I was politically incorrect but they were so happy.  I also had a couple from Syracuse New York who were delightful.  They had visited Palmyra but they took a Book of Mormon and couldn't say enough nice things about the tour and about our volunteer service.  Now I hope they read the book and contact the missionaries.

P-Day-------was spectacular.  We took the Cleverly's and Gifford's to Torowheep and Mount Trumbull.  Look at the Pictures, you will be impressed.  Elder and Sister Cleverly have worked so hard since they arrived in January, they needed a break.  They asked if we would take them and we were happy to oblige.  This is one fantastic spot.  Very remote, hard to get too, but you drive, literally, to the edge of the Grand Canyon.  Your view is beautiful.  You see the Colorado river in both directions and looking East you see Lava Rapids, a class 8-10 rapid that throws most river runners.  If you go on You Tube you can watch the brave of heart try to run this rapid.  Very scary.  The Gifford's loved it so much they went back yesterday and took the Sutherlands. Mount Trumbull is where the pioneers found the lumber to build the temple.  Again, how they found it and then freighted timber out of there is remarkable.  It is 80 miles South of St. George.

One of our favorite things about this experience is those who choose to visit us.  We love sharing the Historical Sites and St. George with any and all.  This past weekend the Brown's and Germaine's made the trek to "Little Dixie."  We had a wonderful time catching up and laughing, eating and more laughing.  We went to Pine Valley and Mountain Meadow.  We went up to Kayenta to the street painting festival.  We met a delightful artist (a darling returned Mormon missionary, mother and artist) who painted a fantastic work of 3-D art on the street.  We took pictures and even Bruce, Bruce and Monty got in the game.  We love these dear friends and really appreciate them coming to visit

Well, things, they are a changin' and we can't stop it.  Sr. Couples come and they go, but the work goes on and on and on!!!  We have loved every minute and want to finish strong.  Trying not to get trunky.

We love you all.  Keep safe

Bruce and Dawna

Elder and Sister

PS  Happy Birthday to our great athlete, smart, very cute, good boy& grandson 'Noah"  We hope your day was filled with all your favorite things.

PSS  Congratulations to our other great athlete, smart, very cute, good boy & grandson, "Logan". Not only did he get accepted to BYU, he received a 4 year tuition scholarship and if that's not enough he received the "Disney" scholarship as well.  Also he pushed the button on his mission papers. So now we are playing the waiting game.  Where in the world will he go?  I'm praying for Boise Idaho.  I'm a big chicken and want him safe.

The Countdown Begins

Hi Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Where have the past 9 1/2 months gone?  We have 11 1/2 weeks left before we return home.  Its almost as if the time has flown on wings of lightening. (Improve The Shinning Moments)  We have enjoyed each and every day, and pray we have made a difference. (just a little)  When we return it will be to a new baby grand daughter and a grandson who will be leaving on his mission.  Yes, "Time Does Fly on Wings of Lightening."

The past two weeks have been so full and busy.  We are seeing about 15% more visitors this year than last year, so our shifts are crazy.  We rarely sit down between tours and most tours have between 8-25 people.  These past two weeks, we have had guests from Columbia, Australia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Canada and Uruguay.  (Ola', Gutentag, Hey Mate, Bonjour, Aye)  These are the countries I remember plus guests from New Jersey, North Carolina, Missouri, New York and Texas.  

We tried to prepare for Spring Break, Conference and Easter, but there is no preparing for the numbers who flock to St. George.  The words to describe the mayhem, is organized chaos.  But I'm amazed that as crazy as it gets, if someone has come to the sites or Visitor Center with questions, its like the water parts and we find a quiet moment to answer or teach.  It is so fabulous, no-its a miracle.

Even with all the guests, we found time to add two events to our already packed schedule.  We organized a lecture with Sister Durrant on Saturday night during the Priesthood Session of Conference.  She spoke on "The 100 Most Famous Women in the Church".  It was wonderful and we had over 400 women attend.  My sister, Julie, was here with her family and my dear friend Marilyn Watts was here.  They both came with me and it was such a treat to share this lecture with them.  Then we organized a "Night of Music" at the Visitor Center on Easter night.  We had the Missionaries along with talent from the community perform out on the patio at the Visitor Center. This was a program for the Missionaries to bring their investigators to the Center.  It was an experiment to see if we would have the community participate and the ward members bring their friends and neighbors.  We had around 200-250 come and we are going to do it again.  The Visitor Center is such a wonderful place to feel the spirit.  Hopefully this will turn into a monthly program.  (Cross Your Fingers)

We had a Bye-Bye-Bye party on March 26th.  The Clark's, Millers and Durant's are all returning home.  The Clark's left this last Wednesday, the Millers leave this Wednesday and the Durant's go the following Wednesday.  We will miss these Sr. Couples so much.  It is hard to see good friends leave not knowing when we will meet again. We had a wonderful "Meet The Mormons" party.  We served all the good ole' Mormon food.  Green jello with carrots, casseroles and whole made bread.  We played Meet The Mormon match game. 

If you ask George Durrant how he is doing, he answers, "It's My Best Day Ever." So it caught on and all the Sr.s started answering when asked how they were, "It's My Best Day Ever."  So T-shirts were made with the saying and we all wore them at the party.  Fun times with these good people.  Elder Durrant is a painter.  A water-color painter to be exact.  He painted all the sites and gave each couple a print.  What a treasure to take home with us and a generous gesture from a good man.

  

And then their was P-day.  We took the "Orange Thang" up to Kannaraville and tried to go to Kolob Reservoir.  The start was fantastic and beautiful but the higher we got the colder it got and the more snow we found.  We kept going through several drifts.  We were with the Watkins and the Clarks. The Watkins got stuck first, but made it out, but then we got stuck.  Robert pulled us out and we decided to head back.  (Boo Hoo)  But all was not lost.  We loaded up the machines and went to Cafe Rio for lunch.  We intend to try it again in a few weeks.  We hope the snow melts soon, but we need to let it dry out as well.  Getting stuck in snow is one thing, getting stuck in mud is another.  Bruce is loving his "Orange Thang".

  

Conference/Easter weekend was soooooo much fun.  Kati, Kristi, Dave and the boys came for the weekend.  Bruce and I didn't get to spend too much time with them, but even a few minutes here and a few minutes there was great.  Our 2nd p-day fell on the Monday after Easter and they stayed until late in the afternoon.  We went to a place called "Babylon" north of  St. George. The boys drove the "Orange Thang" to the beach.  A place along the Virgin River with a big sandy shore and high cliffs.  It was beautiful.  We hiked on the Babylon trail and thought we were headed to Dinosaur Tracks, but we never found them.  But a beautiful day spent with family is always fantastic whether or not we found what we were looking for.  We ended our visit with the boys picking our place to eat-------Chuck-a-Rama.  They love the Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Mac and Cheese so our day was a success.

Well, tomorrow is Sunday.  We are assigned to our local ward, Green Valley 1st but because of the schedule of opening the sites or closing the sites, we have only been able to attend this ward 3 or 4 times. It starts at 1:00 pm.  We have to attend the 9:00 am ward (Green Valley 9th) most of the time.  Usually we can stay only long enough to take the sacrament because the sites open at 10:00 am.  This was one of the surprises we had upon arrival.  The sites are open 365 days a year so we work 7 days a week.  

I'm yawning and I'm stuffed up. (Allergies still giving me fits)  So its time to stop.  We are excited to return to AZ for one day to see Lilly baptized.  It will be a whirlwind weekend, but can't wait to see all our family and may be if we are lucky run into our wonderful dear friends.  We send love to all and pray all is well with each of you.  Remember - Be Safe

Always,

Bruce and Dawna

Elder and Sister

PS.  Happy Birthday to our smart, good looking, cool, funny grandson - Luke.  We love him and we are so sad we couldn't make his Ordination.  But know we were thinking of him on his special day.  We will go to CA to see him pass the Sacrament when we return home. 

PSS.  We went to visit Ricky and Lucy and we think there maybe a little Ricky on the way.  We watched as Lucy moved off an egg.  Not sure, but wouldn't that be fantastic.  We went to visit them today, but no luck.  They were not home.  Sooooooo Sad for us. 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Dear Friends and Family,

I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to post again.  Not that it's a big deal, or that you are waiting with baited breath for my next epistle, but I really do need to do better.  This is a wonderful way to journal our experience and if I wait too long between posts, I forget.  Number 1, I'm old and my brain doesn't retain details, names or numbers like it used too.  And number 2, I'm blonde.

The past two weeks have been filled with exactly what my subject line says.  "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  I am sure every missionary goes through these experiences, but I was hoping to avoid the bad and the ugly.  The good I'm OK with.  (I know, I'm a coward)  It started out with the wonderful visit of Bruce's brother and his wife Sue.  They walked into the VC on Friday night, Feb 6. It was such a wonderful surprise.  We did not know they were in St. George. I took them back to see Bruce in the Annex who was in a very interesting conversation with a gentleman.  It was only Bruce, the gentleman, Ken, Sue and myself.  As we stood there listening, it became very clear that this dude was very anti-Mormon and also Atheist.  He was raised as a Mormon, but left the church when he was 19-20 years of age.  He attended Cal-Berkeley and believes himself to be the foremost authority and historian on Mormon history.  I have dealt with other guests that have been rude, confrontational and down right ornery, but this one takes the cake.  He mocked the Prophets, ridiculed the Book of Mormon and basically laughed in our faces.  But what I still can't figure out is, he told us he has visited every Visitor Center from Palmyra to LA.  Bruce asked him why and he says he is doing research for a book he's writing on "What People Believe The After-Life Will Be." By this time I'm totally confused. He doesn't believe in an After-Life, or God, but he spends his time traveling from Visitor Center to Visitor Center, asking people what they think will happen to them when they die.  Go Figure!!!!! Finally, I told him it was closing time and Security would be coming to lock the doors. Wish I had thought of this about 1 hour earlier, but I guess it goes back to the beginning of this post. #1. I'm old and #2. I'm blonde.  But if any of you are interested in corresponding with him he gave us his email address and wants us to write to him and let him know what we think will happen to us.  Let me know if your interested. 

The ugly-----Now this is rather misleading.  Its not a bad thing but it was ugly.  On Sunday, the 15th, we gave over 590 tours at the Brigham Young Home.  We were the mid-shift, in other words we over lapped the morning shift by 2 hours and the afternoon shift by 2 hours. We finished our shift at 3 and I looked at the front porch to see at least 40 people waiting.  Both Brother and Sister Kaona had groups of 20-30 and I couldn't find Bruce.  I went around the house and Bruce had another group of 40-50.  I looked at Bruce and told him we had to get organized or we were going to have Mutiny on the Brigham Young grounds.  We lined up Bruce's group at the front door and gave them all the History then told them to line up and we would take them through the house in groups of 10.  One "Old" man ( I can say that, because I'm old---remember) came up to Bruce and said his group was there first and what was he going to do about it.  Bruce explained that he had just come around the house to find this group waiting and he would do the best he could. "Old Man" was not satisfied, he got in Bruce's face and challenged him again as to what he was going to do about it.  Now you all know the Holy Ghost works in mysterious ways and I have to say, this is one of my favorites.  Bruce did not loose his cool.  He simply told the "Old Man" that he would be happy to give him a full refund.  "Old Man" was not impressed but was flustered enough to turn around and walk away.  We then lined them up, and I took 10 at a time through the house.  We got Bruce's group through, then did the same thing to the next group of 40.  After we finished up these two groups, I walked out the back door and Sister Kaona had 70-90 out under the tree in the back yard.  I told her to give the history then line them up and Bruce would stay downstairs and move them through, then send them to me upstairs..  It was UGLY!!! By The Way, Elder Kaona had another group of 20-30 in the office.  Needless to say, Bruce and I did not leave.  We did a double shift and by the time we got home, we just sat and looked at the wall.  We were so tired we couldn't take our clothes off.  We had both lost our voices and after ascending "Step Historic Steps" 20 times we hurt every where.  OK enough of the UGLY.

Now the Good, and there was soooooo much good.  You already know Ken and Sue, Bruce's brother and his wife, visited.  The first night was rough, but we got together with them again on Saturday night and had a wonderful visit with them and Sue's brother Brent and his wife Ellen. We are so blessed with wonderful extended family, and love visits from them.  Then the next weekend, Valentines Day/President's Day weekend, the Phantoms gathered for their annual V-Day, Parade of Homes, Hiking and Biking weekend.  We had dinner on Friday night, the 13th and their were 18 of us.  Richard and Dana Christensen, and Steve and Joan Burke joined us for the first time. Richard and Dana were leaving on Monday for Bulgaria.  They are serving an 18 month CES mission.  They have been working very hard with the MTC learning Bulgarian for the past 6 months, and Dana was able to give her testimony in Bulgarian.  I was impressed, since I took 3 years of Spanish in High School and can count to 20 and ask where the bathroom is.  I think they are very brave and can't wait to hear how things are going.  Steve and Joan Burke have moved to St. George so now we can visit with them all the time.  This was the first time we had seen Richard and Dana in over 30 years.  It was such a wonderful weekend.  I know laughter is the best medicine and all my aliments are cured for a few months. Then last but not least both my sisters and my mother were here for the weekend.  Julie and her husband, stayed with their son Brett and attended about 6 soccer games, a couple of cheer leading competitions and a few other events.  Linda, my mom and my niece went and  scoured all the garage sales,then went to the Parade of Homes.  (The Parade of Homes brings in 30,000 visitors each year) 

Both of us had wonderful teaching moments with visitors from all over the country.  Bruce had a couple from England who could not get enough.  They just wanted more and more and more. They kept asking him," why haven't we heard of this doctrine before". " It just makes sense".   These moments make all the BAD experiences disappear.

Last but not least, we had our Hi-Bye Party for the Leishmans who are leaving and the Burts, the Fullers and the Cleverlys who have just arrived.  We had a wonderful night getting to know them and you can see by the pictures that we had a carnival.  Foot-long hot dogs, coleslaw, chocolate fountain, caramel popcorn, lemonade etc.  What a wonderful group of people we love 'em all.

Well its time to close.  We survived "The Good", "The Bad" and "The Ugly".  We are sure we will have all of the above again, but hope we have learned something to turn it all GOOD!  We send love to all.  Please be safe.

Love, Bruce and Dawna

(Elder and Sister)

Happy Birthday to our beautiful, talented, pregnant daughter, Jodi.  We hope your day was filled with all your favorite things. 

It's that time again???

Dear Family and Friends,  

How can it be time for me to write again?  It seems like I just did this yesterday.  But a lot has happened since last week, so I better get it down in writing before I forget.  I have probably forgot more than I remember as it is.

Today was transfers.  This is always a happy, sad day.  Those who are going home are excited, scared and sad.  They have loved their missions and truly want to stay and continue sharing the gospel with others.  But it is time for them to start a new chapter in their journals.  We lost some stellar Sister's today and I keep wondering how we will replace them.  They were fearless, dedicated and totally committed to inviting others to come unto to Christ.  But then tomorrow a new bunch will arrive and my mouth will drop in amazement at their mad skills.  You have to love it!!!  So we said a teary goodbye to Sister Shoemaker, Schaffer, Phagwah and Liu.

The other hard thing is the transfers.  Even though some of the Sisters aren't going home, they are moved out-bound.  Again, a couple of our best are leaving the Visitor Center.  I am really going to miss Sister Nicholls.  She and I would work on her memorization of 1 Corinthians 13. She is memorizing the entire chapter and when things were a little slow in the center she would have me help her.  We also had scripture chases.  I would give the Sister's a word, like "endure" and the first Sister to find a scripture with the word in it, without using the topical guide, would get a point.  This would get pretty heated.  The Sisters are very competitive but have a great knowledge of the scriptures which also helps me.  

We attended the lecture by Susan Easton Black Durrant. (she tells us if she gets any more last names, they won't be able to fit on her headstone)  She spoke on Lorenzo Snow.  It was fascinating as usual, but unfortunately she burst a few bubbles or Mormon myths about the "Windows of Heaven" or tithing talk.  We were taught in Seminary and Sunday School, that Lorenzo Snow received the revelation on tithing while giving his talk in the Tabernacle in St. George.  The true part of the story is, The Church was in deep debt.  The Lord did impress upon him to go to St. George and there was a drought in Southern Utah.  But, for a passing remark about tithing during his sermon, he did not stop mid-talk and look heavenward and receive the revelation then open his bible and read Malachi 3:8-10 .  That night after the meeting, he met with the General and Local Authorities and told them the Lord had reveled to him the importance of tithing and it was time for the Saints to pay a full tithing.  At this time, only slightly over 17% of the members were paying tithing.  On his way home he did not stop at every settlement to give the same message.  He stopped at 16 communities and and told them, not only were they to rededicate themselves to the paying of a full tithe, but that it would now be a requirement to receive a Temple Recommend.  Also, his journey and sermon did not end the drought.  The drought cycle continued until 1902.  Southern Utah did receive some rain after President Snow left, about 2 months later, which was enough for them to harvest a few crops but not the bumper crops we were told.  So there were a few in the audience who were surprised.  Our generation was raised on "The Windows Of Heaven Movie"  which was filmed by the Church in 1963.  I remember seeing this several times at seminary and other church meetings.  I guess the writers and directors took literary license with the story.  Just goes to show that we should not use embellishments to share a story.  Its gets passed down as truth generation after generation. After the lecture, Sister Durrant gave the Sr. Missionaries the paper showing the research on this subject and it is fascinating. 

We are starting to get busy again at the sites.  It slowed down a little after Christmas, but is getting busy again.  On Sunday, we went to Church at 9:00, opened Brigham Young's at 10:00, gave tours to 75 guests, met with our cute family and taught Mosiah chapter 4, then did a second shift at the Visitor Center til 8:00 pm.  Needless to say we were pooped!  12-13 hour days are hard on old bodies, but we seem to be able to keep up.  (knock on wood)  We are starting to implement a new program at the Visitor Center, titled, "A Day at the Center."  We will be reaching out to the Stakes and Wards to invite them to bring any group to the VC for lectures, tours, "Meet The Mormon's, etc."  They will be able to request, lectures or presentations from the VC Director, Temple President, Mission President, Durrant's or the Sister or Sr. Missionaries.  We hope this will encourage the Wards to bring their less active, non member friends or just their ward members to the VC to see what a wonderful resource it is.  We will keep you posted as to our success.  We have 3 reservations from Wards since we introduced it last Thursday, so we will see.  

P-Day today!!!  We decided to head out to the "Glitter Pit".  This is where the early settlers went to get Gypsum to grind up and put in the plaster used on the Temple.  As its name states, it glitters.  This was what gave this Temple its brilliant glow. Its out in the middle of no-where.  We got lost and ended up on the wrong road.  However, it took us to Fort Pearce, an outpost Erastus Snow had built in 1866, to protect the cowboys who were grazing cattle. Again in the middle of no-where, but fascinating.  He instructed it to be built with one gun-port on each wall and one door.  He was certain it could be protected with two well armed cowboys.  There is a stream available for water, but so remote.  I cannot fathom how these early pioneers did this. We owe them so much, not sure we will ever be able to match up.  We ran into some other travelers out in the boonies who told us there were dinosaur tracks just a few miles down the road, so off we went.  Sure enough we found the tracks.  Actually the surroundings do look like dinosaurs would roam there.  Finally, we turned around and retraced our path to find the correct road for the "PIT".  Yup, its a pit, not a very big one, but it does glitter.  Sadly it is not being protected and 4-wheelers have climbed the sides and are destroying the site.  But to imagine the pioneers traveling 20-30 miles south of St. George in a wagon and gathering these rocks to grind up to beautify the Temple is amazing.  Now we would just go on the Internet and have it delivered the next day.

I've rambled enough, so I'll just send love to all of you.  We think of you often and miss being with you, but we are loving our mission.  Hugs and Kisses, since it will be Valentines Day next Friday.  Eat chocolate and guys give a great piece of jewelry to your best gal.

Love to All and Stay Safe,

Bruce and Dawna

Elder and Sister

PS---Happy Birthday on the 6th to our great son-in-law Dave.  Make sure and do something fun and eat cake.  Also, congratulations to our daughter Jodi and her husband Eldon for the upcoming birth of their new little daughter.  YEA---we will have grand daughter number 4 for a total of 11 fantastic, wonderful, intelligent and cute grandchildren.   

Good Bye, Welcome...Change

 Dear Family and Friends,

Our new directors have survived their first week.  It's a little "doe in the headlights" look, but they are excited and great people.  As we all know change is hard, but good.  Elder Cleverly is an "IT" guy who wants to drag us all into the 21st century.  He had me make a Google Calendar and now wants me to instruct all the Sr. Missionaries how to access it. (now I just have to figure out a power point presentation.)  His plans are to have all relevant information, that we as Seniors share, on Google Doc's and Calendar.  I have my work cut out for me, since I know enough about this stuff to be really scary.  Its totally trial and error------lots of errors.  But I'm muddling through. The Calendar is up and shared with all and I even know how to access it.  ( yea---a round of applause please) 21st Century here we come, whether your ready for us or not.

As I mentioned in our last blog, "Meet The Mormons" has been playing at the Visitor Center since New Years Day.  It is unbelievable, we've turned into a Movie Theater.  We show it every hour on the hour starting at 3:00 pm and both theaters are full most days. We also show it prior to 3:00 pm, on demand, if we have a room.  It is so wonderful that so many are coming to the VC to see the movie, and also a problem that so many are coming to the VC to see the movie.  As I said, "we've turned into a movie theater, without the popcorn and red vines.  The purpose of the Visitor Center is to  invite all that visit to "Come Unto Christ."  If we show a movie or give a tour, it is with this purpose in mind.  The Sister's are to preset any tour or movie with the request that we think about someone we can invite to "Hear Christs Message", but as you can imagine with 100 people standing in line to get into a theater, all wanting great seats, their minds are not thinking about someone they can share the gospel with.  At the end of the tour or movie, again the Sisters ask if anyone has come to their minds to share the gospel with, but as soon as the credits start to roll, most of the guests jump up and head out the door.  We have a problem, but a good problem. We are currently working out the kinks and hope to be able to provide the atmosphere where the spirit can touch, those who come, to think of others who we can invite and share our message.  (Any Ideas are welcome) Come on, I know my peeps are brilliant and can solve this issue.  Looking forward to your ideas

We've had two P-days since my last post--time is flying by. Our p-day on the 19th was very uneventful.  I was exhausted and didn't get out of my PJ's 'til 3:00 pm.  I would have stayed in them all day except we had an appointment to teach.  (Good reason to get up and get dressed) But our p-day this last Monday, the 26th, was another road warrior adventure.  We took off for Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  We headed out through Hurricane, Colorado City and stopped at Pipe Springs.  We've passed Pipe Springs for years on our way to and from Utah and never stopped. Do not make this mistake.  It is fascinating.  It was a tithing ranch for the church for several years.  When members would pay their tithing in cattle they would be sent to Pipe Springs to graze and breed.  They had 10,000 head of cattle there and made 60 lbs of cheese and 40 lbs of butter a day.  They would take this butter and cheese into St. George twice a month for the Bishop's storehouse.  They would take cattle twice a month, as well, to be given to those men and women who were working on the Tabernacle and Temple.  These men and women were paid in "Mormon Script" and could purchase butter, cheese and cattle with this script.  Brigham Young put this system in place to support the pioneers who were here in St. George to be able to survive.  The more we learn about Brigham Young and his ability to solve serious issues, the more we realize he was the "Prophet" who was needed at this time.

After Pipe Springs, we went to Kanab and stopped at the Visitor Center to check out the "Wave" in Paria Canyon.  (Google it)  Since I have learned about this place, I have been dying to go. There is a lottery system which requires you to show up the day before to place your name in the lottery. They only allow 20 people a day into the park so the chance is very low, but soooooo worth it.  I will do this, but not sure I can work it out while we are still serving.  However, we did get information about two other hikes that are on my list of must go's.  We then headed up the road to Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  Again, we have passed this 100 times and never stopped. It is out of the way but if you want to feel like you have gone to the Arabian Dessert, head out there and see for yourselves.  the road actually goes back to Colorado City so we made a loop.  There are very specific conditions where these Sand Dunes can develop and this is one of the places. Another great P-day.  We made it back in time for our Sr. Supper.  We meet once a month to enjoy a night out and each other's company.  Sweeeeeet!

We continue to be keep busy and meet wonderful new friends.  We have decided that St. George is the center of the Universe.  Everyone comes to St. George.  My Sister and her husband Pete along with their daughter Jill and her husband Chris were here for MLK.  We had dinner with my Uncle Richard and his wife Mary and their dear friends.  Our friends, the Biggs, called us as they passed through St. George on their way to SLC.  Janet Hancey was visiting and we enjoyed a bike ride to see the Swans, Herons and Ducks plus great dinners.  This happens all the time.  So please if you come through, call us.  We love it.

Here's to the coming weeks.  It's always an adventure.  Please stay safe and know you are in our prayers.

Bruce and Dawna

Elder and Sister

PS  Happy Birthday to our youngest grandchild, "Ben".  He is going to be two and we love him to death.  We were worried he wouldn't remember us, but when we skype he won't let anyone else talk.  He just keeps saying, Papa, NeMa, Papa, NeMa over and over.  Love It!!