On Our Way

We're on our way to Georgia! It's Monday evening, and we are in Denver. We enjoyed another four days and evenings at the MTC last week, learning the software programs used in mission offices. A highlight for the week was the Tuesday evening Devotional. Elder Dallin H. Oaks was the guest speaker. His counsel to us was that missionaries can only teach through the Spirit. He suggested a simple formula for retaining the Spirit - take the Sacrament. Give your all, as did the Savior, and prepare for the sacrament each week with the same humility as for baptism, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. A powerful message that clarified the blessing and significance of a weekly ritual.

We returned to Bountiful on Friday, finished up multiple errands, helped Nephi on Saturday to start the sprinkling system at the house (it's already a dry and warm spring). The task can be a bit tricky, so we were glad we were there to assist. We stayed at Mike and Wendy's and enjoyed our grandkids. Ray particularly was grateful for a couple of days of well-needed rest; a cold and fatigue had caught up to him. Linda attended the YW Conference broadcast with Wendy, Faith, and Hailey. It was a nice outing.

On Sunday we attended the Orchard 6th Ward and enjoyed a very spiritual Fast and Testimony Meeting. (Our former) Bishop and Sister Wall expressed thanks for the miracle of his remission from Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. His faith, along with the fasting and prayers of the ward family and many others, led to outcomes his physicians insisted would not and could not happen. We heard many other sweet testimonies from newer and fellowshipped members.  It was a great day. With the good news came concerns for the health of our dear friend, HD Call, and our prayers have been with him and Ann. A quiet evening on Sunday with our sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren was a perfect way to spend our last hours in Utah.

Stormy weather and heavy winds made the travel to Denver a bit tedious. We hit snow and freeway closures in Utah County. The skies cleared but the winds in western Colorado were raging. We passed time for several hours listening to audio recordings from the Book of Mormon (Mosiah). As we passed the continental divide and saw how very little snow remained in the Rockies, we could feel firsthand how dry the summer ahead will be for the Denver vicinity and Colorado drainage. In fact, a large wildfire was burning out of control in the hills west of Denver as we descended the eastern slopes. The skies were dark and thick with smoke. We had a good dinner and settled down for the night.