Week 39

Believe it or not, one of the highlights of this week was inspecting missionary apartments--well, one of the apartments.  It started Tuesday morning with a text from Elders Sorensen and Haney:   

     Are we still going to be blessed with your inspection today?
     To our affirmative response, they replied:
     We're looking forward to it.

When we got there, Elder Haney met us at the door dressed in a suit.  Elder Sorensen joined him, also in a suit, then whipped out a lint roller and said, "Oh, Elder, is that a bit of lint on your jacket?  Let me get it for you!"

As we moved through the apartment it was spotless.  In the bedroom, they had put "hotel quality" folded towel animal figures and a mint on each pillow.  When the light in the closet was turned on, it shone down on a perfectly polished solitary pair of shoes.

To finish, they had Pillsbury cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven to thank us for our efforts (they assured us it was not a bribe).  Even without cinnamon rolls they earned all 100 points.  When they moved into the apartment, it was in serious need of improvement, and they have really transformed it.  We're just glad they had fun in the process.

With crab and elephant, and the lovely tie display

Let me get that for you

On Saturday morning we met Sister Ferrington half-way between her house and ours (at a business owned by her ex-husband) to transfer some things for the seminary graduation.  She asked us if we like tomatoes, and said she'd pick some for us.  Out she went into the garden at the business, and now we have 8 tomatoes fresh off the vine.  Unheard of to pick tomatoes this early in Utah.  We like this long growing season!

Picking fresh tomatoes on June 22

The true highlight of the week was attending a baptism for a man in our branch.  Chris's wife has been a member her whole life, though less active for a while, and they have two darling little boys.  Chris started attending church with his wife a few months ago, occasionally at first, then steadily, listened to the missionary lessons, stopped smoking, and is now a member of the church.  He is a wonderful guy, and the whole branch is so excited.

Chris and family

Today was the stake seminary graduation.  We've been working on putting the program together for a couple of weeks.  There were five graduates and 21 others who received certificates of completion.  It's no small thing to complete a year, let alone four years, of seminary. I gave a talk and Kerby presented the graduates.  Our teachers are wonderful and dedicated folks, and the students are pretty great, too.