Sunday, 1 September 2019

Thursday marked 1 month since I arrived in Mesa.  It's been wonderful!  I see the Lord's hand in my life each day.  I continue to feel safe and comfortable in my little home.  It's interesting to realize how little I really need in my life by way of creature comforts.  I do miss the sounds of my young neighbor children playing and laughing outside and, from time to time, knocking on my door to share to just to visit.

When I awoke on Friday morning, I had a message from my friend Lynda McCarver, letting me know that the mountain above my home in Bountiful was one fire and that everyone in the ward boundaries had been evacuated.  My granddaughter, Rachel, later told me that they were awakened about 1:30 a.m. to the police knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell, telling them to evacuate.

Lynda and Susan Cheney kept me informed throughout that day and yesterday.  I was so sad to learn that two homes in the Ward and a third home were destroyed.  Dan and Cherilyn Fisher lost their home and everything in it.  While there house was burning, they evacuated.  As they pulled out of their long driveway in the thick smoke, they noticed Jolene Pace holding a flashlight.  They wouldn't have been able to see her if she hadn't had the flashlight.  They evacuated her, too.

The neighbor in between the Fishers and Jolene belongs to a young family, the Youngbloods.  Their home was destroyed but their chicken coop and the chickens in it were spared.  Also, a large fish tank containing fish was spared.

The members of the Bountiful 13th Ward went to work on Saturday helping the Fishers and the Youngbloods in whatever way they could.  They are such good people.

Everyone was able to return to their homes Saturday.  Rachel and Travis reported no damage to the house and they didn't even have the smell of smoke.  That wasn't the case in homes to the north.

Miracles reported, and gratitude expressed for the firefighters who worked so hard to save the other homes.  It was a scary thing for everyone and I'm thankful that no one was injured and that more damage wasn't done.

I succeeded in finding my way home from Scott's & Julie's on Thursday evening and from the grocery store on Friday evening--without the help of the GPS!!  I sure do miss the mountains to let me know where East is.

Yesterday, Scott and Julie picked me up and we drove to Prescott to visit my granddaughter, Ashley, her husband, Jason, and adorable 6 1/2 month old Emma.  Ashley's birthday is today so we celebrated it with her yesterday.  This is definitely one of the perks of my mission, without which I would not be able to watch little Emma grow up, at least for her first couple of years.

This was transfer week in the Mission and I have 4 new Elders living in the house now.  Two are assigned to Spanish-speaking wards and 2 to English-speaking.  They are sharp young men.  One is from Bountiful, Elder Oliphant.  He said there is a Sister Gibson, also from Bountiful, serving here.

Being Labor Day tomorrow, the ROC is closed.  Sister Tolman has been sick this weekend but if she is well enough, we will visit a couple of sisters in care centers.

After so many years serving as an ordinance worker in the Bountiful Temple, I miss that blessing and miss the sisters with whom I served.  Sister Tolman and I attend the Gilbert Temple each Tuesday afternoon.  It's a beautiful temple and a blessing to be able to serve there.