Week of April 23, 2017

Sunday when we went to the Tabernacle Choir broadcast we sat in our old place on the front row. They have closed the front off the last few months. It was so much more enjoyable. It was much better sitting close and I’m glad we got to do it one more time. We’ve enjoyed attending the broadcasts while we’ve been here.

After church we had a couple over for dinner. They were our home teachers before the branches were realigned and home teaching was discontinued. We really enjoyed having their visits. There was a fireside in the evening so we didn’t chat after dinner. The fireside was presented by a missionary who helped document the women of the first 50 years of Relief Society. She told us about the project and some of the experiences of the sisters. It was great.

Monday we had the mission devotional where they introduce the departing missionaries and sing “God Be With You”. There were several of us that sat as a block so it was obvious that several were going home. It was sad to think we are leaving. Time has gone so fast and we have had such wonderful experiences. I didn’t let myself cry while we were singing, but after the song I did. It helped to take off my glasses so I couldn’t see any faces clearly. Several missionaries came up afterward to give us hugs. We have made some good friends.

After the devotional I went to the library to print Ted’s fan chart. I wanted to see the difference in his that we have made doing the research we’ve done. We added 21 new ancestors to the chart. I can’t count the number of children and spouses we have added as well. I then worked on a couple of fixes for my class on Swedish Research. After our inservice meeting we were invited to share our testimonies. There are six missionaries leaving this week or next. After that we had a farewell luncheon and it was fun to visit.

Our group taught an enrichment class in the afternoon. We did not attend. I did a little personal research, but it was totally unproductive, so maybe the Lord was telling me I should have been in the class. We had our farewell interview at 2 pm with Pres. and Sister Tate. They are really good people. It was really just a visit, but Pres. Tate said it brought a thump to his heart when he saw us to know we are his cousins. After the interview we came home and did some cleaning and packing. I think almost everything is done. I can’t believe it’s here already.

Tuesday we met the zone at the Utah State Capitol Building for a tour. It was really interesting. We were able to see the House and Senate chambers and where the Supreme Court works. It was raining all morning so it was a little damp getting in and out of buildings, but the tour was fun. My feet were cold and wet which cannot be good for my health.

After the tour we drove to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to deliver some chemo hats I’d made. The lady that gave me directions gave me directions to the John Huntsman Center which is a basketball stadium. Fortunately, Garmin was able to get us to the right place. It took several minutes of walking in the rain to find the correct location to leave the hats. We then went to my cousin’s home to say goodbye so she could sign our book. We had a brief but good visit.

From there we drove to my uncle’s home to have lunch. We got there about half an hour early. My cousin was not home—her sister was in the process of getting her house ready for moving and they were helping. When my cousin came home to fix us lunch, we went back with her to help. It seemed this was far more important than lunch. We hauled a couple of loads of things to a friend’s garage for storage until they find a place to live. We were able to get everything cleaned out and the house quickly cleaned before we returned to their home for a quick lunch.

Ted dropped me at the temple then took the car home to park it and run back. I was the first person in the chapel so we were right on the front row. It was a nice last visit. After we returned home, I reviewed my lesson for tomorrow, organized a few things, and went to bed. It is supposed to rain tomorrow so I’m hoping we can get most of the stuff in the car before the rain starts. It was no fun helping my cousin with the rain coming off and on the entire time.

Wednesday I taught my class on Researching Sweden. It went well and several people asked for additional help if needed. Even a missionary who always asks challenging questions wanted to stay in touch “in case I have questions or need help”. We hurried home after class to pack as much of the car as we could before the rain started. We were able to get the trunk almost completely packed and empty out most of the apartment—at least the big things like boxes and bags. I am always surprised at how much our trunk holds. I was very concerned that we wouldn’t get it all in so it was nice to see this much already packed. We hurried back to the Joseph Smith Building for the Appreciation Luncheon with the departing missionaries and the mission presidency. It was nice and we enjoyed it. It is always hard for me to say goodbye, even when there is a possibility of seeing people again.

Thursday we were up early to get ready and get the car packed. When all was said and done, we forgot a few things. It was difficult removing the parking sticker from the back window after the car was all packed, but that was the final step. We put all of our discards in the Swap Meet sheds and hung the key inside so we were done. Everything fit into the car in a fashion, piled as high as the back window without blocking it. My sweet sister met us in Orem at a gas station just off the freeway to give us a hug and some snacks for the road. It has been fun being a little closer to her and getting together occasionally.

We stopped in Beaver to say hi to a former missionary. She had just moved into her new home and it was very nice. It made me a little envious to see her settled and in a nice home. We got into Las Vegas about 5 pm and went to our daughter’s. We enjoyed a good dinner then went to the Stake Center to meet with Pres. Gutierrez and get released. He never made it—he got tied up in a meeting. His counselor had a meeting later but came an hour early to visit with a friend. The counselor received authorization from Pres. Gutierrez to release us. As we were visiting the other counselor who was our bishop at one time came in and gave us hugs. He actually offered the prayer at the end of our meeting. It is sad to think our mission is over.

Week of April 16, 20017

Sunday was just a typical day. We attended the Tabernacle Choir broadcast. The Relief Society lesson gave me much to ponder. She took excerpts from the Elder Maxwell talk that I used for my lesson a couple of weeks ago on being consecrated. Her theme was “Because of Jesus Christ we can . . .” In the evening we went to tour the Conference Center with my cousin who hosts there. Since we’d been there before, she focused on the art work. They have some amazing pieces.

Monday we had a very nice devotional for Easter. I worked on my Swedish Research class the rest of the morning and had the opportunity to help one of the new missionaries so that was a good change. I did some personal research in the afternoon.

Tuesday we started our Capstone class and it went well. We had a little more time so it wasn’t as rushed as last week. In the evening we went to dinner and enjoyed it. When it was time to go home we discovered it was raining fairly hard and Ted’s umbrella couldn’t be found. The coat rack area had been torn apart for remodeling and we couldn’t find where it had been put.

Wednesday we had a staff meeting. I will miss this group of missionaries and the opportunity to be with them and serve here. I taught Descendancy Research in the afternoon Capstone class. I used the landscape version of the tree to do the descendancy part and it seemed to go much more smoothly. I had a few reservations about it since all the documentation shows the Descendancy View. It was much easier for us when we were helping others and it seemed to be easier for the class members to use. I was impressed with the work many of the missionaries were able to do. This is a good group.

Thursday a missionary came to get help scanning and editing some documents. It was fun. She had a relative that gave her a bunch of records and told her she was counting on her and her daughters to create the story of their ancestors. She had one ancestor that was a Quaker at the time of the Civil War. All his neighbors, who were also Quakers, told him he needed to get a gun to defend their property. He was on his way to buy a gun when he heard a voice tell him if he was to use carnal methods, he would have to rely on that for his protection. He took his family and moved away rather than buy a gun. When the war was over he returned to find nothing had harmed his property. Quite an amazing story.

I had planned to help a new trainer go over a lesson she’ll be teaching next week, but she got there late and I finished late with the missionary I was helping. We were able to spend about half an hour and I think we were able to cover everything. We went to the COB cafeteria for lunch one more time before going home. We visited with several missionaries we knew and almost didn’t get back in time for class.

The preparation of lesson plans went well. We had a few who didn’t quite understand, but overall it worked really well. At the end I shared my testimony, a little tearfully because this was my last to the general missionary population. I am so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of this work and to have the experiences I’ve had. It’s been a good experience over all.

Friday the husband of the lady I helped yesterday came over to scan and edit some documents so I was able to help him. Our Capstone class went well except that the missionary that was substituting in the recording audio memories class barely mentioned the audio app. At the end our leader suggested everyone try recording the stories they’d just written to use the app so they had that experience. In the evening I went to the library to get some help and got involved doing some research I haven’t been able to do for the last couple of weeks. In the evening I did a little packing.

Saturday I felt some concerns about the upcoming move. It seems like more stuff keeps surfacing the longer we work at getting ready. The piles of stuff look fairly overwhelming to me and I’m hoping we can actually get it all in the car. When it is time to pack the car it will be interesting to see what I can get in and what needs to be left behind.

I spent quite a bit of time packing my clothes so I am officially living out of a suitcase. I packed the food for the trip so it is out of the cupboards. I did some cleaning and we are almost ready to go. We went to lunch with friends and enjoyed a good visit. While we’ve been here it has been good to re-connect with friends from high school and college. I went over in the evening to visit a friend and ended up doing some cleaning and helping her out. It looks to me like there is still much to do. 

Week of April 9, 2017

The weather is beautiful and the flowers on Temple Square are amazing. There are many different varieties of tulips and other flowers and the gardeners do such a wonderful job of creating the flower beds. It is truly a great experience to walk through the area and enjoy the beauty and aroma of all the flowers.

Flowers on Temple Square

Monday I agreed to teach a class on Swedish Research the last day we are here. I took the afternoon to go to the library and get some screen shots and do a little research to prepare. As it turned out, the family I selected did not have great examples to use because they did not have the information some of the priests put in the records. I found another family and decided to go with them. On the way home I stopped by the Swap Meet sheds to visit with a missionary who was mopping the floor in one shed. What a good heart! She felt the floors were in need of cleaning—I’m sure the mopping has never been done.

Tuesday we started our first Capstone class. We are teaching in the afternoon and are in the JSMB Training Lab. There are only 20 computers for 30 students, so 10 people had to bring their laptops. Some forgot so we got some from the mission or from others who had them. Anyway, it worked out. We have another class next week the same size. This group has the group of missionaries we came out with taking Capstone so it’s nice. We had to really shorten Tuesday’s presentations because we had mission conference at 2:45 pm. We had reserved seats, but two of us went to the chapel to hold the seats until the others could get down. It was a good conference.

Flowers on Temple Square

Wednesday I worked on my Swedish Research class. In the afternoon I taught Descendancy Research to the Capstone class. When it was time for the missionaries to work on their project, we asked several trainers from the other group to come help. As it turned out, they did not know how we do things and it was a little confusing for the students to have the helpers not know what to do. We were able to help almost everyone. It made us aware that we need to train the trainers as well.

After we finished I thanked one of the trainers for her help and she said she didn’t really understand what we were doing. I took a few minutes to explain our method to her and help her understand our approach. She is a very sweet lady and a big help. On our way home we ran into another missionary. She told us one of the young elders had gone home. He had spinal bifida and needed to use a cane or a wheelchair. He’s been out 13 months. He is an amazing young man and I will miss having him around. He has such a fun personality and such a desire to work and help.

Thursday I spent time with a missionary who had asked for my help with several issues on her family tree. I spent a long while helping her and showing her some features she was not aware of. She is one of my most loyal students and always claims I have taught her everything she knows. She’s a good learner and usually remembers whatever I teach her. After helping her I ran into a missionary who asked if I could help her with something. I told her I could, but I suggested if she couldn’t get with me that this missionary I’d just been working with could help her because she knows everything I’ve taught her.

I taught again in the afternoon, this time helping the students develop a lesson plan from the worksheets they did yesterday. There were a couple of students that didn’t get the worksheets done so they had to have help during the class. I think everyone but one ended up with a finished plan and they were all happy with the results. It has been a good group to teach and I really enjoyed the process. When we finished I shared my testimony. It was a little sad since this is my Capstone group as well. Several came up to tell me how much they had learned and how much they enjoyed the class. It is all worth it.

Friday I worked on the Swedish Research class. I’m not sure we’ll have access to the websites from the teaching computer, so I am preparing a PowerPoint with all the screen shots. We had our last Capstone class in the afternoon. Several people suggested we need either an additional day or an additional week. It’s funny because the attendees want it to be longer and the zone leaders want it to be shorter. I know it takes good people away from already short-handed areas, but it is also good training that can benefit the missionaries.

After we finished I went to the library so I could get a few more screen shots for the class presentation and do more research. I was able to find families for a couple of children I’ve been working on. 

Week of April 2, 2017

Sunday was the last day of General Conference. We had tickets for the afternoon session, but we gave them to another family so they could all go. We enjoyed watching it from the comfort of our living room. The prophet spoke in the morning. He stressed the importance of studying the Book of Mormon daily. It reminded me of Pres. Ezra Taft Benson when he admonished us to not take the Book of Mormon casually. He also announced five new temples. He is looking pretty frail, but he appeared strong as he spoke.

Monday we arranged for a small class of Advanced IrfanView for three sets of zone leaders who had not had the opportunity to take enrichment during their missions. We had to teach at personal computers in a small area because none of the labs were available, but it worked well. The missionaries really appreciated it.

In the evening we had a potluck with our social group as a last hurrah. It was fun being together and having a brief visit with the missionaries. It was fun. I told everyone how much it has meant to me personally to know so many of them while we’ve been here, even though we don’t work in the same areas. It is just nice to know a few faces in the crowd when you walk into a room and we are scattered enough that there is usually at least one or two of us at each event. They are a good group.

Elder and Sister Roeth at Farewell Potluck with Social Group

Tuesday I wasn’t needed to help with new missionaries. Sister Thompson and I discussed some ways to change Capstone I so it flowed better and referenced both the Research Process which we teach the first day and The Family History Guide which is the main thrust of training for new missionaries. It meant cutting some classes, reordering others, and finding references to include in the booklet we pass out.

Wednesday we had a staff meeting where we discussed the changes to the curriculum. It appeared to be well-received even though some classes will be seriously modified. Now the research needs to be done to find the connections with The FH Guide. I was not needed in the lab again, so I worked on several sections that I have taught and typed it up for review. I feel a need to get some things packed, but I’m having a hard time getting started.

Thursday I had the opportunity to do an assessment. One of the new CSM assigned to our zone asked if she could shadow me if I did an assessment, so she came over and watched. She was doing the same with most of the trainers. It was National Twinkie Day so they had half Twinkies for snacks during breaks along with crackers and cheese. I did a little research in the afternoon and found some good records.

The Swap Meet is scheduled for this weekend and rain is forecast. I spent time talking with the Housing Coordinator and the new lady in charge to devise a contingency plan. The Swap Meet has not been rained out in at least 22 months. I suggested postponing it for a week in case of rain.

In the evening I went to help a sister pack. We dug some empty boxes out of her storage closet and collapsed the ones she didn’t need. We did everything we could while I was there. She has a few boxes ready to take to her friend’s where she’ll be staying until she finds something permanent. She had an operation and is not supposed to bend, lift, and twist.

Friday I woke up thinking about the Swap Meet. Someone suggested doing it at the Church and it seemed like a good backup plan. We can load the stuff in vans and haul it across the street. I talked to the Housing Coordinator and she thought that would work—she’ll tell the new missionaries that we will post the location of the Swap Meet if it changes. The new leader bought two canopies that she thought would work as covers so we could actually hold the Swap Meet at the sheds. I was a little doubtful, but we’ll see. Anyway, she’s convinced we should move ahead. I’m in agreement if we can move the stuff to the church.

After the new missionaries had their Go Forth meeting, we rearranged the teaching lab so it will accommodate the Capstone classes the next two weeks. We have 5 rows of 4 computers on 3 tables per row. The center tables have 2 computers, so we moved the 2 on the ends in far enough that each end table will accommodate a laptop. We have arranged for several missionaries to bring laptops so everyone will have a computer. I think this will work well. The rows are so far apart that the class seems really spread out, but it will be great.

I spent the rest of the day doing research. I needed to have a Swedish record read for me so I went to the library for part of the day. I have volunteered to teach an inservice class on April 26, the last day we are here—the day of our farewell luncheon. I need to decide what to teach and I’ve taught everything I know so I would need to create a new class. I’m not sure what to do—forge ahead or let them find someone else to do the class.

Saturday it rained early in the morning. I was sure it would stop in time to set up for the Swap Meet, but it didn’t. We went to the sheds prepared to move everything to the church. The new leader brought her canopy and that allowed us to load the vans without too much hassle. We took 4 van loads to the church. I stayed at the sheds with the leader and the others went to set up tables and displays. They had about a third of the people we usually do. Apparently, the Housing Coordinator told the new missionaries it would be postponed if it rained. I’m really sorry there was confusion. We had a few calls asking about it and we told everyone about the change. A couple of people came when it was all over and were a little put out that they missed it, but we posted the time as we usually do. Several people came to the sheds to get things we didn’t take over like ironing boards and sheets. It worked well and I’m glad we were able to pull it off. I’m grateful that the Lord gave us a backup plan so we don’t have to do it next weekend. I've really enjoyed doing it and will miss the socializing.

Week of March 26, 2017

Sunday Ted and I walked up around the State Capitol Building so we could see the cherry trees in bloom before the rains made them lose their blossoms. There is a ring of trees bordering a path around the building so it is a beautiful walkway. There are a few monuments along the way to fallen policemen, soldiers, Mormon Battalion, and a man who developed the railway here. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the time. 

Elder and Sister Roeth - Cherry Tree Walk around Utah State Capitol Building

I taught the lesson in Relief Society on consecration and love, based on two talks in our reading assignment for the week. There was quite a bit of participation, mostly because I asked a lot of questions. It didn’t go exactly as I had hoped—I think it’s typical of a lesson that there are always things you wish had gone differently—but I think it went OK. In the evening we attended a fireside sponsored by a singing group in Utah County that a friend of ours sings with. The theme was “Jesus Was No Ordinary Man” and Lloyd Newell was the featured speaker. He spoke of the opportunity to bear testimony of Christ, something he does not have the opportunity to do on Music and the Spoken Word. It was a good evening.

Monday was interesting. In the morning I had prayed that the Lord would help me know who needed my help. I did some research after devotional until it was time for class. After class I visited with the assistant zone leader’s wife who expressed some concerns about a new missionary who is teaching her first class in a few weeks and is quite frustrated with the assignment. We talked about ways to approach the class and she asked that I spend some time with the missionary to discuss the ideas we’d had. I did that and I think it helped.

After the class in the afternoon, I went to the library to do some research. Almost as soon as I sat down a missionary came to ask me if I was a missionary in the Nordic area. I told her I was a trainer and I remembered training her when she first came. She asked if I knew anything about Finland or Denmark and I told her I knew a little about Finland. She wanted to sit by me while she worked on some lessons she was trying to complete so she could ask questions if she needed to. She asked a couple of questions and I think I was able to help. I showed her how to translate titles so she could tell what they were about. On a search she was doing and I suggested she drop the surname because it wasn’t recognizing the letters she was typing in. She was able to find the results she needed to after that.

Tuesday we started our Capstone class. We had a full room. Ted taught and did an excellent job. Elder Curtis taught after that. He sang a funny ditty about family history and dead people. This was his last teaching assignment so he went out in glory. He really had the group entertained and involved while talking about Get Help and temple submissions, not easy to do. It was sad when we said our goodbyes.

In the afternoon I taught Basic IrfanView to a packed room. I think they followed fairly well. We had a problem since the computers in the training lab don’t get scrubbed and reset every night like they do in other labs. Most of what I was teaching had already been done on the teaching computer in previous classes so it did not demonstrate the steps very well. We need to go to all the computers and reset the files we use.

Wednesday I taught Searching Historical Records in Capstone. It went well. It always requires extra help, but I’m not sure there is a way around that. It is fairly involved and there are always missionaries that do not listen and then wonder why they can’t figure out where we are. I had a visit with a missionary who trains missionary couples at the MTC for Military Relations. He was so grateful for the classes and for the opportunity to learn. He asked a lot of clarifying questions so he wanted to apologize for the interruptions. I’m glad he did because there are always others who probably have the same questions he does.

Thursday it was raining when it was time to go home so I went through the parking garage. I got as far as the Conference Center without going outside. I then took off my shoes and stuck them in my bag. It was cold and uncomfortable on the cement. The asphalt wasn’t cold, just bumpy. When I got home I took off my sox and put on my slippers and got warmed up. I’m not sure that was a really smart thing to do.

Friday I taught Sources in Capstone. It was fairly involved and got much more so answering questions. I know there are ways to teach the material that would be simpler. We just need to rethink it for next time. I also extended the invitation to attend Capstone II, playing a couple of videos that invite the Spirit to be there. I bore my testimony and it was over. This has been a good group.

Ted taught in the afternoon. After he finished we hurried home, loaded a ton of stuff into the Swap Meet sheds, changed Ted’s clothes, and drove to American Fork for our New Mexico mission reunion. We had a pot luck planned so the senior missionaries could visit without the noise of the young missionaries. We ate then left to go to Spanish Fork to my nephew’s for a barbecue. It was fun to visit. I’m not sure we’ll see everyone again before we go so I’m glad we went.

Saturday we watched General Conference in our apartment and really enjoyed it. The talks were really great. I didn’t see the prophet, but others said he looked “fragile”. Immediately when it was over we walked to the North Visitors Center to meet a couple who were down from Idaho Falls for the mission reunion. We passed several people with sign boards stating various negative things about the Church. I was surprised. I’d heard about them, but somehow we missed them last year. We hurried to a nearby restaurant for lunch then went to the Conference Center for the afternoon session. The afternoon session was also really good. The prophet did not attend so that was disappointing. After conference we went to the Church History Museum to see the film on Joseph Smith’s First Vision which is done in a circular theater. It was very good. We said our goodbyes and came home.

Flowers are beginning to bloom on Temple Square

After we changed we reorganized things in the Swap Meet sheds so there would be room this week for the stuff that will come in. We watched the Priesthood Session at home. It was really good. The prophet came and spoke very first which never happens. I’m sure they wanted to have him speak while he was somewhat fresh instead of at the end when he would be worn out. He didn’t look really good. 

Week of March 19, 2017

Sunday we had two young elders and a single sister over for dinner. Single sisters need to have either a couple with them or two other single sisters in order to have the young elders for dinner, so we invited a sister to join us so she could participate. When we opened the door the elders flashed their reminder notice and said they’d brought their ticket for dinner. Cute.

Monday evening we had our Hail and Farewell Dinner. This time we were the ones standing up to say goodbye. It is incredible how quickly the time has gone. It seems like just a few months ago we were the new missionaries. We have about five more weeks before we go home so it seems funny to me to say goodbye. It is sort of sad to think of not being here much longer, but I am ready to go home when the time is here.

Tuesday I taught an inservice class on Descendancy Research using Landscape View. It was well received and I think several people really liked it. Afterward we went to Anthony’s Antiques for a tour for our zone. It was close enough that several of us walked over. We really enjoyed it—again. The art presented was different than last time. It was outstanding again. We had another class in the afternoon and I did more work at the library before evening.

Wednesday we had an inservice class on Ancestry tips that a trainer had picked up at Rootstech. It was really good. We then had an engineer from FamilySearch talk to us about what it takes to get memories into the system. We had staff meeting to discuss upcoming classes. It will be interesting to see how the new schedule plays out.

Thursday we worked on some revisions for the Capstone 2 book. At noon I met a missionary who had asked for help untangling an issue with an ancestor who kept changing her age. The records used two names interchangeably, so it was a little tricky, but we put everything together and it appeared that she wanted to be younger than she was because her husband was several (17) years younger than she was. Her birth certificate and the early censuses indicated she was five years older than the later records, including her death records, showed.

I had an interesting experience in the afternoon. I was teaching a class on searching records and I’d put up Isaac Brockbank’s record on the screen to illustrate some point. The missionary in charge of housing walked into the room a little late. I noticed her standing there looking somewhat confused. I asked what was up. She said, “That’s my great-grandfather!” I said, “That’s my great-grandfather!” The class went well and I felt really connected to the students. After class we visited about our common great-grandfather. She is descended from the youngest child of Elizabeth Mainwaring, the first wife; I am descended from the youngest child of Sarah Brown, the second wife. She told me there was more to the story of the family than what I knew. I’m sure there is much about our ancestors’ lives, good and bad, that we have no idea of.

Cousins

After class we got our picture taken together—cousins. Her husband was having a problem with an indexing batch that wouldn’t submit. He normally arbitrates so he hasn’t done any indexing for a while. I looked at it for him and the issue was that he hadn’t indexed the image headers. When he did that, everything went in immediately. From there I walked by the zone leader’s desk and he had a question about something and I helped him as well. I was feeling pretty good about things. The assistant zone leaders had moved to new desks. One of the computers had ArkivDigital on it so I moved to that computer. That meant I could do some of my Swedish research at my desk instead of the library. That will be nice to be able to use it during down time.

Friday we went to the Provo City Centre Temple with the Training Zone. I really enjoyed the session. We got there early enough that I was able to read some in the Book of Mormon before the session and that was nice. After the temple we took pictures then went to lunch together. It was a good experience. After we got home I went to the library to do a little more research.

Saturday we planned to meet the two new couples that have been called to the Swap Meet committee. It was raining fairly hard so it was tricky doing anything inside the sheds. Ted and I got there early and moved some of the stuff from the one shed to the other so we’d have room to at least get inside to work. The ladies went into the shed and I talked with them about what we do, then we worked at getting things more orderly for the coming week. The men had nowhere to go so they were outside in the rain until Ted decided they needed to go inside to wait for us. The new couples will be good and I think they’ll enjoy it.

At home I worked on my lesson for Relief Society and finally got it to where I think it will be ready for Sunday. In the evening I attended the General Women’s Meeting for Conference It was amazing and tied directly to the topics of my lesson for Sunday—consecration and love. I was especially touched during the first choir number, “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus”. They sang a variation to the melody on the third verse and it really touched me. When they sang “He knows I will honor Him, give all my life to Him” it really struck me that this was exactly what consecration is—our lives are lived in such a way that the Lord knows we are on His side and He can count on us. I was very touched.

Week of March 12, 2017

Sunday we had two young elders over for dinner and enjoyed a good visit with them. I continue to be amazed at their good spirits.

Monday I spent the day doing research at the library. I have felt a real need to get more of the Swedish research done before I go home while I can use the library resources. It was a good day and I found many records.

Tuesday we started our first Capstone class. We have 60 missionaries signed up for the classes and the room only holds 40 so we are holding two sessions. Most of the group we came with were in the class. It is a little disconcerting to think we are already in the last weeks of our mission. It is starting to really hit me how fast it’s coming. The trainers were introduced as the crew of a ship—I got the role of Cruise Director. I’m not sure if that means I’m always in everyone’s face or if I should be flattered. Ted taught and did a great job. We attended Mission Conference in the afternoon with Elder Brent Nielsen who is Executive Director of the Missionary Department.

Sister Roeth receiving Library Training Certification

Wednesday I was presented the certificate for Certification at the library. I’m glad that I did that and I learned several new things. In Capstone I taught Catalog and I think it went well. We attended the temple then I went to the library for a couple of hours. I got some help and found some good records.

Thursday after we finished teaching we took a couple of group photos in the old Discovery Center. I wanted to use an experience one of the missionaries had with teaching his granddaughter family history. He had tried to record it on Wednesday, but it wouldn’t download from his email. A little reluctantly he let me record him again. We set up a garbage container with 4 reams of paper on top to prop my phone on so it would be about eye level. He recorded his experience and did a great job.

Training Zone B

Friday we started with my class on attaching sources. I needed to push fairly hard to get finished in time because there is so much to cover. We had a class on the Family History Guide that was new and that went really well. Then I closed by playing the video we recorded Thursday and it had a really strong spirit. We concluded with a video by Elder Renlund. That has such a strong spirit and always touches me because it promises a healing of our families as we participate in the work. I pray for that blessing. I shared my testimony and we were done.

I needed to run an errand then took TRAX back to the library. While I was waiting for TRAX to arrive, Steve Rockwood walked up to me. He is President and CEO of FamilySearch International. I told him I was a missionary in family history. He asked where I was assigned and I told him we had just finished our Capstone class for the month. He asked about that and I explained our dual class curriculum. It was interesting visiting with him.

We got word today that our Swap Meet replacements have been called. That will take a large burden off our backs the last few weeks. In the evening our social group went to Anthony’s Antiques for a tour. We were given a very interesting explanation of a few items then we roamed around. Everyone really enjoyed it and all were surprised at how interesting it was.