Another week has gone. It's been pretty crazy around here as Sarah got sick last Sunday night, and was sick every other day since then, until Wednesday. She had to miss two days of work because she was sick with fever and stuffy nose. Monday night I got her some Nyquil to take and it helped her get better for Tuesday. But she got sick on Wednesday as well. Sarah also missed work on Friday, but not because of sickness. Sarah went to a conference in Provo, Utah. She took a plane Thursday night and came back Saturday. The conference was super good for her. It was for this new company that she is working for called Juuva. She has become a salesperson for the products that the company sales, which is a Health and Lifestyle company. They sale things like water filters and types of health drinks and other things. Sarah is doing her best to find people to sale to, and also people she can bring into the distribution portion of the business.
I was happy to have her home once again.
As I was at the airport Saturday night, I stayed in the cell phone lot (the one that you don't have to pay to wait at as the plane lands) and I was watching the board of the lists of planes arriving and as the planes flew by, I kept on thinking of that scene in LOST where Jack meets Kate really close to an airport in the states, and he screams at her saying, "We have to go BACK, Kate!" I may have even filmed myself saying those very lines as I was waiting for her. I had to drive around the airport twice before I understood where to pick her up from. Fortunately, Phoenix Sky Harbor is nothing like LAX in size and complexity.
We had Stake Conference today with Elder Carlos Villareal. It was actually this weekend, but I missed yesterday because of work. My biggest takeaway from his talk to us is to not take the first 5 temple recommend questions for granted. That the hardest question for most members is the last one, which is about our personal worthiness, but he said that the first five, you know, the ones that we answer with yes, like a testimony of Prophets and Apostles, Joseph Smith, God the Father, and Jesus Christ, should be our main focus when we go for an interview and in our everyday lives. That we need to work on our testimony of those things, and if we have a testimony of those things, we will have success in our Gospel life and receive the blessings that Heavenly Father has in store for us.
Since Elder Villareal is a Spanish native (of Texas, I think), he elected to have a luncheon with our two Spanish Branches in the stake. And later, a more intimate devotional with our two branches, all in Spanish. At the beginning of the conference, our Stake Clerk came up to me and a man named Francisco Lagunas (Ward Clerk of the Liahona III branch [spanish]) and asked us to work together to get count of both events, the luncheon and devotional. It was actually cool to meet then other ward clerk, and we divided how we were going to count the people. In total, the max we had was like 180 or so people.
Then, after I had counted with him, the Stake Clerk asked me to help him set up the wireless microphone so that everyone in the intimate gathering could here the Seventy speak. Unfortunately, after many proddings with the help of the Stake Clerk, we were unsuccessful. We even tried to get an orange extension cord to connect, but in the end, we had to settle for hearing him without a mic. Fortunately, it was in a small room. Well, small-ish.
We sat with the new sister missionaries at the Luncheon, and Valeria, new recent convert, and our friends, Romeo and Ellena. It was good to meet the new sister, who says she's from everywhere. Also, the other three are good friends. They had vases of Baby's Breath at each table and Ellena was picking at the baby's breath to give to Sarah to wear on her ear and for me to put in my suit pocket. I ultimately gave it to another girl in our branch that always says hi to me, I can't remember her name.
We had two elders over for our Monday FHE this last week. It ultimately was a meeting to plan of how we are going to help our friend, Jackie, come into the church. Jackie is a person we met in the Tuscany Palm's gym that one time and became instant friends with. I might have written about her last week. She recently had a surgery and we offered to give her a blessing, which was of great help and comfort to her. The plan we made with the Elders is to invite her to this week's FHE and bring a member to help fellowship her. It took some convincing, but tomorrow we are having FHE with Jackie, the Elders from the English Ward close to us, and the member. Pray that it goes well. We're enlisting her to make brownies.
I went to the temple this Thursday, after I took Sarah to the airport. I did an endowment for the first time since the changes. All I'll say is that it definitely has a bunch of changes, some I like and some I don't, and it'll take some getting use to. I went with the Branch President and his wife, Elizabeth Santos, Viridiana Juarez, and both Hermano Cardenas and Presidente Diaz of the EQ. They had to have headsets. The first one didn't work so it had to be changed, but it worked out in the end.
I was able to call Briana on my ride from Airport to home, Sarah, our sister, in my ride from home to the temple, and Mom when I got home. All seem to be doing well. I'm grateful to be able to talk to family when I'm lonely.
The teacher I work for (M. Eva Varela)'s aunt passed away and the funeral is tomorrow in Tucson, which means substitute teacher. I hope everything works out. Gavin has been doing weirdly. He threw up on Thursday. He had been taken out of school for being sick, which is sometimes not fun for me, because then I can't go on walks with him when I'm having enough of the women in the classroom (because sometimes, sometimes there is a lot of drama in the classroom).
Since it is a new month in the year 2019, I am trying to recommit myself to my New Year's Resolutions. I started off strong, but stuff has been waning. Time to get back on the bull and do my best at working out, reading my scriptures, saving for certain things, etc. Puxatauney Phil didn't see his shadow, so we're closer to Spring than we think. Easy for me to say when all we get in Arizona is an easy Winter and a hot Summer.
President Nelson and Oaks and wives will be here next Sunday. We finally figured out how we are going to distribute the 50 tickets we are getting. Basically, on Tuesday, Carlos and Brother Mora, went through each of the names that signed up and picked. Hopefully we will be getting more tickets.
I remembered something I forgot to tell you last week. Sarah and I watched the complete Back to the Future trilogy. It was very cool to share something that I love with her.
I also published the third episode of my vlog on Friday. I'm happy about it. I did gain three more subscribers than I previously had (thanks to Sarah).
Patriots won the Super Bowl. But you probably knew that already. I didn't watch, so don't really ask me about it. However, I know that at the place I work in Amazon, they were going to have it televised in the Break Room. Crazy, I know.
Well, I love you, brother. I hope you are doing good.
Love,
John
