From Bristol to Boise with Faith

  A puppy (above) by Britta and A wolf - Thomas (below Map Flipped and combined maps hermit Crab by Kyle                                                                                                  Map A Rare Boxing Racoon - Thomas https://images.app.goo.gl/uzjbArpd7f18YMRe6 By Kyle

  Be Still, My Soul A beautiful arrangement and beautifully presented by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square: 1.  Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In ev’ry change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end. 2.  Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. 3.  Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

  The early morning tweeting of birds is called a dawn chorus?   Birds start singing at different times, and just like an orchestra, there's a set sequence. Robins, blackbirds, and thrushes  are first. The pre-dawn singers are joined by woodpigeons, wrens and warblers, while great tits, blue tits, sparrows and finches only add their voices when it's light enough for them to see.

Temple workers were willing to wear masks so I could still serve in the temple.  I received renewed strength, peace and comfort by being in the temple.

Will I ever be able to listen to a missionary farewell or homecoming without pain? This past week I listened to a farewell and a homecoming. They were painful reminders of our unfulfilled dream to serve as missionaries in England.

  From Matthew “Honey, you opened the fridge door five minutes ago. What are you staring at?” “The orange juice, “it says concentrate” From Tom What do you call a small grizzly who’s just given birth to cubs? Bear mini-mum.

  President Russell M. Nelson  “Those who live His higher laws have access to His higher power. God’s power helps us to grow from the trials of life, rather than be defeated by them. God’s power also helps us to withstand temptations with joy in our hearts.”

  Alma 36:3 And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their  trust  in God shall be supported in their  trials , and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be  lifted up  at the last day.

  This week I did not have any medical procedures. Paul and I were able to attend the Meridian Temple on Thursday. We went to an initiatory session. The temple workers who assisted me wore masks. Tracy Harrison, Jennifer Butler, Jen Black, and Dana Biberston, four friends of mine, went to the temple and did endowments for four of my Swedish ancestors. I am very grateful my ancestors didn’t have to wait until I get better to receive their endowments. Paul and I went on four walks this week. I felt stronger than I did last week. A dear friend, Rhonda Eastin, sent me a stuffed animal that can be warmed in a microwave. It is a green frog. She told me FROG stands for Fully Rely On God. Our grandson, Lachlan, has fallen in love with the frog.  Every time he comes over he says, “My frog!”and hugs it. After he leaves, I microwave it to kill any germs and then hug it myself. It has become my way to get germ free hugs from Lachy. Tracy Harrison and her son Chase came over yesterday and ...

On April 13, 2025 Paul and I spoke in sacrament meeting. It was to be our farewell talk before leaving on our mission to Bristol, England. The following day I learned that I likely had cancer. The topic of my talk was “In The Strength of the Lord.” I thought I knew in what ways I would need the strength of the Lord to serve as a full time missionary.   At the conclusion of my talk I shared the following quote from Elder David A. Bednar, spoken when he was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -Day Saints. “I will strive to become what I should and must become. In the strength of the Lord and through His grace, I know that you and I can be blessed to accomplish all things.” In the days since I gave my talk, I have learned I must depend upon the strength of the Lord to get through each day. I need His strength every morning when I awake and realize cancer is not a bad dream but my reality. I need His strength to put one fo...

6.22.2025 This week has been an in-between week of sorts. Without an infusion or doctor visit of any kind for Doris, we were in the mode of concentrating on our walks, our spiritual lives, and unpacking from when we were preparing to leave for England for 18 months. This is a milestone of sorts. We were to depart for England on May 12. In the intervening 41 days – nearly seven weeks! – we have experienced some difficult times, but we still rejoice in the time we have together. And yet, we continue to feel that sense of loss as the time rushes by. We walk together at least four times a week. We spend more time together on the same level of our home, and we are continuing to make of our home what we envisioned it would be when we returned from serving the Lord in England. We walked together on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. These walks consist of 40 minutes of walking, which we complete in something less than an hour with breaks. This week, we branched out into some different r...