Dear Family and Friends,

I am taking a chance again.  I was excited last week to hear from several of you, but decided I would post on the blog again and hope that you will do the same.

This past week, I have learned more about the people in our zone.  We have several Sr. sisters, and each morning, I choose one to sit by at our devotional, and try to learn a little about them.

Sister Nave comes about 5:30 every morning and works with the light of the computer until they turn the lights on about 6:00.  She is quite hunched over, uses a walker, has served 6 missions and was a single Mom and supported her family by being a bush pilot in Alaska!

Elder Broadbent is one of our young Elders.  Remember that our young Elders all have a disability of some kind, whether it is ADD or Autism or whatever.  He gave the spiritual thought one morning and told about how the wards continued to grow over in Evanston, Wyoming.  He was nervous, as a deacon, to pass the Sacrament, because they had kind of a difficult way of doing that.  He went outside and prayed and asked the Lord for help, and said he keeps doing that here on this mission.  He is so humble and sweet and loves to lead the singing and do whatever he is asked to do.

Sister Ruston, from Texas, is a convert to the church.  She lived with her husband who she met in Norway.  He never joined the church and it became a wedge between them, until they finally divorced after 35 years.  She is so grateful to have raised her 4 children in the church.  Three of them are raising their families in the gospel and one is here in Salt Lake, living with a girl.  They are so happy to have her here.  She signed up for two years and doesn't quite know where she'll be after her mission.  Minnesota is where she raised her family, and that is too cold for her and southern Texas is too hot.  She is so grateful to be here; she never thought she would have the money to come.  It took her three years to get here.  She is working on the "Norway Project" with Sister Oeneson.

Sister Onenson (?) is from Norway.  After her husband died, she served a mission in England and worked in the Temple and prayed to know where to go and what to do.  The spirit told her to go to the computer.  She really knew nothing about the computer, but went and looked up this mission, told the Temple Pres. and her stake pres. she was coming to Temple Square to serve a mission.  She served for 5 years, and now comes as a volunteer to head up the "Norway Project."  She has to fly back to Norway every three months to keep her Visa, which is anywhere from a 17- 20 hour flight, and she is 79 years old!  She says she is staying until the project is done, which will take several years.  She lives with her daughter in Draper.

It is a privilege to serve with such wonderful, dedicated people.  After I hear those stories, I am humbled, and I try harder not to murmer.

We went to the Tabernacle Choir Rehearsal Thurs. night and got to see Uncle Var's Catherine and visit with her a little.  She loves the choir and her husband is in his 2nd year of Med  school at the Univ. of Utah.

I got to talk to Mandy and Jen this past week.  I had some nice, newsy e-mails from Lindsay and Jill.  I love learning about what's going on with your families, and maybe will share those next week.

We love you all, pray for you and today we fast for you as well.  Have a great week.  We look forward to hearing from you.  That's what keeps me going!

Mom/Grandma/Carolyn