Mission Update 8/18/2024

 It was a funny week. We started off with the usual feeling of being completely buried in students to interview and then on Friday we looked at our list and wondered if we'd have enough interviews to do this next week. But, the deadlines start happening over the next few weeks and that gets the procrastinators moving so I'm sure we won't be out of work. 

We went to lunch with some departing missionaries and ran into one of my cousins at the Cheesecake Factory. She and her husband recently returned from their mission in the north east (Massachusetts I think). It's fun to be in Salt Lake where we run into so many people we know.

Monday evening we went to visit a family in our ward to help their son get signed up for Pathway and give him some encouragement. They fed us a chicken dish with sweet potato leaves and it was spicy and very good. I think Gary was ready to move in and eat there all the time!

Tuesday the conference choir emails went out so that caused both excitement and tears. We feel bad for the 30 or so who did not make the choir but are so happy for the 60 that made it. Auditions are always a hard thing. We start practices in a couple of weeks and should be getting our music very soon to start memorizing. 

Gary got to sing in a quartet for our Tuesday devotional and it was lovely (Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy) and he gets to do it again with 3 other men for a devotional in a little over a week. It seems to be the song of the month which is just fine with me because I love it!

Thursday we did sealings in the Bountiful Temple and then got back home just in time for our district dinner and fireside. President Kush from Ensign College spoke and we loved it. Ensign college works very closely with Pathway (as does BYUI) and several of the things he talked about were directly connected to what we do. The church education system is doing so many amazing things around the world to give more and more people the opportunity to get an education. 

Today we had Stake Conference and since it started later than our normal meeting we were able to go to Music and the Spoken Word which we loved so much. 

We've also loved the beautiful skies the past few days. We get this and then a rain storm. Perfect August weather.

From Gary:  Today we started with Music and the Spoken Word because we can go the Conference Center early and can listen to their rehearsal that happens before the broadcast.  We then went to most of our Stake Conference session before heading to a missionary Welcome Home for Allison Dittmer, who is my nephew Justin's daughter!  She just returned from serving in North Carolina - Spanish speaking!  It was really great to see Justin, Joanne and their kids, along with Tony and his kids, and Dyany and Jake there too!  Family is everything!

We are loving our mission!

Have a great week!

Elder and Sister Pack