Monday, June 20, 2016

Happy Fathers Day!!

Dear Family & Friends,
            Happy Father’s Day to you all!!
            As reported last week, Monday was our Mission Tour/Zone Conference with Elder & Sister Arnold.  We went to the Office at 7:30 so we could get some things done.  The missionaries started their Leadership meetings at 8:30 and the Seniors joined them at 10:30 for the actual Zone Conference.  Sister Wakolo reviewed and taught Jacob 5 (The Allegory) which centered in Christ being the Tree.  He also needs to be the center of our lives.  Then Sister Arnold taught about obedience.  She told about when she was a girl she had to ride the fence on her parent’s ranch.  The purpose was two-fold:  to make sure the fence had no gaps in it, and to keep the cows from the wheat.  But some cows just weren’t satisfied with all the wonderful field grass on their side of the fence.  They would push against the fence hard to try to reach the wheat.  One day she came on a cow that had pushed so hard against the fence, that the fence was down and the cow was bloating from all the wheat it had eaten.  “No, no!!” she said, “eating the wheat will kill you!  The fence is there for your protection!!”  She rode her horse to find her dad and bring him back, but when they got back the cow was dead.  “Why wouldn’t you let the fence protect you and keep you safe?!!”  That is what the commandments and obedience are all about—they are there to protect you and keep you safe. President Wakolo talked about how in the scriptures, each time Heavenly Father introduces His Son, He says, “This is my beloved Son.”  And that is what we all are—His beloved children, His sons and daughters—and that is what all the people we teach are.  Then Pres. Wakolo talked about the kind of missionary Sister Susan Fulcher was:  one who put people first, who loved the ward members as much as she loved the investigators, who always tried new ways of doing things, and who had a positive attitude at all times.  Then Elder Arnold then taught about changing our own attitudes and behaviors and becoming “Fulcher missionaries.”  If we want to change the result we have been obtaining, then we need to do things differently and think outside the box.  We had a quick hour for lunch and a Conference photograph, then were back in the meeting practicing different ways of doing the Work.  It was a wonderful and spiritual day!!  The missionaries started a fast to have baptisms in July, and we fasted with them.  They all left pretty quickly after the meetings ended at 4:00, and it was real quiet in our building. 
            Tuesday we received 3 new missionary recommendations, plus I had mail from the prospective missionaries with information that we had asked them to return to us.  Also, we get wonderful letters from parents introducing their sons or daughters to President & Sister Wakolo that I print up and give to them and put one copy in their file.  Also, letters that are for their son or daughter to read when they come.  So we were busy all day Tuesday and Wednesday.  For Jim Monday is usually quite a busy day, so missing most of it caused him to be really busy on Tuesday.  Did laundry Wed. night.
            Thursday and Friday Jim had stuff to do all day, and I had stuff to do in the morning but was done by about 2:00 each day.  So I asked Jim if I could help him, but there was only a few things to do.  I did send out lots of mail and answered some phone calls, but most were for other people in the Office.  Sister Cahoon went home sick with a cold on Thursday and most of Friday.  Jim & I did our cleaning on Friday.  Stopped at the store for a few things on the way home, and had a nice relaxing Friday night.
            Saturday we did aerobic exercise, which we do three times a week, ate, vacuumed and dusted the apartment, cleaned up, made a sandwich and ate it while we drove to the store for some candy and lemon meringue pie for Father’s Day dinner/dessert.  Then we went to Larry and Holly’s and picked up the kids and took them to see “Finding Dory.”  It was just as good as “Finding Nemo” and we laughed out loud a few times and shed a few tears at other times.  It also had a really cute short at the beginning about a baby sandpiper.  What a sweet time we had!!!  Then we went to dinner with L&H at Larry’s Pizza, then we left them and went to meet the Cahoons (Sister Cahoon was feeling much better) at the Little Rock Community Theater where we saw a performance of “Annie, Get Your Gun.”  It was very well done and the leads were good looking and great singers. 
            Today was a lovely Sabbath Father’s Day!  We enjoyed seeing the grandkids singing in church, and also Holly and all the women and Young Women.  Then I helped a bit in Primary, took some pictures after church, went home and had naps!!! (love Sunday naps), then went to eat a delicious lasagna dinner at Larry and Holly’s, along with salad, French bread, and lemon meringue pie and different kinds of ice cream for dessert.  We adults also played “Balderdash.”  Came home to visit with the kids and grandkids.

            Love, Elder and Sister Hartzell
Grandad, Dad, and kids


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