September 21st through September 27th

September 21^st through September 27^th:  Monday our 
certified statewide criminal background checks arrived from the attorney general’s office and we took them into the church’s travel department for our visas.  Even though we will enter Guatemala as visitors we will need these when we apply for our resident visas once we arrive.  The travel department sends these on to the Guatemalan consulate in Denver and they will send them to Guatemala so that when we arrive they have what they need.  The church has done this once or twice and knows how to get things done.  We organized 6 large boxes of our stuff that are staying here and we somehow crammed them into our storage rental.  Tuesday we spent the morning at the Genealogy library scanning family photos and trying to find family names for ordinance work.  The temple department has suggested that we do the ordinances for an ancestor, from baptism to sealing, while we are in training at the Salt Lake Temple.  I also got the tooth implant I had done before Mexico checked.  It looks good and so now I need a permanent crown.  

Proof I was there.

Wednesday, mom had breakfast with Merritt and Amanda, two good friends and colleagues that she shared offices with when she was a practicing therapist.  Then we went back to the Genealogy Library and scanned more pictures.  

Tilly comes to visit Poppa.

Thursday we drove to Payson and went to the temple with Mike and Merlene Ellington, our good friends from Mt. Pleasant.  After the session we went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant and caught up on things.  We then went to James’ home and went with them to the Mount Timpanogos temple and did sealings for some family names. Then we went to dinner with them.  Their sweet family is sure going to be missed.  Kirstin is expecting their third baby the first part of November and we hope that baby Campbell arrives before we leave.  

Mike and Merlene Ellington with us at the Payson Temple.

Lunch with the Ellingtons.

Friday we spent at the Genealogy Library again.  We have been assigned a family history consultant to help us with our family history during our training in Oct. and we have been talking to him and asking questions and he has given us an assignment. So we spent the morning doing our assignment.  I found 2 children of an ancestor by looking at the hints and attaching records. They showed up in the 1860 census and were not in family search.  So I added them and requested to do their temple work.  It was quite rewarding to find someone who needed their work done.  

Mom doing her homework.

We then went to lunch in the employee’s cafeteria at the church office building.  We finished up scanning what at the time I thought was the last of our pictures.  We have since found a few more.  We then went to Kimball’s seventh birthday party. It was at a trampoline park and boy did the kids have a good time.  

Luke and the birthday boy, Kimball.

Resting from the tramps.

They were all winners.

Kimball's birthday cake.

Cousins being silly.

Saturday we got up early and went to the wedding of Veronica and Alex.  Veronica was a teenager in the Tianjin Branch when I served as branch president when we lived in China.  Alex is a young man from Hong Kong that she met in the Asian ward at BYU.  The marriage was performed in Mandarin.  It was so fun to be with them on such a happy day and so fun to see her family.  We then went to a reception for them and we saw Crystal, the young lady who joined the church in Tianjin.  I had the privilege of confirming her.  She is at BYU and still friends with Veronica.  

Alex and Veronica

Aaron, Veronica's little brother and Craig Larson.  Craig was with us in China.

Jennifer and her daughter, the bride, Veronica.

The Li family and Alex.

The wedding party.

The Tianjin Branch members and Alex.

L to R Aaron, Sister and Brother Li, Mom and me, Carol and Craig Larson.

The Reception.

We hurried home so as not to be late for Miles’ baptism.  Our grandchildren are growing up so fast.  It was a really sweet baptism and we are so happy we were here for this special event.  I then went over to John’s home and tended three of his kids while he went to a soccer game and Jill went to the women’s session of conference.  Mom and Charlotte went out to Kate’s stake center and attended with her.  

Miles, ready to go to his baptism with his cousin Moose.

Miles asked his big brother Evan to give the talk on the Holy Ghost.  He did such a good job.

Miles after his baptism with his parents Alex and Charlotte with Nana and Poppa.

Sunday after church we went to a reunion of the Tianjin Branch.  It was at Kirt Saville’s home in Mapleton.  So many memories and emotions are connected to our time in Tianjin and it was so fun to see old friends.  What a fun week we had and we feel so blessed to have had such rewarding experiences in our life. 

The Tianjin Branch Reunion.

Veronica and Alex with Veronica's parents.