Historic Moment

Dear Family and Friends,


I was just noticing the similarity of the two pictures I posted last week. The heads of course are very different, but did any notice the neck similarities in the two pictures. :o} One of the reasons I never buy a shirt without Older Olson trying it on to see how it fits. I am so thoughtful, don't know why the pictures made me smile so much, but the Older Olsons have never seemed to have very much length in the neck, or is it just my imagination. I apologize if I sound disrespectful, but they do look a lot a like and they are both stubborn and strong.


On to other things. It was an historic moment in 2nd Ward today. They filled to overflowing and the doors to the overflow had to be opened because so many people came into the sacrament meeting.


The first counselor who was conducting bore his testimony and mentioned that they had prayed for such, but he was blessed to witness it. As always the testimonies were uplifting and filled with the power of the spirit. We saw people we had never seen before that are members and wonderful folks.


Last summer we had gone to the Flea Market and pulled up next to a car. A lady was sitting in the car with door ajar and saw us. She asked if my husband could turn the wheel in her car so she could get it started. It seemed like a strange request, but that happens a lot here, the strange requests I mean. She said she was a member and should be attending church. The Wilsons had made it a point to visit her once a week when they were serving. They called to wish her a Happy New Year and asked if she was going to church. She showed up today and recognized us and sat by us. I asked if she had a garden. She said no but would love to have one. Older Olson followed her home after church and put her address in the GPS. He will be going out later this week to get her garden spot ready for spring. She cried when he told her that she would indeed have her garden.


The 2nd Ward Relief Society is going to implement a homemaking meeting once a month to allow time for the sisters to gather and encourage each other with new skills and time to get better acquainted as sisters in the gospel. They had a meeting after church and I was told that they decided I would teach at the first meeting. They have found out that I crochet and knit. Hopefully there will be others who just want to learn more and we can break into small groups and teach each other.
The other ward decided that for the next Provident Living class that they wanted us to teach them how to get started on their family history. It was hard not to get up and dance, but I controlled myself well until they left the room. Sister Norris will head that up and I will be there to cheer them on and support in anyway I can. It is so exciting to see them find their families and get them ready for temple work.
We love the people and the opportunity to help. People in the Page Stake have found some of their lost family members from the work we did in copying the grave markers here and sending them a copy of the list we made. I am at 340 in finding names for the unmarked graves. I don't know who is where, but I know they are buried there and so I am going through slowly, but each new name is like finding a gold nugget, it is so fun. This week I found Susie Chewingtabacco and some other very different names, but Sister Norris seems to know everyone and how they all go together in clans, I love it.
When I was working with Sister Nez, I would not do anything but tell and guide. She wanted me to take over and I said, "We won't be here forever and you need to know how to do it yourself." Sister Norris said, "I thought you were on a 100 year mission so we could finish our project."
The gospel is true and we all have our part. Thanks for all the prayers in our behalf we know that it is what sustains us as we move steadily forward.
Elder & Sister Olson