Building a Palace

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

      Wow! Each week seems to go more quickly than the last and I can’t believe another new week is here. The weather has been beautiful and according to the many birds singing in our neighborhood Spring has arrived in Southern California; the days are getting a little warmer and longer and there are more flowers and trees blooming.

     Tuesday we had leadership training at the mission office. We gathered all of the zone leaders and district leaders. Including the office missionaries we fed about sixty missionaries lunch. We served nachos which they seemed to enjoy. We are feeling the pressure to make sure our missionaries are well trained before the Tews (our replacements) arrive in July. It’s critical that the zone leaders and assistants are ready to lead out for the first few months until President Tew gets adjusted to mission life.

     Our niece Nika flew into Long Beach to meet some friends for a few days. We got to enjoy some time together before her friends arrived (the drove up from St. George). Nika was willing to help me check off a couple of sites on my bucket list. I’ve wanted to go to Ports O’ Call in San Pedro since it was a place my Mom and Dad had visited often. We went early on a week day and it was practically deserted but you could tell that it is probably very busy at night on weekends with many fresh seafood restaurants right on the bay. Nika said her Dad would love it. We could see we were there at the wrong time of day so we drove a little further to Redondo Beach (another beach town I’ve been hoping to see). The pier at Redondo Beach is one of a kind, it’s V shaped and has many stores and restaurants to choose from. We ate at a restaurant named Tony’s that has been open since the early 1950’s. The food was good and the view was spectacular! I loved hearing the waves crash against the pier and looking out on the beautiful sea. We got back in to Long Beach in time to pick up Ben and  Mari from school. They were so happy to see their cousin Nika!

     Mari was invited to Mormal (a formal dance for the Mormon youth). We needed some help getting her dress up to the standards of the dance and were grateful for talented friends in the ward who were so willing to help us out. Mari looked beautiful for her date but is suffering with another terrible cold (poor thing!). She is home from school today with a low grade fever, body aches and terrible congestion. The dance was held at the Aquarium in Long Beach and was very nice so despite not feeling her best Mari had a great time. The Church leaders here work so hard to provide wholesome activities for our youth which has been a big blessing for Ben and Mari.

     Ian and Shelly came from Rancho Santa Margarita and spent Friday night here at the mission home. Even though their visit was short we thoroughly enjoyed seeing them. They are doing great and are getting settled into their apartment and ward. We want to take advantage of having them relatively close by while we can and are planning on seeing them again in a week.

     Saturday I had a phone call from Sister Tew, she is so delightful! I hope I was able to answer her many questions about what to expect here in Long Beach. President and Sister Tew are both very excited as well as nervous about their assignment. I can feel their sincerity and faith and know they will do an excellent job keeping the work going here in our mission. It’s comforting to know that our missionaries will be in such caring and competent hands.

     Saturday night we had the missionaries serving in our ward and the Atherton ward over for dinner. Because there are two trios we ended up with ten missionaries for dinner. We had grilled chicken, fried rice, fruit salad and Marie Callender Pies. We’ve been asking the wards to not feed large groups of missionaries because it turns out to be a party for the missionaries instead of a chance for the missionaries to teach and encourage the members in their member missionary work. I didn’t know about the new rule until after I had invited them all for dinner – oops. The missionaries were all on their best behavior. It was the first time that a few of the newest missionaries (half of the ten missionaries have been out less than three months) had been to the mission home – they loved being in the mission home!

     We were especially anxious to observe one of the new Sisters at dinner. Her companions have really struggled with her. In just a couple of months she has already had four companions. The missionaries take turns giving a spiritual thought when they have dinner with the members. I was nervous when I found out that it was our struggling Sister’s turn to share the thought. I expected that with so many missionaries they would have decided together to have one of the more experienced missionaries teach in the home of the mission president. It was her turn and they stuck with their schedule. It was amazing to see our struggling Sister’s newest companion guide her and encourage her to give her message. When the young Sister hesitated, her senior companion firmly but kindly and quietly told her to read a scripture from the Book of Mormon that she had studied earlier in the day. Everything went well and we were all taught from her message but more importantly we were taught by the actions of a competent trainer who will help this young Sister grow by allowing her to stretch.

     It’s much easier to let ourselves and others stay in our comfort zones but true growth comes as we stretch and do hard things. Watching how these missionaries grow and develop as they do hard thing reminded me of the often quoted words of C.S. Lewis: “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”  

     We are so blessed to see these miracles happen around us each day as young men and women are transformed into disciples of Christ here in Long Beach!

We love and appreciate each of you,
The Long Beach Buberts