Our Mission! California Oakland/SanFrancisco: Go Forward With HOPE

I am looking forward to this coming week, its my 50th high school class reunion on Saturday! Hope you can find something to look forward to in your week that you feel good about planning for.

As I look back to see what was important, our week seems like a blur. So, here goes - It was very fun and interesting to be with all the senior couples Monday evening. When we get together we love to visit and catch up with things. One couple we have grown close to is heading home after their term of service next week. They have served 3 previous temple missions around the world. As they were coming out of the temple here the other day, they had to go back inside to retrieve something and they turned around and bumped into a very dear old bishop they had befriended, he was like family, on their last mission in Argentina. Of course, they were delighted to see each other and visit, after hugs and kisses, they shared important news and praised God for their "chance" meeting. Interesting how often the Lord orchestrates many turns in our everyday lives.

Thursday night at the Visitor's Center was not a slow night, it was a really sloooow night!. Friday morning we got to go on a hike west of the temple in a beautiful mini wooded redwood forest. It was only about 15 minutes away from the bustle of the city, but wow, what quiet solitude and gorgeous scenery. You could smell the fresh air, pine scents, flowers in bloom, It was heavenly! We then were fortunate to be able to attend the temple with our zone of missionaries. It is such a beautiful site to see all those sweet Elders and Sisters dressed in white, serving in the temple. Saturday, we filled in for a couple at the VCenter in the morning. It was the busiest day EVER, even busier than Christmas time. Don't know why, but there were several weddings and 4 huge stake primary groups that came in throughout the morning with their primary leaders while their parents attended the temple. So cute to talk to them about Jesus in front of the Christus, to feel their sweet innocence and see how much they love Jesus. So cute to ask them about the gospel and hear them answer questions with such wonder and yet wisdom! Makes me remember why I chose to teach children for a living. In the afternoon, I took 2 young Costa Ricans on a tour, they asked some thoughtful questions about the gospel, listened to my broken Spanish explain the Restoration and then I gave them copies of The Book of Mormon and we read together Moroni's promise. I got a wonderful feeling - they were really prepared! At the end of our discussion, I challenged them to follow Jesus and talk to the Sister missionaries here at the VC, and start the lessons. Then they burst my bubble! They were already taking the lessons, and they both were on date to be baptized in a month! Yess! I was so glad for them, even if they hadn't told me at the first of our discussion.

My cup runneth over, as the psalmist states. I don't quite know why my sweetheart and I and our amazing family are being blessed right now, maybe there are hard trials ahead, but I hope not. I am sooo grateful for my family, my friends, my fellow toilers in the field and for my Jesus! Amen!

Oh quick PS, we had Friday night dinner at TGIFridays! Those who don't remember, they went belly up about 16 yrs ago in Utah, but they're still a few left here in California, just far away from us. Well, I got a gift card from a student for double the substantial amount a long time ago, and we finally went. It was delicious food, amazing service, yummy desserts, reasonable prices, a friendly manager visited with us, and gave us a coupon and a free entree that we took home. Anyway, they accepted my 17 year old gift card we thought would be expired, gave us a senior discount, and we left a Book of Mormon with the very nice waiter who showed interest in everything we told him! Incredible! We didn't waste a gift and we planted a seed - Double Bonus Points!

Love, Elder and Sister Jerman