Such a great week, I was reminded more than once why we should all be serving in one way or another. Tuesday, while driving to help the missionaries teach English Class, I said to Sister Jerman, Let's be early so we can help set up and run off lesson copies for the Elders. Although we arrived in plenty of time, everything had already been set up, but we were each able to individually sit across from a student and have a one-on-one conversation in English, albeit a hesitant, choppy exchange. It was so nice to interact with these wonderful people, to understand their struggles and see a little of where they're coming from. They are so eager to succeed and be able to fit in and make a living, escaping from very difficult circumstances from their distant homes and trying to make a go of it here, it felt good to be helping them connect.
Wednesday we fed the missionaries and had a set of Sisters and Elders come to eat. It is so amazing to be with these wonderful young servants of the Lord. We feel uplifted and blessed every time we're able to rub shoulders with them. We rubbed a little closer when we tried squeezing six people around the table in our little kitchen. After dinner we just sat and chatted about Jesus Christ. I thought, this is so cool just to be discussing why we love our Savior. One Elder said, Think how Jesus lived his life. He was the Son of God, he was perfect, yes, but we need to give him credit for freely choosing to be obedient every day. He still had his agency, he passed the test of temptation by the devil, which was incredible, but he could have chosen to be less than he was, instead he chose the higher, harder path. So true. And so should we.
We were invited by the Tongan Sisters to a special Tongan Ward Conference dinner dance. We showed up and NO ONE was there, the cultural hall was empty! Thirty minutes later a few folks trickled in and an hour later it was packed with families decked out in fancy dress. A sister came up to us and gave us a big hug and said she had just returned from her mission in New Zealand and was so glad to have had a senior couple in her area so far away from home, they had helped her feel less homesick!
Then we went over to the Visitor's Center the following night to see a special fireside put on by the Samoan Sisters, among others. It was a celebration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including many other cultures. It was just fantastic to see Tongans, Samoans, Cambodians, Chinese, Filipinos, Hawaiians, and Fijians singing, dancing, and shouting - loudly! The floor would shake when the Tongan Elders danced! They would have a speaker bear their testimony, often in a native language we didn't understand. Then a group would come up and dance. Afterwards, we were able to visit with and give hugs to missionaries we hadn't seen in a while. It was so amazingly fun!
I am trying to write a family history about my ancestors, one great grandpa worked as a coal miner in Wales, Pennsylvania, and then out in Utah. So just yesterday, we went on a tour of a coal mine right here in Antioch, 15 minutes away. Very interesting to learn about the dangerous job of being a miner. There is nothing left of the little town of Somersville CA, right below the mine because scavengers have stolen everything. Except for the lonely cemetery high up on the hill where miners are buried there from dying while working in extremely harsh, sometimes deadly conditions. Made me grateful for our ancestors who sacrificed a lot for us. Think of them and feel the love this Memorial Day weekend, as well as for those who died protecting our freedoms - thanks for all those that serve, it just feels good!
Love, Elder and Sister Jerman
The visitor center was inside an old mine shaft where they mined sand for making glass.
Asian American and Polynesian Islanders Celebration
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