Thinking of a Senior Mission?

 Hi all,

     The best bonus of being a senior missionary . . .  is being able to visit family!

We serve and then we are free to enjoy other “good things.”

     I will share our last 2 weeks that have been so full and fabulous.  

     We love our visits to different wards throughout our mission.  A couple Sundays ago we drove 45 minutes and were able to sit in on 2 sacrament meetings and introduce ourselves and our employment services to 4 Relief Society groups / 4 Elder Quorum groups.  We love these weekly outings where we see beautiful church buildings and meet so many wonderful saints.  

     We enjoyed meeting with the other senior missionaries for a potluck dinner and to hear how one couple has been serving to make connections with consuls (similar to ambassadors) from 72 countries here in San Francisco.  They have many amazing stories. 

The Fotheringhams are pictured here in the center with representatives from Lithuania. 

When the church couldn't get clearance for Elder Patrick Kearon and his wife to get into Kazakhstan, they called Elder Fotheringham to see if he had any connection to this country.  He made one phone call and within a short amount of time the visas were processed.  Another time they had several guests from Vietnam who wanted to see our temple so they took them to walk around the gardens on the second level of the temple, then inside the Visitor Center to hear from some senior missionaries and listen to 3 Elders sing a hymn in Vietnamese.  Then two sister missionaries sang, "I Am  A Child of God" in English.  The spirit flooded the room like these guests had never experienced before.  They didn't know what was going on and began pulling out their phones to take pictures of the sisters, the room, and each other.  It was the only thing they could think to do.  

     When we served at the Visitor Center, a gal came in that recognized me.  She reminded me that we sat at the same table while eating dinner at the Greek Festival down the hill and I had invited her to come see the Visitor Center. She brought friends and the sisters gave them a tour.   I only had ten minutes before she had another appointment to tell her all I could squeeze in.  She grew up with no religion herself so I told her about our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, apostles, the restoration, the Book of Mormon, priesthood, and living prophets.  She was astounded but receptive to hear all this, and accepted a Book of Mormon.  I hope we can meet with her again.  

    

      Kayleigh came to visit with her husband and 2 little girls.  We enjoyed showing them around Temple Hill where Kora, their 2 1/2 year old loved the Christus, the movie about Forever Families,  the roof top gardens on the temple, and the water fountains.  The following day we saw all the fun sights in San Francisco - sea lions, shops, soup and sourdough bread at Boudins near the wharf, chasing waves in the little cove below Ghirardelli Square, then going for a cable car ride.  Afterwards, we drove down the crookedest street and up to Coit Tower overlooking the city and bay area.  We drove across Golden Gate Bridge to take some pictures before heading home to fix supper, paint Kora's nails and take her for a swim.

     We went to the closest church in our town of Antioch.  There used to be 5 wards, now there is only one ward left and it is mostly older folks with very few families.  There was no nursery, only 3 kids in Primary and I'm not sure I saw any Young Men/Young Women.  We took a picnic to the park, then put on a nice meal with pie to celebrate Father's Day.  We got a call from our missionary, Amy, "Hermana Jerman" serving just a few hours south of us.  We also got to talk to my folks on a group call with my siblings.  

     We got to spend a quiet day at Pacifica Beach to enjoy the warm sun, sea breeze, waves to chase in, and sand to build towers and tunnels.  Further down the beach there is a Taco Bell right on the beach front so we enjoyed some food on the patio while watching the surfers.  Then said our goodbyes and had our hugs as we dropped them off at the airport in their sandy swimsuits!

     The following day we were back at our mission service with going in an hour early for a meeting with our advisors in Salt Lake.  Then we stayed after doing office work and working on resumes for an extra 2 hours before driving another 30 minutes away to meet a Filipino family of 3, to help them with their resumes and job search.  Funny story -  we missed the exit, so circled back when suddenly Roger's  phone died.  I didn't have any contact information so we had to pull over and wait several minutes for his phone to recharge before we could see where to drive.  We didn't finish early enough to drive home before English Connect class so we found a shop that sold hot sandwiches and pie. Oh yum!

     After that full day, our office was closed for Juneteenth, so we packed our bags and flew home.  We got to spend a day with our kids in the canyon and at our home, then another couple days in Logan paddling around Cutler Reservoir, enjoying family time in the Godfrey’s backyard with dutch oven dinner, then being their again for the baby blessing of Jason and Taya's baby boy Finn. 

Just tellin' ya, senior missions are the best! 

     Love, Elder and Sister Jerman

Lend a hand to someone struggling

Hi all,

On Saturday we took the opportunity to drive to Point Reyes Lighthouse on the coast about two hours away from our apartment. It is the foggiest and windiest lighthouse in the US. As we arrived, the wind was strong, the fog was heavy,  and visibility was only a few feet. But as we walked down the 313 steps to get to the lighthouse, the fog cleared and we could see the breakers out on the ocean, a fishing vessel, and a boat of whale watchers, although no whales were sighted this day. The lighthouse no longer requires a lighthouse keeper, only a National Park Ranger to give tours, because everything is automated now. Back in the day, it took someone to light the lamp and the lower lights along the shore to keep ships from crashing on the rocks in the narrow harbor. The visit brought a beautiful hymn to mind.

Brightly beams, our father's mercy

From his lighthouse evermore

But to us, he gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore

Let the lower lights be burning

Send a gleam across the wave

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save

All of May we had a total of 20 jobseekers come in for our services. This past week alone, we've had 14 already! We were so excited because a college grad we met in January,  finally came in to update his resume and get some job coaching in May. This past week he told us he landed a job! It's so satisfying when we can contribute a little to someone's success.

On the other hand it's heartbreaking when we see people coming in with devastating challenges. One homeless gal that has come in every day for 3 weeks now to use our computers, heard multiple phone chimes and asked Sister Jerman why she was getting so many messages on her phone. Kaleen told her because her mom, brother and sisters were texting back and forth. What? You talk to your sisters? Well of course, Kaleen remarked and even showed her the phone.  Then there is another string of conversations with our children. She couldn't believe it! Unfortunately, she has a destructive relationship with her family and hasn't been in touch with her mom for years. The conversation led to how we treated each other politely and with a lot of respect and love. You mean your husband has never hit you? Of course not, was the answer. We love each other and talk things out whenever we don't agree with one another. This was a new concept for her. She had been raised with abusive parents and didn't know of someone who didn't resort to coercion to solve problems. Hard struggles, which are so sad. Kaleen took the opportunity to tell her how much peace and joy the gospel brings into our lives as we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ.  We've dropped her off at a park for a free sandwich several times as we head home. She carries everything in her backpack and a couple extra sacks.  She sleeps somewhere outside and pulls off sticker weeds before coming inside to begin job searching. She is one of the few homeless people we know who is trying to get a job. We pray for her and hope a job comes soon!

Let us each be one who reaches out and keeps the lower lights burning.

Love,

Elder and Sister Jerman

P.S. After enjoying time at the Family Search Center, we attended the temple, then took the opportunity to visit the quaint main street of the little town of Montclair.  Our waiter asked us a few questions about ourselves and of course we shared a bit about serving a mission.  He stopped by later to tell us "I can tell you are a happy couple". Once again, someone recognized a joy that is so meaningful in life.   The gospel and covenants are so amazing!

 

Faithful Pioneer Saints

 We have so enjoyed our past week! We started out on Memorial Day by going on a picnic, riding our E Bikes and then going for a swim.  We fed 5 missionaries and challenged each other with some "Celestial Pursuit" questions.  The next night we fed 4 missionaries and enjoyed singing "Come Come Ye Saints" with the guitar.  We began by just singing 1 verse, but it was such a sweet moment that we continued through all 4 verses, feeling the spirit of the pioneers. What a privilege to be here supporting these young missionaries in this great work!

     Next was our day on Temple Hill.  We did sealings at the temple, some work at the Family Search Center and then served at the Visitor Center. It is such a wonderful blessing of our mission to have all these opportunities so close and available. 

     At the end of our week, after visiting 2 new wards, we drove up the steep windy road to the top of Mt. Diablo which sits in the middle of the huge valley east of the San Francisco Bay.  From there, we could see Antioch where we live, and all the communities we have been visiting the last 7 months.  We could see out west to Oakland, San Francisco, and even the Golden Gate Bridge way off in the distance.  On a super clear day, we could have seen northeast to Sacramento and east to Yosemite.  It was so cool to be on top of this mountain and see that incredible 360 degree view.

     This weekend we got to go on a Church History Tour with a local member who loves church history and knows all about the Ship Brooklyn that landed on July 31st, 1846 in a cove of San Francisco.  She took us to a bunch of different markers and plaques that showed where the ship landed, where the first homes were built, where the first newspaper was printed, and where the first hotel, bank and school were built. All of these are several blocks away from today's waterfront as there was a ton of debris that was packed down into landfill to fill in the cove and build the city on top of it. A lot of it consisted of old ships that were abandoned to get to the gold fields!   

      The Ship Brooklyn had 238 people on board when it left New York on February 4, 1846, the same day the Pioneer Saints began their exodus out of Nauvoo.   One baby born onboard was named Atlantic and the other was named Pacific.  Eleven people died. They sailed down around the bottom of South America, up to Hawaii, then after a 6 month journey, they landed in what was at the time called Yerba Buena, now San Francisco.  Once ashore they were very industrious, helping to build a new community and planting crops to welcome other saints they hoped would continue to travel west to make this their new home.  Many helped rescue and care for the remaining members of the Donner Party.  Once learning Brigham Young was settling in the Salt Lake area, these destitute saints had to work once again to try to outfit themselves for the trek over the Sierras to the Salt Lake Valley.  The discovery of gold actually helped the faithful "Ship Brooklyn Saints" have the means to gather to the Salt Lake Valley with the main body of the church and the prophet.  It was a fascinating day to learn about this history while people hustled past us on the busy streets of San Francisco.  

    Elder Jerman and  I are currently reading histories about our ancestors.  It is so incredible to learn their stories such as the long, hard, dark days working in a mine, wives having babies while their husbands were away, many deaths in a family, or being 10 years old and left for months to care for the sheep herds out in remote areas far from civilization and family.   It is amazing and humbling to read and learn about them.   We would invite you all to find something to read about your ancestors before Pioneer Day comes up next month.  Perhaps get on Family Search to explore their lives and work on your own family history.  

     We are so blessed to be a part of the restored church on earth and have so many wonderful blessings in our lives.  We can read the Book of Mormon every day.  We can pray to our Heavenly Father every day.  We can attend church and partake of the sacrament, blessed by those with the priesthood, every week. We can attend the temple often.  We can share our testimonies and welcome our friends to learn about the gospel.  As we love, share, and invite, we take part in this great and glorious work of Gathering Israel which prepares the earth for the return of the Messiah.  

     All the Best to You!

Love, Elder and Sister Jerman

Memorial Day outing - we biked around taking pictures with flags and flowers

Feeding missionaries

Our view from Mt. Diablo

Our Church History Tour about the saints who arrived on the Ship Brooklyn 

U.S. Mint building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire 

Site of the first public school/church now in the heart of San Francisco

Why Serve?

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

Old cemetery 

The visitor center was inside an old mine shaft where they mined sand for making glass. 

Asian American and Polynesian Islanders Celebration

From Egypt to Greece

 Hello to all our favorite people!

     We love this mission with all its unique sights and cultures.  This week we got to experience a lot of interesting things.

     We started off with our job seeker from Egypt coming into the employment office.  The first time he came in he grabbed my hand (Sister Jerman) and kissed it!  This time, he was so excited about getting a job that he gave me a full on hug, then kissed me on the check, then again, and again, moving closer and closer to the front of my face.  I pulled back and in a startled voice burst out, "You can't kiss me!"   Whoa!

     We attended a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta dinner with other senior couples in our mission, and then a Paella Party (rice and fish dish served in Spain) with local members who also served in Spain.   Elder Jerman got to use his "Spainish" several times at the Employment Center and at the Visitor Center.  

     One day we had a homeless gal walk into our job center asking for water.  She came back later asking for a blanket and food.   I had a muffin in the freezer and told her it would be ready to eat soon and gave her a list of places around town that distribute food.  Much to her disbelief, we didn't have a blanket.  She said she thought we were Mormons and would be able to help her.  She walked away, crumpled up the paper, and tossed it and the muffin in the middle of the parking lot.    Hmm...

     We went to a Greek Festival at the Greek church right below Temple Hill.  We ate some yummy food (mousaka and bougatsa) while listening to fun music and watching folks of all ages hold hands up and dance around a circle.  I forgot my name badge (2nd time ever in 7 months) and felt so lost without it that I put on the extra one I found in the car even though it said Elder Jerman.  I figured the folks at the Greek Festival wouldn't even notice, and it was more important to me to have the name of Jesus Christ over my heart.  

     While delivering some supplies to missionary apartments out in the countryside, we drove past farms selling fresh picked cherries, strawberries and apricots.  We were happy to buy super "fresh" fruit. It was the best we've ever had - so soft, sweet and juicy!  Saturday, we bought more produce at the Farmer's Market in Vallejo where we traveled to participate in a stake Self Reliance Fair with our Employment Service ideas and handouts.  

     Sunday we were happy to meet our Egyptian friend at a local ward. He told us he is a Coptic Christian. This time I got a nice little kiss on the hand which was still quite unexpected at a church meeting. I was so grateful that both speakers were inspired to talk about trials, prayer and working hard to make life better for ourselves and others  - all good things he could relate to.  

     After the meetings, I recognized another one of our job seekers, who is Chinese.  I had seen him a week ago at a YSA event so I told him we were going to the YSA ward next, and asked if he had been there yet.  I learned that he had been meeting with missionaries and coming to this ward for about 5 months. He accepted a ride to go with us and had a wonderful experience. 

     We feel it a privilege to get the opportunity to help some great people in their job search during the week, then help bring them closer to Christ on the Sabbath day.  We are excited for a new week of experiences as we serve. 

 

Love, Elder and Sister Jerman

Bonus, we got to go with another fun senior missionary couple on a catamaran out into the Bay. We even got a turn to steer, and pull the ropes “lines” to tack the sailboat back and forth.  We are having the best of times, and often think that we should just extend!

Greek Fest

Self Reliance Fair

Inspections, Connections & Reflections

Sure hope you all had an enjoyable Mother's Day. Ours was amazing! In fact, the whole week has been a real treat.

Monday, I took Sister Jerman out for an early Mother's Day treat at Harry's Hofbrau with the other senior couples. I had a predilection for Roast Turkey, it was delicious! 

Wednesday we held inspections on the Sister's apartments. Wow, are their apartments ever so much more cleaner, easier, and quicker to inspect than the Elders!

Thursday at the Visitors Center, we treated the Sister Missionaries to Pizza for dinner because both sets of Sisters had been busy with transfers and arrived without any food.  The man who delivered the Pizza, Joseph, was Jewish.  He pulled up in his Dominos truck and stated that "He just had a really good feeling driving up to this beautiful building and he has always wanted to attend a "Mormon" church. I said, "Well you have come to the right place!"  Of course he couldn't take time off during working hours, so I gave him instructions on the 7 different Sacrament Meeting times we have on Temple Hill and the different chapel locations. He was grateful and replied that he would return Sunday. 

Saturday we had a very enjoyable day at Temple Hill, volunteering with the YSA members in the Greater Bay Area.  We assembled dresser drawers, school backpacks, and hygiene kits. I made a fun connection there by running into a missionary who volunteered with me in Africa for a Humanitarian Service Project in Malawi a few years ago. It was so fun to see him, because 3 years ago he was a rather insecure 16 year old, and while talking to him I realized how much he had matured, or perhaps it was me that had changed, probably in retrospection, it was a little of both!

Sister Jerman was able to listen to an excellent talk at the YSA event with Emily Belle Freeman. She remarked to me that after listening to what she was counseled in that talk, it caused her to pause and create some reflection on her life and give herself a little introspection. 

Well, I hope there won't be any objections to this little collection of events in my email.  Instead, let's celebrate our mutual affection!

Love Elder and Sister Jerman

My “connection” came while serving next to these 2 young men. When I mentioned my son just moved from Folsom, the one next to me said he grew up in that ward and the other one said he served his mission in that area and knew Jason and his family!

Beautiful Bay Area

 California is such a beautiful state.  I remember after driving across the Nevada desert, we crossed the state line, and were suddenly surrounded by trees, hills, mountains, and flowers growing all around.  In Utah we have little clusters of flowers while here the geraniums are waist high bushes. We love driving through green hills, tree lined streets and seeing ground cover growing anywhere.  Sometimes we see garbage, even furniture and appliances dumped out by the roadside, so we cheer when we see workers picking up garbage.  The other day we even saw a worker dusting off the top of a public garbage can!  Keep California Clean!

    

 After our 3 days at the Employment Center we got to go on a 3 Hour Tour of the Bay on a catamaran.  It was so cool, and  relaxing, and amazing, and fun!  We sailed under the Oakland Bay Bridge and around the Bay with the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco in the background.  A day to remember!  

     We will miss our weekends with Jason and his family but we are thrilled for them to have moved to Boise this week and they are now in a home with an extra room and a fenced in yard!

    We had friends (Paul and Nancy Nance) visit us this week so we got to walk through a Redwood Forest, visit Alcatraz, eat chowder with sourdough bread, watch the sea lions at Pier 39, spend a little time at the beach, visit Ghirardelli Square, ride a cable car, see the view from Coit Tower, and drive down Lombard Street - the crookedest street in the world.  What a great time!

We went on 2 Ebike rides in our area on great bike paths, 

and we served twice at the Visitor Center.  

     Today we had a record breaking day of visiting 5 wards!  Some members ask if we will be attending their ward from now on and others ask if Roger is the Mission President.    We didn't go to all their meetings as they overlap a bit, but we were able to attend a couple sacrament meetings and introduce ourselves in each of the Sunday School classes. We visited Cantonese, Tongan, Tongan YSA, Spanish and Mandarin wards.  We can't read the Mandarin characters but we can sing along in Spanish and we love singing with the Tongans.  It sounds like we are on the islands with them.  

     The best part about our mission is all the beautiful people we meet here in the Bay area.  We are having so many wonderful experiences. It is such a blessing to be a missionary.

     All our Love,

Elder and Sister Jerman