Weeks 46 - 56

 May 9, 2023 to July 23, 2023

Hello family and friends! The weeks are flying by. I can't believe it has been almost 3 months since we did a blog post. At this rate we will only do a couple more!

We are so grateful to have an operating temple again here in Columbus! It was dedicated by Apostle M. Russell Ballard On June 2nd. The dedication was a spiritual feast! We live 4 minutes from the temple and have been able to attend several times since it re-opened. (Missionary Blessings)

After the temple dedication and before it was opened to the public, all of the Columbus Ohio missionaries were able to go to the temple for an endowment session. I took advantage of this amazing opportunity to have some of our family's temple work done. We went before each session and handed out name cards to all the missionaries. One hundred seventy three endowments were performed for Italian relatives. (Missionary Blessings)

One of our greatest joys is to be present when young adults that we know and love go to the temple for the first time or are sealed for eternity as a couple. Last Saturday morning Emmaley and Enrique were sealed and Taylor received her endowments. 

We will miss going to the Indianapolis temple! Many wonderful bonds were created with lots of young adults during those 6 hour round trip car rides. On our last trip we went with our dear friend, Athena, and her fiancé, Tom. They will be getting married in the Bountiful, Utah Temple this coming week.  

The Scioto River runs through Columbus. We live about 2 blocks from this river and cross it going to and from the institute every day. We marvel at how green Ohio is in the summer! We have never seen sprinklers running in yards, parks, etc. The plentiful rain seems to take care of all the watering needs. I don't know if the humidity isn't that bad this summer, or if we are just used to it, but the weather has been very manageable to us. (Missionary Blessings)

Here is our summer institute class curriculum and schedule. "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man", Luke 2:52, was the scripture our lessons were based around. We've had great discussions using scriptures, the words of prophets, and other leaders of the church as we examined ways we could become more like the Savior in all facets of our life - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. The young adults in central Ohio are amazing people! They are smart, dedicated, and compassionate disciples of Christ. 

During the summer we have served dinner every Thursday night at 6:00 and then institute class begins around 6:40. Elder Perona and I prepare the meal and then share teaching responsibilities with our amazing institute director, Spencer Knowles. Here is a video I took to show our children what we do each week. 

Most every night there is something for the YSA's to do at the Institute.  Two nights out of the week they love to play volleyball. Nobody keeps score, it's just for fun and to hang out with like minded people.  Check out the video below to see them in action!

Volleyball video link

In our first blog I had a picture of the gravestone of my fourth great grandfather on my father's side, Abraham Jackson, who is buried here in central Ohio. Thanks to my FamilyTree App and the Map My Ancestors feature, I discovered that my second great grandfather on my mother's side, Austin Brothers, is also buried here in Ohio. Interesting coincidence, both of these grandfathers came from the same county in Pennsylvania. 

Since we were close to Cleveland to visit the cemetery, we went to the only National Park in Ohio - Cuyahoga Valley National Park. True to all things Ohio, it is very green and lush in the summer with beautiful hiking trails. 

Ohio has many covered bridges built in the 1800's. This one is in the above mentioned National Park. The bridges were made out of wood and were covered to protect and preserve them from the elements. 

 

 

We had a great 4th of July! The people of Ohio are very patriotic! We were invited along with other YSA's to a home of some members who have been celebrating the 4th with the neighbors in their court for several years. Here we are with some of the YSA who attended and below is just a sample of some of the games that were played in the cul-de-sac. I wasn't expecting much from the "neighborhood" fireworks, but they did not disappoint! They were just as good as most community fireworks! 

We have absolutely loved President and Sister Horgesheimer as our mission leaders! They completed their three year calling in July with as much enthusiasm as I'm sure they had when they began. Elder Perona and I often said, "I don't know how they do all they do!" The Lord has truly blessed them and the missionaries they have served.

The senior missionaries had one last meal with the Horgesheimers before they went home. We love the senior missionaries in our mission. The people in this picture represent years of service and dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church.

We are also thrilled about our new Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Brockbank! (We will hopefully have a picture of her next time. She reminds us a lot of our daughter in law, Whitney.) They sold their home, their cars, found somebody to run his Ophthalmology practice, and brought two teen-age children who left friends and family to come and lead this mission for the next three years. It reminds me of when somebody asked Elder Holland, one of our apostles, if he would give his life for the church and he responded, "I AM giving my life for the church." Such consecration!

This gal loves to serve! Aundria is always finding community service projects and invites us to come along. We were finally able to go with her. At this one we put beds together, complete with bedding, gift  bags filled with school supplies, books, and a stuffed animal. The children were then invited to come in and find the bed with their name on it. It was a touching experience to see the excitement on their faces. Elder Perona talked to one of the organizers who said that he didn't know that other kids slept in beds until, as a pre-teen, he went to a friends home for a sleep-over. He thought that all kids slept on a mat on the floor.

We had some car troubles but Elder Perona was able to easily fix them with his limited amount of tools and no garage to work in. (Missionary Blessings) Last week the starter went out on our car and Taylor, one of our Young Adults, wanted to help. I don't know what Elder Perona would have done without her!

Once in a while all the missionaries in our zone meet at the institute building to go on a a "blitz" on campus. It is quite a sight to see these glowing young people walk through campus sharing their light and message with all those that will talk to them.

To those of you from the Walnut Creek, CA stake area, this Elder's last name may be familiar to you. Elder Fonoimoana, grandson of Sonny and Bonnie Fonoimoana arrived in our mission a few months ago. He is an excellent missionary and has a personality and testimony of Jesus Christ that is loved by all he associates with. 

This right here is one  of the things I love most about our mission. This office has become a sacred space to us! We love the talks we have here with the missionaries and the young adults. We have seen many tears, heard experiences of faith, trials, and joys, Elder Perona has given blessings too numerous to count, and we have grown to love soooo many wonderful people. 

We love the OSU missionaries! They bring the people they meet on campus to the institute building to teach them how to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. The past Saturday, the beautiful young woman dressed in white was baptized into the church. We were privileged to sit in on several of her lessons. (Missionary Blessings)

A few weeks ago Brother Knowles was teaching his weekly Zoom lesson. The class was titled "Receiving the Savior's Divine Gift of Grace". One of our local service missionaries put her thoughts in the "chat box" during the lesson. Brother Knowles then added pictures to help portray her thoughts. Isn't this beautiful? Christ's grace isn't available to us only after all we are able to do. His grace, this enabling, strengthening power, is extended to us through His atonement.  As we bind ourselves to Him, His grace will help "us to see and to do and to become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity" (Elder David L. Bednar)  

We love you all! Thank you for your prayers! WE CAN FEEL THE SUPPORT!