9/1-8/23 A week of Sweet Blessings

9-1-23 Saturdays are our preparation day--when we clean, shop, and rest. However, we have a General Authority 70 (Elder Jackson) coming to visit this week, so we spent the day cleaning and organizing the mission office. Elder Kennan and I serve in different offices. I helped him clean his. I share my office with 3 others-- they stayed busy cleaning and organizing. Here I am washing a window-- YIKES!

9-2-23 We hadn't been assigned a ward yet, so we attended the Rincon Valley ward that goes to our building. The Stake President was there and let us know that we'll be going to the Bennett Valley Ward which is a little further away--a new ward, new adventures!

9-3-23 Labor Day--After doing our 'living-type jobs' we went to a movie! Indiana Jones.

It was an older theatre and it felt like we had gone back in time.

9-4-23 We were on the road again--delivering a check to a towing company which was close to Sacramento. We passed vineyards, orchards, and farmland.

We were early enough that the fog from the ocean hadn't burned off. This is one of many vineyards.

I think these might be nut trees.

These Olive trees were for sale at a garden nursery.

We ended up in the town of Suisun and walked around a bit while waiting for the towing shop to open.

Thursday and Friday I spent updating an 'apartment map' showing us where there are apartments in our mission. I also collected and organized items the young missionaries will be picking up this week (lightbulbs, pans, dishes, etc.)

Elder Scoresby did the heavy lifting of finding and doing paperwork for a new apartment. He's an amazing young man!

We went with him and Elder Andersen to pick up the keys. We bought them Subway sandwiches after.

Today September 9th, we spent the day 'gathering blessings':

• Visited Verizon to get my lens protector replaced--they didn't have any, but a kiosk in the mall did-- I was impressed to pay cash.

• Replaced Elder K's laptop at the Apple store-- then ate lunch at the food court. The owner bought our drinks ("from Joseph Smith," he said-- he had gone to BYU.)

• Picked up supplies to make cookies and baked beans for part of a luncheon this next week.

• Tonight I went to a Stake Relief Society activity-- a lovely meal, beautiful music & a speaker who is also an opera singer. (She sang after.) She spoke about depression and how to deal with it. She talked about 'spiritual depression' where you've been through so much of whatever you've been dealing with and then don't feel the spirit anymore, and how Satan works hard on us as mothers and women.

Here are ways to help:

A nice way to finish off the week.

• Roger had driven me to the Relief Society dinner. He waited there and was starving, so we went through McDonald's on the way home. Neither of us had our wallets!!! I 'just happened to remember' $ I had in an index card case I have in the car. Angels are always whispering ways to help to us. (Thank you!❤️ to my hiking friends who had put it there a month ago!)

Thank you!❤️ Heavenly Father for the abundant blessings of each day....