After the afternoon Priesthood session of Stake Conference, something miraculous happened tonight in Moses Lake. Hundreds of people came to dinner before the evening session of conference. The gym was filled with about 58 tables, ready to receive food and hungry people!
Then the food started walking in the door! More than 50 crock pots of homemade soups, homemade rolls and beautiful cupcakes! WOW. It just kept coming and coming!
The missionaries were quick to help and enjoyed greeting friends and neighbors.
This is President Baker, our wonderful and fearless Moses Lake Stake President. You’ll recognize him as the potato farmer featured last fall here on the mission blog.
Look at all these happy people! The soup at our table was so good, I had 3 servings of it. Everyone was welcome to sample soup from any table. We all ate plenty. This stake does this soup extravaganza for every stake conference at the evening session. It was amazing. I could tell everyone looks forward to this event and meeting together. We were happy to be with these wonderful saints.
After we were all happy and full, the men took down the tables and rearranged the chairs for the meeting. In 15 minutes, the room transformed.
The evening session was great. President Lewis and I got to speak (and will speak again in the morning session). The theme for the meeting was Family History and Temple work. I shared some thoughts I’ve had about family history:
I have a feeling that it is when I make an effort to know my ancestors and make a connection with them by understanding who they are and how they lived, that they are given or granted permission or access to me. I often sense the presence or influence of loved ones who have gone before. In most cases, I never knew them here, but have learned to love them since. Some I feel especially close to and I feel them particularly near. Perhaps these few are my guardian or ministering angels. Perhaps because I love and care for them, they return love and care for me. I believe in these ministering angels. Elder Holland speaks of the “heavenly help of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need.”(Ensign, Nov. 2008.)
It has occurred to me that the reverse might also be true. If they are granted permission to be near us because we know them, then might not it follow that if we “leave ourselves behind” in as many ways as we can (words, thoughts, records, journals, photos, etc.) so that our posterity might know us and love us, we will have greater access to them?
After the meeting, we said farewell to our beloved missionaries. How wonderful it is to be with them. We love them so much.
Our Washington Yakima Mission 