Sunday, Nov. 23 Nuestro Familia y Amigas:
So many interesting things happened today that I've decided to write a special Thanksgiving post. It all began with my reading of Doctrine and Covenants Section 1. For some time, the tone of this section has troubled me. The Lord sounds so very stern. I didn't mesh this well with the God of Love, Prince of Peace and other titles we have for the Savior. I prayed about this and the following happened:
You will remember from previous posts that I'm incubating ideas on a novel, at the moment entitled "The Blessing Inn."
I want to know more about flamenco dancing and did some preliminary research on that art form and further research on Spain. (Lest you all say "But she's supposed to be on a mission!" I have to add I've been recovering slowly from the flu.)
So many interesting things happened today that I've decided to write a special Thanksgiving post. It all began with my reading of Doctrine and Covenants Section 1. For some time, the tone of this section has troubled me. The Lord sounds so very stern. I didn't mesh this well with the God of Love, Prince of Peace and other titles we have for the Savior. I prayed about this and the following happened:
You will remember from previous posts that I'm incubating ideas on a novel, at the moment entitled "The Blessing Inn."
I want to know more about flamenco dancing and did some preliminary research on that art form and further research on Spain. (Lest you all say "But she's supposed to be on a mission!" I have to add I've been recovering slowly from the flu.)
Part of my plot is about two children orphaned in southern Italy. Their family is massacred and they need to get away alive and stay alive. They could be gypsy children, maybe with parents who play flamenco music. I considered that they might have only a knife to survive and one of them might be hurt. They might have a long distance to travel in hostile territory to reach Spain. I researched knife fighting and came across a site called "forcenecessary." I then had a paradigm shift as to why the Lord is stern in D&C 1: for the help and protection of his children. I felt the same emotional shift in myself, and this covered several thoughts: better preparation in food storage and gardening, and in studying martial arts (I have no way to protect myself) among other things.
I read once that Spanish girls who want to dance flamenco are taught to have an attitude by the time they are 3! With that on my mind, I watched our second speaker in church today walk to the stand with "flamenco" flare and confidence. As it turned out, she was not comfortable speaking in Spanish and apologized, then read her talk, quite well in spite of her nervousness. To her embarrassment and the amusement of the audience, she had left the last page of her talk with her husband. He brought it to her from his seat in the chapel. I enjoyed watching this "story".
Dad was our class teacher and he was delightful. Our topic was Ezekial 34 and 37, and he had a group of us singing "Bones, dem bones, dem..... dry bones," which we did among much laughter. Dad says he feels like he is in a jacket, not being able to communicate beyond basics in Spanish. He was certainly out of his jacket today!
Dad was our class teacher and he was delightful. Our topic was Ezekial 34 and 37, and he had a group of us singing "Bones, dem bones, dem..... dry bones," which we did among much laughter. Dad says he feels like he is in a jacket, not being able to communicate beyond basics in Spanish. He was certainly out of his jacket today!
You'll remember that I decided to make a yellow rose my symbol of reaching out to people while I'm in the temple. Saturday Sister Burk gave me a new assignment: temple organist. I had played infrequently before. While I was playing Saturday, a large group came to do baptisms. As usual they were quiet and reverent. I was a little nervous since I was sight-reading. The approved hymns for the temple are sometimes different from my familiar organ, and I hadn't had time to really practice. I had been watching the group of young people but hadn't seen anyone turn my way until the boy on the front row, right next to the organ, gave me a bright smile. Lovely feeling!
A woman in a wheelchair at church today looked up and smiled, and I patted her shoulder as I went by. Sister Barney, the missionary of the fun poem about pumpkin pie....um......dip, wrote me another welcome-back-we've-missed-you poem, and the guard on the temple grounds gave me the most orange gorgeous hibiscus, shown on the left. I am doing a little "temple rose" work and I have all kinds of encouragement.
A woman in a wheelchair at church today looked up and smiled, and I patted her shoulder as I went by. Sister Barney, the missionary of the fun poem about pumpkin pie....um......dip, wrote me another welcome-back-we've-missed-you poem, and the guard on the temple grounds gave me the most orange gorgeous hibiscus, shown on the left. I am doing a little "temple rose" work and I have all kinds of encouragement.
During skype time at night, we had our first visit with Jed since we came. He looked cool and collected in the middle of his myriad job applications and returning to working on his thesis. Afterwards, I thought to myself, we should have had him put Nellie on the screen! Maybe next time, along with a good visit with Steve?
We ended the evening with a lovely prayer in Spanish by Maren, after hearing all the music, Spanish and school things going on in the Dunford home. It was a wonderful end to an interesting day: "Padre Celestial, muchos gracias......"
I find myself saying that a lot in my personal prayers. Muchos gracias por este dia, por mi familia, for being here in lovely Guatemala.
Hermana Brubaker
Missionary Mom
I find myself saying that a lot in my personal prayers. Muchos gracias por este dia, por mi familia, for being here in lovely Guatemala.
Hermana Brubaker
Missionary Mom