Our lives turned upside, (in a good way), on Oct. 17 when we had an interview with Elder Naumann, our Area Seventy. He extended a call as the Service Mission Leaders for the Vancouver Mission Area (9 stakes). It is for three years. We oversee 14 service missionaries, most with some type of disability. Five of them were originally called as teaching missionaries and then due to mental challenges (usually depression or anxiety) returned home early. If they choose, they are transferred home to finish their mission as a service missionary.
It has been thrilling to get acquainted with this special missionary opportunity and to see what a blessing it can be not only for the missionary and their families along with the many community organizations in which they serve. It gives these wonderful young people with special needs an opportunity to serve a mission, something not available to them before. We have loved getting acquainted with our missionaries, though it means a lot of travel time as they’re spread from Astoria, OR on the coast almost to Olympia, just south of Seattle.
We had begun our application for a mission a couple of months ago, and then felt we should put them on pause. The next day our Bishop later told us he received an email from the Area Seventy saying he wanted to visit with us. This is a wonderful blessing for us to be able to serve a “full-time” mission, but still live at home. This is much more workable with my health as I wouldn’t be able to serve in some of the missions where our schedule would be more vigorous. We are busy, but our time is flexible. Because much of what we do is on the phone or computer, we can even host and travel to see family. We feel very blessed, and look forward to what the next three years will bring.
We love General Conference and it was fun to get a large screen TV in time for conference and fall football season. We loved having Ondalynn & Gary's family drop in for a few minutes after the first session of the Sunday conference. Everyone had plenty of places to sit on our new sectional in our family room. One Sunday afternoon, Ondalynn and her boys came over and helped us organize some temple names that we received from a friend. There were several hundred, so we really appreciated their help.
Also in October we attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for niece, Amy Phinney Beam’s new Crumbl Cookie (pic is Katie) business in Gig Harbor, WA. Then we went to Kathi's apartment next to Amy's house and visited for several hours. We tended the Vance boys while their parents were out of town for the weekend, cheering on Addison at his cross-country meet in Estacada, and Paxton and Isaac Vance at their flag football games. We loved General Conference, especially seeing granddaughter Sydney sing in the Saturday evening session with the combined BYU Choirs. We’re glad we could help with grandchildren so our daughters could have a get-away at the beach for a weekend.
Ondalynn & Gary Vance Family: October highlights included seeing oldest daughter Sydney sing with the combined BYU choirs in the Saturday evening session of General Conference. It was thrilling to be in the Conference Center and being so close to the General Authorities. Many of them came up into the choir to talk with them, including Sister Cordon and Elder Rasband. She said the most spiritual moment was when the Prophet entered the room. It was an unforgettable experience! It was the first time choirs were able to sing in person at General Conference since the pandemic and it was a joy for all to have live music again!
October 6-10, Gary and Julia went on a daddy-daughter trip to New York City. It was a special trip for Julia’s 16th birthday. They were blessed to stay with Crismon and Danielle in their cute apartment in Manhattan. The first night they saw “Hamilton” on Broadway! Julia was in heaven! It’s been her dream to go to NYC and see a Broadway musical. She was lucky enough to meet one of the performers (John Laurens/Philip) afterward! They toured the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, the MET, World Trade Center Museum, and they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night which was spectacular! They had so much fun meeting up with cousin Logan and Jose for dinner one night and spending lots of time with Crismon and Danielle. The last two days of their trip were spent in Palmyra visiting the Church history sites, particularly the Sacred Grove.
While Gary and Julia lived it up in NYC, Ondalynn was able to spend a few days at the Oregon coast with some of her sisters enjoying lots of uninterrupted time to talk and be together.
Later Gary and Ondalynn flew to Utah for the wedding of nephew, Mark Vance and connecting again with Sydney. A highlight was attending on the front row a rehearsal of the BYU Women’s Chorus. They said the power of 160 women singing was like nothing they had ever experienced. We hope to attend her Christmas concert in December.
Bryson finished his track season setting personal best times in the 800 meter race each time he ran it. October 24 was our Primary Program. It was Isaac’s last program! He and younger brother Paxton sang a duet together during the closing song, “My Own Sacred Grove”—very tender for their mother!
Meredith & Bryan Williams: After 10+ years in Arizona, Hawaii and Maryland, they are loving being close to family. They’ve enjoyed lots of get-togethers with Austin and Julia Doutre cheering for BYU football, having a visit from Seth and Tiffany’s family, on their way to Tacoma for their son Preston’s rowing event, and joining in the sisters' retreat on the coast. Bryan and Meredith also enjoyed a brief getaway to Seattle, including a session in the temple there—a first in two years due to the pandemic.
Crismon & Danielle: They’re busy in Manhattan finding time between his class schedule at Columbia to attend a Philadelphia Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall. Thanks to some friends who own a vehicle, they were able to escape the city for an afternoon and enjoy the fall colors at Rockefeller State Park near Sleepy Hollow, NY. They also enjoy feeling the kicks and punches of their little girl as Danielle enters her third trimester.
Julia & Austin Doutre: She attended the sisters retreat to Rockaway beach and oversaw the annual Primary program as the ward president. Daddy Austin and son Dallin teamed up to be fellow construction workers for Halloween—young Dallin’s obsession for now.
Emily & Bronson Gardner: A highlight was taking 19-month-old Elise trick-or-treating. She says: “Trick or boo!” Emily is remodeling their master bedroom and cheering on the Cougars with Bronson and Elise.
Alice-Anne & Gary Johns: They’re famous for coming up with unique costumes for Halloween, but 10-year-old Elliot put them to the test this time. He’s obsessed with geography right now and wanted to dress as a world globe. Mother Alice-Anne couldn’t resist putting it on to show she was “mother earth.”
They especially enjoyed seeing baby Oliver take to his first trick-or-treating! They also used their fall break in Utah to attend the Pocatello Temple open house—a highlight for the month of October for them.
Seth & Tiffany: Seth’s new book was out in print and available this month, “News After Trump: Journalism’s Crisis of Relevance in a changed Media Cult.” Addison (senior) finished his cross country season at districts with a lifetime PR. It was fun for us to see him participate with 600 other runners.
Vivienne and children: Vivienne keeps her busy household managing well as she juggles work, her Master’s program, and keeping up with her children. Daisy (7th grader) is on the volleyball team. A weekend at the beach with her sisters was a treat for her.
We had an Open House for our friends in the Gresham area to come and see our new home. It turned out really well, and it was so fun to host them. We had a good turn out. I'll share some pictures of how our looked at that time. We're so grateful our siding was finished just in time for our Open House.
