Christmas Breakfast Celebration Features Primary Children

   Over the years. Mokelumne River Ward has celebrated every other year with a Christmas breakfast.
  There was a large attendance at the breakfast and food and friendships were enjoyed by all.

    But the main part of the activity was to celebrate the birth of Christ, and this was done in a delightful way.

  The primary children acted out the story, as the audience sang a five verse song.  This is what they portrayed on each verse:

1.Tell the truth of Jesus' birth.  When as a baby, he came to the earth.

2. This is the new star, shinning so bright, lighting the world on that first Christmas night.

This is the angel proclaiming the birth, Singing "Hosanna!" and "Peace on Earth."

3.This is the stable, shelter so bare; Cattle and oxen first welcomed him there.

This is the manger, wet hay for a bed.  Waiting for Jesus to cradle his head.

4. These are the shepherds, humble and mild, Hast'ning to worship the heavenly child.

These are the wise men who followed the star, Frankincense, gold, and myrrh brought from afar.

5. See the sweet mother, Mary so fair, Joseph who guided the donkey with care.

See the dear baby of Bethlehem, Little Lord Jesus, the Savior of men.

We Are Blessed With Two New Sister Missionaries

   On the right is Sister Smith who has been with us for a few months.  Recently we got a wonderful new missionary, Sister Finch on the  left. She is from Oklahoma and put in a year at Southern Utah University on a scholarship. She has been on her mission for five and a half months.  She is lively and has a good relationship with people.  Coming one week later is Sister Richens in the middle, who came from a small town near Vernal Utah. This is her first assignment. She has a brother on a mission in South Carolina and his experiences made her want to serve a mission. After her mission she plans to attend college and major in nursing.  She has a positive outlook and says she only hears good things, and experiences good things. We are so fortunate to have these three wonderful missionaries with us.
 

Relief Society Has A "Giving" Auction

      The Relief Society held a giving auction under the skillful leadership of auctioneer Fred Fairbanks.  Starting with an envelope of paper cash, sisters raised their paddles to bid against each other to take home the item or service they really wanted in their life.  Donations ranged from meals, to cleaning, to organizing, to photo shoots, to gift wrapping.  It was a lively evening of bidding and laughter.

      Andrea Mogler and Breanne Congrave  had successful bids for a "Seasonal Produce Box." They had to wait a week until the Kerrs got back from a trip to Branson so the boxes could be put together from garden fruits and vegetables.  

Synceres Vonlamont Baptized

   Synceres Vonlamont was baptized November 4 by Brother Trent Simmons and confirmed by Bishop Adam Sroufe. He is pictured here with his mom, Sister Neisha Jackson and his little sister Ryin. 

   When his mother was baptized September 14, Synceres expressed to the Sister missionaries that he was interested in baptism. They were happy to hear that.  They were able to give him a baptismal date on his first lesson.  They said, "He was very repetitive to all we had to say and he was very eager to be baptized!"  Welcome Synceres!

Primary Children Bring Joy to Care Facility Patients

   On October 26 a group of the primary children visited Arbor Care Facility.  The children dressed in their Halloween costumes and paraded through the facility, saying "Hi" to all the patients there.  Then they gathered in the activity room where the children said their names and what their costume was.  All of the residents there were very excited to see the little children.  They had little bags of trick-or-treat candy, and the children were more than able to trick-or-treat each room.  A lot of smiles were seen.

Young Men Work to Create Two "Little Free Libraries"

     The Young Men above show off the two Little Free Libraries created by all of the Young Men--from Deacons and Teachers to Priests.  A Little Free Library is a "take a book, share a book" exchange.  Anyone may take a book or bring a book to share. Both libraries were installed in areas of the ward that didn't previously have a Little Free Library. These book exchanges have a unique personal touch. There is an understanding that real people are sharing their favorite books with their community, and thus they have been called "mini-town squares."

    How did the little houses get filled with books when first finished?  Sherrill and Ken Adamska have one by their house. They and their daughters and friends put in the first books. Then neighbors began to take books, and put books in.  Sherrill said that in the first two weeks there was a great turnover. Bike riders stopped by to see what was going on. People were commenting on what a wonderful thing it was.

   Now about the building of the libraries. Through the year over 100 service hours went into the planning, construction, and installation of these two libraries.  In addition to the young men leaders, Arnell Clegg (Elders Quorum Activity Coordinator) played an instrumental part in the development of the libraries.  They had no kits, but built everything from scratch.  First they had to make a design, and then work with raw materials. Brother Clegg  taught them skills that once learned will help them for the rest of their lives. Brother Clegg did the harder tasks, but the boys learned to use tools safely without being hurt. Some of the things they learned were how to use measuring tapes, levels, power staplers, and drills. They learned how to put a roof on and seal it. Then the houses had to be painted. During the several months of this project the young men enjoyed working together and were excited and proud of the finished project.

Yearly Halloween Party Never Fails to Delight!

   We wanted the children and families to have a safe Halloween, but also filled with the the traditional things that kids like to do.  "Trunk or Treat" was created to have the Halloween goodies in the back of  decorated car trunks, so children could go from car to car to have an amazing experience, as well as get some goodies for their bags.  All of the trunks were made by volunteers who wanted to participate.  Candy was supplied by collections made before the event. There was no thing left undone.

   There was also music and food.  Brother Clegg helped his daughter Leanna learn to play music for all to hear.  She was doing a good job. (upper right pix)  Mark and Vickie Kidd (upper left) were preparing the hot dogs and they were certainly enjoyed as you can see from the pictures.   Cori Daley made the popular popcorn.  She was very busy, but the photographer caught her husband giving her a kiss on her forehead to show his appreciation.. (lower right)

       All of the children, teenagers, and adults had a great time, and the joy of working and socializing with one another was meaningful to all.

Lodi Invited to Modesto CA Temple Groundbreaking

  There was great excitement about the news that a temple would be built in Modesto.  There is a possibility that Lodi will be a part of the temple district.  The groundbreaking on Oct. 7 was limited only to those who had a ticket to get in. Never-the-less there was still a large group of people who attended. The picture on the lower right was taken when about half the audience had arrived. (See more chairs in the background.)

     Our stake president (and ward member) Scott Means and his wife Jill and daughter Natallie were in attendance and sat in the reserved first four rows. President Means and Jill were able to participate in the groundbreaking. (On the far right in the above bottom picture.)

    Before the groundbreaking there were wonderful talks by Corbin Curran from Lodi, as well as Addison Castleton and Jerry Callister from Merced. An excellent talk was then given by Sue Zwahlen who is the Modesto City Mayor. There were many invited people there who were important people in Modesto, but not members of the church. She was surely teaching them about temples. She invited them to "Please come often to the temple grounds and feel the peaceful surroundings.  The same guiding, peaceful principles we feel in our homes and the temple will improve our communities."

   

Following the talks the Modesto Primary Choir sang "I Love to See the Temple" and "High on a Mountain Top."  They did an amazing and wonderful job.  

    Then Elder Gary B. Sabin of the Seventy, who was there with his wife, gave some remarks and a beautiful dedicatory prayer. In his remarks he said: "We are reminded that temples bring us closer to Christ, and when we come closer to Christ, we are more joyful."  

   He prayed that the new house of the Lord "will stand as a beacon of light and hope and a witness of the reality and divinity of Thy Beloved Son and the eternal nature of  the soul and the divine potential of Thy children." 

      A special thing about the event was the opportunity to meet former Lodi friends who now live near Modesto.  President Means and Cliff  Kerr had a great discussion with Bobby Boice who lived in our ward as a teenager and his father was a previous stake president in Modesto.  In the upper right picture with Cliff and Ann Kerr are Drew Kraude and his wife.  Drew was a teenager living in Lodi and played basketball with Doug Kerr, Seth Hoyt, Bobbie Boice, Vince Koeppel, and others.

   Drew told a fascinating story about how he left college short of three classes because his business was doing well and he wanted to continue work. One day he just had a feeling he needed to finish those three classes and get a degree. That's where Pathway came to the rescue.  He finished the three classes and and graduated with a degree. Just recently because of his degree and experience he had the opportunity to become Project Manger for the Modesto Temple. He will now oversee the building of the temple and after it is completed he will have an office in the temple to continue to manage the operations of the temple.

Rodneisha Jackson Baptized

  Left to right: Sister Smith, Sister Cyr, Neisha and her daughter Ryin, Sister Harris, Trent Simmons. 

    A special baptism was held Sept. 14 for Rodneisha (Neisha) Jackson who has been taught by our three sister missionaries.  Neisha was first taught the gospel by missionaries two years ago here in Lodi. When the sister missionaries met her she was definitely ready to be taught more. They have been teaching her for five months.  She was baptized by Trent Simmons, who with his wife were ward missionaries, and brought Neisha to church every Sunday. Brother Chris Boyer confirmed her a member of the church.

   Neisha's mother was there, as well as her four year old daughter, Ryin, and an older son, Synceres.  The sister missionaries together gave a delightful story about Jesus and His baptism, how He received the Holy Ghost, and how Neisha can live a life centered on Jesus Christ. Bishop Adam Sroufe  welcomed her into the ward, and Kari Fairbanks welcomed her into Relief Society.  Bishop Sroufe said "It was a wonderful spiritual experience to witness!"  We welcome Neisha and Ryin into the ward. 

    

Ward Quarterly Event Features Delicious Tacos!

   

 The ward activities committee under the direction of Chene and Andrea Mogler  plan quarterly activities where the whole ward can come together to fellowship and have fun.   This one was taco day, which turned out to be an amazing feast!

      Old and young alike could have a perfect taco because they got to select the good things to put in it. Neil Anderson barbecued all the meat for the event.  Reyna Siefert made the rice and beans. We were so excited that she was able to bless us with her talented cooking. Relief Society sisters furnished the lettuce.

      Bishop Sroufe asked Sister Mogler to bring a spiritual element to the evening. Andrew Banks had the idea for bingo and was her helper for numbers. Sister Mogler accomplished the spiritual aspect with names of five bingo games: (Straight & Narrow Path, Ten Commandments, 12 Tribes of Israel, Nephi's Courage, and Book of Mormon Blackout.) LDS trivia was included on the game sheets.

 

We Have THREE Sister Missionaries

      Sister Elena Smith (center) joined our two wonderful missionaries (Sister Cyr on left and Sister Harris on right.)  She has just arrived from Draper, Utah and this is her first assignment.  Before being called, she attended BYU-Idaho for two years. She has an older sister and two younger brothers. In high school she was on the swimming team. She also enjoyed singing and playing the piano. While at college she was thinking about a mission and said "no" to herself for six months.  "Then the Lord said 'Yes'."  She had a wonderful experience at the MTC in a group of 8 elders and 4 sisters.  They were known as the "MCT Twelve--The Most Amazing Missionaries on the Planet!"  She misses them but is excited about working in California.  After her mission she has plans to study to become a midwife. 

    

Discovering the Beautiful Feather River Temple

    

This new temple is in Yuba City just a little bit north of us.  We were invited to their open house which included a video and a walk-through tour of the temple, which is just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.  Several families chose to go and take their children.  Here are a few of them and a report of their experience.

   

   On the left is Ann and Cliff Kerr. Their daughter Alison and her family live in the temple district.

   The right picture is Bishop  Adam Sroufe and his family, as well as the Cody Nore family.

  

Within the temple we have the opportunity to make sacred promises with God in special ceremonies like marriage where a husband and wife and their children can be sealed together for all time and eternity. 

On the left is Travis and Cathy Leonard who took Priscilla Quarnstrom with them to visit the temple. 

Middle is Christopher and BrieAnn Congrave and their children.

Right is Erin Flores and family.

In the temple we can access the power of Godliness.  God has made these blessings available to all of His children.

     The grounds of the temple were not only beautiful, but had a lot of meaning.  Large olive trees were plentiful in the design. Many olive trees can be found in this area and are a livelihood for farmers here.  But the first thing that crosses your mind when entering the grounds is that it looks like a place  where Jesus lived and taught when He was on earth. There were also beautiful flowers.

    Benches were placed throughout the grounds, giving visitors a place to sit and contemplate, or to share thoughts with their family and friends.

    Before entering the temple visitors where directed to a stake center next to the temple. In a large room half the size of a cultural hall and surrounded with large beautiful pictures, families were treated with a video that talked about the church and the purpose of temples. Visitors were then led to the front of the temple where young women members placed booties on their feet to protect the floors in the temple.

  Bishop Sroufe made this comment about the experience:  "One of the highlights for me was showing our primary age children the baptistry and talking to them about what happens there, and setting a goal for when they are older.  We were also able to show all our children the rooms where the initiatory, endowment, and sealing ordinances take place and bear brief testimony to our kids about covenants and how they are necessary to find them more directly to Jesus Christ.  What a blessing!"

     Tim and Genevieve Shull visited the temple with their five children. This is their report:  Although the children have been on temple grounds before, most of them had never been inside of one.

     We talked with them beforehand about what a temple is, what types of special ordinances are performed there, and our daughter Emma talked to her younger sisters about doing baptisms for the dead.

   The temple was beautiful!  We felt the spirit as we walked the grounds and explored the different rooms.  We noticed the large amount of beautiful paintings and artwork depicting Christ and His teachings.  We sat in the celestial room for a bit and recognized the peace and reverence felt there.  

   On the drive home we discussed our favorite parts of the temple.  Here are some of the kid's thoughts:

Emma (14) "I liked the Celestial room.  It was cool to walk through the entire temple because I have never done that before.

Julianne (7)  "I loved seeing the baptismal font and the golden oxen holding it up.  I wanted to get in."

Allison (5) "I loved the Angel Moroni and the cows around the baptismal font.  It felt peaceful.

Maddie (3) "I loved the windows. (stained glass)  It felt different inside.

                 

New Sister Missionary Delights

   Sister Harris (on the left) is our new missionary who hails from Meridian, Idaho and has been in California for five months. She serves with Sister Cyr and they work hard to introduce people in Lodi to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before coming she studied at BYU Idaho for one semester. She took a trip to Nauvoo and while there she met a senior sister missionary who advised her to  go on a mission.  She's glad she did and is thrilled to be serving in the Mokelumne River Ward.  She says, "I love this ward.  It's everything!"  She also loves waterfalls and approved this picture. We are thrilled to have her with us.

Primary Children Learn About the Pioneers

    The primary presidency and teachers wanted the children to get a feeling for what the pioneers did to maintain their religious freedom.  Everyone had fun rotating through booths of soap making, carving, butter making, rubber band gun shooting, log sawing, gold panning, stick pulling, and milking a cow. In the upper left picture Bishop Sroufe is riding the the Ship Brooklyn! Pioneer food was enjoyed by all. Kevin Stewart shared a message about pioneers and how we can keep the faith like they did by remaining faithful and doing their work in the temple.  

Relief Society Monthly Activity

 The theme of the night was “Our ward is like a "charcuterie" board.” The purpose of the activity was to develop friendships and get to know each other more closely--as that helps in ministering. Sisters contributed food which made a beautiful charcuterie board. Everyone ate and played bingo to get to know each other.

Relief Society Sisters Learn to Play Pickleball

     The cultural hall now has two pickleball fields laid out, so the sisters took advantage of it and had a fun pickleball night! Those who knew how to play taught the newbies who wanted to learn but never had the opportunity to play. The pickleball pros did a great job of teaching rules and skills. Thanks pros for helping the sisters learn the game and have a great time. It really strengthened friendship and appreciation for others.  Appreciation goes both ways--for those who are sharing their knowledge and for those who are willing to try something new and learn.  In addition exercise, is important for healthy bodies.

     The sister missionaries joined the group and had a wonderful time.  One of them (Sister Gasser lower right) already knew how to play and was very helpful. The cute little girl (lower left) wanted to play too! She was darling to let us take her picture!

Shull Family Welcomes New Baby Boy

 

   Lincoln Timothie Shull wasn't supposed to arrive until June, but he surprised his family by being born May 13, 2023.  It was the day before Mother's Day--a special gift for his mother Ginny.  He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 19 inches long. Ginny says that he is loved by his four sisters and is sweet natured and the perfect caboose to their family.  We welcome him with great joy.  Congratulations Tim, Ginny, and girls.

Primary Children Enjoy Dinner, Games, and Learning About Christ

    Mokelumne River Ward Primary held an all primary activity.  The children were invited to come and play games, have dinner, enjoy one another's company, and remember stories from the New Testament.  There were scriptures that went with every game.  One example is "Pin the baby Jesus in the Manger."  The scripture was chosen from Luke, chapter 2 to remind the children that Christ was born and laid in a manger.  After the games were played, the children had fun with glow sticks, and the lights were turned down to have a dance party.  Our goal was to have each child that attended feel love from the leaders, happiness comes from being in primary, and that the scriptures are full of adventure and stories of our Savior.

   

An Amazing Young Woman Is Graduating From High School

    Lily Mogler (on the left) has been wrestling for many years and has been successful. At the senior awards night at Tokay High School she was awarded the "Female Athlete of the Year" award. She is the daughter of Chene and Andrea Mogler.  Her mother said, "Girls wrestling has been our second home between all three of the girls over the past 9-10 years."

    But wrestling isn't everything for Lily. She is a talented musician which started in the 5th grade on the violin and then she switched to double bass in 7th grade.  In the farewell concert at Tokay High she not only played, but arranged and directed the orchestra for one of the numbers: "Fantastic Beasts." During her senior year she was chosen to play in a program at Carnegie Hall in New York City.  To her, music is magical and she and her family are grateful for the teachers who have taught and inspired her love for music.

     But wait!  With all this going on, how did she get recognition for her very high GPA?  She was awarded three scholarships and was accepted to BYU Idaho.  Congratulations Lily!

 

A Delightful New Missionary

 

       Sister Gasser (right) has a new companion, Sister Cyr on the left.  They are both amazing missionaries.  Sister Cyr hails from Bury, Connecticut and this is her first assignment on her mission. You would never know it.  She acts like she is an experienced missionary.  She prayed to Heavenly Father about going on a mission, and when she got her Patriarchal Blessing she was told she would be a missionary. She is 19 years old, graduated from high school a year ago, and his been working since then to prepare for her mission.  Her mother was raised in the church.  Her father is a convert. She has two brothers.

   Sister Cyr is skilled in ceramic sculpturing. She learned from her grandmother who had a ceramic store and that's where she developed her skill. She learned about art at school and that helped her to create beautiful ceramics.  Welcome Sister Cyr!

Ward Members Enjoy Outdoor Activity Featuring Corndogs

 

    The event was planned and produced by the ward Activities Committee, headed on this occasion by Andrea Mogler (with the corndogs) and assisted with Shawna Banks and Tammy Woods.   Andrea purchased 275 corndogs, and no one went hungry.

     Other delicious sides and desserts were provided by volunteer ward members and enjoyed by families, couples, singles, and friends.  It was a beautiful day, and fun to be outdoors.

  Chrissy Plines and her daughter Bella were popular with their face painting on the children.  Christy Macham arranged games for the youth and children.  There was the game of cornhole, as well as volley ball.

      We are not sure what game these girls were playing, but they were so cute we had to take their picture!

Three Beautiful New Babies!

   New baby Cruz Haggard with parents Lucero and Matt. Cruz was born October 13, 2022.

   The Simmons family welcomed beautiful little Rozlyn into their home on April 6, 2023.  Her mom Rebecca reports that she is a good sleeper and often has the hic-ups. Rebecca and Trent are a bonded family and Rozlyn is the first they have had together. They plan to have all the children sealed to them later this year. 

 

   Zachary and Megan Blackwell welcomed their daughter Delilah Rae Blackwell into their home on March 30, 2023.  In the pictures with her parents Delilah Rae is enjoying the blanket and cap made by Joyce Dickerson, a sweet ward member who does this as a service project. 

Beautiful Easter Sacrament Meeting

  President Russell Nelson asked the wards to only have one meeting on Easter Sunday.  It would be dedicated to why Easter is so important in our lives. Our bishopric planned a special program that involved musical numbers interspersed with teachings from the scriptures about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The ward choir sang, the primary children sang, there was  a trio of young women who performed a beautiful number, a group of young men sang, an adult brother sang a beautiful rendition.

  Before Easter Bishop Sroufe sent everyone in the ward a letter inviting us to read the scriptures and "Savor these sacred verses and find every way you can to thank our Heavenly Father for sending us His Only Begotten Son. Because of Jesus Christ we can repent and be forgiven of our sins.  Because of Him each of us will be resurrected."  We have a wonderful bishop, and this program was a wonderful, beautiful time to worship Christ and thank Him for His sacrifice.

Many Good Deeds Go Unknown

      There are some callings in the ward that are very time consuming, but they're not done in the chapel or classroom.  Here are two sisters who fall into this definition of service and we would like to tell you about them, then continue to add others throughout the year.

Ardell Gillingwater:  Ardell is the Service Coordinator for the Relief Society.  She has several sisters who work under her.  One of them sends cards and remembrances for a sister's birthday or a family who has a new baby. Others make sure the poor and the sick have meals when needed. Some help when there is some physical work needing to be done. Another works with Ardell to help those who are disabled or ill.  It may be taking them to the doctor, or hospital, making sure medicines are taken on the correct schedule, finding help they may need to get back to a normal pain-free life. They cheer up those in need, home bound, or depressed.  

Joyce Dickerson: Her husband passed away several years ago and Joyce fills her life with all kinds of activities.  She likes to sew so decided to make blankets for new babies. She watches for sales of material and buys enough for five or six blankets at a time. Hobby Lobby is one of her favorite stores for fabric bargains. Joyce keeps awake in the evenings by crocheting warm little hats for the babies. She can make two in an evening. She said she does this because "It makes me feel good!" She says it comes from her heart--not to make fame.  She said God blessed her a lot. He allowed her to make extra money. "It's also an education" she said "because I have to use my brain most of the time to figure out how to do things!"

Here are two babies enjoying the talent of Joyce.  On the left is Cruz Haggard.  On the right is Delilah Rae Blackwell.