Elder Trevor Woods Mission Update

    Before Sister Mikayla Kidd left on her mission in  January,  Elder Trevor Woods was the only missionary in the field from Mokelumne River Ward.   He is the son of Sister Tami Woods and began his mission leaving from Lodi Third Ward and is serving in the Idaho, Idaho Falls mission. 
 

 While preparing for a mission Trevor often went with the Lodi  missionaries when they visited and gave discussions to prospective members.  He is a skilled singer and guitarist and used his talents to bless others.
   

Elder Woods, left, enjoys teaching discussions  with his companion in Idaho.

      Now he is also using technology.  He has the ability to teach using Skype, and can even go outside his mission with permission from his President.  Elder Woods says, "Missionary work is truly the Lord's work.  I love this gospel and I know this is God's church on this earth.  He leads and guides this work. I'm striving on my mission to be exactly obedient, work hard and have fun.  My testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ has grown.
    "The gospel changes everyone's life and will help everyone to progress.  I love being a missionary!"
     Elder Woods' mother Tami said this of him:  "Trevor's mission has provided so many opportunities to grow.  I think he has developed personally more in the year he has been on his mission than the 20+ years he spent with me.  The mission provides so many leadership opportunities and he has grown into a great leader.  The shy little boy from primary who couldn't give talks is now speaking in multiple wards on any given Sunday and is leading and training his fellow missionaries.  He is thriving on his mission and is happy living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Shulls Welcome Baby Allison to Their Home

Allison Lynn Shull was born January 21, 2018, weighing 10 lbs., 2 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Her mother Ginny said "Allie is such a sweet addition to our family.  All her big sisters adore her, and call her 'Allie Bear'!"  Congratulations to the Shull family.

Boy Scouts Advance in Court of Honor

Several young boys received merit badges and other awards in a recent Court of Honor.  Tyler Daley, a program leader, received 12 merit badges and advanced to Life status in scouting.
Matt Schiess  received several merit badges and advanced to 1st Class.  Tommy Seifert and J.R. Ramirez also were awarded merit badges.
Their scout leaders are Ben Brown, Tim Shull, and Eric Fairbanks. Jason Casper is Scout Committee Chairman.

Front row L to R:  J.G. Robinson, Gavin Casper, Matt Schiess, J.R. Ramirez
Back row L to R: Ben Brown, Tim Shull, Tyler Daley, Eric Fairbanks, Tommy Seifert, Jackson VerSteeg, and Jason Casper

Welcome to new member Robert Stanley

   Brother Robert Stanley was baptized March 24, 2018 by ward mission leader Brad Parker, and confirmed a member of the church the next day in Sacrament Meeting. Special guests at the baptism were his parents and a brother.

L to R:  Sister missionaries Sis. Lau and Sis Shafter
 Robert Stanley, Elder Yazzie, Elder Morley

    Robert first encountered the sister missionaries near Christmas time.  He works across the street from their apartment as an IT (Internet technology) specialist. They talked, shared Christmas cards, and he visited mormon.org where he learned more about the church and asked to be visited by missionaries.  He was referred to the Elders who taught him, and he has attended church every Sunday since then.
    He has a testimony of the Gospel, and a great personality.  Mukelumne River Ward members welcome him.

Relief Society Birthday Dinner -- WOW!

     At the beginning of the new year, church leaders counseled us to have a council meeting in Relief Society and Priesthood during the first Sunday of each month.  At the first one, January 2018, our RS presidency decided we would discuss how the sisters in the ward could get to know each other and blend together as sisters from two different wards.  RS First Counselor Ruth Anderson led the discussion; there were many suggestions; and several of them have been implemented.
                      
   One of the ideas was executed at the annual RS Birthday Dinner March 15.  It was to have an activity modeled after "speed dating," made popular by millennials who wanted to learn about many possible dating prospects in a short period of time.
   After a delightful dinner, sisters sat across from each other at a very long table.  Serena Powell had prepared some questions to be asked if ideas were needed.  After a few minutes of questioning each other, Kaela Burk who was MC for the event, asked sisters on one side of the table to move down one, and everyone began learning about another sister.
   Angie Boswell, chairman for the entire birthday party, said many people expressed how wonderful the game was that they had a lot of fun, and at the same time enjoyed the whole aspect of getting to know each other better.

                               

   Another idea for getting to know each other was implemented by Angie. As sisters came in they were give a cute nametag (hand-made by Angie) with a tiny colored ribbon bow on it.  If you got a yellow one, you sat at a table with a yellow gingham table covering.  There were nine different tables, and again there were suggestions of questions sisters could ask to learn more about each other.

      Angie Boswell is very talented with paper art.  Having helped her daughter Kate with a school project 5 years ago that involved making paper dolls, Angie had many of their components left over. She got them out and recruited her husband to use a glue gun and paper punch to put them together. They ended up enhancing the salad bar table with lots of different creations, just as we are all different.  So cute!

                          

                

    The salad bar dinner was amazing!  So many wonderful items to choose from.  A little glitch happened when the crew (Angie, Chrissy Plines, Shawna Banks and RS Second Counselor Wendy Weight) came to the stake center at 5 pm for final preparations before the party began at 6 pm. Upon opening the refrigerator where they had stored the pre-prepped salad fixings the night before, they found NOTHING—a totally empty refrigerator. TERROR! Wendy recruited her husband Curtis to make a quick trip to Costco, then sent a text to everyone she could think of to come immediately to the church kitchen and help cut up veggies and other tasks to get ready. Cathy Leonard put a post on Facebook. People came immediately to help. In addition to those already mentioned were Mark and Judi Wilcox, Ruth Anderson, Julie McGhie, the Sister missionaries, and the Spanish missionaries.

    Meanwhile at 6 p.m. the party started, and sisters began getting acquainted with others at their table.  Everyone was too involved in this activity to notice a lot of action going on in the kitchen and at the salad bar.  Then the delicious meal was enjoyed by everyone, and only a few knew that a crisis had been averted by a group of amazing women in our Relief Society

    Sister Weight said of this experience: “The issue was resolved quickly, and the challenge was invigorating. It helped our newly formed events committee learn to trust and rely on each other more. It gave many sisters a chance to serve in a way that felt rewarding. The time spent chopping the vegetables the night before was important for forming bonds through intimate conversations that could only have taken place while quietly serving together. And I'm certain that there are several other benefits to the whole experience which are beyond my perception. In the end we had a wonderful meal and a successful event.”

Pinewood Derby is always a hit with Cub Scouts

Annual Pinewood Derby January 25th

Let the Race Begin!

The new track was up, the cars were weighed in and on their stands, the decorations looked great and the refreshment table was stacked with delicious treats.  The scouts had an opportunity to race the cars multiple times.  Great evening! 

Mikayla Kidd First Fulltime Missionary to Serve From Mokelumne River Ward

Mikayla is excited about her mission call to North Carolina Raleigh.

   Mokelumne River Ward has recently had two full time missionaries return (Colin Anderson and Jacob Meyers from Lodi Third Ward,) but Mikayla Kidd, daughter of Mark and Vickie Kidd, will be the first to leave from our ward.
   Mikayla had graduated from BYU-Idaho and was living in a Hawaii for a few months, having fun with a friend and completing some Internet courses she was taking to prep for a planned Master’s degree in speech therapy.  She had thought about serving a mission ever since her freshman year of college.  “It was always in the back of my mind,” she said. “I didn’t talk about it to friends or family.”
   While in Hawaii she began thinking about it and having regrets that she hadn’t already done it.  Then “The light switch went on!” she exclaimed. “I got really excited and wanted to go.  I knew that if I were feeling that way at the moment I was always going to feel that way.”  She remembered what her dad had once said in a casual discussion at home: “You will never regret going on a mission, but you will always regret NOT going.”
   Mikayla immediately talked to her bishop in Hawaii, found a local doctor and dentist to have checkups and get medical papers signed. She submitted her papers at the beginning of December, asking the bishop to not reveal the news to her parents. When she came home from Hawaii she thought, “I should probably tell my parents I’m going on a mission.” She decided to do it by giving her mom a Christmas gift list.  It started off with things such as skirts and blouses and progressed into things such as the Preach My Gospel book, garments, temple bag, etc. At that point Vickie got the idea.
   For some reason the formal call had gotten delayed a week and didn’t come until after Christmas.  When Mikayla opened it she and her parents all knew at the same time that she would be going to the North Carolina Raleigh Mission. Her parents told her that they were proud of her, that she was qualified, and would be a leader in the mission.
   These are Mikayla’s thoughts about her mission: “Because I’m older [almost 23] I’ve had more experiences, able to feel God’s love, and know what a difference the spirit can make.  I want to share that feeling with others. I want them to have a feeling of happiness and love in their hearts.”
   February 7 is her date to report to the MTC in Provo, Utah. Her mission president in North Carolina will be released in July and the new president will be Matthew S. Holland who is the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and is currently president of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem.

Mikayla graduated from BYU-Idaho last year.  December 17 she took out her 

endowments in the Oakland Temple accompanied by her parents.

Dorothy Percival's Life of Dancing

Editor’s note:  Part of the mission of the Mokelulmne River Ward Blog is to occasionally feature stories about one of our members.  This is the first.

Dorothy lives in a home filled with pictures of students (above) and hundreds of mementos from her years of dancing.

Dorothy Percival

   After attending the Sacramento Temple open house in 2006, Dorothy asked a lot of questions, got answers, and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2008.  She is good friends with her neighbors across the street—Dave and Ardell Gillingwater.

    Dorothy is famous for her ballet dancing and teaching, having studied and danced around the world, including the San Francisco Ballet, the Joffery Ballet in NYC, and throughout Europe.  She was a soloist with the Sacramento Ballet Company and spent 11 years there.

   It seems Dorothy was born to dance. As a young girl she begged her parents for lessons and at the age of nine she began her first dance class.  It cost 10 cents a lesson and was a sacrifice for the family as it was the Great Depression and the money could have been used to buy groceries.

    When she walked into that first dance studio, in Tracy where the family lived, she thought she “had died and gone to heaven. That was it!”  At age 15 she started her own dance studio.  In 1969 she founded Ballet San Joaquin.  She has choreographed more than 50 performances throughout her career.

   At age 87, Dorothy is still teaching dance lessons every weekday at her Stockton studio. She enjoys teaching children “who want to learn.”

Left: The last time Dorothy danced professionally was in 1983 in the Role of Bernarda Albain the production, The House of Bernardo Alba. Right: Dorothy reflects fondly on one of the many ballet costumes she keeps in her home.

Dorothy has produced many Nutcracker Christmas shows in Stockton.

Four Teens in High School Honor Concert

L to R: Evan Webb, Alysabeth Webb, Caden Webb, William Stewart

   Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR high school students from our ward were selected to perform in an honors choir as part of the 2018 County Honors Concert which also included a band and an orchestra.  These wonderful youth are Evan, Caden & Alysabeth Webb, and William Stewart.  They are high school students singing at a college level.

   Auditions are held throughout the fall and are open to any student in San Joaquin County. With the help of their instructors, students prepare a recording demonstrating their skills and send it to the county office.  One hundred twenty-two were chosen to be in the choir.  They were directed by Dr. Yejee Choi, director of choral studies at University of the Pacific. 

    This experience gives students a chance to perform with the best of their peers and with college-level conductors.

    We are proud of our Mokelumne River Ward  teenagers for achieving this honor and for always being willing to perform at church events, which blesses all of our lives.

First Council Meetings Right on Target

    New this year is the Church mandate that Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Societies “sit in council” (D&C 107:89) on the first Sunday of each month.  Under the direction of Priesthood or Relief Society leaders, first-Sunday meetings will be used to identify local needs and counsel about how to meet those needs. This is an account of those meetings in the Mokelumne River Ward.

HIGH PRIESTS

   High Priest group leader Dan Sroufe contacted High Priests by email during the week prior to the council meeting, asking them to act on their assignment to visit less-actives and be prepared to participate in the council.
   During their meeting, Bryant Bogren led the discussion, and then gave the brethren a “call to act.”  Loren Perry added, “Do it!”

Bryant Bogren (inset) prepares to begin the discussion.  Helping out are (l to r standing) Neil Anderson, first assistant; Dan Sroufe, HP Group Leader; and Travis Leonard, secretary.

ELDERS QUORUM

    Becoming closer to the Lord by increasing the amount of time each member dedicated to Him was the topic of discussion led by first counselor James Radulovich.  One of the suggestions was to check in twice a week on home teaching--with a text, phone call, or email communication.  Each individual is to decide how much to increase his time in drawing closer to Heavenly Father.

Brother Radulovich used the chalkboard to record the main ideas gleaned from the discussion.

RELIEF SOCIETY

   The council discussion was titled “How we can be more unified as a ward and as a Relief Society?”  We are still blending as a new ward.  How can unity be achieved?  First Counselor Ruth Anderson led a great discussion defined by lots of participation and ideas. These are a few:

   Use visiting teaching as a method to reach out and get to know others.

   Have getting-to-know-you activities.

   Take time on Sundays for introductions—a few each week. Highlight a different sister each week. 

   Use name tags on Sunday in R.S. and weekly activities.

   Create a photo wall with picture of members and a short intro of them.

   Upload a picture of yourself to the Ward Directory.

   Form a group of sisters to go to the rest homes on Sundays to sing.

   Monthly “birthday party” luncheon for sisters who have birthdays that month.  Their stories could be better learned and lives appreciated.

   Classes with help in the basic skills sisters may need/enjoy/improve upon.

Ruth Anderson did a creative arrangement of the RS room to better facilitate discussion.

Dave Gillingwater Honored

    San Joaquin Country Public Health Services named David Gillingwater “Volunteer of the Year for 2017” and he was honored at a recent meeting. His picture was one of three on an official publication of the group.

    Brother Gillingwater led two preparedness fairs last year—one in Lodi and another in Murphys.  He also mentored three boys who all received the Eagle Scout award after working on projects involved with the fairs.  The scouts are Miguel Smith, Ryann Means, and JD Crosian.

Jacob Meyers Returns from Florida Mission

Elder Meyers, right, with Elder White as they
return from their Florida missions.

    Elder Jacob Meyers just returned from his mission in Orlando Florida and said he was glad to serve.  He likes to help other people.

    Using an iPad on his mission, Elder Meyers found an effective way to teach investigators, access church videos and other helpful information, communicate with ward members, and have effective personal study.  (Note: each missionary had an iPad.  They were not confined to one per companionship.) The missionaries in Orlando encouraged ward members to use Facebook to get to know investigators and have contact with them during the week.  Jacob said that learning to use technology was invaluable.  Just as he was leaving, all the missionaries were also given smart phones to help them in their work.

   The most challenging part of the mission was being away from home for the first time.  He realized he had to “step up and do it.” One of the big challenges in Florida is that it’s a Bible Belt and everyone thinks they know the bible.  They also mistakenly “know” that all Mormons are polygamists.  “It’s hard to get them to read The Book of Mormon,” Jacob said.

    One of the most memorable experiences in his mission was when he taught a lady from El Salvador who had three children, and her husband was in the military.  English was hard for her, but she wanted to learn.  Elder Meyers got a Spanish Book of Mormon for her and that helped, but she still wanted to learn it in English.  She grew little by little and saw that it was true.  She wanted to be baptized, and her husband was not opposed to it.

     When asked what he learned from his companions, Jacob said he learned patience. “I learned to be flexible, less critical, and less judgmental.”  What is his method of getting along with companions?  “I washed the dishes,” he answered.  He had an attitude of serving throughout his mission.  He was taught by his father (Nolan Meyers) during his growing up years as they served together on many projects.

    Jacob said he was also taught by his father to “Buy to your needs, not to your wants.”  Missionaries were allotted $148 a month for supplies.  Elder Meyers was always frugal, and able to live on less than that.  If companions came up short, he helped them. He was always mindful of other people’s needs.

       Question to Jacob:  How has a mission changed your life?  Answer: “I have a better head on my shoulders.”  He learned to be more sensitive to others, and learned to forget self.  He learned the importance of converting himself in his studies.  General Authority Seventy Elder George Donaldson told the missionaries, “We are most interested in YOUR conversion.”

   Jacob advises young people to prepare for their missions by going out with missionaries, going to the temple, and reading Preach My Gospel.  “Take the time to read, study, and ponder the Gospel. Experience is invaluable.”

    Next on Jacob’s agenda is to continue his education.  He is thinking about becoming a teacher.  (Note: Elder Meyers left on his mission from the Lodi Third Ward.)

Missionaries give "Temple Tour" to investigators at Orlando, Florida Temple.

Elder Meyers (in brown shirt) gave service after Hurricane Irma.