SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY CELEBRATED BY WARD

   Families, singles, kids, old friends, new friends--all had a great time celebrating the second birthday of Mokelumne River Ward.  Warmth and love were abundant all through the evening.
   Dan Sroufe got everyone thinking about family history by playing a fun game where folks were able to find out who they were related to in the room using "Relatives Around Me" on the FamilySearch app on their phones. It was interesting to discover that most of us had relatives we didn't even realize we had.

The yummy dinner featured grilled tri-tip steak and chicken, with rice, salad, cornbread and cake.

Ann Kerr (left) prepared a running slideshow featuring hundreds of pictures taken over the last two years for the Mokelumne River Ward History.    Luis Gonzalez (right) from Stockton and son of Silvia Gonzalez, played music for the event including a rousing dance enjoyed by all ages to conclude the evening.

Achievement Day Girls Make Sacrament Bread!

With the help of leader Ginny Shull, the 7-9 year old Activity Days girls learned more about the importance of the sacrament this week. As part of a service project, they made homemade bread to be used for the sacrament ordinance on Sunday. They worked hard mixing and kneading. Great job, girls! 

Ice Cream Social Encourages Family History Work

   Brother Dan Sroufe, center, was recently called as the Ward Temple and Family History Lead.  He says that everyone in the ward can be assisted in finding their ancestors and doing their ordinances.  This evening was dedicated to helping anyone who needed help or encouragement.
    On the right is Earl McOmber, who with his wife Betty, is over the Family History Center.  He was available during the evening to lend a hand to those who needed it.
    Cathy Leonard, top left, is also a member of the Family History staff and is always helping members and non-members alike.  She and her husband Travis serve a weekly shift in the FHC. She always has good ideas for get-togethers and the ice cream social idea came from her.  Yummy.

   Our sister missionaries, Sister Graham and Sister Ballantyne, are with Don Poser, an investigator who loves genealogy. He has done some serious research. Working top right are Rick and Jerry Wheeler.  Bottom right are Dan Sroufe and  Wade Broughton who are trying to figure out a detail in Wade's ancestor line.
    Although research and finding names was emphasized on this occasion, Brother Sroufe says it is important to also know about the roots of our ancestors.  We should be interested in their life stories.  What did these good people do in their lives?  It is also important to write our own life stories, reemphasizing the spiritual events that have meaning to us.

Mikayla Kidd Welcomed Home from Mission

   Sister Mikayla Kidd, daughter of Mark and Vicki Kidd, is welcomed home from serving in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission by friends and family.
   In her final email she said, "Serving a mission has been the greatest decision I've ever made and I know that was part of the Lord's plan for me.  I've had some experiences that will change me for the rest of my life.
   "I know my Savior loves me and I know the Book of Mormon is true.  I know the Plan of Salvation is truly God's plan for each of us.  I've learned lots and struggled lots, but relied on the Lord lots and it's been totally worth it.  The NCRM really is the best mission in the world.
   "I am so excited to come home and move onto the next chapter in my life, but sad to say goodbye to this time.  There will never be anything like it!"
   We welcome Mikayla home and wish her the best in her next endeavor.

One Farlee Son Returns From Mission as His Brother Leaves

The Farlee Family welcomed home their son from the Costa Rica Mission.  Their family is complete for the first time in two years.  They get three weeks together then their son Kedrin leaves for his two years of service in the Mexico Ciudad Juarez Mission. (See him receiving his call in the picture below.)

Make a Family Proclamation Picture Book!

Ann Kerr, right, and her daughter Alison from Chico, combined to teach RS sisters all about making printed Internet photo books, but with emphasis on The Family Proclamation.  They gave examples of kinds of pictures to select, design techniques, and various companies who specialize in printing. This class was in support of last month's "Teaching of Our Times" which was a talk given by Elder Anderson on the importance of "The Family Proclamation" and how we should strive to follow the divine counsel therein.  Alison told about books she made for the fire victims in the Paradise "Camp Fire" and how much they appreciated it.

A month before the class, Priscilla Quanstrom  expressed her desire to make a book. She has a large collection of family pictures, but does not have a computer, which is necessary for this project. While preparing  for the class, Ann found a company offering a 40 page book for $4.  (Enticement to try the company.) She uploaded Proclamation templates made years ago by Jill Means, and ordered the book.  Priscilla "cut and pasted" her photos on the templates to create her book.  She was so excited that one night she stayed up until 2 a.m. working on it. In the picture on the right Ardell Gillingwater is looking at the book Priscilla brought to class to show others her work.

Seven Mokelumne River Teens Graduate from Seminary

L to R  Eddy Rosenbusch (MR,) William Stewart (MR,) Jackson VerSteeg (MR), Zach Crum (V), Bryant Neuvert (V,) Kedrin Farlee (MR,) Sister Teresa Sroufe, Molly Robison (MR,) (Brittany Mogler (MR,) Brooklyn Shull (MR,) Chloe VanNortwick (V,) McKenzie Campbell (V,) Ivana Juarez (HL,) Aylin Cortez Ojeda (HL)


     It takes a lot of work, and is a tremendous honor to graduate from seminary. The picture above is teacher Teresa Sroufe with all her senior students.  The ones from Mokelumne Ward are emphasized in bold.  Sister Sroufe had a comment to make about each of her amazing students from our ward.

Edmund Rosenbusch - One of the kindest young man I have ever met. He has a gift for service, compassion and respect. He worked very hard to complete his work and graduate from seminary. He would like to go on a mission soon.

William Stewart - William has a love for the gospel and a desire to share that with everyone. He always had great comments and a desire to learn from the Scriptures. He will be serving a mission soon.

Jackson VerSteeg - has received a call to the Brazil Belem mission and leaves in August. Jackson is very capable, trustworthy and will be a great missionary. His knowledge of the Scriptures, that he made an effort to study, will serve him well always! 
Kedrin Farlee - A very enthusiastic young man who you can count on to help others and has participated well. He will be an amazing missionary in the near future.

Molly Robison - This talented young lady will be attending BYU Provo in the fall. You can always count on her for an honest answer and to lend a hand to help me and others as needed. She is wonderful!

Brittany Mogler- this busy girl made sure that she made up every seminary day that she missed. She has great leadership skills and will be an asset in her sphere of influence at BYU Idaho and as an adult! 

Brooklynn Shull- this amazing young lady has met challenges, helps others freely and has been very busy in lots of activities through her high school career. She will be an awesome student at BYU Idaho and will help build the kingdom wherever she lands.

Jackson VerSteeg Receives Mission Call

   The times they are a-changin'.  For years young men and women who were waiting for their mission call to come kept an eye on the mail box.  They waited for what they knew would be a very large white envelope from church offices.  Most declined to open it until they could gather family and friends around to enjoy the experience with them.
   For the past year technology has been deemed a better way to issue mission calls. They now arrive on the computer and the potential missionary reads it from a screen.  Nevertheless, family and friends are usually there to hear the news first.  Below is a sample of how it went when Jackson read his letter.

1. Jackson begins to read the letter.  He is a little nervous because this letter will lay out where he will be living and serving for the next two years.

2.  A big smile!  Jackson reads that he will be serving for two years in the Brazil Belem Mission. He will report to the Sao Paulo MTC on August 28. He is excited.

3.  Jackson finishes the letter and reads that it came directly from the prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.  Now he is so excited he can hardly stand it. There is a lot of laughing and and joy at the VerSteeg home.

Jackson (soon to be Elder VerSteeg) said, "I am so excited to be able to serve a mission in Brazil.  I can't wait to begin preaching the gospel in the Portuguese language.  As soon as I opened my call, I knew that Brazil was the place where I am meant to serve.  I know that God knows who I am and that He knows what is best for me.  I am ready to go and serve."

What do you know about the Brazil Belem Mission?  Jackson provided some facts.
The mission covers approximately 520,000 square miles of the Amazon River Delta region in northern Brazil.  It extends from deep in the Amazon out to the Atlantic Ocean.  The largest city in the mission will be Belem which is Portuguese for Bethlehem.  It is a city of over two million people.  Several years ago, a temple was announced for Belem, but construction has not started yet.  One interesting fact about the mission is that the equator runs through it.

Ward Members Enjoy Oakland Temple Open House

   Many of the ward members attended the open house for the Oakland Temple restoration. There were so many positive comments, we decided to post them on the ward history.  Enjoy!

We'll start with some pictures of the new reflecting pool at the temple.  The temple grounds are so different from before and are very beautiful.

    Skip and Julie McGhie family.  Julie writes, "Skip and I were married n the Oakland Temple 17 years ago.  It was a blessing and a unique joy to be there with all our children to tour during the open house.  Our testimonies of eternal families were strengthened as we felt the Spirit together as an eternal family in the place that it began all those years ago."

Ben and Liz Carlston:  We so enjoyed the opportunity for our whole family to see the inside of the Oakland Temple at the open house.  As with many others in the ward, this is a special temple to us because we were married there almost 15 years ago! We went on a Saturday afternoon and it was extremely crowded.  For the majority of the walk through, there was a lot of noise and talking, but it was astonishing to us that as soon as we entered the celestial room, it was silent.  Given how many non-members were there touring, it was really special to experience the reverence of everyone in that room and how strongly the spirit could be felt as a result.  Truly a remarkable experience!

Joseph and AnneMarie Stringer:  Our experience on Holy ground at the Oakland Temple was fantastic.  We loved the new artwork inside and the sweet spirit that resides within those walls.

Travis and Cathy Leonard:  We made two trips to the temple open house. One was with Julie Evans (left picture) who thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.  She had never seen the inside of a temple before other than the baptistery.   On another day we took two non-member friends who were excited to go.  As for us, the temple was the place of one of our first dates, and we were sealed there 27 years ago. 

The Meyers Family:  l to r: Jacob, Nolan, Nolan's wife Cali holding her granddaughter, Cali's daughter, and Mary Ellen Meyers, Nolan's mother.

.  Cliff and Ann Kerr, with Karen Sorensen and Priscilla Quanstrom:  Ann says "We enjoyed the tour very much. Although we weren't married there, it was our temple for the four years we lived in San Francisco, then for many of our Lodi years. Karen had never been in a temple before and was very enlightened by what she learned.  She was really excited by what the family history center in the basement of the visitor's center offered. She learned more about her husband's ancestors in Denmark where he was raised."

The James and Margarette Radulovich family.  Family members were touring in the area and everyone agreed to meet at the temple for the open house tour.

Clay and Sara Farlee enjoyed the open house with their children.

Julie Cooper:  My nephew Mike who lives in Los Angeles came to visit a childhood friend who lives in Ukiah. The friend and his family were taking the missionary lessons. (Andrew and Natalie.)  We enjoyed the tour and went to Fenton's for lunch.  Before they left to return to Ukiah, Natalie said to me,  "It feels like we're family doesn't it?"  And she was so right,  That was exactly what it felt like.

Left picture: Andrew, Natalie, Chase (4-year old son,) and the Elders.  Right picture:  Julie and nephew Mike Moore.

Arnel and Lisa Clegg and their 2 children and other family members

Two Sroufe families:  Teresa and Dan on outside edges with Adam and Hilary with their four children in the center.

Kathy Crutchfield from Vineyard Ward also came to enjoy the temple with Teresa and Dan.

David and Shawna Banks visit the Oakland Temple with their children Rebekah and Andrew.

 Accompanied by their grandmother Margaret Weeks, Nathan and Jorydan Merrill, children of Ranae Merrill, explored the temple grounds with two friends.

Glenna Sedgeman visited the Oakland Temple.

   The John & Karen Robison family enjoyed a tour at the temple open house on Wednesday May 29th. Karen's mom (Carol Price) from Nephi Utah, as well as her Grandma, her mom’s mom (Kay Harmon) from Salinas California joined them for the tour. "The weather was beautiful and it wasn’t crowded at all that day." 

Karen writes: John and I were sealed in Oakland, and we wanted our kids to have a frame of reference for the changes, so as a family (minus JT who was too young) we did baptisms there in December of 2017, just before the temple closed. The girls mentioned many times how glad they were able to see the temple inside before it was renovated.  We all agreed that the improvements were inspired and beautiful.  

Karen Robi Top:   Benjamn Lloyd and Viola Langston.  Bottom:  They are also part of the Stringer family. 1:47 PM (34 minutes ago) son

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Kedrin Farlee Receives Eagle Scout Award

   Kedrin Farlee received his Eagle Scout Award June 2 in a Court of Honor conducted by Tim Shull.  Kedrin did most of his scouting in Arizona where he lived with his family until they moved to Lodi a year ago.  He completed his Eagle project there. In this picture Kedrin poses with his parents Clay and Sara Farlee who were instrumental in helping him through scouting over the years.

    The program included the presentation of colors by Troop 298, then talks "The meaning of an Eagle by Tim Shull, and "The Eagle Call" by Jackson VerSteeg who is also an Eagle Scout.
   After Kedrin became an official Eagle, he spoke and presented pins of thanks to his parents.

Memorial Day Photo Essay

    The three Lodi congregations (Mokelumne River Ward, Vineyard Ward, and Spanish Branch) joined together on Memorial Day for a pancake breakfast and bike ride.

The Elders Quorum of Mokelumne River ward, under the direction of President Don Daley prepared the delicious food.

Kids and adults alike ventured over to the face painting table for a cute design.

Before the breakfast began, Tim Leach from the Vineyard gave a personal and dynamic account of what Memorial Day means to him.  It involved the death of one of his leaders while he was serving in the military. This man left behind a wife, several children and the troop he led.  He helped us feel grateful for the service of those who protect our freedom.

It is nice, and we are blessed, to have a pavilion  where an event of this kind can be held.  The food was ready and kept on coming as people collected their choice of breakfast essentials.

Missionaries from both wards joined in the celebration.  The Elders from Vintage Ward brought an investigator to join in the fellowship of the day.  Mokelumne River Ward has a new Sister missionary from England.  Her name is Sister Graham and she is anxious to meet all of us.

The bike ride is about to begin, but first a traffic officer is present to instruct on safety issues while riding bikes on the street.  He did an excellent job.

Don Daley, Elders Quorum President not only spent most of the morning serving food, but was first in line to lead the bicycle riders on their adventure.

And here they go!! Many children decorated their bikes for the occasion, and parents and grandparents accompanied some of them.  It was a great time.

Emilia Carlston is Baptized a Member of the Church

     Emilia Mae Carlston, daughter of Liz and Ben Carlston was baptized and confirmed May 18, 2019 by her dad, Benjamin Carlston. When asked about her special day, Emilia said “I felt good and happy.”
     When she came out of the water, she wore a dress fashioned from her mom’s wedding dress.

     Her baby brother Bennett was blessed the same day and also wore an outfit made from mom’s wedding dress. He was wrapped in a special quilt made by his grandmother that showcases scraps of special family pieces including his dad’s shirt, his grandma’s first temple dress and handkerchiefs from his great grandmothers. His socks were purchased in Italy (where his dad served a mission) and his shoes were made by mom. It was a lovely occasion with family and friends!