Sunday Miracles Continued - Elk Grove, CA
Another adventurous day... We woke up in Smartsville, CA where we had been staying with a connection from one of our networks, on a beautiful farm. We were sent on our way with a dozen eggs, a quiche and crust recipe (DELICOUS), and an invitation to come back and stay longer next time! We've yet again met some amazing people and have been spoiled by some amazing views... sneakpeak below. Here is the link to the full post about our stay and adventure up to Reno!
We'd planned to drive in to Lodi, where we were going to stay overnight on a farm property, and visit a cousin of Ashley's living there, but made a mistake in our travel plans and did not leave enough time to make it all the way to Lodi (according to our GPS) so I quickly found another church house on the way that we could make by 1pm, in Elk Grove, CA. That was even a stretch as we pulled into the parking lot with our big rig right at 1pm and still needed to change our clothes.
The first meeting, Sacrament Meeting, was so good! The theme was happiness and there were three speakers. The first speaker, a middle-aged husband, talked about his recent conversion to the gospel and how that had brought such immeasurable joy to his life. The second, a new mother, talked about what defines happiness and how we discover that for ourselves. The third, a charismatic father, talked about trimming the fat from our lives and spending our time doing things that are meaningful and add value.
The second meeting we talked about what happens to our spirits when we die. This was a good lesson, and one that is filled with a lot of hope. It always makes me think of all of my family members who have already left this life, and the blessing that the Plan of Happiness allows us to have the opportunity to be reunited in the next life.
The third meeting, Relief Society, all of the women met and talked about all of their service planned for the holiday season. I was able to share a little about what we're doing and sat by a woman who was very sweet and filled me in on their projects. One, instead of purchasing items for families in need, they were providing gift cards for the families to go shopping for what they are in need of, allowing them to get them items that can be of the most use to their family.
Later, a woman sitting in front of me shared an experience she had while visiting the temple this last week. That amid the many hard trials she was experiencing, she went to the temple and described her experience as feeling whole again. The problems aren't gone, but she felt loved, blessed, and renewed, and encouraged everyone to make the time to go to the temple. As we are visiting the temple often, this really hit home with me. The woman next to me, who was also touched, leaned over to me and said, "Wow, with what you're doing, you must get to experience that a lot." I agreed with her and reflected on the many amazing experiences and miracles we have seen during the last 5 months.
After the meeting, she leaned over to me and said that she had felt prompted to give me one of the gift cards she had purchased for the Christmas drive they were having. "It's not much" she said. I sat in awe as she handed me the card. I hugged and thanked her, and explained that we had recently been stressing about our finances and trying to cut back and adjust where we could, but that this was a wonderful gift for us at that time. How grateful I am for the blessings that come to us and others when we listen to and act on promptings from the spirit.
Rodd also had a great experience in the third meeting, while meeting together with the men. Someone in our second class was very kind to him and showed him where the next class was, and also was excited to share our journey with everyone there. We love seeing people genuinely excited about what our journey, and being able to share some of our cool experiences with them.
We'd planned to drive in to Lodi, where we were going to stay overnight on a farm property, and visit a cousin of Ashley's living there, but made a mistake in our travel plans and did not leave enough time to make it all the way to Lodi (according to our GPS) so I quickly found another church house on the way that we could make by 1pm, in Elk Grove, CA. That was even a stretch as we pulled into the parking lot with our big rig right at 1pm and still needed to change our clothes.
The first meeting, Sacrament Meeting, was so good! The theme was happiness and there were three speakers. The first speaker, a middle-aged husband, talked about his recent conversion to the gospel and how that had brought such immeasurable joy to his life. The second, a new mother, talked about what defines happiness and how we discover that for ourselves. The third, a charismatic father, talked about trimming the fat from our lives and spending our time doing things that are meaningful and add value.
The second meeting we talked about what happens to our spirits when we die. This was a good lesson, and one that is filled with a lot of hope. It always makes me think of all of my family members who have already left this life, and the blessing that the Plan of Happiness allows us to have the opportunity to be reunited in the next life.
The third meeting, Relief Society, all of the women met and talked about all of their service planned for the holiday season. I was able to share a little about what we're doing and sat by a woman who was very sweet and filled me in on their projects. One, instead of purchasing items for families in need, they were providing gift cards for the families to go shopping for what they are in need of, allowing them to get them items that can be of the most use to their family.
Later, a woman sitting in front of me shared an experience she had while visiting the temple this last week. That amid the many hard trials she was experiencing, she went to the temple and described her experience as feeling whole again. The problems aren't gone, but she felt loved, blessed, and renewed, and encouraged everyone to make the time to go to the temple. As we are visiting the temple often, this really hit home with me. The woman next to me, who was also touched, leaned over to me and said, "Wow, with what you're doing, you must get to experience that a lot." I agreed with her and reflected on the many amazing experiences and miracles we have seen during the last 5 months.
After the meeting, she leaned over to me and said that she had felt prompted to give me one of the gift cards she had purchased for the Christmas drive they were having. "It's not much" she said. I sat in awe as she handed me the card. I hugged and thanked her, and explained that we had recently been stressing about our finances and trying to cut back and adjust where we could, but that this was a wonderful gift for us at that time. How grateful I am for the blessings that come to us and others when we listen to and act on promptings from the spirit.
Rodd also had a great experience in the third meeting, while meeting together with the men. Someone in our second class was very kind to him and showed him where the next class was, and also was excited to share our journey with everyone there. We love seeing people genuinely excited about what our journey, and being able to share some of our cool experiences with them.
Hey you two its Kassandra your mom Robin's friend. I'll have to see your path. I have family all around 801-815-4183
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