The Michigan Lansing Mission 2020-2023

Dear Family and Friends, Welcome to Fall in Michigan! In San Diego, we would be enjoying the beach even more with the tourists mostly gone. Here, we are buying up all the warm layers we can find to prepare for winter.  We finished our first virtual mission tour with Elder Mark and Sister Angie Bassett last week. Some of you might remember them from when they were the mission leaders in the Arizona Mesa Mission (2007-2010). We learned so much and felt uplifted as a mission. We are now putting into practice all the things we learned!  As we prepare to watch General Conference soon, we have been thinking about how to feel the Spirit as we hear the words of the Lord's prophet and apostles and other Church leaders. Our hearts and minds keep returning to what we discussed in our Mission Tour regarding the two great commandments from Matthew 22:36-40 -- Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and wit...

Dear Family and Friends, In happy family news, we have a new granddaughter. Andrew and Stacy and the boys welcomed Lucy Eleanor Heap into their family on September 4th. She is so sweet and is adored by all. Our hearts are filled with joy that she has arrived, and we can't wait until she comes to see us! A few fun facts you should know about Michigan: ·       The geese are not friendly. ·       The wild turkeys will try to eat your new lawn seed. ·       Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state. ·       A Michigan Party Store is not where you go to buy balloons and streamers.   Last week, we said goodbye to five wonderful missionaries. When we sent our own children on missions, I did my best not to cry at the airport because I knew they were doing something hard but great. Not one in a million would serve a mission. But now when our missionaries leave to go home, I have the same...

Dear Family and Friends,   August has been a pretty awesome month for us here in Michigan. The best two things?   1.      Gavin came to visit! 2.      Elmer’s 60 th Birthday!   Thank you to everyone who sent a nice note to Stacy and to all our kids for helping to reach out to friends and family. It is a very special gift. Many of our missionaries wrote great things even though we had only been here a month when the deadline for the letters came. Elmer was very touched by your love and thoughtfulness and liked it much better than the party I was planning had we been in San Diego still.   We celebrated with a trip UP North. Some new friends Lansing let us stay at their lake cottage.  Seeing as it was Elmer’s birthday, of course, we hiked the Sleeping Bear Dunes, kayaked, and took out the paddle boards, ate too much, and even crossed the Mackinac Bridge into the UP. Here’s a tip for you non-Michiganders: There’s Mackinaw Cit...