April showers in Jersey brought
lots of flowers in May. This area
continues to be beautiful. The
leaves are back on the trees which make the freeways very enjoyable to travel. Azaleas
are blooming everywhere and the dogwood trees are lacey and pretty with
blossoms galore. I want to plant
those in our Utah yard. The animals have appeared once more. We have seen chipmunks, squirrels,
large ugly ants, really cute rabbits, and even a red fox trying to cross the
road. Saw us coming and ran back
into the woods. And we are staying
out of the woods! No ticks for us!
As for our health, Jon is still
alive! He is still having some
back issues and post-surgery pains but he says nothing too serious. He overdoes, of course, and I try to
hold him down but the old saying holds, “You can’t keep a good man down”. As
for me, the ankle is healing just fine and we both love riding the chair lift
together!!! It makes an amazing picture to say the least.
We
continue to enjoy serving in New Jersey.
It really is an amazing place.
Everyone tells us it is an amazing place. “It gets a bad rap, you know!” Well, I guess it can have a bad rap when Newark gets the
reputation for the most cars stolen in the United States over New York City and
LA combined! I would say that is quite bad. They can have a car stolen and in one night it is taken to
NYC, stripped and smashed before the night is over. HA! But who is talking cars
and crime here! We’re talkin
missionary work and baptisms. We
baptized 38 people last month! Now call that amazing! One of our missionaries told us “I was in the water waiting
for this 10 year old to come down the stairs so I could baptize him. Well, he jumped in and started swimming
underwater around me. I had to grab him, pick him up and say, ‘It’s time to be
baptized’!” He thought it was time to swim. We have been able to see many enter the water! It NEVER gets old. Especially for me
because I was used to seeing only 8 years and now to see converts every week truly
is a tender experience. Watching
our missionaries dressed in white and baptizing those who they have been so
diligently teaching accept the gospel is truly very touching. A sister today who bore here testimony
said, “I will never forget how I felt when I came up out of the water.” Being baptized as an 8 year old is a
little different, I must say. I am
grateful that I have had the gospel my whole life. But when I witness those
individuals smile as they go down and many who come up crying, filled with such
joy I am a little envious of the experience they have just had. I was much like the young 10 year who
wanted to swim. It was fun,
enjoyable, exciting and why not, it should be!
Jon
and I finished off April by attending the Mission Presidents Seminar in
Washington DC. 26 other Missions met together to be trained. What a great trip. It wasn’t a vacation for we were in
meetings all day (good ones I might add) but it was nice to see a few of the
sights our last night. Our
previous blog has pictures of going to the Lincoln Memorial. What a spiritual feeling is there. It is peaceful, quite sacred, and in
fact, the city was quite stirring emotionally. We were amazed! Taking pictures
in front of the White House was always on our bucket list so we did. It was impressive to see. The police
are in front 24/7 and the roads surrounding the house are no longer accessible
due to the Oklahoma Bombings. Each
memorial was lit up and beautiful.
Hope to go back there some day.
It was great to be with all the mission presidents and their wives in
our area. The owner of Café Rio is
in our group and treated several of us to the restaurant in DC. He was a rock star there and the
employees treated us like royalty.
The Nilsons are great people.
I asked them if they had shipped out Café Rio to their missionaries for
a dinner and they said “Of
course” Wow spoiled…but then we
brought out Alex to entertain so we couldn’t say too much!
Jon
and I had a chance to go to Harmony, Pennsylvania, the sight of the Restoration
of the Priesthood with our senior missionaries. It was a beautiful day, peaceful and quiet along the banks
of the Susquehanna River. A CES teacher told the story of the appearance of
John the Baptist and Peter, James and John to restore the priesthood to
Joseph. Jon and I felt much like
we did in Nauvoo and Jerusalem, we were walking on sacred ground.
We
then had a Mission Department Tour.
Two brethren came, Brother Drubay (who works with Christian Pulfer
(childhood friend of our children) surprise, surprise…Christian worked on the
billboard in NYC with Brother Drubay) and Brother Steinagel. They were terrific! They taught and trained us in so many
ways using Preach My Gospel. It
was nice to be told that our mission is going forward and on the right track,
that President Jeppson has caught the vision of what he is supposed to be doing
and teaching it! But of course….I
am not biased in any way. Who
would not want to be taught by President Jeppson. He is amazing! Brother Drubay got the missionaries pumped up
by showing new Mormon messages and discussed more of what is happening in the
media for the church. In fact, at
the mission presidents seminar, we too, were shown what is happening with the
media. The missionaries are to be
on the Internet and become acquainted with LDS.org/ Mormon.org/Family
History/LDS Newsroom. Time is to be given during the week for missionaries to
get on these sights and use them.
With the presidential campaign, TV shows, media, etc., they want
missionaries and members to be aware of what is coming!! We were told at the seminar “for those
presidents who have 2 ½ more years, buckle up! It is going to be a ride”.
Simply aMAYzing isn’t it?
Miss and love you all, Dad and Mom, Jon and Bonnie,
President and Sister Jeppson NJMM
