Most of the family was present but Aunt Wendy in Arizona and Aunt Erin in Texas were with us via cell phone.
After the setting apart, we went back to the Welker Ranch for a yummy dinner and time with family.
Sunday brought us heading to Nibley to attend church with G'ma and G'pa. They were not asked to speak in church for a formal "farewell" so we all came together to attend Fast Sunday with them. The highlight for me was seeing G'ma look so proud as Josh Eskeets (a foster Grandson) stood at the pulpit bearing his testimony and telling G'ma and G'pa how much he loves and appreciates them and thanking them for their willingness to have him and the rest of his family be accepted in their lives.
I also enjoyed Dave's Dad standing and bearing his testimony of a wonderful experience he had about three weeks ago while he and Ann were vacationing in New York where they served their missions many years ago. I would love to quickly tell the story but I would not do it justice. I may get in trouble for putting his story in my blog from an e-mail he sent the family but I do it so when I publish my blog and make it a journal for my family, the story can be available for my kids to read. Here it is:
THE TRIP BECAME SUPER SPECIAL BECAUSE OF ONE EXPERIENCE WE HAD LAST SUNDAY, JANUARY 11TH. I WILL TRY TO BE BRIEF BUT I WANT EACH OF YOU TO SHARE THE GREAT JOY I FELT THAT MORNING AND HOW I HAVE FELT EVERYDAY SINCE. THE STORY BEGAN 50 YEARS AGO LAST NOVEMBER. MY MISSIONARY COMPANION, HENRY CALL AND I WERE ASKED BY OUR MISSION PRESIDENT TO EXPERIMENT LOOKING UP HILL CUMORAH PAGEANT REFERRAL CARDS TO SEE IF THEY HELPED MISSIONARY WORK. REFERRALS WERE COLLECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST 1958 AT THE PAGEANT. HOW THE CARDS CAME TO BE IS ANOTHER MIRACLE STORY I WILL TELL ANOTHER TIME.
I ARRIVED IN THE MISSION FIELD THE END OF AUGUST 1958 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK IN THE ROCHESTER, NY AREA. OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WE TRAVELED 1000’S OF MILES EACH MONTH KNOCKING ON DOORS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ATTENDED THE PAGEANT, LOOKING F0R PEOPLE TO TEACH. WE HAD THOUSANDS OF CARDS SO WE WOULD NEVER CALL BACK IF NO ONE WAS HOME ON THE FIRST STOP.
ELDER CALL WAS A SPECIAL MISSIONARY AND WE WORKED LONG AND HARD. AFTER ONE FULL DAY OF FINDING NO ONE HOME WE STARTED BACK TO THE APARTMENT FOR A VERY QUICK BITE BEFORE OUR EVENING APPOINTMENTS. HALF WAY THROUGH THE 20 PLUS MILE TRIP ELDER CALL SAID, ‘’ ARE THERE ANY CARDS IN THIS AREA WE CALL LOOK UP, WE HAVE 30 MINUTES.’’ I QUICKLY FOUND FIVE AND WE STARTED KNOCKING ON DOORS. WE FOUND NO ONE HOME AT THE FIRST FOUR STOPS. WE DEBATED ABOUT THE FIFTH CARD SINCE WE WERE ZERO FOR 20 SOMETHING HOUSES KNOCKED ON THAT DAY. .
THE DEBATE ENDED WHEN I SAW THAT WE WERE ALMOST AT THE LAST HOUSE. IT WAS A LARGE OLDER TWO STORY HOME. WE WALKED UP THE STAIRS, ON TO THE PORCH AND KNOCKED. NO ANSWER. WE STRUCK OUT AGAIN. SO WE TURNED AND WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS OFF THE PORCH. WHEN I GOT TO THE SIDE WALK THE SPIRIT SAID GO BACK. I RETRACED MY STEPS AND WHEN I GOT TO THE PORCH I TURNED AND SAW A CARD ON A PORCH POST – DAVID ANDERSON AROUND BACK. THAT WAS THE FAMILY WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
WE WENT AROUND BACK AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR. THE DOOR OPENED IMMEDIATELY. A MAN IN HIS 20S SAID, ‘’I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU’RE MORMON MISSIONARIES.
HIS WIFE OF FOUR MONTHS WAS SICK SO HE STAYED HOME WITH HER. SHE WORKED AND HE WAS IN A GRADUATE ENGLISH PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY. IF SHE HAD NOT BEEN SICK AND IF HE HAD NOT STAYED HOME WITH HER WE WOULD NENER HAVE MET OR TAUGHT THE ANDERSONS. THEY WERE SELDOM HOME AND WE DID NOT CALL A SECOND TIME WHEN NO ONE WAS HOME THE FIRST TIME.
WE MADE A RETURN APPOINTMENT AND STARTED WALKING AWAY. AT THE CORNER OF THE HOUSE WE TURNED TO EACH OTHER AND SAID IN UNISON, ‘’I WILL BET YOU A COKE THEY ARE BAPTISED IN SIX MONTHS.’’ MISSIONARIES IN THE MISSION HAD BEEN DEBATING WHETHER DRINKING COKE WAS AGAINST THE WORD OF WISDOM, SO THAT WAS ALWAYS A BET YOU WOULD NEVER LOSE.
THEY WERE BAPTIZED 5 MONTHS LATER IN THE YET UNFINISHED PALMYRA CHAPEL. THE ONLY CHAPEL WITHIN SEVERAL 100 MILES. WE CLEANED OUT THE FONT AND RAN A GARDEN HOSE FROM THE KITCHEN TO THE FONT SINCE THERE WAS NO WATER AT THE FONT YET.
THEY BECAME THE FIRST CONVERTS BAPTISED IN THAT CHAPEL. SISTER ANDERSON WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT. I GOT HER BAPTISED ON THE FIRST TRY BUT IT TOOK ONE MORE TIME TO GET THE BABY UNDER. I WAS ONE NERVOUS MISSIONARY. THEY GOT DOCTORS OKAY BEFORE CONSENTING TO BE BAPTIZED.
NOW FOR THE MIRACLE………LAST SUNDAY WE ATTENTED CHURCH JN THE ROCHESTER AREA. WE KNEW DAVID ANDERSON ATTENDED THAT WARD. WE LOOKED AT EVERY OLDER BROTHER IN ATTENDANCE BUT COULD NOT SEE THE RIGHT BROTHER. AFTER SACRAMENT MEETING WE ASKED A SENIOR MISSIONARY COUPLE ABOUT DAVID ANDERSON. THEY POINTED OUT A BROTHER WHO HAD BEEN SETTING BY A YOUNG GAL WITH TWO VERY YOUNG CHILDERN.
WHEN THE MAN CAME BY I ASKED IF HE WAS BROTHER ANDERSON . HE SAID, ‘’YES.’’ DAVID ANDERSON. HE SAID, YES. I SAID I AM LYNN WELKER. HE RECOGNIZED ME AND SAID, ARLAND LYNN WELKER.
WE VISITED WITHOUT MOVING UNTIL PRIESTHOOD STARTED AN HOUR LATER.
HE AND SISTER ANDERSON HAD NINE DAUGHTERS. SHE DIED WHEN THE YOUNGEST WAS EIGHT, FROM A BRAIN TUMOR. HE MARRIED A SISTER WITH FOUR CHILDREN AND THEY HAD A SON. THAT MADE FOURTEEN CHILDREN IN ALL. SHE DIED WHEN THE SON WAS SIX. THE SON WENT TO BYU. HE DIED IN UTAH AFTER PLAYING A SOCCER GAME. BROTHER ANDERSON HAS 62, THAT IS 62, GRANDCHILDREN!
BROTHER ANDERSON HAS REMAINED FAITHFUL THROUGH ALL THESE TRAGEDIES.
TODAY HE IS A SEALER IN THE PALMYRA TEMPLE. HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER IN THE ROCHESTER AREA LONGER THAN ANY OTHER PERSON.
I WAS FILLED WITH JOY AS WE VISITED WITH HIM AND SAW HIS GROWTH AND GREAT SERVICE IN THE CHURCH FOR 50 YEARS. TO THINK HEAVENLY FATHER LET ME BE A SMALL PART OF THIS GROWING HISTORY.
THE BLESSING RAN BOTH WAYS. IT WAS WHILE WERE WE TEACHING THE ANDERSONS WHO HAD COLLEGE DEGREES IN ENGLISH THAT I GAINED A DESIRE TO GET A COLLEGE EDUCATION. I ENTERED RICKS COLLEGE JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER GETTING HOME FROM THE MISSION FIELD. THEY HAD THAT MUCH INFLUENCE ON ME. I WAS A C- STUDENT UP TO THAT POINT AND AN A- OR BETTER STUDENT THROUGH SIX YEARS OF SCHOOL AFTER. THEY WERE MY MOTIVATION THROUGHTOUT.
CAN YOU SENSE THE JOY I FELT AS I VISITED WITH BROTHER ANDERSON. I HAD NO IDEA THE GREAT INFLUENCE HE AND SISTER ANDERSON HAVE HAD ON THE CHURCH IN THE PALMYRA AREA ALONE. AS A TEMPLE SEALER HE HAS THE POWER TO SEAL FAMILIES FOREVER. IT TAKES MY BREATH AWAY.
HE SAID THE WOMAN WITH HIM WAS HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER WITH HER TWO CHILDREN. THEY WERE VISITING FROM PORTLAND, OREGON. AFTER PREISTHOOD I FELT IMPRESSED TO ASK IF I COULD MEET HIS DAUGHTER. WE FOUND HER IN THE NURSERY PICKING UP HER OLDEST. SHE HAD AN INFANT IN HER ARMS.
HE INTRODUCED ME AS ONE OF THE MISSIONARIES WHO BROUGHT THEM THE GOSPEL. SHE GAVE ME A BIG HUG. SHE THEN HAD A HARD TIME CONTROLING HER EMOTIONS. AFTER TRYING TO SPEAK SEVERAL TIMES SHE FINALLY SAID,’’THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHILE SERVING IN BRAZIL THAT I PRAYED THAT I MIGHT SOMEDAY MEET THE MISSIONARIES WHO BROUGHT THE GOSPEL TO MY PARENTS AND HAVE THE OPPORTULNITY TO THANK THEM. AFTER SHE LOOKED INTO MY EYE FOR A TIME I SENSED HER HEART FELT APPRECIATION THAT WORDS COULD NOT CONVEY.
IN THAT SACRED MOMENT I GAINED AN APPRECTION IN A SMALL WAY OF HOW I WILL FEEL WHEN I WILL LOOK INTO MY SAVIORS EYES AND TRY TO THANK HIM FOR HIS ATONEMENT IN MY BEHALF.
WE THEN FOUND AND INTRODUCED MOM TO THIS REMARKABLE YOUNG WOMAN. SHE HUGGED BOTH OF US AND THEN SAID TO ME, ‘’I WOULD NOT BE HERE IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN A FAITHFUL MISSIONARY.’’ BROTHER ANDERSON SPOKE UP AND SAID, ‘’ THAT IS RIGHT.’’ SHE EXPLAINED THAT HER PARENTS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD NINE CHILDREN WITHOUT THE GOSPELS PROSPECTIVE. SHE AS THE YOUNGEST WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BORN. BROTHER ANDERSON AGAIN AGREED.
SHE AGAIN LOOKED INTO MY EYES AND SPIRIT COMMUNICATED WITH SPIRIT. NO WORDS WERE NECESSARY TO EXPRESS HER ETERNAL GRATITUDE FOR MY MEGER SERVICE IN SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH HER PARENTS. MORTALS CAN NOT EXPRESS THE JOY I FELT WHILE LOOKING INTO HER EYES.
IT TURNS OUT THAT HER FATHER-IN-LAW WORKED WITH ME IN LDS FAMILY SERVICES FOR MANY YEARS.
CAN YOU SENSE THE JOY I FELT AS I VISITED WITH BROTHER ANDERSON? THEN CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THE GRATITUDE I HAVE FOR HEAVENLY FATHER ANSWERING A YOUNG LADY MISSIONARY’S PRAYER BY BOTH OF US MEETING THAT SUNDAY FAR FROM OUR HOMES. WHAT A MIRACLE THAT I WAS PROMPTED TO ASK TO MEET HER. HEAVENLY FATHER DOES HEAR AND ANSWER PRAYERS.
THAT EXPERIENCE OF SEEING THE FRUITS OF MISSIONARY WORK CONFIRMS FOR ME THAT GRANDMOTHER AND I NEED TO GO ON MORE MISSIONS. THE HOLY GHOST LEADS AND DIRECTS THE MISSIONARY WORK.Amazing!!
After church, we once again went to the Welker Ranch for a family dinner. We said our good-bye's around 5 p.m. and headed to Mendon so that G'ma and G'pa could finish packing the Toyota Camry.
Although they will be missed and the time away will see long, we are proud of G'ma and G'pa and their willingness and desire to serve the Lord. This will be their second couple mission. They returned home from their mission in San Diego only three days before Nicole was born. Now Nicole is 15 months and they are off once again to do what they love.
I do not believe either of them have dealt much with people struggling with addiction but knowing them, they will do great. They are so patient and such good listeners. They will do amazing!
Here's some pictures from the weekend:
Janee playing the piano and Rachel leading the family in singing Called to Serve.
Some of the family in the Primary Room:
Pictures in the High Council room.....
Jen, Brandi, and Me
Emily and Tiff
Jen catching a bit of the movie
Emily was watching the movie but didn't want that caught on camera! 
Glade and DeLaynie
