Billie Ann, My Relief Society Sisters and my daughter's blessed Young Women Leaders, March 13, 2016

This week has been such an abundance of tender mercies!

I always pray for missionary opportunities.  I often pray for certain people that have come into my life.  I learned deeply from my son, Derek, during his mission, from a man in his mission presidency, President Christensen.  He wrote a big on missionary work.  I read that book.  He helped me learn and see that if I am just extending invitations to my brothers and sisters who are not members, it counts as  missionary work.  I do not have to get someone baptized to count as missionary work.  Just befriending, inviting, loving, helping those people is missionary work.

I put the challenge to the test this week.  Whenever there is an event, sponsored by the Church, I figure it's a free, wonderful opportunity to invite non-members.  The RS Presidency gave out the invitations early. I took three - one for me and two for my non-member neighbors - AH and HB.   I knew they probably would not want to come, but I drove the invites to their homes and invited them.
I can tell this next part, because the woman told a lot of people at my church, so it's ok if I tell now.  I took care of a patient at the hospital, a man in his late 60's.  His wife's name was Billie Ann.  They were from deep Arkansas.  They were a darling couple.  They have the thick accent (at least for here). I won't tell all the details we spoke about, because they would be a breech, but suffice it to know that we became good friends, just I prepared him for surgery and spoke to them both.

When he left for surgery, she started to cry. It turned out she has a lot of emotional things going on in their lives.  It turned out that Blaine was able to give her a blessing of comfort, with another member man who works at the hospital.  I talked a lot with Billie and helped her as much as I could.

When I went home, I thought of her all evening.  I received the prompting that I should invite her to our ward's RS Birthday party, which would include a nice meal and a program and a game.

I didn't dare call on Wednesday, because it was the day after his surgery, but I still had the feeling.  I called her on Thursday morning, the day of the event.  I thought she probably wouldn't want to come, for one reason or another.  But I knew she was really trying and wanting to make friends.  And I knew my older group of RS sisters would be there, and many others.  So, I called.

I said who I was.  She was so excited, and so grateful for the care I had given.  Then I invited her, telling her about the meal, all the ladies from 18 to 100 that would be there.  She gladly accepted!  I was stunned, grateful, thrilled!

All day I prayed and worried she would cancel on me.  But at 5:30 she called me on my cell, and told me she had just left Felt.  I told her that was fine.  She didn't get to the church until 6, that's when it started.  So, we hustled into the cultural hall.  I took her first to the older ladies table.  Here would be my dear, friends I've had all m life in Bates - Barbara Knight, Shauna Jamison - Barbara's daughter, Tess Dalton, Janeane Driggs, LaRue Ripplinger, Leora Wood - I can't remember who else. I just took Billie right there, asked if I could introduce my new friend - introduced her - they had to ask a few times about her name --- Billie?  Dillie?  She is a character and loves to talk, so she immediately felt at home and was gracious.  My heart filled with warmth and joy.

Their table was full, so I looked for friendly women I knew would be welcoming to her.  I saw Chelsea Peterson and Kortnee Woolstenhulme sitting there.  I went to that table  I introduced Billie.  They introduced themselves, and later Becky Clayton, Jessica Beard, Sarah Henderson, Beth Brinkerhoff and maybe another sister came and sat with us and introduced themselves.  These ladies are about my sister, Kortnee's age or younger.  So, they're 7 to 10 years younger than I.

Again, bless their souls, my heart filled with warm and sweet peace and love, as they opened their "arms" and circled her and welcomed her and made her feel part of us.

Oh, the joy that filled my soul to overflowing!  The program was a beautiful presentation about Emma Smith, Kortnee Woolstenhulme sang a beautiful song about Emma.  There was a video from the church about the organization of Relief Society, how Emma said "We are going to do something extra-ordinary!"  And we have.

Afterward, I introduced Bobbie to a few more sisters.  When we left the building, Billie was only happy and complimentary about the whole evening, so grateful I had invited her.  I just melted with love and joy that the Savior and Heavenly Father let me be an instrument in Their hands to touch one sister for this few days' time.

Billie still carries a heavy load of home problems and trials that won't be solved easily.  But she loves the Bible, and now she's been in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When we were outside the church, I told her what it was, a bit about the Relief Society organization, etc.  She didn't seem to really catch all that I said, who would?, but I planted a seed.  And for that day, it was enough and more for me!

There are more tender mercies - a trip to Idaho Falls with my mom and my sister, and then a beautiful young women's in excellence program tonight, a talk about a team of chariot racing horses - both answers to my own prayers.  I'll write about them next.

Nikole Plays L'Orage by Friedrick Burgmuller, March 6, 2016

Some of the tender mercies for our week was that:

Heather was able to obtain two job interviews with US Bank in Cincinnati for this week.  They are at two different bank locations, both US Bank.  Brandon keeps enjoying his job at Nielsen Marketing Research.  He says that all of the people working with him are 35 or younger.  I know they are all young, sharp, on-the-ball men.  They love their ward.  The people are very welcoming.  They have callings - Heather is the 10 year old Webelos leader, and Brandon is the 11 year old Scout leader in the Highland Heights Ward of the Cincinnati Ohio Stake.  We are so grateful they are settling in and happy.  We can't wait to go there for a visit, someday.

Derek was able to go down to Provo to visit some missionaries from his Boston Mission.  He took Gary Breckenridge.  They got to take Jose through the Provo City Temple Open House.  Derek is receiving a lot of help, trying to get a good internship for this coming summer.  My friend, Stephanie Peterson, is trying to help him in Brea, California.  Derek and Todd Anderson, cousin, and thier team for Todd's Ghana Ties Company, applied to present at a big entrepreneur contest in Boise on April 1.  It is sponsored by Zion's Bank and Boise State University.  They were accepted.  I believe they are one of ten entrepreneurs that were selected!

Nikole found out she was assigned the Fall Spring track at BYU.  She is trying to make the best of that.  She has enjoyed helping with Distinguished Young Women's Friday night.  She was able to play a piano piece, L'Orage at the program, because she was last year's second attendent.  She also helped Alta, be her back-stage  mom.

Elizabeth has been taking Vitamin D which Dr. Redd told her to do, and to do the stretches that Dan Streubel gave her, and she still has some pain in her legs and feels numb at the end of practice, but she's doing it and I feel she has been blessed in it.  Young men are started to flock around Elizabeth, and her 16th birthday is not until June 30.

Carl is learning how to pass the sacrament correctly and is doing Scouts.  He is excelling at violin with Melanie Moulton, and is excelling at snow boarding with TMS Winter Sports Program.

I feel the Lord's hand helping me in my work at the hospital. He has helped me so much just the past week for nursing staff meeting and with some presentations I had to do.  I feel better about a relationship with a daughter who has been struggling.  Blaine blesses my life as he helps a lot with house chores.  I had a fun day in Rexburg Friday, was able to get a permanent in my hair and buy some groceries.  I'm very excited for my fun week-end with my mother and Kortny this Friday.

I have been studying about Eve.  I learned that Eve made the choice in the Garden that would bless all of us, at least bless others, not just be good for her own interest.  When we make choices that bless others, they are usually somewhat difficult but better, and we know they are the higher, better choice.  I am grateful for her.  Linda Prows gave that lesson, or at least about mothers, women from Elder Holland's General Conference talk.

Derek comes home to visit, Nikole decides to attend BYU-I, February 28, 2016

There are many tender mercies from the Lord from the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday, Saturday, Derek surprised us and decided to come home!  Yes, he's just in Rexburg, but he stays very busy and on task, so it was a treat.  He called around 10 and said he felt like he should come and talk to Nikole, who had just been assigned her "undesireable" fall/spring track for BYU-I - which means you go to fall, you're off winter, and then you go to spring, he also wanted to visit Grandma Ripp, do his loads of laundry and work on some homework, he also wanted to sign up for some stocks with Blaine and fill his taxes out on the 1040 Supposedly Easy form.

Originally, Blaine and I were going to the cabin to cross country ski with Breckenridges, like we have done for the past few years.  But they couldn't go this week-end, so we decided to stay home.  I still wanted to cross country ski, but Blaine didn't, so Carl decided to go with me.  We used the skis we bought for Nikole for him, and I have mine.  We just took off out our driveway and skied down a half mile to "Lawlesses" and back.  There is barely enough snow left.  It was Carl's first time cross country skiing.  I felt like that was the first tender mercy - he loved it.  I had fun with him, created a nice memory, and got some physical activity in.

Derek arrived after that, around 11.  It's just so good to see your son, when it's been a while since you saw him.  And in our home.  He is tall, dark and handsome, and most importantly, handsome on the inside, too.  He had a date planned for 7 with a young woman in Rexburg, starting with an A, so he was going to spend the day and then go back.  He had planned a fun night to iJump and dinner.  He talked to us, talked to Nikole about her college plans, worked with Blaine on stocks - even bought some, did several huge loads of laundry - which didn't dry well - we think we packed too many in the loads : ), and talked and talked to us.  That is a tender mercy - just to have him near.

It turned out that his date canceled at short notice, because her sister needed a babysitter.  We didn't say anything until Derek himself said, "That is kind of a lame excuse, isn't it?  If she really wanted to go, wouldn't she tell her sister she made other plans long ago?"  This is the fourth or fifth time the same young woman has done this to him.  We told him that we pray every single day for him, in this critical time of his life, when he is making the biggest, most important decisions of his eternity - we plead with Heavenly Father, to lead Derek and his wife to each other, to not let Derek make a mistake.  I joked that, "I feel the Holy Ghost here again", meaning that this girl must not be right.   Tender Mercy Time, for sure.

He is a bit discouraged, but we had told him he might need a trip to see his cousin Kelley in Provo.  Kelley has a roommate, who recently returned from her mission to Australia, her name is Saysha.  Kelley said she wasn't ready a couple of months ago, but now she is.  So, he called Kelley and is going to go down to the Provo City Open House and go on a double date with Saysha.  Derek is taking Gary Breckenridge.  I think they will have lots of fun.  A lot of Derek's companions live in Provo, attending BYU, so he will get to see some of them.

Nikole sang in our ward's young women's choir today.  Elizabeth was the accompanist.  They sang Abide With Me.  It was very pretty.  Tender mercy to see young women who are keeping the commandments and have high goals and love the Lord.

I have a big new assignment at work, which has turned out to be a tender mercy.  At least the process of how Angela Booker asked me - I went from having bad dreams about it the first day she mentioned it to having peace the next time she explained it better.  I will have to write about it later, because my daughters are pacing the floor, wanting the one lap top computer our family has.

Last week, Blaine and I attended the temple on a Thursday.  I was feeling quite a bit of stress at work. I had several deadlines and not enough time to do them all.  I had ACLS, PALS classes to take online and pass in person, NHSN to sign up for, L. Piquet demanded  many things for her WEN report, plus many other duties.  I just yearned to be in the Lord's House.  Blaine and I prayed, like we always do, for the purposes of our children's needs, but also for me to receive some relief and peace.

As soon, as I walked in, I felt different.  I started to cry in my locker, changing my clothes, because i felt "home", I could feel the peace I needed, already.  The whole session was like that. I just felt Heavenly Father's love for me, His knowledge of my little life, His desire to help and guide me.  I felt my grandparents that I had prayed would come to help me carry my burdens.  Ohhhh, how I love the tender.  Tender mercy!

We had been praying that Carl would find his temple names that his Aunt Tammie and Uncle Ken gave him to get baptized.  It had been at least a month since we had them.  They were lost.  Carl found them on his bed side table!  Tender mercy.

We are going on a trip to Las Vegas for our Spring Break!  Tender mercy, because we were just talking about his.  Our three youngest children really wanted to go somewhere warm - we had talked about Arizona or Blaine wanted Salt Lake.  We looked at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, because Cindy Terry had told us two years ago that they loved it there.  We checked it out and I reserved one room, because the hotel said they were going fast, since it is spring break.  That was yesterday, and I knew I could cancel, if Blaine wouldn't let us go.

Turns out that today, he decided that it sounded fun.  He asked his mother if she wanted to go, and she did!  We are so surprised, because she hated to travel the whole time I've known her.  Now, it's like she's gone mad, and wants to go on every trip we go on.  She wanted us to see if Blaine's brother, Terry, would want to come, too.  He lives in Safford, but he could meet us.  Blaine called Terry and they think they want to come!  We are just stunned and excited that we get a spring break!  Yay!  Tender mercy.

Supervisor Help and Lady Redskin Basketball, February 9, 2016

February 9, 2016

The tender mercies for the last couple of days are as follows:

Yesterday, when I arrived at my office job Monday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from my boss, Sandra Woolstenhulme.   I had had a difficult day on Friday.  I had gone in extra to finish a big project for our Quality Officer and to interview a head housekeeper. I was discouraged by the end.  It was supposed to be my  day off, and the job I was trying to do for Quality – I had no real guidance on how to do it.

I had sent an email to Sandra and Angela B. just telling them about the trouble I was having with the project, and about how hard I was trying.  So, the email from Sandra  on Monday said that she knew someone that would be able to tell me where to get help on the HEN and NHSN – I will know what this is years from now : )

I called the lady.  She is from the state welfare program.  She knew what I was talking about!  She also referred me to two men in the state system who know how to use both reporting systems.  I was so relieved.  They are going to be the resource I need to finish a big job I’m on the brink of finishing.

At the end of the work day on Monday, around 3, when we both get to go home, Sandra asked if I was doing better.  I smiled and said that I had a nice weekend’s rest, and that I had my good attitude back J  She smiled.  I must have looked overwhelmed and sad on Friday, which is not normal for me.  It was a tender mercy to get help and concern.

Nikole enjoyed watching the Shelley High School young men do a half-time dance at the District Championship Game between Teton and Shelley.  They were called “Tanks A Lot”.  They wore white tank tops under their black shirt and pants.  It was really fun and manly and made the crowd go wild.

We all enjoyed watching our Lady Redskins win the District 6 Basketball Championship tonight in Rexburg.  I had the tender mercy of getting out of the Pre and Post Op today at 5:30 instead of 7 or later, like I get sometimes.  I got to be the before 6 am nurse, so that let me go to the game with my family.  So nice.

Provo Temple and Packing, February 6, 2016

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Here are a few of my tender mercies for this week.

We are almost home.  We took a quick trip down to Provo to help our Heather and Brandon Pilcher pack up their moving truck.   In the morning, around 6 am, they will start their long drive across the country to their new home in Kentucky and his new job across the Ohio River in Cincinnati.

One tender mercy is all the men that showed up to help us pack things from the basement at Clint and Sherry’s house up the back stairs and into the moving truck.

Brandon had asked about eight friends to come help.  They were his mission companions, their ward home teachers, an old friend from California and a couple friends that Brandon met through his major at BYU.  Clint had put down plastic from the bedroom area in the basement to the exit door in the basement.  Brandon assigned “inside” people, who wore socks and packed boxes first, then the smaller things then the two bikes, to the door of the basement.  Others were assigned “outside”.  They came down the stairs and packed everything up and into the back of the truck, where Brandon was inside, arranging everything.

At the end, they helped Brandon get his motorcycle up in the truck, strapped it down.  They had Nikole and Elizabeth go pick up pizza at Little Caesar’s for all the volunteers afterward.

I felt the Spirit as we all worked together.  I felt grateful that those friends came to help.  It’s a blessing to have good friends like that.  I’m grateful that Clint and Sherry let our family stay overnight Friday, and they let Brandon and Heather store their belongings in a corner of a basement room for a fee, while B&H were staying in our home for three weeks. 

We will miss them so much, but we are very excited for their new adventure.

We were able to see our niece, Kelley, and to see our nephews – Lance and Riley Argyle and Riley’s wife, Bree.

Another tender mercy was being able to see the Provo City Temple in their Open House.  Oh, it is a very, very beautiful temple.  It was special to be there with everyone in our own family, except for Derek – who was leading  a big conference at BYU-I.  We don’t know when we will see Brandon and Heather again.

Unexpected Place to Sleep in Denver and Work Burdens and Inspiration

To continue my thoughts on the Provo City Temple:  I could feel the Spirit there, as we walked through those sacred halls and rooms.  It is such a historic place in Provo.  I feel like a few of the temples I've been inside have extra special details or things about them - this temple is one.  It was wonderful to see Carl soak in all the details of the baptism font, the staircase, and to ask simple questions.  Always impressed with how the Lord's church on the earth puts on an event.  It was gorgeous.

One tender mercy is that Derek was able to finish his work this week with a big, big Marketing/Business Conference.  Thursday evening, students who had signed up, checked into registration.  Friday evening, there were about 6 speakers that are former BYU-I graduates, who have gone out in the world and made a successful business.  Derek said it was very motivational.  The speaker's main message was that you need to find something that you are passionate about and make that your business.  They also played games to reinforce the ideas.  Derek said there were around 2500 students that attended.  Saturday morning, there were more speakers.  After that, he went to his ward party.  So, he was tired by late afternoon.  We are grateful for his service in the Lord's Kingdom.   He is working hard on classes, his work at the Career Center and in his ward.  He is dating . . .

Heather's big tender mercy today is that they made it safety to Denver, Colorado, hauling a big packing truck and their car behind on a trailer.  The roads have been perfect, even though it's winter.  When they were about an hour before Denver, where they were planning on stopping for the night, Heather posted a picture on Facebook about traveling across Colorado.  A missionary couple from Heather's Nauvoo Mission, commented that they should have stopped in Denver at their home.  Heather called "Sister Jardine" and they invited Brandon and Heather to stay there tonight!  We were all concerned about them having to stay in a motel and leave their moving truck in a parking lot, etc., so this was definitely a tender mercy.

We are back to just us five again.  I loved going to my own ward today.  It feels so good to be "home".

I also felt at home in the Provo City Temple.  The video we watched before the tour reminded me that  every temple really is the Lord's house.  I feel Him there, and I am so grateful.

A last tender mercy for today is that Lisa Foster lent us a snow board for Carl to use for winter sports.  It will be his first time to try snow boarding.  I bought a used pair of snow board boots in Victor.  We are excited for him to learn how.

Heather Headed to Kentucky

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Here are a few of my tender mercies for this week.

We are almost home.  We took a quick trip down to Provo to help our Heather and Brandon Pilcher pack up their moving truck.   In the morning, around 6 am, they will start their long drive across the country to their new home in Kentucky and his new job across the Ohio River in Cincinnati.

One tender mercy is all the men that showed up to help us pack things from the basement at Clint and Sherry’s house up the back stairs and into the moving truck.

Brandon had asked about eight friends to come help.  They were his mission companions, their ward home teachers, an old friend from California and a couple friends that Brandon met through his major at BYU.  Clint had put down plastic from the bedroom area in the basement to the exit door in the basement.  Brandon assigned “inside” people, who wore socks and packed boxes first, then the smaller things then the two bikes, to the door of the basement.  Others were assigned “outside”.  They came down the stairs and packed everything up and into the back of the truck, where Brandon was inside, arranging everything.

At the end, they helped Brandon get his motorcycle up in the truck, strapped it down.  They had Nikole and Elizabeth go pick up pizza at Little Caesar’s for all the volunteers afterward.

I felt the Spirit as we all worked together.  I felt grateful that those friends came to help.  It’s a blessing to have good friends like that.  I’m grateful that Clint and Sherry let our family stay overnight Friday, and they let Brandon and Heather store their belongings in a corner of a basement room for a fee, while B&H were staying in our home for three weeks. 

We will miss them so much, but we are very excited for their new adventure.

We were able to see our niece, Kelley, and to see our nephews – Lance and Riley Argyle and Riley’s wife, Bree.

Another tender mercy was being able to see the Provo City Temple in their Open House.  Oh, it is a very, very beautiful temple.  It was special to be there with everyone in our own family, except for Derek – who was leading  a big conference at BYU-I.  We don’t know when we will see Brandon and Heather again.