Little mission miracles add momentum Week Six: Holms on the Potomac

      We loved listening to the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—messages about our Savior, Jesus Christ, to prepare us for the Easter season. The photos show lots of little miracles!

Norm doing his vehicle coordinator duties!

This blue heron can be seen nearly every day on our pond, "Heron Pond" on the map!

Debbie became fast friends with Janette Connell, who had been best friends with cousin Sharyn Curtis when they grew up together in Rigby, Idaho.

President Russell M. Nelson said, “We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities … Many actions can ignite positive spiritual momentum. Obedience, love, humility, service, and gratitude are a few.”

Our spiritual and physical momentum increased April 3-10 through small but shining miracles. 

Norm and outgoing vehicle coordinator, Elder Mark Severts, and his wife and I, worried when the vital C.A.R.S. computer program went down. They said it would take a week to fix.  Thankfully, after much prayer, inspired IT people got it going.  Not a coincidence; a little mission miracle. 

Norm drove his favorite vehicle in the mission fleet, a late model Highlander,  to get it prepared to transport church leaders from the airport to the Washington D.C. Temple. (No, we didn’t get to see those visitors!) We spent two days reconciling March gasoline receipts turned in by 160 missionaries on the 90+ cars in the fleet.

With our evenings filled with mission-related catch-up items, we were tired. Little lights gleamed: through this blog, we found out that my cousin, Sharyn Curtis, was best buddies at Rigby High with Sister Janette Connell, who also serves in the mission office. I met for the second time awesome young Sister Alivia Johnson, granddaughter of my sweet cousin, Nelda Furniss Burnside.  Not coincidences; mission miracles. 

Friday night we were tired. We watched television, ate popcorn, and slept in. Saturday, we washed clothes, vacuumed, and bought groceries. Upside: our apartment’s so small that cleaning goes fast!

Norm choose our hike to the Cabin John Regional Park near Bethesda: kind of a wilderness amid millions of people. Land records from 1715 cite this creek. “Cabin John" is thought to be a corruption of the name "Captain John" after Captain John Smith, who explored and mapped this region in 1608. Scholars say “the origin of the name remains unresolved.” (I believe Captain John named the creek, or it was named for him, and I wish we knew what Native Americans called it before he arrived!)

Virginia Bluebells--Just like the ones at "The Farm!"

Little things washed our cares away: rippling sounds of the creek; bird songs; friendly dogs and their owners; and tiny spring flowers: marsh marigolds, violets, and Virginia bluebells (lobelia) that remind us of a special Idaho dry farm.

Today we enjoyed dinner with two young sisters in our mission, and guess what: one of them, Sister Katlyn Neibaur, is the granddaughter of a friend, Randy Neibaur, who grew up on a neighboring dry farm.  Another blessed little "not coincidence" that makes mission life so worth living. 

To close, a little quote from President Nelson: “When the Savior atoned for all mankind, He opened a way that those who follow Him can have access to His healing, strengthening, and redeeming power. These spiritual privileges are available to all who seek to hear Him and follow Him.”