[Huntington Beach]

A beautiful day. Too bad yesterday couldn’t have been this nice! Start up the day with Mike and Jerri’s family—breakfast, lazing around. I read Book of Mormon, Alma 34, 35 and studied them. Our new Sunday block schedule has our ward meeting at 12:30. Sunday School/Primary is first. Then Priesthood/Relief Society/YW, last Sacrament Meeting. The Bishopric is making a mistake on this schedule, but they didn’t ask for opinions. Problem is so many will cut Sunday School, just come for Priesthood, Sacrament Meeting. Today was a missionary farewell, local boy. The Stake President was there and spoke a few words at the end. He announced that he had interviewed the Gibsons for a mission. Now the word is out, and we haven’t even put in our paperwork yet! Oh well, standard Mormon procedure; the Church is true anyway. Had a real nice evening with Mike and Jerri’s family. A lot of real nice kids. Reina is a neat young lady, and Jake is getting real mature—and strong! I don’t think I’ll tease him anymore! Joe is growing. Emily is developing into a real beautiful girl. Robbie, Sarah, Melissa are coming along fine. And Joshua is an active body—keeps them all hopping. I’m real proud of my son and his family—they have their priorities where it matters most. The Church and Gospel are uppermost in their lives.

[Huntington Beach]

A great day with Mike and Jerri and family. We went and drove around bay beach, ate lunch at Norm’s, looked around South Coast Plaza and rode the carousel. It rained all day—definitely not a great day for the beach. Evening we ushered in the New Year by watching TV, munching on stuff, visiting, playing with kids and going to bed at 11:00!

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[Huntington Beach]

Got a couple more obstacles removed from our list to get ready for a mission. We got our passport pictures taken (mine was pretty bad) and went to the garment-buying place to stock up on that important item. I fasted today—from last evening to this evening. The purpose was increase of awareness and spirituality, which I suddenly feel are not up to par! Also I need a blessing on my feet (ankles) and the language has me some worried. Oh! I hope we can receive this call, and respond properly. Now my great concern is that I won’t measure up.

Mike and Jerri and kids are on their way here this afternoon. We always worry when our family is on the road. They left shortly after noon. We get a call about 6:30 that they were on their way, but had to stop for a steering problem. We worried. They finally arrived at 12:30 am. We were so grateful to see them here safe.


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[Huntington Beach]

I’m still trying, all I can, to keep my feet elevated. Whenever I’m stopped I’m sitting uncomfortably (sometimes) to get the ankles small and healed. Physical exam today by Dr. Kandel—for the mission. Marian got hers from a lady doctor. Got a Christmas card today from Jim Heap. How nice! Also I dug out my old books from Brazil—grammar, etc. Read a lot and relaxed a lot. Talked to Frank Bradshaw again, about the expectations in Portugal this time. It looks, from his standpoint, that we’ll be primarily CES, and they’ll pick up the tab on extras like extra baggage and boxes, extra mileage on the car, extra apartment space—things like that. Also, Marian will be with me where I go. Also I got with Gary Fuller, Seawind sales rep to talk about selling the townhouse.. He suggests keeping it—for investment. It’s a thought…

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[Huntington Beach]

No air-casts again. I think I’ll try to live without them (and take it real easy). I still am keeping my feet elevated a lot. Sort of a quiet day. We listened to the Portuguese tape several times and talked about our new life-to-be. Made appointments with doctors for our physicals and called Lew Leavitt in Tucson for our dental exam. He’ll just mail it back and next time in Tucson we’ll go in for a final checkup. Marian and I went to Cerritos Institute, talked with Ralph McAffee a bit. He thinks the call is great and sees no big problem filling in the gap. We shopped a bit at Cerritos Mall and drove home. In the evening Jeri Toyn called. Ralph had talked to her. She expressed a regret that we were leaving so soon. She has become a good friend these short months. I hope we can continue the contact. This evening I also stayed up late writing bills. Didn't want to go to bed. The euphoria of the call is still there (although no called received yet, of course).

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[Huntington Beach]

I got up, showered and all, and did not put my air-casts on! I put on a dress shirt and slacks, my brown wingies, and acted normal all day. Drove on some errands (went to Irvine and picked up a Berlitz tape on the Portuguese language.), kept my ankles high a lot of the time. President Borquist called, said to get interviewed by Bishop Wallace and get the paper work started. We had an interview at night with Bishop Wallace and did the above. In the Book of Mormon I’m studying the 34^th chapter of Alma. The weather is cool and rainy. I hope the drought gets broken finally.

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[Mesa-Huntington Beach]

Clean up Mom’s place at Mesa, do the bedding, etc., then head for California. We had a good ride, the highways were crowded with lots of people returning from holidays, but a beautiful day and a good-functioning car and lovely companions made the trip easy. We arrived home at 5:45 pm. After re-settlement and lots of mail to go through, I called President Borquist and told him we were ready. He said he’d call the Missionary Committee tomorrow. Also called Melvin and talked to him for an extended time. He’s supportive and approving. He talked also a lot about some of his problems in his church calling in the bishopric. The community of lamanites there at the power plant give him a real tough time—the Navajo syndrome not to have anyone get ahead of the group, just be one of the crowd. They see him as reaching up and wanting to be better than they. Lamanite social pressures are awesome. Then in the ward, some won’t accept calls extended, and even it appears that some Anglos resent this young lamanite rising above them. It’s a very sad state of affairs. When a person or a group has the “lobster problem”, which is they won’t let others rise above them, as they perceive it. I talked to Melvin at length (I've done it before) to let it roll off, just stand firm, do what’s right and the other will have to be the best it can be. But my heart goes out to him for I know it’s very, very hard.

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[Mesa-Coolidge-Mesa]

With my sad ankles, and being far from our Sacrament meeting, we just didn't bring church clothes, hence we stayed home. Reading, writing and listening to Christmas music. We opened personal gifts and Santa had a couple of things for Donna. We left at 11:00 to go to Coolidge—Mike and Jerri’s place first. We saw their gifts and it’s always neat to talk with Jerri and Mike. On to Susan’s at 1:00 and enjoy their family and Christmas. Soon all the families began arriving and finally at 4:00 we all ate. Great food, as always. Every one of our family was present—all 40 of us. Before we opened the presents—each family drew the name of another family—we all sat down and I made our grand announcement. “It appears we will receive a call to a mission in Portugal.” Looks of wonderment, joy, surprise, shock, etc!! But, everyone positive, all supportive. We explained the care of Donna and asked all for their support of Susan and Larry in that project. No problem!! We told how the notice had come, and that a call still was not official. Then we all opened presents. I got some nice stuff, but as always, the joy that came to me was in seeing my family together, watching their faces, and enjoying their company. Christmas is 90% children’s faces. I reserve my adoration of the savior for another time. Our family has the best children’s faces anyplace. The classic comment of the day came from Lindsay, when she turned to me and said, “But who will tend us?” (Until these last 4 months, Marian has always been available when the kids got sick, and our Chandler place was always a drop-off point for the family when Moms and Parents went shopping or to meetings; hence Lindsay’s memory of a cozy and secure backup system.) When we left finally for home at Mesa (my Mom’s), we left with real torn feelings. It seems something is started now that will not stop. With the completion of this family meeting, the “ifs” and “what-ifs” are over. If the Lord will have us, our faces are now set for His call to Portugal. Lots remains to be done, but our response to a call now can be 100% “I’ll Go where…” Our family is with us. That was the only hurdle we felt needed clearing. (What other hurdle could there be? All others are secondary. With the Lord’s help now, we can accomplish whatever He asks.)

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[Mesa]

I enjoyed the 32^nd and 33^rd chapters of Alma again this morning. Actually, I’ve been studying them for the past week. Some really good insights have come to me while studying. I’ll write my insights elsewhere. I raked Mom’s backyard and picked some oranges and grapefruit for John and his family. Caught up on this journal. We talked more of the impending mission.

Christmas Eve was spent partly at John and Barb’s with dinner and fun with the kids. Their 5 little boys are at a cute age. Chase is still a little young for it, but the others are right on target. Back home we watched a Christmas special, listened to Christmas music and read—I finished Marion G. Romney’s biography. It doesn’t seem a lot like Christmas, camping out at Mom’s empty place, and with so much non-Christmas on our minds. But Donna still jerks us back to reality and the wonderful time of year.

I know the Savior wasn’t born in December. I know it’s a pagan-originated holiday—an immoral celebration of Saturn, with Christmas theme super-imposed. The modern trappings of the day come from northern European paganism. I know that. My innermost thoughts rebel at it. Yet, if I can help my family enjoy a special, nice occasion, I’ll keep my peace. And, sometimes we use the things of the world to further our spiritual leanings. The bonus situation is the faces of the little kids!

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[Mesa-Coolidge-Mesa]

Still at Mom’s, a slow morning. Some shopping with Marian. Afternoon I went to Dr. Al Fulkerson and had the skin cancers removed from my face. He burns them off with liquid nitrogen. Then down to Coolidge to Taylor’s birthday party. Nice bunch there. All the kids seemed glad to see us, Susan was at her usual best. When Larry got home later we all had stuffed cabbage for dinner—Taylor’s choice—and cherry cheesecake for dessert—also his choice.

We sat Larry and Susan down and asked them if they’d take charge of Donna for 18 months. It was a lot to ask, but of course they said “yes”. They talked of how they had been thinking of adding a 3^rd bathroom anyway. Also at Coolidge is Mike and Jerry’s family for more support and “resting off” times. John and Barb 45 minutes away, John and Mary Ellen 1 hour away, Peggy and David 1 hour and a quarter away. They think it’ll work out fine. I do, too, although it’s hard asking even then to take the burden which Marian and I have always assumed was ours alone. Donna has always been one of the most important stewardships we've had—maybe the most important! We never questioned why the Lord chose us for this challenging, humbling, wonderful experience. It’s often been hard. It’s sometimes been a thing you just grit your teeth and do your best. But it’s always been an honor!! And now, we must ask someone else to share this with us. Well, there is no one better to ask than Susan and Larry, although we know there are 4 other families able and willing, and could do equally well. I thank the Lord for them all!

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[Mesa-Tucson-Mesa]

Went to the area office and visited with Charlie Beckert for an hour. So good to be back at the old haunt. Good to chat with old associates. I saw Joleen Mason, our secretary, too. She’s a good friend. Then return to Marian and leave for Tucson. A good ride down there, with a little construction delay by Casa Grande for repaving. I took Donna to her dental appointment with Dr. Lew Leavitt in the afternoon, while Marian, the little girls, and Mary Ellen went shopping. Donna had her teeth cleaned and the upper left wisdom tooth pulled. It needed to come out because of all the soreness and pain it’s been giving her. Now she’s got a real sore mouth. We hurried over late afternoon to see the new home John and Mary Ellen are buying in NW Tucson. Looks great! Evening and Dinner with David and Peggy and their family. That’s such a neat little family—so loving and so fun. Peggy’s a great young woman and I love her. It was late when we started home but we were in no hurry.

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[Mesa]

Called Shirley to wish her a happy birthday. She was still in bed. Spent most of the day with my feet up, keeping the swelling down in the ankles. I did slip out for a bit of shopping. Got a new auto-everything 35mm camera, and a new journal (this one). John and Barb and boys came over in the evening for a short visit.

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[Huntington Beach-Mesa]

We left early for Mesa, where we’ll be headquartered through Christmas. No one is in Mom’s house now, and we’ll have the place to ourselves. A good trip over, beautiful day, not too much traffic, and an arrival just after 2PM. We got settled and spent the rest of the day relaxing. Near midnight Mary Ellen and John with the little girls got here (we had arranged it). Amy and Cassie will stay with us 2 days while John and Mary Ellen have a short R & R. So neat to see them all again. After an hour, they left. We bedded down with the little girls.


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[Huntington Beach]

First thing this morning I called CES in Salt Lake City. I talked to Frank Bradshaw, Zone Administrator for Europe to see what intelligence he could bring to bear on this. He was fairly helpful. He said several months ago in a meeting with the Area Presidency over Europe in Germany, he was asked if CES had someone who could go to Portugal. The need there, he said, is two-fold: The Church is relatively new there, and growing rapidly. Leadership is a real problem. And the education is lagging—CES that is—and needs some help. A quick computer check revealed my old mission and my proximity to retirement age. Voilà!

Frank says it is a mission call, not a CES move. We would go for 18 months, go thru the MTC, work under the mission president, etc. But also work closely with CES. We are needed as soon as we can get there (but must be called first), our contract with CES would be paid out thru August, then we’d revert to retirement status. The department will move our stuff back to Tucson and we’ll store it. We must sell our HB Home.

So, the rest of the day was talk and think and talk and ponder and wonder and talk. The crux of our decision-making is to be seen next Sunday when we meet with our family at Coolidge for Christmas. Then we’ll see if we can get coverage for Donna. Then we’ll call president back and give him our answer.

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[Huntington Beach]

Marian and I had a meeting this morning with President Borquist of the Huntington Beach Stake. This interview was a culmination of events which had been drawing to a point. He interviewed us to explore the possibility of our accepting a call to a mission in Portugal. This is a very humbling and exciting prospect. We hadn't expected this—coming from a stake president we didn't even know/had never seen! He started by saying, “I don’t know how to do this. I've never had this come this way before! Do you know Elder Carlos Asay? (No) well, he knows you. He has asked me to send him an evaluation of your availability to go on a mission to Portugal. (Here,we really gave him our full attention) The phone call from the Missionary Committee said you were teaching in the Institute program, and were nearing retirement. (Yes—I’m 61). And that you have a retarded daughter that other family members might be able to care for while you’re gone. (Yes, we have 5 married children. Any or all of them might be able to take care of Donna) Is your health such that you could fill a mission? (I’m sitting there with air-casts on both ankles, recovering from that great Thanksgiving volleyball game in Tucson. We say we have some health problems, but none the Lord doesn't know about. Marian’s arthritis, asthma, diabetes; My colitis, gastritis, etc. We didn't bore him with the details, nor any of the above, even. But we responded that the Lord would bless us if we went.)” We told the good president that we would be meeting with all our family on Christmas. We could broach the subject then to them all and give him an answer 12/26. He thought that would be alright, reiterated that he’d never had a call from the top like this; that the missionary calls were always initiated from the bishop or the couples!

We left and were in turmoil. We’d had a bit of forewarning for this call. A week before, Charlie Beckert had called. He said that at the recent CES area directors’ meeting Frank Bradshaw, Zone administrator, had asked him if he thought my situation was such that Donna could be kept by others while Marian and I filled an assignment in Portugal. Charlie, Arizona area director, told me that. (When I told Marian of Charlie’s conversation with Frank B, she looked blankly at me. There was total silence. Then her stomach growled!) But even with a little prior knowledge, which we had largely discounted, it was a shock.

We spent the rest of the day in a daze. I am still nursing my sprained ankles, so didn't go to Church. Marian and Donna went. We spent the afternoon talking a lot, then went to tithing settlement with the Huntington Beach 4^th bishop, Dennis Wallace. Of course, he knows nothing of this. After settlement, Brother Cunningham extended a call to Marian to be meetinghouse librarian. Of course, she accepted.

Some feelings of my heart: I always knew calls like this might come. They came to others, and I know Marian is worthy and I’m trying to be. Ever since my mission to Brazil, missionary work has not been uppermost in my heart. My emphasis has been rather on “Perfecting the Saint”. I've always wanted to teach, instruct, bring along in the Church. Others have brought people in, I've helped them from there. I've also not been able to sustain interest in temple or genealogy work. It appears the Father is going to change the “Proclaiming the Gospel” part for me. (Maybe later on He’ll focus my attention clearly on “Redeeming the Dead”.)

In “Perfecting the Saints,” I've been bishop 4 times, spent 26 years in Seminaries and Institutes, tried my best to raise a family right and influence grandchildren for good. Could have done a lot more, surely. But now a change—

Can I make a contribution? I think so. I hope so. I pray so! Since the desire of my heart is to follow as directed, I’ll go if called. Marian will be great. Everyone loves her wherever she goes. I’m sure the language barrier will be small. And spirit-to-spirit there is no language barrier anyway. Health considerations are our most feared obstacles. For both of us. But the Lord’s will be done.

One final thought right now. If ever a missionary couple had a greater family to stand behind them, I don’t think I've heard of it. Our family is choice. Not just with our Donna problem/blessing. But in every way we’ll know that the choicest people on earth are backing us up. That’s why we can go with calm hearts. Not that problems won’t arise! They always do—it’s still mortality around here!! But I know that our kids, and the men and women they married, together with the greatest set of grandkids in the world, are the choicest spirits on earth. In fact, I feel 27 sets of young eyes fastened upon me. If I can just set the right example for them, I’ll feel that I haven’t completely failed my probation!

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