Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Our Missionary Grandson coming home from Indonesia, and his brother's wedding! Almost 2 years ago I posted this photo, showing where our grandson was going on his mission.  Well, today, Thursday July 28th, he is coming home, in the evening at the Salt Lake Airport, just in time for his brothers Temple wedding the next day in the Payson Temple!   Here are pictures! Elder Jacob Wayne Lieske will be coming home tonight at 6:35 p.m. in the Salt Lake City Airport.  He couldn't come home to St. George because he would have arrived at 11:15 p.m. at the St. George Airport, and then we'd have to be up to Payson for his brother Ben's and Ashlee's wedding in the Temple before 2:00 p.m.  He doesn't know it, but he will have several best friends who will travel to Salt Lake to be there, as he can't have his usual greeting at the home airport. This is the missionary picture which has hung on our wall for 2 years! He has filled a wonderful missio...

This is a very interesting article about 3 Temples.   The Dog That Saved the Washington D.C. Temple + Other Amazing Temple Stories by Chad S. Hawkins  | Mar. 11, 2016 This year marks a joyous milestone in temple history with the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple as the 150th LDS temple on the earth today. In celebration, here are 3 fascinating stories about these beautiful and holy structures. 1. Washington D.C. Temple: Saved By a Heaven-Sent Watch Dog In early 1973, leaders became concerned with security at the Washington D.C. Temple construction site. One Saturday shortly after this concern arose, a stray German shepherd appeared near the temple gates. Residents in the area called animal control to pick up the dog, but when work began again the next Monday morning, it was still there. Taking pity on the hungry animal, workers fed him and decided to keep him on the site. Zacharias, as the workers named him, soon became a...

It has been 5 days since I have written in this blog, and a lot has happened!  I entered the last blog at 9:07 a.m., on March 27, 2014.  At that time our granddaughter Skye Nicholson was in the MTC, to prepare for her mission to Irvine, California.  Her family, (Parents and 5 sisters--all but her brother Caleb) were visiting at our home from Friday night until yesterday, Monday morning.  That is why I didn't write!     Skye had been on a "trial" mission of 12 weeks, from December 18, 2013, to March 11, 2014, and in the South Salt Lake Mission home we were there when she read her call to go to the California Irvine mission.  Because of her 12 weeks, when she entered the MTC just a week later on March 19th, she was a Senior companion, and a Sister Trainer leader there.  She is thrilled, and just this morning (April Fool's Day) she flew to Irvine.  Her first picture there is: We're not sure the names of these missionaries -- but O...

 This subject, the Church in China , is especially interesting to us.  We had a son, McKay go on a mission in the 1980's to Taipai, Taiwan, and we now have a grandson serving in the Taichung, Taiwan mission.  McKay married a lovely Chinese girl, Kim, whom he met at BYU Hawaii.  We have a loving relationship with her family. Photo of McKay's and Kim's wedding.  Her parents came from Taiwan for the wedding.  See blog # 40. Last night, Friday Jan. 24, 2014, we went to a very interesting fireside in the St. George Tabernacle, by Brother Lynn Blake.  He  was born and raised on a small farm in Northern Utah.  He went on a mission to Germany when the Berlin wall was still up, after having been an exchange student to Germany when in high school.  Brother Blake has served as a Bishop, Stake President, Mission President (Canada Halifax Mission). He worked for the Missionary Department (51 mission presidents in the three Europe Areas), Temp...