Post #16 - Winter is going out - SOON we hope!

New life just now peeping out of the ground.

After a rather COLD and snowy winter in Salt Lake City, we’re finally seeing the first signs of spring!   But the cold and blustery weather hasn’t kept us from finding pleasure in daily life as well as serving as missionaries in the Family History Library. 

Of course, Bonnie still serves part of the time away from the FHL, serving as director of the mission’s Elijah Choir.  Here is a recent picture of the choir. As you can see, the men’s section is nearly all young elders (with the exception of Elder Dolberg and 4 others), while the women’s section is totally filled with “senior citizens!”  But we have fun, and get lots of compliments from those who enjoy hearing us sing every Monday morning for our mission devotionals, and also for monthly mission conferences.  It’s a blessing to be able to sing praises to our Heavenly Father and also to enjoy the association of such wonderful people!  

Elijah Choir -Feb. 2016 - See Sister Dolberg (far left) & Elder Dolberg (4th from far right)?

At the end of January we had a surprise change in the leadership of our International Services Zone (those who work on the B-1 international floor of the Family History Library.)  Our zone leaders, Elder Daniel Palmer and Sister

Sister & Elder Palmer from Idaho.

Eka Pa’ia Palmer had to go home a few months early because they were needed at home when a 12-year-old grandson was diagnosed with leukemia.  A farewell party was held in their honor, but as you can see, Sister Palmer was not at all happy about having to say good-bye.  Nor were we!

We had a little Farewell party for the Palmers.

We will miss them terribly, but wish them the best in their new “calling.”  The picture below is a picture of our new zone leadership, who we know will also serve us well.

Early in February we were able to adjust our regular schedule to allow us to attend RootsTech, a huge 4-day genealogy convention held in the enormous Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, showcasing all the latest technology in the field of genealogy and family history. It was held only two blocks from our apartment, so we wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about family history research. There were 26,000 people attending, though it was pretty quiet in the early morning hours of the first day. In addition to daily general sessions with fabulous speakers, there were hundreds of hour-long classes. 

It was a marvelous experience to attend ALL of the sessions of RootsTech 2016.

Additionally there was a huge exhibition hall where one could learn about the companies who are supporting this ever-growing avocation among people worldwide! 

Many, many fabulous, interesting, and helpful exhibits were in the gigantic hall.

   

Elder Dolberg enjoyed finding more about his Mayflower ancestors, to whom he is pointing in this photo. 

We found our friends Don and Pat Carpenter were highlighted on this HUGE family history chart in one of the booths. (Their daughter owns the company that makes these charts.)  

Carpenters are long-time friends of the Berkeley-El Ceritto Calif. Baer Family

There were opportunities to get our pictures taken, which we appreciated.  

We picked things which we felt might be our personal legacies to out posterity.

Several of the Family History Library employees and missionaries (in blue shirts) had a station where they helped people one-on-one to learn how to use FamilySearch.org.  

Sister Liv Anderson and Sister Sondra Pocock sit ready to help any guests who needed assistance.

Our B-1 floor director, Debbie Gurtler, got to serve free drinks! 

Debbie is a professional genealogist and she's our business-side boss.  We like her LOTS.

 Our monthly “social group” activity for February was a Japanese dinner hosted by Elder and Sister Watanabe, a couple from Japan.  They provided the main course of Japanese stew (not unlike our stew except flavored with curry!), as well as sushi and sweet rice cakes. 

 The rest of us provided the desserts and salads.  They also did a powerpoint presentation telling us about their home country of Japan, and displayed some Japanese cultural items.  

Elder & Sis.Lemon - left; Sis.Smith & Sis. Cook - back; Sis. Taguichi & Elder Prisbrey

 This month we also enjoyed a lunch with our former Stockton Stake President, Rick Salway and his wife Judy, who are Church Service (part-time) Missionaries.  Here we are touring their office in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where they serve as hosts for the Church Public Relations Department where they arrange dinners for religious and educational groups who visit here. 

Rick & Judy Salway with Elder Dolberg

We also had a dinner with Dave and Elaine Byland, friends from our “Davis Days” (1971-1975) who were on their way to serve as missionaries in the Stockholm, Sweden Temple. They had served a mission in Stockholm several years earlier where they worked with the Young Adults.  There are so many ways to serve in our church! 

Elder & Sister Bylund on their way to serve a Temple Mission in Stockholm, Sweden

 One evening this week the Dolbergs got together with the Pococks and the Duces to attend a lecture at the Church History Museum, featuring noted authors Darius Gray and Margaret Blair Young, who talked about some of the black members of the LDS Church in early church history.  It was a great evening, which began with a pot-luck dinner at the Pocock’s apartment.  We love being so close here to so many great activities which we can enjoy with our friends.

 

Elder & Sister Duce (Lynn & Shari), Elder Kent Pocock, Elder Dolberg, Sister Sondra Pocock & Sister Dolberg

Every two months our Ensign 3^rd Branch (our church congregation in Salt Lake City) has an “Aloha Dinner” saying good-bye to the departing missionaries and welcoming in the new missionaries, all of whom wear leis.  Besides a huge pot-luck dinner (with about 150-200 attendees!) they always have great entertainment, arranged for by our wonderful branch Pres. Klopfer and his wife.  

President Herbert Klopfer & Sister Klopfer are so SUPER.  He just turned 80 yrs. old!

This time it was a band which played “big-band style” music, great for dancing.  Our friends from B-1, the Wheatleys (brother to Colin Wheatley whom we knew well in our “Davis Days,”) enjoy the dancing! 

Sister Maureen & Karl Wheatley - They're great FUN.

The Sissells, also from B-1, and to whom we will sadly say good-bye next month, also “cut a rug.” 

Sister Sissell has Germans-from-Russia ancestry and both are active in AHSGR
(American Historical Society of Germans from Russia).  They have helped us a lot!

 February 2 marked the 12-month mark on our mission, so we only have 6 months left to go before WE will be wearing the leis at the Aloha Dinner!  We plan to make the most of these final months to learn even more about Family History, to help others find their roots, and to do our own personal research. Elder Dolberg's learning curve has been great, and he’s recently begun teaching guest classes in the FHL – continuing his love of TEACHING. 

We hope that you, too, will reach out to your “family” as you discover your “roots.”

In the eternal scheme of things, what can be more important than family?