Probably the most exciting thing to happen this fall
is our meeting with our new class of our Pathway Connect students, beginning on September 19.
Roger and I have been training in June and July to be missionaries in this inspired program of the Church
to prepare students to go on to receive their college Bachelor degrees.
They combine secular learning and spiritual learning online in a three-semester, one year program
that springboards them (with a B or better average) to enroll at BYU Idaho and Salt Lake Community College
(with more colleges and universities to soon come onboard)
at less than one-third the tuition cost.
They can do this at home, while working, possibly full-time, and raising children.
Where Pathway Connect missionaries come in is to facilitate a once-a-week Gathering,
where the students meet together (in St. George at the Institute Building) and share ideas
and discuss that week's lesson they have been studying individually online.
They take turns being the Student Leader each week, and our role is to encourage them and be their cheerleaders.
We study the lesson each week and can make comments here and there, but this is THEIR program.
Our kids come from very diverse backgrounds, each making big sacrifices to improve themselves,
most being the first in their family to seek a higher education.
After interviewing them individually, then making personal contact each week, we love each of them!
As per every one since President Nelson became Prophet,
General Conference announced more changes
to help us to draw nearer to our Heavenly Father.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland set the stage in the Saturday session
(note pic on tv screen)
for what was an inspired and inspiring conference.
On Sunday, Roger, I and two other couples were invited over to a delicious dinner
at Viki and Steve Whitmer's home,
then we watched the afternoon session together.
Lynn Snow was a fellow USU missionary in Chile fifty-four years ago.
Recently he made contact with Roger to meet for dinner
when he and his wife came from their home in Roosevelt
to visit St. George (the couple in the far left and right below are the Snows).
The Snows also invited another couple they knew.
What cemented Roger's and Lynn's friendship so long ago was they were hired in 1969,
when we were a young couple with our first little baby, Rick,
to be wranglers of the pack horses for the Sierra Hiking Club for a week-long trip through the High Uintas.
We met for Mexican food at Don Pedros.
They had fun reminiscing about the hard work
but grand adventure they had together!
Here is Lynn behind the pack horse.
This is one of my favorite all-time pics of Roger
showing off his catch in front of a beautiful High Uinta lake.
Roger is posing in his mom and dad's front yard the day he returned, beard and all.
Baby Ricky and I stayed with Roger's parents while he was gone.
The Snows gave us tickets that they couldn't use to go to see Vocal Point the next night.
They are a male singing group who came in fifth in a national competition broadcast on tv called "Sing Off."
They were great!
This guy was a great entertainer and Roger particularly liked him because he was from Chile, attending BYU.
Stacy and the twins stayed overnight with us
as they headed from Mesa to up north for the kids' fall break.
Maddy and Londyn went with friends to California and Tom stayed home and worked.
Then they stayed with us after the break on the way back home.
We absolutely love to catch up with darling Stacy!
We love them to visit any time!
I fixed favorites of all of us - wedge salad and grilled salmon.
Max and Luke loved our reclining red chairs,
but probably not as much as we do!
Rick, Jodie, Abby and Blake came for their kids' fall break the following week Wednesday night
through Saturday afternoon.
We so look forward to their coming and I tried to cook up some of their favorite food.
Stacy had brought us some tomatoes from Grit's garden when she came through,
so I made bruschetta topping with them.
I also made tomatillo salsa, John Rich's chili, cornbread muffins, honey butter, a teriyaki chicken,
spinach and mandarin orange pasta salad, paninis, grilled salmon, cole slaw
and gingerbread with lemon sauce and ice cream.
Rick took us to two Tuacahn productions, Little Mermaid and Sound of Music.
Blake loved both of them, as did all of us!
We took a couple of pics of lunch before they left to go back home to SLC.
It is a joy to be around each member of this super duper family!
Well, Autumn, 2019, you are off to a good start!
