TALK ABOUT A CRAZY

HECTIC

WEEK........

We think our life is beginning to 'take shape' with our new Church Service Mission with LDS Family Services.  Last week....Birmingham, Alabama.....this week Salt Lake City, Utah.  All in the name of NCFA!  We love it.....we are making great connections with a lot of folks that we only know by name.

We flew out on Wednesday, August 10th.  As we landed in Salt Lake and were at baggage claim I happened to look around and I said to Wayne...that looks like DJ McGee over there.  Wayne took off and sure enough.  There was DJ McGee from our ward.  He was headed to the MTC.  And the amazing thing was he was on OUR flight from D.C.  and sitting on row 31.  We were in row 30!!!  Now how on earth did we not see each other.  Cool....very, very cool.  I sent this picture to his family.

 Because we came out a day early for the FSA Conference in Layton, we planned to spend one day with A & G and their boys and we chose to stay one day later so we could have one day with K & L and their kids.  We ended up in Target running some errands and grandpa watched the boys while I picked up a few things and Geralyn got some prescriptions filled.  Perfect little angels there!

On Thursday morning we met up with Wayne and Karla Williamson who live in SL and are headed to the Helsinki Finland Temple as missionaries the middle part of October!  We were so excited to be able to talk over lunch (at Mimi's Cafe in Sandy) what our experience had been and let them ask us all kinds of questions.  The amazing thing is that we never knew them before last week!!  Wayne Williamson's nephew (who is actually only 2 years younger than Wayne Williamson is) is the one who sold us the appliances for our kitchen remodel.  Small world!  Rick told us all about his uncle who was going to Finland and got us hooked up!

 After lunch we headed to the airport to pick up Chuck Johnson, our CEO and President of NCFA.  We love working for him.  He is a great guy.  And then we headed up to Layton to the Davis Conference Center where the FSA Conference was being held.  We got our NCFA booth all set up and ready to go.

 Our Friday morning keynote speaker was Sister Jane Beck, General Relief Society President.  She gave a wonderful talk.  I think Chuck was even impressed.

 Look at the PICTURE ABOVE......There were so very many 'small things' that happened at the conference.....like seeing some of interns I had worked with in the Maryland Office oh so very many years ago.....Mike, Josh, Kevin.  But this one in particular was just amazing.  Last November while visiting and speaking in Seinäjoki, Finland there was a young American gal who was also visiting Seinäjoki with her High School swim team for a meet.  Because she was LDS she wanted to go to church.  We met her at the hotel where the Branch President picked her up and we followed them to church in our rental car.  She was such a sweet gal.  Because she was the daughter of a Finnish lady she was studying in Finland for that school year so she could learn Finnish.  She actually gave the closing prayer in Finnish and did a great job.

 NOW....fast forward to Friday, August 12th.  This lady comes up to our table to talk to us.  I noticed she has an accent.  I ask her where she is from and she replies FINLAND!!  I say....Mitä kuulu (how are you).  She responds back to me in Finnish.  As I talked with her it became apparent that it was her daughter that we saw in Seinäjoki last November.  Is this a small world in the church or what!  I just love it when things happen like this.....you just know the Lord has a hand in these things....they are not just happenstance.  

 Now....meet PEGGY.  She is Steve Sunday's secretary.  What a great lady she is.  We just love her.  She has helped us so much....

 At the awards banquet on Friday night Chuck was asked to be the keynote speaker.  He did a great job. Public speaking is NOT one of his 'likes' but that is just too bad.

 Afterward Chuck and I were talking with Dr. Karyn Purves.  What a dynamo lady she is.  Full of energy and knowledge and wisdom.  I wish I could be as good as she is.

We got back to our hotel room on Friday night just in time to see this GORGEOUS MOON RISE!  Full....bright....big.....beautiful!  It has been a great FSA Conference and lots of connecting with a lot of great folks.