Temple Closures

Also last week all temples closed on March 25. The world has literally ground to a halt. Sunday was a worldwide day of fasting and prayer. I believe there is such power in coming together in a united cause to petition the Lord for some deliverance.

The following was taken from the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple on April 6, 1983. It's kind of fitting as we began our united day of fasting and prayer. The Lord is ever mindful of us and our situation. He hears the prayers of all his children. These temples won't be vacant for long. The Lord has much more work for us to accomplish. There are missionaries that can't leave without being endowed with power from on high. There are families that need that sealing ordinance. 

Dedication of the Salt Lake Temple (last few paragraphs)

Heavenly Father, when Thy people shall not have the opportunity of entering this holy house to offer their supplications unto Thee, and they are oppressed and in trouble, surrounded by difficulties or assailed by temptation and shall turn their faces towards this Thy holy house and ask Thee for deliverance, for help, for Thy power to be extended in their behalf, we beseech Thee, to look down from Thy holy habitation in mercy and tender compassion upon them, and listen to their cries. Or when the children of Thy people, in years to come, shall be separated, through any cause, from this place, and their hearts shall turn in remembrance of Thy promises to this holy Temple, and they shall cry unto Thee from the depths of their affliction and sorrow to extend relief and deliverance to them, we humbly entreat Thee to Turn Thine ear in mercy to them; hearken to their cries, and grant unto them the blessings for which they ask.

Almighty Father, increase within us the powers of that faith delivered to and possessed by Thy Saints. Strengthen us by the memories of the glorious deliverances of the past, by the remembrance of the sacred covenants that Thou hast made with us, so that, when evil overshadows us, when trouble encompasses us, when we pass through the valley of humiliation, we may not falter, may not doubt, but in the strength of Thy Holy name may accomplish all Thy righteous purposes with regard to us, fill the measure of our creation, and triumph gloriously, by Thy grace, over every besetting sin, be redeemed from every evil, and be numbered in the kingdom of heaven amongst those who shall dwell in Thy presence forever.

Quarantined Week 2

School dismissal has been extended to May 1, but I don't think we're going back to finish out the year.

The governor issued a directive that we are to "Stay home." It wasn't an order like Summit County and soon-to-be Salt Lake County, but he is strongly asking us to not go anywhere unless vitally important. And he also suggested we eat out three times a week to help keep the economy going. I guess the economy is somewhat important so we obliged and instead of our traditional homemade pizza, we got Hometown Pizza takeout, a local mom and pop small business.

Erik is quarantined, and about half of the missionary force is going home to their native lands. Erik is feeling the loss of a lot of his mission friends who are headed home due to hitting their 21 month mark (missions have been shortened to 21 months in the US and Canada to make room for missionaries coming home and accepting calls) or for medical reasons related to the virus. He's going to be drastically needed when this thing calms down and seasoned missionaries are needed to get the work rolling again.

I held my first class meeting via Zoom, a web/video conferencing platform. My students absolutely loved it! They loved seeing their classmates and sharing what they've been up to. 

Tyler and I are also keeping up with our Master Gardeners class through Zoom.

We had a big spring snowstorm that left several inches on the ground. Thankfully it didn't hang around.

And these guys on the roof . . . I kept waiting for one of them to careen to the ground.

A few more aftershocks have hit this week, but none I've really noticed. Tyler felt a few of them at work which is closer to the epicenter. Yes, he is still going in to work at least for a few more weeks.

Me and my other fellow Willow Elementary teachers did a parade through the neighborhoods to see our students. We put signs on our cars and made a lot of honking noises.

This is our classroom away from school. Alex and Nate have been reading up a storm, and Ash has been a crazy chef in the kitchen thanks to her Foods class. Someone is also practicing guitar.

This is Alex's stack he's read in 2 weeks.




The governor's plan of action has three phases: urgent, stabilization, and recovery. We are in the urgent phase which could last another 6 to 8 weeks. This thing isn't going to wind down anytime soon, but how we respond to this urgent phase will tell us how long we'll be in the other two. I personally don't see us getting back to any sense of normalcy before September. Maybe.

Quarantined

So we woke up Wednesday after p-day to find out we weren't allowed to talk to people in person anymore. So that has made our week super interesting. There have also been tons of changes made in the mission. So here's what's going on with me.

First, as of now I am still expecting to serve the full 24 months. I'm super sad though because so many of my friends are getting sent home, and some have only been out a few months. 

We've been spending our days this week trying to talk to people on Facebook, getting a hold of missionaries that have served in Sanford on the past to see if they know anyone for us to contact, sharing messages with our investigators over the phone, and other things like that. We also have had plenty of time to study, watch church movies, make ties, play board games, clean he apartment and exercise. 

My entire life has changed a lot and it will take a while to figure out what I should be doing and how to be effective right now. This could go on for another six weeks. That's about it for me though. I'm doing well and I'm ready for whatever happens. I just gotta roll with the punches.

🐮 (That really was the title of his email)

**I got a little behind with Erik's emails. It's amazing how quickly the world has changed in a week. This was his letter from last week. I'll post this week's letter tomorrow.

March 17

Hey guys, so the world fell into a state of chaos this week, but we didn't really get affected by it too much. No more than anyone else. We have still been working like normal. This week was actually a really successful week. We found 6 new people to teach. We also had a really good lesson with Leroy and with Lupe.

We have still been tracting, teaching lessons, having meetings, etc.. The only things that really changed are that we can no longer eat meals in member's homes (big sad) and we don't have church meetings. It's been fine though. I'm staying safe and I'll be fine in case any of you were worried.

We found some really cool people this week. A couple of them canceled our return appointments though because of coronavirus concerns, which is pretty understandable. I bet we'll be doing a lot of teaching over video chat and text pretty soon.

Leroy is progressing well. We had a lesson with him and a really cool member joined us for it. It went really well. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and likes it. He also said he would come to church, but coronavirus put a stop to that. We will keep meeting though. We are hoping to set a baptismal date with him this week.

Lupe also has been reading. She is doing well. Communication has been a big challenge though because she lost her phone, so we have to keep stopping by. As soon as church starts back up we'll take the next step and get her and Leroy both to church.

I'll end with a scripture that I think applies to us today. Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your [toilet paper]; for our [supplies] are [run] out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to [Costco], and buy for yourselves. But Costco was closed, and when it finally opened it was too late and they couldn't get any. (I saw this on Facebook and thought it was funny. I take no credit.) I hope you all are prepared. Put your trust in the Lord, focus on Him and all will be fine. 

Elder Leary

Rockin' and Rollin'

The world is in commotion. Men's hearts are failing. These are or can be fearful times depending on who you rely on.

Last week was the ultimate in C.R.A.Z.Y. Seriously, I've never experienced a more unbelievably chaotic week.

Monday and Tuesday I worked with my team to get materials and learning online. We are required to use Google Classroom, a platform none of us have ever used so there was a learning curve for not only us, but the students and parents who would be using it.

Wednesday, March 18 was the day slated for virtual, online learning to commence.

Mother Earth had other plans.

I was putting on my shoes, about to walk out the door to head to my classroom when I heard a loud, unsettling boom that could have been someone hitting our house, the construction workers behind us, or the train that goes by frequently. 

Only when the house began to shake did I run through the house yelling earthquake.

After a few aftershocks we decided the best place would be outside since there isn't anything really big that could fall on us.

Our earthquake lasted a total of about 10 seconds and came in at a 5.7 centered just around the mountain in Magna. The only casualties we had were shampoo in the tub, hand sanitizer on the floor, a tipped Christmas tree stand, puzzles on the floor, and those pictures Ashlyn hurried and took off the wall. They've now been sitting there for a week as we continue to have aftershocks. 

In addition to yanking gray hairs, I now check the UofU's earthquake page every morning to see what I missed during the night. 

I stayed home Wednesday and then went into a panic the next morning as I remembered my chicken eggs that were incubating. The power had gone out at our house for about 20 minutes and I feared those eggs would be toast. On Thursday I got to my classroom to find that they were incubating quite nicely. We'll see what chicks we get this coming week.

Saturday was Ashlyn's birthday.

I texted a few of her close friends Friday night to have them reach out to all her friends to text her birthday greetings the next day. If you can't hang with your friends, you can at least chat. One even brought her her favorite drink from Fiiz, another had her sister drop of a Crumbl cookie and notes because she was out of town, another brought her Doritoes, and the YW dropped something off for her on the doorstep. So much love. And to top it all off . . . we had no water all day long. None. Nada. Zilch. How's that for timing: we're quarantined to our homes and shouldn't be going anywhere and we have no water. I had run my 5 miles that morning and waited to shower until after we opened presents. Wrong move. Finally, at 3pm after I couldn't take it anymore, I tearfully called Kiersten and asked to borrow her shower. Ash came along for the drive . . . to get out of the house and to see the progress on the baby's room.

As I pulled into the driveway I had a thought that I should park on the street but dismissed it with the thought that no one was coming over and Grandma and Grandpa weren't going anywhere. At least two 90 year olds shouldn't be going anywhere. 

I walked into the house and talked with Grandma briefly about how they really shouldn't be leaving the house, and all she wanted to tell me was how hard change is. Well an hour later when Ash and I left, Grandma and Grandpa were no were to be seen. It was only a few hours later that we noticed the scuff marks on the van. Grandpa had left and scraped his way out of the driveway. Those two are so naughty and just won't stay put.


Our water eventually came back on but not without a requirement to boil water for the next couple of days. Out came the water I've been storing for two decades. I bravely tried some water and ya know, it didn't taste bad at all.

For birthday dinner we hit all our favorite drive-thru's, except American Burger which had a line to Timbuktu. No shakes for us . . . that is ice cream shakes. We've had plenty of shakes all week.


And the fun just continues as they've extended online school to May 1.

Uncharted waters

Viruses Are Contagious.

So is panic, fear, hysteria, calm, love, service, kindness, enthusiasm, joy.

Choose Wisely!

This mayhem all started for me last Saturday. My mom and dad flew in from the Cook Islands, their latest mission. Me and Ash, along with Natalie and Kurtis, were at the airport to welcome them home. It was a small gathering because they flew out again early Monday morning to Hawaii to catch a flight to the Marshall Islands to visit their first mission that they had to come home early from. Their "real" homecoming would be several weeks later.

As we waited for them at the baggage claim, two missionaries came through both wearing black masks over their faces. The only people there to greet them were mom and dad who quickly whisked them away. Kurtis overheard one say that he couldn't believe he was home after only 14 days. It then hit me that they were coming home from a mission that required a quarantine. My heart shattered for them. I know they will go back out. But how hard to come home to wait.

Monday was fairly uneventful, other than I had a birthday. I celebrated by getting up at 3:45 to take my parents to the airport. Then my awesome kids surprised me at school and kidnapped me for lunch. Nate arranged the whole thing with my teacher-friend across the hall. And it concluded with Ash's orchestra concert.

Tuesday I got a text from my sister that the Marshall Islands were restricting foreign passengers. My parents would be flying back the next day. And again, my heart shattered. Their first mission was cut short and they were going back to have a final closure. I know one day they'll get back.

Wednesday night we all settled in to watch a Jazz game. And this is when the world, our world, decided to shift into high gear. The players were getting ready for tip off when an emergency meeting of the refs forced all the players and staff to the locker room and the fans were ushered out of the arena. There would be no game that night or quite possibly for the rest of the season. Rudy Gobert, our center, had not been feeling well and tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA immediately suspended the season. March Madness followed suit and didn't just suspend, but cancelled the entire tournament. And from there it's been a domino effect.

Thursday afternoon Nate's tennis tournament in St. George was cancelled because the governor asked that we not hold gatherings of more than 100 people. This did not effect schools. As I was reading this to my class and thinking out loud, I said, "I wonder if they'll cancel church?" Many of my students cheered at that prospect except for one who was in tears because he loved church. I immediately told them I had not cancelled church and they were not to go home and tell their parents that Mrs. Leary had cancelled church. After I got home, the news broke that church had been cancelled for the next two weeks. Ash was ecstatic because she was supposed to give a talk today :) I also cancelled my sub for Friday. Hannah and I were supposed to go support our boys at that tennis tournament. Instead I went to work.

The library system announced they would be shutting down Friday. Priorities. When most of the world was stocking up on toilet paper and food, we were stocking up on books.

Friday the state board of education issued a soft close for all schools for the next two weeks. We have until Wednesday to figure out how to teach remotely. My principal sent an email yesterday with the expectation that we would be online. I'm still not sure how that is going to happen with eight year olds.

Saturday I was able to make it to one of my student's baptism. I initially told him I wouldn't be there because of that tennis tournament. Turns out the Lord had other plans for me that day.

And today we held our first home church. Nate conducted and did a fabulous job. We chose to listen to President Nelson's closing remarks again and then begin a study of the First Vision.

We are headed into uncharted waters. I am immensely grateful for a prophet, seer, and revelator who has prepared us for these times . . . if we only heed and follow what they say. This upcoming conference will definitely be "memorable and unforgettable."

Missionary Emails

Monday, March 2
Back to Biking

Not much to report this week. We kind of got wrecked all week. Nobody was responding to us or keeping their appointments. We were able to have a couple good lessons though.

     

We found this guy named Leroy who we didn't think was that solid, but we gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it. Then this week we went by and he had read it like we had asked. We ended up teaching him the whole restoration and he understood it. He could be pretty solid if he keeps reading.

     

We also found a few new people this week, but they are new so we don't know really how interested they are. They seem solid from what we've seen though.

     

Hopefully this week we will have more lessons and see some progression from the people we teach. It's just been kind of slow recently. The recent converts, Mark and the Smith family, are doing super well. Things are good in general here, just not too much stuff that is interesting enough to write down. 

     

Anyway, hopefully this week I will have some crazy stories to share. I'm going to be on bike this week for my first time in six months, so that will be interesting for sure. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Tuesday, March 10
Happy Tuesday

Hey guys, our p-day got moved to Tuesday for the next three weeks, hence the Tuesday email. Yesterday felt really off because it was a totally normal work day on our day off. This last week was good. We had a few good lessons and we had zone conference. It was actually pretty fun biking as well. 

We had a really good lesson with Leroy this week! He has been reading the Book of Mormon and understands the things we taught him about the plan of salvation. We are having a member come to this week's lesson, so it should be good. 

We also taught Karen and Ethan. They have met with missionaries a lot in the past, but never really progressed. They like going real deep with things and skipping the basics. I told them you have to build the base before you put the roof on the house, meaning you need the basic building blocks first. Then she said she wants the roof first in case it rains. Smh. We ended the lesson with her starting to understand why the Book of Mormon is so important though. She committed to read and pray about it. So that was good at least. Lessons with them will be interesting. 

We had zone conference this week as well. That's always good. I had a lot of takeaways from it. We have some high goals as a mission that they brought forth to us. Hopefully we can accomplish them. 

We've also been biking this week. It'll be good. Our area is huge too. My legs boutta get huge. I'm excited. It's an average of a thirty minute bike ride to every appointment. It's been fun. 

Anyway, that's it for me. I'll catch you all next Tuesday. 

Power outages and questions

March has come in like a lion!

Snow and power outages sent us home early from church. Quiet testimonies in the dark amidst glowing cell phones gave the chapel a campfire like serenity. Satan may try his darnedest to extinguish the light of Christ but the Light always wins out. At times that light may be weak and dim in our life but then sometimes it might be the bright light we share with our friends.

Several weeks ago we were informed that our temple is becoming more of a reality. The plans are close to completion and should be turned over to the county within the next month or two. It will be similar to the Pocatello, Idaho Temple but with our own Tooele County flair. Groundbreaking should be sometime this fall with a completion date in fall of 2022.

Pocatello Temple

Stake conference was in the not too distant past and Aunt Nancy was one of our lucky speakers. She spoke about the energy she derives from the first vision and calls it First Vision Energy. "What has the restoration done for you? But more importantly what have you done for the restoration?"

Lately, I've been thinking about that question and several of President Nelson's inquiries about how we hear the voice of the Lord and how would our lives be different if the knowledge we gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away.

As a youth I would often wonder what kind of person I would have been had I been born into a family that didn't have the gospel. Would I have the same values and standards? What would my beliefs had been?

The outbreak of this coronavirus has got a lot of people in a panic. Just yesterday we were in a Walmart in Sandy to find empty shelves of Clorox wipes and bleach. There was no hand sanitizer or flu/cold medicine. Toilet paper was still there but selling at a premium. Many latterday prophets have strongly advised preparedness. My mantra with this current outbreak is to be prepared the best that you can and then leave the rest up to God. Had I not grown up learning about prophets and learning to heed their counsel and warnings, would I also be one of the panicked maelstrom? 

As I continue to ponder more deeply and earnestly on these soul-searching questions, there is one thing that I do know: God is not a God of confusion or doubt or panic or anxiety. He is my Father who loves me, who wants the best for me, and is the author of peace. When I begin to feel unsettled and panicky and fearful about the unknown, I know that is not God's spirit working in my life. God brings comfort and rest and peace and for that I am immensely grateful for the restoration of knowing who I am and whose I am.