It is Thanksgiving weekend, and we have much to be grateful for in this blog posting. First, we are grateful to be on this mission and to enjoy good health (except for minor illnesses and body aches). Our family is healthy and safe, and all are well. Secondly, our good friends were married and baptized this past weekend. Ramon and Cynthia live here in Lowell. We’ve known them for several months now as they began attending our Spanish group and being taught by the young missionaries. On Saturday, November 19 they were married in a ceremony conducted by our bishop. It was a lovely wedding that the members of the Spanish group decorated for and made very special for them. They are from Peru, so it was arranged for their family to view the ceremony via Zoom from Peru. Elder Zollinger was asked to escort Cynthia down the aisle, that was reminiscent of our daughter Vika’s wedding. We were able to talk to Ramon’s parents and sister via Zoom and congratulate them on their son’s wedding. Ramon’s parents have been receiving the missionaries in Cuzco and have been attending church there.

​The next day on Sunday, November 20, 2022, Ramon and Cynthia were baptized and confirmed members of the church in a very special service. The couple have two young sons, David (4), and Josue (3). The whole experience was special for the Spanish group as they have become beloved members of the group over the past few months. Now they will work towards making temple covenants in the future as they grow and progress in the church.

Reflecting on these events and what it means to follow the word of God, I wrote a poem that reflects my thoughts and feelings:

​Each day I live and walk with God
I grasp with faith His iron rod
It leads along a narrow path to guide me through life’s wheat and chaff
The rod is long and straight and sure and leads me to His distant shore
It is His word the scriptures say; forged in fire to guide my way
Most times I walk straight with care; the rod lightly clasped but always there
Sometimes I stumble and lose my grasp; my spirits sag and my hopes are dashed
On my knees I tearfully seek the rod’s close comfort on my dampened cheeks
Then, I’m up again with my grasp renewed; my tears now dried my journey not through
His iron rod cannot be seen with mortal eyes by you and me
Instead it enters in our hearts and with fire emblazoned on our inner parts
For then this iron from His rod unseen strong bones for mortal men will be

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that even though life might be hard at times, we can count our blessings still the same.

We had a Zone Conference in the few two weeks, and we are constantly amazed at the ability of these young missionaries. They are awesome! We are also amazed at our mission leaders, President and Sister Hayden. They are incredible! The amount of work and effort they put in for this calling is incalculable. They are always on the go traveling to all corners of the mission. We respect them so much!​​
​There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 18: 8 that has always had great significance for me. It reads in part, “… and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light …”
When I think back on my life; I have been aided in good measure by those who were willing to “bear one another’s burdens that they may be light.” When we lived in California I was called as a bishop of the Oakley Ward. We had four children at the time and the pressures of a demanding job, being father, and those of a bishop were crushing at times. We had a small home that needed some additional soil brought in for the back yard to fill the flower beds along the back fence. My wife arranged for soil to be delivered to our driveway so we could use a wheelbarrow and move it to the back. Then we had some emergency and she needed to leave town and I stayed at home to take care of the boys. We had forgotten about the delivery of the soil until it was dumped in front of the garage door effectively sealing our car inside. When I looked at the pile of dirt in the driveway it seemed to grow larger and larger before my eyes. How could I ever move this mountain on my own. The pile seemed to represent all the pressures in my life, my job, my family, and my calling as bishop. I felt paralyzed as how to even begin to move this mountain. Then I heard the sound of a wheelbarrow coming around the corner. It was our home teacher (ministering brother) Rich Tumin coming toward me. “Bishop, I saw this pile of dirt and thought you could use some help.” Together we visited as we moved the dirt to the back yard and into place. It seemed that it was done in no time at all. The emotional mountain in my mind was also lifted and removed and my burdens seemed to be bearable once again. Rich was willing to bear my burdens and make them light. He probably had no idea of the other burdens that were pressing so heavily on my mind when he came to help. But I knew he had been sent to help me. In my time as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have had many earthly angels who have lifted burdens. Rich Tumin is one and Ed Kettering the other. Ed Kettering became our home teacher in Los Alamos, NM during a time with other heavy burdens. He and his wife Barbara became adoptive grandparents to our children. Ed solved innumerable handyman catastrophes and is another great example of lifting burdens on too many occasions to describe. They are great men who I love immensely.

​​We have now been on our mission for nine months. Last night we had the first snowfall in Lowell, MA. But it was all gone by morning with a steady rain washing it away. It is getting colder, and I have finally broken down and started wearing a jacket outside. The fall colors are gone, and the leaves are now brown or on the ground.

“What do member and leader support missionaries do?” That question often comes our way. Last Sunday evening we were invited to attend an adult fireside in the Worcester Massachusetts Stake and participate in a panel discussion about senior adult missionary service. To answer that question, we shared what our normal day was like. We teach English on MWF evenings. In the mornings we study and then take time to look for members who have not been contacted in a while. But our daily activities vary. For example, on 10/31 we received a call from a member who had been referred to us by the elder’s quorum president. This member was going to have a job interview via Zoom but had some trouble with his laptop and needed assistance doing the interview from the church. He is a native Spanish speaker and asked if I could help him. I said yes and drove to the church and stayed there during the interview at his request in case technical issues developed. While I was at the church Lynn received a call from a member in Arizona who had somehow gotten our phone number. They wanted us to check on a family member in Lowell because their father had died, and they were not answering the phone so that the family could inform them of his passing. We went to the house but could not get anyone to come to the door. When we reported this to the family member, we were requested to call the police to do a welfare check on the individual. There were concerns that they might be incapacitated. This we did and the police came, and the individual was seen and evaluated. In this example you can see that we do whatever might be needed.
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​We have many covered bridges in New England. They too serve as an example of helping us cross over difficulties in life. Rivers of trial and rapids of chaos. Here are pictures of the shortest bridge we’ve encountered; and the longest dual carriage covered bridge in the United States. 

One of our weekly pleasures is to give a ride to Mutual to a young man named Francisco Nerio in our Spanish Group. A few weeks ago Francisco asked me to ordain him a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. He is an outstanding young man and has a wonderful family. It was a privilege to ordain him. Something I have not done since my boys were teenagers.

Thanksgiving is next week. I have to remind myself that we are in New England, the birthplace of the Thanksgiving celebration. We have much to be thankful for and more blessings than we deserve. We hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

I am guessing that you have thought that we have dropped off the face of the earth. Fear not! We are still here. I have just not been terribly faithful in writing this blog. We have now been here on our mission for eight and a half months and the past six weeks have gone by in a flash. The beautiful fall foliage of New England has come and nearly gone at this point.
We have become well acquainted with some of the students in our English class and have been impacted in a meaningful way by their stories of how they have come to America and sacrifices they have made to get here. It is quite different from what you might think when you listen to the stories in the press and the so-called experts on the nightly news. One of the most dedicated students in the class recently told us his story. To protect his privacy, I will call him Carlos. His story begins in Ecuador where he was serving his compulsory military service. His job in the military gave him access to places and people and information that ultimately led him to know things that his superiors did not want him to know or to reveal. When he left the service, he realized that his life was in peril if he stayed in the country. He made the difficult decision to leave and try to enter the United States and ask for asylum. With three friends he flew from Ecuador to Peru and then to Central America. He traveled by bus and then crossed the border to Mexico on foot and then walked the entire length of Mexico. When he crossed into the United States he spent three months in a border patrol facility in Phoenix, Arizona. He was granted temporary resident alien status while his petition for asylum goes forward. One of his friends was deported and the other has since gone back to Ecuador. It has now been seven years and his case has still not been heard. During this time, he is gainfully and legally employed and works in the construction industry. He respects the laws of this country and is working to better himself for his fiancé and his family. He works hard to learn and study English. If you met him, you would be struck by his wonderful attitude and gratitude of the opportunity to be in America. Many in the class have the same story and experience. One woman has a house cleaning business and is here legally. She asked for advice on how to tell her clients that due to inflation she need to raise her fees for her service. She has not raised her rates in eight years! With a bit of coaching that I gave her she successfully communicated her need to increase her rates without losing her customers. All these experiences cause to think and ponder the scripture, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” (Ephesians 2:19)

Like this lighthouse in Gloucester, this country has served as beacon of hope for as long as it has existed as a nation. And also like this lighthouse, the gospel of Jesus Christ shines forth to all corners of this earth.
Another person we have a weekly experience with I will call Sarah for the purposes of this blog. Sarah is about our age. She has been here in the United States for just over a year. She is from Ethiopia. Sarah met the young Sister Missionaries along the river walk along banks of the Merrimack River. She speaks very little English; her native language is Amharic. But, in spite of the communication barrier she meets regularly with the missionaries desiring to be taught the gospel. To illustrate the modern global reach of the missionary effort, a friend of one of the sister missionaries is serving a mission in Ethiopia. The missionaries serving in Ethiopia have Zoom sessions with the Sarah and the English-speaking Sister missionaries so Sarah can be taught the gospel in her native language. Sister Zollinger and I have the happy task of picking Sarah up for church each Sunday and taking her to and from church. Sarah radiates joy each time we see her. She greets Sister Zollinger with a kiss of gratitude. She is grateful to be with fellow believers even when she understands very little of what is being taught. She is walking proof that the language of the spirit transcends all communication barriers. She has expressed the desire to be baptized. Today I saw the relief society president and my wife sitting with her during the Sunday School hour, each of them using the Gospel Library app set to display the Amharic language for Sarah so that she could read and understand the lesson being taught.

My brother Kevin and his wife Kathy visited us for a few days in October. We were able to take them to the local museum, Gloucester, and Minuteman National Park. It was good to see them and show them a bit of our adopted community. We stopped to see the memorial in the photo above. Gloucester is the oldest seaport in America. This memorial contains the names of all the men who were lost at sea between the years of 1623 an 1923. It is a sobering reminder of the perils of the deep. At the memorial a scripture is quoted in Psalms 107 : 23 - 24 which reads,
​"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."
This perfectly describes a fisherman and his work. How we take their work for granted!

This past month we had Hispanic Culture Celebration sponsored by the Lowell First Ward Spanish Group. It was well attended, and different countries were represented with booths that proudly displayed the flag of the nation, and food from that region. There was music and dancing for all. Sister Zollinger proudly represented England at this cultural event and served sausage rolls and English candy. You may be wondering at the rich Hispanic culture in England. It didn’t matter, the Spanish Group has taken a real liking to Sister Zollinger and adopted her as their own. And for her part, she diligently studies with Duolingo every day to learn Spanish. I am very proud of her efforts. All that British grit and all. She played pass the parcel with the primary children, and it was the hit of the party.

We went to Maine to inspect missionary apartments in the far north of the mission. We stayed two nights in Bangor, Maine. Went to Machias (the northernmost area in the mission), and Newport, Maine. Sister Zollinger’s Aunt Jo Ellen lives in Jones Port, Maine and were able to meet her for lunch and Machias and then visit her beautiful home that sits across from the harbor waterways. Lobster boats bobbed in the water as we visited. Maine has taken a place in my heart, and I really do love it there. Pictures just do not do it justice. You really must see it someday if you have not.

We continue to attend the English classes and help where we can. We are in between sessions in teaching the temple preparation class but will pick that up again soon. We help the younger missionaries where needed. I teach the Spanish elder’s quorum from time to time, and we give rides to mutual and activity day for a Spanish group family. We are the “minutemen” of the ward, ready to pitch in where needed. And that is just perfect for us. Transfers occurred and things are very different now. Here is a picture of our district as it was. We love these missionaries and miss them when they move on.

Until next time gentle reader and I promise to post more often. And so I leave you with some fall foliage pictures from several locations for your enjoyment.