Finding Our Bearings

 Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night (like me right now) and due to a vivid dream or a new environment, (like a hotel room) not have the slightest idea where you are?! I have felt some mild panic in those brief moments until I can figure out my bearings. On other occasions, I'm awakened by the sound of a loud honk/gasp for breath by my husband who's flipped on his back and has become a "temporary mouth-breather." (We won't call it snoring). With just the gentlest of nudges I can easily coax him to flip back on his side so he can once again become a quiet nose-breather. And just that quickly, one of us is right back to sleep. Ah well...What a perfect time to write a blog in the dark of the morning. This wonderful and adorable companion of mine who I dearly love and desire to be by his side for all eternity had a birthday this week! I honored him by completing this puzzle as a gift. How generous of me.

                                       Rob's still getting his kicks at 66

Missionary birthdays are pretty low-key overall, but we had 3 days of feasting this week to celebrate him and thanks to all of your kind cards, texts, and Facebook wishes, he felt supremely loved.

Adding to occasional sleep deprivation, another disorienting aspect of our current mission life is our unique schedule. Because our preparation day (P-day) is mid-week on Tuesdays and we work on Saturdays, work a late shift on Thursday evenings with a half day off on Friday mornings for temple and research time (which makes it feel like a Saturday) we can't always find our bearings in this schedule. It's so different from what used to be our typical 5-day work week/2-day weekend. Gratefully our Sundays always feel like Sabbaths and we get grounded and reset for a new week. We've come to love this day of the week most of all. Every day of the week, after our daily morning routines, we ground ourselves with companion scripture reading and prayer. We read and discuss 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon and a Conference talk or Liahona article, interspersed with our own thoughts and testimonies on various gospel principles we're learning about. Sundays we proceed right after our study time to walking a mere block away to listen to Music and the Spoken Word with the Choir and Symphony at Temple Square. Wow, like I've said before; what amazing way to begin a week! It is a Spirit-infused 30 minutes that fills our hearts with joy and peace. We used to watch it on TV at home, but it simply can't compare to attending it "live" to feel the power of it. When it's over, we mosey back to our apartment to do our "Come Follow Me" reading and studying of the New Testament and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Often we extend this block of time by listening to Talking Scripture or Unshaken Saints podcasts while we prepare lunch, make bread, etc. Then we're off to our branch meetings at 1:00 for two hours held in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building which allows us to renew our baptismal covenant weekly through the Sacrament. This ordinance recommits us to be followers of Jesus Christ and to be witnesses of him in all our thoughts and deeds. This is one of the most important things we do all week to get our spiritual bearings. 

This past Sunday we had an extra special bonus treat. We had invited our Indian Young Adult friends to come to our apartment for dinner after church. We had 2 no-shows but also at the last minute, Sowmya asked if 3 of her friends we'd never met before could come. Of course! We would've loved to squish us all in our apartment but the #s worked out well to fit us around our table with a little elbow room to spare. We welcomed Sam, Daisy, and Vidhya along with Sowmya and Gideion from the time before. What a dynamic group of young adult friends! Each one is so charming and personable and friendly! When we heard this week from another couple serving in India of the 500+ Regional Young Adults that gathered in Hyderabad and another missionary retreat that we missed out on, our little gathering was a sweet compensation for us.

                         Sam and Gideon in GQ mode. Did I mention they're handsome too?

As I was talking and getting to know Daisy, we thought it would be fun to become Facebook friends. Imagine my utter surprise when I saw we had two mutual friends already. 1-Eb Solomon (not that surprising) 2-Maddy Huerta. (very surprising) "How do you know Maddy, Daisy?" She replied, "Oh I'm good friends with her husband Franklin from Ensign College and I've become friends with her too". She asked me, "How do you know Maddy?" I said "She's my daughter!". Isn't it just too amazing?! We were strangers only 10 minutes before, but no longer. Making new friends and connections is a joy all its own. All this time we were talking, amazing aromas were starting to fill the air and oh, what a culinary treat our taste buds were in for! To think that we added curry powder to a stir fry or garam masala to Cream of Chicken soup over rice and called it Indian Food?!?!? Unh-uh! Sowmya, our cook extraordinaire has an entire spice wheel and the flavors she created were nothing short of spectacular! 

The Spices of Life

 

The first thing we learned that night was how to eat Indian food authentically

-with our hands! (See Rob's paw in the lower left corner)

Like learning to use chopsticks while on a mission in Korea, we think it's pretty essential to eat just like the natives do, and whatd'ya know, eating with no utensils made using my right hand much easier AND it forced Rob to slow down and savor the flavor instead of wolfing it down in one swell foop! I laugh now that I had gone hunting for extra forks from other empty apartments when they weren't even needed that night. (we both cheated a little and used them). Another thing we observed, they didn't generally drink water during their meal (thank you Ambika, we should've known it wasn't just you) and they prefer no ice in their water. Can we adapt? You bet!

Monday, the 30th, we enjoyed Feast #2, American style, with forks and ice water. We gathered at the Rohlfings with all my nearby siblings to celebrate all the winter birthdays; Rusty, Rob, and Lolly. With everyone contributing, the meal was wholly satisfying and delicious, but good golly, Ms. Lolly, you provided the lion's share with the main course and all the added touches! We greatly missed not having Kate and Diane & Jeff with us but felt them all there with us in spirit. Happy birthday to you all, from Utah to Idaho to Heaven! We're so blessed to have Paul back in our midst who had just a few days before moved back from Missouri to Utah. We all shared great conversation about our families, our faith, our heritage, our loved ones on the other side of the veil, and other edifying topics. We could've talked much later but some had to drive back to Salem and Midway, on an icy night no less. We're just so grateful we could be here for such a lovely time. It makes this mission time in Utah so exquisitely sweet! 

 Feast #3 came the very next day on our P-day, after another grounding experience in the Bountiful Temple. We were willing to drive clear across the valley to eat at one of our favorite spots in Sandy. According to The Gentleperson's Guide to Budgetary Feasting-- "If a party arrives at the Golden Corral between the hours of 3:45 and 3:59 PM, one can purchase a lunch meal for $10.50 for seniors Monday thru Thursday. Shortly after at 4:00, the steaks are put on the grill, sauteed mushrooms and onions are free for the topping, and the shrimp comes hot out of the fryer soon thereafter, with optional cocktail sauce available for dipping." One can enjoy a Steak and Shrimp dinner complete with salad bar, soup, roll, drink, a vast array of desserts, all at a fraction of the cost you might pay elsewhere." Yes, it was definitely worth the drive. 

And ending with a world-class birthday hug from Reid, the 3-day birthday celebration was finally deemed complete.    

Now it's time to get back to our austere life of prudence and moderation in eating. For us it's feast or fasting. But we will continue to feast upon the words of Christ daily for in them, we have the words of eternal life. Without that daily feasting, what else would provide our spiritual moorings and nourishment? We all need to find our bearings to bear the viscisitudes of this life and we have found ours!