"Count your Blessings, name them one by one....Count your Many Blessings, see what God has Done!!‏

"Count your Blessings, name them one by one....

A small family, husband, wife, and school-aged daughter have been living in here across the street from our apartment  for over a year. All of their belongings spilling out of this truck...  Count your blessings this day, every one of them, we have sooo many things to be thankful for!

Last Sunday, June 1, was a beautiful day in Tukwila, Washington and also it was Tami's Birthday in American Fork, Utah!! We held another meeting of our Stake Conference that I spoke of last week. I have shared with you about Theresa, our newest investigator. She has cancer, is going through chemo and is 59 years old. Our second visit with her started with her asking us when she could be baptized. We told her people usually attend 3 Sacrament Meetings and we put her on-date for June 21. Our lesson was on The Restoration and the Spirit was felt in her home. Well, Sunday morning she and Roberta came to meeting about 8 minutes before starting time and they came and sat with us. Theresa was dressed with a new scarf on her 'bare head', a cute white skirt and also a coat because she is always cold. I asked her how she was doing and she said she had been sick all day Sat. and did not feel well this morning but still wanted to come. I am amazed at her level of commitment...she wants to be baptized so she comes regardless of how she feels. I think there is a lesson all of us can glean from...that we make our values and then stay committed until we reach them. May God continue to bless her with the strength to be taught and then to be baptized!! You just can't believe how excited Sister Carter and I are to have another baptism a week before we go home!!!

This picture is another of Pikes Market where we
 often head for our Monday Pday breaks, we have
 loved visiting here regularly.
 
We had Zone Meeting on Tuesday from 10-12 which was taught by our Zone Leaders, Elder Webb and Elder Westenskow. They spent most of the time teaching of Repentance and taught with such insightful analogies...amazing they are so young and so bright and strong in their Testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sister Carter had an appointment at the hospital at 12 so we left the meeting about 10 minutes early. She was having her esophagus scoped. They were looking for dysphagia but the hospital was having 'water problems' so it was cancelled and we had lunch (she had been fasting) and went to work.

I wish all of you could have been with us on Wednesday...a remarkable day of work and singing and bearing testimonies and having prayers and feeling the Spirit! Oh, that each day could be so good but then I guess we must have opposition in all things to realize how good the good is!  We found Sissay home....been there a few times. He is from Ethiopia and is a member of the church but never comes. As we visited with him he said he did want to come but does not have transportation. He lives on the 'outer south boundaries' of our Seatac Ward and it is probably about 10-12 miles to church plus having someone drive to get him. We called Brother Pappenfuss and asked him if he would pick up our member. How great it is to have ward members respond with willingness to do what they can to serve.  We took Brother and Sister Smith Milkshakes for his 91st Birthday...amazing how good little acts of kindness feel!!

We drive down Military road a hundred times a day and we have seen Jacob sitting on a 3 foot wall for about 3-4 months. Well a couple of weeks ago we took him a strawberry milkshake (can you tell there is a McDonald's close by?) and he was sooooo happy. His sick eyes sparkled for a minute and then he showed us his swollen foot with infection in it. He was in a lot of pain and told us he lived right in this spot. Well, a while ago, someone told us that #211 was an Emergency # in this area and he should give them a call and they would come and help him. We wrote #211 on the back of our cards and left. He has been gone for about a week and then this week we saw him and stopped to see how he was. His foot had a cast and he was not sure what they did....he just wanted a 'chicken leg' to eat because he was so hungry. Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken is close by so we went and got him 3 chicken legs with pot/gravy and coleslaw. We also took him a bottle of water. My, you just can't believe the size of the smile this time.  "Oh Sistas, Sistas, dear Sistas" he said over and over with words of gratitude for the food. Then he sang a song about Jesus in his native tongue, South Sudan, that really touched our hearts. It was great to have someone sing to us for a change. I really felt the Spirit with us as we have met and served Jacob...hopefully as the Savior would have done if He were here!!

We helped Tawni and Kevin prepare for a garage sale...spent about 3 hours pricing their sales. Kevin, as I have told you, is a very simple 58 year old man who lives with his mom. He just loves us and most of all he loves the songs we sing and the prayers we say. He whispers to us to come back tomorrow and on other days so his mom doesn't hear him because she tells him not too bother us. This day before we left we asked to sing again and also have a prayer. Tawni asked the lady that works for her to come and listen and also a neighbor. The words and music of "A Child's Prayer" are so beautiful and Tawni just cried as we sang. She is 85, has had a full-face lift and she looks closer to 60, she has many, many things of the world. I think it has been years since she allowed herself to feel the Spirit as she did this day. We have been with her 4 other times...sang and had prayer but it has taken her that much time to learn to trust us and love us and allow the Spirit into her heart! It was just so sweet!!!!!

We took another family to lunch at Burger King. Yes, we are missionaries and the number of times we help with "food and stuff" for others really adds up so this fast food was just fine.They think no one else in the ward loves them but us...and they really are challenging sometimes...but it just takes small and simple steps to help others know of their worth and that they are loved.

Beautiful flowers at the Temple

When I talk of these wonderful days, there are also days like Saturday....nothing went right except our beautiful trip to the temple this morning. We left at 8 and were home at 12:30. I realized in the temple that on this day at the time I was in the temple we lost Jerry. My heart was really happy to be where I was during this time with good thoughts of him. Our 1:00 appointment was not held because her kids and grandchildren can to visit and she needed them more than the lessons. Our 2:00 appointment was a no-show so we went and visited Roberta. She is always delightful to visit with. Our Home Teachers, Elder and Sister Allen, came and visited with us which was great. Honestly, we do love our Home Teachers. Our first ones were Elder and Sister Sasser whom we visited with for hours and now the time spent with Allens is almost as long as the Sassers. What incredibly great individuals!!!

Now it is time to prepare the Weekly Report for President Miller.
We are team-teaching the Gospel Principles class tomorrow so I must get going on that and it will soon be bedtime. We have our family prayer about 9:50, then lights off and we have out individual prayers and are horizontal and asleep about 10:15...but oh, I love this life and will ever be grateful for the privilege to serve!!

This last picture is part of the family that was able to go to the Cemetary on Memorial Day.

How happy I feel when they are able to take the time to remember Jerry...his children and grandchildren....even if not on the same day but that they talk of him and teach their children about their grandpa.
I love my family with so much energy and I am thankful for their letters and their notes.
God bless all of you during this coming week...take time to look for Miracles and record them.
Love to all of you,
Sister Frame