Dec 1, 2020 - Jan 15, 2021 - Counsel, Birthdays, Christmas, New Year, Parowan
Special Visitors to the Temple Square Mission
At Temple Square, we are fortunate to see a number of the General Authorities and General Officers of the Church. We have had Brother Bradley R Wilcox of the General Young Men's Presidency. We have had several members of the Seventy speak to our mission including Elder William K Jackson and Elder Evan A Schmutz. We have had members of the Quorum of the Twelve including Elder Ulisses Soares and President M Russell Ballard.
Usually our speakers come for mission conferences or sacrament meetings so we aren't able to take pictures but we had Brother Wilcox and President Ballard come for firesides which are more relaxed settings so we did get a few pictures.
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| President M Russell Ballard spoke to our mission on Sunday, December 20, 2020 in the JSMB Chapel. He talked about how that for those investigating the Church feelings are much more important than anything else and then shared a quote from Joseph Field Smith. "“When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase.” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 7 - The Holy Ghost) |
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| Brad Wilcox spoke to our mission on Sunday evening, November 29, 2020. He told about being set apart by President Russell M Nelson after the April 2020 General Conference. President Nelson invited Sister Debbie Wilcox to sit in a chair next to her husband and they held hands while he was set apart. He shared a memorable analogy about playing a game while riding on a long bus ride home from an athletic event. The game's objective was to work your way to the front of the bus, but he often got bumped to the back of the bus so it seemed like he was always losing. But then he thought about where his progress would have been in getting home if he hadn't got on the bus at all - even at the back of the bus he was much further ahead - comparatively his location in the bus didn't really matter. So it is with those who consider leaving the church (getting off the bus). The conclusion was "stay on the bus!" |
Christmas Decorations and Activities on Temple Square
Here are some pictures of how our Mission Office was decorated for Christmas.
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| A week later, another group of Sisters added hearts with kind sayings to the snowman on our apartment door. |
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| Someone else brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers that we joined with the "Joy" theme from our January 2020 Burkinshaw Family Reunion on a lamp table in our apartment. |
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| The Christmas Tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Lobby. |
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Our District caroling in front of the Beehive House on a cold December night.
(l to r) Sister Bayli Renay Gale (Washougal, WA), Sister Madelyn Williams (Mesa AZ), Sister Alessandra Abigail Cruz (San Marcos CA), Sister Maycie ShaeLyn Pearl Martinez (Ephrata WA), Sister Rachel Elaine Gallo (Clermont, FL), Sister Mackenzy Marie Brinkerhoff (Mesa, AZ), Sister and Elder Burkinshaw. |
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| Caroling at the Beehive House (l to r) Sister Betsabé Santacruz Cordova (Bogata, Columbia but originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela), Sister Vanessa Hueyopan (Brooklyn, NY), Sister Burkinshaw, Sister Melissa Briana Flores (West Covina, CA) and Sister Aylin Cortes (Woodbridge, CA). |
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| Sisters departing for home on the December 9 transfer at their departing dinner in the JSMB Empire Room (the same place we had John and Emily's wedding breakfast) on December 7, 2020. All of these Sisters had served in other missions and been reassigned to Temple Square. (l to r, b to f) Sister Jessica Anne Wicks (Eugene, OR - she had served with Elder Jackson Vaclaw in Brazil), Sister KateLynn Paige Anderson (Grovetown, GA), Sister Gabriella Vanessa Escobar (Brampton, ON Canada), Sister Kailee Chiemi Kakazu (Palos Verdes, CA), Sister Hannah Nicole Mackay (Thousand Oaks, CA), Sister Madeleine May Helvey (Lafayette, CA), Sister Tori Ellen Fisher (Ivins, UT), Sister Sydney Nicole Hawkins (Manson, WA), Sister Courtney Kim Barker (North Ogden, UT), Sister Hannah Grace Huber (Rockville, MD), Sister Natalie Grant (Katy, TX), Sister Denali Renee Gerber (Island Park, ID), Sister Daurie Miquel Westberg (Colorado Springs, CO), Sister Heather Brenna Murray (Barrie, ON Canada), Sister Giovanna Justiniano Brasil (Cotia, SP Brasil), Sister Gwen Taylor Johnson (Newbury Park, CA), Sister Emma Kirstina Webb (Gilbert, AZ), Sister Paige Brooke Dolenar (Gilbert, AZ), Sister Annika Green (Mesa, AZ), Sister Savannah Brooke Fillerup (Thornton, CO), Sister Kaylee Ann Oyler (Spanish Fork, UT), Sister Sydny Rhianna Short (Woodinville, WA), Sister Mariana Carolina Gonzalez (Riverside, CA). |
Sister Burkinshaw's Birthday, Friday, December 10, 2020
Sister Burkinshaw had a fun day for her 62nd birthday! Here's some of what went on.
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| Sister Burkinshaw's partially devoured birthday cake in the mission office, courtesy of Costco! |
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| Sweet Sisters Camila Fernanda Jimenez Guevara (Carazo, Nicaragua) and Arden Zuzana Dubiel (Niles, IL) brought Sister Burkinshaw some delicious birthday cupcakes to our apartment! |
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| Sister Jennifer Naomi López Rios (Longueuil QC Canada via Honduras) and Sister Burkinshaw share a tender moment on her birthday. |
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| The book of the John and Emily Burkinshaw Fall Break to Utah arrived just in time for Sister Burkinshaw's birthday! |
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| For Sister Burkinshaw's birthday, we went to the Melting Pot for a chocolate fondue dessert. |
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| Elder and Sister Burkinshaw enjoying a chocolate fondue dessert at the Melting Pot. |
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| Aunt Robyn took Sister Burkinshaw out for a special dinner at Franck's in Holladay. |
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| Sheryl Martin, Aunt Robyn and Sister Burkinshaw at the lovely birthday dinner we had at Franck's Restaurant. |
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| Sister Burkinshaw's delicious meatloaf at Franck's Restaurant. |
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| Sister Burkinshaw's delicious birthday dessert (including candle!) at Franck's Restaurant. |
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| Sister Burkinshaw's new Lululemon coat (superwarm but quite thin) from the kids. |
Christmas Star, Monday, December 21, 2020
The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and popularly known as the Christmas Star occurred on Monday evening, December 21, 2020 for the first time in 400 years! We drove up behind the Utah State Capital to capture some photos.
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| The Christmas Star (Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn) with the Salt Lake Valley below. |
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| A closer view of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn also known as the Christmas Star with the mountains lining the western side of the Salt Lake Valley. |
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| A close-up of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter (the larger) and Saturn (the smaller) on Monday, December 21, 2020. |
Little Star Story, Lights and Cookies, 23 December 2020
On the eve of Christmas Eve, we put together a packet for each of the 171 Sisters in our mission which consisted of a copy of the Little Star Story, an LED keychain light and one of Sister Burkinshaw's delicious star sugar cookies. Here's what Santa's workshop looked like:
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| The final step was to organize the individual packets into twos and fours for each missionary apartment. These gift backs were perfect for hanging on their apartment doors. We then delivered them on Christmas-Eve afternoon. |
Christmas-Eve, 24 December 2020For Christmas-Eve, the VanLeeuwen Family from Cottonwood Heights have been providing the Sisters of the Temple Square Mission with a nice dinner for the past 5 years. This year it was a pulled-pork sandwich on rolls, chips, pasta salad, green salad and cookies for dessert. Because of COVID-19 protocols, the VanLeeuwan's brought the food to the parking garage and the Mission Presidency and senior couples served the Sisters in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building basement eating area. Unfortunately, the only pictures we got were of the delivery of the dinner as we were busy serving dinner after that.
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| Members of the Van Leeuwen Family who provided the dinner for the Temple Square Sisters. |
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| Unloading the Christmas-Eve dinner provided by the Van Leeuwen Family. |
After serving the Christmas-Eve Dinner, Sister Burkinshaw and I were invited to the home of Sheryl Martin where we were joined by Aunt Robyn. We had a nice visit, Elder Burkinshaw read the Little Star Story and shared LED keychain lights and then Sister Martin served her family's traditional bread pudding with special lemon flavored sauce and caramel sauce. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, the only picture we took was of Sheryl's very unique Christmas tree topper!
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| Sheryl Martin's Christmas tree with the Angel Moroni tree topper! ;-) |
Christmas Morning, 25 December 2020On Christmas Morning we arrived at 7:00am to serve the Sisters breakfast in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building basement eating area in four waves (two zones at a time). After each group ate, they went to their designated area on the Mezzanine of the JSMB where there was a Christmas stocking and goodies waiting for each of them.
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| Elder Costley and Sister Burkinshaw at the breakfast serving table in the JSMB where the Sisters could have a delicious cinnamon roll from Mama Lake's Bakery in Morgan UT (orange, raspberry or cinnamon). |
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| Sister Natalie Lauren Brasher (Chelsea, AL) and Sister Audrey Temple Richardson (Panama City Beach, FL) sang Christmas carols during the breakfast, both are very talented. |
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| Sister Malia Lacey Bird (Owasso, OK - a member of the Bartlesville, OK Stake) with Sister and Elder Burkinshaw at the breakfast. We also sang Oklahoma although none of us could remember the words very well. |
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| Sister Aylin Cortes (Woodbridge, CA), Sister Burkinshaw, Sister Melissa Briana Flores (West Covina, CA) and Elder Burkinshaw at the Christmas Breakfast. |
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| Sister Camila Fernanda Jimenez Guevara (Carazo, Nicaragua) with Sister and Elder Burkinshaw at the Christmas Breakfast. |
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| Sister Angela Marie Anderson (Nampa, ID) with Sister and Elder Burkinshaw at the Christmas Breakfast. |
Then we were back to Temple Square at 4:00pm to meet with all the Sisters where we formed a giant TSM (for Temple Square Mission) on the lawn in front of the North Visitors Center. Temple Square was closed for Christmas so there was just the missionaries there.
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| Using a drone, President Larsen took a picture of all the Sisters plus the Larsen's and the Burkinshaw's making a TSM (for Temple Square Mission) on the lawn between the Tabernacle and the North Visitors Center. Elder and Sister Burkinshaw are on the far right of the M starting at the top 6 and 7 down. We both have black pants and Elder Burkinshaw has on his black Moroni hat. |
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| This picture puts the TSM in perspective showing the Tabernacle at the bottom and the North Visitors Center at the top. |
Christmas Thank You Note
The Sisters in our Zone prepared a special Christmas note for us. They wanted to identify each couple with a Disney couple. Sister Burkinshaw suggested Beauty and the Beast to them but they came up with the following:
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| The Disney couple that the Sister Missionaries identified us with was Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep. |
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| The Sisters are always very generous in their notes. |
Chelsea, Matt, Landon, Sawyer, Scarlett and Jack Visit, 30 Dec 2020 to 5 Jan 2021
We enjoyed having Chelsea, Matt and their little sweeties visit us over the New Year Holiday. Here's some pictures of what we did.
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| Chelsea and Matt on their wedding day on June 20, 2008 at the Salt Lake Temple. |
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| Chelsea and Matt 12½ years later with Landon, Sawyer, Scarlett and Jack at the Salt Lake Temple! |
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| The Eve Family with Grandma Stacey and Grandpa Jeff in front of the Reflection pond. |
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| Scarlett in front of the Oriental Nativity. |
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| Sawyer, Scarlett and Landon at City Creek Mall. |
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| Landon and Sawyer with Grandma Stacey leaving for a Temple Square stroll which of course ended with some delicious hot chocolate at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a new card game "Cover You Assets" which brought hours of fun. |
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| Landon and Sawyer with the statue of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the JSMB Lobby. |
Lots of Games
We spent lots of time playing games together, in the Brigham Apartments Social Room, in Elder and Sister Burkinshaw's apartment and at Aunt Robyn's new home for New Year's Eve.
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| Scarlett and Sawyer played air hockey with Jack and Grandpa looking on. |
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| Landon and Chelsea played shuffle board. |
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| Landon and Sawyer got very good playing Karma at the expense of Grandma, Grandpa and their Mom. |
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| We also learned a new game called Cover Your Assets which everyone enjoyed. |
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| And Peter and Dan Haws taught Landon and Sawyer how to play a fun game called Toilet Trouble! |
Luminaria Outdoor Light Show at Thanksgiving Point, January 1, 2021
We all went to the Luminaria light show on New Year's evening to see the beautiful lights they had arranged in the various gardens.
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| Scarlett, Landon and Sawyer in the Gingerbread House display. |
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| A very ornate gingerbread house. |
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| Landon and Sawyer with the exceptionally lighted trees. |
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| Sawyer, Scarlett and Landon playing with the light board for the kids. |
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| The temperature was in the teens, so the firepit was a welcome place to warm up. |
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| Grandpa with Scarlett amongst the colorful lights. |
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| There was a garden of statues about the life of Christ in the New Testament and these were the First Vision statues with Sawyer and Landon. |
Ensign Peak and the Museum of Natural History
The final points of interest were the obligatory Ensign Peak hike and a morning at the Museum of Natural History.
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| Sawyer, Matt and Landon at the beginning of the Ensign Peak trail. |
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| Matt, Grandma Stacey, Sawyer and Landon at Ensign Peak with the Salt Lake Valley below. |
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| Sawyer, Landon and Grandpa Jeff looking towards the east from Ensign Peak. |
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| Landon, Scarlett and Sawyer in front of one a fantastic diorama in the Museum of Natural History. |
We loved spending time with Chelsea, Matt, Landon, Sawyer, Scarlett and Jack!
Ogden Temple, Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Sister Hannah Elizabeth Reese (Valencia, CA) was unable to receive her endowments before she arrived in the Temple Square Mission because the California temples were "paused" so Sister Burkinshaw arranged and scheduled the 10:00am session for her to receive her endowments. Elder and Sister Burkinshaw taught her and her companion, Sister Avery Marie Stevenson, the Temple Preparation class we have prepared on Sunday, January 3rd. Her parents were unable to come so her Bishop, Drew Adams and his wife Susan came to be with her. Bishop Adams told us that once they returned to California, they would be required to quarantine for 14 days but he said he has been working from home so it wasn't a big sacrifice. Here's a few photos.
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| Sister Avery Marie Stevenson (Highand, UT) and Sister Hannah Elizabeth Reese (Valencia, CA) at the Ogden Temple where Sister Reese was endowed. Sister Stevenson had been endowed there the previous August as the temples had not opened before she entered the mission. |
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| Sister Hannah Elizabeth Reese (Valencia, CA) with her Bishop, Drew Adams and his wife Susan, who was Sister Reese's escort. |
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| Sister and Elder Burkinshaw at the Ogden Temple on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. It was a blessing to be able to begin the New Year by attending the temple. |
The Blue Iguana
One of the ways we have to become more familiar with the Sisters in our mission and to give them a little boost is to take them to lunch. We need to stay within the allocated hour they have for lunch and it seems that for most of them, their favorite restaurant is the Blue Iguana which has been voted Utah's best Mexican restaurant for the past seven years.
Here's a few pictures from our lunches with the Sisters.
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| Elder Burkinshaw, Sister Emily McRee Cole (Mt Pleasant, SC), Sister Jennifer Naomi López Rios (Longueuil QC Canada) and Sister Burkinshaw enjoying lunch at the Blue Iguana. |
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| Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Sister Malia Lacey Bird (Owasso, OK) and Sister Ellie Etienne Romans (Apex, NC) at the Blue Iguana for lunch. |
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| Sister Rose Marie Tracy (Griffin, GA), Sister Rachel Elaine Gallo (Clermont, FL), Sister Daniela Raymundo Ponce (Mesa, AZ) and Sister Brileigh Saige Allen (American Fork, UT) with Sister Burkinshaw at the Blue Iguana for lunch. |
Wild Morning Walk
We walk 4 miles each morning going east on South Temple to Virginia Avenue where we cross the street and walk around Reservoir Park. While walking by the tennis courts, we were surprised to see some wildlife.
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| Three deer surprised us next to the tennis courts at Reservoir Park early in the morning. |
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| Here's a close-up! |
The Stevens Line in Parowan, UT - Friday and Saturday, January 8-9, 2021
Before we finish our mission in Utah, we wanted to get down to Parowan where Sister Burkinshaw's grandfather, Walter Gillins Stevens, was born and raised.
We drove down on Friday afternoon and stayed at a very nice bed and breakfast called
Lizzie's Heritage Inn. The home was over a hundred years old but was very nice.
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| Sister Burkinshaw's Fan Chart highlighting the ancestors buried in the Parowan Cemetery. |
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| The arch gate to the Parowan City Cemetery. |
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| A broad view of the Parowan Cemetery on a cold January morning. |
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| Sister Burkinshaw with the grave marker for her third great grandfather, Robert Fowler. |
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| The Parowan Old Rock Church built in 1869, where the Stevens and Fowlers would have worshipped each Sunday. |
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| Sister Burkinshaw at the Parowan Old Rock Church. It is now a museum but is only open during the summer months. |
In Grandpa Walter Stevens life history he answered a series of questions one of which was, List three peak experiences which you consider important in your life. Grandpa's first response was, "One of the high spots of my life was when I took my family on a trip back to my old home in Parowan, visiting places on the way."
Grandpa Walter Gillins Stevens records in his biography, "I was born in Parowan, Utah, Nov. 16, 1898, the eighth child of John and Sarah Ann Eyre Stevens....The town was well established when I was born....it was a pleasant place to live and my childhood was a happy one. The L.D.S. religion played an eminent part in my early training. Long before "Home Evenings" became a part of the church training program we gathered around the organ in the evening while mother played hymns and other songs and we all sang. In many ways we experienced a type of pioneer life.
"In 1900, when I was just two years old, several of our relatives were called by the Church to settle in the Big Horn Basin. Among them were my Grandfather and Grandmother Eyre....my oldest brother, John, went to visit them. When he returned a few years later to visit us he brought with him his beautiful bride. I wasn't very old then, but thought to myself, "The Big Horn seems like a good place to settle, and I also might be lucky enough to find a beautiful bride." Grandpa's wish was prophetic, when he turned 17 he made his first trip to the Big Horn Basin where he eventually attended the Big Horn Academy. "It was there at school I met my future wife, Grace Abraham. We wanted to be married in the Temple, but this would take more money than I had then for train tickets, hotels, new clothes, etc. so I quit school to herd sheep so I could earn enough money for my wedding stake....We were married in the Salt Lake Temple for time and eternity June 5, 1918. My wedding stake didn't take care of our expenses for long, so we went to Parowan where I worked....until Grace was expecting our first child and she longed to return to Wyoming to be with her folks." (See Family Search, Walter Gillins Stevens, "My History-part 1).
Great-Grandfather John Stevens (Walter's father) wrote the following poem comparing Parowan and Wyoming having only gone to Wyoming to visit family:
Leave me not in old Wyoming,
Where the skeeters are so thick;
And the deerflies keep you busy
And the water makes you sick.
Give to me my dear old Utah,
Just a little farther west,
Where the water is the purest
And the soil the very best.
Living up in old Wyoming
I guess you think is nice,
Me in Parowan eating apples,
You in Cowley melting ice.
Plenty of foxtail in Wyoming,
And here and there a mound.
Utah's the place for Johnny;
Where we have the level ground.
Obviously Grandpa Walt loved Wyoming more than his father did or perhaps it was just that Grandpa Walt loved Grandma Grace most of all!!
Our Prayer for Peace
In an important message to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo just one year before his tragic and untimely martyrdom, the Prophet Joseph Smith said:
“If we would secure and cultivate the love of others, we must love others, even our enemies as well as friends. … Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst.” (History of the Church, 5:498-9.)
That is magnificent counsel today, even as it was 150 years ago. The world in which we live, whether close to home or far away, needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. It provides the only way the world will ever know peace. We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us. (Howard W Hunter, "A More Excellent Way," General Conference, April 1992)
"While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral in matters of party politics, we remind our members—whatever their individual political views—to be united in our commitment to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His teachings. As His followers, we should treat one another and all of God’s children with respect, dignity, and love." (First Presidency Statement, January 15, 2021)
Elder and Sister Burkinshaw
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