September brought the special blessing of having some of our family visit us. Ron's brother Fred, and his daughter Deborah and husband Cory made a quick jaunt to Michigan for the weekend. We loved having them here and catching up on the family. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time they were here, so our planned trip to see Lake Superior, lighthouses, musical water fountain, rollercoasters and submarine, were all tossed aside in the torrents. But, we had fun anyway, and ate our way around the Lansing area!
Cory and Deb were fabulous as they sang for our church on Sunday, with Fred's expert accompaniment. Fun family time for a whole 1.75 days!
A walking path in a park. Places like this are everywhere.
Look closely and you will see a heron making his way to the water,
right off our patio. We love to watch him catch fish in the pond.
Deer are everywhere, because there are trees everywhere. Even in the city it is not uncommon to see deer, squirrels, rabbits, etc around businesses and homes. There were 6 deer in this group, and some wild turkeys who just happened to saunter across the yard at the same time, close to dusk.
Just some of our great missionaries,
unarguably one of the coolest of Michigan "stuff"!
What is this? We have no idea, but the trees everywhere have these yucky looking things in them - like giant spider webs wrapped around some poor defenseless prey. Gross!
A common Michigan scene - lake, houses built around lake, ducks, geese and swans swimming in lake: beautiful!
We were headed back home from zone conference in Muskegon and decided to take the scenic route. We happened across a park with a bunch of these old fashioned bridges, moved all to one location so people could see how they were built in the days of yore.
We're driving to church, and there is a field filled with geese, just hanging out, eating and visiting; at least 75-100 geese, right next to the street, businesses in the background. Very cool!
This is a cool silo that is unique to Michigan (well, at least we've never seen one like it anywhere else). It's made of tiles and is very unique.
We recently had all the senior missionaries together for a picnic in Cadillac (several hours north of Lansing). We gathered together at a beautiful park setting overlooking a pretty lake (which there are a million of in Michigan). We prepared dutch oven steak rollups (basically a steak that is filled, rolled and baked). It was a fun change from our normal missionary labors; and a happy day with great food and great friends!
Tonight I am missing my family. A few things happened tonight that brought my thoughts more than ever to home and family. Not bad things, just remembering and wishing and thinking, seeing photos and hearing music that makes me remember them. I hope I never take them for granted.
In the midst of those thoughts are those of September 11, 2001, when the world changed forever. Thousands of families will not be together again in this lifetime because of this day. I hope I never forget those who have, and are still, paying the price for this tragedy. I'm more grateful than ever for America, the land of freedom and goodness. Sometimes there is great reason for concern for our great country and its people. Still, it stands as a beacon and light for the rest of the world. I honor those who have sacrificed for our safety and freedom. My missing of family is small in comparison to theirs.
A sweet childs song comes to mind "I have a family here on earth, they are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity. Families can be together forever, through Heavenly Fathers plan. I always want to be with my own family, and the Lord has shown me how I can..."
How grateful I am to know that families can be together forever because of the great love of our Savior and His sacrifice. We truly are a blessed people.
These are some of the amazing and wonderful "sisters" in the Michigan Lansing Mission. Our t-shirts have "MLM Sisters" on the front, and some of the words of a favorite hymn on the back "The errand of angels is given to women...". A fun momento of the great women who are serving in Michigan in 2007-2008. Sisters Porcaro, Pryzbyla, Strawn, Dietzel, Aitken, Polidario, Fredline, Me, Jones, Tunblom, and Cordner.
One of our favorite times of each transfer (a 6 week period of time) is zone conference. All the missionaries from several areas meet together in one location and receive instruction and direction on how to do the best and be the best they can be. It is always a time of great inspiration, and a fun time too. Here are a few photos of our last zone conference. You can get the feeling right away of the myriad different personalities of our missionaries. They're lined up to get lunch in these first photos.
These are some of the good women from the St Johns Branch, where we serve, who had prepared lunch for this zone conference. Also pictured here, our elders who serve in St Johns. Elder Franklin, Sister Holm, Sister Hinckle, Sister Hill, Sister Zimmerman, Sister Nicholson, Sister Draut, Sister Hernandez, and Elder Emery. They are THE BEST!
Another of our favorite's from zone conference occurs following lunch. The missionaries make a big circle around the women (and sometimes men) who prepared lunch for us, and express their appreciation, in part, by singing "Called to Serve". It is a wonderful reminder to us, and to the people who have served us, why we are here and what we are doing. It never fails to touch us and help us remember what it is we are doing here in Michigan, and really, what we all are doing as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with our Heavenly Father's children.
Here we are with President and Sister Jones a few weeks after they arrived. They had lunch for the new missionaries who had arrived the night before, and there was so much food, we were invited to join them for lunch. Tough break for us! President Jones is doing a wonderful job as Mission President. He is a get-it-done-now kind of leader, and is helping our zone leaders take on many new challenges and responsibilities. We expect much good in the coming months.
Sister Fredline turned 74. She is a local Michigander/Michiganian who serves with us in the Mission Office each day. She comes in every day from around 8:30 am-12:00 noon, and has been doing so for the last 4 years. She is amazing!
We're enjoying a new summer tradition here...well, a repeat of our last summers new tradition. Multiple times each week (like every other day)Ron determines we should have some fresh corn for dinner.
So, we stop at this farm that is on the way home from the Mission Office.
$4.75 a dozen, or $2.50 for a half dozen.
Such a small price to pay for a simple pleasure that is good for us.
Tonight Donovan taught our Family Home Evening lesson which was on recognizing the Holy Ghost. At the end I chose the closing song "I Know That My Redemmber Lives." The kids learned this song at church this last year, and it was perfect to go along with our lesson. Donovan told us to see how we feel when we sing the song and to see if we recognize the Holy Ghost, and then we would talk about it after the song. Well, after the first phrase, JT says "Okay, Okay. I felt it." Donovan said did you feel happy? And JT says "No, I felt like my heart was getting so big inside of me, like it was shining or something." We decide to sing again so we can finish the song, and I could barely sing because I was so emotional. Now whenever I sing that song, I will remember that is when my son learned to recognize the Spirit. Such a testimony to me that Family Home Evening is such a powerful tool in raising children today.
I love this special experience JT, and all of his family had. The fact that an almost 6 year old could put into words what the Holy Ghost feels like is amazing to us. And so precious. One of those wonderful moments that one can never plan for, but that are never forgotten when they occur. I love Family Home Evening, and that at least once each week there is a special time to talk about things like this, and help little ones, and not so little ones too, learn and grow and be together. And I love that Heavenly Father blessed a special little boy with this beautiful experience, that he and his family will never forget.
President Edwards spoke one time about the significance of lighthouses. Michigan has more shoreline than any state in the union, so there are many lighthouses here. We've been able to visit only a few, but we loved the story he told, which is the basis of the song "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy".
Many years ago, in a dark and ferocious storm, the captain of a sailing vessel approached land and signaled the lighthouseman that he must find a port. He was signaled back to come along the shore as close as he dare and try to make the channel, that was the entrance to the safety of the bay. Once again a signal; "I will, but where are the lower lights", and the answer, "they've all gone out for the night - can you make it"? The captain answered that he must, or they would perish. He tried to find the channel, but without the lower lights, the ship crashed upon the rocks, and all on board were lost. We learned that the "lower lights" spoken of were the houses built along the shore of the channel. All the people had gone to bed, so all the lights were out. The writer of the song, Philip Paul Bliss, was so touched by this story that he penned the music and text to the song we've heard and sung for years, but have never fully understood.
"Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
"Dark the night of sin has settled
Loud the angry billows roar,
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.
"Trim your feeble lamps, my brother,
Some poor sailor, tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.
"Let the lower lights be burning, Send a gleam across the wave,
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.
What a very simple but beautiful reminder to each of us how important we are to those around us. So many are lost and "tempest tossed". Those of us who know and love the Lord can help them "make the harbor" through our encouragement, love, and guidance to Him. And in the end, how wonderful if we could be the means of rescue and saving.
We've had impressed upon our minds more than ever before how very much our Heavenly Father needs His children here to watch out for and care for one another - to be His hands and His voice. By small means are great things brought to pass, and lives are touched and blessed in ways we often do not know.
Today though, it seems so clear...we pray we may each keep the "lower lights" of our testimony and love of God burning brightly to be "the lights along the shore".
Tonight we had a Branch Pioneer Day Celebration at the park. We had crazy pioneer games and activities (panning for gold, stick pull, tug-0-war, log sawing, nail pounding, pioneer relay race, wagon rides, great food, and lots more). It was fun and busy and reminded us of home and the big deal that pioneer day is at home in Utah. A special remembering day of the pioneers who sacrificed so much to come to a new land, where they would be free to worship as they pleased. It's always fun to share this day with our children and grandchildren, and often extended Brunner family too.
We came home and Ron headed off to bed, but I had other plans. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Commeration Concert was being broadcast live on BYU TV, and I knew our computer would bring that great event into our home! So, for the last 2+ hours I've been enjoying the concert, complete with guest artists, the Osmond family. It's been such a spiritual high, and also so much fun, crying one minute and laughing the next. I've loved it so much, I'm watching it for the second time as I write this post. The Osmonds are amazing. How could so much talent and goodness come all in one family? And, I have a serious love affair going on with the choir. They are fabulous, and I miss seeing or hearing The Spoken Word each Sunday, and getting into at least one or two concerts a year. But tonight, I'm in reminiscent heaven! Such a little thing, but such joy it has brought. Life is good!
We are amazed at the huge Michigan yards. Everyone has a riding lawnmower. We are more grateful than ever for Donovan and Katherine, who are watching over and taking care of our yard and home so we can focus on other things during this season of our lives. It will be hard going back to all that yard work in 2009!
Corn, corn everywhere!
We're driving along a country road and much to our surprise, realize there are airplanes out in that field! Upon further inspection, we discover this is a rural St Johns, MI airport (of sorts). Those ingenious farmers are always looking for another means of revenue!
We love the unexpected wildlife surprises in Michigan. One morning as we were leaving for the Mission Office, these geese sauntered across the parking lot and onto the grass beside one of the apartment buildings. We grabbed the camera and watched and clicked away as they made their way to their destination of choice - the pond outside our back patio. There are geese, ducks, frogs, muskrats, heron, squirrels, birds, and lightning bugs that frequent this pretty setting. We love it! (click on the photo to see the little ones they were leading to the pond)
We're enjoying a new summer tradition here...well, a repeat of our last summers new tradition. Multiple times each week (like every other day)Ron determines we should have some fresh corn for dinner. 
