Halloween in Southern California

Wow! Where did September and October go? I can't believe how fast time flys when you are trying to keep up with 180 missionaries! President Martin (a.k.a. Jerry) is the main trainer for all the missionaries. He has been rolling out the new "Fundamentals of Preach My Gospel" curriculum that we were sent by the missionary department and the general authorities who oversee missionary work for the Church. The trainings have gone well. Hopefully that will be reflected by an increase in baptisms as the missionaries learn how to teach by the Spirit more powerfully. It is exciting to be a part of this. I am mostly "missionary support." I organize meals to feed those being trained. I also dispense advise to sick and troubled missionaries with the help of Dr. John Lyman our area medical advisor. Flu season is coming up so I expect my phone to be ringing more and more. We have had several injuries and even a few surgeries.

Adam is patient with his two parents. We gave him a home haircut the other night with disasterous results. Jerry had just given him a pretty good #6 haircut with the clippers. I came along and decided to even out some stragglers. I picked up the clippers and to my horror realized I was buzzing the side of Adam's head! (I had not realized that Jerry had taken off the #6 guard.) We had no choice but to buzz all around the sides and back. So, just in time for Halloween, Adam is sporting a Herman Munster haircut. He wore his Texas Rangers baseball cap for a few days. I wanted to take a picture of it to post on this blog site but Adam did not want it posted. I think he looks quite nice. (Maybe the Marine Corps?) He is such a good sport.

We are happy to be adding two new grandkids. Camie and Spencer will be getting their third son in December. Jenae and Brett will get their third daughter in January. This will make our twelfth and thirteenth grandchildren. We will have 6 grandsons and 7 granddaughters. We are excited!!!

President and Sister Martin Take a Few P-Days!

I was up much of last night with my little grandson Joshua Carroll. He is so cute. I finally ended up sleeping in the recliner holding him. I must have had more sleep than I thought because I find myself unable to sleep tonight (it's 3:15 a.m.). Yesterday we had Jenae, Brett, Ashlin, and Rachel Boren as well as Camie, Spencer, Benjamin, and Joshua Carroll visiting us. It has been so fun having them. The Boren's came on Tuesday. Camie and the boys came over Tuesday too, but went home that night. On Wednesday night the Borens went down to Orange to visit the Carrolls and go to Disney Land. They stayed there Thursday night after a long, fun day at Disney. Then both families came back up here. They had a fun Saturday planned. They took Adam to the beach with them. Then we had dinner together and the Carrolls headed back to Orange. In between we watched movies, swam at the pool, visited, played with Grandma Gemie's train and played with Princess paperdolls. I took mostly video so will have to wait to get this all posted.

Earlier this month, we had Alyssa, Ryan, Katelyn, and Marin Christensen visiting us. They left to go down to Orange on Tuesday August 11th while the ten outgoing Elders (there were no sisters), came and had lunch, dinner and a testimony meeting at the mission home before leaving the next day. We had an interesting day. An unexpected visitor showed up. A painter working on the side of the mission home discovered a rattlesnake eating a rat. The back end and tail were still hanging out the rattler's mouth. It rattled it's tail nonstop. The painter came to the door and tried to tell me what he had discovered. Because he spoke little English and "yo no ablo Espanol," I called Elder Ibarra (a native Argentine), over to translate. We called Animal control who took their sweet time arriving. They finally came and took the snake out to the wilderness. So we have one less snake and one less rat here at the mission home. We have video, which this technologically challenged author cannot share with you at this time. What really haunts me is that my three-year-old grandson Ben had run through that side yard time and again just the day before we discovered the snake. Luckily Alyssa, Ryan, and Adam had spotted one a few days before when they hiked up to the "Hollywood" sign. Jerry, the girls and I visited the set of a "Bones" TV show at the sight of the "Batman" caves. The Hollywood sign was clearly visable on the back side of caves so Katelyn can also say she saw it. Jerry returned to the set with Ryan and Alyssa while I played at a near-by park with the girls.

So this fun string of P-days have almost come to an end. President Martin has had a lot less time with the families. Adam has started school. Jenae and Brett and girls leave tomorrow (er make that today) after Sacrament meeting. It was fun while it lasted.

Gemie's New Blog

Gemie has started a new blog. It is entitled "Diary of a Mad Mission Mom." When I say "mad" I do not mean angry. I am also not implying that the mission experience is driving me insane. I am just admitting to being a little "off my rocker." It will serve to be more a journal of my experiences about mission life and Martin family life in general. The address to get to it is: www.diaryofamadmissionmom.blogspot.com

News of Adam

This is old news, but Kara (my smart and beautiful daughter-in-law) is here helping me learn how to put pictures on my blog. Here is Adam after having had all four wisdom teeth removed.




On a happier note, Adam took Alyssa Adair to the LDS Prom. Prom was held at The Acquarium of the Pacific. These pictures on the blog were taken at the Adair's home. They are near by neighbors.

Welcome Baby Logan!

Congratulations to Kindra, Neil, Brooklyn, Bailey, and Luke Roner who welcomed little baby Logan to their family on Monday April 26th. He was 8 lbs. 3 ozs. and 22 " long. He is adorable!!! Nana (a.k.a. Sister Martin) has temporarily left her mission to come out to Atlanta to greet him and help out for a week. It is so fun to be with the Roner's. Mom Kindra is our third child. The children are all so adorable!!! Logan makes 11 grandchildren for us.

Here he is sporting feet almost as big as his uncle Jerry (who was also 22" long)

Here he is with two of his adoring fans!

We think he will eventually win over his big brother!

Jerry Graduates!

Hooray! Our son Jerry and friend Blake Bickmore are is here visiting. Jerry just graduated from BYU with his Masters of Accountancy! He goes to work September first for Deloitte Touche in Dallas. In the meantime he is studying for the CPA exam. He will remain in Provo, Utah until August. Congratulations Jerry!

Life in the California San Fernando Mission

Well, it has certainly been a long time since I posted anything. Time goes by so quickly here in the mission field. It seems like you just need to keep swimming or you will be swept away. President Martin continues to work on wonderful trainings for the missionaries. He leaves tomorrow for Sacramento and the interim Mission President's Seminar. We were delighted to hear the name of our former Stake President and good friend Elder Jerryl Garns named as our new Area Seventy in the recent General Conference. He will be at the seminar with Jerry. He is over our mission's coordinating council (Stake Presidents and Mission President) and the Ventura one. He has a wonderful wife Mary Lynn who is a good friend to us as well. We are so lucky to have them.
I am focusing strongly on safety and health issues. Each missionary is supposed to have an "earthquake bag" by their bedside. Sister Siv Flick (who lives near the mission office) has a bunch of volunteers who help sew drawstring bags and supply contents for them. Each one comes to us with a pair of work gloves (to keep hands safe and able to clear glass), a flashlight with batteries, and a whistle (to signal your location if trapped in rubble). The missionaries are supposed to add in two to three bottles water and a small first aid kit. They have the option of putting sturdy shoes in the bag, or sleeping with the shoes near their bed. The bags in the past have been assigned to the area and left there for the next missionary who comes. This has posed several problems. No one seems to have ownership over the bags. Contents and bags are missing. One bag was filled with Halloween candy (the Elder had obviously attended his ward's "trunk-or-treat"). Another was filled with flag football equipment. The only thing left of the original equipment was the whistle. (I think we all agree on which Elder we would rather be stuck with in the event of a disaster.) I just finished getting the name of each missionary ready to attach to their bag. It is in a little plastic pouch with a California San Fernando Mission Emergency Plan pamphlet that I modified from the one they were or are using in Quito Ecuador. Sister Granados, a native Spanish speaker, and her companion Sister Sorenson, helped me get the changes I made translated into Spanish. The native Korean elders will have to make do with English for now.
Adam is lamenting the demise (or should I say demolition) of Texas Stadium. He feels it should have been turned into a Cowboys museum. He just sat for the ACT last Saturday. Then he went to an Angels game that night with Spencer and Camie and their two boys. On Monday night he and President Martin went to a Mavericks/Clippers game complements of Brother Lamb from our Stake who I think is the CFO for the Clippers. Adam came downstairs in his Dirk Nowitski shirt with his Mavs noisemakers. Jerry told him he may need to re-think his choice of clothing being a guest of the Clippers. He put a shirt over the Mavericks shirt. I noticed it was no longer on when he came home. It's hard to suppress a true blue Mavericks fan.
We enjoyed Camie and the boys most of the weekend. They are so fun. We missed Spencer because he was home ill. Ben had a lot of fun. He was given the choice to come here or go to Disneyland. He chose us!!! He informed his mother he wanted to go to "Gam-pa, Gam-ma's."
All our grand kids are so adorable! We got a call from Ashlin Boren (who will be five years old in less than two months) this past week. She sounds so grown up.
We love hearing from our friends! If anyone knows Christopher Sample's (or his parents)address, please get it to me! I am thinking his parents moved since the last address I have for them.