Winds and Visitors Blew Through

Winds and Visitors Blew through the Area

June 28, 2015

     Happy Birthday, Max! You are eight today. Amazing. You will go home to Arizona and be baptized. We are so proud of you! Can we count you as our first convert while we are on our mission? Office work has not yielded a lot of investigators, let alone converts. But that is ok. We are out here serving this mission in hopes that it will help you, Zane, and all your cousins want to have the gospel in your lives forever and ever.
     We have had visitors blow into town and on that same night the rain and winds blew through around 900 MPH. It was amazing. Just amazing and my elder slept right through it. Trees and huge limbs were down everywhere all over the mission. Pretty exciting but not as near as exciting as having visitors from Home. (see pictures above) Ted and Maddy flew back to Utah earlier today and the Walkers are still with us. We have come to realize that we have been here long enough that we have developed a love for the church history sites. It is hard to cram all of it into our visitors in such a short time so we are all pooped. But, oh, what a grand time it has been to have all these fun people! I can just look at Kortney and laugh. We have paraded our visitors all over the mission to meet our favorite missionaries, and, of course, true to form, both sides performed so well. Our missionaries were impressed with our guests and our guests were impressed with our missionaries. We were so thankful that Ethan got to see Elder Seaman's job up close and personal as he and his dad went to help load furniture and then haul the New Arriving elders and their luggage out to President Vest's home. The day before that, Walkers arrived at the mission office just as the Departing missionaries were heading out to go home. Ethan experienced both ends of a mission. We hope it made an impact.
Remember Folks, that is why we are here. To hopefully bless our families' lives back Home.
     It has been a busy, eventful, and fun week.  But tomorrow morning, President Vest will be in the office and we will have our regular weekly meeting. Walkers will fly Home to Arizona, Lewis' will wake up in Utah and the phone will ring on my desk. I will begin with "Good morning, this is Sister Seaman".

Signing off for my junior companion because he is pooped.
He would want me to say that he loves his mission, his companion, and his family,
So do I. Oh, so very much.
Sister Seaman

Adam ondi Ahman visit on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Ted and Maddie came to visit. They both put on a valiant effort to show us a grand time. So very sweet to all of us and each other.

Huge winds blew through here on Thursday night. Branches down all the way into KC. We had no power til noon.

 

Are We Doing Enough?

June 21, 2015

     I am thinking in the next while, we will be hearing from our leaders to "take back Sunday". It seems to be what we are hearing out this way. It has caused us both to reflect on what we are doing in our marriage and personal lives to make it more the Lord's day. It makes me wonder....am I doing enough to truly make it a respite day from the cares of the world? That is a personal question for all of us to answer. I ask my six families at home "Are we all doing enough to save our kids?"
    I sound like a broken record, but, that is why we are here. To show our grandkids the way. I still lean on President Williams' promise in my setting apart blessing that this is absolutely the best thing we can do to help our girls and their families. If we do a little good along the way for us, the poor struggling Seaman (like the song says)....then hurrah for us.
     We have set a record this week. We ate every evening meal out, all in the cause of missionary work. I am warning all of you readers, a mission is no place to go on a diet. A mission is no place to even worry about tight clothes. Go buy more for the cause. This is the Lord's work and we believe in feeding the humble and the travel weary. We ate with Jess and Darlene Hitchcock and Nicole and her husband this week in Liberty. It was so good to see them! They are Show Low at its finest. I say again to all our Show Low friends, Stop and say Hello! Planning a summer trip to anywhere? Just drop down or up or over to see us in Independence. Call it a service project. We are easy to find and we know the best places to get a good meal. We are planning on a great week with the Walkers' and Ted and Maddie coming to visit . Hurray!
     We have 29 new Arrivals and 29 Departures coming and going this week. We are at the end of the six week cycle. The mission is abuzz with Transfers taking place between Arrival and Departure Day. I am beginning to get a sense of the anxiety this brings to some missionaries. Some may be dying to move on to greener pastures, some dying to stay put. Some come in and try to get hints from me about their assignments....Ha! Little do they know that I still pray and mutter about my own little world in front of that screen each and every day. A final thought on the upcoming week......I thank the Lord every day that I don't have to get a new companion on transfers. Ever, for that matter. So wonderful, right? I want to keep it that way, so I have to ask myself "am I doing enough?".

My love to all my Darlings,
Sister Seaman

Long Shadows

     Sometimes do you ever think about the things you would like to do?  Do you ever slow down long enough to decide a real life course of action?  A decision that will make a great difference in your life or all the difference in your life. A turning point. Our lives are generally full of decisions, but are they decisions that really count.
     Today is Father's Day, June 2015. I always think of my father on this day and many others.  He is a hero to me. I don't know when it was exactly that he got so smart or when it finally dawned on me how hard he worked or how honest he was or how much he loved this great country and his family.  Especially his family.  But it did dawn on me eventually.  I am always asking him ( in my mind) how I am doing,  He never answers but at times I feel like I know.
    Many years ago, I read a true story about a cowboy who lived in Utah in the late 1800's.  The short of the story was that he ended up killing someone that had stolen some cattle from him and he went to prison for the rest of his life.  His terrible decision then influenced his family in a terrible way.  The bottom line of the story was that our lives cast long shadows.  A long shadow is the shadow that is cast when the sun is just coming up or just going down.  The shadow seems to touch everything in front of you or behind you. It is symbolic of how our lives touch everything behind us or in front of us.  When you cast a long shadow, symbolically you are influencing the action of others and can change the course of a life depending how you live your own.
     My father cast a long shadow in my life and it has influenced my life and the good decisions I eventually made.  And I made a few that have really made all the difference.
     The next time you get a moment to think, consider the long shadows that you have seen cast in your life by the people that have influenced you.  Most of all, consider the long shadows that you are casting today.  Will you make the decisions, and be willing to act on those decisions, that will save your family and give them the opportunity to be happy or will you continue on your course of thinking you are all alone and that your decisions will not effect anyone else, even the small ones.  You are always casting a long shadow for all to see.
     Sister Seaman and I are trying to cast long shadows for our family.  Independence, Missouri will be part of those long shadows.  The next time you see your long shadow at sundown somewhere, think about it.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
    

 

    

Two Father's in Blue Mills Ward

Brother Raymond Taviuni has been in our Temple Prep class getting ready to take his young family to the temple. All Fathers got a candy Lei and a tie tack today.

Cinnamon rolls!

Elder Elwood, our AZ friend is going home to Florence this week. He made these for the office to thank us! He made them, I say. Left: Sister Crow, our elder, Sister Carlson, me, Sister Arnold. Sister Black was out of the office.

Such a sweet spot to take old friends, Jess and Darlene Hitchcock

VISITS FROM LOVED ONES

Visits from loved ones

June 14, 2015

     It has been a fun week! We have had visits from loved ones! Julie Genet and her mom, Buena Hepler, are on a whirlwind tour of church history sites in the Midwest and they made a pitstop at the Independence Visitor Center. My elder and I raced up there from the office to see them. When she came walking out of the VC, I was Home again. What is it about familiarity and comforts of Home? We talked hard and fast for almost an hour while the tour meandered over to Temple Lot. I am at peace. Show Low is still standing. The gospel is still true there. I can carry on here on this wonderful experience with my elder.
     This weekend, Mike's brother, Rich is here along with his wife, Carla. We are beginning to feel like tour guides. We have developed a love for this area and the meaning of what will take place here. How can we not haul all our loved ones to Adam-Ondi-Ahman and Liberty Jail with stops coming and going along the way? We have been so proud to introduce all our visitors to any missionary within sight and sound. After all, they are all our favorites and we are in awe of the
 commitment and sacrifice they have all made to come preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Sister Gunter gave a beautiful presentation at Liberty Jail to us, I was as proud as if she were my own child. I will never quit looking at these young missionaries and be reminded that I have 21 grandchildren at home who will be given the opportunity to do this in their young lives. I hope and pray some old Senior Missionary will love and care for them as much as I do for all of these Missouri Independence missionaries.
     So, like the classic Field of Dreams movie where he built it and they came, I say to all our friends and loved ones....it is already built. Come see it. We will sneak out of the office for a bit, share a tear or two with you, and then haul you as hard and fast as we can to some significant location. I believe Darlene and Jess Hitchcock are next in the lineup this week. Our Thursday evening is booked already, the rest of you. Call us. We will work you in.

My love to all of you,
Sister Seaman

The Simple Life

     Of late, I have thought about the life Sister Seaman and I are living.  It is the simplest version of any form of life we have ever lived.  We live in a small apartment, our furniture is the mission variety, which means that nothing matches, it is old (usually bought at an estate sale or Salvation Army),  and has scratches and dings, so no worries there. We don't have any obligations other than show up at the Mission Office at 8:30 or there abouts to do our duty (volunteer work) for the day and then go home. No kids or grandkids around.  We eat what we want, when we want.  The only bills we pay are the contribution to the church for the mission and a few utility and insurance bills at home.  I doubt that it could be much simpler.
     The reason I even bring it up is that I like it.  Very little stress.  No one cares too much if you're late.  Do what you want after hours.   We go to the Temple twice a month.  No huge church  commitments every night or weekends.  The Missionaries really seem to like us (especially Sister Seaman.)  It is kind of growing on us.  Another mission in the future now looks good.  We like the boss (the Lord) and He is very kind to us.  He blesses us and our family in our absence and will for eternity.  The only real drawback is seeing the kids and grandkids more often and that is a big one, but it is worth it. 
     We are changing slowly.  We are different people than when we left Show Low almost 8 months ago.  We are getting a good taste of what is really important and it is not "things."  We already knew that but not to the degree that we know it now. 
     Maybe at the end of 18 months things will look different than they do today.  Maybe we will go back to Show Low and pick-up where we left off.  I doubt it.  Things are good.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
  
    

 

 

 

New Sweet Set-up at 16101 E 29th St. S.
Apt # 3401, Independence, MO 64055

L to R Julie Genet, Buena Hepler, Sister and Elder Seaman

Reportingfrommissouri.blogspot.com

Liberty Jail with Richard and Carla Seaman, Sunday June 14, 2015

Welcome to the Ward

Welcome to the Ward

June 7, 2015

     We were late coming from our Temple Prep Sunday School class to Relief Society today. I ran into our young sisters who were talking to an older lady in the hall. She noticed my nametag and  wondered how many missionaries there could be in the building. Our ward has a total of 5 young missionaries and 2 senior couples, us being one of them. As we visited with her, we found out she was a member of the "RLDS church, now known as the Community of Christ". (her words) Her husband and her are disillusioned about the changes that have been made in their church. Namely, the acceptance of gays, or anyone not living the laws of God as stated in the Bible that marriage is between a man and a woman. She has three sons with families who too are wondering what went wrong in their church. One daughter-in-law is a direct descendent of Joseph Smith, Jr. so she feels a pull of allegiance to her family to stick with it.
     I pulled out my faithful Book of Mormon and turned to The Family Proclamation I have glued in the back. I started tearing it out for her to take home and read. Our young sisters remembered they had one in their arsenal of teaching materials so she got a clean copy to study. We told her President Gordon B. Hinckley, a late prophet gave that to the world from the Lord 20 years ago or so. It should answer any questions about Marriage and Family. She got excited and told us she used to love to watch "Brother Hinckley" on BYU channel give talks. She thought he was "marvelous".
During this time, the sisters left to escort a young Haitian family to the chapel. This was their first time and the young  missionaries from that ward had invited them to come check out our meetings. While they were gone, she wondered what type of a mission I was on. I told her office work. A different type of work but we were willing to do that because we loved the Lord.
     At the end of the meeting, she told me and the young sisters that she will be back. But first, her and her husband have a list of other churches in the area to visit. I say we will meet again. What do you think, my dear Blog readers? I hope this is not the end of a wonderful story.....
If were a visitor in our ward today, I would have heard a congregation singing loud and clear "I Believe in Christ"; watched  the name and blessing of the newest member of the ward done by his worthy priesthood holder father; partaken of the sacrament blessed and passed by young priesthood holders all wearing suits; heard four Samoan testimonies, a testimony from Brother Mulanozzi, a new convert with his wife and five children, and many others proclaiming that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Becky Adair could not have left that building today without some kind of a feeling that we may have something she is missing in her life. One highlight today for her was to hear it from our mouth that, "No, we do not practice polygamy in any way, shape, or form today." Isn't that funny? So, Becky, welcome to the ward. Hope we meet again.

All my love,
Sister Seaman

Somebody's got to do it...

     When I left the Sierra Pines Ward, in Show Low Arizona, for this Mission 7 months ago, I was probably the best ward restroom cleaner in the Stake.  I could make it shine and smell nice.  I was proud of the job I did.  You know, shiney urinals, sparkling toilets.  Anyway, somebody's got to do it.  Here in Missouri, I deliver furniture and pick-up furniture 5 days a week.  The only thing that changes is the location.  I am getting pretty good at it.  The church sent the mission a new Chevy pick-up and so now I drive the pick-up and pull the trailer instead of the 12 passenger van and the trailer.  So much better.  I drive all over the place.  It amazes me how many miles I am putting on that new truck.  I am also getting to know eastern Kansas and western Missouri pretty well.
     Just a note about the geography.  Most of Kansas is flat plains and most of Missouri is flat plains except for our mission.  It is rolling hills with ponds and trees  along the rivers and streams.  We have been getting lots of rain of late.  The Liberty area got about 6 inches the other day.  But this country sucks up the water.  It disappears real quick.  The corn is growing about 2 inches per day (slight exaggeration.) Everything is so green and lush. 
     I digress.  I hope that the Lord is ok with the job I am doing.  I am trying to do it to the best of my ability.  But it is a lot like cleaning restrooms.  Somebody's got to do it and that somebody is me. 
     Did you know that only 10 percent of senior couples in the church serve missions.  That is way too low as far as I am concerned. There are lots of things that keep them from serving but I think the Lord is disappointed.  If you commit when you're younger to serve, it will probably happen, but if you wait and decide when your old, you won't be prepared.  Do it now.  Elder Clark was here for a mission training last week.  He said that the Lord loves his senior missionaries.  That they are receiving blessings for their families that will last through the eternities.  I believe him.
     So it doesn't matter what I am doing, as long as I am serving this mission.  I feel joy about it most days.  Remember, there is lots to do in the kingdom, and somebody's got to do it.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman



New Chevy Truck

    




Sister Reeves and Sister Jones want
to be my personal assistants.

Love letters from Chloe and Livi.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE!