Sunday, August 30, 2020

Church at Home

All church meetings and activities were cancelled. 
So now we have church at home. The first Sunday Grandpa and Grandma Nunn came over and we enjoyed a spiritual meeting together. The next Sunday we invited Les and Sarah and their families to join us on zoom. Then Grandma LaDelphia Nunn whispered to Austin one Sunday morning - you haven't kept my grandkids together. Fix it. So Austin started Nunn zoom church with Buck's siblings - we worship with them twice a month. 

Not many of his cousins are active in the church and wanted to join church, so Austin planned a cousin evening zoom just to visit. Almost all of the cousins joined and visited for a couple hours. It was awesome.

I suggested having church with my siblings also. We have Waite church once a month. First, we had it on Easter, then Mother's Day, Father's Day, pre-Pioneer Day, etc. 

Meeting over zoom is not as good as meeting in person, but we are thankful for the technology that we can still gather and share our thoughts and learn together.

We have also had Karma and Steve Albiston, our adopted grandparents in Logan, join us each week. Dixie Bevans has also come over each week to be with us.  Jill and Hanna would often join us, too, from wherever they were.

On the second zoom Sunday, Martha insisted that we come to have it in her basement because there is so much more room. Well, guess what, the sound in their basement is terrible. No one could hear us speak unless we moved right to the computer.

Our stake presidency decided we would have the Sacrament the first and third Sunday each month in our homes. The First Presidency authorized us to have it in our homes under the guidelines of our local leaders. Our leaders decided not to have it every Sunday, since every home doesn't have Priesthood available, and so it just makes it more possible for the ministering brothers to go into those homes twice a month, plus limit the contact of going in other's homes to not spread any viruses. 

Our prophet had prepared us for at-home church. We had recently started two hour church with an emphasis on studying Come, Follow Me with assigned chapters from the scriptures each week at home. We have also been adapting our ministering to more flexible options, so that we can check on each other without the traditional monthly home visits.

Zoom church is entertaining in its own way. We get to watch Katie Nunn dance on the little table
in her living room or crawl across the back of her couch like a lion. She is also the very best chorister to lead the music. We were able to get to know Austin's aunts and uncles so much better. There were also times someone would be in the middle of a prayer and someone's music would start. 

I am the second counselor in Relief Society right now, so I organized it so we could still have Relief Society lessons twice a month. The first couple months we did them on zoom on Sunday afternoon. We had 25 to 40 women join each week. Then when it got warmer we had our lessons outside in someone's yard. That is my favorite. What could be better than having a lesson outside. The Young Women also met at the same time in the same yard. It was so nice to see people again.

Austin organized our stake to have online missionary broadcasts once a month for the missionaries who are coming and going to speak. Austin plans and conducts those meetings and then wipes down the podium and microphone in between each speaker. We have loved being able to hear all of those kids speak too.

The Young Single Adult Ward in Cardston starting meeting in person in the summer, so Hanna would go with Madison Barfuss and Madison Leishman, and then Madison Barfuss left on her mission, and then a few weeks later Madison Leishman left. They would just wear masks until they were seated and then they could take them off. 














Saturday, August 8, 2020

Summer Time

Summer was definitely different this year.
Our original 2020 summer plans included Moroni's Quest, a trip to New York to the Hill Cumorah Pageant, Beehive camp for Carly, PGC basketball camp for Lucy, and a Gwilliam family reunion.
Instead all of that was cancelled.
We rode horses every day and did lots of projects. After our trip to Utah, we had to quarantine for 14 days. We were excited to be able to leave our property after 14 days. We went to Waterton National Park to Red Rock Canyon and Blakiston Falls.

Then we dropped Lucy off at her first day of work at her new job at Akamina Gift Store in Waterton. She did not love it. After the first day, she came home and said, please don't make me go back. But she did and it got better and she survived 6 weeks of work. She got rides with her friends who were working at Big Scoop.


















 We were local tourists and went white water rafting on the St. Mary's River with Kade Romeril as our guide. It was really so fun.







Every night of quarantine, we had a little evening devotional. It was Austin's idea. He put up the lights and we gathered outside every night and shared a thought. It was actually awesome. We each shared a thought each night. 






Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Hanna's Setting Apart

Hanna Jane Nunn

Setting Apart ~ Full-Time Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

August 4, 2020

President Austin Nunn (2nd Counselor in Cardston Alberta West Stake Presidency)

 

Hanna Jane Nunn, by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood and authorized by the Stake President of the Cardston Alberta West Stake, I set you apart as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to serve in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission with a temporary assignment in the Canada Toronto Mission.

I pronounce a blessing upon you as a voice of Heavenly Father.

I bless you…

                To feel the power & strength of this unique opportunity to serve as a full-time representative of the Savior.

                To come to understand that your mission has eternal significance for you and those you teach and who you see enter the waters of baptism

                To be cheered, guided & protected by those on both sides of the veil

                To know that your experiences will prepare you for motherhood and the opportunity to be sealed to your eternal companion

                To come to understand Heavenly Father’s plan for families, repentance, and the atonement of the Savior

                With health & strength – If you serve with your whole heart, mind and strength, you will not suffer of weakness of mind or body

THERE WILL NOT BE ONE DAY THAT YOU WILL NOT BE PREPARED TO WORK BECAUSE OF SICKNESS

To follow the law of obedience & you will have success.

To have love for your companions that will be eternal. As you serve with others, find joy, strength & life lessons from them. Sister missionaries will look to you. They will watch how you act, look & study.

To use your leadership skills that you have developed through focus, hard work, failure & success.

To be a blessing to that people of Toronto and very soon the Dominican Republic.

To have your tongue loosed. You will come to understand Spanish and the love of the language will become part of who you are. You will come to love the culture and the people. People will know of their love for them by your love of their language.

To have courage & be bold.

To know that as you leave home & bid farewell through your faith, all things will be added upon. You will have great success as a missionary and understanding of life when you return.

To continue to build your relationship with those who joined tonight.

To develop your relationship with the Savior. YOU WILL KNOW HIM.

To be looked up to as you have chosen to serve during this time of a pandemic. Others will look to you and your generation.

To pray often and listen to the Spirit.

To BE YOU. BE HANNA JANE NUNN. You are a daughter of a Father in Heaven who knows you and loves you.

To use your gifts and talents, some that have not even been developed yet.

Go forth & serve.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Pre-Message from Dad/President Nunn:

Missionary work began prior to the Savior’s life. Apostles were sent to go two by two. Missionary work is the center of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

D&C 31:3

“Lift up your head and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation.”

The missionaries who taught Hanna’s great grandparents have affected generations.

Blessings will come…

 

Heidi Cranney – We love you. You will be awesome.

Bryn Cranney – Be You

Will – Go to work. Love those people. It’s worth it.

Steve – You and your family have been the greatest blessing of our lives & we love you. Go give it all you got.

Zoom: Jill, Sharon, Diana, Grandpa Randy & Grandma Carol, Les, Sarah, Heidi Cranney, Bryn & Will Cranney

















Hanna's Last Ride

As a set apart missionary, Hanna gets to live the missionary rules, even while she is doing at-home MTC for 6 weeks to learn Spanish.

Missionaries are not supposed to swim or play in water or ride horses. We knew this was coming so Hanna took advantage of every opportunity to ride horses.

A few hours before she was getting set apart, we rode horses in our arena and Lucy, Carly & Hanna goat tied. After that, Hanna climbed on her best friend horse, Lena, bareback and went for a last ride. Tears.

Lena and Hanna have been a team for all of Hanna's years of rodeo. Then Hanna took her to Logan when she went to college so she could compete on her for college rodeo. Hanna and Lena spent so much time together. Then we the pandemic started, Hanna moved her horse to Steve and Karma Albiston's pasture and went there every day to feed her and ride her. She was Hanna's daily companion. 











Saturday, August 1, 2020