Are you Under the Same Harvest Moon?

Remnants of summer remain

 as we fall into step with fall

 Many of our branch friends are engaged in helping with harvest, literally.  

 

 

 With the moon to accompany it!

 

 Figuratively, one of our joys this week was visiting with one of the teachers of a scripture class for high school youth.  After a month of missing, a friendly pair of twins from our branch attended today.  Gratitude attends gathering! 

 

Week's highlight from Dad:  Saturday we supported some friends in a Turlock Stake activity, "Family Rocks," at the Church-owned stake ranch, a property inside the river levy used for camping, fishing, canoeing, and various activities.   

We enjoyed simple old-fashioned canoeing with our "joven" twin friends, and fishing.

 

 

  

Spanish for worm is "gusano"--and we are learning even if the "catch" may be plant-life--we can still smile!

  

 We even did hatchet throwing (beware--Grandma scored twice!)

At the night-time dance festival, Grandma sat near a six-year-old friend whose name matches Val's great grandma (like a star) who asked to learn "I Like to Look for Rainbows." She

loved the youth dancing ("How do I sign up?)

Sunday, we attended a presentation relating "current archaeological knowledge and findings in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Beliz, encouraging all to watch with wonder as archaeologists, with lasers and trowels,  put the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, to the test."

Li DAR  is short for “Light Detection And Ranging” radar.  

Using a revolutionary technology known as LiDAR (short for “Light Detection And Ranging”), scholars digitally removed the tree canopy from aerial images of the now-unpopulated landscape, revealing the ruins of a sprawling ore-Columbian civilization that was far more complex and interconnected than most Maya specialists had supposed.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/maya-laser-lidar-guatemala-pacunam/

 

 

 This ancient drawing says "it came to pass."

Preparing to sit at the feet of prophets in a few days, Grandpa had a dream.  To help strengthen each member of our little branch in their family and life, we are encouraging every one to read from the Book of Mormon every day.  Every day. Every day.  

 Want to join?  It's great protection!

Looking for a way to share our Book of Mormon treasure hunt--Elder Whiting, representing the twelve apostles, invited every missionary to pen a page 

"How do I feel about the Book of Mormon?"

Here is an answer from a grandson who will be baptized soon. 

Writing our answer helped us remember President Nelson's question from April--

What would your life be without this book?

What is your answer?

I posted a beginning of my study...Have fun with yours!! 

Wondering if you are under the same moon--

as we watched tomato harvesters gather, 

(The field is white, and laborers few.)

We saw the sun set tonight by the San Joaquin River...someone painted hues of orange reminding us of you!! 

Praying for your pathways to be straight.  

 Love, 

the Starkeys

That My Family Might Partake

That My Family Might Partake

At Family Night tonight, Lily, Noe, and Yael put pictures of vegetables and fruits on our plates. 

 We looked at, talked about, and smelled yummy foods, but before we ate them—we decided it was time to go--and forgot!

Have you ever forgotten to eat your food?

Then the boys read about some other fruits-- 

there is no law against them—no one can punish you if you use them every day! 

One of Jesus’s helpers named Paul tells us about them.  Instead of being fruits for our body, they are fruits of the spirit! 

Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  

These are fruits you can't just think and talk about--you've got to TRY them out!

Everyone chose a word to “try out” to help make us feel happier.  Which would you pick? 

Lily picked kindness 

(She will be kind to animals.) 

                

   Yael picked love 

and promised to pray every night this week. 

Noe picked joy and also decided to remember his prayers.

  

I picked LONG-SUFFERING, and vowed to finish my letter home.

It is not always easy to keep promises—I remember being little and learning from a poet from near where I lived that: 

“I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep!” 

Oh no!  It is time for bed (and I hear that "temperance" can means not trying to do more than you can!)

Here is a hello from a husband:

"Laurene sent a historical review of  Alva Albert Starkey  [owner of the middle name] connected to our Tom who just turned....well, I would get in trouble if I said what he turned.   But we think it wasn't 19.  What a man, husband, and father! Way to go, son!

Our date highlight.... well actually it was without lights.... isn't she pretty? Well, a little fuzzy.  Another lesson: don't take a picture through a slanted windshield in the dark. The auto-focus system doesn’t like it.  It was a crane or heron, 

      This is what he looked like, only add a crimson sunset

very beautiful in the twilight.   

Friday, we had a lovely dinner with 11 couples with one pair leaving soon. It is awesome to have that many in a mission.  We learned about some good ideas."

   

   This is part of our group.      Our president and his wife grew up in eastern Washington.

 

Sister Mackay's assistant offered us a welcome bed--diminishing a four hour commute into pleasant dreams before joining our branch, next morning, at a favorite Fresno point of reference.

 Cheers to sisters (any resemblance?) 

In green is our prized piano student--mother to a few more of our students and leader to our young women.

Can you tell these two are cousins? (James, remind me of your Jerusalem story of Ephraim being cousins to Benjamin--Ephraim is crowned with blessings--and hooray for red hair!)

Sunday, our friends who live close to Gabby joined our branch to learn, sing, and worship. Our hearts leaped as we dug color crayons and puppies from purse pockets to entertain tiny fingers.

 
Daddy works all night and moving cows and attended after one hour of sleep.  Because he said he would.  Our little branch of maybe forty attending stayed afterward for nearly an hour to welcome them.  Good job, Alonzo.  Good work Crows Landing Spanish branch.  Ducks in a row--chicks were lovingly gathered.

Grateful to celebrate souls who bravely give talks, 

serve as they linger longer, 

 play "Amazing Grace," and

exhibit magical and other skills.

Our neighboring self-described "amond" farm owner added to our joke list. (When I wanted to know what happened to the "L" in almond, he told me it was shaken out of all the nuts before harvest!)

The harvest is great. 

 But the world being "in commotion" is also a truth.

 Tonight, Elder Starkey picked the word "peace." Often, he has all our ducks in a row.  

 

But sometimes from an earthly perspective, everything feels upside down.  

As we left family night, we learned more about cared-for cousins far away -- Azael, Alexia, and Kenen ages 9,7, and 5, who have recently been tragically orphaned in Michoacán. 

Will you please include these children in your prayers?    

  The Lord promised that He would not leave us comfortless (Greek for orphans).

So, we work to bear one another's burdens.  To mourn with them that mourn. 

We have a small taste of weeping that endureth for the night.  And we pray for a piece of joy in the morning.

 Blessings to our friends--hoping to always "do what we said we will."