Dear Grandchildren,
It is the rarity of rarities. What other family has a member who wants to buy a theater? And then acts on her impulse? Then enlists the aid of a bunch of friends and others to help clean and spif up the place, arranging for financing along the way? Then she and her husband work hard to ready the place for an important open house? And days later introduces the first "family friendly" performance on the stage, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown"? (And she had no idea that her Grandpa Brown had at one time been known as Charlie Brown when he was a student in California?) Bravo, Nashelle! We could not be prouder and happier for you! A tour de force.
All of last week, it seems, was aimed at the past weekend. We had to prepare. Grandma was getting ready to interview a few pioneers, one in Istanbul and another two in Gaziantep. I was getting ready for a fireside in Istanbul and a series of events tied to our planned district conference next month. Then came the days.
We flew to Istanbul on Friday where we met other SVs, Grandma going initially to get her feet upgraded and I to visit a couple of hotels to see their meeting spaces. Why hotels? Because we don't have any space big enough among our meeting facilities in the country. We don't expect a huge crowd -- perhaps 140 or so. But it will be big enough to cause us to plan well. (Isn't that exciting to learn about? It is for me because I have been leading the discussions on the planned conference in Turkey and -- can you believe it? -- for some of what we will do in Kazakhstan.)
Our travel and rest day was Saturday which ended with us hosting the branch president and his wife and two daughters for dinner in Gaziantep at a very busy restaurant.
Sunday was a different experience. Grandma and I were on the proverbial hot spot. In the sacrament meeting, she talked about patriarchal blessings, a timely subject in light of the fact that at least seven members of the branch had received such a blessing fewer than two weeks ago. She did a really nice job. Then it was my turn.
I had toyed with a talk on how Joseph Smith kept the plates safe during the last months of 1827, after receiving them from the Angel Moroni and before going off to Emma's parents' home in December so that he could begin to work at a translation. During those months it was a tremendous job to keep the plates hidden and to keep all the people at bay who wanted a peek at the plates, including his own family. (I did learn that his sister Catherine was the first person to heft the plates besides her older brother.)
But Grandma urged me to tell a simple story. So I went with the tried and true story of Jeremiah and his crisis of faith when the huge Scythian Calvary came toward Jerusalem in seeming fulfillment of his prophetic message that a force from the north would sweep down upon the city and punish it for its sins.
And then it was my turn to teach a Sunday School lesson on preparing for the temple, which many branch members are doing. I asked a lot of questions and most answers came from the youth from ten to twenty years of age. (You see the ten-year old in the accompanying photograph.)
Tomorrow we head toward Istanbul again for an important meeting before swinging south to our fair city again where we will do some wash before heading out to see some members of our branch who live a far distance from us. All part of a week's work, right?
I love you and pray for each of you.
Grandpa Brown
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