Caldwell
Caldwell is a small town bordering on Nampa with two main one way streets - Blaine and Cleveland. When reaching Nampa, Cleveland becomes Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard. After going a short way on this boulevard, you benefit from many familiar stores such as Walmart, Costco, Winco, Penney's, etc., etc.
A Mexican Restaurant in Caldwell called Janitzio's serves mouth watering dishes! Janitzio is an island on a man made lake in Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The owner's parents would bring her there on picnics when she was a child.
Our Neighborhood
Our apartment complex was intricately designed so that the five units are tucked away in a manner that each appears to be a separate little home. Our apartment is spacious (1100 square feet) and has two bedrooms.
The apartment is less than a block from the College of Idaho, a liberal arts college which had Presbyterian origins. The grounds are a beautiful addition to our neighborhood. I like to watch the football team practice in the mornings. When I've come home from my morning walk and try to recreate the football practice moves for Norm, he is not impressed!
The neighborhood consists of older, established homes each with a unique architectual plan. I love these homes probably because many of them remind me of my Nonna's (Italian for Grandmother) home on the ranch. Most of the yards are beautifully landscaped with lots of colorful flowers and also with a mixture of vegetable gardens interspersed among the flowers. The trees are tall seeming to nearly reach the sky and the best part of all is that there are many pines, my favorite tree!
It is common here to find antique agricultural equipment as part of the yard decor. Also, many of the mailbox posts are anchored in an old milk can most likely because of the large dairies nearby.
Beyond Caldwell
Beyond Caldwell's city limits, there is acre after acre of farm land. In this area are the additional towns of Homedale, Greenleaf, Marsing, and Wilder to name a few.
The crops include hops, sugar beets, corn (sweet, feed, seed), alfalfa, wheat, etc . Orchards include apples, pears, peaches, plums,and cherries. There are vineyards and wineries. This area is called the Snake Valley Wine Region. Bee boxes, dairies, cattle, horses (rodeos are big here) abound. The terrain is sloping so that one can see farm after farm in the distance all the way to the horizon which borders on mountains. It's very scenic. The Owyhee Mountains are very close. We haven't explored them yet, but they're on our list to visit.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Our First Week in Caldwell
Our first assignment is to labor in the Caldwell Idaho Stake. During our first week, we organized our apartment, supplied it, got acquainted with our stake president, President Christensen, and jumped in with both feet and began visiting people.
Our First Zone Conference
We attended our first quarterly zone conference. We also acquainted ourselves with our required weekly and monthly missionary meetings.
Wow! Are we going to be BUSY! Is this why they call us FULLTIME missionaries?
A great mission is difficult, but we stretch, reach, and grow. The Lord is in the details of the work.
Inspirational Thoughts
Patience
Patience is the ability to put our desires on hold for awhile.
Patience is actively working toward our goal without getting discouraged.
Patience is working and exercising faith.
Patience is not just enduring passively; it's enduring well.
Humility
Humility is positive and involves strength.
Humility is the willingness to submit our will to the Father.
Humility includes gratitude for blessings, acknowledgement of God's help, power, and mercy.
Our first assignment is to labor in the Caldwell Idaho Stake. During our first week, we organized our apartment, supplied it, got acquainted with our stake president, President Christensen, and jumped in with both feet and began visiting people.
Our First Zone Conference
We attended our first quarterly zone conference. We also acquainted ourselves with our required weekly and monthly missionary meetings.
Wow! Are we going to be BUSY! Is this why they call us FULLTIME missionaries?
A great mission is difficult, but we stretch, reach, and grow. The Lord is in the details of the work.
Inspirational Thoughts
Patience
Patience is the ability to put our desires on hold for awhile.
Patience is actively working toward our goal without getting discouraged.
Patience is working and exercising faith.
Patience is not just enduring passively; it's enduring well.
Humility
Humility is positive and involves strength.
Humility is the willingness to submit our will to the Father.
Humility includes gratitude for blessings, acknowledgement of God's help, power, and mercy.
World Map at Missioary Training Center
Here we are at the MTC in front of the world map where most missioaries have their pictures taken!
We're headed all the way to Nampa, Idaho which is practically six hours from our home on the nose!Missionary Training Center
Our week of training brought us in contact with people from different states going to various and sundry destinations home and abroad! Many individuals with physical difficulties such as legal blindness, multiple sclerosis, wheelchair and walker bound, etc. were still willing to serve. It was very inspiring. One person had a heart attack while at the MTC! He and his wife made the decision to stay. They are serving locally until the doctors think he is sufficiently recovered to go to their mission destination.
Largest Group of Senior Missionaries to Enter the MTC
We are so happy to be a part of the largest group of Senior Missionaries to ever enter the MTC! What an exciting thing! We are hoping this number is exceeded in the very near future! There were 128 of us. We will be adding a group picture soon.
Nampa Idaho Mission Welcome
We received a gracious welcome from our mission president, President Cannon and his wife. After spending the night at the mission home and enjoying a delicious breakfast, President Cannon oriented us at the mission home, took us on a tour of the mission office, and took us to our apartment. It is an older, quite large, (1100 square feet) very attractive apartment which even includes a washer and dryer.
Our High Council Missionary Representative, Brother Miller, and his wife gave us a brief orientation of the Caldwell Stake which is where we will be serving. They took us to lunch and then on a driving tour of the stake. We couldn't have a better, proactive, and dedicated advocate than Brother Miller. We are so happy to be working with him.
First Senior Missionary Couple to be Serving in the Caldwell Stake
When we met today with President Christensen, the Caldwell Idaho Stake President, he welcomed us and said we were the first senior missionary couple to serve in the Caldwell Stake! He also said that we were the answer to his prayer as there are a great many people who need help in this stake. We've got our work shoes on and are ready to go!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Missionary Training Center
Our week of training brought us in contact with people from different states going to various and sundry destinations home and abroad! Many individuals with physical difficulties such as legal blindness, multiple sclerosis, wheelchair and walker bound, etc. were still willing to serve. It was very inspiring. One person had a heart attack while at the MTC! He and his wife made the decision to stay. They are serving locally until the doctors think he is sufficiently recovered to go to their mission destination.
Largest Group of Senior Missionaries to Enter the MTC
We are so happy to be a part ofthe largest group of Senior Missionaries to ever enter the MTC! What an exciting thing to be a part of! We are hoping this number is exceeded in the very near future! There were 128 of us. We will be adding a group picture soon.
Nampa Idaho Mission Welcome
We received a gracious welcome from our mission president, President Cannon and his wife. After spending the night at the mission home and enjoying a delicious breakfast, President Cannon oriented us at the mission home, took us on a tour of the mission office, and took us to our apartment. It is an older, quite large, (1100 square feet) very attractive apartment which even includes a washer and dryer.
Our High Council Missionary Representative, Brother Miller, and his wife gave us a brief orientation of the Caldwell Stake which is where we will be serving. They took us to lunch and then on a driving tour of the stake. We couldn't have a better, proactive, and dedicated advocate than Brother Miller. We are so happy to be working with him.
First Senior Missionary Couple to be Serving in the Caldwell Stake
When we met today with President Christensen, the Caldwell Idaho Stake President, he welcomed us and said we were the first senior missionary couple to serve in the Caldwell Stake! He also said that we were the answer to his prayer as there are a great many people who need help in this stake. We've got our work shoes on and are ready to go!
Our week of training brought us in contact with people from different states going to various and sundry destinations home and abroad! Many individuals with physical difficulties such as legal blindness, multiple sclerosis, wheelchair and walker bound, etc. were still willing to serve. It was very inspiring. One person had a heart attack while at the MTC! He and his wife made the decision to stay. They are serving locally until the doctors think he is sufficiently recovered to go to their mission destination.
Largest Group of Senior Missionaries to Enter the MTC
We are so happy to be a part ofthe largest group of Senior Missionaries to ever enter the MTC! What an exciting thing to be a part of! We are hoping this number is exceeded in the very near future! There were 128 of us. We will be adding a group picture soon.
Nampa Idaho Mission Welcome
We received a gracious welcome from our mission president, President Cannon and his wife. After spending the night at the mission home and enjoying a delicious breakfast, President Cannon oriented us at the mission home, took us on a tour of the mission office, and took us to our apartment. It is an older, quite large, (1100 square feet) very attractive apartment which even includes a washer and dryer.
Our High Council Missionary Representative, Brother Miller, and his wife gave us a brief orientation of the Caldwell Stake which is where we will be serving. They took us to lunch and then on a driving tour of the stake. We couldn't have a better, proactive, and dedicated advocate than Brother Miller. We are so happy to be working with him.
First Senior Missionary Couple to be Serving in the Caldwell Stake
When we met today with President Christensen, the Caldwell Idaho Stake President, he welcomed us and said we were the first senior missionary couple to serve in the Caldwell Stake! He also said that we were the answer to his prayer as there are a great many people who need help in this stake. We've got our work shoes on and are ready to go!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Setting Apart
On Sunday, August 4th, our stake president, President Pope, set us apart as full time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The blessings and promises given pave the way for us to be effective missionaries.
First Day at the Missionary Training Center
Today, our first day at the MTC, was one of registration, orientation, and inspiration. Meeting and becoming acquainted with our fellow missionaries was an amazing experience. Our group of senior missionaries is the largest group of senior missionaries to enter the MTC at the same time!
Norm and I decided to eat our lunches and dinners at the MTC for convenience sake as they are very inexpensive. After dinner tonight, we checked out the many missionary related pictures and paintings. They were so inspiring that it gave us a whole new perspective on our purpose in spreading the gospel. We are so happy to be a part of this great work.
The Blog's Purpose
This blog will chart our activities in the Idaho Nampa Mission as we work to serve others. Geographically, the mission boundaries include western Idaho and eastern Oregon. We have been called to serve our Heavenly Father and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. At the same time, we are called to serve, particularly at this time, the individuals of this area. We realize that while we are serving, our children, grandchildren, and all other family members will receive great blessings.
Laus Deo
The Latin words "Laus Deo" mean "For the Praise of God." Each and every day of our mission we will work to give God the glory, honor, and praise due to Him.
Our Work Shoes
It has been said, "If you want to leave your footprints in the sands of time, wear your work shoes!" Well, we do want to leave our footprints in the sands of time so we are putting on our work shoes and heading to Idaho this coming Friday!
Dedicated Effort in Mortality to Attain Eternal Life
We have to work and make a focused, consistent, dedicated effort in mortality to attain eternal life.
While others may tire
Or quit in despair,
Or feel as if failure
Is too hard to bear -
We will keep going,
Put failures aside.
If we can't keep up
Then we'll lengthen our stride.
We've made up our minds
Set our sight on a quest,
Though many have tried,
Few gave it their best,
Trying our hardest
Is what makes us great,
Desire and determination,
Not fortune and fate.
On Sunday, August 4th, our stake president, President Pope, set us apart as full time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The blessings and promises given pave the way for us to be effective missionaries.
First Day at the Missionary Training Center
Today, our first day at the MTC, was one of registration, orientation, and inspiration. Meeting and becoming acquainted with our fellow missionaries was an amazing experience. Our group of senior missionaries is the largest group of senior missionaries to enter the MTC at the same time!
Norm and I decided to eat our lunches and dinners at the MTC for convenience sake as they are very inexpensive. After dinner tonight, we checked out the many missionary related pictures and paintings. They were so inspiring that it gave us a whole new perspective on our purpose in spreading the gospel. We are so happy to be a part of this great work.
The Blog's Purpose
This blog will chart our activities in the Idaho Nampa Mission as we work to serve others. Geographically, the mission boundaries include western Idaho and eastern Oregon. We have been called to serve our Heavenly Father and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. At the same time, we are called to serve, particularly at this time, the individuals of this area. We realize that while we are serving, our children, grandchildren, and all other family members will receive great blessings.
Laus Deo
The Latin words "Laus Deo" mean "For the Praise of God." Each and every day of our mission we will work to give God the glory, honor, and praise due to Him.
Our Work Shoes
It has been said, "If you want to leave your footprints in the sands of time, wear your work shoes!" Well, we do want to leave our footprints in the sands of time so we are putting on our work shoes and heading to Idaho this coming Friday!
Dedicated Effort in Mortality to Attain Eternal Life
We have to work and make a focused, consistent, dedicated effort in mortality to attain eternal life.
While others may tire
Or quit in despair,
Or feel as if failure
Is too hard to bear -
We will keep going,
Put failures aside.
If we can't keep up
Then we'll lengthen our stride.
We've made up our minds
Set our sight on a quest,
Though many have tried,
Few gave it their best,
Trying our hardest
Is what makes us great,
Desire and determination,
Not fortune and fate.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Welcome to Norm and Christine Masters' Blog
Welcome to our new blog! You can visit anytime for updates on our whereabouts and activities!
Missionary Training Center
On Monday, August 5th, which is three days from now, we'll enter the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah! Our time slot for reporting is 10:20 to 10:40 because of the abundance of missionaries arriving. We will be at the MTC for one week with a schedule of 8 to 4:30 pm. Our last day, Friday, August 9th, we'll finish at 3:30 pm. At that point, we'll grab a quick bite to eat and get on the road to Nampa, Idaho where the Mission Home is located. It's an approximately six hour drive. The Mission President and his wife will stay up awaiting our arrival and we will spend our first night there. Who knows what will happen after that!
Welcome to our new blog! You can visit anytime for updates on our whereabouts and activities!
Missionary Training Center
On Monday, August 5th, which is three days from now, we'll enter the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah! Our time slot for reporting is 10:20 to 10:40 because of the abundance of missionaries arriving. We will be at the MTC for one week with a schedule of 8 to 4:30 pm. Our last day, Friday, August 9th, we'll finish at 3:30 pm. At that point, we'll grab a quick bite to eat and get on the road to Nampa, Idaho where the Mission Home is located. It's an approximately six hour drive. The Mission President and his wife will stay up awaiting our arrival and we will spend our first night there. Who knows what will happen after that!
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