WE GO TO CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE

Dear Family,

On Sunday, Becky Christensen, our former great sister missionary who works in Newton Center, picked us up at our hotel and brought us to church.  She did a lot  for us while we were in Boston.  I called her before our trip  and mentioned we wold be in Boston and she started calling around and even arranged for me to give a Fireside in the Cambridge Stake.  She did so much for us.

What surprised uswaswho would get out of the car to greet  us at the hotel.  There was Mary Cox, another one of our great sister missionaries who happened to be in Boston.  She is getting a phd in German economic history at Oxford University in England.  She was giving a paper at a convention in Boston. And then there was Jake Geertsen who rode a bus up from New York City to come and visit us. Jake was with us in the mission home. and now has a degree in hospital administration and works in NYC.  So great to see them all and such a surprise. Here we all are in front of the Longfellow Park chapel that was rebuilt after it had totally burned down.

This was the exact site of that great picture of Mom (seen below), age 22, Relief Society President of the Cambridge Ward standing on the steps in front of the chapel on her first Mother's Day, 1961, hooding her carnation and our new little guy, Roy. (who just turned 50).  That was a blast of memory!

We went to our Priesthood meeting and it was so well done, I was impressed.  Then we went to another Singles Ward where Kristin Green, our former Sister Missionary in Vienna, who was teaching the lesson.  It was an invasion of her class but it was so great to be there. There are four singles wards that meet in that building.  The building has a great cry room that our kids still remember.  Cry room in a singles ward?

After church we all went over to Becky's cool apartment in Cambridge.  It was three flights up and I made it to the top.  Kristin rode her bike over there.

It was fun to visit with Mary Cox again and then she had to leave.  All the time Becky was a picture of whirlwind of energy and activity.  She took people everywhere and started a great Italian soup all the while charging about.

Then a second group entered!  And to my complete surprise, there was Dani Sorensen Tew with husband and two cute children.  Then I saw Yannick Adler and his wife and child. He was my German AP who was such a help in the mission home.  He had been informed by his Sister, Carolin, who is teaching in a German school for German nationals in Boston.  It was almost overload of surprise and joy.  They had driven down from Albany and it was so great to see them.

We had a great dinner with a gourmet soup that Becky had prepared with such skill..  It was great and we had such a good visit.  It was the best Sunday and was not over yet! So here we all are; back row: Becky, Jake, Yanick with wife and little girl. Dani's husband with little guy (who played with my Ipad non stop), front row: Kristin, Mom, Me, Dani and another little guy.

Most of that group left and then Becky took us to the new Stake House in Cambridge near MIT where
I gave that Joseph Smith, Nathan Smith fireside.  There we met more old friends; Gail and Laurel Ulrich, Gordon Williams, Kent Bowen, the Elliots, Betty Mandarino and others.  It was so great!!!! The fireside went well but they could not get the computer to project the power point presentation and there in the shadows of MIT.  Mom thought it was alright.

We attended Elder Oaks broadcast fireside.  We visited and talked to everyone and then Becky took us back to the hotel.  It was one of the best Sundays!

Love, Dad and Mom