Are you familiar with the term "Tender Mercies?"  It is a term used a lot here on my mission.  I found it in the Book of Mormon.   “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Ne. 1:20).  It is one of the ways the Lord blesses us to be in the right place and right time (we call it coincidences) for something marvelous to happen.  I have had many tender mercies throughout my life but I thought they were merely coincidences.  Well, Tender Mercies happen all the time for us missionaries and people talk about them all the time.  I had two tender mercies happen to me this week.

On Monday I was walking home from work when I was approaching a major street that I had to cross.  I saw that the light was such that if I hurried I could make it across but I consciously decided to keep my same pace and wait for the night light.  As I stood at the curb a man, woman and child came to the crosswalk.  The woman spotted me and smiled, said "Hi" and then gave me a big hug.  At first I recognized her but couldn't come up with a name.  I said to her "out of context" and she said "Sister Absure."  Of course, she was my Tuesday shift coordinator at the Kansas City Temple.  I had never seen her out of the white temple dress!  What a sweet coincidence and a piece of home.

My second tender mercy occurred on Saturday afternoon when I was doing my laundry.  I had been going back and forth to my apartment waiting for the washer to finish and then the dryer.  The last time I put clothes in the dryer I stayed to fold some dry clothes and decided to wait there for the last of my clothes to dry.  I got into a conversation with a sister waiting on her clothes.  We always ask each other; Where are you from?  How long have you been out?  and Where do you work?  These are the standard questions.  She said she was from Kansas City.  I said "Oh, really!  I am in the Liberty, Missouri Stake."  She said "Oh, I am, too.  Then she looked at me and said "You are one of the three women that President Morgan called in together to ask us to serve a mission.  I thought you looked familiar but I couldn't figure it out."  This had happened over 1 1/2 years ago.  Our stake president had called us to come in on the morning of the dedication of our new stake center across the street from the temple that was still under construction.  President Morgan didn't tell either of us that we were in the same mission.  I guess the Lord wanted us to know each other so He brought us together in His way.  We swapped phone numbers and will meet for lunch soon.  

I read a novel by my favorite LDS author, Anita Stanfield, this week.  It was a slower week for activities in the evening.  I found the book at a Deseret Industries thrift store.  During a conversation between the two main characters the counselor says what I think are important words of wisdom.  I decided to share this on my blog.  Colin and Janna are talking to Sean, who is the counselor. I will quote the author's words for Sean:  "Is it possible to pull out a thread of our lives and not have the whole tapestry become unraveled?  It's okay to look back enough to understand and learn from our mistakes.  But there is no place in this life for regrets, Colin."  "The past can't be changed; it can only help us make a better future.  Janna is stronger than you think.  You are stronger than you think.  Satan has a way of putting pieces together to catch us in traps of tremendous complications.  But God is always stronger, always there, always willing to help us out if we do our part.  I know that with all my heart and soul."  

I would like to echo that with a loud Amen.  I recall the conversation with one of my husband's doctors only a short time after Don died.  The doctor was feeling bad that he had lost his patient.  I remember saying to the doctor that Don and I had a rich full life and that we had no regrets.  That doesn't mean we didn't have hard times because we did but we always learned from them and kept putting one foot in front of another and moved on.  I though of an analogy to this today while I was in church.  The three years prior to becoming Latter-day Saints Don and I were very involved in Square Dancing.  Sometimes we Square danced 6 nights in a row.  There were many square dance clubs in Europe and I think we danced with most of them.  We acted as "angels" during square dance lessons for new students.  I remember the caller telling new dancers that if they messed up just keep moving forward and someone will put you in the right place.  He said whatever you do "Don't look back."  Mess ups occurred all the time in a square but someone always came from behind who was able to get the person on the right track.  Remember what Lot's wife was told when they were told to flee Sodom and Gomorrah.  She was told to not look back.  She did!  We know that the Bible tells us she turned into a pillar of salt.  We need to always look forward, try not to repeat the same mistakes and have no regrets.  Of course, if the mistakes need the repentance process then go through that but then don't wallow in it but move on.


I wanted to post some pictures of my apartment.  I am posting this one for Emma and Amy.  The picture is of "Gramma's house that Emma made for me with the help of her mom, Amy.  Are you surprised that I brought it?  On the table is my Guest book and a pen.  I have had this book since June of 1979.  It is a memory in and of itself.

Steve, are you surprised that I brought my swan?  I bought it in a junk store and Steve took it home after grandchildren playing with it broke it's neck.  Steve did "surgery" and then sanded and varnished it.  I love it.  It reminds me of the swans I saw on Lake Ontario.  I brought the plant from home and it finishes out the memory area.

This is my work area of the living room.  The desk and chair came with the apartment.  Look at all the cords!  My pedigree chart in on the wall.  I don't think you can tell.  One of the pictures is of the farm and the goats.

The picture below shows my patio door and sheer curtains I bought at Ikea.  I love them and I can keep the blind open in the day time.  I have a small balcony that will be lovely when the weather is warmer.

Now we have the couch and recliner where I do my reading.  You see I have all the comforts of home.  The shelf on the wall I brought from home.  It holds some of my "Cherished Teddies" that everyone of my immediate family gave me.  I brought one from each of my children and Don.  They give me comfort and love from my family.

Now you asked what did I do all week.  Well, on Monday we had an hour devotional before work that was inspiring and on Wednesday I did another sealing session in the temple.  On Monday after work I went to a presentation in a home given by a sister who wrote a book on healthy eating.  It was interesting but too much change for me to want to do at this stage of my life.

On Thursday evening we enjoyed a special program to celebrate the birthday of Relief Society.   On Friday another sister drove 3 of us to a huge Chinese buffet.  It was delicious.  I love Chinese!  We had a fun time.  The four of us get along so well.  I am so blessed to have made such good friends.  Saturday 3 of us went to the last day of Rootstech.  It was a three day conference for genealogists and family history researchers.  They had many vendors and displays to browse and learn what is new and available in this very popular industry.  We spent about 4 hours going from one place to another and talking to some very knowledgeable people.  It was inspiring and I look forward to really getting back to my own research.  Well I pray that all has gone well in your lives this week.  I would love to hear from each of you reading my blog.  I did do Facetime with Elizabeth and family on Saturday.  It is such fun getting blown at me kisses from Jonah and Kylie.  I talked to Wade, Kathy and Kris this week, too.  I so miss my children and their families.  Anyone want to come to Salt Lake?  May the Lord bless you and keep you and send down his Tender Mercies on you.  I love you.  Sister Winkie

Liberty, Utah

This has been an incredibly busy week.  It is now 8:56 PM and I just got home to start my blog. I don't know how long I will last before my eyes begin to droop but here goes.




On Monday I started with a great devotional and then on to work my 7.5 hours for my job in Data Quality.  In the evening we had an Activity Group meeting with all the senior sisters and senior couples that all started when I did.  The mission puts us in a Family Home Evening group for the remainder of our mission.  The activity for this meeting is to come up with ideas of things we wanted to do when we get together.  All sorts of things were suggested.  On the 1st of April we will have our first activity and will also finalize some plan for the future months.  We will take turns hosting.  Of course we always have food at these events and Monday was no exception.  There was way too much!  Tummy's were all full when we went home and some people took leftovers.

On Tuesday I went to Sonic with Sister McKnight and did some running around.  Wednesday was my half day to work so in the afternoon I did my laundry and then I attended a 5:00 PM sealing session that my branch organizes.  The temple was very busy.  I had my own great grandparents sealed.  That was special.  A group of us senior sisters went to the Assembly Hall on Thursday.  The speaker was Julie Beck, the former General Relief Society President.  She talked about many experiences she had while traveling around the world visiting Relief Societies in many countries.  Some statistics are that she headed Relief Society which has 6 million members in 175 countries with about 35,000 grassroots organizations.  She told these statistics to a special (high ranking women from Africa) group of women at the United Nations.  She told them we have a "buddy system" where the sisters visit other sisters and find out what they need and then figure out ways to get those things. They were so surprised and impressed at what was done and how effective it is.  She said that because the church is so large and diverse she had to think globally.  She came up with a simple platform of 1) Faith 2) Family and 3) Providing Relief.  Everywhere she went to taught these three themes.

On Friday several of us sisters got together for potluck taco salad and then a movie.  We watched
"The Prince of Persia."  Good thing it was a action movie or we would have all gone to sleep.  We get up so early but we all want to make the very most out of our missions.

There is a couple in my zone who are both in their 80s.  About two years ago Elder McDonald proposed to his wife so he could have a wife to serve a mission.  They had both lost their spouses and he wanted to serve a mission.  They will be released next month and they can't decide where they are going to live.  He wants to go where he is from and she wants to go to her home prior to the mission.  I don't know the details but what I know is that Elder Mc just celebrated his 89th birthday and they are so cute together.  They seem like a long time married couple and it is obvious that they adore each other.  Wow, they wanted to serve so bad at that age and they really are productive.  In fact, Elder Mc is the assistant to the Zone Leader.  Hope I am like that at 87-89.  Come on people who are out there reading my blog - Do you have a burning desire to serve a mission?  Now is the time to prepare.

Saturday morning dawned clear and promising.  The sky was blue and it was warm.  Must have gotten to the 70s but I didn't hear.  I called Sister McKnight to ask if she wanted to take a ride out of the city.  She was game and suggested we drive up to the Ogden Canyon area.  She lived there many years ago and could give directions.  I told here I wished to escape the city for awhile and that I needed to see some wide open spaces.  We parked on a gravel dead end road facing a beautiful mountain with snow capped peaks.  Heavenly Father sure made us a beautiful world.  We watched a Blue Jay in a bush and saw elk up the side of a high hill.  There were some men target shooting and it felt like home.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  That is where I took this week's pictures.

On the way home we stopped at a huge gift shop and lunch place.  It was lovely with lots of greenery and ice cream pallor chairs and tables.  I had a delicious Reuben sandwich in honor of St Patrick's Day.  I was even wearing green!

I am late starting to write this blog because I went to a very special fireside tonight at our chapel.  A brother W. Todd Knowles from the Family History Library was the speaker.  He is a full time employee of the library and is an expert on Jewish genealogies.  He travels the world giving talks and helping Jewish people trace their roots.  It is such a strong instinct to find out where and who you come from.  /The Church has what they call the Knowles Collection and it is full of thousands of Jewish names and families.  I couldn't take very many notes because his presentation went from story to story telling the "tender mercies" or miracles that have occurred during the course of his work.   His interest in genealogy began when he was a young boy and he said he is so grateful that he gets paid for work he would do for free but he needs to make a living for his wife and seven children.

Well, it is getting late and I have to get up early so I must close.  I can't absorb all that I see and hear to write it on paper or the computer.  My mind needs to process for awhile.  I can only say I am so happy that I accepted the call to serve the Lord and that I was so blessed to come to this mission.  I know that the work I do is important and that I am needed.  It is nice to be needed.  I love the Lord and I know he loves all of you.  This work is so important!  Until I write next week I will now say good night.  Please ignore errors as I am too tired to proof.  I love you all and may the Lord pour out his blessings upon you.

Here it is, another Sabbath day.  I just got home from attending "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast.  It was a very special performance for me.  The orchestra was present for the first time since I arrived and their arrangement of "How Firm a Foundation" brought tears to my eyes.  The choir also sang "A Child's Prayer" that was so beautiful.  

Given the fact that today is the first day of daylight savings time the Tabernacle was full.  Even in the balcony.  Every week, before the actual broadcast, an announcer introduces special people - or groups of people who were visiting today.  There was a group from Afghanistan and another military group that were doctors serving on the Hospital Ship that serves 3rd world countries.  Another group were high school students from Alpine, Utah.  That caught my attention because Dylan and Emily Henry, my nephew and niece go to school in Alpine.  They weren't among the students and it seems the youth were honored there today because they had put their papers in for missions.  Dylan and Emily aren't old enough for missions yet.

Sister Winkie standing outside the Bountiful Temple

Last Wednesday I attending a session at the Salt Lake Temple and yesterday Sister McKnight and I drove to Bountiful to attend a session there.  It is a beautiful temple.  It was really busy with a full parking lot and lots of people everywhere.  There was a wedding party taking pictures when we came outside. As you can see it was fairly warm but still lots of snow to melt. 

Back to highlights of today.  After hearing the Tabernacle Choir we went home for a few hours then  walked back for our church meeting.  Of course everything was inspirational.  The Relief Society had an excellent teacher.  Church finished at four and we went home but at 5:30 Sister McKnight and I met to walk over to the Tabernacle for the Salt Lake Interfaith Round table.  It was a interfaith Musical Tribute by many groups of adults and children that performed..There were Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Christian, Balinese Hinduism and Scots playing Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.  It was an excellent program that I enjoyed very much.  At the end all the children lined up across the stage and they and the audience sang "Let There be Peace on Earth."  It ends with "To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.  Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."  Good words for us all to live!

To the left is the Salt Lake Children's Choir and at the bottom is the grand finale.  To the right is the Balinese Hinduism special guest dancer.  It was so good.

I thought I would walk you all through my week day.  I leave my apartment about 7:15 AM to walk to the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  On Mondays we begin the work week with a mission wide devotional.  It is in the chapel on the mezzanine floor of the building.  It is a very beautiful chapel and I enjoy just sitting there and partaking of the spirit of so many senior missionaries and young elders who are serving in our mission.  There is music with a sisters choir that perform some special pieces.  We then have 8-10 speakers each Monday.  All the missionaries are informed when they first come out that they will eventually be called upon to give a 3 minute presentation on their life.  It is hard to condense your life in 3 minutes so all the talks are well prepared and moving.  They are given plenty of notice for when they will speak.  I will get my turn in a few months.  The devotional lasts for one hour and then everyone goes on to the various buildings on Temple Square.   Missionaries are assigned to the The Church History Library, The Church Office Building, The Family History Library, The Vaults in the Granite Mountain and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (JSMB).  I work on the 6th floor so I don't have to bundle up to go outside to walk to my work place.  Everyone is excited and happy to be in the mission and to have meaningful work to do.  I know I am!

So for the rest of my week (Tuesday through Friday) I just go up to the 6th floor and enter a security door to the side of the building where I will spend my day.  I go to my desk and open my computer and the various programs I will use during the day.  At 8:00 AM we all gather in a conference room for a prayer meeting.  We (being the missionaries and staff of the Data Quality Zone) have a nickname as being the "happiest zone
in the world."  I think we have about 50 missionaries in our zone.  One of the senior sisters wrote a poem about our zone.  Perhaps I will put it on my blog sometime.  In the prayer meeting we all take turns giving an inspirational thought and prayer.  We sing a hymn with a sister playing a little table top keyboard.  Announcements are given and a light thought is given that always makes everyone laugh.  That is a wonderful way to start the day.  When we are dismissed it is off to work we go...

View of the mountains standing at the Bountiful Temple

I have an hour for lunch and I usually take mine from home and eat in the lower level of the JSMB where there are a lot of tables/chairs and lively conversation.  There are some vending machines, 2 microwaves and other helpful supplies for those eating there.  Occasionally I go to the Church Office Building (COB) and eat in the cafeteria.  It is very nicely laid out with many choices.  Much like a cafeteria in a large hospital.  There is a grand piano in the cafeteria and President Klopfer (my branch president) plays the piano EVERY day during the lunch hour.  He plays a huge variety of music including oldies, show tunes, movie sound tracks and everything that is good and wholesome.  I love to hear him play.  The ground floor of the JSMB also has a grand piano and there are always a variety of people playing it during lunch time and at the close of the day.  The atmosphere it creates is peaceful and comforting.  I have always loved to hear the piano so this is a added bonus for me.  You are all probably wondering what I do at the computer all day. It is confidential work so I can't talk about any part of it.  Temple Square always has a lot of activity going on.  The spring flowers are beginning to peep through the soil.  We saw some purple crocuses braving the winter and lots more leaves popping through.  Today is a beautiful day with blue skies and bright sunshine.  It was cool walking to the Tabernacle but it is fore casted to be in the 50s before the end of the day.  My friend said it was supposed to be in the 60s all next week.  Well that is all for now.  I pray for you all and miss you but I would not want to be anywhere else on earth.  I love you.  Thanks for the letters and cards.  I especially loved the drawings of Reanna and her girls.  Thank you so much!

It is difficult to believe that I have already been out on my mission for a month.  The time has just slipped by so fast.  On Friday I finished my two weeks of training in the Data Quality Zone and had my one on one interview with my zone leader.  Elder and Sister Roberts are from Iowa and are so kind and helpful.  The DQ Zone is called the "Happy Zone" and it truly is happy.  Elder Roberts gave me a card signed by Thomas S. Monson, with my full name typed on it,  I have "been duly called and set apart as a missionary of the Church and as such has authority to preach the principles of the gospel."  The work, for me, is very challenging and every case is like trying to solve a 1,000 piece jig saw puzzle but it is so satisfying when I am able to resolve the problems that the patrons have on FamilySearch and Family Tree.  My trainer, Sister Bignell, is from Australia and is so helpful and patient.  She offered to come to my apartment on Saturday to tutor me on Family Tree.  I won't be able to take a formal class in it until sometime in April but I need to understand it to help patrons as well as do my own family history.  Sister Bignell did come on Saturday and guided me on Family Tree for 4 hours.  On Wednesday I uploaded my own genealogy that I have been doing since 1976 on Family Tree Maker onto Ancestry.com.  The Barbara Winkie Tree is now there for the whole world to see.  There are over 1100 names and over 300 marriages.

Saturday evening we enjoyed the Saturday Night session of Stake conference at the stake center.  I am in the Ensign Stake which is called the Center Stake of Zion.  Of course, I know that I live and have my home in the "other Zion." and that my home stake, Liberty Missouri Stake, had their conference this weekend, too.  Our stake presidency here was released and a new presidency was sustained today.  We had Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the First Quorum of the Seventy and Elder Gary Crittendon of the Seventy as visiting authorities.  The first speaker was a sister who spoke on her experiences of being called with her husband to serve in the newly formed Palmer Court Branch.  It seems that Palmer Court is a place where chronically homeless and mentally challenged persons live.  To qualify the person has to have been homeless for at least 700 days.  I can't imagine being homeless for almost two years.  The sister told about taking  individual Christmas gifts to the rooms of the residents.  They each received their own homemade quilt.  It touched my heart as she told of what the experience meant to her and to the homeless persons.  There are 110 men and 47 women living in Palmer Court.  Many have never experienced any church before.  There are no rules or regulations for one of the homeless to attend church.  They are welcomed and loved unconditionally.  I had a special interest in this talk as I did a semester in college studying the homeless and their issues.  While in Korea I had a profound experience regarding a beggar woman and her two children that changed the direction of my life.

During the Saturday evening session I especially enjoyed Sister Kopischke's talk and her enthusiasm for life and the gospel.  She was so uplifting.  Elder Kopischke was a wonderful speaker both Saturday and Sunday.  No space here to elaborate with my notes but just know that I know it was truly inspirational to call him as a general authority.  Look for him as a speaker!  Oh, I forgot to tell you that our Sunday session of Stake Conference was held in the Tabernacle.  If I was a singer I could have been in the stake choir and sat in a seat the Mormon Tabernacle choir sit in.

This has been a fabulous Sabbath day.  It started out by walking to the Tabernacle to hear and see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform "Music and the Spoken Word."  This is their 109th year of performing on radio and then radio and TV.  They welcomed special visitors from Israel, Libia and a large group from China.  They sang a piece called "Gift from Him" words by Doug Stewart and music by Sam Cardon and Kurt Bestor.  It was so very beautiful.
At the very end they turned to the audience and sang "God Be With You Til We Meet Again."  I believe they do that every week.  It is a nice closing.


The picture to the left was taken last week after Relief Society was over.  It is held in a room on the main floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  This is only one of several beautiful chandeliers in the room.  Notice the grand piano on a small raised stage.  The room is full for our RS session.  The sisters in the picture at the top of the blog are three of the sisters who were in my first training group.  The sister wearing red is Sister McKnight. I will talk about her often as we really hit it off right away and we do a lot of things together when we have time off.  We don't work in the same building so we aren't walking together much anymore.

I have posted this picture of my bulletin board at home to highlight my beautiful, wonderful grandchildren.  I love them all so much and miss them.  Please kids, have your parents send me current pictures and Facetime or Skype me.  I did enjoy a wonderful visit on Facetime with Elizabeth, Ryan, Kylie, Jonah and Noah a few days ago.  Tomorrow I am going to listen to a talk by my Branch President, President Klopfer, who will talk on his experiences being a Latter-day Saint in Germany during WWII.  I will tell about that next week.