Family History Mission week 20

Hello all;

This past week we celebrated President Day by working all day.  The Library stayed open to accommodate the Roots Tech visitors. We really were not very busy but still had a good day.  In honor of President's day Sister Dearinger gave a morning spiritual thought with quotes from past President's.

Abraham Lincoln:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

John Adams:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

These were just a few that she quoted. How fit for today when we see so much corruption in our government.  It has been a good week filled with opportunities to assist others with their search for ancestors. Monday evening we welcomed in new missionaries at our bi monthly Aloha dinner.  Stan and Suzi Young were among the new missionaries and continued their Family Search Training this week.  Friday they will receive their assignment with in the mission.  We are anxious to here where they will serve.

 Friday evening we went to the Assembly Hall to hear " American Piano Duo".  Jeffrey Shumway and Del Parkinson played a number of wonderful pieces. My favorites were; Bolero by Ravel and Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky.  We enjoyed all the pieces and just sitting their letting the music envelop us.

On Thursday we did a Temple session at the Jordan River Temple, it brought back fond memories of serving as ordinance workers.  I sat by President Richard Barker, who serves as a sealer in the Temple.  What a great man!  After all these years of us being away from the area, he still remembers us.

As we serve in the Library we must keep reminding ourselves that we are literally the "face" of the Church.  For many this is their first exposure to the Church, therefore we must present a welcoming face.  This brought to mind a poem about your face.  The author is unknown;

You don't have to tell how you live each day;

You don't have to say if you work or you play;

A tried, true barometer serves in the place-

However you live, it will show in your face.

The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart,

Will not stay inside where it first got a start;

For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace-

What you wear in your heart, you wear in your face.

If you life is selfless, it for others you live,

For not what you get, but how much you can give;

If you live close to God in his infinite grace-

You don't have to tell it, it shows in your face.

May we each bear a happy countenance as we go about serving others.  this is wishing everyone a glorious week.

E/S Waller, Chuck & Sharon, Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa

                                                              Plaza behind Church Office Building

                                                                            Hungry Woodpecker

Family History Mission week 19

Dear Family and Friends;

Am I glad this week is over!  We have been involved in Roots Tech week and been extremely busy. I served for 3 days in the cyber cafe helping the conference attendees get onto the computers and logged into Family Search, The conference was well attended and broke last years record.  On Saturday we had upwards of 20,000 people at the conference.

On Friday morning I had the opportunity to sit in on the keynote speaker, Laura Bush.  She did a great job and was interesting to listen to, as she related events of President Bush's term.  She is one lady who has her head on straight.

It was unfortunate that I didn't get to attend any classes, but maybe in the future at another conference.  Sharon did get to come over for a few minutes and see the exhibit hall, but again no classes.  Many of the classes were over booked and people were sitting on the floor or standing.

Wednesday evening we had a missionary appreciation evening at the Conference Center Theater. We had a nice program with a rock band for entertainment.  They sang for about 30 minutes with the high light being their "Corn Dog Song".  The entertainment was then followed by a buffet.  We sat with Elder Hailey and his wife.  He is a service missionary from Centerville. We both have wondered why he is so shy and less talkative. Well we found out as his wife never stopped talking!! It was an enjoyable evening.

Friday evening we attended the BYU Winterfest Ballet performance with Livvy and Calli. It was a Disney theme and the girls got to met some of the dancers. I think by the end of the program they were ready for a break from Ballet.

Saturday evening our social group went to the Theater and watched the Living Legends production by the BYU dancers.  It was a great performance and I think the girls would have like it better than the ballet.

Well so ends another week as we are fast approaching our 1/2 mark in the mission. We are enjoying the time here in the FHL and also the time with family and friends.

Tchau for another week

Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa, E/S Waller, Chuck & Sharon

                                                                                Livvy and Calli at the Ballet

                                                                                  Cyber Cafe Group

Sister Bishaw from Idaho Boise Mission

Family History Library Week 18

Hello to everyone;

The Mission field is a wonderful place.  Each day we meet new people from interesting places around the world. Last Sunday we welcomed Stan and Suzi Young from the Baldwin Park Ward into the mission.  They have been down at the MTC this past week, and start their training here tomorrow. We are looking forward to having them here in the mission.

This week has been a preparation week for the up coming ROOTS TECH conference at the Salt Palace Conference Center.  It is the largest genealogical conference in the world and upwards of 25,000 people are registered to be in attendance.  Sharon has been busy stuffing the welcome bags and I will be helping in the Cyber Cafe for 3 days.  Hopefully we can break away and learn some new tricks.

We were asked this week to help a couple from the Temple Department do some genealogy, Elder and Sister Glenn.  We spent the better part of 2 hours trying to find some ancestors for them, so they could do Temple work.  I have to admit, that there relatives have done a thorough job in genealogy, because there was no one .  They will have to go back to the end lines a start searching, mainly in England.  It was difficult research and we found no new no names.  they did enjoy looking at " Relative Finder.com" and seeing who are their close cousins.

Yesterday I had an appointment up at the VA, which is mainly to keep my eligibility alive.  The PA decided to take care of a few age spots on my face, ouch! I look  a little bruised up. She also froze some spots on my arms and hands, they remain tender today.  It isn't fun getting old!!

The weather has been great here, with temperatures in the mid to upper 50's, we even broke 60 a few days ago.  The bulbs are starting to poke their heads out of the ground, to early.  Well that is it for this week.  Love to all.

Chuck & Sharon, Mom & Dad, Bama & Bampa, E/S Waller

                                                                           Elder & Sister Kirkland from Carry, Idaho

                                                                             Elder & Sister Moulton

                                                                             Sister Waller lookin good!

                                                                                 Sister Teshima from Hawaii

FHL Week 17

Hi everyone;

This has been a good week with a few new genealogical discoveries. I have been feeling the need to search out Uncle Ralph's genealogy of late. So I started looking for the obvious things.  Fo those not familiar with the Uncle Ralph story , here is a brief synopsis.

Ralph was married to Sharon's aunt (aunt Edna) they lived in Portland , Oregon their entire married lives. They had no children, and upon Edna's death we as a family took to visiting Ralph and check on him.  One day I asked Ralph about his ancestors. He said he was Italian. I asked why his name wasn't Italian? " Oh, Ralph isn't my birth name, it was Angelo Shortino!" After much questioning I found out the family story of name changes without any documentation in the early 1920's. In fact the 1920 census shows a partial name change for all the children of his parents.  Ralph's ( Angelo's) mother died when Ralph was but 2 years old and he wasn't even sure of her given name. He thought maybe Mary, since all Italian women were named Mary.  Actually it was Francesca!! It was luck I asked about his heritage and got the story or the family would have been lost because of the name changes.

It has been difficult to find records other than a few census records. So I began searching for the father's death record. Pasquale died in 1917, he was hit by a car while working as a huckster in Kansas City, Missouri. I looked all over for a death record and could find none. Finally I asked for some help with the Libraries staff. Bingo three strokes on the board and their it was, his death record. Plus it listed his parents in Italy. Unfortunately there was no city of birth or residence in Italy. We also looked for Francesca's death record but to no avail. So the next day I continued the search, trying to follow the researchers steps. I found the State site for Death records and typed in the following for Francesca's name; given name FR, surname SC then a year 1910,1911 up popped a list of deaths and their she was Francesca Sciortina!! The death record also had her parents listed. I had earlier found a death record of her daughter Jennie, who said her mothers maiden name was Rosano, but the death record, has her father as Benedetta. WOW, was I excited!! But again no city of birth in Italy, which makes finding a record hard or almost impossible. So I decided to look at the oldest son for Pasquale and Francesca, who was born in Italy before immigration. Immigration records had so far been of no help. So I put in Gaspar's information and I found a Jasper Sciortino draft registration in Kansas City and it listed his birth city as Cetelvatano ( spelling might be wrong). I then applied that birth city to Gaspar's record and searched again, bingo findagrave came through. with both Pasquale and Francesca's burial records, plus Gaspar's younger brother Vito's death record.  A bonaza of records and city of birth for Pasquale!!  This was definitely an Elijah Moment!! More research is need but I now have a foot hold into Italy.

So it has been a good week!! We also welcomed to the mission Elder and Sister Young from our Baldwin Park Ward.  They got moved in and will be heading to the MTC Monday.

I was talking to a researcher and they stated that about 450,000 records are arbitrated every day.  They then become available online.  So if in your research you don't find a document give it a few days or weeks then repeat the search!!

Well must close and prepare for Sunday services.  Love to all.

Bama and Bampa, Chuck and Sharon, E/S Waller, Mom and Dad

                                                              Sister Rawlins and Christensen  form our Hosting Zone

                                     This is the young Elders in our Mision-- a very special addition to the Mission