Betcha

I'll just bet that you can't guess who we saw, what we did, or where we've been lately. You'll never understand why we're here like we did this past week. And I'll betcha that you've never experienced a church meeting like we got to. But, you can bet that I'm going to tell you all about it!

We met with a few more Chaplains. One at Miramar, one at the Brig. Interestingly enough, the timing was perfect. We caught Chaplain Biadog as he was just showing up to his office. (we got our directions all messed up on the way there and arrived later than we had intended to) and go figure, if we had been there earlier, we would have missed him. He's a wonderful Catholic man and has invited us to Easter Morning Mass and breakfast. We would love to go...might have scheduling problem, though. Chaplain Klender just happened to be in the lobby counseling someone and had just a few moments to give us to introduce ourselves. Funny how those things work.

Tried our best to keep them here...

Our baby, Abby turned thirty on March 8. She and Matt decided to drive the California Coast to celebrate. They ended up in San Diego, so we got to spend a day with them. We did something I would never even think to do. We went to a CAT Cafe! The food was lousy, but the cats were cute. We also went to the Midway Museum and went out for a nice birthday dinner. It was one of the first warm days we've had, so it was lovely walking around the harbor.

He's a pretty cool cat!

Last week we went to Naval Base Coronado to see what ships were at harbor. We drove to the end of the Silver Strand and could see Tijuana. With binoculars were could see the border and the temple.

Can you find the Tijuana Temple?

This past Saturday, the skies were beautifully blue, so we decided to drive out to the Naval Air Facility el Centro. That made it an official MRM trip. It just so happened that the Blue Angels were flying in an air show that day. Wow! These pilots and crews are incredible!

Amazing!!

This is a cheater photo taken off the internet. No pics allowed!

Today, Mike was set apart as the 1st Counselor in the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Military Branch. We knew, we just knew, that somehow, someway we'd be involved with young Marines. (actually they are recruits, training to become Marines. The chaplain took us around to some "unaccessible to visitors" areas, to find an accessible restroom (called "heads" in Marine lingo). We got to see some brand new recruits trying to march drill. Poor guys! Their drill instructors were pretty much in their faces. The chaplain is an officer, so should be saluted; but, here he was with a guy in a wheelchair and a woman...they weren't sure what to do. It was pretty cute.

The yellow footprints are what the new guys stand on as soon as they are off of the bus. This is where Mike's military experience started many years ago.

What an amazing experience to attend Sacrament Meeting with the recruits. There we were with young men all dressed in their fatigues, rolled up pants, shirts buttoned to the collars, and noggins freshly shaven. Some as young as seventeen, some returned missionaries, some husbands, some fathers--all willing to serve our country. They are in some intense training, and coming to church is a reprieve for them. Watching them bless and pass the sacrament so reverently and respectfully was very touching. Mike bore his testimony beautifully, then had interviews with the newest recruits. I visited with boys who just needed a listening ear. That's why we're here!! We will continue to work with and support the other wards and stakes, we will still visit families at Miramar, we will do whatever we are asked to do, but, this is where we can REALLY help. We are so grateful to know that HE knows better than we think WE know.

https://www.marines.com/becoming-a-marine/enlisted/training.html
Betcha can't watch these clips and not love them like we do! Semper Fi!