Wednesday, February 5, 2014

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today

There is sunshine in my soul today,
More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my light.

The earthly skies in Canada have been more cloudy than sunny lately, but our souls have been warmed by a heavenly light and love. President Leavitt asked us to read the entire Book of Mormon in January and it chased away any gloom with its message of hope and peace. We found we could listen to the audio version while we went about our routine tasks which don't require much thought. Going straight through rather quickly shines a light on its message and purpose as another Testament of Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world.

The snow is as high as an elephant's eye.


There is music in my soul today...
The Orange Blossom Special rides again as we are right in the middle of the Family Edition: Peter, Pirates and Princesses. The new concert features music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hansel and Gretel, and Peter and the Wolf. After two concerts, we are already seeing more young families in attendance and warm appreciation from children of all ages, including grandparents. Elder Hendrickson does a repeat performance of the Phantom and Elder Call delights everyone with his high-speed rendition of The Orange Blossom Special. Sister Hendrickson is having fun hosting the show with President Leavitt. The show concludes with the beloved hymn, "How Great Thou Art," which always puts sunshine in the soul.

Elder "Sebastian" Raymant and Sister "Ariel" Lee debate the merits of being "Under the Sea"

There is springtime in my soul today...
We have actually seen glimpses of the lawns and patches of sunshine, so we know that springtime can't be too far behind. We also see promise of a rebirth in our ward and our work here in Fredericton as we invite others to leave behind the chill of the world and come into the warmth and assurance of living the Gospel. Our young Elders and Sisters, in the springtime of their lives, bring so much exuberance and love that it feels like spring fever.
Short, but sweet. Sister Vera was only here one transfer, but we and Sister Lewis miss her still.


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There is gladness in my soul today...
We were so glad to witness Sam's baptism via Skype and get a glimpse of our family enjoying the sacred time together.
Sam with his dad on his baptism day. We love Skype!


It was fun to celebrate a birthday here and be reminded of all our friends, here and back home, who fill our lives with gladness.
Sisters Gochnour and Lewis made my day special with a cake and party in a box.
Elders Hunt and Wolsey called and sang me a song and joined the celebration.

Oh, there's sunshine, blessed sunshine
When the peaceful happy moments roll.
When Jesus shows his smiling face,
There's sunshine in the soul.
May His light and love fill your lives with eternal sunshine!

Love,
Elder & Sister Hendrickson, aka Clyde & Norma

Foot "notes"

Chelsi is on tour with the new family special concert, being played by Sister Lee. Violet's owner, Sister Echols is singing several songs, one chipmunk style, and playing percussion .