Well.  It has been quite a week.  It began in cold Washington DC and has ended in comfortable Guantanamo (GTMO) Bay, Cuba.  Yes, just like the Utah Jazz, I am making my annual pre-Christmas road trip.  This year's edition has taken me to GTMO.  I was really excited to be able to get in the water here for the first time today.  I rented some snorkeling gear, complete with fins.  I walked out on a rocky ledge and hopped in.  The water temperature was comfortable, and I immediately saw some fish.  Most of them were about six inches long.  I noticed that I was swimming right along the coral reef.  I could see well and enjoyed seeing the sea plants gently blowing back and forth.  Occasionally a burst of bubbles would shimmer and usher me along further into the sea.  As I started to explore the underwater reef kingdom, I noticed many more fish swimming and hiding in the corals.  There were some beautiful blue fish, some with fluorescent blue outlines and one that had a vertical dark blue stripe.  Other nice ones were yellow and gray.  I soon identified one that was about 2.5 feet long.  They definitely noticed my presence and wanted to jet away from me.  It was a very peaceful and surreal experience.  I was a bit concerned about getting some scrapes in the shallow coral areas, and something I brushed up against produced a small rash on my arm but all went well in the end. 

Today I also attended church in GTMO.  There were about 30 people there, a few families, a fully bald branch presidency, and some folks who are here deployed away from their families.  We met in the base chapel annex and it was really nice to be there.  I enjoyed hearing the messages about finding the Christmas spirit and that we should remember what others have done for us, rather than remember what we have done for others.  During the last two hours, we studied the Second Coming, which is something I have been thinking about more recently.  I wonder if this superlative event will happen during my lifetime.  I hope it does!  It was interesting to review the prophecies of Zechariah and Malachi about the Second Coming.  No one greeted me or introduced me or others at the branch, which was a bit surprising.  This is something that is so important in the church. 

Other events this week were Arian and my attendance at my Air Force International Affairs Christmas Party in downtown Washington.  This was a nice event that we enjoyed.  We had fun socializing with our good friends the Simmons family, and introducing Arian to some of my colleagues.  I also got to know my new boss and his wife better (I will start in his division after my assignment to GTMO).  He also told me that I should be the U.S. Air Force liaison officer with the French Air Force, which made me very happy. 

Monday night, we attended a wonderful sopranos concert with our good friend Janell Maeger and Kate Thurgood.  They are both very talented and brought great musicianship, fervor, and spirit to the concert.  Janell brings amazing power, depth, and communication to her performances.  My favorites were _Mary, Did You Know?_ and _I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day_.  The lights at the temple were beautiful and we also enjoyed seeing the various crèches (nativity scenes). 

That's a wrap for now - hope you have a great week!

 Arian and I at my work party

Dive-in point, Windmill Beach, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

What a wonderful time we have had in the Palmyra, New York area the past couple of days.  I have always wanted to come here and it's very fulfilling to be here.  I'll tell some of our stories through pictures on this post.  We feel very blessed to be able to be here and are having a wonderful time.   

On Saturday, July 12th, we attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  Nearly 850 volunteers spend an intense week preparing to put on this annual spectacle.  The show was magnificent.  The Hill Cumorah is a very steep, high hill lending itself to plenty of room to showcase the pageant.  The spectacle depicted 10 major stories from the Book of Mormon, including Christ's visit to the Americas, and concluded with Moroni visiting Joseph Smith to show him where the Book of Mormon plates were buried.  My favorite scene was seeing Christ descend to visit the Nephites and see the people's wonder at seeing Him.  Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life was also spectacular.  Also memorable was that Rebecca and Michaila Riedler, friends of ours from our Rolling Valley Ward in Virginia, performed in the pageant, and saved us great seats for the show.  The picture is a Pre-pageant shot with Lehi and Sam.

Speaking with the pageant performers was tremendous.  For instance, we met a young woman in her twenties who had traveled from the UK to be in the pageant.  She is a convert of 5 years whose family is part Muslim.  She experienced significant opposition in joining the church.  She expressed such a vibrant testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.    

From left to right: courtier; Wicked King Noah; his Chief Priest Amulon; Hill Cumorah pageant crowd member

The church was organized on the Peter Whitmer farm, Fayette, NY

The cabin room where approx. 50 people gathered to organize the Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830

Whitmer log cabin home

Top of Hill Cumorah - Angel Moroni monument

Angel Moroni

E.B. Grandin Printing Press, Palmyra, NY.  It was fascinating and uplifting to visit this printing press where the Book of Mormon was originally published.  The printing press is located in the village of Palmyra, NY, a beautiful little hamlet in upstate New York.  At the printing press, approx. 10 people spent 7 months printing the first copies of the Book of Mormon.  The large "pages" seen here include sets of 16 individual pages that were printed, cut, stitched together, and bound to produce the first Books of Mormon.  The time and effort required to print books in that day were monumental.  The original books sold for $1.50, two days wages during that period. 

Showing how the books were stitched.

Mr. E.B. Grandin, owner of the printing press.  Passed away at the tender age of 39.

The Sacred Grove.  We enjoyed an amazing walk in the Sacred Grove right before dusk.  It was very quiet and peaceful.  You could hear the beautiful birds singing.  The mosquitoes were also active.  There were very few people in the grove.  A sweet, peaceful feeling enveloped each of us as we pondered the amazing events that took place here nearly 200 years ago.    

The Sacred Grove has a unique, sweet spirit to it that is beautiful to experience.