Conference Hymns: No. 3

For our church at home, our pattern has been Fast Sunday, Conference talks, family talks, and then — for the past couple of months — church at church. There is much rejoicing on those Sundays when we don't have to talk!

Conference Hymns: No. 2

No matter how stirring the song, there are many of us on the west coast who would rather not even think about fires at this point!

Sketchbook: Liken our chores unto us

The  plates are said to have been bright, so Moroni must have had some special detergent or something.

Doing the check-in

There have been a lot of adjustments made to the regular church routine as a result of the pandemic. One of my favorites is doing temple recommend interviews over Zoom. But I do like how we can use social media to maintain contact with our ministering families.

Editor's Note: Yeah, this would have been more effective a few months ago, but it still holds true.

Looking for clarification here

It's so hard to develop new relationships these days!

We want a clean game

And wash your hands after every play!

Writings on the wall

Samuel definitely fared better with his experiences on the wall than poor, ol' Humpty Dumpty did!

Say "cheesy"

I think every mission has an elder like this — the one who is subtly (or not-so-subtly) gunning for the office of Assistant to the President!

Which reminds me in a roundabout way (gunning for AP > Elder Blank > Ward Cartoonist) that the Ward Cartoonist has his General Conference Activity Pack available! It's a great resource for families, and on the odd chance that you're meeting with your Sunday School or Primary kids, they'd enjoy it, too!

Sketchbook: Singing, singing all the day

A lot of my sketchbook this past week or so has dealt with smoke and fires. Now that things are settled down a bit, maybe the contents will get a little brighter!

In one ear...

What's on your playlist?

It packs a punch

It's always unnerving when a main dish fights back!

It reminds me of a place we used to get take out from in Gwang Ju.

Praying for rain

With all the fire and smoke we're experiencing on the west coast, we're praying for a little bit of rain!

Now, hold on

What do you do when your kid gets in trouble  while doing school at home? 

Face Face Face Face Time

Sketchbook: Right outside the door

For some reason, by sketchbook has been filled with editorial cartoon-type doodles this week. I don't know if it's due to the smoke and the fires or what.

I liked this one because sometimes we stay huddled in a dark corner, ruminating about all the terrible things going on in the world. If we take a few steps toward the light, we can see that there IS hope "smiling brightly before us" and that, indeed, deliverance is nigh.

As Elder Holland says, "Hope on!"

...and nowhere to go!

It's hard to show off how cute you are on a tiny screen with SeeSaw, Canvas or Zoom!

Time for a recharge?

I'm about ready. How about you?
 

Talking shop

Not going to say a peep about this. Ha!

Exit, stage left

I try to be a bit less pessimistic in my cartoons, but the world is literally burning down around us. Our skies were orange and gray all day yesterday due to the nearby wildfires. Today doesn't look any better. This photo doesn't do it justice.

Stay safe out there!

What's that smell?

Way better than what we've got going here — our valley is filled with smoke from the wildfires. I was glad to be wearing my mask to filter out some of the smoke, at least!

Sketchbook: Temple prep

It's been a loooooong time since I've been able to do a temple session. I look forward to going back!

Somebody lamented the other day that "only about a hundred" temples are open at any level. At the time, I was reading Saints, Vol. 2 where the one, single temple that was open was overrun with saints who wanted to get their endowment before heading west. What a contrast!

Cooking club

A lot of the cooking skills I learned on my mission don't really translate well to real life. Ramen and mayonnaise sandwich? Ketchup pizza?

Yeah, dining out is the way to go.

Situation normal

It's a given that every mission is weird, every missionary is weird. But a good kind of weird.

Putting your best face forward

I just know that there are missionaries all over the world who have already done this!

Their smiles aren't just painted on

I'm pretty sure I brought a lot of healing to the people in my mission.

Just say no.

Apparently some dating apps are a little more forceful than others in allowing users to reject potential suitors.