Comments:
I retired from CES after 40 years of service in September 1999. At that time we were both serving as Directors of the Salt Lake Inner City Mission which we continued doing until September 2002. At that time we were called as a couple to serve in the Germany Berlin Mission. We served in the District Presidency in the Neubrandenburg District. It seems like every time we are in Germany as missionaries we have something to do with the only remaining district in Germany. While in Munich it was the Nuernburg District and this time the Neubrandenburg District. It was a great experience for the first nine months of our mission. Then in June 2003 we were called by the Area Presidency to begin what is called the Institute Outreach Initiative. With the aging church population in Germany and other countries of Western Europe, it was felt that the way to get young blood into the church would be through the Institutes of Religion. So they had us begin a pilot project with four institutes to see if we could do something. We moved to Berlin and worked with institutes in Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and Copenhagen. It must have been a success as under the direction of Elder L. Tom Perry, who is now the Area President in they Europe Central Area, there are now 20 of these institute centers in operation.
We have been home now over a year and are working two days a week in the Salt Lake Temple as ordinance workers. I was recently called as a Temple Sealer. Sister Lake serves as a docent in the Church Museum and I serve on a Church curriculum committee. I teach the stake missionary preparation classs and Sister Lake is the Ward Choir director, so we keep busy that way.
We still have the five children but we now have twenty grandchildren. Our oldest granddaughter was married on May 28, 2005 in the Portland, Oregon Temple. She and her husband both graduated from BYU Idaho in April 2006. The next one, a grandson just retruned from his mission in the California Long Beach Mission. Another one is a Junior at BYU Provo. Another grandson just received his mission call to the Chile Vina del Mar Mission, reporting to the MTC on Novermber 15, 2006. Yes we are getting older -- having reached the wonderful age of 71. Where did that time go? But we are in good health and are happy. The Gospel is still the motivating force of our lives. We love the Lord and have even stronger testimonies of Him and the prophet Joseph than ever.
We had a wonderful reunion at conference time in April 2005. We wish more of you could have been there. We have sent to each of you an envelope with some papers that you filled out at the beginning and end of your mission if you went home when we were still there. If you have not received your envelope please contact us and we'll see that you get it. We do not have up to date addresses on very many of you. Also please update your information on this website. That would be wonderful.
We hope you are all doing well and are still strong in the faith. Let us hear from you.
With love and best wishes,
President and Sister Bruce M and Patricia G. Lake
April 12, 2010
I just noticed that I haven't updated my profile for a couple of years. Since the last report we have grandson who go married and we now have one great grandson. He is nearly 2 years old and lives in Eugene where his father, our granddaughters husband, is in law school.
We currently have 8 grandchildren attending BYU. One will go on his mission in July. Another one is going to India this summer to work for a non profit and then to Paraguay for the same thing in the fall. We will have another granddaughter enter BYU Provo this fall and one at BYU Idaho. We still have two unmarried retuned missionaries.
Sister Lake and I are still working in the Salt Lake Temple, both as ordinance workers and I as a sealer. We are enjoying that work very much and I particularly enjoy being a sealer. It is a humbling calling to be sure. The sealing authority was given to me by President Thomas S. Monson on August 8, 2006, before he was President of the Church. He spent an entire hour with us and our daughter and her husband. It was a very special hour.
I was released a year ago from my Church Curriculum Committee assignment.
We are well and happy. We look forward to see as many of you as possible at our Reunion next October 1st and 2nd. It will be 24-26 years for most of you. Sister Lake and I came home in July 1987 so it is 23 years ago. My how time flies. We are both 75 years of age but still going strong.
We love you all and pray for you constantly.
Much Love,
President Bruce M. Lake |
