April on the Mission

To All our friends and Family

March flew by and April even faster. We so enjoyed starting out with General Conference. We so appreciate this gift from the Lord, to hear the words of our prophet and Apostles.

Spent some of April in AZ with Sister Randall’s family for the passing of her father and the birth of our 13th grandchild, who was born the very day Dad Bevell passed away. It was a tender mercy Because Sister Randall was able to spend the last couple of good days with her Dad before he slipped away and also help our Natalie for a few days before the funeral, since this is her 4th Caesarean birth. It was so nice to see our home looking so clean and lovely with the good care of those making it their home now.

We were glad to get back to the Deseret Ranch and it felt like we’d come “Home”. So we must be in the right place and still have much work to do on this mission. When we returned, we first noticed how green everything is now that the warm weather is coming. The Floridians are still warning is of the excruciating heat/humidity factor that we’ve yet to experience. But so far, I have not minded a bit and it’s getting in the nineties. Our AZ blood is pretty heat resistant and as far as the humidity. our AZ skin is so dehydrated, I think it would take years to rehydrate us to the point of an uncomfortable sweat. We did notice how much we missed all the wildlife, the birds, and the cattle while we were away. It is so soothing to wake to the birds singing in the morning and being lulled to sleep at night by the frogs singsong droning. And the cattle are always so fun to watch and it tickles us to notice that they feel the same about us and always stop what they are doing to watch us pass by.

Elder Randall is enjoying teaching Cub Scouts and Primary. He is expanding the culinary horizons of the scouts while working on their forestry skills award. They’ve feasted on elk steaks and beef sweet breads as part of their activities. The Pinewood Derby was a great success and Elder Randall made the trophies from Sweet Gum tree branches and oak wood scraps in the housing shop. He taught a lesson on Rebecca at the Well during Primary by taking his class to the pond out back to have everyone experience hauling enough water in a bucket to fill a trough for one camel (30 gallons). With the boys on Gator Watch, the girls had no problem hauling the water.

These pretty ranch girls are tough, much like Rebecca of old.

 

Sister Randall attended early morning seminary (5:00 a.m.!) for the first time here on the ranch at the request of the instructor (Sister Jacobsen). She remarked: “Wow! What a way to armor up in the morning. It was sooo hard to get there, but the rest of the day I felt so fortified!"  She was also so impressed with all the students and their wisdom and enthusiasm for the scriptures and their love of the Lord and desire to do right—even if it means standing alone. What great kids we have here on the Ranch!”

We are continuing to take all opportunities to fellowship and friendship along with our regular service duties. How we are growing to love the people of the ranch and the surrounding communities. We also love serving as ordinance workers each week at the Orlando Temple.
May this find you and yours doing well, we pray. Elder and Sister Randall

Love, Elder Randall & Sister Randall

(Sister Randall’s Reminiscings)

We want to thank all for helping us serve our mission here at Deseret Ranch. We love all of you and are sooo grateful!

After a quick trip to AZ for the passing of my father and helping care for our Natalie who gave Cesarean birth to our 13th grandchild, Caleb John Bowman, we are glad to be back in the saddle! It was great to see family and be there to help and be a part of all the gathering and memory building. I am still amazed at the Lord’s generosity with His tender mercies! A couple of months ago, Dad and I were discussing his passing, and he was feeling so ready to go and get busy again on the other side with whatever mission the Lord had for him there. “I just can’t figure out how to die!” He commiserated. I had mentioned to Dad that it would be a blessing to our Natalie for him to wait to pass away close to the birth of this little one, so I could help with both events. Daddy agreed, but was anxious to depart and move on to better things on the other side. I couldn’t blame him since he was in the last stages of this debilitating disease! So we did just what we could do; left it in the Lord’s hands.

As the time grew closer I became a bit anxious that I would miss seeing my father one last time and I might even miss the birth if the timing wasn’t right. I tried to resign my attitude to accept that possibility. One morning I brought up my concerns to Richard and told him I’d decided to just go and take my chances. He said that the night before, he’d been thinking the same thing and was thinking the next Friday was a good time, but then the thought came that Thursday would be better.. I’d had the same quiet impression in the Temple the week before. So we accepted those quiet impressions as inspiration and moved forward with plans. Clayton, our generous nephew arranged stand-by tickets for me to fly home. I arrived Thursday Morning and was able to have a joyful, teary-eyed reunion with Daddy both of us rejoicing in seeing each other one last time in this life. I spent the day close to his bedside, helping care for his physical needs. These are my cherished memories of being able to serve my father who has spent my lifetime serving me. The next day he was quite a bit worse and couldn’t communicate much at all.

I left Saturday to help Natalie prepare. Our sweet grandson was scheduled to arrive Monday morning, May 19th. All went as planned and it was a joyous occasion, with both the birth and surgery under Dr Tindall’s professional loving care. Dave and I were able to spend a whole hour caring for our newly arrived heaven-sent buddle of love while they finished amazing Nat’s surgery. They couldn’t decide on a name for our sweet boy and we were all casting our votes. We had such fun pampering Natalie later when she arrived.

Later that day, my sister Sheri, who had been at Daddy’s bedside called and said. “He did it Nancy, he died. Just a moment ago, he took his last breath, his heart slowed and he passed away, holding Mom’s hand. I was reading the scriptures to Daddy because it seemed to comfort him. Glen and I and Mom were there. I was reading in 3 Nephi where it talked about how the Nephites gazed up into Heaven and the angels came down and encircled the little ones. And I said ‘and our dear Daddy’, and a moment later He took His last breath.” As she related this on the phone, I felt the most overwhelming feeling of joy including the joy of accomplishment for Dad. He did it! He figured out how! He had finally accomplished what he’d been waiting so long to do and was now free to move forward. And with impeccable timing, thanks to the Lord’s tender mercies!

Nat and Dave decided on the name of “Caleb John”. Dave loves the name “Caleb” after the Caleb of the Old Testament hero “who was of a different spirit” full of unwavering faith against seemingly unbeatable odds, whom the Lord blessed to see the Promised Land for his deserved reward. And then, “John” in honor of my father, John Bevell, another fine hero of our own time and family. How grateful we are to have great heroes in our very own family who we can pattern our lives after also. He carries a great name to live up to and we shall do our parts to help him and all of our grandchildren do just that. “No empty chairs” is my Mom and Dad’s motto and that includes me and mine! (Mama says Dad loved to tell the story of Caleb, it was one of his favorites.) Dave gave a wonderful Family Home Evening explaining the name and the heroic old Testament story in honor of it being Caleb’s first Family Home Evening with his new family. He is in a good place.

An amazing day of coming and going in the family. As I reflect on all of it. I realize that with what we know and understand being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, about the plan of Happiness, pre-mortal life and life after death, it brings this experience of death of a loved one into clear focus. Death does not take them from us, but only brings the reality of another realm very near. Birth is but a passing from God’s pre-mortal kingdom to His earthly kingdom. And Death is but a passing from His earthly kingdom to His next kingdom as real as what I’m experiencing now. We ALL will take these steps and it is all a part of His plan.

I know too that, as our loving caring parent, God is watching over all of us, each one, everywhere, in whatever stage we are in and is very mindful of our daily lives, our comings and goings and is very involved in loving us through each day. He is aware of our hearts desires and our pleadings and groanings as we try to communicate with Him and is quick to grant our righteous desires, if we do our best to live righteously and help Him with His work and trust Him with unwavering faith. As I experience life, and I am faced with the coming and going of loved ones, The reality of these other realms is much more concrete in my awareness and seems very real, very close, almost visible and tangible. Daddy is not lost to us. He is near, happily engaged in the work of the Lord, as usual. He and all who have gone before whom we love and care for, still love and care for us, and even in their business there, play an active part in our lives with guidance and protection and in all the very same ways that count here. For this knowledge, I am most grateful, for it brings me great comfort and peace in the lonely moments when I miss the close proximity of face to face visits, hugs and kisses and good conversation and laughing and crying together. And as I write this something whispers quietly that these things are not lost to us either. I thank the Lord for His amazing goodness that blesses our lives so abundantly, and can turn instantly, a mundane, mortal moment into a enriching, eternally edifying, experience. For all He teaches me and all the ways He cares for me and those I love, I humbly and sincerely thank Him.

Sister Randall

The beautiful Flowering Hyacinth which has taken over the waterways in Florida.  A woman in 1884 bought a plant to put into her pond ( imported from Venesuela.  It soon took over so she took it to the St Johns River and it now covers Florida and is diffucult to erradicate.  You can't walk into the flowers, cause they cover the water and you'll fall through and get eaten by a gator!