My Grandma - Part 4

I am writing a bit more about my relationship with my Grandma, Virginia Ann Rasmussen Zobrist. Here is part 1, part 2 and part 3

Sept 16, 2014:
My Uncle Paul picked up Jenny and I at the airport and took us straight to Legacy Assisted Living Center. We spent the next 2 1/2 days there except for short trips to Muff's house for a shower. Grandma didn't seem to recognize us and couldn't say our names. I had brought her a photo book I made of my Grandma Phillips' missionary journal and when I showed it to her, she immediately pointed to the picture on the cover and said, "That's my Grandma!" Some of her long term memory was still there, but the stroke had clearly impacted her.

Grandma didn't have any problem recognizing Cosmo the dog or saying his name.

Jenny and I were not there for a vacation, we were there to help care for Grandma and say goodbye to her. The nights were especially rough as Grandma kept trying to get out of bed, even though she wasn't able to stand. We slept on either side of her, trying to keep her safe.  She was often agitated and called out to unseen visitors. Sometimes she talked to her parents and other times she reached out to someone and talked to someone only she could see.

This was a very difficult time for all of us, but it was also a very special and spiritual experience. It was a chance to care for and serve Grandma. Never before had I been blessed to sit beside my grandma for hours, holding her hand and talking to her. Never before had she looked into my eyes with such love and gratitude.  To be sure, there were some very unpleasant and even funny moments, like when I informed Grandma that she was wearing a diaper and she didn't need to get up to use the bathroom. She gave me a very disgusted look and shook her head at me. Another time I kept moving her hand away from her face because I was afraid she was going to scratch herself. She finally got very frustrated with me and said, "I just need to pick my nose!"  And she did!

Despite Grandma's feeble condition, she still cared about her appearance.  My Aunt Muff was always so good to keep up with Grandma's nail and hair appointments. Since Grandma couldn't make the trip upstairs to the beauty parlor, her friend and former hairdresser Dena came to show us how to wash her hair in bed. This was an act of love as Dena was very sick herself! Together, Muff, Jenny and I were able to wash and blow dry grandma's hair. Later the hairdresser from the salon came to style Grandma's hair. My aunt told her not to worry about the back of her head since Grandma was bedridden. Afterward, Grandma let us know she was not at all happy about this decision!

Before and after Grandma's hair-do

When Jenny and I left to go home, we knew that it would be the last time we would see Grandma. We expected (and the hospice doctors and nurses agreed) that she would be gone within days. Before we left, I talked to Grandma about the trip she would be taking soon and reassured her how much I loved her.

A couple of days later, something amazing happened.  The aides came in to Grandma's room in the morning and found her sitting up in her jazzy chair. She had brushed her teeth and turned her robe around (they had it on backwards since she was bedridden). She was sitting at the table eating and wanted to know where my Aunt Muff was. Grandma had some crazy stories to tell and thought she was in Hawaii. She also explained that a woman had come to visit her and told her she'd been sick and needed to get up and out of bed. Despite her confusion, Grandma was back!  And just a few days later she had her hair done. She got it colored and styled and this time she had it done right. It was combed and curled front and back!

Grandma after her miraculous recovery

My Grandma - Part 3

I am finally posting the rest of the story about my grandma.  Here is part 1 and part 2.

Even as we all grew older, Grandma was always there for us. Eventually, she and Grandpa moved to an apartment in an assisted living center where they could ride their motorized "jazzy" scooters down the hall to lunch or to the hairdresser. We still stopped to see them on our trips to and from Utah and although we didn't spend the night or swim in their pool, the kids sometimes took a quick spin on a jazzy!

Grandpa in his jazzy

In 2008, Grandpa passed away, but Grandma was still going strong. She even took a few trips to California and was able to join us for Christmas. Awhile after my mom passed away, my Grandma went to live with my Aunt Muff and Uncle Paul in Utah. They built a special addition to their home just for Grandma. Now we had a bonus!  We got to visit Grandma AND Muff and Paul. In January 2012 we got to celebrate Grandma's 90th Birthday and I was able to make a photo book of the event. My cousin Heather gathered memories from many of Grandma's children, grandchildren and great-grands. I put them in the photo book along with pictures from the party. It was fun making the book and I knew that Grandma cherished it.  Grandma loved her posterity and could always tell you how many grandchildren she had and who was expecting the newest addition to the family.

In the summer of 2014, Grandma went to live at a lovely assisted living center just a mile from my Aunt's house. One day in September, I had the strongest feeling that I needed to go visit my Grandma as soon as possible. I called my sister and asked her if she wanted to join me and she immediately agreed. Between our busy schedules, it wasn't easy to find a time to travel, but we managed to squeeze in a few days the next week. A couple of days later, Aunt Muff called to tell me that Grandma had suffered a stroke. My brother David and his wife Annie flew to Utah to be with Grandma. After talking to them, I worried that we might not make it in time to see Grandma! Fortunately Annie is a nurse, and she must have used all her talents on Grandma because she was doing a little better by the time we arrived.

My Grandma - Part 2

See Part 1 HERE

After spending the summer with my grandparents, our family moved to southern California. Now were able to see Grandma and Grandpa several times a year. I learned that grandma was always busy with something! She loved to play card games like solitaire and she also played polkas on the little organ in her family room. She and grandpa took trips to faraway lands, and brought back wonderful souvenirs for their grandchildren. I loved it when she brought back dolls, but I was especially impressed with a koala bear puppet made with kangaroo fur. One year she brought my mom handmade fabric Christmas ornaments from the Philippines. (After Mom passed away, we all got a few of them. It just isn't Christmas without those sequined Santas from Grandma!)

I was amazed at everything Grandma did.  She seemed to know lots of people and be involved with all sorts of community and civic organizations. I knew that Grandma had been named Nevada's Mother of the Year after my mom submitted an article about her to the newspaper. Grandma even had her own little business selling pantyhose to local boutiques. Sometimes I got to help her put the "Zo-Ra" label on the packages. It wasn't exactly a brand name that rolled off your tongue, but it was derived from her married and maiden names. And really, that summed up Grandma. She was devoted to her family!

Grandma loved to tell us stories about our ancestors and she had a huge book of remembrance full of family history.  In that pre-computer era, she had paid a professional genealogist to trace our family tree nearly back to Adam! She loved telling about all the famous people who were somehow our relatives!

But Grandma loved looking to the future as well. She had six children and (eventually) thirty-four grandchildren. The summer we lived in Las Vegas was the same year that her first great granddaughter was born. Grandma was fiercely proud of her posterity. She kept a careful count of her grandchildren, great grandchildren (now 110) and great, great grands (now 46) and could always tell you when the newest addition was expected!

As much as Grandma loved her family, we also knew she loved the gospel of Jesus Christ. She and Grandpa were not active in the LDS church for most of the time they were raising a family, but they later made up for lost time!  I remember my grandparents making the trip to St. George every week to work in the temple for a couple of days. When the Las Vegas temple finally opened, their trip was shorter, but their dedication increased. In 1981, they took an even longer trip and served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints working in the Laie, Hawaii temple visitor's center. Grandma and Grandpa were at the Los Angeles Temple the day John and I were married in 1987. We stayed in the condo they owned in Kona during our honeymoon. A few years later, they came for the blessings of our babies at church.

Grandma's home was always open to us. No trip to Utah was complete without a stop in Las Vegas. As a BYU student traveling home at the holidays or as a young family visiting John's parents, we usually spent the night at Grandma's house.  She always had clean sheets on the bed, something for us to eat and a listening ear ready for an update on our lives.

Mom and Grandma in Hawaii during my grandparents' mission.
Mom is wearing a blouse grandma bought in the Philippines.

My Grandma - Part 1

My Dad's mother passed away when he was just fourteen.  Although I am named after my maternal grandmother, I was never able to meet her.  Fortunately, my Mom's mother lived a long life and I was blessed to feel her love and influence throughout my life. When I was very young we lived in the Midwest, far from my grandparents' home in Las Vegas. We didn't see them often, but I remember one trip to Las Vegas for my Aunt Muff's wedding and a couple of visits from them.

The summer I turned eleven, my father took a sabbatical from Drake University and we headed west. We were moving to California, but first we stopped in Las Vegas.  My mother, my brother Scott, my sister Jenny and I spent the summer at my grandparent's home. My dad traveled back and forth to southern California searching for the right business to buy. I loved that summer full of new experiences. My grandparents had a brand new home, so new that model homes lined their street. My brother and I toured them repeatedly. Their house had fancy flocked wallpaper, treasures from their trips around the world and a swimming pool! It was also filled with forbidden pleasures like Hostess products (for breakfast!), a TV in our bedroom, and stacks of "The National Enquirer."  My mother struggled to keep us clear of the excesses of sugar, cartoons and tabloids, but I enjoyed every minute. I also loved spending time with my many cousins who lived nearby.

That summer was a turning point for me in many ways. I began shaving and wearing a bra. When we arrived in California we moved next door to a gay couple and a girl who bullied me. My mother had a full time job for the first (and last) time in my life. But it was also the beginning of a relationship with my grandma.

My family that summer, in front of Grandma's fancy drapes and blue and gold flocked wallpaper.

Grandma in her kitchen serving cake, probably for breakfast with a Coke to wash it down!

                           

Happy, Happy Birthday Daddy Dear!

My dad has always been a teacher. After his PhD thesis was written, he taught courtroom judges about non-verbal communication. His early working years were spent as a university professor. Later, he offered seminars and classes in forgiveness and relationship-building. Over the years, he taught thousands of people in his church callings. Most importantly, he worked to teach his five children many important life lessons. This was no small feat for someone who was without a father during most of his formative years.  This post explains how he taught me to read, keep the commandments, work hard and be prepared. Dad taught me lots of other things as well.

"Quality" is the lesson stands out in my mind. It was taught bit by bit over many years. As I was growing up, my dad frequently talked about quality. He encouraged us to choose high-quality friends and to always do quality work. He made a point of getting to know my friends and he let me know he was proud of the great people I spent time with. Dad didn't judge my friends based on their religion or family circumstances. Instead he appreciated their individual strengths. One of my good friends was incredibly intelligent, mature and a very hard worker. Her family struggled financially and Dad helped her find work during high school and college.

As we got older, Dad reminded us of the importance of finding a quality spouse. He often reminded me that I should get to know the family of those I dated, because "you don't just marry a person. You marry a family."  Dad told me that he trusted me to choose a great spouse because I had always chosen outstanding friends. Fortunately, he approved of John as soon as he met him. John was relieved to "pass" the not-so-subtle "interview" with my Dad.

Dad taught us to do quality work in every situation. I remember him teaching my brother Scott how to mow and edge the lawn. Scott learned to do a better job than the gardeners and the neighbors hired him to take care of their yards. My siblings and I were given the chance to work at Dad's business. One of the first jobs was stuffing envelopes.  He had a particular way he wanted us to fold the mailers. He explained the reason behind the folding and the importance of doing it correctly.  Then he made sure we knew how to do it right. I think of  my dad any time I stuff an envelope.

Of course, Dad always wanted me to do a quality job on my schoolwork. I remember Dad reading over my assignments to discuss the ideas I was presenting. Dad knew he wasn't the best at proof-reading and he left that to Mom, but he was all about the big picture!  He encouraged me and challenged me to always do my very best, particularly in my writing.

Dad even wanted me to be a quality driver. He and Mom carefully prepared me to get my driver's license when I turned 16. I hated driving the bright yellow station wagon to school, but then my Dad came up with something I thought was even worse.  He told me a could drive the nicer, smaller car, but it had a manual transmission. He explained the importance of learning to drive a stick-shift, especially if an emergency were to arise. He took me out to practice, but I was grouchy and humiliated when some boys from my high school showed up in the parking lot where we were practicing. I refused to practice any more with Dad, so he told me I could learn on my own. I was only allowed to drive the stick-shift from then on. We lived in a very hilly area and I stalled the car and rolled backwards down many hills before I finally mastered the art of a using that clutch.  At the time, I thought my father was mean for "forcing" me to drive the (very nice, new) car with a manual transmission. Twenty five years later, I finally realized the gift of quality my Dad had given me. My oldest son was a car enthusiast, and he wanted to learn to drive a stick-shift so that he would be ready to drive expensive sports cars. We borrowed my brother-in-law's Honda and headed to a church parking lot. As we drove around, Ryan began to get frustrated and clearly it was my fault. Finally I asked him to stop the car. I grabbed my cell phone and called my Dad. It was a short conversation.

"Dad, I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted when you tried to teach me to drive a stick-shift." Dad started laughing.  It was a long time to wait for an apology, but he didn't seem to mind. And Ryan eventually learned how the clutch worked. His dreams later came true on several occasions when he got to drive Porsches.

I many not have always appreciated my Dad's focus on quality when I was growing up, but I surely do now.  I love you Dad!  Happy Birthday!  Have a QUALITY Birthday!!

Our quality family circa 1982, around the time I learned to drive a stick-shift

Life Goes On - Part 6 of Ann Phillips' Mission Journal

This series shares excerpts from the missionary journal of my great, great grandmother Ann Elizabeth Rasband Phillips who served in Laie, Hawaii 1900-1902. Click to read previous posts:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

I can't imagine what it must have been like for Grandma Phillips (who was nothing like a grandma at age 22!) to lose her husband during their mission. Although her journal doesn't mention it, family tradition says that she chose to stay and continue serving as a missionary rather than taking the next boat home. I imagine that their mission calls were for three years as was common back then. She certainly didn't stay that long, but I admire her for continuing to work and serve even though her her heart must have been broken.

Dec 25th – Sister Madsen and I cooked Christmas dinner. Leisle got a rattle in her stocking. Received $10 from the Sunday School for Christmas.

1902

Jan 15th – Made some oyster soup for Bro Davis.  He had his teeth pulled and he was sick from the effects.

Jan 16 - Bro Davis’ teeth are no better.  Put warm cloths on his face and rubbed it with linement.

Jan 19 - Did what I could for Bro. Davis and after my work was done at the house Bros. Smedley and Miner took Sister Madson and I to see “Kaliu-waa” the water fall.  We had a fine ride for about three miles and then started to walk up a gulch.  It was very rocky and wet to it was hard climbing but the beautiful scenery was beyond description. We got some lovely ferns and saw the waterfall. We started back home [illegible] carried Leisle all the time. We got some nice guavas.  Sister Madson fell off a floom and bruised her hip and shoulder. When we hitched up the horse she would not go. She balked and so we had to walk for a long way to the road. Bro. Minor, Sister Madson and I got in the Kaa and Bro. Smedley took Leisle on the hoke with him.  After we went a short distance the horse quieted down and we came home safe and sound.  After supper I put hot flannels on Bro. Davises face and then went to bed.

Jan 18 - Went to meeting. Sister Madson and I sang a hymn and bore our testimony in native.  Made a bunch of guava jelly.

Jan 19th -  Went to Sunday School meeting and wore my black holoku for the first time.

Jan 20th – Bro. Bush started back to his field of labor on Hawaii where he was laboring before Bro. Phillips took sick.

Feb 2nd – It is fast day. Have been to three meetings. Sister Madson, Lahela and Miliama and I sang a song in Mutual. Bro. Read played the organ for us.

Feb 3rd - Went to Primary.  Sister Sears and Bro. Spilsberry went and spoke to the children a short time.  Came back and talked to Bro.Musser.

Feb 5th - The chinamen of Pufat’s plantation gave us a fine dinner at our mission home.  They furnished every thing and sent a cook to cook it. It was enjoyed by all.

Feb 8th – Held officers meeting in the meetinghouse. I had to read an essay.  After meeting we all went down to a chinaman’s house for supper.  It was China New Year.  We had a good time.

Feb 9th - The natives had a fine entertainment here for the Samoan missionaries that were visiting here.  I did not go downstairs to hear it.

Feb 22nd - Leisle starting to cough with hooping cough.

Mar 4th – LeIsle is one year old to-day. Bro. Musser gave her a silk bonnet.  Ethel Woolley five cents, Sister Woolley a little dress and a silk handkerchief.

Mar 10  - Released from house duties so I can sew and prepare to go home.

Without Walter - Part 5 of Ann Phillips' Mission Journal

This series shares excerpts from the missionary journal of my great, great grandmother Ann Elizabeth Rasband Phillips who served in Laie, Hawaii 1900-1902. Click to read previous posts:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Nov 1st 1901 - Worked in the kitchen and went to primary.  Gave out the program for next week.

Nov 10th – Gave the lesson in Mutual today in Native.  Got along very well.

Nov 8th - Made 8 boxes of soap.  Sister Madsen and I. It is very good soap.

Nov 9 - Was put in as Tres[urer] of the Releaf Society.

Nov 17th - Went visiting and inviting the natives to Sunday School.

Nov 19th – Was combing my hair and found  big louse in my head.

I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but it shows that Annie had very long hair as a young woman.
Fortunately, I do not have a picture of the lice.

Nov 28 - Went to an entertainment in the morning given by the school.  Had a Thanksgiving dinner at the mission house, the first one ever held here.  Sisters Wooley and Madson and myself prepared the dinner.  There were twenty seated at the table at three o’clock.

Dec 4th – LeIsle is 9 months old today.  Sister Madson and I are still in the kitchen. Have had most of the kitchen work to do since Erin left last April.

Dec 5th - Sister Madson and I fixed some medicine for a Japanese women to rub her side where she had been kicked by a horse. It was badly swollen and Sister Madson rubbed it for her out in the wash house.

Dec 9th - Sister Woolley is very sick.  A Japanese woman has come to help us.  Sister Madson and I were very busy all day doing the work and went to Primary in the afternoon.

Dec 10th - I received two little dresses from Nettie and Thomasina Hansen for Leisle, one silk, the other lawn: white.  Also a strand of coral beads.  Sister Woolley is still very sick.

Dec 11th - We all fasted from six one evening until six the next evening.  Before supper we went to Sister Woolley’s room had prayer and the Elders administered to her.  We are happy to say that she is better this evening than she was this morning  Bro. Minor was mouth in prayer, Bro. George Davis administered the oil and Bro. Woolley sealed the annointing. They also administered to Roney Woolley.

Dec 17th  - About 5 o’clock, Bro. Waddoups telephoned out to Br. Woolley that the sad news of the death of my darling husband had reached Honolulu.  He died at 10 o’clock Saturday night Dec 14, 1901 with pneumonia.

We heard nothing more until today, Dec 21st.  Br. Bush arrived here from Hawaii where Bro. Phillips died.  The body could not be shipped.  It was buried at Waimea in a beautiful little spot.  The natives brought flowers of all kinds for him. He died easy and brave. The Lord has greatly blessed me and prepared me for the worst.  All the Bros. and sisters are so kind to me, I can never repay them.  Sister Madson has done everything in her power to comfort and help me.  She and Bro. Silver have done my work, ironed my clothes and everything.

Today Br. Minor took me out for a ride and told me that I could not see  my husband for he had to be buried at Waimea, Hawaii.   We went to see the pump, the reservoir and saw a crowd of Jap[anese] planting cane.

When I got back, all the sisters of the Releaf Society were gathered in my room to see me and show their aloha for us. They had pule and bid me have courage and faith.  Br. Davis gave me a calabash  and a native basket half full of shells. Lahela gave me a calabash and some Koa seeds. Br. Silver gave me a number of leis, lots of seeds and his picture.

Dec 22nd - Raining so hard we can not hold meetings to day. Sister Madson brought me Bro. Phillips clothes and I opened his bundle. My heart was nearly broken with grief. Bros. Davis and Musser made some candy.

Dec 23 - Got me a black dress and started to make it.  Lahela helped me.  The weather is very stormy.  Everything looks dark and dreary.  All nature seems to weep with me.

Walter Freeman Phillips, age 22
2 or 3 years before he died

Busy Season - Part 4 of Ann Phillips' Mission Journal

This series shares excerpts from the missionary journal of my great, great grandmother Ann Elizabeth Rasband Phillips who served in Laie, Hawaii 1900-1902. Click to read previous posts:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

For many years I told my family that the late spring was my "busy season."  We were wrapping up the school year and I had so many things to take care of: Shakespeare plays, recitals, end of the year activities, training new mentors, planning for the upcoming year etc.  I think this post shows the busy season of Annie's mission. She is really in the thick of things now. She is living in a strange land far from her family.  She has a baby, many household responsibilities, teaching and administrative responsibilities and her husband is gone most of the time. Don't forget that she is only 21 years old. Keep reading to learn more and see a cute picture of my great grandma.

April 6th - Went to one meeting. Bro. Phillips stayed home with baby.

April 13th – Mission fast day. Held meeting in the Pule room.  All bore honest, faithful, good testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the goodness of God to us all.

April 15 - Bro. Phillips, along with others left for Honolulu ready to take the boat for Hawaii for six months.

April 17 - The natives came to the mission home to have a farewell entertainment before our Brothers and Sisters left.  The evening was spent in singing and music.

April 20 - Sister Madsen very sick.  Gave birth to a baby boy at six months.  I tried to work and do all I could for Sister Madsen.

June 4th - A  9 ½ pound boy born to Bro and Sister Cole. All well.

June 28th – Went to a feast given by the school as it is the last day.  Let my baby fall out of bed at 5 o’clock this morning. Sister Madsen and I have been doing the work in the kitchen this week.

July 24 - Sister Madsen and I are the only sisters at Lani Huli this week.  Left with all the work.  Washed and mended bed ticks for all the beds.

Aug 1st – One year since we arrived in Hon[olulu]. Went out to Waikiki with Bro Beliston and Sisters Madsen and Cole to visit the Releaf Society.  All bore our testimonies in native. After meeting rode around the Kapiolani Park, by the Moana Hotel and around the city.

Aug 2nd - Bro. and Sister Cole went back to Laie. My baby is quite sick.  Bro. Beliston administered to her twice.  She is much better at 10 o’clock.

Aug 4th - Fast day. Witnessed a baptism. Went to Sunday school. Baby not better yet so could not go to meeting.

Aug 8 - Went down to the wharf to see the elders off. Went through the Ship Searrea.  Saw a woman whose husband had jumped overboard between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Aug 9 - Finished the house cleaning.

Sept 5th – Sister Madsen and I went out visiting the natives.  Saw a native woman 101 years old. Went to see Nalia the old blind woman who has been to Utah and through the temple.

Sept 15 - Had the pleasure of meeting the Hawaiian ex-Queen.  She visited the mission house.

Sept 16 - Helped to quilt a quilt for the primary.

Sept 23 - Bro. Phillips arrived at our mission home in safety. Went to the ocean with Bro. & Sister Madsen & Bro. Phillips for a bath. Left Leisle with Bro. Musser.

Oct 4th – Our conference opened this morning by the choir singing a native hymn. Prayer by Bro. Kekanoha. Choir sang again. Bro Woolley gave an address of welcome to the saints that had assembled for conference.  He also stated that there had been more tithing and more baptisms than any other one term. Other elders took up the time. General Meeting in the afternoon.  Mutual Improvement in the evening. I sang with Hattie & Ivy Kekuku, Jenny George and Poi Kekanoha & Bro George Davis “Utah, We Love Thee.”

Oct 5 - Opened meetings for the day with exercises from the Releaf Society. I was called upon to speak. Sunday schools of all the branches in the afternoon. Laie Sunday School at night.  My class gave an exercise.

Oct 6th - General meeting.  Bro. Belliston was first to speak Bro. Phillips second.  The time was taken up by others of the elders.  Sunday afternoon and evening: General Meeting. We all met in the Pule room after supper for our appointments.  Bro. Phillips goes out to North Hawaii as president of the conference with a native companion.

Oct 7th - Held meeting for all the Releaf Society Officers on the Islands.

Oct 8th - Held meeting in the Pule room and received many good instructions from those who spoke to us. All were filled with the Spirit from Heaven which makes us very happy.

Oct 14th - Bro. Phillips left our mission home for his field of labor.  Spent the day in working and in the evening Bro. Bush came in and talked a while.  He spoke very well of Bro. Phillips. It made my heart bound with joy.

Oct 15th – Sick all day. Very lonely without my sweetheart. Very sick at night.

Oct 16 - Better to day.  Helped with the washing.  Made some cream pies.  Sister Madsen came back from Honolulu and brought me some candy from my sweetheart.

Oct 17 - Made six quarts of Guava jelly and some preserves.

Oct 20th – My birthday, am 22 years old.  Went to Sunday School and Meeting and then to mutual.  Did the work in the kitchen with Sister Madsen.  Held meeting in the Pule room.

Oct 28 - Left Laie at 9:00 o’clock to go to Honolulu. Arrived here about 4:30.  Had a very pleasant trip. Went down town and had Leisle’s picture taken.  Came back bought me a hand bag.  Met Mrs. Lucas, went in and had dinner and spent the afternoon with her.

Oct 31 - Left Honolulu at 9 o’clock and arrived at Laie safely at 6 o’clock.  Found every body well. Two letters from home and one from Bro. Phillips waiting for me.

Island Baby - Part 3 of Ann Phillips' Mission Journal

This series shares excerpts from the missionary journal of my great, great grandmother Ann Elizabeth Rasband Phillips who served in Laie, Hawaii 1900-1902. Click to read previous posts:  Part 1, Part 2

Since the last post ended with Annie making baby clothes, I'm sure you can guess where this post will end. I have been doing a bit of research online to learn about some of the people and places Annie mentions. I found several pictures of the Mission Home (the Lanihuli house seen below) in Laie, Hawaii where Annie lived during her mission. I also learned that Samuel E. Woolley (who Annie argued with) was the mission president for 24 years from 1895 to 1919! His wife Alice is often referred to by Annie. She was a midwife and I'm sure Annie was grateful for her skill.

Oct 22nd - Walter went to Honolulu ready to take the boat Tuesday. Anointed my two boils with oil and pray that they might stop right there and go away.  One went away but the other one is still sore.

Nov 2nd - Received news of Grandma Rasband’s death. Died Oct 15, 1900.

Nov 10th - Bro and Sister David H. Madsen arrived at Laie.  Called as missionaries from Provo.

Nov 18th - Sister Mattie Bush arrived at Laie.  Come to accompany her husband home.

Nov 25th - Held sisters meeting in Sister Woolley’s room.  Sister Bush said she never in her life met sisters that seemed more united and humble.

Dec 1900

9th - Bro. Phillips and Bro Pendleton walked from Honolulu to Laie.  It rained all day. They arrived here at 12 o’clock at night.

12th – Jubilee begins. It is the 50th anniversary of the landing of the first L.D.S. missionaries on the Hawaiian Islands. Pres. George Q. Cannon, Bro. W.W. Cluff and wives were present. The Jubilee was held at Honolulu. Bro. and Sister Pendleton, Bro and Sister Madson, Bro. Phillips and myself stayed at Laie.  We had a good time.

19th – Bro. Phillips left me again to go to his field of labour. Early in the evening, Bros. Cannon, Cluff and wives arrived at Laie.

21st - Received a Christmas present from the Park City Sunday School. $10.

22nd – Bro. Woolley and I had some pretty hot words, but they ended in peace.

24th - Went to a feast prepared by the natives for Br. Cannon.  All sat on the floor cross legged and ate chicken, fish and poi.

25th - Christmas day.  Never felt quite so slighted and down hearted in my life.  Had a fine dinner.  Bid Bros. Cannon and Cluff good-by.  Made candy in the evening and had a fine time. Received $1.00 from uncle Joe Rasband.

31st – We sisters made pies for the natives.  Over 250 were made.

Jan 1st 1901

1st - Had fine exercises in the meeting house in the morning.  Went down to the dancehall where the sports took place.  In the evening went to the meeting house to see the views Bro. Beesley had. A pie was given to every one present.  Also an apple.

15th – Had sisters’ meeting.  I had a lecture on Jerusalem of the Eastern Hemisphere.

23rd – Washed and anointed by the sisters.  Sister Cole and Eldredge performing the ordinance.

Feb 21st - A fine dinner was given at the mission house by Poi Fat’s company who lease some of the mission ground.

March 4th – Br Phillips arrived at Laie at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.  At 10 o’clock at night a darling little baby girl weighing 7 ½ lbs came to brighten our lives.  All well and happy.

March 12th – Br. S.E. Woolley blessed the baby giving her the name of Anna Leisle Phillips.