2nd week of mission-- busy every minute, and awesome!

We went from one end of the mission to the other, from Palmyra to Niagra Falls, learning our duties as part of President Christianson's staff. We will be in charge of missionary housing (along with our member/leader support duties in the Brockport Ward).  We traveled through beautiful upperstate New York -- very scenic views, rolling hills, farmland, lovely old homes, lots of red barns.

We stopped at Yoder's Country Cupboard, an Amish store that sells the best knives (made by the Amish) in the world. I got an awesome grapefruit knive and a paring knife, along with a few goodies.

Our very first District Meeting! Our elders are so awesome. We love them and Elder and Sister Jensen (from Provo, Utah) who so patiently have trained us this week.

We were busy all week, inspecting so many apartments.  The missionaries were so happy to show us their clean apartments.

Saturday morning, we joined President Christianson, his wife and a few of the senior couples (and Bob, who has been caring for the property) for a special little ceremony, where we placed a new sign on the banks of the old mill stream where Brigham Young and many members of the early Mendon, NY branch were baptized.  We sang "Come, Come Ye Saints", and the mission president offered a prayer. A very special occasion!

Next, we visited the Tomlinson Inn, a 185 year old home which has an important place in our church history.

It was in this room at the Tomlinson Inn, that a young missionary named Samuel Smith, strode in boldly.  He walked across the room directly to a local preacher named Phineas Young.  Holding out a Book of Mormon to him, Samuel said simply,"There is a book, sir, I wish you to read."  Surprised by the young man's direct approach, Phineas hestitated a moment, then asked, "Pray, sir, what book have you?" "The Book of Mormon", said Samuel," or as it is called by some, the Golden Bible". Samuel then testified that the book was a revelation from God, and added,"If you will read this book with a prayerful heart, and ask God to give you a witness, you will know the truth of this work".  Phineas read the book twice within a two week period, hoping to prove the book false. The following Sunday, before his congregation, he found himself quoting scripture from the Book of Mormon and, under inspiration of the Spirit, he bore powerful testimony of its truth. He then shared the book with many members of his family, including his brother, Brigham Young, all of whom later joined the church.

After lunch, we joined President Christianson, his wife, and a recent convert for a 2 1/2 hour walk through the Sacred Grove. It is getting late, and we have to be up early, so I'll post about that special time in the grove next week. To be continued........

the first and best week of our mission

On the 2nd day of our 3 day drive to New York, we got off the interstate at the tiny town of West, Mississipi where we discovered the graves of Elder Ellis' (Grandpa's) great great grandparents Edwin Ellis and Katherine Cook.  They were plantation owners in this beautiful area of the state.

Edwin Ellis was a civil War veteran and is buried in a small cemetery behind a church that was used as a hospital during the Civil War.

On Thursday evening, we arrived at the mission home in Rochester New York, had dinner with our awesome  mission president, Pres. Jack Christianson, and his wife and slept very peacefully in the bed that President Eyring had slept on the week before (the bedroom we stayed in is called the General Authority suite).

On Friday night, after settling into a temporary apartment at the Joseph Smith Farm site (our permanent apartment in Brockport won't be ready til the end of Feb.), we attended the Palmyra temple, which is walking distance from us.

Saturday, our P-Day (preparation day), we toured some of the historic church sites in Palmyra. Here we are at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center.

Today, we drove through snow and icy roads to attend our ward in Brockport. It's an hour away, but once we are re-located, it'll be just 5 minutes away.  We met some wonderful people, and are at the same time missing all the familiar faces in our Texas ward.

Tonight we had a wonderful dinner with a group of other senior missionaries  in an old home in Mendon that was built by Brigham Young and his father in Mendon.  Next Sat., Elder Ellis and Elder McVea (in photo) are going to put this sign in the ground near the mill stream where Brigham Young was baptized.  Bob and Eileen, who are in this picture are neighbors who have lived in Mendon most of their lives. Eileen grew up in the home built by Brigham Young (where this photo was taken).

Eileen and her husband Bob, who have lived all their lives in Mendon, along with Elder McVea (holding the sign). Eileen and Bob are the sweetest couple! not yet members of the church.


The most amazing and wonderful part of our first week of the mission, was Emily's phone call on Saturday morning, announcing that a heart had been found for baby Dahlia.  What a miracle! By that evening a new heart was beating strongly in her body. How grateful we are to our Heavenly Father, the best medical team, and a wonderful donor family who chose to give the gift of life in the time of their deepest grief.  Our thoughts and prayers go to them as they mourn the loss of their angel baby and hope they will find great peace and comfort in what they have so unselfishly given.

off we go!

The car is packed for our journey to New York.  We're leaving in a few minutes-- but not before I do a very quick post on our wonderful week of training at the MTC (missionary training center).

Before entering the MTC, we spent a very fun weekend with newlyweds Jeremy and Nicole (and Philip) in their cute Wymount apartment.

Our first few minutes at the MTC, we do the typical missionary pose, in front of the map of the world, just like our children did when they were in the MTC.

There were 38 senior missionary couples in our group. How blessed we were to have these wonderful couples in our "district". We have formed lasting friendships, and felt very close to all the couples. The cute young lady on the far right is our awesome morning teacher.

Senior missionaries get a few more perks than the younger missionaries -- such as attending the BYU Wednesday night basketball game with this sweet couple from our district (they will be serving in Calgary, Canada).

The first thing we did when we got back to Houston, after our week in the MTC, was to visit with and to say good-bye for 23 months to our sweet grandbaby Dahlia.  We experienced Heaven in the MTC, and felt that same sweet spirit in her hospital room. How we love her, as well as our other grandchildren (and children), and will sorely miss them, but know they will recieve great blessings while we are serving the Lord.

end of a year and hello 2012

The week after Christmas, Dahlia had a very special visitor, her cousin Breeana. There was an instant bond between these two. They are both survivors, battling against great odds. When Breeana was born prematurely, she fit in the palm of a hand, and wasn't expected to live. What a beautiful young lady she has grown up to be -- the same hopes we have for Dahlia.

Last Sunday was a very special day. We gathered for the blessings of two sweet grandaughters, who are only 10 days apart in age. Lorelei was given a baby blessing by her father at church. Afterwards, Lauren hosted a delicious dinner. We posed for one last picture with most of our grandchildren, before Grandpa and I  head off for Utah, and then New York.

missing our sweet Colby and Saige!

After dinner, we all headed up to the hospital, where Dahlia was given a baby blessing by her father. The Spirit of the Lord was so strong in the room.

The girls were excited to finally get to meet each other. I look forward to the time when I'll be watching these two giggle and play together. Will be missing them (and all the others) so much during these next 23 months!

the gifts of Christmas

The biggest gift has been that Dahlia has been feeling much better these past few days, having overcome major issues with her right lung and a potentially serious bacterial infection. Check out Emily's blog for cute pictues of her in her Santa hat and reindeer booties (my camera battery lost power that day).

After our day in the hospital, Jessica and Walter took us for a drive around nearby River Oaks.

Yes, Walter is finally home from the Carribean, and sporting a new hairdo, thanks to him losing a bet that U. of Houston would win the Conference USA Championship. He had to shave his head.



It was magical!

A few more of the older grandkids got to sit at the "big" table on Christmas Eve

while the younger ones had to sit at the kids table. (I should have replaced Super Man with Santa Claus.)

After a Christmas Eve "program" , the kids were excited to open their "secret pal" gifts.

Christmas is always about the children ...

We are so thankful for the gifts of two new precious grandbabies, born 10 days apart, Lorelei and Dahlia. They will be so cute playing together next Christmas.



Laila was so amazed to get what she had wished for

And so, another Christmas has come and gone, with much to be grateful for, especially our Savior Jesus Christ who is with us in our joys and our trials.

quite a week (3rd week of December)

It was a rough week for Dahlia, as she fought a bacterial infection (the risks of being in a hospital). Then, just as things were looking good as far as recovering from the infection, she had to undergo two surgeries within 24 hours. Both involved a serious complication in her right lung involving blood clots. Fortunately, they had to make just an inch and 1/2 incision in her side, and by the end of the week, the doctors were able to feel positive about the recovery of that lung. So the week ended with hope for much improvement next week.

We all love this little angel so very much. It's very hard seeing her have to undergo so much.

On Thursday, it was wonderful to attend the temple to feel of the love our Savior has for us, and to recieve peace and comfort in the midst of trials.

On Friday nights, Brian and the kids come to our home (they live 1 1/2 hours away) so Brian can be with the baby in the hospital and the kids can be with their mom.  What a surprise for the kids, when they discovered that a "secret Santa" had paid a visit.

Thank you so very much "secret Santa"! The kids were so excited and felt so loved. They loved their gifts, as did Emily and Brian.

The weekend was fun for the children as they celebrated Dario's upcoming birthday, made gingerbread houses, and played with their cousins.

Inside & Outside the hospital -- 2nd week of December

"Hello, King Tut!" We see this guy every morning while waiting to hop on the light rail that takes us to the hospital.

"Good morning, Miss Goldfish". She seems to swim through the air instead of her aquarium in this photo I took on the 17th floor family lounge area at Texas Children's, where we take a few breaks during the day.

"Hello, Christmas!" It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Texas Children's.

And this is where our hearts are this Christmas season. We always feel a special spirit when we enter Dahlia's room in the ICU.

Dahlia is recovering from the big surgery she had last week for the Berlin heart. Her big brother Dario said all he wants for Christmas is for his baby sister to get better.

Big brother Aiden calls Dahlia's Berlin Heart her "little glass heart".

"Good Evening, Jessica". It is a pleasure to see your sweet face at the end of most of our days in the hospital. Thanks for putting us up in your Ronald McDonald house that is so very close to the hospital.

And now, for a peek of our life outside of the hospital --
On Monday, my daughters took me to Nikos to celebrate my big fat Greek birthday with wonderful Greek food.

On Saturday, Sharon and Bill hosted the annual Ellis siblings Christmas party.

Stuart is the "baby" of the bunch, the youngest of Maxine and Art's eight children.

After a delicious dinner (Texas style barbeque), we gathered for our "white elephant" gift exchange.

It's no surprise that no one wanted to steal the "present" Donna and Hank brought -- a stunning collection of nature items Hank had gathered from their yard, complete with a slithery guest.

 Stuart got his secret wish -- a Hillary Clinton mask.

Niece Breeana's rockin' it with her new aviator sunglasses -- perfect for her upcoming trip to New Mexico.

Nephews Matt and Justin will love cuddling with their new Christmas Teddy bears. How cute are they?

Presenting all the Ellis brothers and sisters--minus Billy (in Pennsylvannia) and Beverly (in Utah), and Jerry who has passed on (miss you guys!) . They don't look a day older than last year. (Granny would be proud.)

Thanks Sharon and Bill for such a wonderful evening!