Valentine's Day and the first month of mission already gone

On Valentine's Day, we took a break from our mission activities (our "P" day, preparation day) and walked past the replica of the log house on the Joseph Smith Farm. It is where Joseph Smith and his family lived.

From the house, there is a path leading into the sacred grove, where we took a long hike, enjoying the wintery beauty and peace. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I gave one of the ancient trees a hug.

In the Spring of 1820, Joseph Smith entered this remnant of an ancient forest to kneel in prayer.  The vision he beheld of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ initiated the restoration to the earth of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For our Valentine's date, we went to the Palmyra Temple where we participated in  sealing ordinances for some of our ancestors, joining husbands and wives together for all eternity.

Then it was back to work, making the rounds of missionary apartments. After installing some blinds in this apartment, Elder Ellis fixed Elder Frost's blender.

Saturday was a very long day.  At 8:00 a. m. , we drove to Brant, a two hour drive along Lake Erie, to clear out the apartment of a senior couple who had finished their mission. Heading out, the roads were slick with unplowed snow, and we nearly ended up in a ditch. Thank goodness, the snow stopped, and the roads were good the rest the way.

Two of the elders clearing out the shed in  back of the apartment

Mission accomplished-- thanks again to the help of the Elders! Elder Anderson was one of the 4 great young men who were helping.  After feeding the missionaries a picnic lunch we had packed, we headed back, unpacked everything in the mission storage shed in Rochester, and got home at 6:30 and had supper.  As we were getting ready to relax and read scriptures, we got a call (at 8:00) from some elders, who had left the key in their apartment and were locked out.  So the Texas Rangers came to the rescue. They were warned that if it happened again, we would dig a deep hole in the sand and bury them up to their necks. Got back at 10:30. End of a long day.

Meanwhile... back home in Texas, some very loving acts of service were done by family members for family members. Uncle Walter and Great Aunt Sharon both took a turn in staying overnight with little Dahlia, so Dahlia's parents, Emily and Brian, could attend Brian's sister's wedding and wedding reception. Dahlis is recovering very well from her heart transplant and they are talking about releasing her very soon, in a week or two from the hospital. (she just has a feeding tube to help her with feeds til she is able to do 100% with a bottle -- she's almost there.)

Dahlia is giving her Great Auntie Sharon sweet smiles (photo sent to me from Sharon's I Phone)

a very busy 3rd week of the mission

We love relaxing in our cozy little apartment at the end of a long day.

Here are a fewof  the things we've been up to this week ...

On Monday evening, we attended an orientation meeting in the mission home for missionaries who arrived from the MTC that afternoon, and were introduced to them as the new missionary housing co-ordinators. Tuesday was transfer day, where new companionships are formed, and the new missionaries are teamed up with their trainers.  The missionaries who are being transferred bring us the stuff they don't need anymore -- a lot of which we donated to the Goodwill store.

After checking out a new missionary apartment in Geneva and meeting with the landlord, we met at Elder and Sister Jensen's apartment (which will be our apartment in 2 weeks) in Brockport for our district meeting.

Elder Hulse had us do a little activity, making a tall building out of toothpicks and marshmellows,and seeing whose structure would stay standing the longest. The object lesson went along with this scripture:"And now, my sons, remember, that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation..." (Helaman 5:12)

Our pathetic looking marshmellow building toppled over after a few minutes.

We were very busy for the remainder of the week, including Saturday, involved in moving two sets of missionaries and a new senior couple into their new apartments.  It was work, but fun at the same time.

Of course, we couldn't do it without the help of these wonderful Elders.  Here they are relaxing after moving the furniture into the apartment for the new senior couple.

On the drive home to Palmyra on Saturday, the snow showers got heavier.

Don't know what we'd do without our Garmin. There's no way we could get around without it.

Here's what we woke up to this morning!  This is the view from our back window -- the Sacred Grove. Our mssionary apartment is on the site of the  Joseph Smith farm.

We got what looked like a foot of snow.

Speaking of the Sacred Grove -- our mission president, Jack Christianson, took us on a wonderful tour of it, along with a recent convert, Steve, who is from my home state of Rhode Island. We were the only ones in the Grove, and deeply felt the special spirit of this sacred place, where the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith.

There are two types of trees in the grove, "witness trees", and in President C.'s opinion, "character trees".  The tree pictured above, is very old and was in the grove at the time of the FirstVision -- therefore, it is called a "witness" tree.

The following trees are just a few of many "character trees"-- trees which teach life lessons.

This huge tree toppled over because its roots were too shallow, due to the water logged ground it stood in.  As it went down, it took many other smaller trees down with it. President C. says we must sink our roots deep into Gospel soil, through daily prayer and scripture study.

This tree's main trunk suffered some sort of stress that made it grow  crooked. A supporting branch grew to strenghen it, so it could continue to grow. We likewise support and sustain each other in times of trial.

The Sacred Grove is such a beautiful place, even in the dead of winter. We look forward to seeing it in all the seasons.

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.