Three Days in North Carolina

                                           

Well here it is Monday and I just haven’t had time to write in my journal.  We get internet Wed so I will be able to let you know  and hear of happenings.  We arrived in Yanceyville but could not find our home.  We decided to let Madge do her thing but she just led us in circles.  She was no help at all.  Finally we found it quite by accident.  We have since found that Madge is a hit and miss in NC, especially Yanceyville.

                               




 The sweetest land lady

                                                     




                           original wood floors in the rooms

                             



   quilt made by the ward when George was released as Bishop

                                                                           office

unpacking

                                                                     
 We pulled up to our home and immediately fell  in love with it.  It was built in the 1930’s and has the original wood floors.  It is such a fun little place.  It is bigger than Kristin’s but that’s a given.  We both had to go potty so decided to go to McDonalds to relieve and then went to Subway and got a sandwich.  We didn’t know which house was the landlady’s so guessed and were right.  What a pleasant and extremely kind woman.  She’s a member and just can’t do enough for us.  She lives sort of behind us and owns the whole corner.  She has a home you would all love to explorer.  It is filled with antiques.  She has a roll-top desk that her husband’s grandfather made.  All the other furniture has been made by her father, husband or grandfathers.  Amazing.  The upstairs rooms are filled boxes high with things that give her memories.  I would go crazy in there if I had a week or 10 to go through them.  She has boxes of old movie posters, cigar boxes, magazines, dolls, you name it, she has it.  Well I could go on forever. 

We unloaded our car and got to work.  Christine had gone in after the missionaries and cleaned again so it was very nice.  I will put in pictures when I have internet.  That very night some members of the ward called to invite us to go out to dinner with them.  They wanted to show us the town.  That didn’t take long.  We were surprised to see several restaurants and 2 grocery stores.  They also have 2 dollar stores.  I love the old homes from the tobacco times.  Many are falling apart and have just been left and the people moves.  It’s so sad. I will be sending some fixer-uppers for Scott and Bethany to  pine over.  Every home seems to have a smoke house and several tobacco drying sheds.  I will also send pictures of them.  Saturday we went to Danville, Virginia to go to Wal-Mart.  I will definitely send a picture of Yanceyville's Wal-Mart.

Everything ends in ville.  We bought a bookcase, shelves and a thing for over the toilet to make more space in our spacious home.  We love it.  Dad took me to dinner for my birthday at Outback in Danville.

a family in the ward  we share the same birthday

Sunday was way too wonderful.  They are the only ward in the building and church starts at 9.  Why?  We have to travel 25 minutes and some go even farther.  We left our home at 8:15 and arrived back at 9:30.  Makes for a very long but good day.  The spirit is so strong and they love missionaries.  We were invited to lunch and then dinner. We went to lunch at the  home of a member with tons of their family.  Made me miss mine.

 Our ward is full of relatives so I am always mixed up on who is whom.  Dinner was at the ward mission leader’s home.  They live about 45 minutes away.  I’ll not mention how much weight I have gained.  I knew this was the place for us when a ladybug landed on our hymn book while singing.  The talks were so good and the spirit so strong.  It was even a little bit reverent.  We were introduced to al beautiful girl, Latyca, who wants more lessons.  She is so interested in the Gospel.  She is dating a boy who has put in his papers and she wants him to go on a mission and then get married in the temple. They are both in college now. I think she will be baptized. She has set a date for Feb. 25^th.   I sat with a sister who is coming to church but she doesn’t’ want the lessons yet.  She coughs like she has a smoking problem.  The gospel is true.  We met with the mission leader and are so impressed. It’s just a great ward.  While having dinner at the Hill’s we heard an enormous bomb.  Fire trucks and police cars went scurrying by but so far no one knows what it was.  It was so loud we jumped in our seats.  It was during the blessing.  We still don’t know.  We figured a home had blown up but Brother Hill said it was probably just a still.

Today we spent 3 hours trying to order internet.  We are going Comcast Wed.  We worked on the house, mailed some packages and I ironed ALL of dad’s shirts.  Tomorrow we have a meeting with an investigator and are going somewhere , we know not where, for a district meeting.  We’ll hope Madge can find it.