BAPTISM

We are working hard.  We are visiting with a gal who is taking care of her mother.  Her mother was in a car accident over a year ago and is still in leg casts and in bed.  Karen quit her consulting job in DC last month and came home to care for her.  They are both incredible women.

This is the way many country homes heat their water.
The water heater is in a shed and piped into the house. 

Gail and Thomas have had illness and death in their family but said they still want the lessons so hopefully we can see them this week.
The ticks are in full-force now and people will pull 2-7 off a day and think nothing of it.  Elder Bayles got one and when he pulled it off the head stayed in.  It has been a week now and no redness so we are hoping it wasn't infected.
We are still teaching Craig Miles the after baptism lessons.  We love doing that.  We have to go 30 miles to their home but they are great.
We also went to a part-member home.  Susan had back surgery and we wanted to see how she was doing.  Ed is not interested in the lessons but we still go and call him Bishop.  He's fun.

Jesse and Margaret are loyal friends to the missionaries and feed us every week.

District Meeting was on Friday because of transfers.  Our new leader is Elder Oaks.  I taught him in third grade and Elder Bayles was his principal.  He just could not believe it.  He has changed a great deal since third grade and is a great leader. He is Elder Oaks' grandson.  I don't know where this underlining came from.  I can't get it off.We took the Elder Oaks and Elder Wilcok to Caswell to interview Carolyn and she passed with flying colors. (In NC you would say she was high cotton)  Of course we fed them.  They couldn't get over the beauty of the country here.

We needed to take the elders in Eden some copies of the Book of Mormon.  They were doing a service project at a member's home.  Turns out their favorite elder was a boy I had in third grade and Elder Bayles had him at TV and his dad taught drafting at TV.  What a tiny world the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us.  We just need to include so many more people.
Saturday we saw members who haven't been seen for a long time.  We won't give up.  On the way home we stopped to see Sister Aldridge.  That is where we teach Gail and Thomas. 

 Her grandson was there camping in the woods with his children over spring break.  They are a great family.  They took us on a 4-wheeler trip they had just cut in the woods.  We looked in the book and nothing said we could not go wheeling.
THE SABBATH WAS GREAT.  CAROLYN WAS BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED.  She was wonderful and so nervous.  We love her. 

Carolyn and her son Mike

 In the mission field the ward stays to support new members.  It was a meeting filled with the Spirit. 
I had put a pot roast on the crock pot for dinner but some members insisted we eat with them, the parents of the 4-wheelers. Dena, Kevin, Leona

 After that we headed to Jesse's for dinner.  I am so fat.  These southerners know how to cook. We ended up eating with 9 non members so it was a great meal.  Hopefully we made a good impression and it will lead to some lessons.  Among the people was a family from the ward.  I found out he was from Dayton, Ohio and went to the same high school I did only years later.  Another small world experience. We got home at 8:30 that evening.  I guess the pot roast will do for a later meal.

Kolton turned 9 while on their spring break vacation.  He is always happy and kind to those around him.  He loves to do creative things and anything sports.  We're  so glad he is in our family.  Happy Birthday Kolton!




                                 I love Elder Bayles!

May 12, 1905
We rose in good time this morning and after eating breakfast we spend the forenoon washing our clothes.  Eld. Pettey done the scrubbing while I carried the water and made a fire to boil them.  After dinner I was taking a bath and a storm came up which the people quite had, it was quite severe, blowing over fences and trees and also raining very hard and as a result of the storm we had to stay over at West's another night returning at about nine o'clock.

Any one need any sporting goods?