NO TICK MONTH YAHOO!

herb basket

Monday was another basket day.  I love talking about the church while we work on baskets but this was a whole new group so little was said.  Next time I hope the old gang is back.   We even wove the handle.  Our instructor is so patient with me.

While I was at basket class Elder Bayles brought in 3 loads of laundry I had put on the line and folded it and did breakfast dishes.  What a great companion.  I hope they don't transfer him.

Bethany,  Tiffani and Shanelle  sent us a BYU football incentive package.  We loved it.  Didn't even make us homesick. (much)

 Scott and Bethany got Granddad''s Fathers Day present finished.  They had curbing done around the trees and roses in the back yard.  It will be so much easier to mow now.  We would never have gotten it done.  By the way, Bethany found flights to Atlanta, Georgia round trip for $200.00.  Atlanta is only 2 hours away. (just a thought)

We were so blessed with a conference with Elder Bowen and Elder Carlson of the Seventy.  They were amazing.  We sat there from 1:00-5:00 and didn't know any time had gone by.  They taught us about oaths and covenants.  I love the oath and covenant of the priesthood  I guess I have just lightly read over D&C 84:33-41.  It is so powerful and so important to live worthy of this covenant.  I love it. I love Elder Bayles even more after studying such a promise and knowing what a good man he is.  We are so very blessed to have this in our lives.  They also talked about the Abrahamic covenant and the House of Israel.  It was powerful.  If you get the chance, read these along with the baptismal covenant together and you will understand how they are all connected. 

Elder Bowman really stressed what a testimony consists of.  He invited 7 or 8 missionaries who were leaving the mission this transfer to bear their testimony.  He said they were not to give any stories or experiences.  They were to:

1. Express that God lives.

2. Testify that Jesus is the Christ

3. Joseph Smith was a true prophet

4. The Book of Mormon is the word of God.

5. We have a living prophet today who is Thomas S. Monson.

He instructed them that they were to say nothing else.  I thought to myself that that would be so weird but as each missionary repeated the same things in their own words, the Spirit just grew and grew.  By the time they were finished we were  filled to overflowing with the Spirit.  I wish all testimony meetings were like that.  No one took more than 1 minute so if it were in a ward so many people would be able to share.

The order and organization of the church was also stressed.  How blessed we are to have such knowledge.

After meeting we took our Elders to dinner.  We had fed them breakfast before we left but the meeting was in Salisbury which is 2 hours away so by the time pictures were taken and media given it was 6:00  which meant 8:00 by the time we got to our home and 9:00 before they got home.  We were well fed in every way by the time we got home.  We traveled in a North Carolina rain storm most of the way and could go no faster that 35 a great deal of the way.  We even had to pull over because we couldn't see the lines on the road.

The very next day was district meeting so the Elders had to be back at our home to go to Burlington that morning.  They come to us from Danville, Virginia and we take them to the meetings to save their miles.  After that meeting we saw a 5 Guys Burger and Fries and couldn't believe it.  We were in heaven but ate like we were elsewhere.

We got home just in time to go to Eden to give Tammy a lesson but she had a different time and didn't show.  We'll catch her this week.

Thursday we packed and prepared to go to Murphy, NC.  It took us 8 hours to get there.  We packed the car to the roof so we wouldn't have so much to take when we move. (I'll explain our transfer in the next blog but we are going to the Smokey Mountains in a few weeks.)  We don't know how we are going to be able to move home in that we have another full car load left here.

road to the burned home in Caswell County

We met the mother of the 5 boys where the home burned down.  She is a beautiful girl who is so appreciative of all the things people have done for her. The man in charge said  " the Methodists held meetings while the Mormons did the work".  He's a Methodist.  It really is a beautiful home now.
Friday we headed to Murphy, North Carolina.  What a beautiful place.  We stopped in Franklin to give the Silkers some canes Elder Bayles had made for them.  We checked into our hotel and went to bed after checking in with the Burns. We unloaded the car and went to a ward activity and fell into bed when we got back to the hotel.
Saturday the Burns took us to visit the area where we will be serving.  Saturday evening President Craven met us and took us to dinner.  We had a great time sharing ideas.
Sunday in Murphy was fun but I was nervous meeting new people and missing the good people of Caswell.  We are going to miss them so much.  They have been like family to us.  We said we did not want to be transferred but would go if that's what the Lord wanted.  President Craven said he was so sure so we are going.  It was fast Sunday and the members bore testimony just like we had been taught in our meetings.  So many, many were able to bear their testimonies. The spirit was very strong.  It is a good little branch.

looks very much like Caswell

After church we headed home getting there at 9:30.  Again we fell into bed.  It rained a great deal of the trip and was still raining when we got home so we didn't even unload the car.  We came home through the Nantahala Gorge, which was beautiful.  The Smokey Mountains are so different than here but Caswell has its own beauty which we love.

  

Nantahala Gorge

Tues. Nov. 7, 1905  We left Bro. McCotter's and went to the creek and picked out a place to do the baptizing.  We then came to Sis. Smith's and got a shovel and axe and fixed a place.  In the afternoon we went to Bro. Beasley's and as they were having a "corn shucking," we helped them shuck corn.  After eating supper we went home with Sister Smith and stayed over the night.
Nov. 8th  We got up in good time and prepared for our baptizing which I have the privilege of performing.  We then came to Sister Smith's and after dinner we confirmed him a member of the Church, we also administered to him. as he had been sick all summer.  We stayed over the night at Sister Smith's, we also held a meeting.  We retired at eleven o'clock.