TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE, HERE WE COME

April 29th was a great P-Day.  It was the first time we have been able to go with the elders.  They were so excited.  It must be hard to be in a district with 2 couples and only 2 elders.  They don't have the miles to go anywhere so are at our mercy.  They are wonderful, obedient elders.

Elder Gomm and Elder Gosselin

We started by making a turn at the Standing Indian Campground.  We got to our parking place and began the hike.  It was so beautiful and we saw so many beautiful things in the woods. (They don't call them mountains here; they call them woods.)  The Franklin RS Pres., Sister Jones, came to tell us about the flowers.  We hiked a mile and a half to the largest poplar tree east of the Miss.

foam flower

sitting on a vine

in the woods

the group

base of the tree

half way up

more wisdom

resting rock  (notice my cane)

Jack in the pulpit flower

red trillium

white trillium

yellow trillium

chick weed

Sorry about all the pictures but this is going to end up our mission scrapbook when Kristin has the time so we want the pictures.  After our hike back up the the mountain we had our peanut butter sandwiches and water and headed for the Appalachian Trail (Appalatchan)

trail sign to show distance

The white mark shows it is the AP Trail.  Other colors show other trails.

RM in the middle Brian Chidester

Most amazing thing--the guy in the middle we met at this shelter (forgot to take a pic)  He just happens to be a RM from the place where Elder Gomm lives.  He is hiking alone but meets up with someone every now and again and hikes with them for awhile.  He had been out a week and plans to reach Maine in August or Sept.
On the way into this area is a non-denominatioal church.  They hold meetings every 1st Sunday.

We can't remember if we have shown you the Blairsville Georgia Chapel.  These Elders have had 6 baptisms since we have been here.

hope you can see the sign above his head
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elders in the chapel

We have been trying very hard to visit everyone in the branch but we are putting 2,500 miles on Lucy every month and most people do not want anything to do with us yet they do not want their names removed.  Go figure.  We have had some luck and 3 families are going to church that were not when we arrived.  Another one comes but not every week.  We are determined to go hard right up to release day.  We had a very good lesson with one of our investigators this week.  He'll make it in his own time but he'll make it.  We love him  and his sweet wife so much.  He cooks a wicked  venison back strap.  It melts in your mouth.

Wednesday our land lord had repairmen come and fix anything that needed it.  They put in a new shower stall which was so necessary.  The bathroom looks so good now.  When they first set it out on the lawn it was in a blue plastic cover.  I about had a panic attack.  You know how I hate blue. I was so relieved when they took the cover off.  They fixed the problems in the kitchen floor and the outside gutters.  We feel like we are in a new home
We had a great time with our investigator.  This time he made us homemade biscuits and gravy with scrambles eggs.  When we were finished he asked if I liked the eggs.  When I said they were yummy he answered he was glad because he used the eggs that did not hatch.  I think every time he feeds us he tries to see if I'll hold it down.  He almost succeeded this time.  We sure do love them.
  Wednesday we found a golden contact.  She is wonderful.  She ran into a man while waiting for her husband's surgery and he told her of the restored Gospel.  She loved it.  She down loaded the scriptures on her phone and is in 2 Nephi.  She gets so excited when she tells us what she's read and how it made her feel. Please pray for her in that she lives in an all Baptist community and all of her family are Baptists.  She did find out that her grandmother was a Mormon when she found her Book of Mormon after she died..  It is a treasure to her.  She is so close to the Spirit and knows it is true.  It is so exciting for us.  She works at a development at the Hiawasee  Dam.

river and sign at dam

road by dam we went on with Erik's bunch
We love how the trees turn green and cover the road

We had a Zone meeting in Waynesville and took the elders in Lucy.  They went on exchanges so we stayed in a hotel and took them back the next afternoon

view out our hotel window

.  They are so wonderful and so obedient.  Our Zone meeting was great led by Julie Laws' son, Elder Casper.

 The news he gave us was that our mission is being divided and our zone is going to be in the Tennessee, Knoxville Mission.  It will be so nice because that mission office is 2 hours away and Charlotte is 5 1/2.  We also have to cross the Smokey Mountains to get there.  How beautiful is that?  There is a road to get there called the Dragon's tail that is 11 miles long and has 318 sharp curves.  The motor bikers come from everywhere to go on it.  Lucy will do just fine.  We will only be in that mission for 9 days so it will mean nothing to us.  We are so glad Erik came when he did so we could go across the state with him.
We stayed the night in Dillsboro which was burned to the ground by Sherman during the Civil War.  We drove by some of the sites.

court house

back of stores 

We had a few minutes before we had to get the elders so we went to a huge flea market.  Dad's paradise.

from the San Quinten Prison's death row

signs from segregation days

bought 3 jars of jam from him  love the Muscadine grape jam

On our way home we stopped at a boiled peanut stand since the elders had never tasted them.  I am completely surprised or we are becoming North Carolinian because I thought they were really good.

Elder Bayles said the place was so dirty and the man pulled them out of a very dirty pot.  They're very hot.

getting home and trading luggage

 By the time we got home with the elders we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. They don't have jam in North Carolina; not even Wal-Mart. We did buy some boiled (bold) peanuts for the elders and I had one and then another.  They were good.  We'll only buy them there from that stand from now on.
We got up Sunday morning and got in the car to go to church and it wouldn't go.  Our sweet Baptist neighbors were in their car ready to go to church and saw us and insisted we drive them to their church and then just keep their week-old car to got to our building.  The Southern people are so kind and our neighbors are the best.  You cannot believe the people who have volunteered their vehicles for us to take as long as needed.  Tennessee is the volunteer state and it's only a holler away.
The Frady's came over tonight to give us their truck to drive while we get Lucy fixed.  Elder Bayles was just pulling cookies out of the oven so they stayed awhile.  We have an appt. to teach again Tues and Thurs we are taking them to dinner for their birthday's.  Pray for him to be baptized.

Tues. Dec.19th  We all went down to the sound and had a boat ride over to the beach, and while going over one of the Elders fell out of the boat head first into water that came up under his arms.
Tues, Jan 2nd  We got up in good time and after eating breakfast we bade them all good-bye and started for our county, Elders Crowther and Whitehead were traveling with us. We walked eighteen miles to Folkstone & then from there we rode fifteen miles to Jacksonville and from there we walked eight miles to Mr. Ellis's where Elds. Crowther and Whitehead stayed over night.  Eld. Montgomery and I went about half a mile farther to Bro. Lockainy's & stayed all night.