SERVING WITH A THANKFUL HEART

Our days are very different now that the 6 month missionaries are gone.  We miss them terribly.  They were a so fun and diligent.  We have all new schedules now.  We have four 5-10 shifts and 2 morning 8-1 shifts.  The work is so rewarding and the people are so grateful for what we can do for them.  They are so dedicated to doing what is right.

The 4^th was my sister, Karen’s 78^th birthday. (I think)  She has always been a good example for me.  I feel lonely for her often but we both have families whom we love to be with. She is on the left, I am the other one.

We went to Niagara for church, which is always good. The drive is beautiful. 

It was fast Sunday and another month is gone.  It is going way too fast for us.  We love it here.  Testimonies went 20 minutes over time with a sister getting up even when the counselor got up to close the meeting.  These people have great faith and wish they could be good like the Saints in Utah.  We constantly tell them how wonderful they are.  Relief Society was a fun time getting to know each other better since some new families have moved in and new members have been baptized.  After church, Patriarch Van Tassel  led us to Mike Graedzewizet’s home to give him the sacrament and a blessing.  He is dying of cancer and is in so much pain.  He is trying to stay alive until his son, Raymond, graduates in May.  He used to be a professional hockey player.  It is so sad.  It is just the 2 of them.

Monday was a busy day in that we got our expenses paid.  At 1:00 we went to Noonans for a good-bye luncheon with the missionaries because the Hills are going home. 

                                 

They are the couple on the left.

They are from Rexburg and we will miss them so much.  They lived right next door to us and are such wonderful people.  You cannot believe the beautiful photo he took and mounted for us of the temple. 

It is of the Sacred Grove at sunrise.

The fall colors are beautiful right out our door.

 Dad working on a stick.

 our door decor

 2 of our favorite homes in Palmyra

 At 6:00 we had home evening with the missionaries at the new president’s home which is the same home as President and Sister Black.  It is now President Miner and his wife’s home. He was in the previous presidency.  The Mission President talked to us about  “Look and behold”  It was a powerful evening.  The treat was pumpkin rollups and it made us miss Shanelle and her rollups.  After the treat President Miner took us to the temple and showed us, before anyone had seen, the new paintings that were put up today.  My favorite is the one of the black sister kneeling in prayer, dressed in her whites.

temple parking lot in the daytime.

Tuesday we had to get up at 5:30 to be early at the temple for an endowment.  They open every other Tuesday at that time to help those who can come then.  There was one brother.  We came with others so there would be enough in the prayer circle.  Our Father is so caring for the one.  It is such a special time with only the officiators and a witness couple to be able to perform that sacred ordinance.   Our testimonies leap with joy when this happens.  We went back to serve again for the night shift.  How blessed we are to be able to do this.
We love the temple on a rainy night.

w

Thursday, Judy Sandstrom came from Provo to visit.  She lost her husband John 2 months ago and it is very difficult for her as you can well imagine.  After we got out of the first shift, we took her to Victor.

  We had Charley’s  Philly cheese stake, yummy sandwiches and because we got lost going, we had to kind of hurry coming back.  Judy loved it because she saw so much of the off-highway scenery.  The colors were still pretty.  We dropped her off so we could do our night shift.

Friday we spent the entire day with her because our shift coordinators  gave us the night off.  We never stopped crying or laughing.  We started the day by going to the Sacred Grove.  It was very cold but the Spirit was so strong that we didn't even notice. 

We waited down the path while she spent some time alone.  It was so peaceful and beautiful even with the leaves missing from most of the trees.  When we went to the Hill Cumorah, Judy made me climb up behind this passage to take a picture.

Judy went alone to the Hill.  It was rainy and cold.
We then went to the Whitmer Farm because we love it there and we wanted Judy to see the miracle of the plow on a movie there.  We were the only ones in the room and Judy and I bawled and bawled.  It is on your computers and you should watch it.  It is a testimony builder.

We went to Sauders Market, which is owned by the Mennonites.  Judy went crazy buying all these ingredients to make better soup for the many people she takes it to.  She is a RS president's prayer.  We had lunch in the cafeteria there.  It is always yummy and has fresh apple cider.  Their chocolate isn't bad either.

From there we to Sodus Point on Lake Ontario to see a light house and enjoy the beautiful water. We went last month and is one of our favorite places.

   

We took all the back roads and Judy was thrilled with the beauty of the farms and just the countryside.

                                         

It was getting late so we headed back to Palmyra. 

Erie C

 cows on Stafford Rd.

The place where the old Stafford Rd. was.

We drove along Lake Ontario and stopped in Newark for a hot fudge Sunday.  We were out of control with all our laughing about the day.  We got her back to her hotel and she said it was the best day she had had sense John died.  It was just wonderful.

Saturday I took Dad to Victor and a steak dinner for his birthday at the Longhorn Steak House.  It was fun to be together.  This is a Quaker Church we found on our way. 

His birthday is tomorrow but there is little we can do with going to Niagara and not shopping.  He is my everything and has always been my example of a worthy priesthood holder.  I am so grateful the Lord just handed him to me.  He has to be a very patient person to deal with all the weird things I do.  I don’t ever want to be without him.  He knows the doctrine of Christ so well and lives it.  I love him to the moon and back.  Love is a beautiful gift our Father has given us. 

The geese are heading South and changing form.

Sunday we went to Buffalo for Stake Conference.  It is a powerful stake and is always 

doing acts of service for the different communities.  We love going to Buffalo and seeing these beautiful sculptures along the main exit.

Mr. Russell J. Salvatore was a man who wanted to give something to Buffalo to show how much he appreciated the many men and women who gave to their country.  He hired Don Parrino to make sculptures of important things that made him proud of Americans.  

                                 

back side

 America the Beautiful

Battle of the Bulge

9/11

There were others but it was rainy and cold so these were our best.  It was a park that was in front of his hotel.

When we got home the Seamons had put this on our door so we invited them for grape pie, ice cream and chicken foot.

Monday the 12th, we went with the missionaries to Weaver View Farms, an Amish farm where the barn is a place to show and buy beautiful quilts ($750.00) and fun things for a home but we just bought some homemade jams.

 I wish some of these buildings could talk.

After that we went to Penn Yann for lunch at a Mennonite bulk store and café.  It was so good and we bought a grape pie.  When we got home we helped the Seamons move to the apartment right next door to us.  When they woke up the very next morning, they were so glad we had been insistent on them getting it all done that night.

Tuesday morning:

I’m trying to cut these blogs shorter.  Saturday the 17^th we met the missionaries who are going to open a Distribution Center right here in Palmyra.  The church owns the building so now members will not have to order all their temple things on line.  We are so excited for them.  It will open in January.  It will be next to the Grandin building on Main St.

We were headed home after church in Niagara when we saw a young man from our ward walking down the highway about 7 miles from the church.  We asked if he needed a ride and he said yes. Dad had not known what road to take home and suddenly said 104.  We are so glad he was directed this way.  The man may have ended in Albany.  To make this a short story, he was 20 miles from his home going the wrong way.  He did not know his address and his and his mom’s phones did not work.  He is 23.  We asked if there was something he remembered about his neighborhood and he said the name of a cemetery.  I found it on my phone and we got him home.  His family is from Columbia but he has lived in NYC all his life.  They have only been here a few months with his mother, grandmother and his uncle.

Monday, the 19^th we went to the temple at 10:30 AM, to do a session for the full time missionaries who were going home. (The temple is not usually open on Mondays in the winter) We had the 3 elders and 1 sister, and the Mission President, President Evans, and his wife.  I thought about Riley the whole time. It is such a special session.

That night our home evening was at President Miner’s home and he gave a remarkable talk about the temple and the fact that it is the main reason we are on this earth.  We need these covenants to return to our Father and we need to help others on both sides of the veil to have this sacred opportunity.  We love this true gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Tuesday we got up to go to the temple at 4:20 AM to do a special session that is only open 2 Tuesdays a month.  It is for those who cannot come any other time. We were the witness couple, but the best part was that I got to do my gr, gr,gr,gr Grandma Jones' name. Catherine Jones.  Don't have her birth date but she was christened June 20, 1785 in Tythegston, Glamorganshire Wales.  All her work had been done but the sealing to husband and that has been reserved by someone.  Got her sealed to her parents.  I was also able to do my gr,gr,gr,gr grandmother Catherine Evans, born in 1851 in Garmarthenshire, Wales. (Notice the word shire.) They are from my own grandparents on my grandpa's side.  A few tears were shed.

 Clarasetta Price and David Evans Jones

Thanksgiving was so fun with 40 people at the church house.  It was missionaries and any families that were visiting and some of the temple presidency.  We cooked 2 turkeys and 1 huge ham. With what people were assigned, a pie was also assigned. Everyone was able to take some food home.  It was yummy and good to be together.

After our shift on the 24^th Dad went shopping.  What a spirit of Christmas he is.  I was not surprised when he came home with a tree and lights for outside and anything else he wanted.  He loves this time of year and has an abundance of energy.

The 25^th was our Ava’s birthday.  She is finally in double figures and is growing up way too fast.

  We miss her cheery smile and her constant dance moves.  She is always ready to make someone happy.  She is a good friend to others and especially her family.  I don’t know what she did before Rowan came along.  We miss her and the Primary program she and Nixon invite us to.  We always have fun when we get together.  We love her and that happy personality. 

We took Max and Ruth to Lewiston (Which is the Niagara Falls Ward) for church.  I was the youth speaker which made me so happy to be a youth again.  Of course I spoke as asked, on the temple.  It is the promise we gave when we came to this earth and makes us so happy when we see so many come and renew those covenants we made time and time again.  After the meetings, we drove to the Canadian side of the falls and checked into the Embassy and had left over ham and turkey sandwiches for lunch.  We went down the sky tram and enjoyed the freezing, rainy time at the falls.  It is beautiful any time of the year.  We just walked around and enjoyed everything.

 The next morning, after breakfast, we crossed over to the US side and met the other temple missionaries, and Brother and Sister Strasberg, for an amazing tour of the area.  We had no idea that so much of the history was right there in Lewiston where we go to church.  Brother Strasberg has an amazing history in that he grew up in the area.  It was rainy and cold but we didn’t mind at all.  There is so much besides the falls.  We saw the old power plants and Rainbow Falls. We walked out on the Three Sister’s Island.

We even went to the church for a potty break. We then went to Syros for a Greek lunch.  I had a BLT.  The Strasbergs are in the front.

 Strasbergs in back, Seamons in front

   He told us that next he was going to a very sacred place and indeed it was.  It is in downtown Lewiston. Had we known we would have taken Kristin and her family there for sure.  It is in a park where a huge monument is to show that the people of NY did not agree with slavery.  It is where one of the underground RR paths led. A man named Josiah Tryon   helped the slaves by taking his boat out at night and crossing the slaves to Canada and freedom. 

He even used his home to hide them. There were bounty hunters who would try to find them and sell them to the South.  Nevertheless many slaves were freed.  The story is on these signs.

We ended the trip by going to Dicamillos Bakery for yummy treats.  I have never seen such huge eclairs.  The Seamon's shared them with us when we got home.  We bought a banana and a chocolate pie also.

After our night shift we had the Seamons over for chocolate and banana pie that we bought in Lewiston.  It's his birthday tomorrow so the next day we invited the Lindsays and had more of our desserts and sang Happy Birthday to Max.  We did all this after our shifts at the temple.  10:00 PM.
We miss being home for the holidays but are so blessed to be able to serve the Lord here in Palmyra.  Every day brings joy and an increase of or testimonies.  No matter what comes our way, we know that we are loved by our Father and whatever happens is for our growth and experience,  We love our blessed family and the joy we have by watching them grow.  We would not feel this without the gift of the priesthood because of the restored  gospel of Jesus Christ.