WINNOWING CHAFF

This has been a very difficult week.  Our investigators are copping out on us.  It is so  discouraging.  Thank goodness for my wonderful companion who constantly keeps me going.  We have decided to concentrate on the inactive and part member families.  They are so in need of the blessings of the temple.  That is our goal.  Glad to hear about Parker's science fair and going to BYU's fair.  Also glad that Cameron played the pipe organ at UNLV.  Love hearing about the grands.  We're anxious to see Kristin and kids next week.
 Our district leader keeps us focused.  He is great, Elder Cutler.  We love our weekly district meetings in Danville, Virginia. (Mainly because gas is 20 cents cheaper there.)

Elder Collingwood is being transferred.

Elders Collingwood, Corilli (Vegas) Curler (Layton) Wilcok (Orem ) We had a tornado watch this week.  We needed to go to Danville to get gas and it hit right on the way. We could not see a thing.

We went to stake conference Friday in Greensboro.  It was amazing.  Sister Card (Orson Scott Card's wife) got us so excited about reading the Book of Mormon that I could hardly wait to get home.  She taught solely from the book.  She taught us about the fathers of the stripling warriors using scriptures.  It was so powerful. 

house on the way to conference

love the tractor

 The stake has challenged us to read the entire book by Mother's Day.  I'm on fire.  I love that book.  I'm embarrassed to say that it is the first time in  my life I have hated to put it down and do something else.  I read instead of doing hand work.  I love my companion.

Sat. Feb. 3th & 4th 1905 This morning the ground was covered with snow and we didn't have enough money to ride all the way to Kinston (27 miles) and we were undecided as to what to do.  Just as we were about to start a little girl came in and gave us sixty-five cents between us.  With this we were able to ride all the way arriving here about five o'clock P.M.  As we were coming uptown at the place where we were intended to stay we saw a fellow and smallpox written on the door so we came on up and stayed with Andrews that night.

NO HEAT

Well, you would think we could look at the gauge on the propane tank to see how the level was.  No.  We got up Monday morning to find the temp was 23.  We turned on the heat (We are trying to conserve heat so we don't turn the furnace on unless desperate.) and when still cold turned on the burners on the stove.  We have a little radiant oil heater and we turned it on in the study and hunkered down to study.  That afternoon we realized it was freezing in the rest of the house.  We had long before turned off the burners.  We called the mission and they sent someone out to fill the tank.  It's amazing how warm a furnace can be if you have gas in the line.  We still use the little space heater to save on the bill.  It's $1500.00 every time you fill the tank.
We still are having no luck with Erica which is so disappointing. We love her and she needs the Gospel.
We had dinner at Brother and Sister Lindsay Page's home.  He was such a great basketball coach here that they named the gym after him.  He's a wonderful man.  They also had their family over.  What good people.
Valentine's Day was great.  We met with Brian, who is reading the Book of Mormon and then went out a piece to  Cynthia's.  She's lost her glasses so she can't read.  They are both fun to teach.  They feel the Spirit.  We went with the ward mission leader, Bro. Richard Hill.  On the way home he showed us where a sister lives.  She's inactive but doesn't know it.  She lives with (Bro Hill says) 20 cats.  She was not home but now we can find her.  We had Valentine's dinner at the Ouzts' home.
Wednesday was zone conference in Greensboro.  What a great president we have.  We were taught by him and his assistants.  I was so impressed.  Our zone leaders also taught us.  This mission has amazing missionaries.
We are volunteers at the Caswell County Museum and enjoy serving.  Dad will have everything read by the time we are through.  It's a very interesting and well cared for museum.  We went to visit with Brian again and he said he would be at church again Sunday.  He wasn't.
We met with Cynthia again.  She set up another appointment so that is good.  After that we needed to go to Burlington to get Lucy inspected and emissions checked.Caswell doesn't require such things. After waiting 2 hours and closing time the mechanic came out to tell us the machine to do it was broken.  We went one block to an Exon station and got it done in 15 minutes.

doll house

Saturday we met with Matt again.  He has already read the Book of Mormon and now is reading it again.  I think he is trying to find mistakes.  He is only 18 years old but very bright.  We then went to an inactive member's home.  It is a doll house.  He wasn't home but his sweet wife was and was very friendly.  She invited us to come again.  We then had our last visit with Latyca.  She is so special.  After that we headed to another inactive home down the way a piece.  There was strep throat in the home so we didn't go in but they invited us back again.
There is an antique auction place in Yanceyville.  It is only open on Saturdays.  We decided to go in.  WOW!  They have special chairs  reserved for the high bidders.  A big auction is the 3rd of March.  They come from many other states.  The items saved for that auction are amazing.  I have never in my life seen such things.  Erik put us on face time so we could see Asher's cake and the beginning of his party.  The cake was as usual so darn cute and Asher was having a great time.  I can't believe he is 4.  He was a baby just yesterday.  We got to talk to all the boys and Ava.
Yesterday was ward conference.  After the meetings the sisters put on a dinner you can't imagine.  The tables lined the cultural hall filled with food of all kinds, and round tables in the middle for sitting .  They even had tables in the RS room.  I've never seen such a thing.

back yard

It started snowing shortly after we got home and snowed for some time.

Lucy

I love my companion.  Transfers are coming soon.  I hope my companion doesn't get transferred.
We found out that Grandpa Bayles went home in 1906, got married, and went on another mission to this area in 1915.  We don't have a journal about that.

Sat. Dec. 31, 1904 " We left Gates' at hafr past six this morning for Jefferies' in Alamance Co.  The roads to Cedar Grove were quite rough the ground having froze quite hard, but from there on they were pretty good. We got to Jefferies' about eleven o'clock in the forenoon having walked twenty-miles in about five hours.  We ate dinner and stayed at Jefferies' the rest of the day."

THIRD WEEK

Another week has come and gone and where did it go?  We've had good days and bad as does everyone.  Thank goodness there are more good than bad.  This week has been disappointing in that Erica has gone cold. We can't believe it.  She says she still wants to meet with us so we're not giving up.  She has had the Spirit tell her it is true.
Saturday was Latyca's interview with the district leader.  The elders in our dist. are great.  After the interview I served Navajo taccos to the 2 elders, Latyca and her boyfriend and his mother and a brother in our ward.  I made enough for 24 taccos.  I had 2 left over.  They had never had them and went crazy over them.  I loved it.

First LDS chapel in Caswell County

Brian  went to church yesterday.  We have only given him one lesson and he wants to be baptized next Sunday.  We need to do a little more work there.  He's wonderful but definitely needs more lessons.  I love it.  The members of the Caswell Ward are just so friendly and make everyone feel so at home.  They follow the teachings of our Savior.  Dad and I spoke in church on sacrifice.  It actually went really well.  Latyca's baptism was so filled with the Spirit.  She is a special young daughter of our Heavenly Father.  Brandon did a great job of baptizing and confirming her.  He also gave a talk.
We visited the Caswell County Historic Museum this week and volunteered to work there several afternoons a week.  It is an amazing museum and hopefully we will cause questions with our name tags.  We also are doing Meals on Wheels twice a month.  If we find we have the time we will volunteer more at both of these.  We need to get into the community and make ourselves known.
We met a very nice young college student this week.  He told his mother not to let us in because he was too tired and did not want to get out of bed but I just stayed on the porch and she invited us in.  We talked with her for a while and he finally came out.  He has a triple major in physics, music composition and I can't remember the other.  I'll get Kristin's husband on him.  When we left he invited us to come again next Sat.  Yahoo!
I love my companion.
We have been reading dad's grandfather's journal and found that he walked right through Yanceyville on his mission.  We have been in several areas where he served.  I am going to put a story from his journal in each blog for a few times.  We have it so easy now.

Hanson Durham Bayles

"Fri. Oct. 14, 1904.  This morning after breakfast we started on our journey to visit some other saints in  Alamance Co. we left there about half past seven and arriving at a family of Saints by the name of J.G. Jefferies at half-past twelve at noon having traveled twenty-two miles through a dusty road.  After eating dinner we sat around the fire resting ourselves & eating apples.  We spent the night at Mr. ["Bro." crossed out] Jefferies.
Thurs. Nov. 17th  After eating breakfast we got ready and started for Granville Co.  We left Bro. Smithey's about half past seven and after walking until about one we came to a store where we bot three cents worth of cakes and ten cents worth of cheese after we had walked about two miles we sat down by a small stream and ate them after which we continued our journey arriving here at Br. Slaughter's about four [32] o'clock having walked twenty-five miles.   After eating supper and sitting by the fire until about eight o.clock, we retired feeling a little tired over our day's walk.  (3 cents of cake means bread or rolls)

Second Week

Monday and Tuesday we spent in Charlotte getting to know our wonderful mission president and his gracious wife, President Lindsay A. and Sylvia Thomas.  We had 2 days of couples training.  It was so helpful and he assured us we didn't have to go at the same speed as the Elders which made us feel so relieved.  He is a man of God who loves his missionaries.  It also made us glad we are not in a huge city but in the country.
Every day we get up and do Yoga.  Why didn't someone tell us it is so grueling.  After Yoga we walk for 45 minutes or an hour.  When we get home we study for several hours and have breakfast.  Then it's out the door to visit contact or non active members.  It is hard to find contacts in this town and most of them are out in the country by the church.  Yanceyville is losing population, not gaining.
Latyca has changed her baptismal day to Sunday.  We are so excited for her.  She studies so hard.  We could all take lessons from her.  She takes notes and asks such insightful questions each lesson.  She has such a warm and firm testimony.  She can't wait to be a member so she can talk in church.  That reminds me that we are the speakers in church Sunday.  Why do I get so nervous?  Here is this non member anxious to give one and I am so nervous.
We have also been meeting with a girl, Erica.  She has 6 children but only the 8 month old baby, Samiya, is living with her.  She said she would go to church last Sunday but didn't.  This Sunday we we more firm and went Saturday to remind her we would wake her up at 7:30 so she could be ready.  We went over at 7:30 and she said she was getting ready but would probably be late.  Samiya was ready.  We went again at 8:30 to check on her and she still wasn't ready.  We told her we would wait for her but she insisted on us going and she would get there.  It is a 15-20 minute drive.  We waited and waited even thorough the sacrament and no Erica.  During the testimonies she showed up.  I went to greet her and our ward greeter was already there giving her a hug and saying how happy he was to see her.  She loved the rest of the meeting.  She was going to go home after that but stayed for Sunday School and Relief Society.  Everyone made such a fuss over her and her darling baby.  I held Samiya the entire time.  (I didn't say it felt just like I was holding Baylie again.)  That baby never made a peep the whole time.  She's such a good baby.  Every ward could take lessons from this ward.  Everyone swarmed her after meetings and invited her to come again and were so sincere.  She felt their love and the strong spirit that was there.  We will give her another lesson tomorrow.
We loved that we could call Ashley on her birthday and she was there.  We love you Ashley and are so proud of the daughter of God you are.  Keep it up.  You're so special.
We got the incredible family new letter.  What great writers ya'll are.
The other good news was to hear Annette is out of ICU.  Whiy to fihit gal.(that's in NC language)
Baylie called last night to recite the 2nd article of faith.  Way to go Baylie.   You're so like your mother.

Bartlett Yancey Home

                                                 

old barn

I did really well with my missin' of the grands 'till I opened a letter from Hailey, Molly and Lily. We also got some pictures of Ava, Nixon and their parents.  Thanks. I miss everyone so much but am where I am supposed to be.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so true and we must share it.  I love my companion.

WE LOVE OUR COMPANIONS

This week has been amazing.  We have gone into 15 homes.  We are really trying to work hard.  It is so difficult when teaching someone with an entirely different life style from generations back.  We have learned so much.  We are continually grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its emphasis on the family. work ethics and self reliance.  How we love our children and grandchildren.  I still haven't been able to cut the emotions I constantly feel but I know this is where we belong for this short time.  The members of the Church here are so loving and kind and will do anything for you.  They feed us well.  I still haven't lost the MTC weight.

Gunn home

Every morning we do yoga.  I had no idea it was so grueling.  After that we take a 45 minute walk around town.
 It is sad to see all the homes that have been deserted but we enjoy the exercise.  We then shower and study the scriptures for at least an hour.  Dad studies every chance he gets.  He is so dedicated.

We are teaching Latyca and she is so golden.  She set her baptism date but Saturday she said she wanted to move it up.  She wants her family to be there so she will let us know later in the week.  She studies so hard and asks such good questions.
 Some of the people we visit are a ways out of town which we love because the countryside is so beautiful.  Today we say a flock of beautiful wild turkeys and a herd of deer. We are having a great time studying, eating, praying and just being together.

old barn

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.

Eastward Ho

We left Amarillo Tuesday morning and headed for Oklahoma. I must say that Oklahoma is beautiful after Texas. Well, sort of.  At least it had a few hills and some beginning green fields.

We headed into Arkansas after Oklahoma.  Arkansas was wonderful. It had some hills and even some green fields. It also had some water in places.  We stayed the night at a place called Forrest City.  We ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken and I must say it was yummy. Dad eats breakfast at the motel and we somehow don’t have lunch (I know my family is shocked at this).


I make little treats of crackers, beef stick, and cheese and we just never seem to get hungry until
dinner. We also eat lots of chocolates. I’m sure that is good for you.







 We headed for Memphis to see Graceland the next morning. This was only for Clark. We took pictures and headed on to Nashville. Dad was in heaven.

Graceland  Home of Elvis Presley

Tennesee

                                             

Mississippi River 

 We took the tour of the Grand Ole Opry. It really was amazing. We had planned to get to Kristin’s Wednesday evening about 8, but we took so much time in Nashville that we went through the Smokey Mountains in the dark and got to Kristin’s at 11:00 p.m.  Thank goodness for Disney trivia on my iphone. It kept us awake. We won’t tell you our score.

Grand Ole Opry

Minnie Pearl

.We have played with the kids all day and it has been great. It is Jalen’s  second birthday so all is well.

                                               Saying good-by

I called the mission home to let them know we would be in Yancey for sure tomorrow. I also called them Monday. They acted very surprised and were shocked that we didn’t know how to get the key to our home. They asked if we had received the email from the couple who were there before the elders because they had things they wanted to tell us. We didn’t because the mission home forgot to send it and they can’t find it now. The elders in our home left yesterday and said they left the home clean. Yea! We are just a little nervous about the whole housing thing. Our next entry may be very interesting.