Much more snow . . .

How cruel it was for the Poyfairs to send us a picture of them relaxing poolside in the sunshine in Mesquite, Nevada, where they are spending the weekend at a soccer tournament!  This week the monster snow storm did not detour around our little valley, it hit us full on with a beautiful heavy snow fall Wednesday night and Thursday.  We spent several days "grounded" and our Elders sure got their exercise shoveling.  You are probably tired of snow pictures but these last few are the best of the winter and I will include some at the end of this blog.  We also take random pictures occasionally when something is cute or interesting.  Like the picturesque building off the road near Maysville or the goats on the hills outside of Moorefield.

We spent a very quiet Monday - relaxing, reading , doing a few chores. Tuesday we had District Meeting,  we took a few pictures of our District Elders because one of our Petersburg Elders and both Romney Elders were being transferred to new areas on Wednesday. After the meeting we helped with Bingo at the nursing home, we had to wear masks, they are still trying to contain their flu outbreak.  Then we made  a fun visit in Moorefield to a mother and her adult son that we had not met before. Nice to get to know them.

Back row:  Elders Plumb, Elieson, Miller, & Mordecai
Front row:  Elders Hartwig & Goodell

Wednesday we left early with Elder Hartwig and all his stuff (and bike) and his companion Elder Mordecai.  We drove three hours to Ellicott City, just outside of Baltimore, where the missionaries meet for their Transfer Meeting.  It's a special meeting where the new missionaries bear a short testimony and meet their "trainers", and the ones that have completed their missions also get to speak a few minutes.  Then the chaos  as luggage and bikes are juggled around and companionships are switched.  It's pretty fun actually.  We met our new missionary, Elder Bell from Ogden, Utah, and brought him back to Petersburg.  We stopped at a Chik-Fil-A restaurant for a quick lunch on the way home.  We will miss Elder Hartwig, but he had been here six months and was ready for a new adventure.  Wayne and I now have been here the longest of the six of us missionaries - interesting thought.  Glad we don't have to learn new names and faces and directions every few months, we are too old for that.  We like it here just fine - in fact we love it here and are happy to stay put for another year-and-a-half.   At the transfer meeting the last verse of a song we sang touched me, the words reminded me of why we are here:  "We'll go to the poor, like our Captain of old, And visit the weary, the hungry, and cold;  We'll cheer up their hearts with the news that he bore And point them to Zion and life evermore."

So after we got back from transfers, I worked on genealogy at the church for a while, then the snow began

 It snowed all night and most of Thursday.  We got over 18 inches. We were grounded.  They cancelled Bingo at the nursing home, the Red Cross Blood Drive, the ward activity scheduled for Friday night (just postponed until the 22nd), the Food Pantry assignments,  school, etc.  We made some phone calls to check on people, but mostly just stayed in.  The Elders came over to our apartment to watch "Ephraim's Rescue",  great movie.  They shoveled a lot,  our apartment complex manager does a good job of our parking lot but we did have to dig our sidewalk and car out.  By today the main roads are good, not the side streets or people's steep driveways though.  We do have an appointment with the Moorefield Elders this afternoon.  Anyway, we are warm and safe, doing well.  Thanks to the Acors for the Valentines, made our day - loved the squished Peppermint Patties, too.  Wayne manage to get me a rose for Valentine's Day and cooked shrimp for dinner - my favorite.  Have a great week.

The park on the top of the hill where we usually go walking.