Sunday, May 24, 2015

Memorial Day 2015, Let's not forget our American heroes!

"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you --  Jesus Christ and the American soldier.  One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom."

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!  And thanks for our soldiers, past and present. 

John F. Kennedy: "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."


Rainbow over our Petersburg West Virginia Ward Campout,  22 May 2015
Where did the week go??  Well, it is gone.  We had our normal chores on Monday, then picked up a couple of single ladies and took them to our Family Home Evening group where we watched the John Tanner video and ate cupcakes.  We had a couple of very intense rain storms Monday, one when we were driving home from FHE, but we survived.  And we enjoy the lush greenery all around that is a result of the frequent rains. 

Tuesday we spent the day in Woodstock at our District Meeting.  In the  evening Wayne had a meeting, I worked at the nursing home and made a few visits.  Tuesday was Transfer Day! Our Elder Sloan left us and we brought home to Petersburg Elder Gorman from South Africa.  He is very interesting, with a strong British accent.  We will enjoy him.  The trip to Columbia, Maryland, was awful.  It usually takes us three hours, which is bad enough.  But this time it took five hours, because of roadside work near Harper's Ferry and a freeway accident near Mount Airy.  Very frustrating.  We love the transfer meetings, seeing the brand-new missionaries and hearing the testimonies of the departing ones - we missed all that.  But we did get to visit for a few minutes with the three Elders going home who had served in Petersburg, they become like family to us.  We are proud they are Returning with Honor to their homes and moving on with life.  
Elder Briggs













Elder Rodriguez



















Elder Farr

















It was a long day, but we got home in time to do indexing at the Church, then teach a Temple Prep lesson to our friend, Sonja.  

Thursday I was to go Visiting Teaching with Janet, but she called at the last minute to say she was ill.  My wonderful companion volunteered to go with me, even though I assured him I would be fine on the long (55 mile) drive out to see Crystal and Ariann.  Alone.  By myself.   But he insisted, so we went together and had a lovely morning.  We made a few other visits, then I went to our very nice Relief Society night meeting (picking up a couple ladies who needed the experience, too).  Friday Wayne went to the dentist (our Bishop) for a check-up and cleaning.  I helped my friend Wanda with genealogy at the church.  Then we went to our ward campout, for a fun evening of food, games, horse shoes & corn hole, campfire, and devotional.  We saw the most beautiful rainbow and the first fireflies of the year!  Awesome. We didn't camp out, but went back again Saturday morning for breakfast.  Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting.  The rest of Saturday was spent in visiting ward members, picking up groceries at Wal-Mart in Moorefield,  then home for lesson preparation. I'm a regular Relief Society Sunday teacher and it is my assigned week to teach.  Wayne got a call Saturday afternoon asking him to teach priesthood Sunday morning - he is such a good teacher, they ask him a lot.  He even taught Primary this morning, too, when the teachers didn't show up to teach.  What a good sport!

Anyway, we have had a good week.  And a busy one.  We also just got some great news - our friend Katja has decided to get baptized in the next few weeks and wants Wayne to baptize her!  Yeah!  Katja is married to Dwayne, who was inactive and recently out of the Army.   Wayne tracked him down several months ago when he met his sister at the Food Pantry, recognized the name from our ward directory, and asked if she was related to Dwayne.  The sister gave us Dwayne's address, we met them and became friends, and the Elders have been teaching Katja and their oldest daughter, Lisa.  Our daughter Angie and her family met Katja and Dwayne and their kids when they visited us recently.  We are very excited about her decision to be baptized, I don't think the family has missed a week at church since we met them.  They feed the Elders every week, too.  Dwayne received the priesthood a couple weeks ago, passed the sacrament last week, and got a calling today.   It's great to see their progress.  And hopefully Sonja (who Wayne also baptized, last April) will be ready to go to the temple before we come home.  Special experiences for us.  We are so blessed to be here.  


Beautiful West Virginia countryside

Corn Hole at the ward campout


Ward member Jimi with Elder Saunders and Elder Gorman

Around the campfire


View from the freeway

Just a few miles outside of Petersburg - so beautiful
  


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