God Bless America!

Examining the beautiful Mimosa tree blossoms

What a privilege to live in this great country!  I did tear up this morning as we all stood and sang the Star-Spangled Banner in Sacrament Meeting.  It's great to see flags waving and fireworks celebrating the birth of the United States of America.  We are Proud to be Americans!

This past week we made visits, taught lessons, did service at the nursing home, helped a member with genealogy, Wayne practiced music for the upcoming ward picnic, etc.  We made the drive to Romney to visit our friend Woneda in a nursing home there.  She was so glad to see us and would move to Idaho with us if she could!  Wayne taught a lesson to Denton, an inactive member that Wayne and his HP group leader fished with recently and invited to come back.  He has come the previous two Sunday.  Wayne showed a video and taught the first discussion to Denton, his non-member wife and 14-year old granddaughter Ashley.  Denton and Ashley were at church today and Ashley loved Young Women. They will meet again this week.  I took our ward missionary Sonja with me to teach 12-year-old Lisa her second lesson last week also,  we had the third lesson after church today and she wants to be baptized - maybe in a couple weeks! 

One highlight of our week was taking Elder Saunders and Elder Nicholes to Berryville, VA, for a zone meeting where we were introduced to our new mission president. He and his wife showed pictures of themselves and their family, then had the missionaries in our zone introduce themselves and bear a brief testimony.  It was a nice meeting.  President Christiansen is an attorney from Provo, Utah.  He and his wife have six daughters,  two will be joining them on their mission.  On the way home from the meeting we stopped in

Winchester Zones A & B with President & Sister Christiansen

Wardensville (a town on the edge of our ward, about 42 miles from Petersburg), to visit an inactive friend Deb F. and to take the Elders to lunch at a cute diner. 

Quarter-mile Diner, Wardensville, WV

Kassie and Sister Orton enjoyed some ping-pong time

We had a great Independence Day yesterday.  We were invited to our Bishop's home for a barbecue.  Wayne serenaded the group with patriotic songs (that he had also performed for the nursing home on Friday night).  The kids swam, the men played corn hole.  Nice day.  In the evening we watched the fireworks and also enjoyed watching the fireflies!  

WML Oscar with Elder Saunders & Elder Nicholes

Lovely Katrina

Festive 4th of July cake made by Linda & Steve

Elder Nicholes making napkin roses

Elder Orton singing by the pool

Jimi joining in on "Folsom Prison Blues"

Great Fast and Testimony Meeting this morning.  Made even better by the return of a special member and his family who had left the church for a while because of hurt feelings.  So good to see them back - and to hear their testimonies!  (and they brought us some honey from their beehives!)

We are awaiting news from our children about their past week - Orton Family Reunion in Oregon,  Poyfair family vacation in Wyoming, Darin & Laura house-hunting in Logan, etc. Share your adventures with us...   Happy Birthday yesterday to Kendra - we tried to call but couldn't get you.    

Poyfair family having fun in Jackson Hole Wyoming

We would have loved to join them on the trail ride,  looks like a beautiful day!

We also missed out on the Orton Family Reunion
at the 4-H Center outside LaGrande, Oregon.
Here are some of Wayne's siblings:
Ferrin, Nical, Rosala, Steve, Marcel, and Wanda.
Miss you guys!