Gospel Gems

I got an email from Elder Duncan (aka-Perry) this week and Amy forwarded the latest email from Hermana Bryce (aka-Madi).  I loved recognizing the joy of serving as missionaries that they are both having.  I thought I would share a little from both of them.

Hermana Bryce..."We visited a 96 year old woman this week who is the oldest member in Riobamba.  She is the SWEETEST thing I have ever met in my entire life.  She reads in her Book of Mormon everyday. Every time we come to read with her she bears her testimony with tears in her eyes.  She loves the Gospel. She always leaves me with the love of Christ in my heart and a determination to bring other people her joy. She is living proof of enduring to the end.  She is truly converted to the gospel and lives it every way she can. I love her with all my heart and I can feel the love Heavenly Father has for her..."

Elder Duncan..."It's great to meet so many people.  Just about every one really loves God and Jesus, and a lot of people accept appointments to meet and teach them later....My first day here we saw a guy walking down the sidewalk across the street from our apartment and as we approached him he was like "uh oh, haven't I seen a play about this"?  As we talked to him he turned out to be really cool, and we set an appointment to meet him.  At that appointment we taught him about the restoration of the gospel and he was really receptive."

At this time there are over 74,000 missionaries serving all over the world.  Can you imagine the influence these wonderful missionaries have with the love they have for those they teach each day.  It is inspiring just thinking about it.

Missionary Moments #75--Feb 7, 2016

 It has been a great week for us because we have loads of work to do and have kept very busy.  In the middle of that we had a snow storm that left about 8 inches of snow to be maneuvered around.  Now that it is February I have begun a serious effort to work on our to-do list that I made in preparation for going home.  Our oven is now sparkling and is closed for business until the next tenants occupy this apartment.  I spent time on Pinterest to find out how to clean a stainless steel sink and leave it shining which was just a dry run because we definitely will use that again! It worked so well I keep going in and admiring it!  It has become necessary to decide what will go and what will be left behind.  One of the Sister missionaries in the Canterbury Ward is going home on Tuesday and so we offered to take some things she boxed up to the post office to be mailed home.  I plan on doing that as well just because I am not sure how much I can actually get into the back of our Edge.  We have certainly accumulated more "stuff" since we first arrived.

Another treat for both of us was to take our Elders and Sisters out to dinner.  On my birthday we went to Five Guys Burgers with the Sisters and had a great time visiting with them.  Before we left they asked if they could leave a message with us that they have been preparing on the Restoration.  We were delighted to be taught and they proceeded to share the wonderful truth of Heavenly Father's love for us which lead into the story of Joseph Smith's first vision.  As we listened I realized all around us were people eating dinner and visiting with their friends and family and in the middle of that one of the most powerful messages was being shared with us. The Spirit was so strong and I had to keep from shouting,  "hey people!, do you want to hear a message that will change your life!?"  Don't worry I didn't.  On Friday night we had dinner with the Elders which is always a fun experience because Elder Sanders has a very dry sense of humor and Elder Larsen is never sure if he is serious so we get to enjoy the surprised expressions that are often on his face.  Two nights of spending time with these young missionaries is an absolute tonic to any worries that we might have.

Yesterday we headed to Nashua to the Costco where we replaced two tires on our car in preparation for crossing the United States one more time. While there we visited with a lovely young woman who came here from India to go to school in Boston where she earned her Master's degree and is now living and working in Massachusetts while she waits for legal status to be able to remain in the United States.  She hasn't seen her parents since she left four years ago and can't go home until all of the immigration paperwork is approved so she is missing her mother.  I feel silly feeling bad that we haven't seen our family for a year and a half.  

This was a busy week in politics as candidate after candidate was visiting throughout New Hampshire to present their message of why they should receive the vote of New Hampshirites.  We haven't seen anyone although I believe everyone of the Republican and Democratic candidates have spent time here in Concord.  The closest I came to a spotting was at my Burger King that I visit each day for my diet coke.  I don't know who was inside but there was definitely security surrounding a big black SUV parked in front.   I will be glad when the voting is over and they move down to South Carolina.  It is interesting that life continues to go on no matter what is happening throughout the world.  We are grateful to be part of such a great cause with continual tender mercies that make everything better.  We have loved being here and I can honestly say we are sad to know we must pack it all up and say good-bye.  What a blessing to be a missionary! 

Things I Will Miss

Hopefully the last snow before we head home!

As our time approaches to pack up and head back to California I have been thinking about the past 18 months.  There are so many things that we have loved about New Hampshire and the surrounding area but when we leave I think these are a few of the things I will miss the most.

• The Friendly People--You can't believe how friendly and welcoming the people of New Hampshire are.  Everyone always has a kind word and a friendly smile.  Each day I drive to a nearby Burger King and love hearing, "sure darling!" come on up to the second window.  In our ward several families have gone out of their way to welcome us and have invited us into their homes for dinner and conversations.
• The Gracious Drivers--The first time someone stopped and waved us into the flow of traffic I was so impressed.  What amazed me even more is that it happens all the time.  If you mess up they aren't laying on the horn, they just wait for you to figure it out.  
• Our Missionaries--I can't explain how amazing these young people that leave family and come out and serve are. I feel so honored to be around them.  I have seen them laugh, cry, joke, pray, bless, and teach.  And I have been SO impressed!  I will never look at missionaries the same.
• The Archives--I have found out so much about myself each day as we work at the archives.  I remember the first week we started and I thought to myself, "how will I ever be able to do this every single day?!"  Now each morning when we start working I express gratitude for the precious moments to reflect, adjust, wonder, plan, learn, and enjoy. 
• New Hampshire--What a beautiful place to live.  The seasons have been glorious and I will never forget the beautiful weeping walls in the spring, summer and fall, and those same stunning walls of ice each winter.  I have never seen so many shades of green, so many flowers that seemed to magically appear, and snow so bright and white it blinds you. 
  
  

  

  I have loved the white trees after a snowfall!

I Always Wonder...

What was the mother thinking when she gave her child one of these unique names.  This will be my last time to share some of the great names we have come across when doing the probate files.  I especially love the first one...Silence, Grandison, Achsah, Susa, Joash, Scribner, Salatheil, Aurin, Cemira, Micajah, Dummer, Fryland, Squire, Fidelia, Louisina.  I honestly hoped I read Dummer's first name wrong but that was his first name...got to wonder!

Our Final Lego Challenge

I am so glad we were able to have one more Lego challenge before our mission ends.  Thanks for participating.  These were all Grand Prize winners!  Watch the mail--a treat should arrive by the weekend!

Abby's Cake Walk--So Creative!

Bruce's Motor Pool--So Ambitious!

Will's Cruiser--Very Original!

Brigham's Truck--So Cool!

Ava's Wizard's Lair-The ostrich is
intentionally headless for use in making
potions--Impressive!

Caleb's Robot--Just Amazing!

Eden's Contribution!

Ruth's Mittens the Kitten--Cute!

Jane's Dragon--Unique!

Duncan's Spaceship Dog Prison--Clever!

Lincoln's Jeep--Obviously Brigham and Lincoln have
similar things on their mind--getting closer to driving?--Well Done!

Company

We had a visitor join us last week.  Flat Stanley made the journey to New Hampshire.  He will be here as we complete our last month as missionaries and then keep us company as we begin our trip back home. Thank you Janie!  He is very well behaved and always has a smile on his face!  We will do our best to show him a great time.

Back to Hartford

Last May we drove to Connecticut to visit the sight or the temple that was being built in Hartford.  We decided we would go back and see how much had been done since we were there.  We knew that they had put the Angel Moroni on and that was worth a trip as well.  The day was great and the weather so nice that I didn't need a coat.  After seeing the temple we enjoyed a great lunch and a short browse at a Dress Barn before we came home.

Hartford CT Temple January 2016

The Angel Moroni

Hartford CT Temple May 2015