Friday, May 15, 2015

One third of our mission is done!


Well, Sunday was what is nicknamed a  "click day"!  We entered the MTC on November 3rd and 18 months seemed like 'forever' ....then all of a sudden it is already May 3rd---6 months have passed by!!  The couple before us were only on their mission for  6 months and then went home.  We are amazed at all they accomplished.  We hear so many good things about them, but we feel like we are just getting a good start after our first 6 months.


We are still enjoying wonderful spring weather.  We have gorgeous days, but it does seem to rain alot too.  Every week it seems there are at least a few rainy days.  I guess that is why everything looks so great once it quits raining.

One of those gorgeous days was May 4th....our

first Preparation Day where we escaped from the city and took off into the great outdoors.  We went to a place about an hour and a half away called Ohiopyle State Park.  We toured a home built by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, and then spent time by the river and waterfalls.  It was just delightful.  We also discovered a rival to some of our favorite hangouts that are near our cabin in Oakley.  It made us a little homesick for summer in Utah, but we are also just loving being able to explore the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside.
 The place we found is the Falls River Inn and we enjoyed a great burger and ice cream there.  It is a stop for many who hike or bike the Great Alleghenny Passage which goes from Pittsburgh to Washington DC.  We plan to return to Ohiopyle soon and try hiking or biking at least one section of the trail.


Then this last Sunday, May 10th, was my one and only Mother's Day on this mission.  It was very busy.  We did have both ward councils canceled that day, but we still taught 2 temple classes and I taught a Relief Society class on the Book of Mormon.  I learned a lot by teaching it.  Later in the day I enjoyed calls to our children and grandchildren, flowers, chocolate, homemade Cafe Rio, and having 4 elders in our apartment calling for their biannual Skype/phone calls home.  What more could I ask for?  I was exhausted by the end of the day, but it was all worth it.



It was especially fun to
Facetime with our very youngest grandchild, Dawson and his family.  He was just barely starting to stand when we left and now he is walking (and running) all over the place.  We also understand that he is a real maniac on his 'wiggle car' on the basketball court near their home.

He is one that will be changed the very most when we get home.  As we Skype and see him on the phone though, he is very interested in talking and interacting with us... so we hope that he will somehow remember us or know us just a little bit a year from now.  He is just SO cute and we think the next "tech" invention should be a way to give hugs and kisses through the phone or computer.

The minute that we start to miss our family though, we get cards from home with our grandchildren telling us about their desire to serve a mission one day.  Then it all seems like we are really doing the right thing.   We can see how much missionary work is blessing us and the young elders and sisters that we work with.  It is an AMAZING AMAZING work!


One of the paydays of a mission rolled around on May 14th.  We were able to attend the baptism of Mel.  He is an older gentleman who owned and ran a florist shop for many years.  He offered to give the elders a ride home from the grocery store one day when it was raining, and before he knew it he was taking the missionary lessons and getting baptized!  We have visited  with him at church and had a dinner for him and the elders at our apartment the day after his baptism.  We are looking forward to getting to know him better in the weeks ahead.

One of my Mother's Day gifts was a plaque with this thought.  We think it applys to families, missionaries, and everyone else too.

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