Our Mission to Palmyra

Oops.....it looks like I put this in on Dad's Profile.....this is actually Mom's post....Love you!!! My dearest ones!! My how the weeks are flying by!!  I can't believe we have been here a month and a half of our 6 1/2 months away from home!!  We are busy and happy!! This was the week of the flowers!  One of our sweet temple missionary couples had the additional calling of putting in the flower beds and they asked all of the senior missionaries to help them get them in before the predicted rainstorm on Thursday.  The 6-month missionaries work at the temple on Monday so we helped on Tuesday and Wednesday.  It was hard work....especially for the Rays....but the flowers were finished about 3:00 on Wednesday...and the rain came on Thursday.  The beds are beautiful!  Here are two of the ones that Dad and I helped to plant. I have thought a lot this week about family history.  What amazes me so much here in our little Palmyra Temp...

As we ended the last installment, we were posting at 10 pm Sunday night. This week was more fun (really). We were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting on any Conference talk we liked. The Spirit indicated I should use Sister Cordon's talk on Trust in the Lord and not lean on thy own understanding. We spent all week working on our talks, our Youth Sunday School lesson and my Priesthood lesson based upon Elder Stevenson's Help from the Holy Ghost. All week I would approach the talk, one time even looking at using a President Eyring September 2006 talk on Gifts of the Spirit. None of that felt right. Yesterday I prayed at the Temple for some help. (In character for the talk, right?) Last night I woke up at 2 and the whole thing unfolded for me. (No Mom, I did not write it down or record it; not permitted to record, anyway.) Today the talks went very well, except Sandy ambushed me, leaving me 25 minutes to talk. I only used 22. When the Spirit said sit down, I did. I discussed t...

My dearest Children, Grandchildren, Family and Friends!! I can't believe that we have been away from home for 5 weeks and in our beautiful little Temple for 4 weeks!! What a joy it is to be serving a mission. I just can't believe that I am so blessed to be here serving my Heavenly Father. My favorite thing to do in the temple is to work with the sweet patrons who come....they are few in number at this time of year!! I got to help two sisters who were receiving their own endowment and as I helped them with a portion of it, the Spirit was so strong that we all were touched. Another day, a sweet girl came in to do some work for her own family and was worried about inconveniencing us!! What a sweetie!!! I assured her that we were there to serve her!! Then, there is a sister who comes often who is either suffering from a bit of dementia or has a few special needs. She fills my heart with so much joy and love!! I have been reflecting on what we do in the temple and I am re...

Dear ones This week was more of a marathon than a sprint. For this week only we added an early Tuesday session and one early on Saturday on top of the Friday from 12:30 to 9 pm and Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm. Plus there was an hour and a half baptism coordinator training immediately after our shifts on Saturday. 13 hours is a bit much in one day, but we were blessed to be able to do it all. Church was fun with the Oneida Branch. We will be teaching youth Sunday School (1 to 4 kids). Also Family History and Indexing. Visited a sister who is all alone, She has limited mobility and is about 65. We are glad to stop and visit. As for the rest of the week, it was very eventful. In a sealing session it seemed to me that one wall became transparent and I saw numerous persons observing not including those for whom the work was being done; those individuals were in the room. Beyond the wall were many well-wishers, just as we have for living ordinances, but there were others whose work had ...

What a wonderful day it has been! We went out to our branch again and they are such sweet people!! The Spirit was so strong in all of their meetings! At one point during Sacrament meeting, I thought of the scripture that says in part, "where two or three are gathered together in my name...behold, there will I be in the midst of them." A sister who has only been a member of the church for 3 months spoke and did a wonderful job. I thought she had probably been a member for a few years. She and her sweet family are just brand new members. Her husband blessed the Sacrament for the second time. The other speaker was a sister missionary who is going home in two days....she is soooo sad to leave the branch but excited to go home. I know we will feel the same way in 6 months!! We had three investigators there today. Relief Society was wonderful!! Afterward the meetings we had a "Linger Longer" put on by the brethren for the wives and mothers. I was chatting with...