Our Mission to Palmyra

Hi ho, one and all, Elder Coxson here (I was going to say 'Kermit the Frog, here', but I didn't think the kids would get the reference.) We posted last week's blog this Tuesday, so we are getting back on track with a short post today. Wednesday we cleaned the Temple, at least our portion and a bit more. I was up in the attic where I could do the least harm vacuuming the duct work, piping, water lines and electrical runs as well as the floors. It brought back memories of our first year of marriage when I worked in the AC/Heating plant at BYU. Also my nicknames of Crash and Splash. Fortunately, I did not live up to either one. I did not take pictures in the Temple, as per procedure so you cannot see where I was. However, I stepped out on the roof and got some great shots. First, here is the Sacred Grove from the Temple above the window that looks out on it. One sacred place from another.  Here is the Angel Moroni close up.  And the sun and moon stones ...

Dearest Family and Friends, This has been a short week and we will be soooooo glad to get back to the temple. Not much has happened. Wednesday we were at the Temple cleaning and it was so good to be with 5 other couples of our sweet missionary friends. We got a lot accomplished, more than we were scheduled for, and it felt really good to serve. I LOVE our little temple!!! It is such a sweet experience to clean a temple because it fills you with so much love for Heavenly Father and gratitude for the great blessing of having a temple to go to. Thursday, we went took a big shopping trip to Costco….last one before we go home!! Friday I got an email from the volunteer at the Museum in Stonington. When we talked in the Museum, she had said that she was trying to find a connection to the Mayflower. She also mentioned that she had Cobbs in her ancestry. I remembered that it was through my Cobb line that I connected to the Mayflower so when I got home, I checked all of the relation...

Dearest Children, Grandchildren, Family and Friends!! My heart is full of gratitude today as I am writing this post. We are soooooo blessed!!!! We just got back from a 9-day trip during the first week of the Palmyra temple shut-down. If I had to put one word to the trip it would be “family”.  After a wonderful day at church with inspiring talks, a great discussion during our SS lesson and practicing with the Primary for the program (I’m playing the piano….big surprise, huh?!?), we took off for Sharon, Vermont and the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph. The Senior Elder who took us around emphasized the importance of family and taught us about how important the family was for Joseph and Emma. In view of this and all the other sites we have visited, it occurred to me what a sacrifice these two blessed people made in the process of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth. I’m sure they would have been content to just spend their time in the sweet confines of...

Dear family and friends, This is two days late because of scheduling and travel. Picking up a week ago Sunday, in Sunday School we taught from Come, Follow Me about the importance of being obedient. We cannot learn the Gospel if we reject the Spirit. We invite the Spirit by being obedient. The branch had a Linger Longer and we ate dinner before we took off. That night we reached Sharon VT and enjoyed the birth place monument and learning more about the Smith and Mack families.  They have the hearthstone and threshold stone for their cabin. Symbolically, that is where the family gathers and we welcome people to our homes. Very fitting. While we were there four sisters of the church came in who were visiting sites together. One hang up they had was polygamy, and specifically the claim that the Church had hidden Joseph Smith's polygamist wives for many years. They then referred to a sister who had worked for the Church Historian's office and had written a book ...