FAREWELLS

Farewells are difficult.  We sent four missionaries home Wednesday and today (Friday) the Flemings left right after lunch.  We are now the "old timers" in the mission office.  The Mortensen's have been here since the end of February and the Seely's since last Friday. Getting used to other people's way of doing things compared to the way the previous one's operated is interesting.

Today is Monday morning.  We had a great weekend!  The weather cooperated and we finally decided to go for a drive Saturday afternoon.  We headed to Carrollton (about 1 1/2 hours NE).  It's a quaint town and was a really nice drive!  While there, we happened on a Civil War re-enactment in the park by the Ohio River.  It was interesting to watch.  There were soldiers with muskets and cannons on both sides.  Each army had their own camp with tents, outdoor fires and Confederate and Union flags!  The women in the camps were dressed in period clothing and it said they'd been out there since Thursday.  It was really interesting.

The rest of the town is pretty small...at least "historical Carollton" is.  There is a County Courthouse with the old jail on the site, several old churches and homes, and a few "antique" shops.  I went in one and didn't see anything I couldn't live without!  The Carollton Branch meets in a small storefront building.  President Hughes says they have about 100 members and have been looking for a larger building for awhile.  He says it's not unusual to be able to hear 4 different lessons being taught at once.

Coming home, we decided to take the back roads instead of the freeway.  I was thrilled because 1. it was beautiful, 2. spring brought green trees and flowers, 3. there were LOTS of old barns!  Don has decided I need to make a Barn Book when we get home.  We'll see...Heaven knows I have an obsession with them.  You can quit looking right now if you're sick of them!

SQUIRRELS!!

Just when you think you've heard it all!  Elder Breinholt had his monthly vehicle meeting with President Hughes today.  While they were talking, President's phone rang and he answered it.  He immediately starts telling the Elders on the other end that their landlord had gone into their apartment and that there was a lot they needed to do.  He said, "You need to wash the dishes in your sink, and take the garbage out, and straighten up the apartment and no more skinning squirrels in your apartment!!!  
By the way, the landlord is an animal rights activist.  It will be interesting to see how much longer they will be staying there!

We are planning a short trip to North Carolina to see Mike and Brooke and Jaycie.  We hate to be this close and not get to see them.  We had hoped they could come here but with work schedules and grandbabies visiting, it will be best if we go there.  President Hughes has given us permission to go and we'll have our phones and computer so it will be a working "vacation".  We're also excited to add a few other states to our list of those visited. We will go right past where Brytanee lives and hope to be able to have lunch with her on the way back.

I can tell the Flemings are getting very ready to go home.  He is getting more anxious as it gets time. Their replacements will be here on Friday and then they have 4 days of training next week before the Flemings leave. They bought a new truck while here and then bought a big 5th wheeler they need to go to northern Indiana to pick up on their way home.  They are going to Nauvoo and St Louis on their way back to Arizona and then plan on doing extensive traveling for several months.

Next week we start our every six-week crazy time.  Transfers, followed by zone conferences the week after.  We only have five going home and five coming in.

Life is interesting...It's amazing how much our outlook can change from day to day and what that outlook does to our physical and mental well being.  I really haven't had much to do in the office this week.  So...needless to say, I've been bored and wishing I was at the apartment where at least I could be getting something done or be outside.  The weather is beautiful today, sunny, 80's and breezy. But tomorrow is Saturday and there will be plenty to do!

Saturday night and Sunday morning was our Stake Conference.  It was great.  We had Elder Costa and Elder Johnson from the Seventies come and they had some great messages for us.

Our new Senior missionary couple...the Seeley's...are here and the Flemings have started to train them.  They will have four days with the Flemings before they're on their own!  They are very nice and are from Farmington, UT.  This is their second mission.  The first was two years in Santa Rosa, CA.  They've been home for three years and decided to come out again for a year this time.  I think we'll enjoy working with them!

Tonight we'll have dinner at the mission home with the five new missionaries, tomorrow is transfers and the temple with the departing missionaries.

Snowflakes today!!  I think I like the 80 degrees from Friday better!!

ZONE CONFERENCES

FRESH START

What a fantastic Easter weekend we had!!  Watching conference on the internet after our grocery shopping on Saturday and Sunday.  Conference starts at noon and four here!  It was a weekend of so many changes.  It reminds me of the changes that were instituted prior to the Savior's first coming.  I think we, as a body of the church, are being asked to become more spiritually in tune and live truly more Christlike lives.  I hope that I am up to it.  I hope we all are!  I have felt increasingly lately that I need to be more service oriented when I leave this mission.   It definitely takes some soul-searching and asking, "What lack I yet"?

As we listened to the announcement of the new temples to be built, the thought of the Gospel being taken to all the world came to mind!  India! and Russia!  Amazing. We have been told there is a new STAKE organized every week in Africa.  And that there are 50 branches in China.  A Branch there is equivalent to a Ward here.  China is the fastest growing area of the church now.

Mike's sweet mother, Lynn, passed away this morning.  She will be so missed by that family...and the rest of us who know her.  I'm grateful she didn't have to linger and was able to pass quickly and without pain. I'm also grateful we were friends.

This week has been interesting.  We were under a tornado watch the first part of the week.  And while we in Louisville didn't see any really bad weather, except rain and wind, some of the outlying areas of the mission did.  Luckily none of the missionaries were in danger as they were able to spend the night with members.  All in all, the mission did well.  Then the following day it was 32 in the morning and didn't get past 45.  Tonight (Friday) we will be under a winter storm watch with temperatures being in the 20's in the morning and possibility of snow in some of the areas.  In addition, we have receive enough rain this week that the Ohio is flooding again!  Weird weather!!!

Eric is engaged! We couldn't be happier 😍.  Her name is Caitlin Bailey and she actually served her mission in Kentucky too.  We can't wait to meet her and are glad we'll be home to see them married!  Our big, crazy, family just keeps growing!

We only have a few months until the end of our mission.  We'd planned on picking places we haven't visited yet to go to on Saturday's but...the weather needs to cooperate!  So far the last several weekends have been rainy and it's hard to site-see in the rain.  I have always been fascinated by the Amish community.  One of our missionaries served in Liberty and there is a community down there.  He said there is a store there that has a lot of things too.  So...one of our trips will be down that way.  We also want to visit the Ozarks.  We're hoping to get to see Mike and Brooke so if we go there, we'll go through the Ozarks to see them.  Anyway...hopefully I'll have more pictures to post after the weather gets better!

Short post...but better than nothing, I hope!