I have had the most difficult time ending this blog. It will really be the end and I am not ready for it to end. I have such tender memories of every aspect of our Palmyra Temple Mission, that to even think about them, or the people we have met and have grown to love, or the places we have been, brings tears and emotion to the surface. I had no idea that a mission could do this to a person. I have learned so much.
Many tender mercies were apparent throughout our mission.
As I have written in the past, the beauty of the places we were living and serving in were the most beautiful places I had ever seen. And then, driving home, as we drove through Colorado, Utah and Idaho, I was enthralled with the majestic mountains, and I remembered why I live in Idaho. It's not that I forgot about the beauty of Upstate New York, but I remembered the beauty in my own backyard and was amazed at how I had missed those Rocky Mountains. I will always be a mountain girl! The tender mercy is that I have learned to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings, where ever I am. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Michael for the creation of this most beautiful places on earth. I appreciate the creation so much more than ever before.
Having walked in the Sacred Grove on an early spring morning in 2014, I recalled Joseph Smith doing the same thing in 1820. The impact of his walk and talk with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, had on the world made an impression and impact on me. The tender mercy is that I know with all my heart, that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration of the gospel and that I was where he was almost 200 years later. I felt it!
I was on the Hill Cumorah on the evening of Sunday, September 22, 2014 exactly years after Joseph Smith received the golden plates from Moroni on a moonless night. The tender mercy is that I could envision all that took place that night and it was so real. I do not want to ever forget that feeling.
I now know what it is like to drive many miles to attend church on Sunday. We traveled 150 miles to attend the Lowville Branch where 15 people attended. The amazing thing is that the minute we arrived, we felt the love and acceptance from everyone. A sweet sister met us at the door and invited us to spend Saturday nights with her so we wouldn't have to drive 300 miles on Sunday. We now know what it's like to have a ministering angel. Sue Croneiser is our personal angel. We will always love her. All the people we associated with in Lowville, were converts, just like me. None of us had Pioneer Ancestry. We are the Pioneers for our descendants. I felt like I was home. I had no idea that the Lowville Branch would have such an effect on me. We all love the Lord and want to serve Him. The tender mercy was that I recognized something I had never experienced before and never want to forget.
I learned that once you put your missionary badge on, you change. I was representing Jesus Christ as one of his disciples and I wanted to be the best I could. After all, that badge is like wearing your religion on your chest. Everyone knows who you are. They see how you act and hear what you say. The tender mercy for me was that it was not hard at all to see everyone as children of our Heavenly Father. It was easy to love them, talk to them and smile at them. And the amazing thing is they returned the smile and spoke to us. I loved this feeling. I want to wear a badge again. The feeling is so great! When I took the missionary badge off for the last time, everything changed. I know we are all member missionaries, but that badge has a powerful image and message. I miss it!
I learned a tender mercy from our Palmyra Temple President. He said that the Palmyra Temple focuses on "the one." Who is "the one?" Of course, we know it is the patron who comes to the temple. But "the one" could also be the person who the patron is acting in behalf of. Could "the one" also be the local temple ordinance worker and even the temple missionary ordinance worker? YES! And imagine what it is like to focus on "the one" while "the one" is focusing on you? That is an amazing feeling! I love knowing that and want to remember what it is like to focus on "the one."
The last tender mercy I felt was that being a missionary is addicting. I want to be a missionary again. I hope that I can and serve with my eternal companion again. What a wonderful blessing it has been. I really hate it to end!
Since we have been home, we have met with the Twin Falls Temple President, President Hobbs, and he set us apart as Twin Falls Temple Ordinance Workers for our old Wednesday morning shift. We start December 3. We are excited and thrilled to be able to serve in the temple again. Another Tender Mercy!
We haven't reported our mission yet. We are waiting the Stake President to let us know when that will be. In my opinion, that is another tender mercy!
We did speak in a Ward in our Stake last Sunday. But we have not talked in our Ward, but will on November 30 when all our kids are here for Thanksgiving. Another Tender Mercy.
The tender mercies keep coming. How can we be so blessed? We feel it a blessing to have served with some of the most wonderful people we have ever known. How did we get this missionary calling? We don't know, but we do appreciate it. Again, a tender mercy.
So we leave you, as we try to get back into the every day business of living. Winter is here, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming. May we all have time to think about the things we are thankful for and think about what Christmas really means. If I decide it would be fun to continue a blog, our dear friend, Gene Bushman suggested I retitle the new blog " Perrons Perriodicals." We will have to see.
Until (possibly) next time, all our love and best wishes for all good things to come your way and may we all experience many tender mercies ..................
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
"Parting is such sweet sorrow"
William Shakespeare penned the quote "parting is such sweet sorrow" in Romeo and Juliet. We could not find any better way to describe how we feel as we prepare to leave Palmyra, New York to return home. The parting is sweet because we will be with our children and grandchildren soon. Parting is sorrow because we leave the people and places we have grown to love.
We could title this post "The Incredible Journey" or "Reflections" and this post will be a little of all three titles.
What an incredible journey this has been. We arrived in Palmyra six months ago. There was an incredible feeling as we looked at our surroundings. Here we were in the cradle of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The feeling was overwhelming. We were so excited. We can truly say we have not been disappointed ever. This mission exceeded all of our expectations and more.
Nineteen temple missionaries arrived at about the same time. Nineteen temple missionaries from nineteen different temples. We all loved the temples we came from and discussed how things were done in them that were different than the way things were done in Palmyra. Our Temple President, President Brighton told us that we were no longer set apart ordinance workers in any temple but the Palmyra Temple. It was to become "our" temple and that was such wise counsel. As we worked together in "our" temple, we grew together as a group. No longer did we think of any other temple but "our" Palmyra Temple. As we grew together as a group, we grew to love each other as brothers and sisters, not only in the gospel but as brothers and sisters in all ways. We learned of each other's families, trials and blessings.
As temple missionaries, we were asked to serve in wards and branches in the temple district. Most had at least an hour drive to their chapels. Monday morning, only the temple missionaries served in the temple. We shared stories of our wards and branches. Again we grew closer as we talked about the love we had for our ward and branch brothers and sisters.
There are not very many local ordinance workers. We were a little reluctant to serve with them. Many didn't have the opportunity to serve as often as we did and were a little rusty on some of the ordinances. Some travel four to five hours to drive to the temple. They stay overnight and serve the next day. They do this once a month. We, on the other hand, served four days a week. Our wise Temple President asked that we not offend any of the local ordinance workers. He said when we leave, they are the only ordinance workers he has and he needs every one of them. We were to teach by our example, so we tried to be the best examples.
Then came another epiphany from President Brighton. The Palmyra Temple Ordinance Workers were to put emphasis on serving "the one." Who is "the one?" "The one" is a patron. "The one" is the person who the patron is acting as proxy. "The one" is the local ordinance worker. "The one" is our fellow temple missionary. Imagine if whoever you come in contact with is "the one." What a wonderful blessing it was to represent the Savior in His Holy House serving "the one." As His representatives, we served "the one" as he did in His ministry.
As you can see, we have grown in our testimonies and love for all of God's children. How were we ever so blessed to have this opportunity? We thought we came to help the Palmyra Temple and we leave realizing that the Palmyra Temple taught us great gospel principles and the most important of all, serving "the one."
Friday was our last service. As we left the temple at ten p.m., I felt like I was being expelled from the Garden of Eden and thrown out into the Lone and Dreary World. It was very difficult to leave. We talked many times with other temple missionaries that serving in the temple is like being one step closer to heaven. Why would you want to leave that? It is hard and bittersweet. |Parting is sweet sorrow!" We will miss serving in the Palmyra Temple with our brothers and sisters.
We came to Palmyra in the spring. All the trees were dormant from their winter sleep. As we traveled to our Branch in Lowville every week, the trees were waking up and starting to green out. Each week more and more green appeared in different shades and we were in awe of the beauty of the hills and forests. We now know what "can't see the forest for the trees" means. We thought upstate New York was the most beautiful of all places. Summer was corn fields and beans and cabbage growing everywhere. Where once we could see across the fields, now all we could see were corn stalks. Another beautiful and amazing sight. How did they grow so tall so fast? We found out that if the night weather is warm, the corn can grow three inches in one night. Corn picked right off the stalk is like eating candy corn but better, so sweet and crunchy.
Then came the fall. It is indescribable here. We traveled all over taking pictures of the color. Color we have never seen before. We would go north, south, east, west and were never disappointed. Heavenly Father, His Son and Michael created the most beautiful of all places here in upstate New York.
As we prepare to return home, the leaves are falling off the trees and the trees are preparing for their winter sleep. The trees make it a little easier to leave now. We have heard that the Pennsylvania trees are still going strong in color. We are headed home in that direction to Gettysburg, so we are excited to see more color. Elder Perron found a place where there are 30 covered bridges. I asked if he has to take a picture of every one. He said, of course!
We don't know when we will be home. There is still a lot to see in the East and we may take our time touring it. When we think of coming home, we think of snow and our fire place with it's warmth. I love the snow capped hills and the blue, blue sky. It takes my breath away every time I see it. We also live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are excited to come home. "Parting is Sweet!"
We leave you now as we pack a few more things. On Monday we return our cable equipment to the cable company in Rochester, gas the car, have a farewell dinner at President and Sister Brighton's home. We leave early Tuesday morning with the Morgan's for breakfast at Tim Horton's, our last time, then on to Gettysburg. We will try to blog as we travel home. I am sure there are many things we will have to share.
Until we see you again................................................................
Much love, Elder and Sister Perron!
We could title this post "The Incredible Journey" or "Reflections" and this post will be a little of all three titles.
What an incredible journey this has been. We arrived in Palmyra six months ago. There was an incredible feeling as we looked at our surroundings. Here we were in the cradle of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The feeling was overwhelming. We were so excited. We can truly say we have not been disappointed ever. This mission exceeded all of our expectations and more.
Nineteen temple missionaries arrived at about the same time. Nineteen temple missionaries from nineteen different temples. We all loved the temples we came from and discussed how things were done in them that were different than the way things were done in Palmyra. Our Temple President, President Brighton told us that we were no longer set apart ordinance workers in any temple but the Palmyra Temple. It was to become "our" temple and that was such wise counsel. As we worked together in "our" temple, we grew together as a group. No longer did we think of any other temple but "our" Palmyra Temple. As we grew together as a group, we grew to love each other as brothers and sisters, not only in the gospel but as brothers and sisters in all ways. We learned of each other's families, trials and blessings.
As temple missionaries, we were asked to serve in wards and branches in the temple district. Most had at least an hour drive to their chapels. Monday morning, only the temple missionaries served in the temple. We shared stories of our wards and branches. Again we grew closer as we talked about the love we had for our ward and branch brothers and sisters.
There are not very many local ordinance workers. We were a little reluctant to serve with them. Many didn't have the opportunity to serve as often as we did and were a little rusty on some of the ordinances. Some travel four to five hours to drive to the temple. They stay overnight and serve the next day. They do this once a month. We, on the other hand, served four days a week. Our wise Temple President asked that we not offend any of the local ordinance workers. He said when we leave, they are the only ordinance workers he has and he needs every one of them. We were to teach by our example, so we tried to be the best examples.
Then came another epiphany from President Brighton. The Palmyra Temple Ordinance Workers were to put emphasis on serving "the one." Who is "the one?" "The one" is a patron. "The one" is the person who the patron is acting as proxy. "The one" is the local ordinance worker. "The one" is our fellow temple missionary. Imagine if whoever you come in contact with is "the one." What a wonderful blessing it was to represent the Savior in His Holy House serving "the one." As His representatives, we served "the one" as he did in His ministry.
As you can see, we have grown in our testimonies and love for all of God's children. How were we ever so blessed to have this opportunity? We thought we came to help the Palmyra Temple and we leave realizing that the Palmyra Temple taught us great gospel principles and the most important of all, serving "the one."
Friday was our last service. As we left the temple at ten p.m., I felt like I was being expelled from the Garden of Eden and thrown out into the Lone and Dreary World. It was very difficult to leave. We talked many times with other temple missionaries that serving in the temple is like being one step closer to heaven. Why would you want to leave that? It is hard and bittersweet. |Parting is sweet sorrow!" We will miss serving in the Palmyra Temple with our brothers and sisters.
We came to Palmyra in the spring. All the trees were dormant from their winter sleep. As we traveled to our Branch in Lowville every week, the trees were waking up and starting to green out. Each week more and more green appeared in different shades and we were in awe of the beauty of the hills and forests. We now know what "can't see the forest for the trees" means. We thought upstate New York was the most beautiful of all places. Summer was corn fields and beans and cabbage growing everywhere. Where once we could see across the fields, now all we could see were corn stalks. Another beautiful and amazing sight. How did they grow so tall so fast? We found out that if the night weather is warm, the corn can grow three inches in one night. Corn picked right off the stalk is like eating candy corn but better, so sweet and crunchy.
Then came the fall. It is indescribable here. We traveled all over taking pictures of the color. Color we have never seen before. We would go north, south, east, west and were never disappointed. Heavenly Father, His Son and Michael created the most beautiful of all places here in upstate New York.
As we prepare to return home, the leaves are falling off the trees and the trees are preparing for their winter sleep. The trees make it a little easier to leave now. We have heard that the Pennsylvania trees are still going strong in color. We are headed home in that direction to Gettysburg, so we are excited to see more color. Elder Perron found a place where there are 30 covered bridges. I asked if he has to take a picture of every one. He said, of course!
We don't know when we will be home. There is still a lot to see in the East and we may take our time touring it. When we think of coming home, we think of snow and our fire place with it's warmth. I love the snow capped hills and the blue, blue sky. It takes my breath away every time I see it. We also live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are excited to come home. "Parting is Sweet!"
We leave you now as we pack a few more things. On Monday we return our cable equipment to the cable company in Rochester, gas the car, have a farewell dinner at President and Sister Brighton's home. We leave early Tuesday morning with the Morgan's for breakfast at Tim Horton's, our last time, then on to Gettysburg. We will try to blog as we travel home. I am sure there are many things we will have to share.
Until we see you again................................................................
Much love, Elder and Sister Perron!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
TRUNKY
Trunky - a slang term used amongst Mormon missionaries, describing a missionary who is excited about returning home. Also restless, antsy, specifically eager to leave or go home. Possibly referring to packing ones trunk!
I hate to admit this but I am Trunky! Wondered what that was all about when I heard people asking missionaries if they were getting trunky. I didn't think I would. I am too old! But the thoughts of coming home, seeing my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my Ward family and my Twin Falls Temple family are really strong. This has been a wonderful mission and I can not imagine that there would ever be one better. I love the people we serve with. They are the cream of the crop. Some have been in temple presidencies, most elders have been stake presidents, and or sealers in other temples We even have a Stake Patriarch who is on a 6 month leave of absence. Our testimonies of this great work and the plan of salvation and the blessings of having a Savior, who loved us enough to die for us, is now foremost in our minds. How were we ever so blessed to be able to be here? We are grateful for all our blessings.
We have experienced the most beautiful color slide show, you could ever imagine. I say beautiful color, because here in New York, the autumn leaves are brilliant in their colors. I have never seen anything like it . When we arrived here, there were no leaves on the trees. Then all of a sudden on our drives to Lowville every Saturday, the leaves started appearing. The forests were unbelievably huge. We know now where the saying came, "can't see the forest for the trees." Trees everywhere, all shapes, all sizes and all mingled together. So when the leaves start turning color, it is like someone has painted a painting, just for us, of these colors that are red, orange, maroon, yellow,
green, and in most cases, different shades of all these colors. So as you look at the forests, you see all these colors and they take your breath away. The slide show comes in play when you drive down the road and pass by all these colors, saying, "Wow, look at those colors," or "that tree is the most beautiful shade or red, I have ever seen." This goes on whenever we get in the car. Elder Perron has spent many hours in our travels to Lowville stopping to take pictures. I wonder how we ever get to our destination, we stop so much. Lately, he has mastered the art of taking pictures while he is driving. That's a little scarey, and considering you can get a ticket for talking on your phone or texting while driving, I asked him, "What do you think they will do when they see you taking pictures while you are driving.?" His reply, "I haven't seen a sign saying you can't take pictures while driving." It's always an adventure with Elder Perron!
We took a train ride to Old Forge to see the trees turning color there. All the missionaries went. We filled one passenger car with just missionaries, 40 of us. We had such a great time. The train ride was 2 hours. We left Palmyra at 6 a.m. and drove two hours to Utica to catch the train. We rode a ski lift to the top of the ski mountain at McCauley ski resort. We spent a couple hours in Old Forge, got back on the train to Utica and drove home from there. It was a long day, but it was so great. We took a couple of missionary couples with us and we had so much fun. I love these outings with all the missionaries. Great times, great memories, so glad we get to take these memories home.
We drove to Lowville yesterday and stopped in Watertown to watch the movie, Meet the Mormons. We met the couple there who just recently joined the church, the MacDonalds, and a couple of other sisters from the ward. An investigator, who I invited to come, also was there. He told us after the movie, that he has decided to be baptized. We were able to sit in on one of his discussions with the Elders. So we are elated about that. He is a very special man and will be a great asset to the branch. The only bad thing is that we will be gone and may not be at his baptism unless we find something to do here until November 15. We have been thinking about the route to take to come home, and maybe seeing some sights on the way. Elder Perron said we could just sightsee until November 15 so we could be here for the baptism. I don't think so. I am trunky, remember?
If you get a chance to see Meet the Mormons, please see it. It is amazing. I cried, Elder Perron cried, the MacDonalds cried. We felt the spirit so strong. Don't miss it. It will be a great missionary tool. Take your friends!
Today, we said goodbye to our Lowville Branch. It was hard. They had a going away potluck after church. We have grown to love those people so much. That is the hard thing about leaving your mission. You have to leave all those people you work with, worship with and love. I just keep thinking what is waiting at home for me, I think I'll be okay!
When we returned home from Lowville, we went to a fireside at the Sacred Grove. It was so amazing. The Elder who plans all of our activities was an Institute teacher and worked for the Church Education System. He has a great love for Joseph Smith. He portrayed him tonight and quoted Joseph Smith's history as if he were him. He didn't read a thing, but quoted word for word the Sacred Grove experience, the Kirtland Temple experience and the martyrdom. He is a great man. His wife, a couple of weeks ago, for family home evening, portrayed Emma Smith and told us all about her life. She dressed up as if she were Emma and she also told all of Emma's story without reading any of it. Can you just imagine the wonderful experiences we have had here. Elder and Sister Neely, our activities planners arranged for our pictures to be taken, as a group in front of the temple and pictures of individual couples. Tonight they gave our pictures to us. These pictures mean a lot to us. Can't wait to show family and friends.
This has been a most amazing experience, serving a mission. As we wind down and start packing and get ready to leave, we will never forget all that we learned and all the people who have touched our lives. Just thinking about this makes me sad, but makes me think that perhaps another mission may be in the future.
We leave you as we prepare for our departure. Until next time....................................much love!
I hate to admit this but I am Trunky! Wondered what that was all about when I heard people asking missionaries if they were getting trunky. I didn't think I would. I am too old! But the thoughts of coming home, seeing my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my Ward family and my Twin Falls Temple family are really strong. This has been a wonderful mission and I can not imagine that there would ever be one better. I love the people we serve with. They are the cream of the crop. Some have been in temple presidencies, most elders have been stake presidents, and or sealers in other temples We even have a Stake Patriarch who is on a 6 month leave of absence. Our testimonies of this great work and the plan of salvation and the blessings of having a Savior, who loved us enough to die for us, is now foremost in our minds. How were we ever so blessed to be able to be here? We are grateful for all our blessings.
We have experienced the most beautiful color slide show, you could ever imagine. I say beautiful color, because here in New York, the autumn leaves are brilliant in their colors. I have never seen anything like it . When we arrived here, there were no leaves on the trees. Then all of a sudden on our drives to Lowville every Saturday, the leaves started appearing. The forests were unbelievably huge. We know now where the saying came, "can't see the forest for the trees." Trees everywhere, all shapes, all sizes and all mingled together. So when the leaves start turning color, it is like someone has painted a painting, just for us, of these colors that are red, orange, maroon, yellow,
green, and in most cases, different shades of all these colors. So as you look at the forests, you see all these colors and they take your breath away. The slide show comes in play when you drive down the road and pass by all these colors, saying, "Wow, look at those colors," or "that tree is the most beautiful shade or red, I have ever seen." This goes on whenever we get in the car. Elder Perron has spent many hours in our travels to Lowville stopping to take pictures. I wonder how we ever get to our destination, we stop so much. Lately, he has mastered the art of taking pictures while he is driving. That's a little scarey, and considering you can get a ticket for talking on your phone or texting while driving, I asked him, "What do you think they will do when they see you taking pictures while you are driving.?" His reply, "I haven't seen a sign saying you can't take pictures while driving." It's always an adventure with Elder Perron!
We took a train ride to Old Forge to see the trees turning color there. All the missionaries went. We filled one passenger car with just missionaries, 40 of us. We had such a great time. The train ride was 2 hours. We left Palmyra at 6 a.m. and drove two hours to Utica to catch the train. We rode a ski lift to the top of the ski mountain at McCauley ski resort. We spent a couple hours in Old Forge, got back on the train to Utica and drove home from there. It was a long day, but it was so great. We took a couple of missionary couples with us and we had so much fun. I love these outings with all the missionaries. Great times, great memories, so glad we get to take these memories home.
We drove to Lowville yesterday and stopped in Watertown to watch the movie, Meet the Mormons. We met the couple there who just recently joined the church, the MacDonalds, and a couple of other sisters from the ward. An investigator, who I invited to come, also was there. He told us after the movie, that he has decided to be baptized. We were able to sit in on one of his discussions with the Elders. So we are elated about that. He is a very special man and will be a great asset to the branch. The only bad thing is that we will be gone and may not be at his baptism unless we find something to do here until November 15. We have been thinking about the route to take to come home, and maybe seeing some sights on the way. Elder Perron said we could just sightsee until November 15 so we could be here for the baptism. I don't think so. I am trunky, remember?
If you get a chance to see Meet the Mormons, please see it. It is amazing. I cried, Elder Perron cried, the MacDonalds cried. We felt the spirit so strong. Don't miss it. It will be a great missionary tool. Take your friends!
Today, we said goodbye to our Lowville Branch. It was hard. They had a going away potluck after church. We have grown to love those people so much. That is the hard thing about leaving your mission. You have to leave all those people you work with, worship with and love. I just keep thinking what is waiting at home for me, I think I'll be okay!
When we returned home from Lowville, we went to a fireside at the Sacred Grove. It was so amazing. The Elder who plans all of our activities was an Institute teacher and worked for the Church Education System. He has a great love for Joseph Smith. He portrayed him tonight and quoted Joseph Smith's history as if he were him. He didn't read a thing, but quoted word for word the Sacred Grove experience, the Kirtland Temple experience and the martyrdom. He is a great man. His wife, a couple of weeks ago, for family home evening, portrayed Emma Smith and told us all about her life. She dressed up as if she were Emma and she also told all of Emma's story without reading any of it. Can you just imagine the wonderful experiences we have had here. Elder and Sister Neely, our activities planners arranged for our pictures to be taken, as a group in front of the temple and pictures of individual couples. Tonight they gave our pictures to us. These pictures mean a lot to us. Can't wait to show family and friends.
This has been a most amazing experience, serving a mission. As we wind down and start packing and get ready to leave, we will never forget all that we learned and all the people who have touched our lives. Just thinking about this makes me sad, but makes me think that perhaps another mission may be in the future.
We leave you as we prepare for our departure. Until next time....................................much love!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The Whirlwind
About 12 years ago, Elder Perron and I were sucked into our first whirlwind. That was when we drove to Provo three times in 7 days. The first occasion was to attend Ryan and Sahily's wedding and sealing in the Mount Timpanogas Temple. We arrived in Provo for the festivities on a Friday and whirled around in Provo in preparation for the big event and then were sucked into the whirlwind on Sunday to return to Hailey. On Tuesday, that same week, the whirlwind picked us up and dropped us back down in Provo so that the next day, we could drop Josh off at the MTC in preparation for his mission to New Zealand. We returned home on Wednesday and turned right around on Friday and returned to Provo to attend the reception of a good friend of Ryan whose parents are good friends of ours. That is when we were introduced to The Whirlwind. Many times since then, we have felt like we are in The Whirlwind. It seems like whenever we go to Provo, or now Highland to see the kids, we are in a whirlwind while we are there trying to keep up with the grandkids and their parents. But this last two weeks we have been The Whirlwind at full speed.
We were in and out of the whirlwind for 2400 miles according to our car odometer, in 17 days. The Whirlwind began on Wednesday, August 20th when we whirled into Rochester to pick up Ryan, Sahily, Ryan, Riley, Sahily (Tita) and Yanella. Fortunately we have some wonderful missionary friends who drove their pickup there to help transfer luggage. Rochester is about 40 minutes from Palmyra. We had dinner in the crockpot ready when we whirled into Palmyra, got everyone settled in and prepared for the next two weeks of whirlwinding. What a wonderful time we had. Of the 14 days we whirled around, we touched down in Palmyra for 6 days. The rest of time time the whirlwind took us to Toronto Canada where Ryan served his mission about 20 years ago. We attended church with the Pearl, who he taught and baptized while on his mission there. Her husband is the Bishop. She sat with us on one end of our row. Another man sat down on the opposite end of the row, and later we found out that our nephew, Ray Perron, had taught and baptized him about 23 years ago. Ray had served the same mission Ryan did, only 3 years earlier. So we were sandwiched in by two very special people. We spend a wonderful afternoon with Pearl and her husband. You could see the love Pearl has for Ryan and how how happy she is to be with him. We also went to the top of the CN tower. We rode a 55 second elevator to the observation tower of the Canadian National Tower, which was only 1500 feet in the air. Not for those faint hearted, afraid of heights people. Right next to the tower, is the Rogers Center, home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. Elder Perron, Ryan, Ryan and Riley attended the game that night when they beat the Boston Red Sox in a 10 inning game. Pearl and her husband met them there and enjoyed the game together.
The whirlwind picked us up in Toronto and dropped us off in Palmyra where we did laundry and left the next day for Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Are you starting to see the theme of this vacation?
What can I say about the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum? Even I thought it was amazing. Three floors of baseball memorabilia, everyone's favorite teams and players, more than anyone can see in one day. So the next day found us back at the Museum and the gift store and stores on the street like Mantle's Place and Shoeless Joe's Place and Tin Bin Alley. Purchases there required Ryan to purchase an extra suitcase to return to Utah. That new suitcase weighed in at 50 lbs. at the airport!
We whirled right out of Cooperstown and landed in Lowville, where we spent the night so we could attend the branch we are assigned to serve as missionaries. It was fun introducing everyone to our children and grandchildren. I think our Primary age grandchildren really enjoyed Primary. They were the only Primary age children, except for the one boy whose family are new converts. I think the grandkids liked the one on one attention. Anyway, there were no complaints and they went to their classes without hesitation.
We whirled back to Palmyra and just in case you are thinking that The Whirlwind only does baseball, the last few days of their visit centered around the church historical sights. We walked through the Sacred Grove one early morning when we could be there just by ourselves. We went to the top of the Hill Cumorah, twice and were rained on, poured on, both times. We saw a beautiful movie in the Visitor's Center there about the Restoration of the Gospel. We went to the Peter Whitmer Farm where the church was organized in 1830. We were so close to Sauder's (the store Elder Perron purchases his flour for his famous bread) we stopped there. Sahily loved it. She had arm loads of spices she wanted to take home. That is how the new suitcase got so heavy!
It was Tuesday, September 2nd when Elder Perron and I and little Ryan and Riley whirled into Rochester (again) to pick Joel up. We were so happy to see each other. He has missed us and we have missed him. It was a great reunion. The next morning, the whirlwind took us back to Rochester to drop Ryan and family off at the airport for their return to Utah. The good byes were hard for me. I have missed our family so much! We didn't have too much time to be sad because we picked Joel up and whirled around the church historical sites and then back to Cooperstown for his tour. How fun is that? Twice in two weeks in Cooperstown. Joel loved it. We left the next morning and whirled into Boston and got settled in so we could watch the Red Sox play the Blue Jays (again). This time the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays in a 10 inning game. A little Red Sox shopping, a good night's rest and we whirled into the Logan International Airport in Boston to send Joel back home to Idaho. When I say whirl at the Logan International Airport, I mean whirl. You go round and round and round and finally you are spit out on a street, wondering where to go next.
Elder Perron and I decided we wanted whirl through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont before
touching down in Palmyra. We saw some beautiful country and a few leaves turning the autumn colors. The Easterners call the people who come to look at their leaves, "Leaf Peepers." That's what we were. We spent the night in Quechee Gorge, a beautiful Gorge and surroundings. Then on the Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. There is a beautiful monument there and visitor's center with a chapel. We attended church there and met some Perron's. We are corresponding with them to see if there is any chance we are related!
We whirled right out of Sharon and touched down in Lake Placid, New York where the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were held. When I saw the ski jumps, I was terrified. They never looked that big on television. Who, in their right minds, would ever ski off something that high? I have a new found admiration for ski jumpers. We saw the 1932 Olympic skating rink where Sonja Henie won the gold for ladies' singles figure skating. Very cool. Then we saw the 1980 skating rink. This time I thought it looked smaller than it is on television. My visual perception of things must be out of wack due to The Whirlwind! We enjoyed our short tour there and whirled another 5 hours to return to Palmyra by 9 p.m. Sunday evening.
This has been the best Whirlwind Ever! We enjoyed our family and all the new places we were able to see. It's awfully quiet here now and I am getting more excited about coming home than ever before. Having our family has been wonderful and we have missed them. It's time to whirl home and enjoy them some more. We only have about 7 or less weeks here. In no time, we will be home. And then, who knows, probably another Whirlwind Adventure. That's what we do!
We had dinner with some missionary friends last night. They were telling us about a tour group coming to Palmyra. The tour is called the Mystery Tour. People have no idea where they are going when they get on their tour bus. Elder Perron said that we are always on a Mystery Tour, as we never know where we are going either. Next for us will be the Mystery Tour Whirlwind Adventure. I tell everyone that if you ride anywhere with us, it will be an adventure and we never know where we are going until we get there.
So we leave you as we get ready to pick up some missionary friends who are getting their car serviced and need a ride.....to Tim Horton's.....for breakfast and iced hot chocolate! Much love until next time...................
We were in and out of the whirlwind for 2400 miles according to our car odometer, in 17 days. The Whirlwind began on Wednesday, August 20th when we whirled into Rochester to pick up Ryan, Sahily, Ryan, Riley, Sahily (Tita) and Yanella. Fortunately we have some wonderful missionary friends who drove their pickup there to help transfer luggage. Rochester is about 40 minutes from Palmyra. We had dinner in the crockpot ready when we whirled into Palmyra, got everyone settled in and prepared for the next two weeks of whirlwinding. What a wonderful time we had. Of the 14 days we whirled around, we touched down in Palmyra for 6 days. The rest of time time the whirlwind took us to Toronto Canada where Ryan served his mission about 20 years ago. We attended church with the Pearl, who he taught and baptized while on his mission there. Her husband is the Bishop. She sat with us on one end of our row. Another man sat down on the opposite end of the row, and later we found out that our nephew, Ray Perron, had taught and baptized him about 23 years ago. Ray had served the same mission Ryan did, only 3 years earlier. So we were sandwiched in by two very special people. We spend a wonderful afternoon with Pearl and her husband. You could see the love Pearl has for Ryan and how how happy she is to be with him. We also went to the top of the CN tower. We rode a 55 second elevator to the observation tower of the Canadian National Tower, which was only 1500 feet in the air. Not for those faint hearted, afraid of heights people. Right next to the tower, is the Rogers Center, home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. Elder Perron, Ryan, Ryan and Riley attended the game that night when they beat the Boston Red Sox in a 10 inning game. Pearl and her husband met them there and enjoyed the game together.
The whirlwind picked us up in Toronto and dropped us off in Palmyra where we did laundry and left the next day for Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Are you starting to see the theme of this vacation?
What can I say about the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum? Even I thought it was amazing. Three floors of baseball memorabilia, everyone's favorite teams and players, more than anyone can see in one day. So the next day found us back at the Museum and the gift store and stores on the street like Mantle's Place and Shoeless Joe's Place and Tin Bin Alley. Purchases there required Ryan to purchase an extra suitcase to return to Utah. That new suitcase weighed in at 50 lbs. at the airport!
We whirled right out of Cooperstown and landed in Lowville, where we spent the night so we could attend the branch we are assigned to serve as missionaries. It was fun introducing everyone to our children and grandchildren. I think our Primary age grandchildren really enjoyed Primary. They were the only Primary age children, except for the one boy whose family are new converts. I think the grandkids liked the one on one attention. Anyway, there were no complaints and they went to their classes without hesitation.
We whirled back to Palmyra and just in case you are thinking that The Whirlwind only does baseball, the last few days of their visit centered around the church historical sights. We walked through the Sacred Grove one early morning when we could be there just by ourselves. We went to the top of the Hill Cumorah, twice and were rained on, poured on, both times. We saw a beautiful movie in the Visitor's Center there about the Restoration of the Gospel. We went to the Peter Whitmer Farm where the church was organized in 1830. We were so close to Sauder's (the store Elder Perron purchases his flour for his famous bread) we stopped there. Sahily loved it. She had arm loads of spices she wanted to take home. That is how the new suitcase got so heavy!
It was Tuesday, September 2nd when Elder Perron and I and little Ryan and Riley whirled into Rochester (again) to pick Joel up. We were so happy to see each other. He has missed us and we have missed him. It was a great reunion. The next morning, the whirlwind took us back to Rochester to drop Ryan and family off at the airport for their return to Utah. The good byes were hard for me. I have missed our family so much! We didn't have too much time to be sad because we picked Joel up and whirled around the church historical sites and then back to Cooperstown for his tour. How fun is that? Twice in two weeks in Cooperstown. Joel loved it. We left the next morning and whirled into Boston and got settled in so we could watch the Red Sox play the Blue Jays (again). This time the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays in a 10 inning game. A little Red Sox shopping, a good night's rest and we whirled into the Logan International Airport in Boston to send Joel back home to Idaho. When I say whirl at the Logan International Airport, I mean whirl. You go round and round and round and finally you are spit out on a street, wondering where to go next.
Elder Perron and I decided we wanted whirl through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont before
touching down in Palmyra. We saw some beautiful country and a few leaves turning the autumn colors. The Easterners call the people who come to look at their leaves, "Leaf Peepers." That's what we were. We spent the night in Quechee Gorge, a beautiful Gorge and surroundings. Then on the Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. There is a beautiful monument there and visitor's center with a chapel. We attended church there and met some Perron's. We are corresponding with them to see if there is any chance we are related!
We whirled right out of Sharon and touched down in Lake Placid, New York where the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were held. When I saw the ski jumps, I was terrified. They never looked that big on television. Who, in their right minds, would ever ski off something that high? I have a new found admiration for ski jumpers. We saw the 1932 Olympic skating rink where Sonja Henie won the gold for ladies' singles figure skating. Very cool. Then we saw the 1980 skating rink. This time I thought it looked smaller than it is on television. My visual perception of things must be out of wack due to The Whirlwind! We enjoyed our short tour there and whirled another 5 hours to return to Palmyra by 9 p.m. Sunday evening.
This has been the best Whirlwind Ever! We enjoyed our family and all the new places we were able to see. It's awfully quiet here now and I am getting more excited about coming home than ever before. Having our family has been wonderful and we have missed them. It's time to whirl home and enjoy them some more. We only have about 7 or less weeks here. In no time, we will be home. And then, who knows, probably another Whirlwind Adventure. That's what we do!
We had dinner with some missionary friends last night. They were telling us about a tour group coming to Palmyra. The tour is called the Mystery Tour. People have no idea where they are going when they get on their tour bus. Elder Perron said that we are always on a Mystery Tour, as we never know where we are going either. Next for us will be the Mystery Tour Whirlwind Adventure. I tell everyone that if you ride anywhere with us, it will be an adventure and we never know where we are going until we get there.
So we leave you as we get ready to pick up some missionary friends who are getting their car serviced and need a ride.....to Tim Horton's.....for breakfast and iced hot chocolate! Much love until next time...................
Friday, August 15, 2014
Believe It or Not
Believe it or not, we are more than half way through our mission. It doesn't seem like we have been here that long. We have mixed emotions about leaving Palmyra. We have never lived any place, other than Hailey, and didn't know we could love living in another town. Palmyra is so different. You can feel a special spirit here. This is where the restoration of the gospel took place and you know it because you feel it! We have mixed emotions about leaving some sweet and some bitter. We have grown to love the local temple workers, our shift coordinators, and especially the other temple missionary couples, We have formed a close bond with all of them. Knowing that we may never see them again is hard. There are 23 couples, including us. They are from all over; 1 from Texas, 1 from Oklahoma, 1 from North Carolina, 1 from New Mexico, and 1 from Oregon; 2 from Arizona, 3 from California, 6 from Idaho, 7 from Utah. Each have served in temples where they are from. We have formed a close bond with each other. On Monday mornings, it is only us temple missionaries who serve and it is my favorite day of all. We have family home evening every Monday night together and every other Thursday which we all have off, we go on excursions as a group. We have had such a wonderful time, serving together, traveling together and playing together. These will be such wonderful memories. We hate to think about leaving.
Then on the sweet side, we will get to see our children and grandchildren again. Oh, how we have missed them. We have talked to them on the phone and we saw them on face time and they have sent videos and pictures via internet, but it just makes us more homesick for them. They, however, have bonded more and really are taking care of each other. They have always been close, but now when they go home, Mom and Dad aren't there, and they have to do all that Mom and Dad did. And they are doing it wonderfully well. We are so proud of our children. They all went to Lagoon together in June, I think. They are all getting together this weekend for my brother's wedding in Boise. It is so nice for them to represent us at the wedding. They do love their Uncle Joe though. The only one who is missing in action is Jake and I am sure he really feels left out. Hopefully, in January, we can go and visit him.
Speaking of children, Ryan and Sahily and little Ryan and Riley and little Sahily and Yanella will be here in 5 days. We are so looking forward to being with them. Ryan served his mission in Toronto, Canada which is a hop, skip and a jump from Palmyra. When we received our call to come here, the wheels were rolling in Ryan's head and he decided that this may be the only time he and his family could see where he served. Plus coming to where the gospel was restored and showing his children all the places they have heard and read about, would be very good for them. I suppose the thoughts of not having to rent a car, or find a place to stay, or worry about food, may have also factored in. We have so much we want to show them, so many places to go, so many people to see and so many things to do. Hope we can get it all in the two weeks they are here.
We have tickets to a baseball game for the boys, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox. They will travel by subway throughout Toronto while the girls will go shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre Mall, which at one time was the largest mall in the world. Because Ryan knows the location so well, we have reserved 3 nights in a hotel near everything. They arrive here on Wednesday. They rest and repack on Thursday. Friday is temple day. Ryan and Sahily will be going to a 9:30 am session and at noon, Ryan will baptize little Ryan for some family names in the Palmyra Temple. On Saturday we drive to Toronto. We plan to attend a ward there on Sunday where Pearl lives. Ryan taught and baptized her while on his mission. They have stayed in contact with each other for the last 21 years. She has come to SLC for General Conference and they have been able to see each other then. We have not met her, so we are excited about that. We return to Palmyra on Tuesday, regroup on Wednesday and on Thursday we drive to Cooperstown for two days at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Little Ryan and Riley played baseball on a team for the first time this summer, and they are really looking forward to that. Not to mention, Durg and Ryan's excitement about the Hall of Fame.
Of course, we must go to Sauder's (the flour store) and to Watkin's Glen, and to Thousand Islands and so many places we want them to see. That will all take place the second week they are here. Two days before they leave to return to Utah, we will pick Joel up at the airport and he will stay a few days here and then we will drive to Boston to see his all-time favorite baseball team, Boston Red Sox, who are playing, get this, the Toronto Blue Jays. Oh baseball, you gotta love it and we all do!
In case you are wondering, the temple is closed for cleaning. They call it "shut down," here and that sounds kind of odd, but we are getting used to it. At the Twin Falls Temple, we call it, "closed for cleaning."
Last week, we went to the art museum at Phelps, New York. It is not far from here, but someone told us we should go and see the amazing structures built from toothpicks and Elmer's Glue. We didn't know what to expect. Really? Toothpick structures? We were not disappointed. The exhibit is called Toothpick World. Please go to toothpickworld.com. You will not believe what you see. We all wanted to go buy a box of toothpicks and Elmer's Glue and start building. Not really!
This last couple of weeks have been pretty strange. Elder Perron broke out with two sores on his leg. They became really red and I was concerned. Elder Perron, thought he had shingles. I wasn't so sure. So as the weeks progressed, the sores got bigger and the redness spread and by then I was insisting he see the doctor. He thought it would run it's course. Me, not so sure. I knew something wasn't right when he said he didn't feel he should go to the temple on Tuesday. I decided I would go and worked about 5 hours when President Cahoon, counselor in the Temple Presidency and his wife who is a nurse and President Broadbent, the other counselor who is a doctor, said I needed to go home and take Elder Perron to the doctor President Broadbent and his wife brought me home. It was after doctor's offices had closed, so we had to wait until the morning. So two dear temple missionary elders, came and administered to him after they were done at the temple, about 10 p.m. They felt inspired to tell him he needed to go to the doctor. President Broadbent called Wednesday morning and insisted we go to the ER in the Clifton Springs Hospital which was near Phelps. (toothpickworld) The very first thing the doctor said, this is not shingles. He did some blood tests to make sure it wasn't MRSA and said Elder Perron has cellulitis. He immediately started him on antibiotics intravenously. He had two types of antibiotics before we could leave the hospital. He has prescriptions for two huge horse pill antibiotics and leg cream. He was told to go home, elevate the leg and come back in three days for a recheck. Believe it or not, yesterday, the first day of rest, he actually followed doctor's orders. Today, second day, we will see. But we know he is on the mend. Thank goodness for the priesthood, it's power to convince Elder Perron to seek medical treatment and prayer! We are so blessed.
So, we leave you, looking forward to our children coming for a visit, while in the meantime, I act as nursemaid and try to keep Elder Perron following doctor's orders. Until next time.................
Then on the sweet side, we will get to see our children and grandchildren again. Oh, how we have missed them. We have talked to them on the phone and we saw them on face time and they have sent videos and pictures via internet, but it just makes us more homesick for them. They, however, have bonded more and really are taking care of each other. They have always been close, but now when they go home, Mom and Dad aren't there, and they have to do all that Mom and Dad did. And they are doing it wonderfully well. We are so proud of our children. They all went to Lagoon together in June, I think. They are all getting together this weekend for my brother's wedding in Boise. It is so nice for them to represent us at the wedding. They do love their Uncle Joe though. The only one who is missing in action is Jake and I am sure he really feels left out. Hopefully, in January, we can go and visit him.
Speaking of children, Ryan and Sahily and little Ryan and Riley and little Sahily and Yanella will be here in 5 days. We are so looking forward to being with them. Ryan served his mission in Toronto, Canada which is a hop, skip and a jump from Palmyra. When we received our call to come here, the wheels were rolling in Ryan's head and he decided that this may be the only time he and his family could see where he served. Plus coming to where the gospel was restored and showing his children all the places they have heard and read about, would be very good for them. I suppose the thoughts of not having to rent a car, or find a place to stay, or worry about food, may have also factored in. We have so much we want to show them, so many places to go, so many people to see and so many things to do. Hope we can get it all in the two weeks they are here.
We have tickets to a baseball game for the boys, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox. They will travel by subway throughout Toronto while the girls will go shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre Mall, which at one time was the largest mall in the world. Because Ryan knows the location so well, we have reserved 3 nights in a hotel near everything. They arrive here on Wednesday. They rest and repack on Thursday. Friday is temple day. Ryan and Sahily will be going to a 9:30 am session and at noon, Ryan will baptize little Ryan for some family names in the Palmyra Temple. On Saturday we drive to Toronto. We plan to attend a ward there on Sunday where Pearl lives. Ryan taught and baptized her while on his mission. They have stayed in contact with each other for the last 21 years. She has come to SLC for General Conference and they have been able to see each other then. We have not met her, so we are excited about that. We return to Palmyra on Tuesday, regroup on Wednesday and on Thursday we drive to Cooperstown for two days at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Little Ryan and Riley played baseball on a team for the first time this summer, and they are really looking forward to that. Not to mention, Durg and Ryan's excitement about the Hall of Fame.
Of course, we must go to Sauder's (the flour store) and to Watkin's Glen, and to Thousand Islands and so many places we want them to see. That will all take place the second week they are here. Two days before they leave to return to Utah, we will pick Joel up at the airport and he will stay a few days here and then we will drive to Boston to see his all-time favorite baseball team, Boston Red Sox, who are playing, get this, the Toronto Blue Jays. Oh baseball, you gotta love it and we all do!
In case you are wondering, the temple is closed for cleaning. They call it "shut down," here and that sounds kind of odd, but we are getting used to it. At the Twin Falls Temple, we call it, "closed for cleaning."
Last week, we went to the art museum at Phelps, New York. It is not far from here, but someone told us we should go and see the amazing structures built from toothpicks and Elmer's Glue. We didn't know what to expect. Really? Toothpick structures? We were not disappointed. The exhibit is called Toothpick World. Please go to toothpickworld.com. You will not believe what you see. We all wanted to go buy a box of toothpicks and Elmer's Glue and start building. Not really!
This last couple of weeks have been pretty strange. Elder Perron broke out with two sores on his leg. They became really red and I was concerned. Elder Perron, thought he had shingles. I wasn't so sure. So as the weeks progressed, the sores got bigger and the redness spread and by then I was insisting he see the doctor. He thought it would run it's course. Me, not so sure. I knew something wasn't right when he said he didn't feel he should go to the temple on Tuesday. I decided I would go and worked about 5 hours when President Cahoon, counselor in the Temple Presidency and his wife who is a nurse and President Broadbent, the other counselor who is a doctor, said I needed to go home and take Elder Perron to the doctor President Broadbent and his wife brought me home. It was after doctor's offices had closed, so we had to wait until the morning. So two dear temple missionary elders, came and administered to him after they were done at the temple, about 10 p.m. They felt inspired to tell him he needed to go to the doctor. President Broadbent called Wednesday morning and insisted we go to the ER in the Clifton Springs Hospital which was near Phelps. (toothpickworld) The very first thing the doctor said, this is not shingles. He did some blood tests to make sure it wasn't MRSA and said Elder Perron has cellulitis. He immediately started him on antibiotics intravenously. He had two types of antibiotics before we could leave the hospital. He has prescriptions for two huge horse pill antibiotics and leg cream. He was told to go home, elevate the leg and come back in three days for a recheck. Believe it or not, yesterday, the first day of rest, he actually followed doctor's orders. Today, second day, we will see. But we know he is on the mend. Thank goodness for the priesthood, it's power to convince Elder Perron to seek medical treatment and prayer! We are so blessed.
So, we leave you, looking forward to our children coming for a visit, while in the meantime, I act as nursemaid and try to keep Elder Perron following doctor's orders. Until next time.................
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Taste of New York
We have enjoyed tasting New York through our travels. Not too long ago, we had pizza at New York Pizzeria. New York pizza is different than most pizzas. The crust is very thin and the toppings are similar to what we are used to. However, the slices are huge and you can roll them up into a wrap. That's kind of fun, but then the grease drips down your wrist and onto your arm. That is not too appetizing. So we would give a thumbs down on New York pizza. It may just be that the best pizza place we have ever been to for pizza is Perron's Pizzaria. Once you have had the opportunity to make your own pizza and cook it in a homemade pizza oven by the two best chefs, (Josh Perron and Durg Perron) you are just too spoiled. A big thumbs up for Perron's Pizzaria. We sure have missed our pizza parties. We have heard that there have been a lot of parties this summer in the "Diner."
Another New York unique food are "hots." What are hots? They are hot dogs, but not just your run of the mill hot dogs. These are special HOT dogs. And sometimes they are really HOT. We stopped at a "Hots" stand one day on our way home from Sauders, the store Elder Perron cannot get enough of. Everyone said this was the best HOT's place. The Morgan's and the Johnson's (from Portland, Oregon) were with us. We all tried a variation of the "hots." They were a little too hot for some and not hot enough for others. I liked them, but just with ketchup and mustard, not the hot sauce they put on them. You can order them plain, so we have had hots several times at the "Chill and Grill" in Palmyra. Therein, is another great place to eat. And when you order ice cream there, you better be hungry. The kid's cones are huge! I don't know how they make any money on ice cream.
When we first arrived in New York state, in a snow storm, no less, we went to Jamestown for lunch. We found a little place called Tim Horton's which is a café and bake shop. This is a Canadian franchise founded by Miles G. "Tim" Horton, who played in the National Hockey League from 1949 until his death in a car accident in 1974. This franchise spread rapidly and eventually overtook McDonalds as Canada's largest food service operator. We ate chili and had hot chocolate. It was a cold day! The best chili and hot chocolate I have ever had! Seriously! Throughout our travels in New York we see lots of Dunkin' Donuts, at least one in every town, as are the $ stores, and a few Tim Horton's. However, there are Tim Horton's in every town surrounding Palmyra, just not one in Palmyra. You can imagine my excitement when I saw advertised on their window that they had iced hot chocolate. Iced Hot Chocolate? I had to try it. It is wonderful. Elder Perron said he could make it, so we bought a can of Horton's Hot Chocolate Mix and we have tried it at home, but I have to say Tim does it better! When Elder Perron's cousins Lowell and Claudia Johnson and their friends, Diana and Greg Zemp were here, we went there for lunch one day during our sightseeing travels and discovered they have wonderful breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches. Elder Perron has done the comparative test between Dunkin' Donuts and Tim Horton's Boston Cream Donuts and Tim won again! We have had the McDonalds McMuffin and Tim Horton's egg, saugsage and cheese roll and once again, Tim does it better. I tell everyone to try Tim Horton's iced hot chocolate. No complaints yet and many are hooked!
There is a little restaurant in a strip mall in Egypt called Sak's. It is a Thai restaurant in Egypt. (Just making fun of the Thai in Egypt). From the looks of the mall, you would not think this restaurant wouldn't be up to much, but the minute you walk in, you are in another world. The atmosphere there is very Thai and elegant and calming. We went with our friends, the Morgan's one day for lunch. The sister missionaries had recommended it. We weren't disappointed. It was delicious. We decided we should go again and everyone order something different and then we could ask for separate plates and try all the foods. When Lowell and Claudia and Diana and Greg were here, that's what we did. We loved the food, except for one. Elder Perron ordered a dish with squid? I would not recommend that. I always order the Thai Padi. Can't ever go wrong there. Love it!
We serve in the temple with a couple who have the exact shift schedule as we do. They are the only ones. So every Wednesday we go to dinner with them. We love the Yellow Mills Diner. It's good ole home cooked food. They always have specials which include soup and salad and main entrée. By the time we get there, we are starved so we need extra food! Not really, but that's how we justify all that food! We sit in the section where we have become friends with our waitress. She is awesome. I think she likes us too, because she is always getting the cook to do something special for us. One evening when the Henderson's and the Perron's were having dinner, a group of 6 people came into the restaurant. The Henderson's thought they might have seen them before. And as the people were leaving, they stopped to talk to the Henderson's. They were from North Carolina, where the Henderson's are from. They and the Henderson's are all in the Raleigh North Carolina Temple district and that's how the Henderson's knew them. One of the men had the strongest North Carolina accent and reminded Elder Perron and I of my uncle, Albert Nance who was born and raised, lived and died in North Carolina. We could have listened to him talk all night! I love accents! As we were waiting for our bill, our sweet waitress, Therese, said that our bill had been taken care of. She wouldn't tell us who paid, but we knew it was the "other North Carolinans." How awesome was that?
Last Wednesday, we and the Henderson's ventured out to Otto's Tomatoes in Victor. It is an Italian Restaurant and we give a thumbs up on this one. It is elegant dining and delicious food. I had the chicken, broccoli fettuccine. Elder Perron had the seafood macaroni and cheese. We both loved our meals. The problem was, we kept eating and the portion never seemed to get smaller. We took ours home with us, and had some for lunch and still haven't been able to eat it all. Reminds me of the loaves of bread and fishes in the New Testament or Elijah's promise to the widow of Zarephath that she would not run out of flour or oil. (I only know about Elijah and the widow because I teach gospel doctrine at the Lowville Branch. That is a really big stretch for me, but I am loving it.) The food never seems to never end! May be a blessing we are receiving!
We had a crazy busy week last week. Our family motto has always been, "When we work, we work hard. When we play, we play hard!" And boy did we! We were very busy in the temple all week. Thursday is our day off and so the Morgan's, Reynolds (from SLC) and Elder Perron and I drove to Sodus Point which is a picturesque little village on the shore of Lake Ontario. As you drive through, there are sailboats docked everywhere. We walked out to the end of the pier to the lighthouse. The wind was blowing like crazy and the water was jumping the pier, making it pretty exciting. It was so beautiful there. I love being near the water.
Near Sodus Point is a State Park where the Chimney Bluffs are. So we hiked to the Chimney Bluffs or part way for some of us. It was through a great little forest and the trail was really fun. The Chimney Bluffs are rock formations and they are very unusual. So glad we got to see them. As we were hiking down, there was another couple who are temple missionaries, the Nordfeldt's (from Idaho Falls, Idaho) hiking up. We decided to meet for lunch/dinner at the Skipper's Landing on the shore of Lake Ontario. We ate overlooking more of Lake Ontario. So here are 4 temple missionary couples having a meal together and laughing and having a great time. When it came time to get the bill, there was none. Brother Reynolds had paid for all of us. We told him that is not right. He said, "whenever we go anywhere, we go with the Morgan's or the Perron's and you never let us help with gas." Such a nice thing to do!
Returning to Palmyra, we stopped at a Farmer's Market in Wolcott. We bought peppers and corn and onions and lettuce. We have been eating the peppers, and onions in our omelets and we ate the fresh corn when we got home. There is nothing like fresh corn (picked in the morning) for dinner. And there are lots and lots of corn fields here. Last stop was Mr. Cooley's Ice Cream. It is some of the best homemade ice cream ever. There are ice cream shops everywhere because there are a lot of dairies in New York. We got our ice cream and sat in a screened gazebo and really enjoyed our time outside. Made me miss the "Diner" even more!
On Saturday, we went to Alexandria Bay, a town on the shores of the St. Lawrence River with the Bushman's (from Oklahoma). We boarded a tour boat and traveled down the river. This area is famous for the 1,000 islands. There are more than 1,000 islands, but it's easier to say the Thousand Islands rather than the 1,864 Islands! We sat on the top deck, got sun and wind burned and really enjoyed passing by the islands. One island was so small, it had only one house on it and the house took up most of the island. But just think, you could say, "I live on an island that I own!" Canada borders one side of the St. Lawrence and the US on the other. That's interesting in itself. We stopped at the Singer Castle on Dark Island. The original name of the Castle was Dark Island Castle and was later changed to Singer Castle, named Singer because the original owner who built it was the president of the Singer Corporation. All through the Castle are old singer sewing machines. The Castle was completed in 1905. The design of the castle came from Sir Walter Scott's book "Woodstock." The castle is complete with hidden passages, one in about every room. The main floor was for entertaining, the second floor was for the servants to keep any eye on the entertaining happening on the main floor. If a servant saw a guest was in need of any thing, the servant would buzz the kitchen or pantry through an intercom system and another servant would provide the needed refreshment. Throughout the main floor were mirrors, vents and portraits. Through these, the servants would "spy" on the guests. Mr. Bourne, who had the castle built did not want servants hovering over his guests so this was the solution. There were telephones in every room. They were not for calling to places outside the castle but for calling from room to room on extensions.
You have heard of Thousand Island Dressing. It got it's name because a woman, May Irwin, who tasted a dressing, somewhere on the St. Lawrence River, thought the chopped vegetables in it, looked like the Thousand Islands. When we returned to shore, we had lunch at Riley's Restaurant on the River and I had a Reuben sandwich which had Thousand Island Dressing on it! When in the Thousand Islands, eat Thousand Island Dressing. Right?
I must admit, the best New York bread is baked right here in our kitchen. Elder Perron has become quite the baker. He is branching out into new things, muffins for one. He makes the best pumpkin muffins, apple muffins, and poppy seed muffins. His bread is still making lots of people happy. He is getting ready to start making cookies and pies. There is no end to his baking talents.
So we leave you as Elder Perron is finding more recipes, as I stumble through typing this blog, as we prepare to serve our shift at the temple, and join the Henderson's for dinner in Canandaigua at a Mexican Restaurant to get another taste of New York. Until next time.......much love,
Another New York unique food are "hots." What are hots? They are hot dogs, but not just your run of the mill hot dogs. These are special HOT dogs. And sometimes they are really HOT. We stopped at a "Hots" stand one day on our way home from Sauders, the store Elder Perron cannot get enough of. Everyone said this was the best HOT's place. The Morgan's and the Johnson's (from Portland, Oregon) were with us. We all tried a variation of the "hots." They were a little too hot for some and not hot enough for others. I liked them, but just with ketchup and mustard, not the hot sauce they put on them. You can order them plain, so we have had hots several times at the "Chill and Grill" in Palmyra. Therein, is another great place to eat. And when you order ice cream there, you better be hungry. The kid's cones are huge! I don't know how they make any money on ice cream.
When we first arrived in New York state, in a snow storm, no less, we went to Jamestown for lunch. We found a little place called Tim Horton's which is a café and bake shop. This is a Canadian franchise founded by Miles G. "Tim" Horton, who played in the National Hockey League from 1949 until his death in a car accident in 1974. This franchise spread rapidly and eventually overtook McDonalds as Canada's largest food service operator. We ate chili and had hot chocolate. It was a cold day! The best chili and hot chocolate I have ever had! Seriously! Throughout our travels in New York we see lots of Dunkin' Donuts, at least one in every town, as are the $ stores, and a few Tim Horton's. However, there are Tim Horton's in every town surrounding Palmyra, just not one in Palmyra. You can imagine my excitement when I saw advertised on their window that they had iced hot chocolate. Iced Hot Chocolate? I had to try it. It is wonderful. Elder Perron said he could make it, so we bought a can of Horton's Hot Chocolate Mix and we have tried it at home, but I have to say Tim does it better! When Elder Perron's cousins Lowell and Claudia Johnson and their friends, Diana and Greg Zemp were here, we went there for lunch one day during our sightseeing travels and discovered they have wonderful breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches. Elder Perron has done the comparative test between Dunkin' Donuts and Tim Horton's Boston Cream Donuts and Tim won again! We have had the McDonalds McMuffin and Tim Horton's egg, saugsage and cheese roll and once again, Tim does it better. I tell everyone to try Tim Horton's iced hot chocolate. No complaints yet and many are hooked!
There is a little restaurant in a strip mall in Egypt called Sak's. It is a Thai restaurant in Egypt. (Just making fun of the Thai in Egypt). From the looks of the mall, you would not think this restaurant wouldn't be up to much, but the minute you walk in, you are in another world. The atmosphere there is very Thai and elegant and calming. We went with our friends, the Morgan's one day for lunch. The sister missionaries had recommended it. We weren't disappointed. It was delicious. We decided we should go again and everyone order something different and then we could ask for separate plates and try all the foods. When Lowell and Claudia and Diana and Greg were here, that's what we did. We loved the food, except for one. Elder Perron ordered a dish with squid? I would not recommend that. I always order the Thai Padi. Can't ever go wrong there. Love it!
We serve in the temple with a couple who have the exact shift schedule as we do. They are the only ones. So every Wednesday we go to dinner with them. We love the Yellow Mills Diner. It's good ole home cooked food. They always have specials which include soup and salad and main entrée. By the time we get there, we are starved so we need extra food! Not really, but that's how we justify all that food! We sit in the section where we have become friends with our waitress. She is awesome. I think she likes us too, because she is always getting the cook to do something special for us. One evening when the Henderson's and the Perron's were having dinner, a group of 6 people came into the restaurant. The Henderson's thought they might have seen them before. And as the people were leaving, they stopped to talk to the Henderson's. They were from North Carolina, where the Henderson's are from. They and the Henderson's are all in the Raleigh North Carolina Temple district and that's how the Henderson's knew them. One of the men had the strongest North Carolina accent and reminded Elder Perron and I of my uncle, Albert Nance who was born and raised, lived and died in North Carolina. We could have listened to him talk all night! I love accents! As we were waiting for our bill, our sweet waitress, Therese, said that our bill had been taken care of. She wouldn't tell us who paid, but we knew it was the "other North Carolinans." How awesome was that?
Last Wednesday, we and the Henderson's ventured out to Otto's Tomatoes in Victor. It is an Italian Restaurant and we give a thumbs up on this one. It is elegant dining and delicious food. I had the chicken, broccoli fettuccine. Elder Perron had the seafood macaroni and cheese. We both loved our meals. The problem was, we kept eating and the portion never seemed to get smaller. We took ours home with us, and had some for lunch and still haven't been able to eat it all. Reminds me of the loaves of bread and fishes in the New Testament or Elijah's promise to the widow of Zarephath that she would not run out of flour or oil. (I only know about Elijah and the widow because I teach gospel doctrine at the Lowville Branch. That is a really big stretch for me, but I am loving it.) The food never seems to never end! May be a blessing we are receiving!
We had a crazy busy week last week. Our family motto has always been, "When we work, we work hard. When we play, we play hard!" And boy did we! We were very busy in the temple all week. Thursday is our day off and so the Morgan's, Reynolds (from SLC) and Elder Perron and I drove to Sodus Point which is a picturesque little village on the shore of Lake Ontario. As you drive through, there are sailboats docked everywhere. We walked out to the end of the pier to the lighthouse. The wind was blowing like crazy and the water was jumping the pier, making it pretty exciting. It was so beautiful there. I love being near the water.
Near Sodus Point is a State Park where the Chimney Bluffs are. So we hiked to the Chimney Bluffs or part way for some of us. It was through a great little forest and the trail was really fun. The Chimney Bluffs are rock formations and they are very unusual. So glad we got to see them. As we were hiking down, there was another couple who are temple missionaries, the Nordfeldt's (from Idaho Falls, Idaho) hiking up. We decided to meet for lunch/dinner at the Skipper's Landing on the shore of Lake Ontario. We ate overlooking more of Lake Ontario. So here are 4 temple missionary couples having a meal together and laughing and having a great time. When it came time to get the bill, there was none. Brother Reynolds had paid for all of us. We told him that is not right. He said, "whenever we go anywhere, we go with the Morgan's or the Perron's and you never let us help with gas." Such a nice thing to do!
Returning to Palmyra, we stopped at a Farmer's Market in Wolcott. We bought peppers and corn and onions and lettuce. We have been eating the peppers, and onions in our omelets and we ate the fresh corn when we got home. There is nothing like fresh corn (picked in the morning) for dinner. And there are lots and lots of corn fields here. Last stop was Mr. Cooley's Ice Cream. It is some of the best homemade ice cream ever. There are ice cream shops everywhere because there are a lot of dairies in New York. We got our ice cream and sat in a screened gazebo and really enjoyed our time outside. Made me miss the "Diner" even more!
On Saturday, we went to Alexandria Bay, a town on the shores of the St. Lawrence River with the Bushman's (from Oklahoma). We boarded a tour boat and traveled down the river. This area is famous for the 1,000 islands. There are more than 1,000 islands, but it's easier to say the Thousand Islands rather than the 1,864 Islands! We sat on the top deck, got sun and wind burned and really enjoyed passing by the islands. One island was so small, it had only one house on it and the house took up most of the island. But just think, you could say, "I live on an island that I own!" Canada borders one side of the St. Lawrence and the US on the other. That's interesting in itself. We stopped at the Singer Castle on Dark Island. The original name of the Castle was Dark Island Castle and was later changed to Singer Castle, named Singer because the original owner who built it was the president of the Singer Corporation. All through the Castle are old singer sewing machines. The Castle was completed in 1905. The design of the castle came from Sir Walter Scott's book "Woodstock." The castle is complete with hidden passages, one in about every room. The main floor was for entertaining, the second floor was for the servants to keep any eye on the entertaining happening on the main floor. If a servant saw a guest was in need of any thing, the servant would buzz the kitchen or pantry through an intercom system and another servant would provide the needed refreshment. Throughout the main floor were mirrors, vents and portraits. Through these, the servants would "spy" on the guests. Mr. Bourne, who had the castle built did not want servants hovering over his guests so this was the solution. There were telephones in every room. They were not for calling to places outside the castle but for calling from room to room on extensions.
You have heard of Thousand Island Dressing. It got it's name because a woman, May Irwin, who tasted a dressing, somewhere on the St. Lawrence River, thought the chopped vegetables in it, looked like the Thousand Islands. When we returned to shore, we had lunch at Riley's Restaurant on the River and I had a Reuben sandwich which had Thousand Island Dressing on it! When in the Thousand Islands, eat Thousand Island Dressing. Right?
I must admit, the best New York bread is baked right here in our kitchen. Elder Perron has become quite the baker. He is branching out into new things, muffins for one. He makes the best pumpkin muffins, apple muffins, and poppy seed muffins. His bread is still making lots of people happy. He is getting ready to start making cookies and pies. There is no end to his baking talents.
So we leave you as Elder Perron is finding more recipes, as I stumble through typing this blog, as we prepare to serve our shift at the temple, and join the Henderson's for dinner in Canandaigua at a Mexican Restaurant to get another taste of New York. Until next time.......much love,
Monday, July 21, 2014
First Things First
These last few weeks have been full of FIRSTS for us. So we thought we would share them with you.
One day, we had a terrible storm. We were in the temple but we could hear the rain, hear the rolling thunder, and see the trees bending in half almost touching the outside the ground and see the sheets of rain coming down. It was kind of scary. But when it was time for us to leave, at about 10:00 p.m., you could not see any indication of any kind of storm. The roads were dry, the sidewalks were dry and there were no puddles anywhere. That was very strange. It was getting dark and as we walked to our car, we saw these little lights flickering on and off in the trees. It looked like little Christmas twinkle lights going on and off. But what we were seeing are fireflies. Never had seen them before. Have not seen them since. We enjoyed that FIRST!
Then there was the FIRST that we did not enjoy. The next day, after the storm, we went to Walmart to get some buttermilk so Durg could make some bread. Yes, more bread. We went to the dairy section. There were no dairy products. We went to the meat section. No meat. Every refrigerated and freezer case was totally empty. It gave us such an eerie feeling. It made us think about the warnings we have received about the stores being empty if the trucks couldn't bring food to them. We thought about the admonition we have been given to have food storage. It really made us realize how important food storage is. During the terrible storm the night before, lightening hit a transformer which provided electricity to the grid where Walmart was. The back up generators for the store to keep the refrigerated and freezer cases cold, in case of an emergency, did not turn on. So the store lost all of its perishables. They were up and running again within the next 24 hours and the trucks brought more food, so all was well. However, it was rather frightening and brought home the need to be prepared. By the way, we did bring some dehydrated food storage with us. Durg brought his camp stove and we have cases of water. We would survive.
We were on our way to the Post Office the next day, and there was a huge tree down in the front yard of a home. It was crazy. It looked like it had cracked and fell over. We found out that lightening had struck the tree. That's the FIRST time we had ever seen a tree which had been struck with lightening.
On Saturday, July 12 (which makes me realize how long it's been since I wrote the blog) we worked in the temple that morning and then had to drive to Lowville (150 miles one way) where we attend church, to witness a baptism of a new member of the branch. Jay Gerewleski had been coming to church each Sunday and the Elders had been teaching him. He had asked the first Elder who taught him to baptize him. This Elder had only been home from his mission for two weeks, so that made the baptism even more special. It was a wonderful baptism. Jay had asked Durg to speak and Durg gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost. That was the FIRST baptism we had witnessed on our mission. Then on Saturday, July19, we worked in the temple in the morning and then drove again to Lowville for another baptism. This time Durg baptized Ian MacDonald. He and his wife had been participating in the missionary discussions, of which Durg and I also were involved with. His wife, Nikki, was baptized by a member of the branch presidency who lives across the street from them. Ian had asked Durg to baptize him. It was the FIRST baptism Durg has ever had on a mission. A wonderful, spiritual and happy FIRST. An amazing side note is that Nikki's grandmother is an ordinance worker in the Boise Temple and she was able to be here for the baptism. Nikki grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho. So us Idahoans outnumbered the New Yorkers! Ian and Nikki MacDonald and their son, Landon, are going to be great members of the church. We are so blessed to know them.
We attended the missionary discussions in a town about 25 miles northwest of Lowville in a town called Copenhagen. As we were driving there, after the storm I have mentioned above, we saw the destruction a tornado could do. This tornado touched down on a barn and totally destroyed it. There was a pick up truck upside down and the path the tornado took was very obvious by the broken trees and fences. We had never seen a tornado before and we didn't see it actually happen. But we did see the aftermath and it wasn't pretty. Those tornadoes can pack a punch. There were 4 people killed because of the tornado. Another FIRST, but not one we want to see a second time.
As we were traveling home from Lowville on a Sunday, we drove through a little town. There are so many little towns, and so many different roads we take, that I can't tell you what the name of the town is, but what I want to mention is that all the traffic was completely stopped as this gaggle of geese were crossing the street. Mom in front, goslings in the middle and Dad bringing up the rear.
But the best part was that they owned the road, and they knew it! What a cute FIRST for us.
The last FIRST (that sounds weird) was our FIRST experience at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was amazing. Now you have to realize that we have been watching the transformation of the Hill with the stage being set up and the lighting towers erected and the great influx of people making the driving in Palmyra a nightmare. So to actually see the Pageant, we were blown away. The special effects were amazing, the message inspiring and the actors the greatest. Before the Pageant begins, all the actors mingle with the crowd and visit and let you take pictures with them. We talked to Mormon, King Noah and we saw the Three Kings! It has definitely been a highlight of our mission. Because the local ordinance workers are so involved with the pageant, the temple missionaries keep the temple running. President Cahoon, counselor to the temple president told us we were here for that reason. We worked really hard and we had a totally different schedule that we weren't used to, but it was so great. One day, there were 400 youth doing proxy baptisms for their ancestors. We weren't the baptistery coordinators, but we were in and out helping and mostly doing laundry. I even managed to break one of the two washers we have. We were told to load those washers as full as we could. The problem was, the washer kept going through the same cycle over and over again. When the repairman came, he said we were trying to wash too much laundry in one washer. We learned that we cannot load the washers as full as we were told we could. But wouldn't you know it would break on my watch? Our Twin Falls Temple Shift Coordinator called me Trouble. I didn't think that name fit me, but I guess I am trouble!
I really need to start calling Durg, Elder Perron. It just seems so odd to me. We leave you as we try to get used to our old schedule again and as I try to remember to call my missionary companion, Elder Perron. Until next time..................................
One day, we had a terrible storm. We were in the temple but we could hear the rain, hear the rolling thunder, and see the trees bending in half almost touching the outside the ground and see the sheets of rain coming down. It was kind of scary. But when it was time for us to leave, at about 10:00 p.m., you could not see any indication of any kind of storm. The roads were dry, the sidewalks were dry and there were no puddles anywhere. That was very strange. It was getting dark and as we walked to our car, we saw these little lights flickering on and off in the trees. It looked like little Christmas twinkle lights going on and off. But what we were seeing are fireflies. Never had seen them before. Have not seen them since. We enjoyed that FIRST!
Then there was the FIRST that we did not enjoy. The next day, after the storm, we went to Walmart to get some buttermilk so Durg could make some bread. Yes, more bread. We went to the dairy section. There were no dairy products. We went to the meat section. No meat. Every refrigerated and freezer case was totally empty. It gave us such an eerie feeling. It made us think about the warnings we have received about the stores being empty if the trucks couldn't bring food to them. We thought about the admonition we have been given to have food storage. It really made us realize how important food storage is. During the terrible storm the night before, lightening hit a transformer which provided electricity to the grid where Walmart was. The back up generators for the store to keep the refrigerated and freezer cases cold, in case of an emergency, did not turn on. So the store lost all of its perishables. They were up and running again within the next 24 hours and the trucks brought more food, so all was well. However, it was rather frightening and brought home the need to be prepared. By the way, we did bring some dehydrated food storage with us. Durg brought his camp stove and we have cases of water. We would survive.
We were on our way to the Post Office the next day, and there was a huge tree down in the front yard of a home. It was crazy. It looked like it had cracked and fell over. We found out that lightening had struck the tree. That's the FIRST time we had ever seen a tree which had been struck with lightening.
On Saturday, July 12 (which makes me realize how long it's been since I wrote the blog) we worked in the temple that morning and then had to drive to Lowville (150 miles one way) where we attend church, to witness a baptism of a new member of the branch. Jay Gerewleski had been coming to church each Sunday and the Elders had been teaching him. He had asked the first Elder who taught him to baptize him. This Elder had only been home from his mission for two weeks, so that made the baptism even more special. It was a wonderful baptism. Jay had asked Durg to speak and Durg gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost. That was the FIRST baptism we had witnessed on our mission. Then on Saturday, July19, we worked in the temple in the morning and then drove again to Lowville for another baptism. This time Durg baptized Ian MacDonald. He and his wife had been participating in the missionary discussions, of which Durg and I also were involved with. His wife, Nikki, was baptized by a member of the branch presidency who lives across the street from them. Ian had asked Durg to baptize him. It was the FIRST baptism Durg has ever had on a mission. A wonderful, spiritual and happy FIRST. An amazing side note is that Nikki's grandmother is an ordinance worker in the Boise Temple and she was able to be here for the baptism. Nikki grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho. So us Idahoans outnumbered the New Yorkers! Ian and Nikki MacDonald and their son, Landon, are going to be great members of the church. We are so blessed to know them.
We attended the missionary discussions in a town about 25 miles northwest of Lowville in a town called Copenhagen. As we were driving there, after the storm I have mentioned above, we saw the destruction a tornado could do. This tornado touched down on a barn and totally destroyed it. There was a pick up truck upside down and the path the tornado took was very obvious by the broken trees and fences. We had never seen a tornado before and we didn't see it actually happen. But we did see the aftermath and it wasn't pretty. Those tornadoes can pack a punch. There were 4 people killed because of the tornado. Another FIRST, but not one we want to see a second time.
As we were traveling home from Lowville on a Sunday, we drove through a little town. There are so many little towns, and so many different roads we take, that I can't tell you what the name of the town is, but what I want to mention is that all the traffic was completely stopped as this gaggle of geese were crossing the street. Mom in front, goslings in the middle and Dad bringing up the rear.
But the best part was that they owned the road, and they knew it! What a cute FIRST for us.
The last FIRST (that sounds weird) was our FIRST experience at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was amazing. Now you have to realize that we have been watching the transformation of the Hill with the stage being set up and the lighting towers erected and the great influx of people making the driving in Palmyra a nightmare. So to actually see the Pageant, we were blown away. The special effects were amazing, the message inspiring and the actors the greatest. Before the Pageant begins, all the actors mingle with the crowd and visit and let you take pictures with them. We talked to Mormon, King Noah and we saw the Three Kings! It has definitely been a highlight of our mission. Because the local ordinance workers are so involved with the pageant, the temple missionaries keep the temple running. President Cahoon, counselor to the temple president told us we were here for that reason. We worked really hard and we had a totally different schedule that we weren't used to, but it was so great. One day, there were 400 youth doing proxy baptisms for their ancestors. We weren't the baptistery coordinators, but we were in and out helping and mostly doing laundry. I even managed to break one of the two washers we have. We were told to load those washers as full as we could. The problem was, the washer kept going through the same cycle over and over again. When the repairman came, he said we were trying to wash too much laundry in one washer. We learned that we cannot load the washers as full as we were told we could. But wouldn't you know it would break on my watch? Our Twin Falls Temple Shift Coordinator called me Trouble. I didn't think that name fit me, but I guess I am trouble!
I really need to start calling Durg, Elder Perron. It just seems so odd to me. We leave you as we try to get used to our old schedule again and as I try to remember to call my missionary companion, Elder Perron. Until next time..................................
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