"Does the Journey Seem Long?"
It almost seems trying to post on my blog has now become the journey that seems long. I have been having a heck of a time trying to get something published. I can't even find what I did post so if some of this is redundant, please bear with me. Let's hope this works.
We arrived in Palmyra on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, a day ahead of schedule. We were tired of travelling and wanted to stay put for awhile. We weren't disappointed when we saw our cute apartment. It is really nice with two bedrooms (for anyone thinking of coming to Palmyra this summer). It is just right for us.
We had a little bit of a problem travelling through the Chicago area, but our GPS got us through. Good thing! Kathy could never have read a map and figured out where to go. We were going here and then there and then finally where we needed to be. If Kathy had been navigating, we might have ended up in China and divorce court. GPS systems are under-rated! The GPS was a great help.
But better than that GPS was God's Prayer System. We know all of our children and grandchildren and friends were praying for our safe arrival. We know Nikki prays for us, even though it is hard for her (us being gone for 6 months), she says she knows we are where the Lord wants us to be. She is a rock. She is our cheerleader and prayer giver. So glad she is our daughter and a daughter of God and knows she is loved by both her parents and her Heavenly Father.
We also received some communication from Jorge Pulleiro about his son, Lucas. Lucas is one of our Primary children we taught before we left He said that Lucas thought we were going to be gone on our mission for 6 years. He told his dad, "I will be in the 7th grade when my best friend, Durg, comes home from his mission. Jorge explained that was not the case and that Durg will be home in 6 months. He tells us Lucas prays for us everyday. Thank you Lucas!
We crossed the New York border in a snow storm. Durg was ready to return to the beautiful Wood River Valley and sunshine. But we pressed on! Thinking of the Pioneers travelling the distance they did in extreme weather conditions, made us so grateful for all they did and for what we have. Pushing and pulling those handcarts all the way through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming to Utah. Amazing. Ross Gedeborg remarked, weren't we glad we weren't using a handcart when I left my purse in Cheyenne and had to travel 90 miles there and 90 miles back to Sidney, Nebraska. The purse would have been history in that case.
We stopped in Jamestown, New York for lunch on our last day of driving. We were in a restaurant across the street from the largest cemetery (100 + or - acres) we have ever seen. We asked some locals about it. They said that Lucille Ball is buried there because she was born and raised in Jamestown. They told us about a young women, Grace Galloway, who was also buried there. I won't take the time to tell you about her or her burial sight. You can google her: Grace Galloway, Jameston, NY. We sent pictures to Joel because we thought he would appreciate it and he did. Said he had never seen anything like it. We found Lucille Ball's grave also.
When we were in Iowa, we came upon a small town,Winterset, where John Wayne was born. We drove by his house. It was just a little home. It was fun to see that.
Here is a little FYI. Wyoming's elevation is 7000 feet. The Allegheny Mountain's highest elevation is 2000 feet. Most of Wyoming seemed like a prairie and the Allegheny's seemed like driving up over a mountain. But what do I know! Durg said Wyoming is called the high desert. Now I know.
After travelling 2860 miles, with 200 miles left to get to Palmyra, I was anxious and excited to get there. That's all I wanted to do. Durg on the other hand wanted to avoid toll roads, so we meandered here and there and took a wrong turn, had to return and try again. We drove from Idaho to Palmyra, New York without driving on a toll road. There wasn't much conversation those last 200 miles.
We had family home evening with the other 19 temple missionaries on Monday night at President Brighton's home. The Rochester Mission President, President Francis and his wife, gave the family home evening lesson. President Francis told us that we were unique missionaries. We were set apart by our Stake President for our call to serve as missionaries. Then we were set apart by President Brighton to serve as temple ordinance workers. We get to do the two things we love most, be in the temple and befriend and share what we have with others as missionaries. We have two name tags. One we wear in the temple and the other one is the official missionary name tag. How could we have been so blessed. This mission is perfect for us.
Leaving you now in Palmyra, New York, cradle of the restoration until next time.....Love you
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
"Oh the places you will see."
We're off to the races.
We're off to great places.
Places so keen,
Here's what we've seen:
The wind, the wind, blowing so hard.
Thought the door would blow off the car.
In Wyoming, Nebraska, boy could the wind blow.
Hold on, hold on, please don't let go.
Rawlins, Martin's Cove, and Saratoga,
Are all in Wyoming, we can tell ya.
And of course, Laramie and Cheyenne,
Finding my purse, how glad I am.
Wyoming wasn't all that bad.
Some good experiences there we had.
Seeing buffalo, antelope and deer.
The best part? They were all so near.
An island, an island, an island, you say?
In land-locked Nebraska? No way!
Surrounded by rivers, Wood and North Platte
Grand Island, Nebraska is exactly that.
Prestigious universities: U of W, U of N, U of I, I say
Wish you could get a degree by just passing by.
And Princeton? Passed it too,
I was impressed, how about you.
Tigers, Cornhuskers, Cowboys and Hawkeyes,
Match the schools with their mascots; care to try?
We thought about going to a Cubs, or White Sox game,
But didn't want to get in Chicago's traffic lane.
Had lunch at a Culvers in Ottawa, Illinois.
We're getting a Culvers in Twin, oh boy!
Drove through the Amish country in Ohio.
Lots of black buggies going oh, so slow.
My apologies to Dr. Seuss, but there really wasn't much to do during some of the driving, so I decided to try to be creative. Don't think the fans of Dr. Seuss will be impressed. Sorry!
In Ohio, after visiting the Amish Country, we were driving along and I saw a city Navarre. I know that there is a province in Spain named Navarre. You aren't going to believe this, because I couldn't but the town of Navarre, Ohio is named after the Navarre region in Spain. I couldn't find out who named the city, but it was pretty interesting.
Another University we drove by was Kent University in Kent, Ohio. I am amazed how many universities we drove by.
As we were travelling to our last motel before we arrive in Palmyra tomorrow, we saw PINK garbage cans waiting to be emptied by the local garbage company. I had never seen that before, but you know, I think we should petition for PINK garbage containers. They looked pretty cute!
The first place we needed to buy gas was in Rawlins, Wyoming. We were looking for a gas station and came upon a place called, Kum and Go. We had never seen that before, so we decided to bypass that place and look for something a little more familiar, thinking the Kum and Go gas might not be up to par. As we travelled through Wyoming, there were many Kum and Go's and now we know that they are okay. Travelling through Nebraska, we saw Git and Go gas stations and Pump and Pantry gas stations. This was all new to us. And finally, in Ohio you can get your gas at Kwik Fill. Just a little bit of useless information.
Durg is so proud of himself. We have made it this far without having to pay a toll on the highway. He has it planned that tomorrow we will get to Palmyra on a route that we won't have to pay a toll. Seriously, the toll charge is only 50 cents. You would think it was $5.00. But we are seeing some beautiful country off the toll roads.
I was a little disappointed in Wyoming and Nebraska. Not much to see, but when we got to Ohio and those rolling hills, they were a beautiful sight to see. I will always be a mountain girl and if the mountains aren't there, the rolling hills will do.
We will arrive in Palmyra tomorrow and I know we will be pretty busy unpacking and grocery shopping. Oh, how we look forward to a home-cooked meal.
We leave you at (and this is no joke) Ashtabula/Austinberg, Ohio. Palmyra, New York, here we come.
We're off to the races.
We're off to great places.
Places so keen,
Here's what we've seen:
The wind, the wind, blowing so hard.
Thought the door would blow off the car.
In Wyoming, Nebraska, boy could the wind blow.
Hold on, hold on, please don't let go.
Rawlins, Martin's Cove, and Saratoga,
Are all in Wyoming, we can tell ya.
And of course, Laramie and Cheyenne,
Finding my purse, how glad I am.
Wyoming wasn't all that bad.
Some good experiences there we had.
Seeing buffalo, antelope and deer.
The best part? They were all so near.
An island, an island, an island, you say?
In land-locked Nebraska? No way!
Surrounded by rivers, Wood and North Platte
Grand Island, Nebraska is exactly that.
Prestigious universities: U of W, U of N, U of I, I say
Wish you could get a degree by just passing by.
And Princeton? Passed it too,
I was impressed, how about you.
Tigers, Cornhuskers, Cowboys and Hawkeyes,
Match the schools with their mascots; care to try?
We thought about going to a Cubs, or White Sox game,
But didn't want to get in Chicago's traffic lane.
Had lunch at a Culvers in Ottawa, Illinois.
We're getting a Culvers in Twin, oh boy!
Drove through the Amish country in Ohio.
Lots of black buggies going oh, so slow.
My apologies to Dr. Seuss, but there really wasn't much to do during some of the driving, so I decided to try to be creative. Don't think the fans of Dr. Seuss will be impressed. Sorry!
In Ohio, after visiting the Amish Country, we were driving along and I saw a city Navarre. I know that there is a province in Spain named Navarre. You aren't going to believe this, because I couldn't but the town of Navarre, Ohio is named after the Navarre region in Spain. I couldn't find out who named the city, but it was pretty interesting.
Another University we drove by was Kent University in Kent, Ohio. I am amazed how many universities we drove by.
As we were travelling to our last motel before we arrive in Palmyra tomorrow, we saw PINK garbage cans waiting to be emptied by the local garbage company. I had never seen that before, but you know, I think we should petition for PINK garbage containers. They looked pretty cute!
The first place we needed to buy gas was in Rawlins, Wyoming. We were looking for a gas station and came upon a place called, Kum and Go. We had never seen that before, so we decided to bypass that place and look for something a little more familiar, thinking the Kum and Go gas might not be up to par. As we travelled through Wyoming, there were many Kum and Go's and now we know that they are okay. Travelling through Nebraska, we saw Git and Go gas stations and Pump and Pantry gas stations. This was all new to us. And finally, in Ohio you can get your gas at Kwik Fill. Just a little bit of useless information.
Durg is so proud of himself. We have made it this far without having to pay a toll on the highway. He has it planned that tomorrow we will get to Palmyra on a route that we won't have to pay a toll. Seriously, the toll charge is only 50 cents. You would think it was $5.00. But we are seeing some beautiful country off the toll roads.
I was a little disappointed in Wyoming and Nebraska. Not much to see, but when we got to Ohio and those rolling hills, they were a beautiful sight to see. I will always be a mountain girl and if the mountains aren't there, the rolling hills will do.
We will arrive in Palmyra tomorrow and I know we will be pretty busy unpacking and grocery shopping. Oh, how we look forward to a home-cooked meal.
We leave you at (and this is no joke) Ashtabula/Austinberg, Ohio. Palmyra, New York, here we come.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE
ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE
We are so grateful this Easter morn, for our Savior Jesus Christ and for his resurrection.
"This morn renews for us that day
When Jesus cast the bonds away,
Took living breath
And conquered death.
Thus we in gratitude recall
And give our love and pledge our all,
Shed grateful tear
And conquer fear."
Words to the Hymn "That Easter Morn" by Marion D. Hanks
Believing the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians,"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory",we know that death isn't the end but another beginning. We are grateful for that knowledge.
We are grateful for the opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ as we serve our mission. His life was a life of service and we want to serve wherever and whenever we are needed.
We are so grateful for all of our family and friends who encouraged us and have supported us in our decision to serve a mission. We promise we will do our best.
We are so grateful for the safety we have had in our travels thus far. We have been doing a lot of sightseeing and enjoying every minute. We have a book titled, "1,000 places to see before you die." Every state we enter, we read about a place we should see. We did drive out of our way to go to a town called Saratoga in Wyoming. It wasn't really too spectacular, but it got Durg off the freeway and onto some back roads. We drove through Medicine Bow National Forest and we loved it. There aren't many forests in Wyoming. It didn't surprise me that we got off the beaten path and took some back roads. Durg quoted J. Golden Kimball, "I don't stay on the straight and narrow, but I cross it every once in a while." So typical of Durg.
We really aren't making too much progress. It took us a day and a half to drive through Wyoming. We stayed in Rawlins, Wyoming and decided to drive 120 miles round trip to see Martin's Cove. It was worth it. To see, hear and feel the heartache experienced by those in the Martin Handcart Company as they travelled to Salt Lake City was life changing for me. Once again, I am beginning to understand the sacrifices made by others so that I could have the gospel and church in my life. One man, Heber Robert McBride kept a journal of his experience in the Martin Handcart Company and the difficulties all experienced on this journey. A video has been made about those experiences. Heber Robert McBride is the great grandfather of Judy McBride Collis and Deveaux McBride Grubbs, two sisters we have know for a long time. It made the video so much more touching, knowing what their great grandfather went through so that Judy and Deveaux could have the gospel.
We lived through a nightmare on Thursday night. We had dinner in Cheyenne, Wyoming and then drove to stay in Sidney, Nebraska. Finally, we were in another state. Upon arriving at our motel, which we reserved earlier in the day, I discovered that I had left my purse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, only 90 miles away. We tried to call the restaurant to see if anyone had found a purse, but the line was busy for 1 1/2 hours. We tried calling the police and the headquarters of the restaurant chain, but no one could help. We decided to drive back to Cheyenne, praying every minute, and check for ourselves. We arrived just as they were locking up the restaurant. YES, it was there. Our prayer had been answered. We had witnessed a miracle. There are still honest people in his world and Heavenly Father loves us! The best part of it, besides getting my purse back, was that Durg did not lose his temper. He decided that as missionary companions, if we started off with bad feelings, it wouldn't be good for our mission. I was grateful for that. He did say that I couldn't take my purse into restaurants. He would pay for everything. Works for me!
That little 180 mile excursion could be one of the reasons we aren't making much progress. We still have 4 states to travel through and 4 days left to travel. We probably will be staying on the straight and narrow.
We leave you at Grand Island, Nebraska. We love you and appreciate you. Durg and Kathy
We are so grateful this Easter morn, for our Savior Jesus Christ and for his resurrection.
"This morn renews for us that day
When Jesus cast the bonds away,
Took living breath
And conquered death.
Thus we in gratitude recall
And give our love and pledge our all,
Shed grateful tear
And conquer fear."
Words to the Hymn "That Easter Morn" by Marion D. Hanks
Believing the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians,"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory",we know that death isn't the end but another beginning. We are grateful for that knowledge.
We are grateful for the opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ as we serve our mission. His life was a life of service and we want to serve wherever and whenever we are needed.
We are so grateful for all of our family and friends who encouraged us and have supported us in our decision to serve a mission. We promise we will do our best.
We are so grateful for the safety we have had in our travels thus far. We have been doing a lot of sightseeing and enjoying every minute. We have a book titled, "1,000 places to see before you die." Every state we enter, we read about a place we should see. We did drive out of our way to go to a town called Saratoga in Wyoming. It wasn't really too spectacular, but it got Durg off the freeway and onto some back roads. We drove through Medicine Bow National Forest and we loved it. There aren't many forests in Wyoming. It didn't surprise me that we got off the beaten path and took some back roads. Durg quoted J. Golden Kimball, "I don't stay on the straight and narrow, but I cross it every once in a while." So typical of Durg.
We really aren't making too much progress. It took us a day and a half to drive through Wyoming. We stayed in Rawlins, Wyoming and decided to drive 120 miles round trip to see Martin's Cove. It was worth it. To see, hear and feel the heartache experienced by those in the Martin Handcart Company as they travelled to Salt Lake City was life changing for me. Once again, I am beginning to understand the sacrifices made by others so that I could have the gospel and church in my life. One man, Heber Robert McBride kept a journal of his experience in the Martin Handcart Company and the difficulties all experienced on this journey. A video has been made about those experiences. Heber Robert McBride is the great grandfather of Judy McBride Collis and Deveaux McBride Grubbs, two sisters we have know for a long time. It made the video so much more touching, knowing what their great grandfather went through so that Judy and Deveaux could have the gospel.
We lived through a nightmare on Thursday night. We had dinner in Cheyenne, Wyoming and then drove to stay in Sidney, Nebraska. Finally, we were in another state. Upon arriving at our motel, which we reserved earlier in the day, I discovered that I had left my purse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, only 90 miles away. We tried to call the restaurant to see if anyone had found a purse, but the line was busy for 1 1/2 hours. We tried calling the police and the headquarters of the restaurant chain, but no one could help. We decided to drive back to Cheyenne, praying every minute, and check for ourselves. We arrived just as they were locking up the restaurant. YES, it was there. Our prayer had been answered. We had witnessed a miracle. There are still honest people in his world and Heavenly Father loves us! The best part of it, besides getting my purse back, was that Durg did not lose his temper. He decided that as missionary companions, if we started off with bad feelings, it wouldn't be good for our mission. I was grateful for that. He did say that I couldn't take my purse into restaurants. He would pay for everything. Works for me!
That little 180 mile excursion could be one of the reasons we aren't making much progress. We still have 4 states to travel through and 4 days left to travel. We probably will be staying on the straight and narrow.
We leave you at Grand Island, Nebraska. We love you and appreciate you. Durg and Kathy
Monday, April 14, 2014
On our way......
Just set up our blog with Sheena's help. We will be posting along our way to Palmyra, New York as exciting things happen. Stay tuned.....
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