I must say that I’m really glad to have bought
a heavy coat, especially when I step outside. I really, really, like a heated
garage that prevents our having to warm up a freezing car to start the day, or
clean off the windshields, or anything else. We will have to make sure that we
keep the car clean because of the amount of salt on the roads. There are so
many cars here that look really nice until you look at the bottom edges and
realize they are rusted through. Someone told us we have to wait until the
temperature gets above 36 degrees to wash it. Hahaha Looks like it will be a while to wash the car
or try to wash it off in the garage.
On Wednesday, Craig spent quite a bit of time
getting the car winterized. We needed the oil changed as well as the other
fluids taken care of for this winter. I
spent the time getting some work done for other projects that we are doing. We
met with Denise that afternoon and tried to teach a lesson. We wanted to read
Joseph Smith’s visitation and then talk about the witnesses to the Book of Mormon.
Unfortunately, Timmy got all the attention, and Denise spent a lot of time
chasing him around. Her Social Worker dropped by and talked to her about a
birthday party Denise wanted to give for Timmy’s 3rd birthday.
According to the rules of her housing, there can be no more than four people in
her apartment at any one time for anything. It was information that we were not
aware of because there have been times when we were there with four other
missionaries and friends from upstairs, etc. This woman kept trying to tell
Denise that the party wasn’t for Timmy, it was for Denise because he won’t
remember it. She argued that she wanted him to have a big party, and he would
know. When the woman left, it sounded like Elder Lenhard and I would come early
on the day of the birthday, and that would leave slots for others to come at
another hour. We had lost the attention for the lesson, so we finally gave up
for that time, but we plan to go back and actually get to teach.
Thursday found us coordinating meetings with
missionaries. We have to figure out who we can help. We are guessing as the
weather gets colder, we will be asked to help more. Hahaha
We also spent time preparing for the Pathway lesson and copying the
materials we would need. I got a bill from an insurance company that I thought
I had paid when we left Utah so that it was taken care of the entire time we
were out here. Guess not. Anyway, it took some time getting that taken care of
because no one will answer a phone anymore.
We did work on trying to get a key to the
building where we hold Pathway. The person who is supposed to open the building
on Thursday for Pathway has been late for the last two weeks. BYU-Idaho has a
strict rule about starting on time and ending on time (which I like). We have
had to talk to several people and write lots of people before they decided we
could have a key; however, it will come from the missionaries who taught the
class last year. They moved to Madison, and we will have to wait for them to
send it back to us. If we had known this, we could have asked them earlier. After
our Pathway program, we had to meet with the Stake Family History Director
getting some information together for our next meeting.
Friday, we got up and actually got to the gym
again. I love the gym because I feel so much better later. I had to get my
final hepatitis shot that afternoon, and may I say it hurt. Not the shot
itself, but the medicine burned for a moment. It wasn’t bad at all, but I just
remember saying that the shot hurt! I’m
so eloquent. Afterwards, we had about an
hour before going to the birthday. We had a nice time, but we were tired from
running around.
Denise had Timmy’s birthday party that night.
She wanted a really big party and wanted lots of people to come from the
Church. She had asked RS to help her give the party because she couldn’t afford
to do it. Her home teacher (who is a medical student) is stupendous. He talked
with her about doing it simple (City Branch isn’t known for having a well-to-do
group of members), but she had it in her head that it needed to be over the
top. We found out that her group team had given her permission to have more
people at the party than previously talked about because she had a big
apartment and could handle it. We were asked to bring chips and dip or a
vegetable tray. When we got to her place, her home teachers, four other
missionaries, her neighbors from upstairs, and another friend and her son were
already there. It was chaotic, but when Denise wanted all the attention on
Timmy, she yelled at all of us to pay attention, be quiet, watch Timmy, etc. It
was kind of funny. She was the little dictator, and Timmy was going to
blow out those candles, and he was going to open those presents by
ripping off that paper, and he was going to do this or that. Timmy could
have cared less. She had cooked dinner for everyone, and we were expected to
eat. Her home teacher had brought cup cakes, and she had made a cake so all the
kids were getting their plugs of sugar which helped their activity levels.
Haven’t we all been to parties like this? We old people finally had to go, but
it was a 30 minute drive since, in trying to avoid the interstate in this town
between the hours of 4-6 pm, we end up touring lots of places we haven’t been
in before. They keep closing off roads because of construction and a route we
could have taken one day will no longer be available, so we are like rats in a
maze. Thank goodness Elder Lenhard has an innate sense of direction because I’m
only along for the site-seeing. They have a saying here, that there are only
two seasons, winter and road construction. (Don’t ask me, I don’t make up these
sayings!)
Saturday brought Stake Conference. Elder Nash
of the 1st Quorem of the Seventies was here, and what a marvelous
speaker he was. Elder Lenhard attended the Priesthood session on Saturday, so I
took him and got home by myself (a major accomplishment). Then I had to go back
for the adult meeting that evening, and I have to say, it was more challenging
than coming home. I got lost by exiting the interstate too early and realized I
was lost. So I used the GPS to get myself back home and started again. (Thank
goodness I had started out early thinking it might be a challenge for me.) This
time I stayed on the interstate and waited until I got to the road I knew I had
come home on and went straight to the Church. I love it when I can get
somewhere without breaking down in fear that I may be entering a war zone and
may never come out. Hahahaha
On Sunday, we went to two difference
conferences. Both North and South Stakes were having their conferences on the
same day, and it took some maneuvering on the part of the leadership of both
stakes to pull it off. Elder Nash was only here for the North Stake. On
Saturday, we met in their Stake building, because they knew there wouldn’t have
been as many people attending. Children under 12 are not invited to come to the
Saturday meetings, so many mothers stay home with the children. On Sunday,
however, it was another story. Since South Stake has a larger Stake building,
we went there for the meeting held in the morning. South Stake held off their
meeting until the afternoon so they could use the building also. We decided to
stay for both meetings. We live in the South Stake, but we are assigned to go to
Church in the North Stake. We serve both stakes, so we felt we would benefit
greatly from attending both meetings. We certainly didn’t regret it. Before the
second meeting started that morning, the Mission President asked us to go pick
up a nonmember who wanted to come and had no transportation. Elder Lenhard and the
missionaries who were teaching her went to get her. She is a black lady who had
the most infectious laugh. She wanted to sing out “Hallelujah” after everything
that she agreed with was said. I sat next to her, and she kept me laughing. I
told her if she had done it, we would have just looked at her funny and
wondered what she was thinking. She asked a lot of good questions, and she
appeared to have an honest truth-seeking heart. We enjoyed being with her.
To say that we were spiritually fed would be an
understatement. Just to give you an idea of what we heard that strengthened my
testimony include the following:
Our
callings or the work we are given to do are a gift from God. We have a work to
perform before we return to the Father. We must separate ourselves from the
world and become instruments in God’s hands to do that which he has given us to
do.
Satan
will use the media to confuse us and create a world of false reality which is
contrary to that which God would have us know and understand. Satan would have
us believe that sin is normal, and we all partake of it. While it is true that
we are all sinners, we do not have to succumb to the belief that we are evil if
we do not tolerate and support those who deviate from God’s way.
There is
joy in Heavenly Father’s plan, and we must avail ourselves of that joy through
the work He has given us to do.
Happiness
is only found in how well we live the commandments of God. As we do His work,
we cannot help but be changed for good.
I may not
be perfect, but I can be perfect in trying.
These are just a couple of things that were
emphasized at the meetings. Can you see the theme here? It was a great weekend.
While at the conference, I was talking with a
Sister whom I had met before and the weather came up. She asked if we had good
boots. I told her those were the next items on our list, and she told us we
needed to go to Minomenee Falls to a place called Fleet Farms. They carry all
your winter needs, farming supplies, groceries, and much more. We headed off in
that direction and found it wasn’t that far away. We were amazed at the stuff
they carried, and we didn’t even spend a lot of time on anything but boots. It
took me forever to find a pair that didn’t make my feet look like tugboats, but
I’m happy with them. They are good to 25 degrees below. Elder Lenhard was able
to find his much faster, and his are also good to some crazy temperature. So,
now we are set. We have coats, gloves, hats, and boots. When I go out now, I
wear my thermals, then tights, undershirt, outer clothing, coat, etc. etc. etc.
(not yet into the boots). I look like an
Eskimo, but I’m warm, and the cold, cold isn’t even here yet. Hahaha When the real cold comes, we will see how I
hold up. I'll have to take a picture soon.
We spent some time setting up a meeting in
another Ward on Family History. This one is Park Mills, so next Sunday we will
head in that direction. I guess it is on the way to Madison. I love to travel
and see the countryside. This is a beautiful area.
On Tuesday (11th), we had a Zone
Conference which starts at 10:00. I had gotten a calendar earlier in the month
with the meetings listed for the month. The calendar said that on this day it
would be a District meeting (a smaller group of missionaries and it starts at
1:00). Unfortunately, I seem to have trouble with the concept that when a
sentence is found at the bottom of the paper that says “this schedule does not
apply on the day of your Zone Conference,” we should seriously pay attention.
Anyway, the night before we got a text about Zone Conference, but we didn’t understand
what was being said because we were prepared for a District meeting. We texted
the Elders for more information and did not hear from them. On Tuesday then, we
got up, went to the gym and stopped by Michael’s on the way home. I picked up
my Christmas decorations at a really cheap price – I now have a wreathe, a
nativity, a Santa, a really small tree with lights, and a couple of ornaments.
I will miss my big tree and hundreds of ornaments from Utah, but we will live.
I am excited to decorate, but it is still too early.
 |
| Us with Elders Cutshaw, Larsen, Allen, Ward, Pound, Bluth, and Sisters Reece and Cook in our last District Meeting together. |
Anyway, the gist of the story is that as I’m in
Michael’s taking my time, the Elders text Elder Lenhard to say our meeting
started at 10:00 (it is now past 10) and it is much further away than we had
expected. UGH! When I got back to the
car, Elder Lenhard gave me the news and whisked us off to clean up and get on
the road. We got there around 11:00 – I thought that was really pretty good. We
saw all those looks when we came in – “the old people just don’t get it.” We apologized to everyone we met, and we
tried to explain. We still got the looks!
Hahahaha Give us a break! We were
only an hour late. The meeting went until 4:00, so we were able to enjoy the
encouragement of the young Elders and Sisters to hang in there and continually
look forward. We were encouraged to talk less and listen more. Everyone has a
story, and we should listen to their story and offer the Lord’s blessings
through Jesus Christ.
We have been uplifted, encouraged,
strengthened, challenged, and loved this past week. What more could we ask for
as we serve in this part of the Lord’s vineyard.
We love you all.
Elder and Sister Lenhard
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