Sunday, Feb. 10,2019

Ice Storms....yes, we have had 2 of them this week! 

 On Tuesday, we were all sent home at noon because it had been drizzling and then the temperature dropped and everything was turned to ice!  The crazy thing is that it doesn't even look icy but you really have to be careful because it is transparent like glass.  We were all given a pair of cleats to use and I'm grateful for them...so is Jim.  As we walk, we do the "Nauvoo Shuffle".....don't lift your feet off the ground and just shuffle along !!  Hahaha!  So, back to my story,  on Wed. we got all ready to go to prayer meeting and had the vehicles running to defrost and we were told....NO !....stay inside until 9:00 and then it was postponed until 11:00.  I think that I have forgotten to tell you that with the change in assignment for me....to housing....I now have a Dodge minivan to use.  So Jim has a work truck complete with tool boxes and tools while I have a minivan complete with cleaning supplies, vacuum and mops, etc.  Moving up in the world.....jokes!!   

We went to mission training on Wed. evening which was really good.  Pres. Lusvardi works hard to motivate and teach how to share the gospel and the Spirit with people who visit.  He gave us scenerios complete with the background slide on the screen of one of the historic sites and we had to do a tour with another couple or to our companion.  It was a fun exercise but one that we as FM missionaries will probably not use much since we don't spend much time in the sites.  Still fun to do though!!

Thursday was a normal day but by evening, we again had another ice storm going on.  Friday, we were told to stay inside until 11:00, giving time for the sun to soften up the ice. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny, cold winter day.  We were treated to supper in the Bistro (basement of the Visitor's Center) by the Childers who were the heads over Exodus as a thank you for all of us subcommitte heads.  We handed in our reports and had a fun visit.  We were then invited to another couples' house to play games and their driveway was crazy icy.  Jim ended up driving on the grass because the vehicle just slid backward on the ice in the driveway when you parked it.  The driveway had an incline to the road. There were 4 couples and we had a fun time playing a game called " Wager & Win"   Jim & I won even though we really didn't have a clue what we were doing !!  

Saturday, we helped the service missionaries get a start on moving to another (smaller) house.  They have been dragging their feet and really needed help moving a bunkbed.  Jim got them all working and laughing before we were done and they seem more positive about it.  They were totally sure that this house was just too small and would never work!  They have had a BIG beautiful home and have gotten use to all the room even though they didn't take very good care of it.   They got use to just dropping everything on the floor and moving on.  Needless to say, they now have a mouse problem and can't figure it out.  I am the "bad cop" that has to go in twice / week and check up on them and their living conditions now.   Oh dear.....give me the patience!!!  We did a temple session in the afternoon...I just LOVE walking out of the front doors of the temple and looking down to the Mississippi River.  That is something that I will miss when we return home.  I , also, love that the temple is a whole 5 minutes from our little home.  We are trying to do at least two sessions/ week.

Well, that's about it for this week..  Believe it or not....no pictures to display.  Hopefully I'll be better this next week.  Hope that you all stay warm....I understand that you have had a real cold snap!  I got thinking about basketball and wondering how the south teams are doing.  

And yes.....the gospel is true.  It has to be ...otherwise it would never have survived all of us imperfect people!    Love to you all....keep the faith!