Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019

Fall is coming!!

Well....it has been a great week.  The colors on the trees are beginning to change.  We received a real downpour last night that brought some much needed moisture to the general area.  The third cut of hay behind our place got finished being baled last night and the corn crop is not quite ripe enough so it a good window to get some moisture.

We said good-bye to some more great missionaries this week.

Elder & Sis. Craner from St. George, Utah.  They served as FM for Carthage.  What an awesome assignment !

Elder Dallon from Washington state....one of service missionaries.  Such a willing young man!

Elder Bundy from Champaign Ohio. 

On Sunday evening, our young single sister missionaries put on a concert that I told you about last week.  Well, they repeated it on Monday evening.  Usually, we don't attend both, but after supper on Monday, I said, "Let's go" and Jim readily agreed.  We arrived early and went to the very back row near the back exit thinking that we would just slip out if we wanted to.  Pres. Thatcher even came up and asked us to say opening/closing prayers and we declined saying that we probably would not be staying for the conclusion.  Jim was standing in the walkway/aisle because he doesn't like to sit in those chairs any longer than necessary (they are killers) when in should walk the 3 siblings from Quincy that we took the young sisters to see. (Kent, Mark & Julie Johnson)!!  Talk about surprise!!  They beelined up and sat beside us....they loved the entire concert !  It was entitled "The Love of Christ" and it was really very tender.  All of them seemed to be very glad that they took the effort to come.  They even brought and shared fresh garden produce with us (beans & broccoli) There is nothing like home grown veggies!! They told us to not be surprised if they showed up on our doorstep one day.....and I won't.  But I will admit that I was totally surprised to see them at the concert.  They said,"Never thought that you would see us again, right?!" and I replied, "You are right!"  It was a happy surprise. 

Left to right:  Sis. Riddle , Sis. / Elder Paxman, Mark, Julie, Kent Johnson, Sis. Green in front of the Christus statue in the Visitor's Center after the concert.  The young sisters were as surprised as we were although I believe that they had issued the invitation to them.  I really learned that I need to be more open and invite, invite, invite. 

 The site, Lyon Drugs, has a hugh garden beside and behind it.  They have an arbor that grows all kinds of gourds.  They are pretty interesting and I thought that I would show you.

The long gourd on Jim's right is called a snake gourd...not sure what it was used for.  On his left, is a normal one that was used for various things such as : a bowl, a rattle, and a water container.

You can see a couple of gourds by my head that the Native Americans would dry and use for bowls and water containers

Better view of them

We worked together that day on cleaning the little cabins beside Lyon Drugs (Patty Sessions & William Fielding)  Left to right: back row  Sis. Jefferies , myself and Sis. Keeton (she and her elder are responsible for the entire garden...a huge job)    Front row:  Sis. Schmidt, Sis. Chipetu (from the Phillipines) Sis. Howard.

  The garden at Lyon Drugs grows ALL kinds of herbs and botanicals that would have been sold inside along with some yummy produce.  Take a look at the watermelon !!

Richard Hancock (head gardener for FM) brought this to the table where we hold our prayer meeting.  This picture does not do justice to it's size...take a look at the hymnbook and newspaper in comparison.

I held it and I am sure that it weighs at LEAST 25 pounds!  It was a real monster !  When I asked Richard how much it weighed, he laughed and said that they would have to weigh it before he cut it up to share. 

 

 Gem of thought for this week:  one of the young sisters said something like this during their concert.  "Sometimes, it isn't easy to believe in Jesus Christ but ultimately it is even harder to NOT believe"  I know that Jesus Christ is the rock that we all need to depend on and is the only source that brings us peace.  His suffering on our behalf made it so that He truly understands us ... each and every trial that we encounter.  He knows how to succor us and will not abandon us if we will only turn to Him and invite Him into our lives.  Nothing we have done will prevent this, if we are sincere.  I know that we could not accomplish our mission here without His daily support and care over us and I am thankful for it.  He really is into the details of our lives....how else would we have been prompted to attend a concert that we had already enjoyed?!   

Have a great week ....love you !