Happy Anniversary to us!

Fabreeze... the missionaries best friend!


The General of the Salvation Army.


I know that the picture is blurry, but it is the only
one we have of me this week! I wanted to prove that
I was there.


Bell ringing for the Salvation Army at Breen's
IGA in Palmyra. We were very grateful that we
could stand inside the doors!


Now this looks warm and toasty!


This is the go out to close the "Hill Cumorah
Gate" look. The hat can't look any worse can it?


This gives you the real view of the hat and earmuffs!
It's not that bad, is it?


Look how nice and warm Doug looks. Like an English
Gentleman!?!?


I told him that he didn't look like an idiot, but then
he had to go and prove me wrong!


Elder Nicolds, Bruce Harding and his brother
Brian. Quite a group!


Elder Nicholds and Bruce Harding just before
the baptism. Elder Nicholds is one of our Sr.
Missionaries.

Because Doug has made you all think that he is the religious one and I only play around, this week he has given me the “duty” and opportunity to tell you some of the more serious parts of our week… Along with a few fun things. (Note: Doug does not agree with this perspective, but then his opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of management. /dlp)

First was the bell ringing for the Salvation Army. We were not really sure how that was going to play out, but we both really enjoyed it. I have told you before that we have a lot of people in our area here that have really been hit hard economically. Some are just getting by, and others aren’t doing that well. It was interesting while bell ringing because we noticed a few things right off. The people that looked like they were having the hardest time making it, put money in the pot more often. Also, they usually gave more. Always a dollar or a couple of bucks. We were humbled to watch them. As rough of time as they have had, they recognize that they are better off than others. They would tell us “God bless you for doing this,” “Merry Christmas,” “Thank you”! We thought that was what we were supposed to say. After our bell ringing time was up, we took the money to the counter to count it and turn it in. As we were standing there, I heard a voice say, “Oh, they’re gone! I had something for them.” I recognized her as a woman who had said, “I’ll get some change and bring you something when I come out.” I called to her and said, “Here we are!” She was so happy to see that we were still there. She came over and gave me two bills, thanked me for helping out this Christmas, and left the store. I looked down at the bills, and she had left me $40. I was so very humbled. She didn’t look like she would be having much Christmas herself, but wanted to help others less fortunate. In the hour we were there, we raised $73.31. Not too bad! We figured that we’d make maybe $15 if we were lucky. As I said before, we were humbled and so touched with the Spirit of Christmas.

We did have one funny thing that happened while we were bell ringing. One man came out of the store and gave us some money. He then said, “When my brother was in the war (WWII), he wrote and told me that the Red Cross was selling cigarettes to the troops for 15 cents a package while the Salvation Army was giving them away. To this day I give money to the Salvation Army and I have never given a nickel to the Red Cross!” We really laughed, but later thought… man that guy can hold a grudge a long time!

While serving at the Peter Whitmer Farm this week we had an interesting experience. A Sister White came in to see if an Elder Porter happened to be there. (He is one of our Senior Missionaries who just happens to be one of the top scholars of the early Joseph Smith and Church History years. He has written several books and is the one that found the documents that told where the original log home of the Smith family could be found.) We told her that he wasn’t there, but gave her his phone number and what days he would be out at the PW Farm during the next week so she could contact him. She thanked us and then told us this story.

My husband or I have never met Elder Porter, but it is because of him that we were baptized into the church. My husband grew up 6 miles from here. He had never heard of the church. He had an old cabin on his property that he wanted to get rid of so he could farm the area it was on. He had a contractor come with his BIG Caterpillar to push it down. The machine couldn’t even budge it. They tried several times, but it was as if a wall was between the machine and the cabin… it didn’t budge an inch. Unbeknownst to them, Elder Porter was doing some historical background on old buildings in the area because the church had found the foundation of the Peter Whitmer farmhouse and wanted to rebuild it. They needed to purchase old logs and wood that dated back to at least 1820 (which is when the home was built) so that they could make it as historically accurate as possible. The day after the man couldn’t push the old cabin over, Elder Porter gave the church information that proved that their old cabin fit the criteria for type and age of cabin that the church was looking for. The church called them that day and purchased it from the Whites. The Church came and dismantled the cabin and moved the logs and wood to the PW Farm to use in the reconstruction. Nothing happened with the Whites for the next 6 years. The cabin had been built and people were coming all the time to see it, but they had never seen what had happened to their logs. One day, out of the blue, Mr. White decided to stop by to “see his logs”. As he walked into the cabin, he was hit with such a “powerful force” that it brought him to tears. She said that he cried like a baby and couldn’t stop. Needless to say, he investigated this church that seemed to have such power and was converted. They have been members since 1995 (or 1997?) and now they know why the Caterpillar couldn’t push it down! Since they have never met Elder Porter, and they heard that he was here as a missionary, they want to meet him. Great story, huh! The Lord works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform!

Today after church, a man by the name of Burce Hardy was baptized. We met him at church the first week we were in New York. He was a pretty “hard” looking guy. (He looks like he just stepped out of prison!) He is bald, with the hair on the sides pulled back into a ponytail. (The hairdo Doug wants to try when he is off his mission!) Anyway, he was a HEAVY smoker and living a pretty rough life. When we first met Bruce, he didn’t say hardly anything to us, just nodded. The missionaries had told us that they had a baptismal date set for him, and we both wondered what they were thinking… He came each week and after a few weeks, he even started to comment in SS class and ask questions. (I think his turn around week was the week when Doug taught the lesson… I think he really likes Doug!) Anyway, the Elders asked us all to pray to help Bruce stop smoking. He was really addicted and he needed help from above. We all prayed for him for the last two weeks and he stopped smoking. You can’t believe the difference in him. He looks like he has been lit up with a light bulb. We were so excited about the change in him. His color was not gray, but white and pink. He talked more and seemed to enjoy Church and the people. Well, after his baptism, he really shocked us… He even smiled. He was one giant smile and so full of the light of Christ. I so hope that he can continue to grow in the gospel because the ward needs priesthood! Anyway, it was a wonderful day!

I want you all to know that we are loving our time here as missionaries and working hard, even though it seems like we are having too much fun! We are! Senior Missionaries get to have fun! That’s the great part! We work hard, get wonderful blessings, have our testimonies strengthened, and have fun, too! It is a well kept secret, but we are going to get the word out so that more Seniors will go on missions. Boy are we needed in some of these wards!

Today is our 32nd anniversary! Who would have thought that Doug could have stuck with me for that long? It just happens to be our day off, too. We are going to run our errands and then go see Harry Potter for our anniversary. (Doug picked what to do, honestly! He loves me, what can I say!) I guess he will get to pick where we have lunch. (Wendy’s, or McD,s) No somewhere nice…. We still love each other (even after being missionary companions for the last 2 months!) and are so happy that we can have this mission experience together.

We hope that you all have a wonderful week! We love you! dnd