September 21, 2012

Hi to one and all!
Fall is in the air! I can see, from the few trees that have started turning, that fall in Michigan is going to be glorious. Then weather has cooled this week and we are in for rain and cool weather for at least  a week. YEA!
We have been out teaching again this week. We were excited when a sister who has not been in church in Battle Creek for many years came to church on Sunday. She left quickly after sacrament meeting and we did not get to talk to her. We have an appointment with her this afternoon, so we will see what happened. She was not feeling great when she arrived, so she probably went home.
We had an funny thing happen on Saturday. We had an appointment with a girl named Sabrina. She was not at home. It was funny because we had the elders with us. Every time we take them with us, she stands us up. Otherwise, we have a great visit. Well, we were standing outside her building trying to get in when the phone rang. It was her. She had been called in to work, but had thought she would be home. However, her car would not start. We went across town to see if we could help. Elder H ran back to our apartment for the jumper cables...we were close to our apartment by this time. He and the elders worked for a long time to try to start it. She said that she would definitely come to church on Sunday if they got it started. Well, Elder Patterson was determined then. So, he had us all stop and say a prayer. Well, it did not start. They kept working on it. She decided to have us take her to her apartment. Elder Patterson finally said, "Let me just try it." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Why not?" Well, he got in. The battery was fine...the car was not all the way in park. It started right up. We followed her home and went in for a few minutes for a quick lesson. She made a big deal of setting her alarm in her phone for church the next day. We were all excited. She didn't show up. She said that she didn't hear the alarm. Oh, well. You win some... you lose some...but we will keep trying.



Jake's private cheering section

Jake after the game

Also on Saturday, we went to watch Jake play football again. It was a really sunny day. This high school is incredible. They are serious about football in Battle Creek. All four high schools have turf fields. We think it is probably because the fall weather can be nasty and it would be a slippery mess on grass.
We saw pumpkins at Horrock's and it made us really feel like fall. We are hoping to get up to see some big pumpkin fields on Monday.



Jackfruit



Man who cut the jackfruit for us

Also at Horrock's I saw jackfruit for the first time. It is comes from India. They can weigh up to seventy pounds. It is a fruit...yes, it grows on trees. (I looked it up.) It is described as tasting like a mix of bananas and pineapple. I asked what it was and the man offered to give me a sample. It is delicious. I liked it better than Elder H who is on a watermelon kick these days. You only eat the yellow part. Each yellow part has a seed in it...a big one. I am trying to see if I can sprout one and grow a plant. Another first.
We have spent the last two days with Elder H searching a computer site for addresses of our many "lost" people. This will be our last attempt at finding these people. We don't know what else to try. Many of them we have already done this for and searched up to fourteen different addresses with no luck. We would really like to find out where these people are. It will be good to have more addresses to search for to fill in between appointments.
Tonight we have a baptism.
Tomorrow we are having a talent/untalent show...using the same theme which we used in Jerome 1st ward last fall..."Ham it Up!" We have thirty five acts that have signed up. I had a bunch of fillers prepared, but we will not use them. (Anyone need a stuffed wolf's tail, wolf ears, or three pig ear sets or pig tails? I also have pig snouts and wolf noses.) It should be a fun night. I'll have pictures next week.
I have been studying faith from the scriptures and also from the Lectures on Faith by Joseph Smith. I am learning a lot. I see that faith is involved in every action we take. We have to believe we can walk when we put our foot on the floor to get out of bed in the morning. We have to have faith that when we go to work, we will get there safely, driving through traffic. The whole work of God depends on faith. I have been thinking about it a lot. I am grateful for this principle in my life. It has helped me to do many things. We have to have faith in God, faith in others, and faith in ourselves. That is why the adversary tries to fill our hearts with fear and doubt. I love 2 Tim. 1:7. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." So, I am trying to have more courage.
I am lacking in faith in one thing this week. Janet, our bishop's wife, asked me if I would help her put new lace on her lace skirt. I briefly looked at her in it at church and said, "no problem." Well, she brought it to me and I took apart. I discovered that the whole thing was cut on the bias. Well, we decided to put the lace on straight. No amount of hard work has made that skirt look good with a bias cut skirt and a cut on the straight grain lace overlay. I kept thinking of ways to make it work, but it just doesn't hang right. She was here for a couple of hours yesterday. (Elder H was on the computer.) Now I am working at taking the lace I removed apart to make a pattern for a lace overlay cut on the bias. I am right now not feeling any faith in this project at all.
But life is kind of like that...at least my life has been. Sometimes I try to force something to work that just isn't the right way. Those things don't work out well. When things are supposed to happen they  have a way of working out right.
Speaking of working out right...way to go, Catherine!!!  (You'll have to ask her...)
I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for our shortcomings...even my lack of faith at times. (I like the story of the man who says to the Lord, "Help thou my unbelief.")  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is His authorized church on the earth today, with all the power and authority to perform ordinances and allow us to make sacred covenants. I am grateful for the power of the priesthood in my life. As I go along, I see that it is going to take greater faith on all our our parts to stay on the straight and narrow path as the people from the great and spacious building try to get us to join them. We have to hang on to the rod of iron with both hands and look straight ahead at our goal. the Lord will bless us.
I pray that each of us will keep our covenants that we can, as Lucy Mack Smith said, sit down in heaven together.
Love you all.  You are in our prayers.



Look at those long legs!!! (on Uncle Bubba, aka Michael) (in Sarah & Mark's newly completed family room.

and...we have the cutest new grandson in the world. He has three darling sisters.


I am making a couple of fast additions. Pictures from Sarah... Yea!

Kaili must have been at the neighbor's house. Next time.