October 17, 2012

Hey, dear family and friends!
We hope you are all well. 
It has been a quiet week. We have continued to search for the lost sheep. It is especially fun when we find someone who wants to be found.
On Thursday we went to a place called Miller's Time Out for lunch with our golden girls. We were celebrating Sister Baldwin's eightieth birthday. She is such a good woman. She makes all sorts of quilts for the service people in the hospital in Germany. She also makes hundreds of pillow that go there that have something to do with the therapy the wounded soldiers need. She meets with the Baptist ladies to make toys for the needy. She runs the elders around when they don't have cars. She does compassion service for those around her. I get tired just watching her. HA!

On Monday we went to Shipshawana again, also with the golden girls. (Monday is our preparation day.) We drove  through the back country. Mickey, Hilde, and Lavone know the fun places and good places to shop. There is a bulk grocery store that was really interesting. They sold all sorts of things we had never seen before. There was a half an aisle of different kinds of dried fruit. I got kiwi and mangos and they were good. They sell homemade bread. And, of course, I had to buy some more of the Amish church spread. We bought some great cheese. Then we left there and went to the cheese factory where we bought lots more cheese. It is the same one we went to before and once again, we loved the samples. We came home with ranch curd, pepper jack, salsa cheese, aged cheese, and beef sticks made by the Amish. We already have the cheese flavors picked out for out next trip. We loved hickory smoked and smoked horseradish cheese. We knew we could not eat any more before it would go bad. From there we went to a great restaurant, Das Dutchman Esssenhaus,  that serves family style. They bring fried chicken, ham, roast beef, potatoes and gravy, dressing, homemade buttered noodles, green beans, whole wheat bread, white bread (both homemade) and your choice of at least twenty kinds of pie. I had chocolate cream raspberry. Elder H had praline pecan. We brought them home as there was no way we could have eaten them there. They don't give you doggie bags or boxes, but Janet takes ziplock bags and they sneak the food into them and then into their purses. They don't ask for extra, but they don't want to waste any food. It was funny. Elder H ended up with a couple of pieces of fried chicken. The inside looked like the inside of a barn with quilts the wall, etc. There was a gift shop and a bakery.

Lavone Miller & Janet Torrance

Hilde Hammer



If you look closely, you will see that ladies are driving. Maybe they are going out for lunch!

We had district conference this week and interviews with the president. President and Sister Hess are wonderful people. They are so good. They have raised nine children. They love these young missionaries and they know it. They are great examples to them all of how to live their lives. I love  hearing from the sisters and elders about how Pres. Hess teaches them during their interview exactly what they need.


We are going to be getting a lot of new sister missionaries. Many sister are turning in their papers since they can go younger. We expect somewhere between 20-30 in the first few months of the year. Change is in the air! It is exciting.
We taught a lesson from Helaman 5 this week. I love reading about the elections in the first few verses. The Book of Mormon truly is for our day. It goes on to tell us some of the teachings that Helaman has taught his sons. I know that these words are true. The rock that we must build our lives upon is our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that the words are true when they say that we "cannot" fall if we are centered on Him. Nephi & Lehi become great missionaries, converting 8000 people. When they go on to the land of Nephi they are imprisoned. I love the description of the flames of fire that surround them and keep them safe. I believe that we can be wrapped in our own "flames"  in the form of the Holy Ghost. I pray that we all do everything we can to develop our sensitivity to the Spirit that we can all be together in the eternities.
Our hearts go out to Bryan Gardner & the Dixons this week at the loss of their dear Kendra. We were surprised to hear of your loss and pray that their hearts will find comfort as the days go by.
You are in our prayers. We love you.