November 14, 2012

Hello from Cereal City!!!

Happy Birthday to our dear Addi and our dear Carly this week! We love you both!!!

We are enjoying the fall weather, especially when we see all the snow in Utah. By Monday we are supposed to be in the high fifties again. I know I should be unselfish and pray for snow for these good people, but I am not unhappy that they are predicting another mild winter like last year.
We are excited this week. It was transfer week. We were not worried about losing our elders, or who was going where, as they are training and so stay together for three months. They will be finished together just before Christmas. (Transfers will probably be a week early so those going  home can get home to spend time with their families.) BUT...we had great news. Our dear Elder Snow, who spent the last six weeks in the SOO freezing to death, is going to be our zone leader and so will be in Kalamazoo. We will see him often. AND, Elder Bridgewater has been made an assistant to the President. We are not surprised at all. We are happy for this great young man to have this experience.
Tammy Schaffer's eye surgery went well, and we had a great time getting the kids off to school. I stood outside for twenty minutes waiting for the bus with them in 25 degree weather with no coat. It was a real bonding time. HA! On the way home we got to see the sun coming up through the trees, over the hills. I love mornings!

Dalton, Schaffer's dog with the sun behind him

We have been out searching for people again. We were blessed to find half a dozen more people this week. So many people here were baptized and then were never back inside of the church. It is really sad. And, it over taxes the ward. They cannot care for the huge numbers whose names are there, but do not help at all. Those who are active members are working hard keep the ward functioning.

On Saturday we had another baptism. Kelsey is a friend of the Fletcher family. She is really a solid convert. It is exciting to see. I would bet money that she will still be going strong in twenty years.

 

On Sunday our friend came to church for all three meetings. He has come to sacrament meeting but that is all. (His wife is in Boston with their daughter and grandchildren.) He calls and visits with Elder H, but we have not seen much of them. Well, we found out why. She is suffering from Alzheimer's and it is progressing quickly. One day she called him from a town quite a way from here and didn't know how she got there. We are broken hearted for them. We are hoping it will slow down. She is in denial. He is understandably worried. He came over for dinner on Sunday and stayed for three hours talking about it all. They are going to a specialist the day after Christmas. It's hard to get in.

 

 

On Monday we went with Hilde, Kiery, and Garth to Turkeyville. We spent a couple of hours walking around, looking in the shops, and eating. It was really relaxing.



Just in case any of you are missing the eyebrow!

 We are thrilled with the way that Heavenly Father builds people up and strengthens their faith when they are doing their best. Our dear Mary Jo is being blessed greatly. She is a strong woman and a choice daughter of God. We have a real testimony that when we give an inch, Heavenly Father delivers miles and miles of blessings.
We have stake conference this weekend, with a visiting authority, Elder Carlson. It will be held on Sunday in the Kellogg Auditorium.
News update for the MLM. We will be getting forty new sisters! We don't know exactly when, but they will be a great asset to the mission. A lot of our sisters are going home in the spring. The president will have to be creative in how the new sisters are trained.
My rebounder (mini-tramp) was delivered today. I am looking forward to having a method of exercise here in the apartment. Elder H will use it also on stormy days.
We know that we are saved through the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that there is no other way back to our Heavenly Father. Works do not get us into heaven. However, our good works grow and strengthen our faith and help us to become more like him. Without faith in Him we cannot be saved. Keep up all of those good works.
We love you all and are grateful for all you do to support us and help us.