An Exciting Week

                                                            Exciting Week


    It's hard to believe that July is here already. It was June that went out with a bang though. On Friday June 26th early in morning we had, what they call wind sheer. It is when the wind velocity changes at right angles to the wind direction. (Don't you just love Google). Anyway, when My Elder and I got up in the middle of the night, we noticed that the power was out, but promptly fell back to sleep. He got up at 4:30 to go to the Mission Home to pick up the missionaries that were leaving, and their baggage, to take them for one last visit to the Temple with President and Sister Vest. Elder Crow said that all of the way there a lot of the lights at intersections were out, and trees were down all over. Meanwhile, when I got up at 6:30, the power was still out in our apartment. It was a lot of fun getting ready in the dark. I wondered if I would look like a clown, since I had to put my make-up by flashlight. I drove to work on some back roads when I realized that none of the lights were working. I did not want to stop at every intersection. Holy cow, on these back roads there were trees down every where. On some of them, trees were blocking the road. I also saw 2 trees fallen on houses and cars!!

    When I did get to the office, there was only 1 Senior Elder there, so he said that I might as well go home. One of the couples in the office are local, and they had a tree fall on their house.

This is the Carlson's house

     Our power did not come back on until 11:30. I was worried about our food in the fridge and freezer, but everything seemed to be fine.
    Then on Wednesday, July 1st a tornado touched down just a few miles from us. The sky got black and the wind and rain started, it was unbelievable.

       
         Last night, July 6th we had such a strong rain storm that we ahd to cancel family home evening because several of the couples could not make it. The weather here is crazy!! Of course most people say that this is a very unusual year.
        On the 4th of July The Elders were going to go fishing, and we Sisters decided that we wanted to join them. We went to Far West to a beautiful pond there. We had a blast! Sister Arnold, our mission nurse cought the most fish, but I was right behind her, so the women ruled that day!!

         That night we went to the Community of Christ Auditorium to hear The Brett's a family group from Branson perform. They were great. After that was the fireworks in the big open park that the church owns behind the Visiotrs Center.  What a great 4th of July celebration!!

Half-Way Point

                                         

                                                                   Half-Way Point

   It is hard to believe that as of June 1st, our mission is half over. The time has really flown by. I guess it's true that when you love what you are doing, it is not like "work."
   We continue to have some exciting adventures. On May 23rd, we took a Senior Trip to Adam-ondi-Ahman. There were about 20 of us, with couples and Senior Sisters. I think that all of us had been there before, but this time we had the Stake Patriarch from there, Brother Bonnet and another Brother, Brother Bunker, take us on a tour. Their knowledge of the area was wonderful to hear. It is really incredible to think that Adam and Eve and their posterity down to Noah, then our modern Prophets, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young, walked this area is quite remarkable.

Preacher"s Rock

   This photo is of Preachers rock. The early church leaders, including Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon Preached from this rock to the congregation below. The accoustics are amazing. Brother Bonnet had us walk down the hill to a grove of trees, then he started talking to us in a normal tone of voice and we could hear him perfectly. he kept having us move back, and we could still hear him.

Grove

     This is the grove, I talked about. It is also, according to Brother Bonnet, where Adam will gather all of the Prophets, both ancient and modern and many others, for what they called the Grand Sacrament Meeting. It is such a lovely and serene place. They have 8 senior couples taking care of the area, and though it is in our Mission boundaries, it is it's own mission. Presided over by the 1st Presidency.

    We got to go and see places that you normally do not get to go. Our mission President calls our mission the ALPHA and OMEGA mission, and I guess that is true. It all started here and it will end up here as well. An exciting thought!!
    There was another interesting side note. they have a trailer there that any general authority who comes, can stay in, right there at Adam-ondi-Ahman.

General Authorites Trailer

    Brother Bonnet and Bunker also took us to an old cemetary, where many persecuters of the church in Missouri are buried. It was very interesting. there are some old headstones. The photo I am showing is of some headstones that they found lying around, that they didn't know where they belonged so they just lined them all up.

  

Our Group at the Everly Cemetary

     After lunch we went to Jamesport, it is an Amish community not too far from Adam-ondi-Ahman. It is a fun place to visit, and the stores there have all kinds of interesting things. Their bakery is amazing. We all love their mini pies, and cinnamon rolls. Most of us have bought their Amish cutlery. The brand name is Rada, you can buy it online but it is very expensive. There in Jamesport it is pretty cheap, and the quality it awesome. 

Amish Buggy in Jameport Missouri

    We had a great day together. We hope to do some more exploring of this wonderful place.

Another Mission Adventure in Missouri

  Another Mission Adventure in Missouri

 


    On Friday, May 1st, Elder Crow and I went to visit missionary apartments in the some the furthest areas of our mission. One interesting place that we went was Chillicothe, MO. It is a very small community. There is one set of Elders there and 2 Senior Sisters. We had driven through there before, so we knew that there were many buildings that had LARGE murals painted on the sides of them.

This is for real!

Love the depth perception

Down on the farm

We decided to get there early enough to take pictures of some of them. There is some really amazing artwork on whole sides of buildings. Oh, and by the way, did you know that Chillicothe is the home of Sliced Bread, seriously! I guess we all need some claim to fame.

  We also went to Hamilton, MO. which is where the famous Missouri Star Quilt Company is. It is world famous, I had actually heard about it even before our mission.
 

Original Floor Plan

We then went to Gallatin. We visited our missionaries there, and then we went to the Squirrel Cage Jail. That was very interesting. It was one of  8 circular, rotating jails ever built, and only 3 remain. It was actually scary, in that here were these 8 tiny pie shaped cells, that bunked 2 prisoners each. There was a bench with a hole in it for their toilet, a very, very thin mattress, no pillow, and no blanket. Everything in the jail was steel.



 It got below freezing in the winter, and hot in the summer. The cells sat on a rotating floor. One time each day the jailer would rotate the cells with some type of gear and each cell would face the front where their food was placed in a slot for them.
They were fed once a day, and their cell moved around once a day.

Lovely, comfy bed

They never got out of their

Spacious Cell

cell for any reason. We were amazed at the conditions they would live in. The lady giving the tour said, "Well they were prisoners." They sure do things differently now.

Only source of heat

   
Next we went to Far West. They have a beautiful monument there, of the Temple site.

Entrance to the Monument

   At one time there were 5000 inhabitants there. 4000 of them were LDS. I'm sure that was part of the problem, and a big reason why they were forced to leave under such harsh winter conditions. Now it is hardly populated. It was interesting to me, however that there is a nice Community of Christ church right across the street from the monument.

 

The Senior elders like to go there to fish. there are 2 ponds there. I haven't mentioned the ponds. They are everywhere, we even some one across from our apartments. They are beautiful.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Missouri is such a pretty area, now that it is green. Beautiful green rolling hills, with lots of ponds, and trees. We are really enjoying our mission.                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                       

                   

Busy, Busy Busy

     
                                                       Busy, Busy, Busy

Inside the Mission Home

 It has been a very busy 2 weeks. Last week was transfer week. Let me tell you a little bit about transfers. It is organized chaos. The A.P.'s  spend many, many hours going over the missionaries and who should be with who. It is all ultimately up to the mission president, but they do all of the changes and rearranging, then he gives his imput. The reason I know how much time the a.p.'s put into this process is because they are at the office for hours and hours. After hours and before we come into the office. They are really remarkable young men, with a great grasp of the personalities and attributes of a great missionary. They know the missionaries very well and love them, and want them to work well together.
    On Wednesday of transfer week, the new missionaries coming to our mission arrive. President and Sister Vest have picked them up at the airport. From there they go to the Temple grounds, the Liberty Jail, and the Independence Visitors Center.

Main room and upper level

The entrance

    Then we in the office go to meet them at the mission home. It is a beautiful home, with lots of bedrooms, and a full basement. After having their pictures taken to send to their parents, they meet us in the conference room. We each spend a few minutes telling them about our various responsibilities in the office that will help them on their missions. It is such a great opportunity to get to meet them when they first get here. They are all so tired. They all got up around 2:00 or 2:30 to catch the shuttle to the Salt Lake Airport form the MTC.
    The next day is transfer day when the new missionaries get to meet their new trainer companions. Also it seems like since we have been here the biggest percentage of missionaries get transferred. That morning in the office we have breakfast for the missionaries. It is very chaotic, and we love it. So many missionaries in the office at one time, they are so excited, "For the most part." I know there are some who are not too thrilled with the changes, but they make the best of it.

Office breakfast

Fun dress-up day

    Then the next day, Friday, the missionaries leaving for home go to the Temple with the mission President and his wife, then to lunch, then to the airport. This last week President Vest asked Elder Crow and I to come a 5 guys burgers out by the airport to have lunch with them and missionaries, then  bring 2 sisters back to the office to meet their families who were coming to get them, and to tour the mission. That was so much fun, to see their expressions when they met their families. They both thought that their families would come later, so it was a surprise. What fun!!
   Last week was Zone Conference. We were asked to help with the lunches for both days of conference. They have to divide the Zone in half, both because of distances traveled and because of the number of missionaries.
   

Car inspection, and TiWi installation

We had man here from Salt Lake who is a regional transportation manager. Bro. Joe Paul. They installed "Black Boxes in the cars. They will be great. They actually talk to the missionaries, and tell them to buckle up, if they are speeding, or diving recklessly. Where they have had them installed, they have really cut down on accidents. They also log where the missionaries travel. So, Lyn, my brother, would not be able to travel out of his area, not to mention his mission!!
   It was a busy and exciting 2 weeks.

Just Another Day in Paradise.

 
 Wow, you should all be beyond impressed. Two whole weeks in a row. I might be slow but hopefully I'm getting there.
  The week before "Book of Mormon in Zion, " conference. We had a Zone Conference where Elder Dale G. Renlund of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy presided. He and his wife presented talks/workshops for the missionaries. They were so inspiring, and had such great ideas for the missionaries on how to teach people. His first message was from the First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, telling the missionaries how much they truly love them and how much they value their sacrifice and their dedicated time.
    He also said that every missionary has truly been called by revelation. He told us how they have a large map of the world and the stack of missionaries that have submitted their papers. Then one of  the Twelve Apostles assigns the missionary to their mission. He said is was an amazing process to witness. He told all of us that we had the right and obligation to know why we were sent where we are, and that when we know deep in our souls, we should write it down. I can't say that I know deep in my soul yet. I'm working on it.
   What was really special about Elder Renlund's visit was that after the first day of the conference he came back to the Mission Office and met with all of us in the office together. He spoke to each of us personally about our responsibilities. He answered any questions we had about the Gospel and about the Twelve Apostles. It was wonderful, he was so kind and genuine. It was really a great experience.

 

Thursday Elder Crow and I went to Leavenworth Kansas to visit the Elders and the Sisters in that area. We had great visits.

    After our visits, the elders told us that we had to see the Historic Mansions of Leavenworth. That was a great surprise. These amazing homes were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's by bankers, lumber barons, cattle barons, and railroad tycoons. This isn't all of the homes, but you get the idea.
   It was another great day in the mission field!!

The Book of Mormon in Zion Conference

     Last Friday and Saturday we had a very interesting experience. There was a Book of Mormon in Zion conference. On Friday it was held at the Old Stone Church in Independence, Missouri. Saturday, it was held at our Stake Center, between the Mission office and the Visitors Center.

Stone Church

Stone Church interior

     It was so interesting because everyone that was involved and invited, were our church, the Community of Christ, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (yes, it still exists), and all of the Restoration Branches of the Reorganized Church. Wow it was a very diverse group.
     The speakers were professors from BYU, and a Seventy in a Restoration branch, an Apostle in the Community of Christ, and a member of the Restoration Seventy. It was interesting because everyone there believes in the Book of Mormon, but the interpretations can vary.
      There was definitely a difference in the Spirit with each of the speakers. You really could feel the difference. They were all knowledgeable, but knowledge without the Spirit of the Holy ghost, which all but the LDS scholars, called the holy spirit, is pretty flat.
      Camille Fronk Olson, was one of the BYU professors, as was Robert Millet. Bro. Millet was the concluding speaker, and he was amazing. I know that everyone in the room could feel the spirit as he spoke. His topic was Jesus Christ, the Eternal God. I loved it, because the Community of Christ now believes in the Trinity of the other Christian Churches. They have a stained glass window in their museum at their Temple that shows Joseph Smith's 1st Vision, showing only 1 God that appeared to him. I found that very interesting.
     Our Stake President here was a member of the Reorganized church most of his life, until they changed to the Community of Christ, and the more liberal faction of the church wanted to make all of the changes with the trinity and so much more. There had been such bad feelings between the Reorganized Church and the LDS church, that even when he left the Community of Christ, he could not come to our Church. He formed his own church, the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is till around but quite small. It is amazing to listen to his story.
      It was a one of a kind Conference that you could only have here in Independence, Missouri.
     We are still visiting apartments, and they have asked us to do the Mission history. They have also asked us to be responsible for the supply room, and all of the missionary supplies.
      The trees and flowers are beginning to blossom, we have said all winter, that it will be so pretty here when everything is green. I'm getting anxious to see that. We miss all of you, but....
WE LOVE OUR MISSION.

  I keep getting behind. We are keeping pretty busy. On Saturday January 17th,  we went with the Seamans, and the Garretts, to Kansas City, Kansas, to see the Arabia Steamboat Museum. The boat wrecked and sank on the Missouri River on September 5, 1856. It was carrying 200 tons of goods to be taken to shops and outposts all along the Missouri river to sell to their customers, when it sank.

What the Steamship would have looked like
 

  It lay on the bottom of the river until 1987, when some local men out for adventure went looking for it. The course of the river had literally been moved by the Army Corps of engineers years before. They ended up sending probes down all around the area. They ended up finding it in a farmers corn field 45 feet underground. They dug for at least a year, and what they found was amazing. Clothing, shoes, boots, weapons, china, pots, pans, preserved food, all still in pristine condition because of the sealed hull. They had to clean layers of grime, hardened mud, and rust off of everything, but what they found is incredible. Instead of declaring it, and selling it for profit, they built this museum to show to the public. Otherwise, it would have been purchased by a lot of different people and ended up around the world. Here it is all in one place to enjoy. Rooms and rooms full of "stuff".

The excavation