July Blog

Enjoyed the fireworks over the St. Lawrence River

We have enjoyed another wonderful month in the “North Country” as missionaries. Of course, we have continued with our usual activities that take us into the homes of our members and investigators. We now have a new Mission President and just like our past president, he is terrific. In addition, we continue to volunteer at the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen and food pantry. Both activities provide a lot of assistance to people who are struggling in one fashion or another. 

During the month, we were privileged to take a family from our little Branch to see the Pageant in Palmyra. That event is amazing and literally draws thousands of people from all over the country and even a number of countries outside of the U.S. It was an amazing production and we really enjoyed it.

On a more personal note, we had a visit from Linda’s brother and his wife from Aurora, Colorado. We were able to show them some of the sites in this area. It was fun and we really enjoyed having them here with us. Then, late in the month we were visited by our long-time friends, Tom and Pat Baca from College Station, Texas. We made another trip to Palmyra with them to see and attend the Temple there. We also visited the Frederic Remington Art Museum, which is right here in Ogdensburg. In addition, we took a day trip to Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of Joseph Smith. There is a wonderful Visitor’s Center there and it was great to see it. We learned that Tom has an ancestor who was from Kingston, Canada so we made a trip there with them to seek out some genealogy information. It’s a quaint little town and not too far from us. On our way home, we went to Alexandria Bay where we went to see the famous “Boldt Castle.” It is an amazing place with a great story and just 30 minutes from our house. There is much to see in this area and our guest room is just waiting for visitors!

We are really enjoying the weather as it has been in the low 80’s with some wonderful thunderstorms. It cools off into the high 50’s to mid 60’s at night. We are looking forward to the beauty of the fall in Upstate New York and a drive through the Adirondacks when the leaves are at the peak of change.

Mission office in Utica

Ausable Chasm in Keeseville, NY - they call it the Grand Canyon of the east.

Nope! Didn't even try that.

Didn't try that either. We were on the wrong side of the river, thank goodness.

Sacred Grove

Sacred Grove

Birthplace of Joseph Smith - Sharon, VT. 
The monument is composed of polished granite cut from a nearby quarry. 
Sitting atop a series of bases, an inscription stone, and a molded cap, the obelisk stone
rises 38½ feet, one foot for every year of the Prophet’s life.

Palmyra - Hill Cumorah Pageant

Remington Art Museum w/Tom & Pat Baca

Underground Railroad Museum - fascinating history of slaves headed to Canada.

Finally met Sister McCormies from Arizona!

There are many locals who rely on the food bank and meals provided by the Salvation Army. 

We are grateful to be able to volunteer with our missionaries a couple of times a week.

Missionaries playing on the beach

Alexandria Bay at sunset