May 2015

May was nothing short of wonderful.  Of course, we continued with the basic activities described in the March entry to this Blog.  We stay very busy but it is just such a positive and joyful work that we are simply enjoying the ride.

With the weather now solidly in the “nice” zone, we totally love seeing all of the green wherever we go.  In fact, we have decided that we prefer the green to the white.  It is interesting that places we go throughout the area look so different that on occasion we have actually missed a turn because we no longer recognized the area.  That is a good problem to have.

We have met so many wonderful people and we are just having a fabulous time getting to know them and helping to fill the gaps for the Church where needed.  One of the highlights of the month came when Jim took Elder Geminert and Elder Hamilton to Cooperstown, New York where they went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Of course, Jim loved the trip as much or maybe even more than the Elders since he has been a baseball fan since he was a little boy.  It was a great experience.  Elder Geminert, who is from CA, was a high school baseball player before coming on his mission so President Wirthlin gave him permission to go see it before his mission ends in July.  How cool is that?

One of our favorite members (don’t tell the others) is Crystal.  She is 32 years old and lives in a full time care facility about 20 minutes from here.  She undergoes kidney dialysis every Monday, Wednesday and Friday but never complains.  She has spent many days and nights over the years in our local hospital for a variety of health issues.  She lifts OUR spirits every time we visit her and never fails to make us laugh.  The smile on her face when we walk in to see her is imbedded in our hearts forever.  The missionaries see her every week to share a Gospel message with her and play a game of dominoes.  We were blessed to show up the other day just as they were beginning so we got in on the action. 

Missionaries playing lawn darts!

Participating in "Red Nose" day for a good cause!

With the grass comes mowing.  Jim loves the riding mower!  I’m sure he mowed one day last week before he needed to but that’s beside the point, apparently.  The other mower is a different story and I’ll be taking over that task since it really hurts his back (all that snow shoveling sure didn’t help but will be turned over to the young missionaries next winter).  

Sunset - New York style

April 2015

We had another wonderful month in the mission.  With the improved weather, we are enjoying our work as missionaries even more.  It was nice to see the country without snow completely covering it – green has replaced it!  Our work routines continued to be the same but we did have a break to make a quick trip to Colorado where Jim was recognized by the Department of Agricultural Resource Economics as an inductee into their Hall of Fame.  Jim was totally surprised by the fact that both Brian and Michelle came with their children to be a part of the festivities (along with a few other family members).  When that was over, it was back to New York and the mission responsibilities, which we have come to love. 

Right after our return to New York we learned that the University of Arizona Alumni Association had also selected Jim to receive the Swede Johnson award for his work with students.  Therefore, we made another quick trip, this time to Arizona to receive the recognition.  Then it was back to New York for much more important work.

During the month, we traveled to Hermon, a little town about 25 miles from Ogdensburg where we have a number of members.  We try to get there about once or twice a month.  We also found ourselves going to Gouverneur several times where we are involved with members and investigators (people who are interested in learning more about the church) as well. 

It was a great month and as the month “screamed” by, the weather got better and we just continued to develop a love for the people we serve.  We have especially enjoyed the work with the full-time missionaries, who are terrific.

Shel's Note: Mom sends lots of pictures of her "critters" - I'm thinking she misses her dog, Sugie. (see below) 

HAWKS! Sugie would be running for cover if she'd gone with them!

March 2015

March turned out to be a bit of a transition month.  The weather was still cold and snowy even as the month began but as we neared the end of the month, the brutal cold temperatures began to abate.  It is interesting to note that we began to celebrate temperatures in the 40 degree range, which is a major miracle for a couple of “desert rats” like us.  By the end of the month, much of the snow had melted but we were still having an occasional snow flurry.  In fact, that has continued on even into early April.

We are probably no longer considered to be “greenies” but it still feels like we are learning how to be missionaries all of the time.  In fact, we generally have a weekly meeting with the young Elders and Sisters in our District on Thursday mornings just to focus on our learning and our roles as missionaries. 

Our schedule has now settled into a bit of a routine.  On Sundays we had been going to our regular Church meetings in Ogdensburg and then traveling to Gouverneur for the meetings there later on in the day.  However, that ended on March 8 because the little group in Gouverneur simply didn’t have enough “horse power” to keep it moving.  As it has worked out, it is a much better situation for all concerned.  On Mondays we have our P-Day, which typically involves the Elders coming to our home to do their laundry and to spend time communicating with their families via email using our computers.  It is a delight to have them in our home and we feel blessed to be of some service to them.  On Tuesdays we volunteer at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and then in the evening Jim attends the Branch Presidency meeting.  Wednesdays we go to Gouverneur where we work with the members in that area and usually spend time with the Sister Missionaries who are based there.  On Thursdays we have our District meeting and on Fridays we volunteer with the Salvation Army’s food giveaway.  In between these basic activities, we visit members and assist the Elders with some of their appointments.  We also help several families in the Branch get to doctor appointments, work, and other events.  With all of that going on, we still found a little time to go to the Boston Temple during the early part of March, which was a real treat.  We are staying very busy!

On a couple of Monday’s we had all eight of the District missionaries come to our home for an activity.  We taught them all how to play “French Bridge” and “3 -13” (card games that are quick and fun).  One new tradition that has been established is that the loser of the game has to go pick up our mail at the mailbox, which is at the end of our long driveway.

Elder Geminert getting the mail after losing a game. The temperature was -8 degrees... hence the reason he is running!

Sister Stephenson, Sister Hale, Elder Smith, Elder Geminert, Elder Moore & Elder Hayes
(all of which have transferred or gone home except for Elder Geminert)

Boston Temple

Sunset over the Saint Lawrence - in our back yard! So beautiful!

Just can't keep the food away from that squirrel!

 

This is how the dogs do "fetch" up here!

Traveling to Lake Placid through the Adirondacks

Lake Placid

February 2015

In the month of January, we spent a lot of time visiting members in Ogdensburg and in Gouverneur, a town about 45 minutes away. Our routine takes us to visit lots of members and the investigators of the Church. On Mondays, we have what is called P-Day (Personal Day) and most of the time the Elders here in Ogdensburg come to our home where they can do their laundry and they cook a big breakfast for us complete with bacon & pancakes or waffles. We just love having our own personal chefs! Then on Thursday mornings, we attend what is called a District meeting where we join with other missionaries from the area for training. Those meetings are so spiritual & wonderful and we have come to enjoy the great work being done by these wonderful young people who seek only to serve Jesus Christ. They are spectacular!

 

One Wednesday in the middle of the month, we took a couple to Watertown, which is a little over an hour away from Ogdensburg. We went to dinner and a movie and had a great time. It is probably fortunate that we are in an area where there is no theater or we would be going too often.

 

At the end of the month, we were thrilled to take a little time to visit our good friends south of Syracuse, the Clays, and to go to the Palmyra Temple. Jim even had a chance to go snowmobiling with Marc. He said it was a hoot and that he had a great time. Who knew that he could enjoy the cold and snow of New York! Fun stuff! 

 

While we have had light snow storms off and on during the month, the real weather issue was the amount of cold weather we had during the month. Of course, the temperatures can be cold during the day and we have had numerous days when it didn't get out of single digits and then some pretty brutal cold has occurred during the night dipping to -20 degrees.  Even so, we haven’t been the recipient of the intense weather that has been reported so often in the national news.  Feeling blessed!

So far for the month of February, it's gotten even more cold. The temperature has been consistently below freezing, with several days below zero. Adding in the wind chill to those negative temperatures and it's just freezing. We can't really complain though, we know an elder in Boston from Red Rock. Poor Boston is really setting the records on the snow!

Steam coming off the river... it looks like the Arizona dust storms, but there's no wind!

Our squirrel figured out in seconds how to get to the new bird feeder. He would shake the house and the seeds would fall on the ground. Then he would climb down the tree and eat the seems off the ground. We bought a metal pole to put it on, but the ground is frozen solid... guess he'll stay fat until spring.

Crazy squirrel is a glutton!

 Playing French Bridge on P-Day & they're hooked!

Changes on the river.

Lights at a local park by the river.

 The children are drawn to Jim. He’s not complaining at all – a good substitute for our grand & great grandchildren.

"Playing" the organ on Sunday (pushing buttons only!) with Jim leading the music.

While eating at the Chili's in Syracuse, we noticed the mode of transportation for many in the area.

Jim getting suited up... to ride the snowmobile! 

x

January 2015

Here we are in a new year and woke to an ice storm on January 4^th.  Everything was covered in a sheet of ice, so our church meetings were cancelled for the day.  This was on top of about 6-8 inches of snow, which made travel in the area a bit precarious.  

We worked on some Family History and just enjoyed the quiet time to consider our mission responsibilities. 

Jim was asked by an elderly member of the branch to conduct and give the eulogy at the funeral of his wife on the 7^th.  It was a truly a wonderful experience and the family seemed pleased with all that was said. 

The community here is depressed economically, which puts most of our members at risk.  They are wonderful, but most are just “living on the edge.”  It is hard to know how to help them sometimes, but we know that the Gospel is the way to lighten their loads.  The difficulty is that many simply haven’t recognized that even in bad times, good things can be a part of their lives.  Thus, that is the “good news” we try to help them see and understand.

We’ve put about 4200 miles on our car since we arrived!  We drive several members to and from work on a regular basis and with all the visits and meetings it has added up quick.  We had snow tires put on the front after the first snow and that has sure been a necessary addition.  Looks like we’ll wear them out during the two winters we’ll be here. 

We are fortunate to be associated with two wonderful young missionaries on a daily basis.  They are such an inspiration to us as we watch how hard they work, how obedient they are, and how committed they are to serving for two years.  We had them and four other missionaries from the general area here for Christmas and had a wonderful time just being with them.  We are simply having a great time being missionaries. 

Christmas Day in our back yard with all the missionaries in our District.  No white Christmas for us.

Elder Knight, Sister Knight, Elder Hong, Elder Ounesavath, Elder Moore, Elder Hayes, Sister Hale, Sister Gelinas

Elder Ounesavath cooking made-to-order pancakes with pecans, blueberries, strawberries & chocolate chips.

Elder Hong is our official bacon fryer with his stylish apron.

Elder Knight is opening his ‘white elephant’ Christmas gift.
We had such a great time with all 6 missionaries here for Christmas Eve and Day.

Elder Ounesavath cooking our Christmas dinner!

Thank goodness this isn't our car!

The river has begun to freeze again with the sub-zero temps we've had for a few nights.

Squirrel in the backyard preparing for winter and watching me watching him.  So cute!

This is becoming a common occurrence.
We are fortunate to have a member of the church whose husband plows our driveway
by 6:30 am when it's needed - out of the goodness of his heart.

Ice on branches

Amish Buggy Parking at Walmart!

We met this Amish man, Brother Miller, and his son Sam who were selling baskets on the side of the road not far from Ogdensburg.  
We bought several items as gifts for family back home. 
(Shel's note: they are beautiful!)

Someone turning around in the driveway left behind this unintentional message.

No words needed.

So, this happened...