HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I can hardily believe that a new year is beginning already. We are now half way through our mission & starting the down hill slide. I keep wanting to slow it down a bit! 2008 has been one of the best years of my life. The whole year has been filled with anticipation, new experiences & many wonderful new friends. What a fun filled year this has been! We are looking forward to the New Year and the experiences that lie ahead.

YEAR IN REVIEW!!

In January Trevan was baptized, a true highlight to begin a very good year.
In February we received our mission call to the New York Rochester Mission to serve in the Hill Cumorah Historical Sites. We also sold the motor home which was a miracle in itself (this time of year & with the gas prices so high). We could tell we were being blessed.
In March we entered the MTC, had our Farewell in the ward & our last family gathering, backyard picnic, on Easter before leaving for New York.
By April we were in Palmyra & settled into our apartment. We were being trained in the sites, giving tours & feeling the spirit of this beautiful area.
May was a settling in month. Learning about Palmyra, the sites & the people. We were so excited about our callings & all that we were experiencing. The weather was improving & flowers were blooming - a beautiful time of year in Upper State New York. Surprise!! Elder & Sister Hamblin arrived. What a joy to have family serving with you. We love being out here together!
In June Cami had her baby - a boy - Tanner Ashton Henrie. We loved the pictures they sent via cell phone but sure missed being there with mom & baby. It also brought preparations for the pageant. Elder Bennett was called as a “second in command” to Elder Crump at the Grandin Press Building. Elder Hamblin as Elder James “second in command” at the Whitmer Farm. They have that responsibility for the 2009 pageant.
July was THE MONTH! Pageant began on the 10th & ran through the 19th with no performance on either Sunday or Monday. Karyl Lee, RaNae, Skip & Roberta came out as volunteers for a couple of weeks & stayed with us. Some said we were having a family reunion. We love every minute!!!! Skip & Roberta are coming back this summer again. Can hardily wait.
August slowed down slightly. The weather was beautiful & we finally had some time to enjoy the wonderful couples we are serving with here at the Cumorah sites.
September brought the fall colors & more beautiful weather. The Smith Farm & all the sites were green, colorful & gorgeous.
October was especially fun for us as Cami, Scott, Parker, Conner & little Tanner flew out for a visit. How good it was to see Tanner for the 1st time & the rest as well. We loved every minute of the time we spent together!!! We love our work here but hated to see them leave to go home.
November brought a huge change in our mission assignment. President Hemingway call us to serve in the Mission Office for a while. Winter is the slow time at the sites so not so many couples are needed. Elder Bennett became “Papa Car-o” & was asked to take care of the mission cars & I was in charge of referrals, mail & keeping track of baptisms. Hours are long, we drive 24 miles round trip each day & work Monday through Friday each week. We are learning a lot - our jobs, all missionaries - personally & the area within the mission boundaries better as well.
December brought lots of snow, freezing weather & a lot of packages to the mission office. It also brought us a Mission Christmas which was both wonderful & very busy.
How special it was for me to have Donna & Ray here to share it with!! We love our mission & love sharing it with them!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas is over for another year and what a strange and different Christmas this has been. Of course, being on a mission, it is very different from spending it with family. It means more of the birth of the Savior than of presents & Santa. It means more of love than the giving of gifts. Our resources are limited but our joy in the gift our Savior gave to us is full.

This now is the New Year week and the beginning again. Thankfulness for the blessings we received in 2008 and wondering what 2009 holds for us. It’s like opening a new gift each day.

On the Monday before Christmas Sister Froisland & myself help Sister Hemingway with the refreshments for the Christmas gathering in the 2 Rochester Zones of all the young Elders & Sisters that President Hemingway had planned in celebration of the season. Two other such gatherings were planned Tuesday in Buffalo & Wednesday, Christmas Eve, in Palmyra for each of the other Zones. Food was purchased, delivered & set out to provide a fun time for all. Christmas Eve was scheduled for caroling by Elder Weston. Each of us had assignments to carol within the area the companionships were assigned. It rained all evening, melting the snow that had accumulated during the heavy snows that week.

Christmas itself did not feel much like a day off as there was a brunch at 10 am for all missionaries in our area at the Palmyra Stake Center. It was fun greeting everyone with a Merry Christmas & having such good food available. All of the senior sisters provided the food so the assignments were a little heavy, especially for Sister Slack & myself, but food was abundant & we didn’t run out. That evening we had a gift exchange party for the Senior Couples only & that was fun but again, I was assigned to help with refreshments along with Sister Belliston - it just happened that way, somehow. By the time we got home, cleanup & ready to rest - the day was over. It was very busy but a fun day. We did find time to visit with family on the phone between activities. All seem to have had a wonderful Christmas.

We are finding that our mission is full of activities and assignments. We are in the mission office right now, during the slow times at the sites. There is plenty to do with Christmas packages still arriving for missionaries all over the mission and new missionaries coming in tomorrow that need to be trained and oriented. Life is busy!!

It's almost Christmas!

I can't believe how fast time flies! It's almost Christmas! It's snowing tonight & the weather is cold - 'tis the season. The pictures this time are of our Christmas Tree. It's just a small one, in front of the window. The next picture is what we see each night out our kitchen window in back. The Facility Management missionaries decorated everything & it feels like they did it just for us, in our own yard. The next picture is of the trees that line the driveway into the Welcome Center, right next to our house, and the 4th picture is looking from our house over to the fence & trees next to the Welcome Center on the Smith farm. As you can see, everything is decorated beautifully! (& we didn't have to even get out in the cold!) ha.