Hi Everybody,
We'll
start with the weather report being that our weather can't make up its
mind. Is this an indication of things to come? In the last 24 hours
we've had snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain, and rain....and right now
the temperature outside is 55 degrees and tomorrow the high is supposed
to be 13 degrees. Crazy New York! We're sitting here looking at a 2015
calendar and the picture for January is a scene of green grass and
bushes and red and yellow flowers.....designed to make us wish we lived
in Hawaii or somewhere like that.
Old year
out, new year in. We wonder what that means. Last year at this time,
we had our mission call well in hand, were starting to get our affairs
in order to leave and many other things that we can't remember because
the days went by so quickly. Probably time will fly now as well because
doesn't time fly when you're having fun? We're missing our YSA. Thanks
heavens the young missionaries don't go home for Christmas break! This
last week is always the week we've been in Idaho, wall to wall sleeping
bags depending on how many went with us, hot chocolate and hot dogs on
the sledding hill, family NewYear's Eve parties, videos that started at
10:30 at night, going to the hot springs to swim or soak after rolling
in the snow (kids not us) and all the other "stuff" that rang in the new
year. We surely missed you all and it all, but that's part of being
missionaries. We've kept busy regrouping and preparing for the students
to come back, and every time we think that we might have a few minutes
to be lazy, the phone rings which is good..There have been many ongoing
service opportunities that let us know that whenever we start to feel
sorry for ourselves because of all we're missing out on at home, the
best remedy is to help someone else....and we've added a new "rider" to
the Elder and Sister Jolley car pool.....a cat!. It's interesting how
the needs of others are realized and met in conjunction with driving a
cat to the vet clinic!
The YSA are in
full swing right now with planning for Mar-Con (March Conference) which
is a regional young single adult conference that our stake YSA hosts the
first weekend in March. We're hoping to get young people from
Rochester, Syracuse, NYC, Boston, and other areas. Usually some even
come from Montreal. Our keynotes speakers this year are Brother Terrell
and Sister Fiona Givens, and we are excited to have them come! They
wrote a great book called "The God Who Weeps" among many other things
and are sought after speakers. The Conference also includes social and
service activities and workshops and hopefully a "relationship" or two
(or more) will come out of the interactions of the conference. We're
off to another planning meeting in about an hour and it's so interesting
how these work. Our stake is pretty spread out and so those of us who
can, go to the actual meeting place tonight and the others join in via
Google something or another. Gotta love technology! Another exciting
thing happening within our mission boundaries this year is part of the
Tabernacle Choir's Atlantic Seaboard Tour the end of June and first of
July. We're hoping to make arrangements to go and get people to go with
us at Bethel Woods, about two hours south of here and home of the
Woodstock of the 60's and to Saratoga Springs (not Utah!) which is just
north of Albany. Both areas have venues that are well known nation-wide
for their music festivals. That will be something to look forward to
as we missed the Tab Choir and the Muppets at Christmas!!
Here's
a cool thing we got to do this week. We drove our favorite Elders
(they told us to say that) to visit a homebound less active member and
his wife. He's a Vietnam vet and in his window are his 3 Purple Stars
and his Bronze Star. He's a bona-fide hero just like Grandpa Lyon!
He's also a hoot, and if we ever go there again we are Elder and
Elder-ette Jolley! By the way, these Elders ARE our favorites....even
if they weren't our only ones, they'd still be our favorites. We're
thinking that one of them and one Sister for sure will leave us at
transfers in 2 1/2 weeks. Boo hoo!! They also came over and helped us
with our facebook questions as part of the on-line missionary work.
People our age just need 19 year olds to do all our computer work for
us! Probably even a 10 year old would know more than we do. It's
always comforting to go to a Zone Meeting and watch President Wirthlin
have to have the Assistants work his technology for him too!
Here's
some tidbits of absolutely unrelated things: Dad ironed ALL his white
shirts this week (I don't remember the last time I ironed). Our
squirrels love to chase each other in the snow. When the cold wind
blows it blows through our very walls. We took the Owego Elders and
Sisters to dinner last week in the jail. It's actually an old 1800's
jail that has been renovated into an upscale hamburger
joint....awesome! Our sister training leader that we gave a ride back
to Ithaca that same night we ate burgers in the jail is from Idaho and
went to a basketball clinic directed by Sherry Moulton (Jeanette's
daughter). Small world! We have two Jesus Saves lawn posters in front
of our door....they actually belong to John our upstairs neighbor who
was asked to post them by his pastor. We really like John a lot and he
has the most perfect pets in the world (a dog and a cat)....we never
hear them at all. John has become a good friend and we're looking for
the opportunity to teach him that Jesus really does save. I made my own
pass-along card last week at the laundromat on the back half page of a
color-book....and I actually OYM'd! That means Open Your Mouth.
OK.....this
seems like a short and rather lame email but what you read is what you
get!! We want you to know that we are excited for this new year and all
its possibilities for us and for all of you. We're convinced that it
will be a year that we draw closer together not only as a family but
also as friends. How eternally grateful we are that we all love and
care for and pray for each other. When challenges come in all our
lives, we're blessed with the unshakable knowledge that Heavenly Father
knows us and knows our names and loved us so much that He gave His Son
so that we can be with Them again. And be with them as a family!!!!! WE
LOVE YOU A BILLION TIMES OVER and remember that old 60's song "All You
Need Is Love." Tis True!!!!
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