Hi Everybody,
We're imagining all of
you together today for Zac's missionary talk and it seems like Ithaca is
a million miles away from where everybody is. Luckily Annette and Barb
are still here so that helps the homesickness. Yes-----our mission is
almost over with and yes we still do get homesick on occasion!!!!
Missing everybody is the price we pay for having a happy family that we
love and love to be around. How blessed we were to see most of you this
past couple of weeks and how blessed to know that the ones at home were
preparing to send missionary #5 into the MTC this Wednesday. Wait a
minute.....didn't you just do that with us??
Us
"old guys" have had way too much fun this last week on the second go
around of Palmyra and Watkins Glen and Treman Park and Buttermilk and
Taggaunook Falls. After dropping Bryce off at the Syracuse Airport last
Tuesday morning, we took the back roads to the airport in Rochester and
we found this scenic drive that followed the shores of Lake Ontario and
it was beautiful. And.....we discovered a lighthouse!! We went on the
tour of the museum, climbed the stairs to the light, and explained to
the docent there what Mormon missionaries do. I never buy t-shirts and I
even bought a t-shirt with the lighthouse on it!
Palmyra
wasn't quite as crowded this last Wednesday and Thursday as it was the
week before so we were able to have a little more extensive tours and
wander around a bit more but by the time we left the weekend crowd was
coming in. The weather was absolutely spectacular.....bright blue skies
and sun and temps in the high 60's mid 70's and NO humidity. Here's a
great story from Pageant the night before we saw it (Tuesday night).
This was told to us by a senior missionary who was there. It just
poured and poured rain all day Tuesday and then about a half hour before
it was time to start, the clouds moved into the surrounding hills and
there was this little spot just right over the Hill Cumorah where the
clouds cleared and the stars came out and Pageant was presented and when
it was over the clouds all came back and it rained again the rest of
the night. Here's two other fun incidents from our 2 days in Palmyra
this past week. Barb and Annette saw a family from Salmon that they
know and had a good visit with them and we were in the Sacred Grove and
there was Nellie Myett and her two kids from our ward at home. It's
such a small world in the Church! With all those thousands of people
there, what are the chances of seeing someone we know from "home!" Also
the anti-Mormon protesters were small in number again this week as they
were last....totally unlike what we experienced last year where they
were a complete distraction and so mean and nasty. We still don't
understand that....why people feel such a need to harass the ones who
come seeking a spiritual experience with such absolute untruths.
The
waterfalls this week with the girls have been the best! A couple of
good rainstorms have had them literally gushing water like we've hardly
ever seen before. Standing up by Tagaunoock Falls was like getting into
the shower....soaking wet. As we hiked, we wondered if people seeing
our name tags thought that Von might be one of "those" Mormon men with
more than one wife! The plan for the next couple of days is #1 get the
car fixed, and then get the laundry done and everybody packed up and a
round-about way to the airport in Rochester via Niagara Falls. We had
thought to go to Kirtland too but a bit of a problem with the car
alternator and battery means we best not go anywhere until it gets fixed
which the garage promised to do on Monday. Then all our fun and games
are over and it's back to gearing up to making these last two months of
our mission be the best yet. Two months??!! How can it be? We just
barely got here!
Well.....goodbye
everybody. As we left Church with the branch today, we heard the ward
singing and their closing song was "God Be With You" and it's
interesting that if you love the people and the places you go, you
always want Heavenly Father to let his blessings be with them....and we
know that He will, whether at home or here in upstate New York.
We love you and pray for all good things for you today and forever!!
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