Monday, April 6, 2015

Easter, Conference and Coming home


What a glorious Easter Sunday we have had.  We were  fortunate enough to watch all the sessions of our General Conference and feel so spiritually uplifted.   We were invited to Mike and Donna’s for their family Easter get together between conference sessions.  They have 4 children, 3 of the families were together today.  We feel so much a part of their family and had such a wonderful Easter Dinner and then watched as the grandchildren and a little nephew hunted Easter Eggs.  We had to leave before the “golden” eggs were chosen, so we don’t know who got the big egg.  We will find out tomorrow.  We have not been successful in re-activating the less- actives in the family, but love and cherish each of them.

 



After the last session of conference, we went with the Young Missionaries to teach the First Lesson with Jimmie, Barbara and JP.  JP’s non-member girlfriend was there, so it was a very good introduction to the gospel for her.  The Elders did a great job.  We are trying this approach to teach the First Lesson with each member family, so that they see just how the lesson goes and will feel more comfortable in inviting their friends to come to their home for a lesson.  
After that, we took the Missionaries over to Kay’s house.  Kay’s grandson, Tucker, who is almost 7 has won a couple of roping contests and one of our new missionaries is just learning to rope.  Tucker was so excited to be able to show the missionary how to do it.  It was really to dark, but the connection was made.  Kay’s daughter is not a member and I think she would benefit from hearing the Gospel. 
Thursday night, we took chocolate chip cookies to Ro and her family.  Ro is a 14 year old black girl who we have grown to love, but she is a pickle.  Some times she visits with us when we call on her family, but most of the time she stays closed up in her room.
Last year for Christmas I gave her a set of pens and a composition book as her favorites subject is creative writing.
I hadn’t heard anything about it until about two weeks ago.  She came out while we were there and said she had been cleaning out her back pack and found the book.  She said that the date on it indicates that you only have 4 weeks left on your mission.  She was sad that there was so little time and I was thrilled that she felt sad.   But when we went again the next time she stayed in her room.  Thursday when we were there, she came out, I mean really came out.  We chatted for a few minutes and I asked what was going on at school  She said, spring break.  I asked if she had any plans and she said yes, I going with you!  I was dumbfounded.  She said she wants me to teach her to play the piano!  What is she thinking....piano in a week????  I plan to spend some time at the church on the piano and then maybe lunch and maybe we can make cookies together and maybe teach her about Indexing.  That will pretty much take us to Friday.  Then we will be down to 4 days. 
She said the sweetest thing about the cookies.  She said they are the best she has ever had.  She said, “It is because they are made with LOVE”
We have So many things to get down in this last week.   We have been over to Magnolia and said our goodbyes to them.  Theresa would like to get her Patriarchal Blessing before we go and several people we need to see one more time in their home.  The Branch is having a going away party on Saturday, Miss Ruby is taking us to dinner at Gaines Ridge (antebellum home) on Friday.  We will leave Camden on Tuesday morning and go to Birmingham.  We have been asked by our Mission President to attend the Transfer Meeting and the Dinner and Testimony meeting Wednesday.   We leave Alabama Thursday morning.  We will drive to Hannibal Missouri for the night, then on to Nauvoo Illinois for Friday night; then head West about 1:00 on Saturday.  We will be home either Monday or Tuesday.  We will know better after we leave Nauvoo.  We will keep you posted.
The Hawks will be moving out of our home on the 15th and finish with cleaning  on the 16th or 17th.  The Only real glitch is that we won’t be reporting our mission right away.  Due to  Ward Conference, Fast Meeting, Mothers Day and another homecoming and a farwell, we don’t know when we will be reporting.....but that’s okay.  We will be coming home and are very excited to be back with our real family and our friends.  This will be the last letter, as we will be packing later this week.  Thank you for sharing our Mission with us.  We have LOVED IT!  Love Grandma and Grandpa

1 comment:

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