May 3, 2015

Monday, April 27, 2015

We were woke up about midnight with a text that asked everyone to pray for Brent.  He was bleeding into his stomach and his blood pressure was 37 over ??.  (way too low)  The doctors thought he would need surgery and determined that he would need a CT scan first.  They had discovered a blood clot in his leg earlier in the week.  They had given him a large amount of blood thinner and he was not clotting to stop the bleeding, he had a hematoma that was bleeding.  They were able to get it stopped but still had to give him 5 units of blood.  We were really worried about his condition and didn’t sleep well that night. 

We went over to Pittsford for our weekly meeting early.  The President had asked us to come in early and visit with him.  He asked if we could extend our mission to 18 months because he needed us to come to the office and Dennis would be responsible for all the cars for the missionaries and I would pay the bills (along with other things).  We said that we would do that (as long as we could have time off to enjoy anyone coming to visit us).  He said that it is really important that people do come to see us and what marvelous things there are here in New York, the cradle of the restoration.  We will move into the John Young home in Honeyoye the end of May.  It is an older home with a yard (outside of town).  We will have a garage to keep our car out of the weather and it will take about 12-15 minutes to get to the office.  The home has a second bedroom upstairs that has a queen size bed and 2 singles, along with another bathroom.  Sounds alright, huh?  It also has a washer and dryer, yahoo!  (no dishwasher though)  We will still be assigned to attend church in Batavia and help with the branch.  That is a good thing.  It is about a 45 minute drive so that won’t be too bad.  We are glad to be able to attend with the people we are now friends with.  We noticed that the area near the Young home seem to be more affluent.  There are some beautiful homes and areas there.

We went to the hospital in Rochester to visit one of the sisters from the branch.  She isn’t able to keep anything down.  Her husband said they suspect that her bladder cancer is back and that they can’t get her into the hospital that her doctor works at so they can get it checked out.  That is really frustrating.  After seeing how good the hospital is in Salt Lake City (Intermountain Medical), I don’t think any other hospital measures up.  We are really impressed by the care that Brent has received and the quality of doctors there.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

We got up early and drove to the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette.  

It is about 1.5 hours drive from Batavia.  We have 3 days of specialized training for the missionaries this week at the farm.  It is such a beautiful place and it is where the church was organized.  The training consisted of Dr. Breithwaite talking about taking care of yourself, Elder and Sister Cannon giving training on exercise, the Ostlers (the site directors) giving an extended tour of the Whitmer home, and Sister Ballard giving the missionaries ‘Chopped’ Kitchen fun.  They divided into 4 groups and went to each section.  The 8 groups that made food had such fun.  (However, they aren’t the best cooks around)  The senior couples (including us) had to try each dish and then judge it.  Dennis and I are hoping that the kids can cook better on Wednesday and Thursday.  

There were other things to do during the day and other good talks, etc.  We arrived back in Batavia tired and ready to relax.

Brent has been tired and seems to be discouraged. (who wouldn’t be?)  His kidneys are not working fully today, but the nurses feel that what he went through yesterday would do that to his system.  His little granddaughter was born today.  Victoria Mueller; weighing 8 lb. 6 oz. and 21 inches.  She is Victor and Chelsea’s baby.  She looks beautiful!  She will be such a blessing to them!  He was able to write CEL VI—which they translated and he agreed to the translation as:  Celebrate Victoria!  So everyone brightened his day by calling him Grandpa Dr.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

“My purpose as a missionary is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”  (this applies to everyone, missionary or member)  We say this when we meet together and the Elders and Sisters say it with such feeling—It is really beautiful!

We attended the specialized training again and enjoyed it for the second time.  

The large hills in the distance are man made out of garbage

We came back to Batavia and visited with Amanda and Skyler.  It was great to see them again. 

Brent is doing a little better today and they were able to take the ventilator out of his throat.  That should be such a relief to him.  

Chris went to his 6 week checkup from his surgery and the Dr. said that the x-rays on his leg look perfect.  That is the best news ever!  He can now begin to put a little weight on the leg and begin walking again.  This has been a long year for him and we are so happy that his leg has healed.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Today is Cindy’s birthday, happy birthday Cindy!  We are so blessed by our family—they bring joy in to our lives. 

We picked up the Elders in Geneseo and drove to Fayette for the final day of training.  We enjoyed the tour of the log home and hearing the stories they related to us regarding the translation of the plates and the creation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at this location.  

Inside the Whitmer home

If we have to sample beef stroganoff or tuna casserole prepared by young missionaries one more day---Wow!  We may lose our appetites completely.  The chopped competition was good, but eating it 3 days in a row was a stretch.

We went to visit a sister when we arrived back in Batavia.  She is from this area, but has lived in Washington and Oregon for the past few years.  She is anxious to come back to church and we are happy that she will come on Sunday (she said she would).  She is a middle age woman that says her husband traded her in for someone younger than their daughter. (with more body work also)  She didn't seem to be bitter, and I couldn't imagine how she wasn't. 

Friday, May 1, 2015

We got up and went to Pittsford for the MLC meeting.  It was really good and we learned a lot.  It’s funny how you can learn so much and not remember that much at the same time.  It’s the age I guess.  We had a nice lunch at the office and then we stayed until 5:00 to train for our new jobs.  I think they are going to be (at least mine) challenging.  There are lots of things to learn and do.  This should be fun!  There are several couples leaving the mission in the next couple of months and there aren’t any replacements coming.  President Francis asked all of us to think of friends or relatives that might be interested in coming to this mission as missionaries for 6, 12, or 18 months.  He said that he would try to pull some strings when the mission papers are turned in and they could come to the BEST mission in the world.  (I guess that is if the Lord is willing)  We also need Sisters if anyone is interested.  Let me know if you know someone interested.

We brought a couple of the Batavia Elders back with us and then took Sister Guy to the bank.  It’s a good thing it didn't close until 6:00, we just barely made it.  We were supposed to go to LeRoy to visit a family tonight, but they cancelled.  We went with the Elders to another ladies home to talk about Family Search.  She was really nice, but didn’t have much time for us.  We visited a few minutes and left.  The weather is wonderful and everything is so green and beautiful.  It’s funny how things stay so green without sprinklers or irrigation.  They get enough rain to take care of it, I guess. 

Brent is improving a little each day and we received a text that he prayed with Almedis and Brianna tonight.  It is a miracle that he is so alert and able to participate with them!  No one would ever want this type of an experience, but it has sure been faith promoting for our family.  We have relied on the Lord completely for the blessings that have been received.  (yes, there have been wonderful doctors, but they have been guided by the hand of the Lord in this too)

Saturday, May 2, 2015

We went over to the community ‘Vendor Blender’ and looked through the booths there.  We didn’t find anything to purchase and then went to the community farmer’s market.  It was quite nice and there were things to see.  We bought a head of cabbage for 50 cents.  The cabbage here is really quite tough.  It is very stiff and crunchy.  I don’t know why??  We went with the Elders to visit and then did a few visits on our own.  We had the missionaries over for dinner and enjoyed visiting with them.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

We attended church and then took a nap.  We must have been tired because we were in a deep sleep, I looked at the clock and said, ‘It’s 2:58!”  We had an appointment to meet Norm Brockenshire at the church at 3:00.  Boy, did we fly.  He took us on a drive around the area and he has theories about the Nephite civilization being right here in New York, Ohio, and surrounding states.  It was a nice afternoon.  

Dennis inspecting coral many miles from a salt water body of water

This sign says that this was an Iriquoit Fort, but Norm feels that it was a Nephite fort

Standing near a wall of rock where he thinks the 'narrow neck of land' was

A beautiful view of the valley below (picture doesn't do it justice)

We arrived back in town just in time for our Book of Mormon study class.  There are several people that attend the class and there are usually very good questions asked.

 

Blessings:  

·        The Book of Mormon teachings of Jesus Christ and his ministry. We have truly been blessed to have time to study this book more in depth.

·        The beautiful world that the Savior has made for us.  It is soooo pretty here!  Everything is green and they don’t even have to sprinkle or water it.  WOW!