Nov. 21, 2015

It's hard to believe that it's almost Thanksgiving!  We are still wearing light weight windbreakers or just our dress clothes.  The weather is looking a little more like winter is coming though, the sky is gray and it is a little dreary.  We had a big windstorm the other night and I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  I didn't know when we would have lift off, and then---there was a huge clatter on the front of the house and I woke Dennis up and he said--it's just the chairs on the front porch being blown around.  Well, the next day--the railing on the porch was broken off and the chairs off the porch with it.  It was a BIG blow!

We had a good week and received 4 new missionaries to the field this week.  We got 2 elders and 2 sisters. We sent home 2 sisters and the 2 older sisters from the office.  It is a mixed emotion thing when they leave; they are excited to see their families and friends, but sad to leave the mission and the things they have done here and the friends they have here.  It is a great experience to be a missionary. It's still a great thing to witness the new missionaries being welcomed with open arms to the mission by their new companion and the rest of the missionaries.  Everyone is welcomed and loved!
We fed the new missionaries shepherds pie, fruit salad, bread, and angel food cake with orange sauce.  They are so tired when they get to the mission home; they can hardly think.  (I've seen that look when Annette came--her eyes were twirling in her head before she got into bed; they flew all night and didn't sleep that much and then they got here and we kept them busy all day)
We went to the Temple on Friday night and did sealings.  It is a great opportunity to go back to the Temple and listen to the blessings promised in those ordinances.  It is hard to comprehend all that the Lord has to bless us with, but--(here is our ponderizing scripture)
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them at that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
On the way home from the Temple we received a call from 2 sisters that had a deer jump out and run into the front of their car.  They were upset, but their car still ran and Elder Merrill had them drive it on to their apartment.  We drove down to Canandaigua Saturday morning to see the damage and what would need to be done.  The car is in pretty bad shape and Elder Merrill told me to meet him at the car repair shop.  I took the Sisters back to their apartment (they couldn't get into park in their normal spot because someone had an accident in front of their apartment) and started off to the shop, and Elder Merrill called me and asked me to come back to where the car was parked.  He couldn't get the car started.  It had a sensor that was messed up and he had to get tape out of our car and wrap it.  It then started and we took it to get an estimate.  (which is going to be high)  It really was a miracle that the sisters made it home with their car.  They were about 2 miles form their apartment and that car was in tough shape.  I know that the Lord protects His servants.

We finished up reading the Doctrine and Covenants this week.  I wrote down the things that would be what we could do to live better from each chapter.  It is very interesting how we can take some of the chapters that talk directly to people of that day and they are given advice that fits us.  We can liken the scriptures to ourselves!
Adison is healing and still continues with the scrubbing of her little leg.  She is doing much better and Jill feels that it will heal well.  There are 2 spots that were deeper than the rest and they will probably scar.  We are so glad that she is doing better.  Jill reports that Sadie is doing some better and is hoping to leave the hospital soon.  That is all we know about her condition.  The Workman's (our housing coordinator/nurse) have a 15 year old granddaughter that had thyroid surgery this week and it was cancerous and they thought it would be contained, but there are lymph nodes involved with the cancer also.  We are praying for her also.  They thing that she will need chemo and radiation.  We don't have to look very far to feel pretty happy with our own situation and then hope that we will be able to be valiant in the trials we will be asked to endure.  It's interesting to see (and not funny at all) how quickly our bodies TURN ON US.  One day they work so perfectly (almost) and then they start having little problems.  We will have to take what comes and love it. (easier said than done)
Happy Birthday to Janet Summers--you are one year older!  Yahoo!  We hope you had a great birthday!
We are enjoying the Spencers.  They took the place of the Sisters in the office.  They are from Mesa, Arizona and are afraid they might freeze to death here this winter.  I hope they can keep warm enougth!
They are very kind and thoughtful.
We are so blessed!  We have such a wonderful bunch of kids and grandkids.  They began building us a new home this week.  The Jagielski family will buy our home and continue to live there and we will come home to a new home.  We learned a long time ago that our kids have much better taste than we do and so they are going to make all the decisions on the home.  We have lots of faith in them and love for them.  Kim and Willie helped with building a road into the building site and then Chris fired up the CAT to help with the spreading of gravel.  The shop will be the first thing to be built.  Chris and Brad are going to be part owners of the shop as they both have things they want to store.  We feel that this will work out great for all of us.

Chris the CAT Skinner

Kim making the road

I am playing the music for the Primary program next week and I am worried about the volume that they will be singing.  There are only about 10 -15 kids and they don't know the words very well.  The Lord  helps the Primary programs--we will hope for the best and leave the rest to Him.
That reminds me of the miracle we saw in Jamaica about 12 years ago.  President Hinckley was going to visit there and Chris wanted to go back and see that happen.  (they had never had a Prophet come to Jamaica)  We arrived early at the amphitheater in Kingston to get good seats and wait.  While we waited there was a small choir practicing on the stage to sing for the Prophet.  They were terrible!  I was worried for them.  It was electrifying with President Hinckley and President Faust arrived.  Everyone was so happy to see them and honored them so much!  The meeting was great!  BUT--the choir sounded like angels singing.  There was such a transformation; could it be the same people that had practiced just a few minutes earlier?  It was so beautiful.  The next day was Sunday and we went to church where the same choir provided a number for the meeting.  I was excited to hear them sing again, but it was back to the choir that had practiced the night before,  Not that great!   Miracles happen on a daily basis--look and you will see!
We got a picture of the leaf vacuum.  Here it is:

A funny:
We went out to dinner with the Spencers on Saturday night to the Macaroni Grill.  We each ordered 1 dinner to share with out spouse.  We got our meals and they kept saying how good their meal was.  We got talking about what we had ordered and realized that we had gotten the meal ordered by the other couple.  We laughed and decided that the meals were just great the way we got them.