We are sowing, daily sowing...

Busy, busy week!  

Monday:
                Laurel began the baking of cranberry/orange bread for holiday gifts.
                Lynn worked with the Elders to clean out the rain gutters for an elderly lady.
                FHE and dinner with investigator, Pam Voyles, the Elders, and the Crubaugh          
                family.  Of course, turtle races included.
Tuesday:    
                Food Pantry all day.
                FHE at 3:00-5:00.
                Give teaching and tour of Church to investigator, Amy, and son, A.J.
                Visit with new investigator, John Summerlin.
Wednesday: 
                Transfer day!  Take Blairsville Elders to Knoxville and bring back new ones.
                This took ALL day!  
                Dinner at Buzz Blazek's.  Buzz is kind to feed us frequently.  It's an adventure                            
                since he lives in a small trailer in a big hayfield.  He sets up a table outside, cooks
                outside, and we eat outside.  That's where there is room for everyone.  :)  It's 
                getting a little sketchy now with the cold weather and darkness.  However, he 
                always has outdoor lighting.
Thursday: 
                District Meeting in Blairsville, GA.  
                Help move the Blairsville Elders into their new apartment.
                Addiction Recovery Program - We lead this weekly.           
                Visits with the Elders till bedtime.
Friday:
                Food Pantry all day.
                Laurel made a mercy visit with the R.S. President.
                FHE in Tennessee.
                "Interesting" visit with struggling investigator, John.
                Visit with investigator, Destiny.
                Trip to Franklin, N.C. so Elder Bacon could interview an investigator for baptism.  
                We didn't get home till 11:20 p.m.  The ride was a strain through fog and rain on
                the curvy mountain roads for over an hour each way.  We were all glad to get 
                home.
Saturday:
                Emergency grocery shopping for Branch Sunday dinner.
                Robbinsville, N.C. day.
                Lunch with Pres. & Sister Caron before visits in Robbinsville.
                Great visit with Sis. Milsaps, a bluegrass singer.
                Fun home teaching visit with Pastor Rattler and his cute family.  His wife, Shelly, is 
                a member, and he is a Baptist preacher to the Cherokee Tribe.
                Return in evening and prepare food for Sunday.
Sunday:
                Pick up riders for Church.
                Enjoy Primary program!
                Branch Thanksgiving dinner and cleanup following meetings.
                Visit investigator, Connie, with Elders.
                Home at last!

Yes, we are busy, moreso all the time.  We are happy to be engaged in the Lord's work and are so thankful we have the health to do it.  The people of the Branch are very good to us!
One kind sister knew I have been quite cold, so she bought six pairs of fleece-lined tights for me!  They really help!  I thought how our daughter, Jana, would have loved them on her mission in coooold Scotland.

Our thoughts were much in St. George, Utah today as our granddaughter, Avonlea, gave her farewell address prior to leaving on her mission to the Phillipines.  Most of our family was gathered there.  We were happy to FaceTime with them on the computer.  We miss them, but we will miss the people here when we leave.  

We will be hosting Thanksgiving at our home.  We have invited some people who don't have family to be with.  It will be a mixed, fun gathering.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good-night!

XOXOXO

First batch of cranberry/orange bread.

Yummy cuddly blanket and cinnamon nuts
from our dear friends, the Gunnells.

Turtle races in FHE.

Hiwassee River in Murphy

Valley River in Murphy

Cluck, cluck!  Hello, girls!

Flaming sunset

Kailin, one of our Primary children

Hunter - another Primary child

Our chapel

Brrrrr!!  Cooold dinner outside at Buzz Blazek's.

New Friend Week - Nov. 17, 2013

Last Sunday we drove the young Elders over to Franklin, a town/Branch about an hour east of Murphy.  They had been invited to give a fireside talk to the youth of the Branch about preparing for missions, what to expect in the MTC, and about some of their experiences in the mission field.  The Elders did a bang-up job, and the youth seemed to really enjoy it.  We reaped the benefits by being their transportation.  ;)

Enroute back to Murphy they wanted to stop in another town to see an investigator.  As they stood at her door knocking (no one was answering), a man walked up to them and introduced himself.  Turns out he is the fiancee of their investigator.  Even though she wasn't home, they were able to teach him!  He is the third person in that town that has asked about the Church by simply walking up to them.  Some might say it's a coincidence, but we don't believe in such things.  We know how the Lord works.  :)

We are continuing to meet with a young mother and her son, Amy and A.J., on a weekly basis to teach them the gospel.  We often host them for a meal, lesson, and games.  Their condition has been less than stellar, so we hold great hopes for them.  Amy's husband passed away in June.  We posted pictures of them playing turtle races a couple of posts previously.   She has decided on her own to go cold turkey giving up smoking.  Go Amy!!

The wonderful Adamovich family fed us dinner on Monday.  Bro. Pete Adamovich was raised Russian Orthodox, but joined the Church as a young man.  We feasted on a traditional Russian/Ukrainian dish called perogi, a potato-filled dumpling in butter/onion sauce.  DELICIOUS! What a treat!

The Relief Society asked us to talk about traditions to them for their activity night this month.  We had a good time reminiscing as we prepared, and our children shared many things, as well.  We interspersed our talk with a few songs from our traditions, accompanied by Lynn on his ukelele.  It was great fun!  A few days later, we presented the same talk to the Blind Association.  We had been asked to do so by Pastor Tim Huff, a Methodist minister.  Again, it was really fun and rewarding.  We so enjoy all our interactions with all these good people.

The Lord blesses us for every effort we put forth in His service.  We set out to find several people on the records that no one knew about.  We were rewarded by having FIVE terrific visits with people who had previously been hiding, not wanting to be found, or else just didn't care.  We now have invitations to return to visit ALL of them!  Some don't want to talk religion, just have a visit, but that's a beginning.  Our hearts yearn to see others embrace the Lord's word and make a difference in their lives.

The capper to our week was the opportunity to take one of our Branch to the Atlanta Temple for a Stake youth baptism event.  Elder Ogden assisted in the baptistry, and I was able to attend an endowment session.  We appreciate our President allowing us this privilege.

We pray for all those we love everywhere, for you are all precious to us.  Keep strong!

Remember:  "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."  Pres. Uchtdorf

Love ya'll!

Counsel worth remembering

Holly tree

Holly trees grow cultivated and in the wild.

My collection of little people - so far!  :)

Ogden School, NC

Should we buy it?!

One of my loves!

Flowers and shells make me cry for their beauty.

Yummy lunch with the Barmes FHE group

Sis. Witt's family, Elders Crestani & Bacon, us
gathered to work at the Soup Kitchen

Sister Witt (rt) with us volunteers
for the Soup Kitchen

Busy bees make happy bees...and missionaries! Nov. 10, 2013

Below are some catch-up pictures.  I finally downloaded from our camera.  Up to now I have been showing pictures from my iPhone.  

We remain quite busy.  Our week has been filled with the usual:  running the Elders hither and yon, FHE meetings, teaching appointments, seeking "lost ones" on the membership rolls, District Meeting.

We are growing closer with the Robbinsville FHE group.  Brother Barmes continues to teach very informative and faith-building lessons.  Our group has grown from four to ten, with possibility of including more soon.  It is wonderful to see such things occur.

As we seek the "lost ones" of the Branch, we have some surprising but gratifying experiences.  People whom we are told not to contact and are hostile turn out to be guarded but friendly.  Others are welcoming, even extending themselves to us.  Sadly, some are truly hiding or simply not findable.  It has been very uplifting to meet so many great people!  Our love of our fellow man is certainly growing!

With all the driving this past month, our miles have racked up to about 2800!  Good old car!
We always pray it will keep functioning well.  It's a key part of our mission!  :)

I have been nearly freezing with the humid cold here.  I had to call home and have our daughter, Charlotte, mail me some warmer winter clothes and boots.  I can't wait for them to arrive!  BTW, that's cheaper than trying to purchase new things.  Anyway, there isn't a lot of choice in Wal-Mart (our one major store).

We pray all our dear family and friends are well--at least coping with life's challenges.  We all have so much to be grateful for, no matter what.  The Lord is good to us, and we are happy to serve Him.

Love to ya'll!!

Virginia & Ken Miller at FHE group
Ken builds mandolins & guitars - beautiful!

Gorgeous N.C. sunrise

Story of the Great Leech along the Hiawassee River

Morning exercise along the river walk

Lovely chest made of wormy chestnut
by Terry Crawford of Robbinsville

Happy lady after an overdue haircut

Our cozy living room

Elder Ogden enjoying an evening nap

A hilltop home in our mountains

One big hornet nest!

P-day excursion on the train

Floating houses on pontoons

North Carolina beauty

Nippy November 4, 2013

The recent cold snap finally changed the leaves to gorgeous colors all over the mountains and valleys.  Many of the trees have already lost their leaves, but the remaining are beautiful.  I remember how our daughter loved autumn in Pennsylvania.  This is much the same.  It makes our drives each day ever more beautiful.

We drive ALOT, putting about 2500 miles a month on our car.  One day it started acting strangely, then it got worse.  We decided it should be seen by Toyota mechanics, the nearest of which is over two hours away in Knoxville, TN, so we made an appointment.  We prayed that the car would function okay until we could get it to the repair shop, and we took a day to go to Knoxville.  A coil had gone bad causing the cylinders to misfire.  After $600+
for that repair, new brake pads, tire rotation, and a Costco visit, I got my first haircut since June!  Boy, was I desperate!  We made it back to Murphy safe and sound that evening, relieved, blessed, and tired.

A recently-activated family invited us and the young Elders to a double birthday dinner at their home.  We had a delightful time with food, conversation, guitar music, and fun.  It was a treat for us to expose them all to our favorite birthday song when we sang the Dr. Seuss birthday song to the two celebrants.

Our stake conference was this past weekend.  That required us to make the two-hour+ trip to Asheville for the Saturday night meeting.  Elder Tony Parker of the 70 was our visiting authority.  He was terrific!  We all were inspired and entertained!  He is a tall, imposing black man from Atlanta.  His brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Baptist preachers.  Many in the congregation could identify with his history.  We gained many insights into how to be better missionaries, now and later.

On Sunday the meeting was supposed to be broadcast to the outlying warehouses.  However, sadly, the feed did not come through for us.  After many failed attempts to receive it, our Branch President finally shut it off.  We had a very wonderful impromptu testimony/missionary experience sharing meeting.  We were sorry to miss Elder Parker's comments and instruction on Sunday, but we were richly fed, nonetheless.

As time goes by, we are becoming increasingly busy.  It has now been a month since we had a complete P-day (preparation day).  They seem to keep getting filled up with appointments that just can't wait.  We are so happy to be of help, though.  Our love for all the people here is growing and growing.  I know we'll want to pack them up and move them closer to home when we leave.

We had FOUR trick-or-treaters for Halloween, and we INVITED them to please come.  Since most people live throughout the hills, Murphy closes off one street in town for all the children to safely come and trick-or-treat.  It's madness and fun for all!  Actually, it's not a bad idea.  :)

Happy November to all!  Remember to thank the Lord daily for another blessing.  
LOVE YU'UNS!!

Elders Egg (Cristani) & Bacon (for real!)