Springtime is Trying

 We are trying so hard to have Springtime here in New York.  It has been cool with a cold wind most of the days but today has been beautiful.  We are hoping for more days with some warm weather before the hot and humid hits for the summer.  There are beautiful little pansies growing in our front flower garden.  I am excited to see what else has been planted.  I love flowers and color.

We also have some of the most beautiful color flying from our front porch.  I told Mike that if we are lucky enough to have a front porch then we better get a flag to fly from it.  I love the houses all around us because most of them have flags on the columns of their homes. It just feels so patriotic to me.

We've had the opportunity to be in our car - A Lot!!  But we have met some great people and we have seen some beautiful countryside.  You know how I love barns and farms, well, bless Mike.  He pulls over every time I want to take a picture.  He just spoils me and endures my obsession. 

Tuesday we had a cleaning party at the church.  They only clean the church once a month because there aren't many times we are in the church.  But it has been a while and definitely needed some help.  We had quite a few show up and it went pretty fast.  It looks way better than before.

The people here struggle.  They are good people but their commitment to the Lord is not always a priority.  We keep them in our prayers and pray that we can make a difference.  We have been with the Elders on a few occasions and have had the opportunity to bear our testimonies.  We were with one family on Wednesday evening, they are converts of about 5 years and they feel that they don't need to come to church because they have faith and are doing great on their own.  As the Elders were talking with the father, I had a side conversation going on with the 12 year old daughter.  She told me that her day had been horrible-that she had been State testing and that it was just a bad day.  As we talked, she told me that she has bad dreams-really bad dreams.  I asked her if she ever said a prayer to ask Heavenly Father to help take the nightmare away.  I also told her that if she sang a Primary song that it could help.  Then the thought came into my mind to tell her that if she would read the Book of Mormon before she went to sleep that her dreams would get better and maybe the bad dreams would go away.  She asked me where she could get a Book of Mormon.  I told her about the Book of Mormon app and told her she could get it right on her phone.  I told her that she could even listen to it and read along.  The next day Mike and I both had the feeling that we should give her a hard copy of the Book of Mormon.  We knew the family was leaving town on Saturday so we called the Sister missionaries here in Rome and got one of theirs.  I wrote my testimony in the front cover and I marked some of my favorite verses for her.  I promised her, and I promise you, that the Book of Mormon will give us answers, bring us peace and bring light into our lives.  Every time we open it's pages, the Holy Ghost will flood into our minds and hearts and bear testimony that the pure truth and doctrine inside it's covers will change our lives.We are thankful for the Book of Mormon.

We met a guy with 200 chickens and two pigs about 1200 pounds each. The chickens were fighting with each other.  There was even a dead chicken in the front yard.  It was a little gross. Quite an experience and the picture doesn't do it justice.  Missed the pigs.

Our cute Rome Sisters came over on Saturday to film us telling of a faith building experience and to bear our testimonies of the Book of Mormon.  Sister Arkell works on the social media group for our mission. She has a nice little set up with a camera and a microphone.  She has a great editing tool and creates some really great videos.  They post all kinds of missionaries and converts telling their stories.  We had such a good time.  They bring a beautiful spirit with them and they had us laughing pretty hard as well. Maybe that's because I'm kind of a dork.

Saturday evening Mike got a text from our Stake President.  He asked us if he could meet with us this morning.  We knew what was coming.  Mike has been expecting it for the last week.  Mike has been asked to be the counselor to our sweet Branch President.  He has been carrying this alone.  Mike is excited to help him where he can. 

L-R President Morgan, Branch President, President Rains, Stake President and Mike

We are looking forward to a new week.  We hope that the adventure continues to be kind to us. And if you are wondering, this is how we approach doors!

Just Kidding.  I couldn't resist getting a photo of this sign.  Pretty funny! Or maybe it's just funny to missionaries!  Have a beautiful week.  Sending our love!