Giant Ice Cream Cones and a Fort

Our week started in one of the best ways ever.  The Sisters, here in Rome, asked if they could hang out with us for P Day.  We jumped at the chance to be with them. Up the road a bit is the old Griffis Air Force Base which is now an industrial park.  It's actually where the nice hotels in Rome are and there are businesses, a high school, and a sculpture park that you can walk through.  We didn't actually walk the entire park but we had some nice things to see.  They were mostly artistic takes on Greek Mythology.  See if you can pick out which sculpture goes with which story.

But the coolest thing about this little park is the Viet Nam Memorial that they have put together.  My brother-in-law served in Viet Nam when I was a young teenager and it must have really imprinted on me.  I hate war! And I especially hated that war

After we wandered around and took pictures we decided we should grab some ice cream and then go to Fort Stanwix.  Check out these ice cream cones! Oh my goodness.  So yummy!  If you come to see us we will buy you one of these cones!

Fort Stanwix is a Revolutionary War Fort just down the street from us.  It was actually built by the British before the war broke out and then the colonists took it!  The British wanted it back but it was a no go.  This is a replica of the fort!  They were able to get the actual blue prints and replicate it.  An of course, the Sisters could not resist playing a little soldier.  We had such a great time!

We love learning new things and seeing beautiful places on our P Days.

Our week was a busy week.  Tuesday was our Zone Conference which we always love!  We learn so many amazing things from our Mission Leaders, the AP's, and our Zone Leaders.  We learned about the importance of our morning preparation.  We learned the promises that come when we seek the spirit and work for our Savior.  We are so very blessed to be part of this great work.  We love the Sisters and Elders. They are always a bright spot in our day!

After Zone Conference we ran home and got ready to run to a RS activity in Hamilton that we had been invited to.  It was a service auction.  I was hoping the Sisters could come with us.  I had put together a set of crocheted hot pads, a dish rag, and a cool scrubby but I thought I should have something for them to donate as well.  I made a big batch of the world's best Rice Krispie treats, put them on two nice serving plates from Dollar Tree (yes, they were actually nice plates) and we picked up the sisters and off we went. We had the best time.  But I was so surprised that no one wanted my hot pads.  I can't live without my hot pads-and that scrubby!  Holy Cow! They are my favorites.  They loved the Rice Krispie treats, one lady bought the hot pad pack, the Sisters bought me a pan of brownies that looked delish but I would eat them if I brought them home so they were donated to one of our branch ladies that really wanted them.  The night was awesome.  And look at these cute Sisters that we get to hang out with all the time.

We had an amazing Book of Mormon class this week.  We had an overwhelming feeling that we should teach Enos.  And wow!  Did the spirit teach.  I love when we see the hand of The Lord in our days.  As we were sitting in Zone Conference, I had the thought come into my mind about a movie I had seen years ago, called "The War Room".  A war room is where we go each morning to prepare ourselves to fight our battles for that day.  The premise is that in order to stand and fight you have to get on your knees and pray.  When we learn about praying in our closet, that is like the war room-a place to prepare with the scriptures, prayer, conference talks, inspirational thoughts, etc.  I got the same impression as we were putting the lesson together so we talked a bit about creating a 'war room" somewhere in our lives/homes.  We also had the strong impression to use the song "Slow Down" by Sissel when she sang with the Tabernacle Choir.  (You can watch it on YouTube) It was so tender.  There was a strong spirit in the class.  We are so thankful for the tender mercies of The Lord and the way the Spirit can teach.

We had the chance to have dinner with our Branch President and his wife and our Branch Clerk and his wife.  It's always fun to be with them.  

On Saturday, we were invited to the Rome Ward Barbecue!  I made baked beans and a fluffy orange salad to take. It was a fun day, meeting many people we haven't met before.  We were enjoying the nice afternoon when a huge squall brought in wind and rain. It hit hard and furious.  It was everything we could do to get people out of the rain and the food carried into the church.  The couple of tents we were using got a little damaged.  This is the ward we will eventually be joined with so it was great to be with them.

Sunday was wonderful. We like Sundays!  We only had 18 people at church but the spirit was strong and we loved being with our little branch.  

We are finding our way on this great adventure.  We are trying to help the people have a desire to come to church and to feel the love of our Savior.  We are so thankful for Him and His miracles.  We love the Book of Mormon and we are so enjoying Come Follow Me. We love this beautiful world that we live in.  We feel so blessed to see the beautiful countryside of Central New York.  We can feel fall coming upon us, the leaves are even starting to turn a bit yellow!  But there are still beautiful flowers everywhere.