They Just Keep Arriving!

August 15, 2012

We love it when we get to pick up missionaries arriving from the MTC.  We are so glad we bought a van!  It has been most useful!  Then sometimes a visa waiter need a ride to the airport, they usually spend the night, then we take them in the morning, it is all so great!

Do they look happy!

We always stop at the temple first and take a few pictures so
the missionaries can document the day!  Sister Keyes packs a nice lunch
 for everyone, they are starving after being on a flight all morning.
 We eat in the car and hurry to the Liberty Jail for the next part of the tour!

After they have seen the temple, Liberty Jail and the VC, they go to
 the mission home where they receive all their instructions from the
 office staff - cars rules, medical info, financial issues, etc. . .  
After this meeting, they have a great dinner Sister Keys has made (sometimes I help!),
 then President Keyes interviews all the missionaries.  They find out where they will be assigned,
 they spend the night, then the transfer bus picks them up in the morning. 

A really nice Visa waiter - can't remember where he went!

We wait at the airport until the missionary is on the plane and we know it is going to take off.

A Temple Experience

August 1, 2012

Elders Walker and Moore baptized a lady last year, Sister Dozier.  She had been working in a genealogy library for 15 years before she knew anything about the church.  She went to Salt Lake with a friend and saw the Joseph Smith film.  She knew it was true!  Her husband had passed away a year before she was baptized.  The Elders were able to be there in the temple with her.  We were lucky enough to be their transportation and attend the session with them!  Elder Hays was able to attend too, if not he would be without a companion for a day! After the session, she was sealed to her husband.  It was a sweet day!

Elder Hays, Elder Moore, Elder Jensen and Elder Walker

Sister Dozier in the center

Zone Leader Council

August 2, 2012

If you are a young man planning on a mission, I would recommend being a Zone Leader.  They have a council meeting with the Mission President once a month.  This is what their day is like: meet at the mission home at 8:30 (those traveling spend the night), of course they still get up early enough to excersize, study and get ready.  Once there, they have a nice breakfast of yogurt, bagels, cereal, donuts, fruit, orange juice, chocolate milk, and regular milk.  They have a meeting until 10:30.  Then they get about a 15 minute break.  Sister Keyes has little smokies in barbecue sauce, cheese and crackers, fruit, and vegetables and dip.  They go back into the meeting.  Around 12:30, lunch is served.  Sometimes
Sister Keyes cooks for them, but quite often she orders sandwiches from a deli.  I think the Elders love Zone Council! . . . . Did I mention they are spiritually fed too?!!

Jerry usually has a part in the morning session.
I help Sister Keyes in the kitchen getting food on the table and cleaning up after.
  Sometimes I help with the cooking, I love it!

Elder Tubbs is the "Car Czar" he usually takes
 10 minutes or so to go over car issues.

The Elders love those little smokies!
(Elder Karpstein)

Ultimate Food Storage

July 16, 2012

The Bonnett's, the couple from Adam-ondi Ahman who took us on a tour, showed us their basement where they have what may be the most organized food storage program I have ever seen.  She said she only buys groceries that are on sale, she rotates constantly.  She shops from her basement and only goes to the store for fresh produce.  Pretty amazing!

The YSA From Farr West and Plain City Visit

July 10,2012

The YSA ward came to Missouri, a bus load of about 120!  They had a great church tour.  Liberty Jail and the Visitor Center was on their list to visit.  Debbie Stanger, our neighbor in Plain City called several months ago and asked if Jerry would help with the Liberty Jail tour.  Of course he was thrilled to do that!  They stopped at the temple for a quick picture, then we met them at the Jail.

Getting ready . . . . 

President Keyes stopped by to say hello, he actually organized this stake in 2010 (I think) 

Debbie and Doug Stanger.
They are the couple who put this all together . . .  planned the trip, cooked the food,
 and kept track of 120 kids!

One More Adam-ondi-Ahman

 Monday
 July 16, 2012

A very nice couple, Austin and Darlene Bonnett, work at the temple, they live very near Adam-ondi-Ahman.  Brother Bonnett is the stake Patriarch there.  They invited the temple president, President Hardy and his wife, to come out for a private tour.  The Hardy's asked us if we would like to go with them.  Of course we were more than willing!  Very few people get to see behind the closed gates!

It was really a nice tour.  The Bonnett's were amazing.  Not only did they spent their entire morning showing us Adam-ondi-Ahman, they took us back to their home, fed us a delicious lunch, then took us to an Amish store that specializes in food storage products, spices, and some produce, it may be all the shopping that is out that way!  The Bonnett's have their own food storage room in their basement that could be a Bishop's Store house!

I wish I could remember what every picture was about!  We saw a temple site, Little Valley, the bottom of Spring Hill, the Grand River, a cemetery, Lyman Wight's home, homes where the missionaries live, and many other beautiful spots!

It was hot!  We all have umbrella's
 left over from the Temple Open House!
Brother Bonnett, President and Sister Hardy

Lyman Wight's well.
There are several orange or white stakes.  They all represent
a place that was significant, either a building or something
special happened there.  

The Grand River 

Seth Lauden and Sister and President Hardy
on Preachers rock 

A pretty little cemetery 

This is a Mouse Trap!  It really works. It was inside the indexing building.
 The mice climb up the pieces of wood, then crawl out onto the string
 to reach the peanut butter that is on the cup.  The string goes through the cup,
as soon as the mouse gets to the cup, the cup turns
 and the mouse falls into the water and drowns.
They catch about 5 mice a day.
  Who thought of that?   

This is the indexing building.  Missionary couples take care of the
 grounds at Adam-ondi-Ahman, the wives index until 12:00 noon every day.

A Quilters Dream

On one of our trips through Hamilton we stopped at a great fabric store.  We have been to Hamilton several times, I don't know why I didn't see this store sooner.  It is owned by a member of the church.  It's world famous!  People come from all over to see her fabrics and to learn from her.  She does quilting tutorials on the internet.  If you visit us, I will take you there!