There and Back Again: Week 51 Communities Coming Together!

LAST Sunday the local Catholic Church reached out to the Church of Jesus Christ community, inviting them to participate in a candle light vigil for the recent tragedies for both groups. It was a beautiful event. Father Tony was very inspired. Their Catholic Youth group had come up with the idea and lead the service! I loved seeing those teens leading out with such love and inclusiveness.

We sang Be Still My Soul, read scriptures and did the call and response lead by the youth. Then we prayed. The Deacon said the prayer and I was surprised that we started out praying for our enemies! It was a PERFECT prayer. The victims of violence are safe in heaven. The prayer was that those who are tempted to do such things would have the demons and darkness cast out of them and that they would be filled with love. It was a beautiful prayer. I left feeling very uplifted.

Then Tuesday the local community reached out for help with their pumpkin walk preparations. Tues and Thurs we drew designs on Pumpkins. They didn't want any two to look alike so they had binders full of hundreds of different designs.

Volunteers picked a page, drew the design, then put an X in the corner so no one else would do that design. It was amazing...about 600 pumpkins...

Wednesday a crowd came to clean the pumpkins out. Then Friday WE, and I mean hundreds of people from the community, highschool, and surrounding areas came and carved the designs on the pumpkins. It was SO much work and SO fun. After a pumpkin was finished it had a candle hole punched in the bottom and then the whole thing was sprayed with a mild bleach solution to keep it from molding.

Then teams of trucks hauled them off and lined both sides of Mulhaland Street (on hay bales)with them. PLUS the missionaries popped and made over 3000, yes thousand, bags of kettle corn to give away for free the next day. That took another crew four days...lol SO MUCH WORK for the fun. Totally worth it.

Friday night we went to the Knights of Columbus Octoberfest fund raiser and ate delicious food and danced to a live band. I literally danced until sweat was pouring down my face. SOO FUN!! On Saturday Elder Cullen and I dressed up as Wednesday and Lurch from the Addams Family. We were on the Band Wagon playing tunes in minor keys...so funny we got lots of waves and claps as we passed. The parade was so small but super fun.

Everyone turned out. Lots of vendors, food trucks and a really really fabulous High School Jazz Band. It was really wonderful.

All this week I've been having terrible charlie horse cramps in my right ham string...ugh. I drank some Apple Cider Vinegar and it stopped...why?? I don't know, but I'm grateful So this week we made a lot of new friends, strengthened relationships with current friends, and worked really hard.

I hope you have a wonderful week and that your days are filled with service and love.

There and Back Again, Week 50!! Magic Moments with Famous People.

One morning I was coming out of the tool shed to get in the tractor when I saw a big tour bus unloading. As I paused to watch them unload I saw a man I recognized from YouTube! Tom Pettit from the "Beyond Come Follow Me" series! I wanted to run over to him and take pictures with him BUT I really had to get the West Lawn finished before their tour started. I jumped in the tractor and went as quickly as I could to finish the job, then dumped the bags (we have the chute and leaf/grass collectors on the tractor now woot woot) and hurried into our cottage to tell Elder Cullen that "TOMMY P" was IN CARTHAGE!! That's what we call him. lol. I raked the gravel and THEN allowed myself to be a ding a ling. We went into the visitor's center where he was waiting. He guides church history tours for people from all over the world From Sharon Vermont, to Palmyra New York, to Kirtland OH, and Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois and Utah. Very fun man with great stories. Anyway Elder Cullen and I were very excited to take a picture with him AND to share our testimonies with him. He was very kind and gracious.

ALSO, on this lucky day, we had our plumber come over and change the water filter because I was trying to problemsolve a medical issue I've been having and have been to the doctor's for and run tests etc. They all come back with "you're healthy as a horse"...so what the heck. Two days after the filter was changed, my problem which has been plaguing me for four months vanished. hmmmmmmm

The next day I was out raking leaves and ginko fruit off the lawn when I looked over and saw my old HIGH SCHOOL VICE PRINCIPAL, Mr. Sheppard!!!! I literally felt my eyes boink out of my head like a cartoon! I used to tutor his wife in math and helped her pass this big test she had to take...forty years ago LOL. They were both on a tour of church history sites. It was SO good to see them. Mr. Sheppard was good friends with my dad, who taught at Concord High. They loved each other like brothers. We talked about all kinds of memories and caught each other up. It was so sweet.

Since we got the chute and bags on the tractor we've had much bigger loads going to the burn pile. Our first load was SO heavy we actually couldn't pull it out on the tarp like we usually do... had to rake a bunch off then pull the rest...Live and LEARN.

Last Tuesday we had a very fun Zone activity where we each got to paint a Book of Mormon. The Young Sisters love to do this then write their testimonies in them and give them away. Does anyone want this one?? It was very therapuetic and fun to be painting and talking with our friends and admiring all the good work. It reminded me of being in fifth grade for some reason. Anyway, first one to ask for it gets it. It's meant to be given away.

I had an embarassing moment this week. I was using the push mower as a vacuum to suck up leaves and as I passed across the bricks from one lawn to another I noticed that the mat in front of the doors had a ton of leaves on it. So I thought to myself...well, it's much flatter than the lawn, it will be safe to push it over it and suck up the leaves...and at first it worked great...then as I was rolling off the mat to head to the lawn

the mat lifted up with the suction and the blades caught it and BAM! killed the engine...Now we have to buy a new mat. I was SO embarassed I had to breath a few times before calling the supply room...he just chuckled but I'm sure I'll be hearing about it from everyone in FM when we go to our meeting Monday...ughhhhh. To make up for that...I had an opportunity to share my testimony with a guest who had just joined the church. As I shared my story he suddenly said, "YOU are MEEK! Do you know what that means?" then he went on to tell me that MEEK was actually a word that was used to describe high quality WAR HORSES.... NOW in Chinese horoscope I am a Fire Horse and Elder Cullen is a Water Horse. I loved this definition. Here's a great video that explains it. So LAST but NOT LEAST....TODAY (Saturday) I was just finishing blowing the pavers and went to the pickup to dump a load of plant debris from when we cleared out the flower beds into the pickup. It was in my deep wheel barrow. I gave it a heft and decided this would break my back. I looked around for Elder Cullen but he was on the far side of the property blowing the parking lot. BUT I did see a little pick up with two men in it eating breakfast. It was an hour before tours started so they were just killing time. I asked them if, when they were done eating, they could help me lift the barrow and dump it into the truck. They put their food down and got out.

Then they also helped me dump the tractor bags which are darn heavy. Then they said, "Do you know who we are?" I paused...Oh heck were they some famous people from Salt Lake? Did I just ask some general authorities to help me dump yard waste?? LOL I guessed..."Uh you're Salt Lake FM workers?" They laughed so hard. They liked that.

"We're cousins and Joseph Smith Jr. is our third great grandfather" AGAIN, I felt my eyes bug out... OH MY! This does NOT happen every day. I asked them if I could share my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith with them. Then they shared their testimony with me. Then David looked right into my eyes and said, "I have a message from Joseph and Emma for you"

"They love you very much and they are grateful for all you are doing here and at home to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world." Then they gave me a hug and went to take the tour where their 3 greats grandfather sealed his testimony with his blood that Jesus Christ had restored his church to the planet. WHAT A DAY!!! I hope you all have a very blessed week.

There and Back Again: Week 49 New Tractor Skills, Autumn Visits, thoughts on Battling

This week was bittersweet as we put the flower gardens to bed for the cold weather and plant the bulbs for Spring in time for them to get cozy under the earth and settled for winter.

I have to say, I was a little concerned that with all the pots gone and the beds emptied, Carthage would look STARK.

When we went to the dump it was with great saddness. These plants were not sick, nor dying...it was just time to go. I literally stood over the pile and said, "I am SO grateful for your beautiful service. Thank you for your lives. I am so sorry you are not needed anymore."

Amazingly, people still stop to tell me, "This place is so beautiful!" and "You're doing such a good job here. It's beautiful" I just have to say, it's probably NOT us, NOT the flowers, and NOT the grass and trees. I believe it is the cleanliness, but it's more...it's the Spirit of God. It causes people to feel loved and accepted and at peace and they look around and say, "Beautiful"

To our great delight, Autumn stopped by on her way through to Kansas City. We spent a whole day together and the next morning she drove on.

Taran woke up early and helped with our yard chores. We went to a Native American Mound shaped like a turtle. The oral history of the decendants of this tribe remembers that they came across the great waters on 8 turtles. We stood on the head of this turtle mound and read about the Jaradites coming to the Americas in 8 barges that were light and floated on the top of the water and were tight like a dish.

The dates of the artifacts found in the mounds date back to the time the Jaradites arrived in America.

Then we went to Nauvoo and took a few tours then flew kites.

The JOY I felt watching the boys fly a kite for the first time was unexpected. Their joy and delight as they ran down the hill and saw their kite soar was contagious. It was their first time trying to fly a kite.

Then we went home and had homemade naan, curried lamb, and potatoes and watched a movie.

The next morning they left.

It was precious time. Then we got out the tractor and got to LEARN how to use the new front scoop. This was SO fun. We scooped up wood chips and deposited them around the trees on the property. It was like playing in a sand box.

Seriously it was hard to take turns...lol

We then went to the temple to perform ordinances for our beloved dead. This brings me to another topic. This morning as I was taking a break from spreading woodchips, the driver of one of the tour buses approached me telling me I was cute in my skirt as I worked. LOL...then went on to start quoting scriptures at me in a contentious manner to prove that I was in a lost and fallen state.

He did not allow me to express a complete thought. Very quickly I saw this was an unproductive conversation. No sharing was happening, just prideful and contentious condemnation.

As I tried to get a word in, I asked WHAT about people who have never heard of Jesus Christ? Are they damned? He said "YES". I asked, "Why would God do that to his beloved children?"

He replied that some people are NOT God's Children! It was so sad. I had to go to the dump with Elder Cullen so excused myself saying that Jesus was a God of LOVE and that if he (the bus driver) kept a prayerful mind he would come to know that. Later, Elder Cullen and I discused the situation. What could have been done in that conversation to de-escalate the hate? NEXT time I am entrapped with a scripture quoting, contentious person,

I am going to ONLY focus on Jesus Christ. I am going to tell them I am not interested in contention as that is a tool of the adversary and gives him power. I only want to hear how that person is feeling Christ's influence in their life.

I love to hear people of all religions share with me how they have found joy following the light they have received. Trying to "prove" people are wrong is prideful and contentious. We need to support each other in following the light we have already received. Heavenly Father will lead us along if we are sincere. We can invite each other to keep seeking.

Finally I want to bare my testimony that GOD DOES LOVE YOU and you ARE His child literally (in spirit). No one is lost to God. He provides temples so that even after you die, you have a chance to accept Jesus Christ. Have a GREAT WEEK!