Called to serve in the Missouri St Louis Mission

Beautiful Cardinal mates outside our window (they mate for life) The sky has been grey and rain has poured, drizzled and dripped.  The wind has blown, and the sun has shone.  It has been cold and then at times it has been kind of nice. . it must be Spring in St Louis, Missouri.   Missionaries at Zone Conference Missionaries getting wash kits to clean their cars It was a good week as we got to enjoy the company of the missionaries at the several Zone Conferences.  I felt the strength of the young Elders and Sisters as they reverently sat in the Chapel at the Frontenac Building prior to the meeting.  When President Bateman walked in, the missionaries stood. Sun coming up as we drive up to Champaign, IL On Wednesday we left at 6:00 am to arrive in Champaign, Illinois by 9.  It was a beautiful LONG drive.  We lived in the Midwest at an earlier time in our lives and we love the beautiful farm lands and foliage that are beginning...

Winter came back--it was cold! This week it was Winter again!  Our lowest temperature was 16 degrees F.  But walking to work in the sunshine actually felt warmer than the cloudy windy days in the twenties.  This is the magnolia tree from last week--the beautiful blooms couldn't handle the cold snap Seventeen missionaries left the Missouri St Louis Mission this week after completing their service. By Saturday the tulips were out! Tuesday it was Transfer day and bitter cold with the blowing wind and cloudy sky; oh yeah and the snow.  Eight new missionaries arrived in the afternoon (with no coats on as they said it was warm in Salt Lake City, Utah). Later we went to the Mission Home to get to know the new Elders and Sisters. Some of our beautiful bird friends outside our apartment Wednesday we enjoyed the new missionaries again.  They are a good "batch" as they would say in the Philippines.  There was training and my favorite part; in...

Beautiful flowering tree outside the mission office We had a wonderful experience this week when we went to the Temple and helped clean some of the chandeliers and sconces.  Wearing gloves, we carefully removed the crystals and washed them individually; the fixtures were cleaned and then we put them all back together again piece by piece or strand.   St Louis Temple Sealing Room (we found this picture on the internet) I thought the fixtures looked great before we even started, but the reflected light from the cleaned crystals was beautiful. We'll never be in the Celestial Room or Sealing Rooms again without remembering the meticulous care that is provided in The Lord's House. A Magnolia Tree along our way to the office The Self Reliance class began this week.  We are facilitators for the personal finance class.  We had a great turn out and even I have a partner, we are like cheer leaders for each other.  She texted me before I even thought ...

Spring appears to have sprung in St. Louis as evidenced by this beautiful forsythia Sunday, March 5, 2017, our grandson Jaden's 2nd birthday President and Sister Bateman invited all the Senior Missionaries in the Mission over for a pot luck dinner and Family Home Evening.  My best food awards go to Elder Gourley and his dutch oven potatoes and Sister Hair's variation of BYU mint brownies mmmm.  We also welcomed our new finance secretary, who arrived after a perilous trip through snow storms. We also had our first tornado watch this last week.  Then the wind and hail came but no tornado in St Louis.  We are grateful for covered parking. Dogwood tree near our apartment beginning to bloom Our mission is ever changing in the car department.  We gathered drivers and traveled to pickup four new Chevy Malibu cars.  I am grateful for GPS and I love going over the big rivers. Mission Leadership Council (MLC) Friday was Mission Leadership Counc...