Called to serve in the Missouri St Louis Mission

Mother & ducklings in a local pond We always look forward to talking with our children and grandchildren on Sunday evenings; this evening was no exception.  Spencer, our son, told us about serving in the parking lot at the Tucson Temple Open House and the melting asphalt related to heat.    We have had lovely weather, not hot and humid as we have been warned our summer would be.  I am sure we will not miss out.  This morning I went for a walk around our apartment; I needed a jacket.  Our lesson in Relief Society was on becoming a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ by Elder Robert D. Hales.  I have studied Doctrine and Covenants 4 and am interested in the attributes we should develop to become more Christlike.  Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence and as Elder Hales shared "disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their being...

Temple Flowers It was Zone Conference week.  How great it is to be with all the missionaries in the Missouri St Louis Mission in three meetings throughout the week.  Tuesday we left at 5:30 am and headed north to go to Champaign, Illinois.  We love crossing the rivers that are really rivers (not the case in Southern Arizona).   We arrived early to check on an apartment;  it looked much better after it had had a major cleanup.  This area covers just two zones and is the smallest group.  We left the conference early to travel to see another apartment in Glen Carbon, Illinois prior to arriving home in the evening. Wednesday we only traveled about 45 minutes to attend our largest zone conference that includes four zones.  With the recent creation of a new stake, we also have a new zone. River wall flood gate along the Mississippi Thursday we left early again traveling south Cape Girardeau, Missouri which is situated along the Mississippi...

Beautiful flower outside the Nauvoo Temple Two weeks have slipped by since we last wrote. Spencer and Stephanie and their children Nathen 9, Tyler 7, Kaylee 5 and little Alex 2 spent time with us.  Some of those days included missionary transfers and new missionary arrivals and trying to keep abreast of work in the mission office. It was really great having them close by for a week and we miss them!  While we worked most days they were here; they didn't let that stop them from enjoying the sites in the St Louis area.  They visited sites we will probably never have time to visit, including; the St Louis Arch, a paddle-boat trip along the Mississippi, the City Museum, Forest Park, and boat rides in Creve Coeur Lake. Along the Mississippi River in Hannibal, MO We received permission to go to Nauvoo, Illinois for a couple of days with our family.  It is just a few hours from here.  It has been many years since we have visited.  It wasn't crowded a...