Sunday, April 13, 2014

Harrisburg Ward's First Ward Picnic and Elder Tommy's First Talk in our Ward

Our ward had it's first ever Ward Activity on Saturday at Reedy Creek Park. 
We took a P Day and I made Corn, Rice and Bean Salad
 and Caramel Brownies for the occasion! 
It felt good to do a little cooking again in our tiny little  kitchen.
The leaves are beginning to sprout on all the trees and it is so beautiful. 
We pass the park every time we go to church 
so it's only about 7 minutes from our apartment.

This is Simon Lee from Taiwan and Elder Urban.
We pick up Simon every week for church and love him! 
He is a very interesting man and teaches us something new every time we see him. 
He bears his beautiful testimony every Fast Sunday with such gratitude for the gospel.
He is so respectful of us and everyone. He opens my car door for me 
then quickly runs around the car to open Tom's door also! 
It was fun to see him in a casual setting and watch him have fun!

This is Sheom La Due and just candid photos of members of our ward. 
I'm finally feeling like I'm getting to know the people I've grown to love. 


Sister Flatt, Sister Sweat (our RS President) and others







I don't know his name but he loved to pose for pictures!

Here he is again, PhotoBombing !

Brother Griffin is our great Elder's Quorum President

Brother and Sister Dorris are new members in our ward.

The Sister Missionaries. Oh how we love them!
I missed getting a picture of our Elders because they came late. Next time....
 
The McCrackens. He teaches Gospel Principles Class and she is YW President.


The Dogwood trees are so beautiful and bloom before Easter.
 I learned that there is a Religious legend about the this special tree.



We were able to take our Sunday afternoon walk again to Middle Acre Drive. 
The trees are getting more and more leaves on them! 
It was warm today and we felt the humidity.

With the beauty of the trees comes the yellow pollen film over all the cars and the ground. 
This is also a new adventure for us!


Another new phenomenon for us is the little green inch worms that hang down 
from the trees by a thin silken thread that they weave and fall on you as you walk by. 
They are called canker worms. 
Last Sunday as we were leaving church one of the missionaries 
was walking in front of me in a black and white striped skirt 
and I saw a little green line on her skirt and then realized 
that little green line was inching down her skirt. 
After slightly freaking out, I told her I wasn't getting fresh 
and I hit that little critter to the pavement.
See that little fuzzy green thing about 2/3 of the way down the tree trunk?
Tom asked him to pose for the picture but he wouldn't hold still.
 Here's a close up. (Thanks Google)

  We love Middle Acre Drive!



Tom was asked to speak in church today about Coming Closer to Christ through Family History. 
This is a tender subject for both of us and we have spent years teaching and loving FH.
He did a great job but won't let me share his talk! Maybe I can talk him into it next week.

I posted this wonderful Easter message on Facebook and hope that you will be inspired 
by watching it again. How grateful we are for the love of our Savior 
and for His gift of the Atonement and Resurrection.
Have a blessed Easter "Because of Him"

We send our love to Y'all!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

General Conference Weekend


This has been a wonderful weekend, 
a time to recharge our batteries and fill our souls with truth and light.
General Conference seems to do that for me and I hope for you too!

I had a little time to bake our traditional Conference Pastry this morning 
and we wanted to share with the Elders and Sisters who live near us. 
I also wanted to share it with another family. As I prayed about who to take it to, 
one name kept coming strongly into my mind. So we drove 30 minutes this morning 
on an adventure. It was a beautiful drive and even a more beautiful visit 
with a wonderful woman who has touched my heart. 
She and her husband live on the very eastern edge of our ward boundaries 
and they come to our Book of Mormon class each week. 
Sheom was baptized 2 years ago and is a living example of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
I'm so grateful to know her and to know of the powerful influence she has in many lives. 
She is AMAZING! 
She and her husband are very involved in missionary work and 
in taking the missionaries to the places they need to go 
such as Zone Conferences, transfers and teaching appointments. 
They give of their time freely even though it is so far for them to travel.

Their home is on the very edge of Reedy Creek. She calls it their Tree House.
It is in a gorgeous setting along the banks of this lovely river.

I love these little adventures that take us to unexpected and always beautiful places!

We made it back to our apartment just in time for 
Music and the Spoken Word and for Conference.
What a glorious morning it was!

During the break between Conference sessions we took a walk 
and discovered  a beautiful little road less traveled.





If you look carefully you can see a horse behind the fence.

Even the steer were beautiful today!




The music for Conference was exceptional. A hymn that the Tabernacle Choir sang in this afternoon's session profoundly touched my heart. I Stand All Amazed...Did anyone else feel that?


There are so many of the talks that I wanted to share. Here are a few thoughts that I really liked.





What Do You Think by Craig Zwick


Dieter F. Uchtdorf
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=137209089783110&set=a.120510344786318.1073741829.114461198724566&type=1


God Be With You Til We Meet Again  with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=766585340020263https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=766585340020263

Thinking of y'all with love!