July 22

The time just seems to be flying by and I can’t remember what we did the past few days. Friday morning we went to find a less active member. The map showed that it was just off 62 so we just kept going. We went through two counties before we decided that we were too far north so we turned around and headed back. We went through Mauriceville but it is less than a dot on the map and we didn’t realize that we were even there. Anyway we had a really nice adventure. We finally found the street. Actually it was across the railroad track. There is a road that parallels 62 and it was off this road that we found what we were looking for. The member wasn’t home after all.

We had a great ward party on Saturday at Sister Hammonds home. She has a large swimming pool in her yard with a slippery slide. I guess there were about thirty kids in the pool. It sure did look inviting. I guess we could go swimming if we wanted too but not with the whole ward. Maybe if the relief society had a party I would swim. There was a large turn out from the ward. They needed to have a party. This ward is lacking in comradely. Elder Anderson is new here and said that he didn’t feel any love in this ward. This ward needs to heal.

Sunday we were told that we didn’t have to be in the early meeting any more so that will be a blessing for us and the elders especially on fast Sunday because we had to be there at 7 a.m.
We had the north elders over for lunch and we decided to go with them or they rode with us to visit those in Deweyville. Our first stop was to give a blessing to Sister West. She had been in the hospital the past week. We stopped to visit with one of the elder’s investigators who said that she didn’t have time because her husband was coming home in thirty minutes. We started to talk to her and we talked for an hour on her front porch. Her husband didn’t come home. She knows a lot about the bible and we showed her some scriptures that she didn’t know about the Savior visiting the spirit world during His three days in the tomb and that we lived before we came here and other things. The elders wanted us to visit with her today when we went to see one of our investigators but ours was cancelled so we didn’t go. It is a long ways up there. We also found a less active home. We had visited her before but didn’t find her home. She was so excited to see us. She has never been to this ward since she moved in many years ago. She lost her husband four years ago and is still trying to pay medical bills. We invited her to church. We hope that she comes. The areas that we visited are in the north elders area and they had never been there before.

We had two family home evenings on Monday. At the afternoon one we had seven there and the evening one at the O’Dell’s, (Empty Nesters). There we three couples. I guess that is a start. These couples have never been in the O’Dell’s home before. I hope that they will continue this program after we leave.

It is getting harder for us to find something to do. All of our callbacks are evening ones now. We have visited everyone in this ward but some weren’t home so we will continue to visit until we find everyone home and teach who we can before we leave this area. I think that they need a new bishop here. He has been in for nine years now and I think he is getting tired. He’s been a good bishop but they need new leadership here. I think that it is coming.

Today we went to Brother Dailey’s for lunch and then to Art’s to show him a DVD about the testimonies of the prophets. He really liked it so we gave it to him. I guess we will have to order some more.

Love mom and dad, grandpa and grandma