Two Week Closure for Maintenance & Cleaning

The temple has been closed for two weeks for annual cleaning. We spent some of the first week helping with inventory. We had seminary all week so that kept up close to home.

We spend a lot of time preparing for seminary. We are getting well acquainted with the Old Testament. What a great testiment of the Savior.

This is his seminary class. Bro. Gammon came out to observe one day to see if Paul was on track.

We spent some time at Grant Ingold's basketball game and then went to the Site Missionary Valentine's party. We had a nice potatoe bar and dessert and made cards for our sweethearts.

Friday the 15th we drove to Bath, NY to watch Brandon Salimbene participate in a sectional swim meet. He swam the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke and ended up 15th and 5th.

We left Bath and went to Gettysburg for two days. We took the self guided car tour with a CD. We had never been there before. What a quiet place for such events to have taken place. We then went on to Washington, DC where we saw the Lincoln Monument.

Our favorite place in DC was the Temple. We spent time there each day. They have 44 couple missionaries serving there for 18 months. We were able to stay with a couple who live right around the corner from the temple for $35 a night. They have both served in the temple for many years and he is a sealer at the age 95. We watched the Joseph Smith & the Restoration and Testiments of One Shepherd & One Fold. They have a huge theater, larger than the one at the Joseph Smith Memorial.

This is the WW I memorial. We took a tourmobil around the city. We especially enjoyed Arlington National Cemetery. We saw the changing of the guard at the Unknown Soldier.

Friday we were back in the Palmyra Temple putting the last touches on the temple before it opens on Tuesday, February 26th. Saturday night the Stake Activities Committee put on a wonderful dinner and dance with an 18 piece band. It was a wonderful evening. Today after Church and choir we took a walk around the temple grounds and into the Sacred Grove. We haven't been able to do it for some time, been too cold. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We were just thinking about seven more weeks and the summer missionaries will be here again. We don't know where the time has gone. Have a wonderful week and our thought this week comes from Paul's High Priest lesson, which he taught today, "Quench not the Spirit" and Brigham Young said we often live far beneath our privileges." Let's all raise the bar.

One more thought we found from President Monson. "You develop an appreciation that Heavenly Father knows who you are. And He says, 'Here, go do this for me.' I always thank Him. My only regret is that I don't have more time to do the many things we are called upon to do. I work hard, I work long. I hope I work effectively, but I never feel I have exhausted what I shouldbe doing."

Happy Valentine's Day

Today, Sunday, we invited the Bergesons and Judys to join us for Sunday dinner. The Bergesons are site missionaries from St. George area and the Judys are FM missionaries and are from Idaho Falls area. Wonderful people and we had a great visit.

This is Sister Nancy Bassett. We have been visiting with her since we arrived in Palmyra. She has recently undergone hip surgery. She is a wonderful mother and her children are very devoted to her and visit often.

Thursday evening we had rain and it got very cold and we had what they call an "ice storm". The next day it was beautiful. The trees all were covered with ice, it was gorgeous. The next day it snowed a little and then they looked frosted.

Thursday evening we drove to Waterloo where we watched the Waterloo High School basketball team play. Brother and Sister Lowry's son, Chance played on the varsity team. Dr. Lowry is our wonderful chiropracter. He is so very good to all the missionaries. They live in Fayette Ward.

Friday we helped at the Bishop's Storehouse. This is Bro. Pallo, the new storehouse director, taking it easy. The big truckload, which comes in once a month from SL, just arrived. We helped unload and put things in their places. We try to go over every Friday to help with produce and filling orders. These directors are saints, what a great work they do. We were working with the Chapmans who had been there for 20 months. Great people.

Saturday we were in the temple from 8 am to 6 pm. We had some great sessions. In the morning we were baptistry directors and then were officiators on the 1st afternnon session. We stayed to help cleanup and finish up the laundry. At 8 pm we went to the Stake Center for the Worldwide Leadership Training. We hope you are all able to see it. Families are at the center and how we love and appreciate ours. They are the very best and they bring such joy into our lives. All you have to do is look at our cute grandchildren on this site to know what I mean. Good job Kimberly, Gary, Kory, Katie, Kelly and Rob. Happy Valentines day to you all, we love you.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

The weekend slipped away from me so I will try to catch up. Sunday we had a wonderful Testimony meeting as I am sure all of you did. I stayed for choir practice and then at 2 pm we went to the temple for some new ordinance training. We spent the next four hours there. What a wonderful day. We serve with such great people. It is always a joy to be with them.

Saturday morning we were in the temple for the morning shift. We had full sessions, the baptistry was busy and so it was a great time. The temple closed at 1:00pm so we could attend the services for President Gordon B. Hinckley at the Stake Center. President Siebach said it best "remorse, rejoice, and reunion". What an impact he has had on our lives. So many special things to remember about him. We were pleased to be able to be in attendance. Saturday evening we had dinner with the Cederlofs, the Amsdens and Zsemberys. Sister Cederlof made us a typical English dinner. She grew up in England with her parents who were mission presidents there. We had a wonderful time sharing conversion stories.

Wednesday evening the Lockwoods invited us to their home in Canandaigua for dinner. They have lived in this area for many years and are converts to the Church. They served on the temple committee when the Palmyra temple was being built, he was Bishop and served in many leadership positions. She worked for the FM group at the Hill Cumorah for 20 years and so they had many stories to tell us. The picture behind them is of the Joseph Smith Frame House before restoration.

Wednesday during the day we had lunch with Bro. and Sis. Glenn Ellis. Glenn came with his family to Palmyra in 1939 with his family when they took over the Smith Farm after Willard and Rebecca Bean left after being here for 25 years. At the same time my great uncle, Owen Anderson, also came with him and he ran the "Samuleson Farm" which was behind the Hill Cumorah. It was great to hear many of their stories living here in Palmyra. He has a written booklet of many of the stories and has pictures of Uncle Owen and Aunt Bessie. Sister Ellis grew up in Palmyra and didn't know anything about the Church. She joined when she had a young family. Bro. and Sister Ellis married six years ago after meeting at the Temple. They have served two missions since marrying.

Monday evening it was our pleasure to have the Sister missionaries for dinner. What a wondereful group of sisters. They serve at the sites and also proselyte. Sister Cataluddi, next to me, is from Italy, Sister Lyman, Sister Smailes and Sister Barton, they are Spanish speaking missionaries. They bring such a sweet spirit with them.

Our fellow temple missionaries, Bill and Beth Harmon, left for home on Friday during a sleet storm. They should be arriving in Utah today. We enjoyed them so very much and will miss them. We also heard that our former missionary friends, Spence Stoddard, was having triple bypass surgery yesterday. We pray all is well with them.