06-01-2019 - Our Second Week with more "First times"

Sister Hulce from our Tremonton 13th Ward was called to serve in the Georgia Atlanta Mission and starting serving here a short time before we arrived. We promised her before we left Tremonton that we would take her out to lunch, so we met up with Sister Hulce and her companion, Sister Tippetts from North Ogden, at Firehouse Subs and had a nice visit.

Sister Hulce and her companion are doing great.  They are teaching two people who want to be baptized this coming Saturday and are so happy and excited!

Sister Tippetts, Sister Hulce, and Sister Merrell

Elder Merrell, Sister Hulce, and Sister Merrell

 Elder Merrell and I attended our first transfer planning meeting at the mission office this week.  I have a new appreciation for the work that goes into organizing and planning for transfers and new missionaries arriving.  Our mission historian, Sister Read, needed a little extra help organizing her excel files in preparation for the transfers next week.  It felt good to be of some help.

Our first district meeting was wonderful.  The missionaries in our district are so impressive.  They already have great leadership skills.  Assignments were made before the meeting and everyone came prepared.  They taught each other, helped each other solve problems, and everyone contributed. They're quite a team! Rod and I left with new plans and inspiration for what we will do this next week.

Sister Winder, Sister Merrell, Sister Bacon, and Sister Rice

During our district meeting, we learned that these sweet sisters were "car-less" for the day.  It created a problem for them. They had an appointment with a man who was interested in learning about the Book of Mormon. He had heard of it before. He had told them the day before when they knocked on his door that he was busy and wanted them to come back the next day at the same time.  I had the privilege of driving these sweet sisters to that appointment.

We prayed for help and guidance.  If this man was to invite them into his home, they could go in if an adult sister went with them, me.  We were prepared.  Sisters Rice and Bacon walked to his door and knocked.  Again he was busy.  This time they left their cards and a pamphlet.  It was disappointing, but we know seeds were being planted.  I do hope he will call them.  Maybe I will have another chance to help.

Senior Missionaries on the way to lunch in the mission van.
Elder Merrell, Elder Jacobson, Sister Clayton, Sister Kone, President Clayton, Elder Kone, Sister Jacobson and me. 
The photographer and driver, Elder and Sister Read are not in the picture.

Emily Neiderhauser Hind, Chelsie's sister-in-law, invited us to her home for dinner Thursday along with the missionaries and a mother, daughter and son who were learning about the gospel.  It was wonderful.  We had a delicious dinner and then everyone gathered in a circle in the family room, and we had a lesson on tithing, fasting, and fast offerings.  The missionaries played a church video and shared their own personal tithing and fasting experiences.  It was all good!

The Elders of Israel doing dishes at the Hind home.
Elder Hopkins, Elder Smith our DL, and Elder Rushton
(The same Elders that helped us move in.  I'm growing to love these missionaries!)

Elder Merrell had the opportunity to teach the gospel with Elder Hopkins and Elder Rushton.  Elder Smith and the truck were needed elsewhere that day, so these elders were faced with riding their bikes 13 miles in the Atlanta heat, or asking Elder Merrell for a ride. The lesson went well and a return visit was scheduled.

I stayed home and made cookies which came in handy.  Just as Elder Merrell came home from the missionary lesson, we learned that one of the sister missionaries wanted a blessing.  Elder Merrell was able to give her that blessing and we sent those sweet sisters home with fresh cookies.

Elder and Sister Kone (Sister Kone is our mission nurse.) from Lincoln City, Oregon, invited us to a delicious dinner at their apartment.  It was so fun to get to know them.

After dinner was over they told us of the Pickett's Mill Battlefield Park that would be having a reenactment on Saturday.  We didn't want to miss the chance to see it!  The battle took place on May 27, 1864, 155 years ago.

General Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Lee, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln were there!

The confederates won this battle against General Sherman's troops. 
The battle took place at the end of the war when General Sherman's goal was to take Atlanta, Georgia.
This battlefield is 27 miles from Atlanta.

The Union lost 1,500 men; the Confederates, less than 500.

Elder Merrell, Elder Kone, and Sister Kone
Our tailgate lunch at the Pickett's Mill Battlefield