Winter Scenes

This is our temporary home, the small John Young home, at mid December.  We feel so blessed to live in such a wonderful place.  The heat works well and we are cozy warm.

 This is what we see each morning during breakfast.  It makes us thankful for shelter from the cold, warm food, and modern conveniences.  Yes, that is 10 degrees.

These ice cycles nearly touched the ground.  They partially melted and then fell off a few days later.

 We have seen these ducks on our way to work for several day.  Sister McVea drove while I snapped a few shots this morning.  Just another one of our simple pleasures we so enjoy about our calling.  This is such a beautiful part of the world.

Dear Friends

We love standing shoulder to shoulder in the cause of Zion with people like Elder and Sister Morley.  They are responsible for all the apartments in the mission; and they do a miraculous job of it.  We served with their daughter and son-in-law Paul and Pat Rowe and their children, in the Hill Cumorah Pageant for a number of years.  We love the Morley's.

Part of Sister McVea's calling is to forward the packages and letters that come to the mission office for the missionaries.  This being Christmas time we have a lot more than normal.  This was 3 days worth of mail.  Due to transfer's we had to hold it for a bit till we knew where all the missionaries would end up after transfer.  Normally we get it out the same day it arrives.  Believe it or not it all fit in the Camry.  The trunk was full and so was the back seat. 

This is an office party in honor of Sisters Price and Evertsen who both celebrated their birthdays in December.  On the left side of the table are President and Sister Christianson and Sister McVea.  On the right side are Sisters Price and Evertsen, and Elder and Sister Yost. The Yost were our trainers.

Our First Snow

It was a little storm.  Not much snow but it changed the appearance so much I thought I'd include it.  We have a cool Honda snow blower.  I hope we get more snow so I can feel justified in getting it out.  I have already started it two or three time just to hear it run.  I love Honda!!!!

This is the Big John Young home.  We now have Sister Evertsen and Sister Price living in this home.  We are so happy to have neighbors.  They had us over for dinner a few days back.  We enjoy their company.

 

This is Sister Price - - Never a dull moment when she is around.

This is Sister Ryals, Evertsen, & McVea.  This was an impromptu color coordination day!!!

Sisters Chaston, Tirrell, and Jones Vistit to the Mission Office

These three sisters stopped by the office to have lunch with us and share a hymn as well.

Kirk Morris's Visit to Rochester (13 Nov 2010)

Our Neighbor from Provo Kirk Morris, son of Best Friends Tom and Lisa Morris, flew into Rochester.  He is here interviewing with a dental program that specializes in pediatric dentistry.  We picked him up at the airport and toured him around some of the Church Historical Sites.  We went to the Sacred Grove, Joseph Cabin, Hill Cumorah and the Grandin Building where the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were published.

Sister McVea, Kirk Morris and Elder McVea (taking the picture) at the Hill Cumorah in the Fall.

Sister McVea, Kirk Morris, and Elder McVea at the E. B. Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was first published.

This is an exact replica of the type of press used to to print the first copies of the Book of Mormon.

Our First Zone Conference's ( 9-12 Nov 2010

Sister McVea and I participated in our first set of Zone Conferences November 9th through 12th of 2010.  There are 4 Zones in the New York Rochester Mission; Rochester, Palmyra North, Palmyra South and Buffalo.  The cars in this picture represent about 1/3 of the 37 cars I have responsibility for.  I check the tires, fluids, body exterior and interior condition. I also do a 30 minute presentation to the Elders and Sisters about caring for the vehicles as well as Safety.  Sister McVea goes and helps me when she can and also does a presentation about baptisms, referrals, and mail as needed.

Tour of the Hill Cumorah with President and Sister Christianson (8 Nov 2010)

President and Sister Christianson took Sister McVea and I, and the rest of the office staff, Sister Ryals and Brinkerhoff on a "behind the scenes" tour of the Hill Cumorah.  We saw things we had never seen, and heard things we had never heard.  It was indeed a sacred time for us all as we were reminded of the sacred things that have occurred here.  I am even more convinced that this is not only the place where Moroni burred the plates, but that this is the place of the great and last battle between the Nephites and the Lamanites as depicted in the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith described the hiding place of the gold plates to be a "stone box" covered by a stone that was "thick and rounded in the middle on the upper side"  and flat on the bottom.  This is one example of many stones on the hill that fit that description.  Of course we do not know the exact location of the original hiding place of the gold plates.

This is one of the trees that is old enough to have been on the hill when Joseph Smith meet with the Angle Moroni.  If this and other trees of this age could talk, it could probably tell us exactly what happened when Joseph Smith was taught by Moroni and eventually able to take the plates from the hill for translation.  These trees are called "witness trees".