SATURDAY WAS A SPECIAL DAY

SATURDAY June 28th 2014 was a special day.  We got up early and I went to Penny and got the short hair cut again...feels good!  We then drove to Skaneateles Lake on our way to Cortland where we attend church.  We finally went and ate at "Doug's Fish Fry.  It was excellent!

 Then we went on an hour long lake cruise.  It was a perfect day for a boat ride.

 This is a picture of all the lakes and you can see Skaneateles is one of the smaller lakes...the water is crystal clear and it looks huge as we rode around in the boat.  There was a breeze and the lake homes and properties were beautiful.

We then went to Cortland for the baptism of William Nathan Younes.  His wife Alison was so excited.  Our Bishop Scanlon was thrilled too, as was his youngest son Boden on all fours!  Brother Christoper Hyde performed the baptism which was quite a feat.  Will had to be redone three times before he was completely submerged in the water.   Elder Bushman spoke of The Gift of The Holy Ghost that Brother Younes would be given on Sunday morning. 

 On Sunday Brother Younes was given the Gift of the Holy Ghost by Bishop Scanlon.  This was an exciting day for us as missionaries!  We are so happy for Brother Younes.

The two happy Elders with Brother and Sister Younes.

Sunday we had good meetings and our Temple Preparation class had everyone there but one brother who stayed for Sacrament and then went home with a tooth ache...not fun.  Bishop came in and visited with our class about the requirements for a Temple Recommend and the questions that would be asked by he and the Stake President.  I had a sister come up to me after class and told me her father had passed away the day before.  She said this class has helped her feel better about his passing and she can now attend the funeral and know that they will be together again someday.  That was worth the whole mission for me right then.  She will be in our prayers this week.

A couple hours after church was over we met with the full time missionaries and others of Cortland Ward.  We went to Crown Center Nursing Home.  We held services for the residents there.  There were around 30 in attendance.  Our new sisters missionaries are very musically talented.  They sang "The Star Spangled Banner" Acapulco and really touched the residents.   

Brother Tranquill conducted the meeting and an Elder & Sister assigned to the meeting gave great talks and bore their testimonies. 

 This reminded me of all the Sunday's Elder Bushman and I spent visiting my mother Fay and her husband Malcolm in the nursing home in Guthrie OK.  The youth that came with us were so kind to the elderly and I could see they were nervous around them.  Elder Bushman had great conversations with many of the residents.  I hope he is as tender to me when I get so old!  This is a group of our musically talented Ward members and Sister Missionaries:

It is now Monday morning and the last day of June.  I did our laundry and Elder Bushman cleaned and vacuumed our car.   We are going on a picnic this afternoon at Canandaigua Lake at a Sister Whitmore's Lake House.  That should be fun.  Sister Dawson is going with us.  She and her husband purchased a Summer home here in Palmyra.  Sister Dawson grew up in Palmyra.  They now reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She will go back there for the winter.

This is our hostess Sister Whitmore.  She invited all the Thursday Evening workers to her lake home for the afternoon.  Thank you Sister Whitmore for a lovely afternoon.

 We were so excited to visit with President & Sister Tanner...Our former Bishop in Yukon OK Parents. 

Lake Canandaigua

 Sister McGhie, Sister Cousalito, & Sister Bushman

President and Sister Broadbent 

 President & Sister Brighton finally relaxing.  Sister Read is sitting with them.

I've been asked to teach Relief Society on Fast Sunday the 6th of July.  That will begin our third month of when we left for Salt Lake City to begin this adventure.  My assignment is "Commitment and Conversion".  Do I know enough to teach that to all these dedicated New York Sisters?  I will be pondering that this week. 

As we drove past the Hill Cumorah yesterday we saw the stage is set up and the tents for the vendors are in place.

 This evening we have our Home evening in the bottom of the visitors center at the hill. Duane Schwendiman, Pres. of the Pageant (and Sat. mid-day shift coordinator) will be our speaker.  Let the Pageant begin!  This should surely be a heavenly event.

President Schwendiman told us all about the pageant and answered all our questions.  He took us to the building where the cast gets made up in their costumes.

 Elder Johnson holding a Lamanite club. 

 Nice picture of a Hebrew Missionary!

 These young workmen sang "Called To Serve" to us as we toured the Cumorah site.

 This carpet is in the stairwell that goes down in the visitors center where we had our home evening.

Sister Lynette Neeley,  from California, is here serving with us for a year.  She went on a bike ride Saturday and when she stopped she twisted her ankle and fell off the bike and broke both bones above her right ankle.  Surgery was required and a plate around one bone and a pin in the other.  We sure hope she does well in her recovery.  I will only be riding a stationary bike from this day on!  We have two brothers in the hospital, in our Cortland Ward, with heart problems too...so sad.  We will have many to fast for this next Sunday.

We got a letter today telling us that our Granddaughter Hannah spoke in church yesterday.  We are so proud of her.  This is Hannah with her Mom and Dad and brother Eli.  

If you made it through reading this long blog you are surely a good friend.  Blessings to you now and always.

A FRIDAY TO REMEMBER

We went to the Genesee Country Village & Museum located southwest of Rochester and east of Buffalo, about 50 minutes from here.  WE visited there with the Neeleys, Christensens, Griffith & Read missionaries. One of the docents told us it's the 3rd largest Historical Village in the US, probably not one of the most carefully restored, but very interesting. Basically there are three villages in the park, each representing a different time period - the Pioneer Settlement 1780's-1830's, the Antebellum Village 1830-s - 1860's, and the Turn of the Century 1870's - 1920's. Some of the homes/buildings have docents in them to explain and answer questions.  We were there about five hours and still didn't see everything. 

TOLL HOUSE

 built c. 1850, Lima, N.Y.

Over the "Genesee Pike" traveled tens of thousands of settlers, some staying to take up land in the Genesee Country, others going on to Ohio and Michigan. More importantly, agricultural produce could now reach the Albany market, bringing cash and a greater promise of prosperity to the Genesee farmer. 

This is the entrance into the villages.  All the buildings are original and have been brought from various historic places from New York to be added to the displays here.

The cattle were very relaxed on this sunny New York day!

Flint Hill Pottery 

Reconstruction, c. 1845

In the kitchens and pantries of the village are scores of examples of the Genesee Country potter's art, both lead-glazed earthenware (also called "redware") and salt-glazed stoneware. These relics survived generations of everyday use for food preparation and storage in the 19th-century before drawing notice from collectors, antique dealers and museum curators.

The work of regional potters has also earned the attention of archaeologists. Of the several sites excavated by the Rochester Museum & Science Center, the best documented are the Alvin Wilcox Pottery (c.1825-62) in Ontario County and the Morganville Pottery (c.1829-1900) in Genesee County.

The lead-glazed earthenware produced by these and other early 19th-century rural potters included crocks, jugs, jars and bottles; plates, bowls, pitchers and porringers; milk pans and butter churns; candle and cake moulds; drain tiles and flower pots; chamber pots and spittoons.  We were able to watch the potter throw a bowl which took me back to my pottery class at BYU!

Hamilton House 

built 1870, Campbell, N.Y.

There were ropes to keep children from climbing to the top of the home.   The docent told us we could unhook the ropes to view the upper floor since children were not with us...so we undid the ropes and climbed to the very top of the "widows walk".   She had only meant the 2nd floor...we wer in the tower and could see out beyond the historical site...it was a beautiful view and a very hot, hot room! 

Blacksmith Shop 

built 1830, Elba, N.Y.

He might have been preceded by the innkeeper and the storekeeper, but the blacksmith was the first tradesman to set up shop in the emerging village. He supplied goods and services basic to the welfare of any early community, large or small.

Even the tiniest hamlet included at least one blacksmith. The smith shod horses, made hardware, repaired wagons and plows — everything of iron that the farmer or the villager could not repair himself. His trade was often combined with that of the wheelwright, with whom he might collaborate in making wagons and carriages.

This was a lakestone building like the Martin Harris home.  They took down this building, moved it to the historic site and rebuilt it...We were impressed!

Schoolhouse 

built 1822, Rush, N.Y.

Genesee Country settlers from New England brought with them a century-and-a-half-old tradition of public education. In 1788, the Adams family from New England built a log house along the trail leading from Canandaigua to the Genesee River. James Sperry, an early settler of Ontario County, recalled that when his family arrived in the same area in 1794, there was already a school near the Adams residence, kept by Laura, one of the Adams daughters. "The next spring," Sperry recounted, "a seven by ten log schoolhouse was built one and a half miles southwest."

 The docent teacher had our attention.  We each had a chalk board with a piece of soapstone rock to write with...it was awesome!

Shaker Trustees' Building 

built 1839, Sonyea, N.Y.

In 1776, the Shakers founded their first community at Niskayuna (now Watervliet) near Albany, N.Y. There, rejecting the ideas of personal property and predestination, they followed Mother Ann's teaching: "Hands to work, hearts to God." Visitors to Shaker revival meetings spread the word, and other Shaker

communities were begun throughout New England.  You can read about Ann Lee in the heading of the 49th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.  We had a volunteer gardner take us through the Shaker garden and explain the herbs and seeds they grew.  The Shakers were the first to produce packaged seeds to sell for planting.  Because they did not believe in marriage and procreation their sect is about nonexistant now!

 

The website for information is https://www.gcv.org/ or you can google Genesee Country Village & Museum.  We saw many more buildings in that 5 hours.  If you would like to read about this historic site go to this website.

We returned to Palmyra where we changed to our Sunday Best and went to the temple to fulfill our 5:00 shift assignment.  I must admit I almost fell asleep in the endowment session.  I held my feet up off the floor and suffered just so I would not fall asleep!

So that was our Friday....have a great weekend...we are off to Skaneateles Lake and a cruise this afternoon before attending a baptism this evening at Cortland Ward.  

Oh!  The dentist rebuilt my tooth and yes, he was gentle.  Now I have a plastic cap for three weeks till my CROWN is placed!

"15 MILES ON THE ERIE CANAL" written by Thomas Allen in 1905

During Sunday School in the Cortland Ward, we taught our Temple Preparation class, Elder Bushman requested that I teach the tithing part of the lesson.  I was reminded of a happening that we had as early married college students.  We always paid 10% of our income for tithing.  Our check was enough to pay our rent and food, but we had no extra for anything else.  We were parents of a handsome little son.  We paid our tithing one Sunday and wrote the check for our rent.  We went to the grocery store on Monday and bought our food for the next two weeks.  We felt good about how we were managing our finances.  Then on Monday evening our Eric got a high fever.  I took him to the health center the next day when the fever would not break.  The Doctor prescribed an antibiotic for him.  I took Eric home and prayed.  We did not have the money we needed for the antibiotic.  Art came home from school and I was cooling Eric off with wash cloths.  I told him of our urgent problem.  He said he would go over to his older brothers home and see if he could borrow some money from him until our next paycheck.  (He had two brothers living in Provo at the time, they also were students) As he reached into his pocket for the car keys, a ten dollar bill fell out of his pocket.  We were able to purchase the medicine.  He may have had that money there before and forgot about it...some would find a reason for this happening, but I knew and still know that Our Heavenly Father heard my prayer and answered it through my husband.  I have never questioned paying tithing and this just increased my faith in doing so.  Now as we are devoting our lives for a time as missionaries, Our Heavenly Father reminds us of the faith we have in Him and how we have learned to trust in that faith.  I taught the tithing message in the lesson, but was reminded of this happening on the same weekend that our  healthy Eric visited with his children in Palmyra.   I can honestly say that paying our tithing is a small price to pay for the peace of attending the temple and being temple missionaries.  We had sufficient funds to raise our children.  Our family means more to us than any material article we have in this life and we are assured that we have been 100% sealed to them for all time and eternity.  We are forever indebted to The Lord.  Hurrah!

Married in the Idaho Falls Temple August 9, 1968.  Band of Gold;  "I've never wanted wealth untold, But till the end of time, there'll be a little band of gold, to prove that you are mine." by Mel Carter

Eric's family went to the beach and brought these shells to me.  Now I have some muscle shells that the longhouse tribe people used to make their sacred belts etc.   I have a collection of shells in NY to take home to add to the Edmond OK collection.

Monday Elder Bushman and I participated in a sealing with Elder and Sister Weaver.  Their daughter passed away two years ago.  Sister Dean acted as Proxy for their daughter.  It was such a sweet experience for all of us.  Elder and Sister Weaver were so thankful to get this ordinance done for their family.

Late Monday afternoon all the Temple Missionaries drove to  Pittsford NY and took a cruise down The Erie Canal.  Elder Bushman thought we could steer the wheel.  He would make a good Captain don't you think?

 The canal was begun on July 4, 1817 in Rome NY and dug in both directions simultaneously.  The canal was finished from Buffalo to Albany (across entire state in late 1825).  The New York Canal System includes four historic canals:  Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca.  Together, they create an inland waterway that spans miles of upstate New York, connecting the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Lake Erie via the Niagara River.  (The Erie Canal was the transportation used by many Saints as they came to Palmyra).  There are 57 locks on in the Canal System.  So a lock is a device (steel gate which works kind of like a dam) for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on the canal waterways.  The boat passes through open gates.  The gates shut and water is pumped into the area where the boat raises up at a rate of one foot per 10 seconds or 3 million gallons.  Our boat, the Sam Patch, then turns around and the water is pumped out, the boat lowers and the gates open and our boat passes back through the lock.  It may have been an engineering marvel in its day, but it is still a marvel
to us.
                                                

 The Saints used the canal as an exodus to Kirtland.

 Because the canal goes through Palmyra the Grandon Press was purchased and shipped to Palmyra.  This was the press that The Book of Mormon was printed on by E. B. Grandon in 1830.  The commerce of this State was improved because of this great water passageway.  We enjoyed being on the waters of The Erie Canal.

This couple are Elder and Sister Perron from Hailey ID.  Elder Perron keeps the Temple kitchen supplied in fresh home made bread.  When he first met Elder Bushman he slugged him hard on his upper arm and said, "That is from your brother in Martin Cove.  He said to tell you hi."  Art's younger brother Blaine and his wife are on a mission in Martin Cove, Wyoming.  That was a Bushman hello. 

 This is the entrance to lock 32.  We got to see how the boat is lifted up and then lowered through the lock system.  Here we are being raised to the top of the waterway.

 This is when the ship was being lowered back down to leave the lock.

 It was a good experience with Captain Bushman at the helm!  He was very interested in the Geology of the Erie Canal.

We then all walked across the street to the Village Coal Tower Restaurant and had a enjoyable feast.

I went to the Palmyra Community Library on Monday also and got me a Library Card...now I have a library full of books I can borrow and read as Elder Bushman continues our driving adventures across this great State & Mission Zone.  I had to locate the library for our good friend & Librarian Karen Hutto to know she has taught me well!

I was the Own Endowment guide for a young girl from Texas today.  She is going on a mission to Uruguay in August and she must learn Spanish.   She can speak French and was surprised when she got her mission call.  She came to Palmyra to get her endowments because her maternal grandparents are on a mission here and her paternal grandparents live in Buffalo NY.  She has been attending BYU on a dance scholarship for a year.  She had such wonderful family support today.  She is a beautiful young woman and I told her my love and prayers would be with her for the 18 months she would be serving.  I will treasure sharing this experience with her.  I bid her and you an adieu for this blog.  May the heavens smile upon each of you and bring you hope and joy in this life.  

Les Miserable Cast "I know a lady all in white....Castle in The Clouds" by Herbert Krezmer

Never forget that Our Heavenly Father loves you.  Adieu from Palmyra New York Temple.

HOLINESS TO THE LORD

SO THIS WEEK I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS SIGN EACH TIME WE ENTER THE PALMYRA TEMPLE.
I have been blessed to be on some endowment sessions with several people receiving their endowments for the first time this week.  I have been blessed to visit with them before and after the sessions and they have taught me, because of their humility and enthusiasm, about the teachings they have received.  June 19, 2014: Today Elder Bushman & I arrived a little early to the temple.  There were some youth in the waiting room who were patiently waiting for their session in the baptistry to begin.  There was this beautiful little girl, about 12 years old, that smiled so kindly to everyone who arrived.  I watched her for awhile while I was awaiting my assignments for the day.   When I left I went over and hugged her and thanked her for her beautiful smile.  I told her to continue to smile in this life, that she has beautiful dimples, and she had made my day much brighter.  I wish I could protect her from the trials in this life that may dull that priceless sincerity I felt today.  I pray Heavenly Father will protect her always.  Her smiling at all us old temple workers will be a treasure I will keep close to this wounded heart for always.  I pray she had a lovely day in the Palmyra Temple today.   Elder Bushman was in the baptistry with this group and he said today was the first day this little girl had done proxy baptisms.  The Temple President always speaks to the group before they begin.  This young woman asked many questions.  Elder Bushman said that when she had finished the baptisms that she went over to her Father and gave him a hug.  She then went around the room to all that were volunteering and shook hands with them and thanked them.  "We are all God's children reaching to the sky".  I think of the song "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli....."lead us to a place, guide us with your grace, give us faith so we'll be safe".   

This is a new picture of The Savior that hangs in the Peter Whitmer Visitor's Center.

The first ordinance of The Gospel.

The new Stake President for OKC Stake is President Gray.  This is a picture of him with his wife Becky.  The counselors are Howard Roy Haralson and Darren Waltman.  By the time Elder Bushman and I return to OKC Stake these brothern will be well seasoned in their callings.  Our love and prayers are with each of them as they begin these new assignments.

I purchased this book after a lesson in Relief Society.  I have been pondering being a holy woman since we went to the Indian Longhouse in Victor NY.  This book gave me some good ideas to work on.

I asked Elder Bushman if he could suggest some things that he thinks I could improve on to become a more holier woman.  He said, "Don't ever buy any new clothes and wear the same thing day after day and soon it will make you a holey woman".

My mind saw me as a holy Jean!  No wonder this article of clothing is so popular among the teens...It's a good thing my parents spelled my name Gene after all..ha.  I'm thankful for Sister Nelson's ideas.  I am going to try and become a more holy woman and discard my holey items when necessary.  I'm so glad Elder Bushman is such a good teacher! 

I broke a tooth off a couple of days ago.  I am going to see Doctor Woodworth in Phelps NY to see what needs to be done to repair the damage I did.  I miss my son-in-law Mikie!  He is the best dentist ever.  I would rather ride all day in the car with Elder Bushman than worry about getting this tooth repaired.  Sister Woodworth served with me in the temple this morning and she said that Dr. Woodworth is her son and he is a very kind and gentle dentist.  I say bring on the gas!  So Dr. Woodworth is going to put in three rods into the root of this molar and  rebuild a tooth and a new crown will top it....several weeks from now this broken tooth will be repaired....should last till I get root rot...nice.  Some people wear their jewels on their hands and ears...I wear mine inside on my jaws they are called my pearly whites!  My skeleton jaw bone should be quite a piece of anatomy when this procedure is added to my works of Art!

Do you think there are pearls in your mouth?

Our oldest son Eric and his children are on vacation in NY this week.  They look like they have been having a good vacation.  They will be in Palmyra this Saturday...Hurrah...this Grandma Gene is so excited to visit with them.

The butterflies at The Sacred Grove liked my Grandchildren and they liked the butterflies.  

 

Cecily carried this butterfly through the Sacred Grove with her.

Finally, just before we left, Brandt was able to hold the butterfly by himself too...thank's to his sisters help!

We love Eric, Lauren, Cecily and Brandt!  Thank's for coming to visit us in Palmyra.

We got to visit with them for almost 8 hours and then they were off to Niagara Falls in Canada tonight...sob...so glad they visited us.  We got ice cream at The Chill and Grill.  The girls had to eat their ice cream in the sun as they weren't used to the wonderful chill in the air today.  Aren't they growing up to be beauties?  Brandt is awesome too.  Of course we love our Eric too!   We are blessed Grandparents.

I couldn't use the spa with the grandchildren...it is a storage room at the inn now...maybe someday.

I've been riding the stationary bike daily while Elder Bushman runs on the treadmill...boring...but necessary.

Brother Nordfelt(one of the temple missionaries) shared this story about the Temple in Montevideo, Uruquay. He said that most temples have fences around them more for decorative purposes - for example the Palmyra Temple does not have a fence around it at all. However in some countries like Uruquay where crime is rampant the fences keep out those who might do harm to the temple and most of them have a security building at the gate to keep out those not belonging there. One morning the security guard saw a young boy coming up the walk to the Temple gates. He kept his eye on him to see what he would do. He stepped inside of the Temple gates and then he stepped out and he continued to do this quite a few times. So the security guard decided to see what he was up to. He thought that the boy would run away when he would see him coming toward him. Instead the boy said "Mister you have got to come and see this." So the boy took his hand and took him outside the gate and then back inside the gate and said. "Don't you feel that?" And the guard said , "Feel what?" So the young boy took the guard by the hand again and stepped outside the Temple gates and then inside the Temple gates. This time he realized what the boy was talking about.

May we always feel the spirit of the temple when we go and not let it become common place.  I borrowed this story from Sister Bardo's blog.  

Enjoy this Summer Sabbath day.  May God's choicest blessings be with you now and always.