"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.