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.