WITHIN OUR REACH: JOY!

We salute you.
Monday, 15 December 2014

Elder Bushman and I spent a quiet day in the Inn reading, doing laundry etc.  In the evening we went to the home evening at the Joseph Smith Homestead.  The Sister Site Missionaries lead us in singing carols.

 They invited us on a evening tour of the homestead.

 The painting above the Sister playing the piano was of "The First Vision".

 The Temple Missionaries mingled with their Palmyra neighbors. 

 An Elder read us the Story of Christmas inside the 1st home that Joseph lived in in Palmyra

 A family acted out the scene of when Joseph was introduced to his brothers and sisters after his birth.  The baby was so cute and this family did a great job in their portrayal of the Smith family.

 Elder Bean read from the script of the home that Alvin built for his parents.

 A missionary portrayed Joseph after he had obtained the plates and his worry about being able to translate them with people trying to steal them from him.

A missionary portraying Emma. 

 A letter arrives from Emma's father inviting them to Harmony.  Hyrum & his wife comforts the family.

 We then moved to the Smith barn where Elder Bushman tried the ring toss game.

 He got a ring to go over the peg..Yay!

 Sister McGarry got a bean bag in the bucket...Yay.

 As we walked back to the Smith Visitor Center we sang carols as we passed by the Palmyra Temple.

 The temple was lit in the distance.  It was a good Home Evening that ended with hot chocolate and cookies.  Merry Christmas from the Smith Farm in Palmyra, New York.

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

We arrived at the temple at 7 AM to help with the early morning session.  We had a lovely morning in the temple.  We learned a Sister Davis, who is a temple worker, would not be there today.  Her Doctor wanted to deliver her baby a month early as the little girl had stopped growing.  We all were keeping Sister Davis in our prayers today.  We are anxious to learn of this little girls safe arrival.  Our love and prayers are with you Sister Davis.  *  Little Lucy was delivered by "C" section on the 17th and she weighed just over 3 1/2 lbs.  Baby and mother are doing good.   We will miss serving with you in the temple, but know you are off to a greater adventure...that of being a Mother.  Congratulations to you!  We will miss hearing your cute hick ups!

Elder Jon & Lynnette Neeley made this tile for us.  Thank you for this Christmas Keepsake.  We love it!

Grandpa Art and I decided today was the day to build the Gingerbread House that our children Troy and Amy sent us.  Troy made this delicious Gingerbread for us...I have already eaten one of the Gingerbread men and they are yummy!  They sent us several different kinds of cookies that Troy baked for us too.  

The walls are up and part of the roof is on.

 We tried to get the roof on safely, then grandpa shook and cracked one side down the middle.

 I tried to put it back together with the drying sticky frosting, but it just stuck on my fingers so Grandpa added some water, too much water!  Now what do we do?  We got out some powdered sugar and got it mixed into a paste again.

 Ha..here is our finished product.  We used up all the frosting before we could even get any candy put on it!  We decided the gingerbread men looked good on it and it will make a great treat on Christmas Eve at our Missionary get together...prepare to eat the best baked Gingerbread Ever!  It should be a really sturdy house by then!

Troy and Amy sent us bags of yummy cookies too...of course I have eaten all 5 kinds and Grandpa Arthur had one with a kiss on top.  Thanks Troy for being the best cookie maker ever!

The church announced today that they are going to shut down the Idaho Falls Temple for a year and a half and remodel it.  It opened in 1945. This is where Elder Bushman and I were married in 1968.   It has always looked like a birthday cake with one candle on it.  I can't wait to see it remodeled.

Also today BYU can now purchase Y Mountain!  Merry Christmas to all the students and former students of BYU.

Today is also my Uncle Billys 80th Birthday.  Happy Birthday Uncle Billy!  We wish we could have celebrated with you today.  We hope you had a fun birthday with many of your family present.  Love you!
Wednesday 17 December 2014
Served in the temple this evening.  It was snowing as we came out of the temple about 9:30 pm.  We had a quiet peaceful day.
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Served in the office morning and evening.  It was a peaceful day.
We returned to the Inn and watched the final minutes of the Womens Volleyball game against Texas...that was played in OKC!  Hurrah for  BYU!  Great games!  Jennifer Hamson visited the Palmyra Temple this summer with her family. They did baptisms. Hurrah for Jennifer!

Friday 19 December 2014
It is snowing outdoors.  We are hunkered down in the Inn enjoying Christmas Music and the beauties of this season. "Joy to the World"!
We enjoyed a fun evening with Bruce & Karen Nickell at Red Lobster in Rochester, NY.  We learned they missed their Christmas Dinner to dine with us...I felt bad, but sure appreciated them taking an evening with us.  Thank's Bruce & Dr. Nickell.  Merry Christmas

 Saturday, 20 December 2014
Served in the temple all day.  All the missionaries met at President  Brighton's to watch the Cougar Women's Volleyball National Match tonight.  All our children, that are in OKC this weekend, will be attending the game.  We will be looking for you'all in the audience!  Go BYU!  Too sad...Penn State whopped BYU.  BYU played great...they just were against a team as good as them!  Late that evening the BYU Mens Basketball team beat Stanford by two points, 79-77...they were lucky!  We are looking forward to BYU & Memphis Football on Monday afternoon.
 

 Missionaries watching on big screen in President Brighton's basement.  Thank's Jon Neeley!

Our children had to send us a picture of them at the game...they were up in the rafters!  So fun that they all got to watch the game.

Sunday, December 21, 2015
Happy Birthday Elder Jeffrey Alonzo Bushman! ak...Elder McCain!  Elder Bushman is Grandpa Arthurs youngest brother.  He and Wendy are serving a CES mission in Long Island, NY!  Does he look like Senator McCain to you?

The Sacrament meeting in Cortland was wonderful today.  The Ward Chior put on a Christmas Program that was wonderful!  We had a good Sunday School class today.  We had a small class today, but it was fun to listen to them answer Elder Bushman's questions.  Relief Society was taught by Marie Carman and she did such a great job...no wonder you are such a good teacher!

After all the meetings we attended the baptism of Tyrone Williams.

Brother Moss baptised him so was telling him what was going to occur!

He got a picture with the missionaries also before his baptism.

I loved Sister Hapgood's vest today.  I had to take a picture for my children...I'm sure they could see me doing this...if only I had the tree pins.  Sister Hapgood said the vest is very heavy.  Merry Christmas to Sister Hapgood!  We love your festive outfit!

She also had snowmen on each fingernail!

Beyond our reach this Christmas is our family.  Three of the families got together yesterday for dinner.  Thank you for taking the picture Grandpa and Grandma Hansen.  All these children, in this photo, are the reason we live, love and have joy in our lives.  This picture is heavenly!  We love each of you and the other two families not pictured.  We are so blessed to be a part of all of your lives.  Thank you for the way you love your families and us.  We love you, each of you!  We hope each of our children and their families have the best Christmas Day ever.   Many blessing for 2015.

Patty (the diner Innkeeper) heard we did not have a tree so she presented us with this tree and decorations to attach today.  Are we blessed or what?

"So, at this time, we greet you, not quite as the world sends greetings but with esteem and with the Prayer that for you, now and forever, the Day breaks and the shadows flee away."  ...Fra Giovanni

We will close this epistle and get ready to go watch the Memphis Tigers and BYU Cougars...

"We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"!

Hugs,

Elder and Sister Bushman

Grandpa Arthur and Grandma Gene