“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) I love to witness the moments of joy in my life and give appreciation for them. When you look carefully and thoughtfully, you will find joy in your life. I witnessed this throughout the past week.
Having joy is a choice to find deep contentment in faith, rather than a denial of pain. I love these scriptures because to rejoice always is an invitation to find strength in God during trials like stress, fatigue or conflict.
To pray continually gives me a constant connection to God’s strength. Giving thanks in all circumstances is a practice that I found to shift my difficulties to gratitude. Through this practice I have helped myself build maturity, patience and a deeper more resilient faith.
As taught by President Russell M. Nelson, true joy is a spiritual state, not merely fleeting happiness, that can be maintained regardless of whether one is experiencing a bad day, week, or year.
We had the opportunity to assist a family who were being joined together in marriage this past week. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together forever in the eternities. While the couple were being married, the youngest children were getting impatient and could hardly wait to go into the sealing room. After the sealing of the family was done, the children were heard exclaiming, “THIS is the BEST day of my life!! We are an eternal family now!!!” I was so touched by their gratitude and joy at being joined together. I don’t remember seeing such joy from children before as they understood the importance of being together forever.
As well, the grandparents were so grateful and full of joy, and that joy spread throughout the temple. Family had flown in from across the country to be together and witness this marriage and sealing of family. What a beautiful day! Another miracle was that the sun was shining and they were able to take photos outside the temple together. The sun doesn’t shine very often in the winter here in New York. One person told me that this sky color is called “New York Gray”.
Here we are; best of the goofing around photos
Our home Ward has asked us for a photo of the two of us and a scripture to go on a plaque to commemorate our mission. Erik and I never sit for a professional photographer and thus we kept forgetting to get a photo done. We wanted one outside of the temple, but the weather didn’t cooperate. We finally went next door to the Gurr’s and asked them to take a photo of us. The next problem is that we don’t seem to take photos very seriously and it’s more of a comedy scene than anything else.
It’s hard to take this seriously!
Erik has been fine tuning his spreadsheet for our journey home. If there is anything you have seen in the USA that you would recommend for us, let me know. So far, we are planning on going to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see a play at the Sight and Sound Theatre. This year the play is called Joshua. I’m really looking forward to it!
Sight & Sound® began nearly 50 years ago in rural Pennsylvania when a dairy farmer went from producing milk to producing live entertainment with a purpose. Now with two state-of-the-art theater locations, an online streaming platform, and a film studio, Sight & Sound brings powerful stories from the pages of Scripture and history to life on stage and screen.
Whenever I think of Gettysburg, I think of Bruce Blumell. Bruce has a deep love of history and for one Empty-Nester family home evening get together, he gave a presentation on Gettysburg. I have been to Germany to the concentration camps and felt the horrors of those places so I have mixed feelings about Gettysburg which had over 51,000 casualties in three days. This was one hundred years before I was born. This battle was the turning point in the American Civil War.
I am on the final projects for quilting and Erik is starting to get nervous that I won’t get them done. Today I have the final large project ready for the long arm quilter. Binding is made and ready to apply to the quilt when it gets back to me. I laid out fabrics for the next two projects and am feeling confident.
The lost sock
My missing sock has been found!! I bought some socks from North Carolina and they are based on using recycled wool. Each pair is made with the same pattern but the colors may not be in the exact same places in each sock. I was sad, wondering where my sock could have wandered off to. Erik (the official laundry person) said that it was probably stuck inside of some piece of clothing. Today he decided to cut up one of his collared T-shirts and found my lost sock inside of it. I am so grateful that he didn’t cut the sock!!
Next Sunday, Erik and I have been asked to give our final talks in our Branch. We will be talking about the blessings of the temple. When an English speaker uses a translator, the time is as if there were two talks given, so, we will have to be cognizant of the time (well, Erik will have to).
Tonight we are going to join up with the Historic Site missionaries for a Valentine’s Day meal. Their new Mission Leader for the Historic Sites will be joining us. There has been a two week break between the last Mission Leaders leaving and the new leaders arriving. Next month the new sister missionaries will start arriving as well to prepare themselves for the tours. They memorize the scripts for the tours and do a fabulous job.
I found an Instagram page called “mormon_food_review”. It’s really cute because these men who drink beer and cook chili decided to feed the missionaries. They edit their salty language but it’s so nice to see people being kind and helping the missionaries. They are from New York (Rochester) and I recognized two missionaries who have served at the temple. One of the videos show them in a restaurant being fed “Garbage Plates” which are famous in Rochester.
I am bringing my seven (or more) layer salad to the dinner tonight. Erik cooks the eggs and the bacon and opens the can of water chestnuts for me. I chop and grate and get the salad put together. The good thing is that I used up two jars from the fridge, plus a can, haha! The Gurr’s showed us their food left and it’s not much at all. They are doing much better than us at reducing our food pantry. We’ll get there eventually!
I may sound like a broken record but I really believe that where we focus our lives will determine the joy we experience. The world around us is going to pieces, we need to be a righteous people who will receive the Lord when he returns. I encourage you to be part of creating Zion, having joy, keeping your covenants and stand ready to have Zion in your hearts.
It is an odd thing when Upstate New York is colder than Alberta. We were sitting at -15C here in New York and Alberta was having above zero Celsius temperatures. With the cold here comes very dry air. I am over the sensation of getting zapped every time I get up to go do something. I had packed a little diffuser for essential oils but we have been running it constantly just to put a little moisture back into the air. Still….Zing! Uncomfortable but I know that one day it won’t happen anymore. Oh, glory be!
I am including this photo that Erik took a couple of weeks ago. This is our church parking lot in Greece. It looks very frosty but it is entirely covered in salt.
Our house developed huge icicles hanging from the eaves. If one of those fell, it would kill someone. We were wondering how to deal with them and I suggested opening the laundry room window and using a broom, try to knock off the icicles. Erik tried it and it worked. It’s getting treacherous to walk on our stoop stairs because of all the melting, dripping and refreezing. On the other side of the house is our bedroom window and while I was sewing, I heard the thud of ice hitting the ground. Erik was again using a broom to knock off the icicles. I was worried about them falling because the air conditioning units sitting below the bedroom.
We finally were able to make it to Jon’s Sewing Machines in Wolcott. On Thursday we left early and made it with clear roads. They carry a small selection of fabric but I was able to find the New York State panel that has been sold out everywhere. They were able to reorder some and I was thrilled to find it. I want to make a quilt of the places we visited while in New York and many of the panels depict these places. Jon expanded his shop to have a huge repair area and so my Bernina is in for some spa time. On the way home, we hit a snow squall right before highway 14 and so we turned south and went to Lyons.
While in Lyons, we went to Aldi’s to pick up some veggies. We saw an Amish couple shopping there and when we left I had Erik take photos of their ride.
Our son Lyndon sent us a little video of our grandson, Henry opening his birthday present that we mailed to him. I found a quiet book of the Old Testament stories. When Henry asked his mom what it was, his dad replied, “Those are the brass plates.” Henry then said, “They sure are, they sure are!” Toddlers are so cute! He has now decided that he needs to wear a tie to church to go to nursery class.
Salt laid down by the snow removal company.
This past week, we experienced the onslaught of salt on the temple grounds. It’s very pretty and looks like sea glass but unfortunately it does get tracked into the temple and then melts into the carpets and makes blue puddles on the floor. Thus the presidency decided that we should encourage the patrons to remove their outer footwear before coming into the main foyer. We have four little cloak areas to hang coats and place footwear. It really helped to keep the temple cleaner and safer for everyone. This photo shows how much salt is on the sidewalks.
Palmyra temple by C. Fazio
My friend Christine loves to take photos and she’s really good at it. This photo is one of hers on a day where we actually could see blue skies.
On Sunday, we attempted to drive to Greece for church but as we were leaving Palmyra, the snow started picking up in intensity. By the time we reached the west side of Macedon, it was coming down so thickly that we thought that it might not be a good idea to proceed. We passed 3 big snowplows heading out in a row to the freeway and that sealed the deal. We turned around at Egypt and came back to Palmyra in perfect time for church.
This was my first church meeting in English in nearly a year. The first Sunday of the month, we have the opportunity to share our testimonies of the Savior. Members go up to the pulpit one at a time and share their thoughts. Near the end of the meeting, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a young lady going to the front row to wait her turn. I was on the opposite side of the chapel and couldn’t see who she was but my spirit was so drawn to her and I wondered who she possibly could be. When it was her turn, I gasped when I saw that she was a young lady from our 5th Branch that I hadn’t seen in months. Her parents are divorced and she had decided to spend some time with her mother. This young lady is very special and is so, so sweet. She has a very kind soul and looks to help others. I couldn’t wait to see her after the meeting. I turned to Sister Lau, who I was sitting with and said, “That’s why we were sent back to Palmyra today!” This darling girl and I exchanged contact information and had lots of hugs and a great little catchup. I love her like she is one of my grandchildren. This was a great lesson in knowing that God has plans for us and we just need to listen.
I have been asking the Lord about what’s next after the next. He told me that I am getting ahead of myself and that I need to breathe. So, I place my trust in Him and know that all will work out for my benefit.
Take your time to breathe and pause. Especially in these times with all the chaos going on around us, it can become overwhelming. Step back to reclaim your peace and serenity. I love the quote, “Don’t trade God’s timing for your deadline.”
In John 14:27 we find: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Go forth with faith, not fear and know that you are loved and God’s timing is perfect.
I have been blessed with confidence to try new things, new experiences, new skills and this was not so early in my life. When I tell people that I used to be uncomfortably shy, they are in shock and can’t believe it because of how outgoing I am now.
I’ll share something that may make you uncomfortable but know that we all go through hard things in our lives. The first two years of my life were really rough with torture and abuse from my biological father. I quickly learned that if you tried to make yourself invisible, the abuse might not be so bad. If I cried out, it escalated but if I laid still, it might be the end of that session of beating.
My mom, who also was being abused by him, was able to get away from him shortly before I turned two years old. An unlikely person took us in and when my mom met a fellow who came to help her move, he told me that he fell in love with me when he saw me. He knew that I was his little girl. Yes, he married my mom and then adopted me. I was a scared little rabbit, afraid of loud noises and quick movements. I hid behind my parents at every outing until I was fourteen years old. Everyone always commented on how shy I was. In reality I was terrified of everything.
My friend, Opal, one day said to some people, “She’s not as shy as you think.” I went home and started thinking about my life and my fears. I asked myself, “Do you always want to be hidden away and never be brave?” It was easier to stay in the background and work hard at home and try to stay out of harm’s way. How was I to learn? How was I going to get out of this cycle?
I told myself that I was going to have to try something and be braver than I’ve ever been. Try talking to someone by initiating conversation, try learning something new. I remember in grade three, we had song books and they were full of folk songs of the day. I loved going outside behind the big propane tank and singing my heart out. After the age of fourteen, I started really breaking out of my shell and it continues to this day.
This past Thursday, our shift coordinator, texted me to see if I knew ASL (American Sign Language). I don’t but we had a patron coming to the temple who requested ASL. Here’s where my trust in the Lord comes into play. I told the coordinator that I would look after it. Then I contacted my friend, Margaret, who learned ASL in college. She made a video for me showing me how to do the signs for the ordinance so that I could interpret for the patron. I learned it in about 10 minutes and then that evening went to my assignment. I was able to interpret for the patron with no issues. Erik was very proud of me and the other workers were stunned that I only learned it that afternoon. I was pretty excited and thought, “HA, a new skill unlocked!!” Many thanks to the Lord for helping do His work.
This week I was working on special gifts for departing missionaries. My sewing machine broke down mid project. My frustration was peaking and I was plotting out a course of action to carry on. I started by taking the front case off of my machine to see what was the issue. Then I called Jon’s Sewing Machine Repair in Wolcott. They thought they knew what the issue was but I thought that it would be better to take it in for some spa time.
My sewing machine that I brought on our mission.
Here’s where the timing gets tricky. The USA was about to be blasted with a huge storm and Wolcott is 45 minutes away from us. This was Wednesday and Erik checked the highway cameras (later finding out that they were the wrong area for where we were going). It was partly cloudy skies in Palmyra and we jumped in the vehicle by 9 am. We headed north through Marion and by the time we were in Marion the snow was coming down quite heavily. The roads were snow covered and I was really rethinking our life decisions. We turned onto the 104 and were driving northeast. The snow came even thicker and after halfway to Wolcott, we made the decision to turn back. We were in whiteout conditions and there were other vehicles who also decided to get off the highway. We turned south onto highway 14 and pulled into someone’s driveway. Suddenly a snowplow was driving south and I told Erik, “Quick, follow that snowplow!” We followed the snowplow to Lyons and by then the snow had tapered off to nearly nothing. Erik said, “The things we do for quilting!”
On the 104 heading east and it got progressively worse.Driving south to Lyons. Such a difference!
The clock is still ticking and I am not making progress on projects that need to be completed. I received inspiration to ask one of my fellow temple sisters, if I could borrow her sewing machine to get this work done. She agreed and low and behold, the machine is a Bernina which is the same brand I brought on our mission. Today I was able to use my walking foot on her machine to put the binding on Penny’s quilt. Tender mercies!
Penny’s quiltFront of potholderBack of potholder with my custom made temple fabric.
Whilst “Snowmageddon” is raging around us, I have inside work to be done and we are grateful for heat and power that has not waivered. Our landlord has a snow removal service clear our parking lot and he has been busy. I have run out of my Russian pickled cabbage salad and my herring potato salad, alas! It’s going to be time to try to get to a grocery store again.
On Friday, we decided to go to the temple to do work for our own ancestors. We printed out names and headed to the baptistry. After completing the work for those names we were able to head to an endowment session and get more work done. I was thinking about the timing of the next year and about where we will live. We will submit our next mission application later this year and the Lord told me that I was getting ahead of myself and not to worry.
I love our friends and family who send us real estate listings for us to ponder. Looking at listings and thinking if the layout suits us or would we need to to do extensive renovations. I look forward to the day when we will not be nomads. It has been ten years since we had a home base. For now, I will follow the Lord’s command and go where He wants me to go.
Okay, I have questions for you. Do you each have a book of remembrance for your family? I have to tell you about the one that made such a huge impact on my life. When I was 11 years old, a book was published called the C.F.B Lybbert History. This was the size of family tree sheets and was pivotal in influencing my life. In this book was a collection of impactful stories from members of the family and their downline. There were family tree sheets, photos, and important documents. It was truly a labor of love and it was published 52 years ago.
This is from the introduction to the book: Christian Frederick Bernard Lybbert (1834-1923) was born Flade, Horns herred, Hjorring amt, Denmark, the son of Joachim Frederick and Margarethe Elizabeth Wilhelmine Evart Lybbert. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1854 and served a mission for the Church. He married 1) Marie Anderson (1833-1906) in Denmark. They immigrated to Utah in 1865, with his mother. He married 2) Anthonette Marie Olsen (1845-1932) in 1866 in Salt Lake City. They had eleven children, 1867-1890, born at North Ogden, Spring City, Levan, Vernal, and Naples, Utah, He died at Logan, Utah. Marie Andersen Lybbert died at Naples, Utah; and Anthonette Marie Olsen died at Vernal, Utah. Descendants listed lived in Utah, Alberta, Canada, and elsewhere.
Includes ancestors, chiefly in Germany, and ancestors of Anthonette Marie Olsen in Norway.
Waldemar Christian Lybbert (1869-1944) was born at Spring City, Utah, the son of Christian Frederick Bernhard and Anthonette Marie Olsen Lybbert. He married Ella Dora Darnell (1875-1964), daughter of Martin Van Buren and Susan Katharine Nickles Darnell in 1892 at Logan, Utah. They had eleven children, 1893-1917, born at Naples, Utah, and Frankberg and Glenwood, Alberta, Canada. He died at Glenwood, Alberta. Descendants lived in Alberta, Washington, Idaho, and elsewhere.
There haven’t been any new books published that I know of and it made me consider that it’s time to make a new book that would include our family from my grandma Lois and all her progeny. My grandma had five children and there have been four more generations. Books of remembrance can include anything of importance to your family history. While watching “Come Follow Up” on BYU TV on Sunday, the lesson talked about books of remembrance. A guest author was on the program who was from Pakistan. He brought his book and showed parts of it. I loved that the Punjabi alphabet was illustrated like how we would do in English, “A is for Apple”, “B is for Banana” and so on. There was also a beautiful photo of his grandmother. I called my sister Tanya and asked what she thought of doing this for our family. She agreed and is going to produce a sheet of interest and get people’s juices flowing. We could include recipes because these are an important part of our family history.
The most amazing thing is that the Christian Frederick Bernard Lybbert book is available as a digital version on Family Search. I will enjoy reading through it as an adult. I really believe that it is important to record your life. I know that my children don’t know a lot about my life or their father’s life. I too have questions for people who are dead and it’s too late to ask. Okay, it’s not too late to ask but will you get the answers you are looking for?
There’s no time like the present to start preparing your life history so that future generations will know you better and have an understanding of where they came from. This summer I learned about my biological father’s side of the family. I have loved connecting with them and one of my cousins has been instrumental in helping me understand my ancestors. I understand on where I get some of my features, my likes of foods, my love of handwork.
Not everything is going to be wonderful and perfect and our progeny need to understand that we did not live perfect lives; that we had struggles and trials. There are many mysteries to be unraveled but that may be for the future after the coming of our Savior. This past week I received an incredible sacred experience in the temple. I know that He lives and that He loves us. Hold on tight to what you know as truth and righteousness.
I feel this strongly! We are part of something greater than ourselves. I love my family and look forward to spending time with them again. Enjoy your week, staying warm as needed. My sister told me that they had an experience of living with no power for 12 hours and they see what they could do better if needs be.
The church we live behind; originally a Methodist church.
I have to laugh while typing the title of this post. I am starting to think about things at home that I have missed; king size bed, Soda Stream drink station, a sewing room and the list goes on. We have two months left of our mission. Our last shift will be on March 14. I was taking some salad over to Tonya (our next door neighbor) and Rick, Tonya and I were looking at the calendar at the dates of what we are doing in the next two months. They finish at the same time as us.
I have enjoyed having a dishwasher (our cottage does not have one). It is a Samsung brand and definitely has issues but if you hold your tongue right, the cycle might come out okay. The large capacity washer and dryer have been lovely. When the washer is on the spin cycle it sounds and feels like a Chinook helicopter is right over the house! We had an Electrolux washing machine and dryer in Calgary and it was the cat’s meow; I adored those machines. At the cottage we have a European stacking set but apartment sized, thus small loads are what we can do. Give and take…
We had a fun moment this past week when we went shopping. We first went to BJ’s for bulk items (it’s like a Costco style store) and gasoline. Then we went to Wegman’s for things we had on our shopping list that weren’t available at BJ’s. Finally, we ended up at Walmart to get windshield washer fluid and a couple of grocery items that Wegman’s didn’t have. Three stores!!!!! The fun part was seeing missionaries in Walmart. There were two sister missionaries and I went up to them to say hello. They serve in the Palmyra area. Then Erik came up and asked the sisters if we could buy their groceries for them. They were hesitant and graciously thanked us but no, they were fine. We insisted and I told them the story of when our son, Lyndon was on his mission in Arizona and was approached by a lady who wanted to buy groceries for him and his companion. Lyndon ran off to grab a jug of chocolate milk and a bag of cherries, while his companion grabbed some cereal and milk. When they met back up with her, she looked at what they had chosen and said, “Oh, no, that’s not nearly enough!” She grabbed them each a cart and then went up and down the aisles filling their carts with groceries. She explained that her husband played NFL football for the Cardinals and they could certainly afford to buy these missionaries groceries. At the check-out, she also purchased gift cards for restaurants for them. What a huge tender mercy! So, I told the sisters that we wanted to pass along this kindness to them. Thanks to the example of Deuce Lutui and his wife, other people are being blessed. It was fun, to shop with the sisters as we headed to the cosmetic area for face cream and sugar scrubs. I acted like a Mama Bear and tried to influence the girls to choose better quality products with less chemicals. They were worried about cost and I was telling them that it doesn’t matter; buy what’s best for you.
We had some beautiful weather this past week and the snow has mainly melted. A cold front is moving in and this week on my birthday it will be forecasted for -4C. I say, it’s in honor of the Canadian living in New York state, hahaha!
One day when it was 9C, I told Erik that I was going for a walk and he decided to join me. It was brisk at first because of the wind but as we moved along, it was just fine. We love looking at the historic homes in Palmyra and especially the big ones with carriage houses in the back. It’s fascinating to think about life here 150 years ago.
We stopped in at the T-shirt printing shop and I had questions for them about what they can print and how they do it. I have so many ideas spinning through my head and if I want to implement anything, I need to step on it and get cracking.
Walking past a tattoo shop, I had a good giggle at their sign. When Erik texted it to our daughter-in-law (a tattoo artist), she said, “Yup, those are the rules!”
Them’s the rules!
At the Palmyra temple we do training meetings for the workers for two weeks at a time. Everyone gets the training and it leaves out very few people. This session is about emergency procedures and practices. When it comes to dealing with a tough situation, I could imagine my husband saying, “Let my wife, the wolverine, deal with it!” I realized how well trained I am because of all my leadership training with being a Girl Guide leader. They had a comprehensive training system to help leaders be great with the girls and keep their health and safety at the forefront. I had to be trained to be able to take girls camping and so on. Many of the practices meld well with my life in working with the public. I have great understanding of how to deal with emergencies and how to stay calm.
This past week, my cousin, Crysta gave me some more information about my ancestors. This brings up a point where I have so many questions and all the people to ask are dead. Ask the questions while your relatives are alive!! There are gaps where I don’t understand or know where or why this person lives here or what they did with their lives. It’s so important to keep a journal of your life.
A really exciting and cute piece of news came out of our temple this past week. Brother and Sister Pace have been called to be mission leaders in Guatemala City Center, starting July 1. Also Brother and Sister Mayo are called as mission leaders in Sweden. In the locker room at the temple, I asked Sister Pace to later tell me the details of her call. There was a lot of excitement in the locker room. Suddenly she turned to me and said, “When you are finished with your mission, you can apply to go to Guatemala City for your next mission!” I said, “I see what you’re doing there!!” Sister Pace said, that now that the news is out, she is shamelessly going to be recruiting people to serve in Guatemala.
We are excited to serve again. Who knows where it will be but we will be happy to be out serving again. Being late to church on Sunday was so bizarre because that it not how we operate. We have the sister missionaries back in our Branch and I was super excited to see Sister Parr again. There is a sister from Washington state who is a “visa waiter” going to Peru. Her last name is Law and when we checked our Family Tree app, it seems that we are 3rd cousins! Next week is Compartir and I signed up to bring a salad.
It’s a lot of fun to be good and do good.
Have a happy week of service where you can. Today as I was cutting my husband’s hair, he had a smile on his face. I asked him why he was smiling and he said, “It makes me happy when you are doing something for me.” It doesn’t have to be a grandiose gesture of service; any small act affects in big ways that you may not see. Love to you all!
Monday the 30th of March came and I realized that we have been in Palymra for seven days. I like to start my day by drinking two cups of water and settling in to read my scriptures. Reading each day gives me strength and courage to go forth and try to be a better person. My personal reading schedule finds me in Alma in the Book of Mormon and in Acts in the New Testament. Plus I am studying the Come Follow Me program in the Doctrine & Covenants this year. It’s a lot to take in and process but I love being able to disect gospel principles and receive a confirmation.
Today was the day to meet the temple presidency. President and Sister Kimbler are from the Rochester area. The counselors are President and Sister Wozniak as well as President and Sister Lau. We met at the Kimbler’s home (the temple presidents have a home close to the temple) and Sister Kimbler made a beautiful luncheon for everyone. It was lovely to meet everyone. Brother Fergus, the temple recorder was also there and the Gurr’s. We were able to chat a little over lunch and afterwards we headed over to the temple for our orientation.
The Palmyra temple is one of what I call, “The Hinkley Temples. President Hinkley had built many temples according to this floor plan. They were called the small temples, usually just over 10,000 square feet. The Palmyra temple is all on one floor and is 10,900 sq. feet. There is a window in the main reception area that overlooks the Sacred Grove. I can’t wait to see it when the trees are leafed out. The trees that are there are a variety of the following: Sugar Maple, Tulip Poplar, White Ash, Black Walnut, Norway Spruce, Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Catalpa, Kentucky Coffee Tree as well as a variety of Oak species. Basically a hardwood forest covers the area.
The stained glass work in the temple is so beautiful. Looking back towards the main door, you see through a series of stained glass that looks like you are looking through the local forest, as to being in the Sacred Grove. This is the grove where Joseph Smith as a 14 year old boy, went to pray and ask God what to do as to religion. There were many different religions vying for members at this time; a religious revival. Joseph received his answer and it was not what he expected but he had been reading in the book of James. Chapter 1, verses 5 & 6. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
I love his faith, being of a young age of a boy. I love these verses and from these I know that God loves us all and wants us to receive knowledge and understanding. Thus in 1820, he went to this grove of trees on the family farm and knelt to pray. In the Pearl of Great Price (a book of scripture), Joseph recounts the experience in the grove. It is titled Joseph Smith History. To be here in Palmyra where this account occured as well as other important events in history is inspiring and touching.
We received our missionary name badges and temple name badges as well as our scheduling for working. This week we will work 3 days. Our neighbors teased us about having a 4 day weekend. We finished orientation and left to go home and absorb what is ensuing for us.
Tuesday dawned and we checked outside to see what the weather is bringing. So far, spring season seems to be typical. Showers and clouds, wind and not yet warm enough to do short sleeves. I seem to be missing my Alberta blue skies. Sister Kimbler reminded me to take my vitamin D. I did my workout on the rebounder and then Erik decided that we should go shopping so that he could find some hiking shoes. We drove some back roads to a mall. The landscape here is stunning, beautiful acreages and homes, surrounded by woodlands. We reached the mall, parked and entered the mall to find shoes. Immediately, I found Williams Sonoma and told Erik that I needed to go in. It was heavenly! Erik spots a $400 toaster and says, “This is not a store for us!” I was not to be deterred, haha! I perused the knife section, drooling over the knives that I could imagine cooking with. Our little apartment has 3 knifes, dull as anything. Then I moved on to the rest of the store. I did purchase a couple of Victorinox knives and a micro-planer. We taste tested their Bunny Bark; quite delicious.
Walking on, we cruised the entire mall to find the shoe store that he wanted to go to. He found a pair of Merrell hiking shoes, and off we went for lunch. Finding a Mexican restaurant, we decided to try it. It was okay, but the horchata was exquisite. I had Erik drive me to the Hobby Lobby so that I could get embroidery floss for my Nauvoo cross stitch pattern. I can’t say Hobby Lobby without saying it like my friend, Carol Keller. It’s her midwest accent that I will never forget.
Arriving back at the apartment, I was feeling exhausted and wondered if it was wise to do a workout and then walk all over the mall and now have to work a shift at the temple. Maybe a nap? Erik got his nap in while I sat with my feet up. We packed a protein bar to go the temple and headed there. It’s a four minute drive; pure bliss! It was wonderful to be welcomed to the temple family and learn the procedures that the temple uses. Can you say, completely shattered? That’s how I felt after completing our day. Because of our jaunt around the countryside, I hadn’t done my Spanish lesson and had to do it at 10 pm that night. Lesson learned both ways; do it much sooner in the day.
Wednesday was a rain day; all day long and into the night. We went looking for a couple of items and ended up driving to Newark which is east of Palmyra. The highway travels alongside the Erie Canal. I spotted a Tractor Supply store which is just like Peavey Mart in Canada (the Peavey Mart that went into bankruptsy and is no more). I helped me feel like home and was able to find a shoe horn for Erik. I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of ladies in Marshall’s because they asked me about my name badge.
Spanish lesson was done early! We decided to do an early supper because we need to be at the temple by 4:30 pm. Discovering that our shifts do not have lunch/dinner breaks, we decided to change up our schedule. I am including the recipe for our supper. Adapt as you need for dietary needs.
The temperature was dropping and the rain was slushy and collecting in the spring plantings at the temple. I must invest in a umbrella as I learned that it rains frequently here. We met a whole new shift of workers. When you are an Historic Site missionary, you are able to work 2 to 3 shifts per month in the temple. We also were able to meet Sister Lau, as she had been in Idaho visiting grandchildren. Erik and I were also able to meet President and Sister Hall, who attend the Spanish Branch that we will be in. They were very excited that I spoke Spanish and already told us that we will be speaking in May. Jump right in with both feet. I had told Erik earlier that I can help him with translating a prayer and a simple testimony into Spanish and that he could have it at hand to go when needed. President and Sister Hall loved that idea. That idea was thanks to President Spackman from the Calgary temple. He told me that when he was a mission president in New York, he had a missionary translate a prayer for him so that he could memorize it and use it when needed.
One of the temple workers has a quirky sense of humor. While I went to the break room for a drink from my water bottle, he opens the freezer section of the fridge, looks in and then closes the fridge. He looks at me and says, “The temple missionaries always keep the freezer stocked with Turkey Hill.” I asked him what that was. It turns out that it’s ice cream. Haha, good luck with that! His wife told me at the end of the evening that she’s too cheap to buy that expensive brand of ice cream. It was nice to go home and put feet up. The rain was still coming down and in the middle of the night, the wind had to have been blowing fiercely because the building was shaking. Thunder, lightening and sirens, oh, my!
The weather forecast for Thursday was bringing warmer temperatures. It was going to be 20°C and still cloudy. I had a slow start to my day; standing on the marble floors for 3 hours straight made my bones a little achy. But after getting moving, life started to feel better. Erik wanted to do some ruck sacking while he was trekking around Palmyra. I remember Lyndon doing it when he lived in Calgary. He would load up a backpack and head out for a walk. There is a company that actually sells supplies to do rucksacking but Erik says they are very expensive. Rucksacking is just walking with weight on your back aka backpacking. I never wanted to be a Sherpa thus I never was interested in doing backpacking. It reminds me of Sister Marjorie Hinckley when she said that both her and her husband Gordon wanted to do different things for vacation, so she went off doing what she wanted and Gordon did his choice. She said that it made for a happy marriage. So, I bounce on the rebounder and have a little dance party all by myself, six days a week.
Pounding bass music was coming from a pickup truck parked across the street. It went on for what seemed forever. Dare I ask the Lord again for the favor of making the music stop? Well, I did, and it did too. We prepared for another evening shift at the temple. Yet again meeting new workers and missionaries. When I put my water bottle in the break room, it seemed that every surface was covered in some kind of treat. There was a really big cake on a table, decorated with the 25th Anniversary of the Palmyra temple, April 6, 2000. There were donuts, cookies, etc. When I opened the freezer to tell the tale of Brother Wilson’s request, There had to have been 7-8 tubs of ice cream in the freezer! Brother Wilson was going to be thrilled. He came in shortly and made himself a plate of cake and ice cream.
After a lovely evening working in the temple, it was time to head back to our apartment and have a snack and prepare for bed. We have the Canadian Government sending us voting ballots to mail in. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long. Everyone needs to use their voice in the election.
On Friday, April 4th, Erik made some plans after his walk-about, to take a drive to see Sodus Point. I had done my rebounding and thanks to my friend, Janet, I added a song to my playlist. It’s called, “Good Day” by Forrest Frank. He does worship music and this song is a great way to start our days.
We stopped at the Martin Harris farm on our way. There isn’t a building to tour but there is a monument with a map of the farm. He was an early supporter of Joseph Smith. He lived on a 300 acre farm outside of Palmyra. He received this portion from his father’s original 600 acres.
Martin mortgaged 240 acres of his farm to be able to secure payment for the printing of the Book of Mormon. Martin authorized E.B. Grandin to sell the land at auction to cover the debt if Martin defaulted. Eventually, he was required to sell 151 acres in order to pay the debt. This home in the photo is not the original but was rebuilt and is privately owned.
We headed north of Palmyra to get to Sodus Point. In 1794, this was the first settlement of European-American. Before the settlers came, the area had been for centuries, the territory of the Onondaga Nation. During the War of 1812, the village was burned by a British raiding party. This left only one building but the village was rebuilt. This village is on the shore of Lake Ontario on a point of land on the northeast edge of Sodus Bay. The name was derived from a native word meaning, “gleam on the water.” Another possible origin is from the Iroquois, “Land of silver waters.”
Sodus Point Museum Lighthouse monument within the original footings.Volunteers look after the gardens at Sodus Point.
The area became an important port on Lake Ontario in the 19th Century. As the Erie Canal shifted state transportation patterns, the village’s function as a port declined. In the later 19th century, it became a popular vacation resort, especially for people from Chicago and other cities during the summers. We really noticed this as we were driving around. There were a lot of vacation homes and vacation rentals. It was fun to see all the boats in the shipyard. The museum was not open yet for the season but we took a few photos and tried not to freeze to death. The wind coming off of Lake Ontario was frigid but the view was beautiful. Erik brought out his binoculars so that we could see the Chimney Bluffs, which were spectacular.
Straight up!Chimney Bluffs (not for scaredy cats like me)
This area is also known for it’s apple orchards and is only second in production in the USA behind Yakima County in Washington state. They call it the Finger Lakes Apple Country. We saw so many orchards being prepared for the coming season. It looks so different than anything we’ve seen before in Canada.
Leaving Sodus Point, we went to the Chimney Bluffs State Park. I went to the beach to see the stones, while Erik went up the hill to the cliff edges. Some of you may know that I am not a fan of heights and Erik even said that I wouldn’t have liked it where he had gone. The stones are famous here for buildings. If you look closely at the Martin Harris farm house, it is built in that manner. It was amazing to see them up close because of the colors.
Beach of Lake Ontario Erik on the beach of Lake Ontario
Heading back south we made it home and then I realized that we needed some groceries for the weekend. Off to Wegman’s we went to procur nourishment to sustain us during General Conference. For my gluten free/celiac friends, I may try a recipe from the Loopy Whisk for a baking project. I used to always make cinnamon rolls (it feels like a million years ago) for General Conference weekend. I’m feeling brave. We’ll see how it goes. Most importantly we are looking forward to the messages. Oh, I just realized that we are not in the same time zone. It’ll be odd but it’ll be awesome to be fed spiritually and feel the joy of the gospel.
cherylnaglis 