Temple Trip

President Harvey has a goal of having a temple trip once a month.  We had our first one in November.  A group went over early to do baptisms and then a few of us went over later to do endowments.  Elder Lovell has been encouraging the members to find family names to take or to send each time we go.  We helped one sister get her aunt’s name temple ready.  We sent her aunt’s name to be baptized but for some reason the temple couldn’t print it.  By the time we got there the girls were already done so we didn’t think her name could be done. Pres. Harvey wouldn’t let it rest that easy so after we got the name printed, they found a girl who hadn’t changed her clothes yet and came back in to do this baptism.  The baptismal font is behind glass doors that face the foyer of the temple. Sister Stanford was able to witness this baptism. There was a very special feeling there witnessing this ordinance. She was then able to do the initiatory and endowment for her. It was an amazing day!

A funny little thing happened that made the day more memorable in a different way. We went next door to Nephi Book and we purchased a couple things – which I tried to pay for with my temple recommend. We all have our days, right?



 

Standing outside the Columbia South Carolina Temple.
Sorry about the partial picture, it truncated!

Sister Stanford who was very excited about doing  her aunt's work

Cotton pickin'

Okay, so I love the cotton fields.  We didn't get out to pick the cotton for when harvest started, it went fast.We finally found some fields that haven’t been harvested yet so I could get pictures of one that the cotton bolls were still full. The bales of cotton were interesting as well, so here's a little more on the subject from the blog about harvest (posted Nov. 7).

Unharvested cotton

Cotton bale - you can see the cotton on the bottom, the tarp only covers the top.

Working with the Elders

Once in awhile we work with the Elders. We’ve had some great experiences with them. This one particular day was especially nice. We were headed to Conway when Elder Lovell thought we should stop to see a family who has had a rough week to see how they were doing.  When we got there, Sister Horne’s home health nurse was there who had previously asked questions about the church.  She has thyroid cancer and having her 4^th surgery this week. Elder Thayne had previously talked to her before about Priesthood blessings and asked her if she would like one. She said it would be good and he did a wonderful job. What impressed me was as we were ready to leave he sat down and talked to her about her faith in the blessing using the scriptures. It was a good experience. (Since I wrote this, we found that her husband doesn’t want her to have any more discussions about the church.  This is too bad, as we felt she was really interested.)

We then went to the hospital in Conway to see a potential investigator who has been in the hospital several times for long stays. Even though he was going home that day, we still had to dress up in a gown and put on gloves.  We were a sight. They have 2 teenage daughters who want to get baptized. The Elders set up an appointment for the next week to teach them about the gospel and about being baptized with the proper authority.(Update- they have had their first discussion and are setting up the next one. So far they seem quite interested) On the way down in the elevator a couple joined us and immediately started talking about prayer and faith, and without faith the prayer isn’t any good. What a wonderful experience! The people here aren’t afraid to talk about their belief in Christ. What an example for all of us.

How do we look?

Getting caught up

I have many blogs written, ready to add pictures and post them. So, in the next few days I hope to get caught up. They may be out of order, but hopefully you will enjoy them anyway, and if you get bored, come back to them later or just ignore them.  We love "ya'll" and excited to share this wonderful experience with you. 

We're learning the "language" a little at a time and really have some good laughs with it.  A couple of Bro. Weatherford's phrases we have to share - "Sensuous": "Sens you was" up anyway, please get me a piece of cake, and "dark thirty": She'll be home about dark thirty.  That's about a half hour after the sun is set, or whenever she decides to get home. A shopping cart is called a "buggy".

Morning walks

An overall view of just a portion of the  Old Magnolia cemetery. If you look real close in the background, you can Weatherford's home. We have our walk figured out to 2 miles.

We decided we better get some exercise so we decided to go for a walk each morning.  Bro. Weatherford told us to walk over at his neighbors - they are very quiet and don't bother anybody.  So, we decided he was right - they are very good neighbors. We really enjoy it there. It’s very peaceful in the Old Magnolia Cemetery. It's a good time for us to visit, plan the day, and just enjoy the spirit that you feel in places like this.  It seems a little strange to watch bushes bloom in November, even when there is frost on the ground or ice on your car window that morning.  There’s a camillia bush that was in bud when we first came, and over the past month, one by one, they blossomed.  Now the pedals are falling off and there are still buds waiting to open up. The leaves on the trees beside them have turned and are starting to fall.

Camillia bush with intertwined with 2 other trees.

 

Camillia flower close up.



We love to read the names, try to decipher their relationships and wonder about their story. In the south, most cemeteries have family plots designated by concrete outlines, rocks, etc. 

We go walking in the mornings for our exercise.  It was suggested that we walk at Weatherford’s neighbors.  He says they won’t mind, they’re very quiet and don’t bother anyone.    It’s a great time to talk, plan, and just think.  It’s interesting how much it changes so quickly.  There’s a camillia bush that was in bud when we first came, and over the past month, one by one, they blossomed.  Now the pedals are falling off and there are still buds waiting to open up. The leaves on the trees beside them have turned and are starting to fall.

We have also noticed that the grave decorations change often. We’ve watched people come and just sit and meditate. Some graves are visited daily. The tent from the mortuary stays up, covering the flower sprays and the grave, for about two weeks. It’s nice to know they are not forgotten. Since I am posting this a month later, we noticed that December is a month of remembrance.  There are a lot of wreaths, poinsettias, garlands, etc. On Christmas day it was very busy, cars going through all day long. We’re wondering if Memorial Day can be any better.

There are many small family cemeteries everywhere and they are well taken care of. Elder Lovell told Sister Woodard about the “Find a Grave” site. He then talked about her Dad’s grave which is in the Freeman Cemetery. We discovered it was in their back yard and contained 3 family graves. It is now registered on the site. On one of our p-days we’ll have to go check out some of the other little ones. 

Good days!

We had Leo over for lunch then he and Elder Lovell spent the next couple of hours working on his family history.  We then followed him out to Catfish Cemetery where his grandfather is buried.  It’s a beautiful cemetery. 

Bro. Leo Lane looking for his ancestors

There were 2 sections with headstones and between them was a section with no headstones and there are very dense trees lining half of the cemetery. This section seemed very peaceful to me.  The caretaker was there and I asked him if this was a new section.  He said that it was a burial spot for slaves.  They have no record of their names, but it was full.  It had grown over with weeds and trees and a man came over with his equipment and cleared it out, then planted grass.  It seemed a wonderful tribute to them.  This day was a very good day.

This is the slave section of the cemetery

We spent one day working with Elder Bethers and Elder Thayne.  The families we met were awesome.  Both families that we found home were a delight to get to know.  Another good day. 

Along with the good, comes those days when no one wants to answer the door, or  cancels the appointments.  We’ve had a few of those days.  However, we still have hope in meeting them again.

My Family

I am so grateful for my wonderful family. Not attending DelRoy’s funeral was very hard for me as well as for Grace (for those friends who don’t know, she is my sister who is serving a mission with her husband at the Laie, Hawaii Temple). Travis and my sister, Trudy, and her husband, Jim, took pictures after the funeral – the flag salute by the scouts as the casket was brought out of the church, and then the Air Force ceremony at the cemetery. Tianna also took a video of the Air Force ceremony. All of these were sent to Grace and I. These pictures were amazing! They made us feel as if we were there. James thought I needed a good laugh so he went back into his childhood days and jumped in front of Tianna’s ipod at the end of the video. Thanks, James! I needed that. We went to Columbia to attend the temple on the day of the funeral and took with us a family name in honor of DelRoy. However, the temple was closed for maintenance, but the ride was nice. There were also a lot of phone calls, and video chats with siblings, DelRoy’s wife, Alease, and our children. Grace and I did a video chat that day as well so we could have our family time. Thank you, family! You are the best! The branch was also very generous with their hugs. We are never alone, though miles apart from those we love for there are others to fill their place by proxy.

This is self explanitory. The children who he started this with brought some candy which they put in the casket with him.  They also made him a candy get well card when he was in the hospital.

 



They displayed his scouting stuff.  I loved this picture as it also represents some of what we shared.

Veteran salute

Folding the flag which was presented to Alease. It will be a family treasure.

Tribute to my brother

One of the things I am most thankful for is the knowledge that as families we can be together forever because of the sealing power available to us.

This week has been a very difficult but spiritual week for our family.  The morning of November 29, my brother, DelRoy Guymon, was called home to his Heavenly Father, and to a joyful reunion with parents, grandparents, and his son, Gene. He fought a good fight as he battled brain cancer since it was discovered in February. 

One of the hardest decisions I have had to make is whether or not I should go home to be with family on this solemn occasion. Before we left home we knew that it was a possibility that this was something we would be facing and that we would stay in the mission field. It was still an option to go home, but it was testified to me that we were to stay where the Lord had sent us to do His work and that is what DelRoy would want.

How can a person in a few words sum up more than 60 years of friendship that a sister & a brother have had the privilege to enjoy?   He has forever been my friend, my confidant, my scouting partner, my brother. The one thing that we were very proud to claim is that we have gone our entire lives without even one disagreement – not one argument between the two of us.

DelRoy honored me with a special pin for receiving my Woodbadge pin...

.....and a brotherly kiss.

 



We will miss this fine man, as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother, nephew, friend. DelRoy, until the time comes when we can be together again, know that you are loved and will be missed. Thanks for the memories. We love you.

Awakening



I love the way the sun shines on the trees. It has nothing to do with this blog, I just like it!

As I sat at the organ Sunday, I looked around at the congregation.  Several thoughts ran through my mind about the branch.  When you live in big wards as we do at home, we don’t appreciate how nice it is until  
The area is depressed economically.  Many large businesses have closed their doors leaving families without work.  So, there is a great need for service here. One problem is lack of transportation so those who drive provide rides to church to those who don’t have a car.  So many of those providing rides hold leadership positions that require them to be to church early for correlation meeting. Either those needing rides have to come early or we have to hustle after the meeting to pick up these members and get back in time for church.

Many of the active members are in the 70,s - 80’s.  One sister is 93.  Most of these have many medical ailments that limit them in their activities. This doesn’t leave too many who can give physical service. Also, if we don’t get more young people here, the branch will eventually just disappear. I also wondered what we can do to help members realize their role, and act upon it to help retain new converts awakening moments when a very strong thought came to me which said, “And what are you going to do when you get home?”  So basically, I see the importance of member involvement here, but ignored it before we came and I need to commit myself to continue my efforts here, and then continue when I get home.

We loved the leadership training broadcast.  What really hit me was the “read, understand, follow” message. This applies to so many aspects of the gospel.  My first thought was applying this to the scriptures. It’s so easy to just “read” them, and I need to go beyond reading - I need to understand them and follow or apply them more to my life.  It also applies to church callings, missionary work, and just being more Christ-like. We have to get information, understand, and then act upon that which we learn. I guess it’s time to get started!



Mrytle Beach

Brother and Sister Weatherford donated a couple of pure bred lab puppies to an auction for Ducks Unlimited.  For donating they were given 2 couple tickets (worth $75 each) to attend the auction in Myrtle Beach which was catered by Outback.  So, we went with them.  The atmosphere was not very comfortable so we visited the puppies, ate and left.  They took us to the beach but it was dark and it was cold.  Guess we’ll have to try later - during the day when it’s warmer.

They had a clam table where you could open your own clams to eat.  This is Bro. Weatherford working on his.  We let him have fun with this by himself - it was enough to observe.

This is one of their pups - the other one was black.  They were so cute and everyone loved them.  When we left they had been held & petted so much that when I scratched him under his chin, he just melted - went to sleep and did not want to wake up.  So loveable!

Sister Weatherford walking down the pier at Myrtle Beach.  You could hear the waves crashing but it was too cold to stay there too long and almost too dark to see.

Roaches!

So, I have now met the famous cockroach that Elder Lovell has told many stories about when he was here on his first mission.  The first one I met fell off an empty grocery sack as I picked it up.  By the time he hit the floor my foot was already in the destroy mode and he didn’t even have time to run.  I screamed, but my knight in shining armor didn’t shine - he kept working on the computer.  However, the next night as we returned, he redeemed himself by attacking the one just inside the door before I got there.  The next night I went back into the kitchen and there was another one - I just about killed myself trying to get him but I won!  I wish I had a video going a few nights later.  The Elders were here and as we stood in the living room, Elder Lovell came in with the fly swatter and attacked the couch and Elder Bethers put a grocery sack on his hand and joined in the fight.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on until the couch was in the middle of the room and cushions were flying. Next came the roach spray.  We found him belly up the next morning (see picture) and haven’t seen any since. (Knock on wood).  I have also discovered another fire ant hill but not until I felt the bite behind my knee.  By the next day I discovered 11 new bites!  Sister Weatherford gave me a lot to look forward to when she said, “ They must find you really tasty.  I feel sorry for you when summer comes.” 

So you can comprehend the size of these things, a quarter made a good comparrison.

Harvest time

It is harvest time here.  Peanut harvest is done, they are now harvesting cotton and soybeans.  Bro. Weatherford is going to take us out so we can pick our own cotton. I love seeing the fields of white cotton - they call it South Carolina snow.  The fields are surrounded by trees - lots of them!

Cotton harvester at work.

Loading the truck.

 The Camillia bushes are blossoming, mums are still in full bloom.  There is such a variety.  It isn’t unusual to see 3-5 trees growing together as one and it makes for a very interesting scene.  Leaves are starting to turn.  The colors aren’t as brilliant as New England, but the colors blend beautifully and give such a peaceful and serene feeling.

This is a scene across the road from our house.  The colors didn't show up as intense as it was, but I still love it.  The tree on the left looks like it has clusters of grapes hanging all over it.

Our kind of folks!

In a lot of ways Marion is like Ririe - it seems everyone is related in some way or another.  It gets quite confusing at times but this is when I feel the Lord has blessed me in that I’m actually figuring out who is who and where they belong faster than I had expected to.  The other day I was feeling like we haven’t been doing as much as we should missionary wise because we really haven’t been given any guidelines as to a schedule or such.  After a Book of Mormon study class, Sister Weatherford asked me to give her a list of who we had visited in October.  After writing them down I realized some of them we had visited more than once, that we really have been doing what we’re supposed to be doing. We have been instructed to work with the branch leadership and helping wherever we are needed and that is what we’re doing as well as going out on our own visiting whoever it feels good to visit.

The previous senior couple gave us a book listing all those they had worked with or tried to work with.  They hadn’t been able to contact one member (Leo) even though they had tried several times.  We usually pick an area and see how many we can get.  We went to Leo’s house first and he had just got home from work. What a special person he is.  Elder Lovell started talking to him about family history and he really got excited. After a long visit we had to leave for a meeting and he said he wished we could stay longer.  We have been out to see him a few times since and really enjoy these visits.  He wants to come back to church and we hope as we continue to work with him that desire gets stronger.

One sister (Angelina) we visited is quite amazing.  She was born with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.  She’s in a wheelchair. When we went to her house there wasn’t a ramp.  We asked her if she would like one.  She told us that getting up and down those stairs was her exercise and until she has to have one, she doesn’t want one.  She then insisted she show us how she does it.  After she gets out of her chair she pushes it down the stairs, scoots herself down, pulls herself up into the chair and off she goes. It was even more impressive watching herself get up the stairs. She would pull herself up a stair or two then drag her chair up to her, then repeat the process until she was at the top.  We were really impressed. 

Angelina - doesn't complain about her situation - just goes and loves life.  She also babysits and takes care of a grand-niece so she can make sure she gets to church.

We’re short on Aaronic Priesthood members so the sacrament is passed by 2 special needs adults. They do really well and it is very humbling to watch them.  We feel so at home here.  There is nothing pretentious about these people. Today as they bore their testimonies, the spirit was so strong and we were drawn even closer to them. 

Just a fun tidbit - a new family has moved into the branch - 4 children - our Primary has really grown!

Halloween party

The Primary, even though small, sponsored a Halloween activity for the children and anyone else who wanted to come.  It was really a lot of fun.  There are some special needs adults in our branch who are amazing.  They enjoyed playing the carnival games and we enjoyed watching them. This was a good time to get to know the members better in a very relaxed, fun way.

This is our Primary Presidency.  They are amazing and my first piano class - so excited to learn.  Left to right: Kara, Lisa and Kellee.  Kara & Kellee are sisters, Lisa is the President.

Here's a couple more spooks.  Elder Lovell - where is your name tag?!

Baptism

It may seem at this point that all we have done is play along with getting settled, but we actually have worked. We had the opportunity of attending a baptism for some very cute kids.  The Elders have a teaching pool of three families and we have really enjoyed working with them as well.  We had a day where we had a goal to meet or visit with 5 new people and ended up meeting more than that. Also, as we stopped at stores (still trying to find a couple things for the house - like chairs) and so many people noticed our name tags and it gave us the opportunity to at least let them know why we are here.  Many of them we're sure we'll see them again. We are really enjoying the southern hospitality.  We haven't met an unfriendly person yet!

We also have had the opportunity to transport a missionary to urgent care as he broke his ankle and we took a sister into Florence for a doctor's appointment.  Elder Lovell has talked to many about working on their family history and we helped a member this evening with the new family search.  Many of the people here are first generation members so there's a lot of work to be done for their families.

Our new Branch President has a lot of things on his agenda and is anxious to move forward.  We're having a temple day on November 20 so we're excited about that. He interviewed us on Wednesday night and in that interview, Sister Lovell ended up with 3 new callings: Branch Music Chairman, Gospel Essentials Teacher (for new and non-members - word must've got out as no one showed up for the class!), and Assistant Branch Organist. He also wants to get the cub scouts going.  At this point we only have 2 Webelos.  The hard part is that a lot of the members don't have transportation so it will require some help on that part.  Another fun opportunity is that the Primary Presidency are very excited about learning to play the piano.  We'll start those lessons next week.  There's a grant program where the branch and the members can receive keyboards if they go through the lessons, play in church and have a desire to continue playing and possibly teach someone else.  I think I will be busy.

The three children baptized (middle, left to right) are Kindrick, Ashanti, & Diamonte. The mom, Crystal, and her boyfriend, Anton, are still taking the lessons.  The youngest one is Dashon.  Crystal and Anton are very supportive of the kids, and ask a lot of questions.  They're great people!

This is Elder Thayne with his broken ankle as we came out of urgent care.

This is just one of those scenes we love.  This is where one of the members live.

We are the 3 musketeers - Linda Weatherford, Linda Bell (missionary we have replaced) and me. We are all so much alike and poor Elder Thayne has 3 moms hounding him to stay off of his ankle. We keep telling him if he doesn't listen he's going to marry a Linda so he can continue to be nagged!

Boiled peanuts

Peanuts being harvested - we pulled ours by hand - had to have the experience.

Part of our responsibility is to help the members - so to help payback the Weatherford's for their generosity, we had the opportunity to help them pick peanuts for boiling. (We also wanted the experience.)  Boiled peanuts in the south are like potatoes in Idaho.  The peanuts grow like potatoes, under the ground, and are picked green for boiling.  They are really good, especially when eaten hot.  However, they are to be eaten in moderation.  When Elder Lovell (gotta get used to calling him that) served in the Southern States Mission a "few" years ago, he and his companion were given a 50 lb. sack of raw peanuts, so every night when they came home they boiled up a pan full.  Sorry to say, this was the beginning of his ulcers (peanuts are hard to digest).  He now limits himself.  You can buy boiled peanuts in cans, but Sister Weatherford says they're not as good so she freezes them. They ended up with (3) 5 gallon buckets.  She taught me how to boil them so I did a bucket for her. 

Elder Lovell removing peanuts from the vine.

Close up of the peanuts on the vine.

Peanuts boiling in the salt water.  They're boiled for 1-2 hours.

We have a house!

We have a house to live in!  The Weatherford's evicted their tenants from a little house just around the corner from them just before they knew we needed a place to stay.  So, Tuesday, we were able to unload the car - which was very happy to be relieved from it's heavy burden.  It was starting to complain.  A sister in the ward wanted to get rid of a brass bed, so we inherited it and another sister had an extra mattress so just in case we have company we'll have a bed for them.  It's a cute little house.  We live next door to a policeman so we feel safe, and next door to a little restaurant that has great food just in case we don't want to cook.  The mission office brought us furniture on Thursday so we have spent the rest of the week getting settled. They brought us beautiful antique dresser, a couch which reclines on each end and a recliner chair.  We were glad they fit (just barely, but they fit).

It was really hard to start new with groceries, we had a hard time deciding what to get and it was very difficult buying things I have a pantry full of at home.  It really hit me how much we miss my canning, homegrown meat, and Tupperware to put flour and such in, especially when I pulled a can of green beans off the shelf to put in my cart - that was hard. 

This is our new home.  The address is 713 Hwy. 917 E., Latta, SC 29565 - just in case you feel the urge to send us some snail mail!  (hint, hint)

Visiting & fire ants!

As a senior couple we really haven't been given anything specific to do so as we started the week we decided to just start visiting members and get to know them.  The Relief Society President gave us 5 names, we mapped them out on our GPS and took off.  One member's address was just outside of Florence so we decided to wait until we went to Stake Conference, three weren't home, but we got to visit with one family.  We clocked 101 miles to make the round trip.  Members are spread far and wide.  Guess we'll start trying to take one area at a time.

The adventure of the day was when we stopped in a parking lot so I could turn the converter on (which keeps our computer going).  It was under the seat so I hopped out so I had better access.  All of a sudden my feet and ankles started to burn!  I looked down and they were covered with little ants!  (Later found out they were fire ants.)  I jumped back in the car which put them in the car with me, finally Jim moved the car so I could get out.  I was doing a dance in the parking lot, they were climbing up my leg so I was flapping my skirt and hoping no one was watching.  Jim had to get them out of the car.  I imagine it was quite a sight. After about an hour the burning started to ease.  That evening I was telling Weatherford's about it and they just said, "Wait until tomorrow."  When I got ready for bed, I discovered I was very lucky to have only 14 bites when I could've had more.  Sister Weatherford gave me some great stuff so I really haven't suffered much, but they last forever.

These are just a few of the bites and they are bigger than the ants were. I really watch where I step now.

 

Amazing 1st Sunday

Our first Sunday was a wonderful experience! We introduced ourselves to everyone who came to church (it really was hard for us to step out of our comfort zone to get started but they made us feel right at home).  They were releasing Pres. Blackmon and sustaining a new Branch President. As always, when that happens, it's a wonderful meeting.  Just before the meeting, we met Bro. & Sis. Harvey (later put in as the new president) and he asked where we were from, "Idaho" then where in Idaho.  When we told him, "A little town called Ririe", his eyes got huge and informed us that the missionary who baptized him was from Ririe - it was Gordon Gallup whom we know well.  The world got smaller when in Priesthood meeting, Pres. Blackmon's Dad informed Jim that he also was baptized by an Elder from Ririe - Kenneth Bush.

The branch is short on music people so I will get to do a lot of accompanying.  Sister Harvey and I visited about the music program I was introduced to at the MTC where we teach members how to play the piano so they can play in church even if it's with just one finger.  We're both very excited about it and without advertising, we already have 3 students anxious to learn.  I was called out of Relief Society to play for Primary.  They had 4 children in Primary, 3 were investigators.  We need youth!

We got to meet the Weatherford's, were invited to their house for dinner and spend the evening again.  They are amazing people and are very generous.  We have become very good friends and they intend to give us every southern experience we desire.
 

These are Weatherford's guinea hens. They are so fun to watch. They stay together and love to be close to people and chatter away.

Arrived in Marion

This is the Marion Branch building.  It's a small, 2 phase church - really nice for a bra

nch

We finally contacted the Branch President, Pres. Blackmon.  He met us at the church, gave us a key to the church and the branch list then took us on a whirlwind tour of the branch which consists of about 10 towns.  He explained the road system:  many years ago the animals made paths of least resistance, then came man who followed those same paths.  With the wagons they just widened those paths.  When they started paving, they just paved the paths.  Needless to say, there is no rhyme or reason to their roads.  To add insult to injury, we're having a hard time knowing north from south.

He also informed us that he had a place for us to stay that night, in Bro. & Sis. Weatherford's home who were out of town.  This is their home. Trusting people to open their home to strangers.

Saturday morning we had an appointment to meet the Elders in Myrtle Beach (about 55 miles from Marion) to help their investigator with some family history.  Jim was more than willing to do that and we were able to help him find great-grandparents he knew nothing about.  He was really excited and the Elders were ready to look up their own families.

As for house hunting, the Elders here checked on the townhouse for us (which was close to them) and it wouldn't be available for three weeks.

Journey #3

Just one little apology to Travis for some of our pictures - they were taken through a dirty windshield as most of them were taken in places we couldn't stop - and we wanted to share what we saw anyway.

These vines cover trees, bushes, power lines, fences, etc. and make the most interesting sculptures. Mom Lovell and Linda fell in love with them but Jim wouldn't let us take any home since they are considered a noxious weed and kill any plants they cover. But they are still fascinating!

This is a typical road in the southern states - lined with trees and beautiful.

A cotton field ready to be harvested. I hope to get some pictures of the harvesting which I've been told will probably end real soon.

Wednesday night was spent in Rome, GA where we had to opportunity to visit a distant cousin we have become very close to. She has had some very difficult medical issues since February but looks really good and doing much better.

Thursday we arrived in Columbia where we had our first interview with Pres. McConkie and spent that evening at the mission home. Pres. and Sister McConkie are wonderful and enjoyed our time with them. We will be serving in the Marion, South Carolina Branch for at least 9 months. We will send an address as soon as we find a place to live - we have to find our own but we have a few leads.

Summary of our travels - We enjoyed very much the artwork of this gorgeous earth God has created for us. Whether it be desert, mountainous, or plush with greenery, each area had an unique personality and we loved it. We also felt that the Lord protected us. He gave Linda strength and peace as she drove long distances and in heavy city traffic. We know friends and family are praying for us. Thank you (and don't stop - we need those prayers)!

Journey #2

Just one of those amazing scenes in Oklahoma

Oops #2 - Sunday, in Oklahoma, after seeing many deer and elk warnings, Linda spotted a deer far enough away not to be concerned, then looked up to see one close beside the car. Yup, it ran into us. It hit the back side of the car, not too big of a dent, and luckily was able to jump up and run off. Could've been so much worse.

We spent the night in Guymon, Oklahoma, as this is Linda's maiden name.

This is not one of our favorite scenes but was one we had to endure.

Oops #3 - Monday night as just before reaching our motel in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jim's ears finally popped after the the decent from Vail, CO. As we pulled into the motel Jim said he felt a little dizzy. By the time we got to our room, he was really bad. By morning he was quite nauseated as well as dizzy so we ventured to the emergency room. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., they took blood tests, chest x-rays, EKG's, and a CAT scan of his head. Yes, he stills has a brain and he still has a heart. It all came out as vertigo. The medicine they give for that makes him very sleepy, and takes time to get rid of the dizziness. So, Linda had to drive the rest of the way. That included the Atlanta beltway (7 lanes each direction) and into Columbia. She actually did it without any panic attacks! Don't want to do it again.

This is one part of the Atlanta beltway. Here you see when it is only 6 lanes and less traffic.

Journey to South Carolina

It has been an adventure as we have traveled to South Carolina! We have been very blessed and know that we are supposed to be here, otherwise the adversary would not have worked so hard to discourage us in our travels. (3 posts - so as not to bore you all at once).

When we lived in Price, this was my favorite spot as a child as we journeyed between Price and Salt Lake. It's called Castle Gate. The right side used to look like the left side and it would look closed until you came to it, then it looked like it opened up then closed behind you after you went through. It's too bad it couldn't still be that way.

(Left to Right) Sherald, Emma Lou, Linda, Jim

We left Saturday (Oct. 9) morning. The weather was beautiful, the scenery breathtaking. Our first stop was in Price, UT to visit family - Emma Lou & Sherald Law (for those who don't know, Emma Lou is Linda's aunt) and we also had the opportunity to visit Hans Miller (Linda's cousin/step-brother). We had a great visit and it was fun to drive around and see her childhood stomping grounds. Hans still lives in the family home.

The tunnel we are about to enter was at least 1/2 mile long.

Seemed to take forever to get through it.

Many times I've used the phrase, "I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel." Well, this is what it really looks like!

And this is what was on the other side. Notice the freeway -

the oncoming lane is on a different level. It made for some interesting scenery.

The first night was spent in Denver, CO. The motel was easily found, we just couldn't figure out where the entrance was. We went in circles on the freeway about 3 times and finally gave in to ask directions. The store clerk didn't speak English well, but luckily a customer helped us out.

Oops #1 - Jim has medicine that has to be refrigerated - not frozen. We've traveled with it before with no problems, and this was the first time written instructions were attached along with audible instructions. It was put in the freezer which makes the medicine unstable and cannot be used. (The retail price is over $1000.00 but hopefully have it worked out).