Mission Journal

September 6, 2012 – Thursday

Brother and Sister Pieper burned a CD for us to give to LE called The Olive Tree.  LE is going to sing it at church soon, I’m excited.  We also met with SH.  Sister Pieper made some brownies for her and we met her at Wal-Mart before she left Beaver Dam.  She has cancer and is having to travel to Louisville for treatment.  We’re all praying for her.

September 5, 2012 – Wednesday

District meeting was held in Morgan town.  Elder Haslam gave the Spiritual thought, and Elder Peterson gave the lesson.  He is a former Bishop and really knows how to teach.  It was great; afterward we went to the Peterson’s house to eat lunch together.  We only have one more district meeting with the Peterson’s.  Then their mission is over – we’ll miss them.

LE called and said he couldn’t meet with us because he has to keep his little son today, and tomorrow he has a doctor’s appointment.  We start the challenge on Friday.

September 4, 2012 – Tuesday

We saw WH today.  He says that he isn’t worthy to come to church.  I assured him that our Father in Heaven is a loving and forgiving God, and he is always welcome to come to the chapel.  Sometimes, my heart is sad.

September 3, 2012 – Monday

LE let us come to his house again.  We taught him the last of the Preach My Gospel lessons today, and challenged him to a 14 day challenge to read from the Book of Mormon every day for 14 days.  I told him that I would read with him for one hour every day.  He said that it would have to start on Wednesday, so we set a time for then.  I pray that he will feel the spirit and accept the call from our Lord Jesus Christ, and follow him into the waters of Baptism.

September 2, 2012 – Sunday

Today is Fast and Testimony.  Sister Oakley and I had to go to PEC meeting at 9:00 am so Marianne and Daris met us at church at 10:00.  We had a good meeting, then a combined priesthood and Relief Society.  The lesson was given by a visiting high councilman.

After Church our friend, LE came down and met Marianne and Daris – then Daris helped me give him a blessing.  Then they went with us to LR’s house and again he helped me give him a blessing.  Finely, we went to Br. and Sis. Pieper’s house and they fed us.  I don’t think Marianne and Daris expected to be put to work so hard, but I’m glad that they were willing. Thanks! J

September 1, 2012 – Saturday

We met a man at Wal-Mart today.  We needed ink for our printer, I print out a lot of talks and other things to give to inactive members and investigators, and anyway we needed ink.  We saw a man looking at the Kindle Fire reader and just started talking to him about the reader.  It was time to move on so I offered him a pass along card with a picture of Christ on it, saying, “Would you like to have a picture of Christ?”  He said, “I love Christ.”  And soon we were talking about Mitt Romney and then the Book of Mormon.  He did except the Book of Mormon from us, but wouldn’t give us his address.  We couldn’t have taught him because he did say he lived in Muhlenberg County, but we wanted to send the traveling Elders his way.  Missionary events can happen anywhere and anytime.  All we have to do is open our mouths.

Marianne and Daris came to visit today; it’s so good to see them.  We drove to a restaurant together and had diner – it was good.

August 31, 2012 – Friday

We made a few false starts today – that happens sometimes.  We’ll keep trying.

August 30, 2012 – Thursday

Sister CD, the Relief Society President went with us to visit LR and her husband, then to visit LB.  It was good, sister LB had come to church for the first time since we’ve been here last Sunday and was able to hear the mission president and his family.  I hope she’ll be able to come again even though she is in poor health.  We drove all over and showed her where everyone lived that was near her.  We got her home about 6:00 pm and she ask “Do you all do this every day?”  We told her “This was about our typical day.”  She said, “I don’t know how you do it.”

August 29, 2012 – Wednesday

When we got to the JS home they said they were expecting us yesterday – I guess we forgot to tell them about the zone meeting.  After apologizing we learned that Mrs. JS had fallen and broken her foot. The week before, her son had been in a car wreck and had broken his leg; so she wasn’t able to come to church and hear President McKee.  Now she’s broken her own foot and she won’t be able to come to church this next Sunday. L

August 28, 2012 – Tuesday

Zone meeting was in Clarksville this morning, so we drove to Morgantown and picked up Sister Peterson and Elder Peterson picked up the Leitchfield Elders and we drove together.  I love zone meetings, we always learn so much from our leaders.  President and Sister McKee were there as well as the zone leaders –  So spiritual and so inspiring.  The Petersons had an appointment for 6:00 pm so we took the Leitchfield Elders home.  Elder Oakley had to inspect their car and it was late when we got through, so we took them to Dairy Queen for supper.  We got home very late and tired   Two days of early mornings  and late nights are tough for old folks.

August 27, 2012 – Monday

I woke the dog this time! J  We got up at 4:00 am and headed for Nashville by 6:00 am.  We met Ben and Ruth at their motel; TJ didn’t know what to do, he was with all of us at the same time.  He just bounced from one person to another.  When we left the motel we got on I-40 and the traffic was creeping along.  Finely we passed an 18 wheel truck that had run off the road.  It was OK after that.

In the evening we met with LE again.  I challenged him to consider baptism when he found that the Book of Mormon and the things we are teaching him are true.  He said he would if he found they were true.  I promised him that if he would be open to the spirit, he would.

August 26, 2012 – Sunday

Dog alarm.  President and Sister McKee and family visited our branch today, what a treat.!!!!!  We, Sister Oakley and I first met with the PEC but had to leave early to pick up both WE and ES.  When we got to the church President and Sister McKee were getting out of their van with their daughters.  Here WE was having trouble walking because of her knee, and ES has her right arm in a sling, I limp when I walk and Sister Oakley takes a little time moving when she gets out of the car – we were a sight to see.  President McKee and his daughters helped get the food for the pot luck into the building, I was glad for that.  Other members of the branch were putting up tables and so forth.

For the sacrament meeting Sister McKee spoke first, then the McKee girls sang like angles, and finely President McKee spoke – a wonderful meeting.  The last hour we had a combined meeting of priesthood and Relief Society.  President McKee also gave that lesson.  I wish LW had been here, she wanted to hear a real message, well she missed it; A spiritual day.

Last of all we had a pot luck dinner after church.  ES seemed to enjoy herself, but her arm started hurting so she asked Sister Oakley to take her home.  President McKee heard her and volunteered that he and his daughters would take her home.  I want to find out what they talked about, when we see her again.  President McKee told all of us that Hartford would have a ward someday soon; he could see it – if they continued to work for it.  He said we (the missionaries) had done a great job in activating people and the branch needs to keep it up and soon they would have the building they wanted.

August 25, 2012 – Saturday

Dog alarm at 6:00 am. J We met with ES today and actually gave her another lesson, but because of the time involved we gave her the lesson on the Restoration again and gave her the video on the Restoration.  We took TJ with us to ES’s house and he behaved like a true missionary.  He was quiet and didn’t make a fuss. ES liked him very much.

August 24, 2012 – Friday

Wow – that dog alarm works every morning!  WE thought that she was going to have surgery on her knee today, but the surgery team wanted a report from her heart doctor before they would put her under.  So we drove her to her heart doctor, and that took most of the day.

August 23, 2012 – Thursday

This morning the dog alarm woke me before the clock alarm.  When we asked the landlord permission to have TJ in the house, he said we could only if no one else living here saw him.  This is a no pet apartment but for this short time only he would make that exception – so I got up and put my clothes on and took him two blocks away so he could do his business.

This afternoon we had a meeting with JW and his wife.  We encouraged them to take part in the temple class that Sister Pieper in putting on.

Next we met with LE again, what a delight.

August 22, 2012 – Wednesday

While we’re on this mission Ben and Ruth are keeping our little dog TJ for us, and we thank them so much for doing that.  This week they had to go to North Carolina for a meeting of the church they belong to.  So this morning we met them at the I Hop restaurant on I-40 west of Nashville.  We will have him for four days; honestly, it was sooooooooo good to see him again. J

ES had asked Sister Oakley to help her with a bath this afternoon and we pushed ourselves to get back to Hartford so she could do that, but just before we got back in town ES called and said that her daughter was doing that for her.  After arriving home we took TJ to the fair grounds and had a long walk. He was very happy to be out of the car and it did us a lot of good to stretch out legs.  We talked to several of the people who were camping in the fair grounds.

August 21, 2012 – Tuesday

We drove today, knocked on some doors, prayed then prayed some more. . . .

August 20, 2012 – Monday

LE is a very spiritual man and we love meeting with him.  He seriously loves the Lord Jesus Christ.  He believes that the Book of Mormon is truly scripture inspired by the Lord, but his parents and friends have never known anything about this very special and wonderfully true book.  In the scriptures this is called overcoming the traditions of our fathers.

August 19, 2012 – Sunday

We regret to report that neither LW nor her daughters came to church today.  As soon as they will let us we’ll talk to them to see if we can answer their concerns.

After church Br. Pieper went with us to give ES a blessing.  She has had surgery on her shoulder and is in a lot of pain.  We also visited with WH, how can we help him with his faith?