Goodbye ice and snow!

This is what it looked like two weeks ago.  The ice is  melting on Lake Superior and in the creeks and rivers. And the missionaries are getting moved around...

Elder Roose went south to Lake Prior

Sister Shumway went home to Wyoming
Elder Zerkle went south to somewhere
Elder Hicken went home.

Elder and Sister Stratton with Elder Roose

Sister McDowell, Sister Stratton, Sister Shumway

  Last Monday afternoon (P-day) we heard a knock at our door and there were 4 elders standing there.  One said, "we're bored.  Can we come in a play games?"  Of course!  We are always up for games.

Jean and Russ at Lake Superior

Weighing in as our first visitors of 2015, Jean and Russ!!  We first met them in Minneapolis where Russ was teaching. We did some sightseeing with Jean:  the state capitol building and the Minnesota History Museum. And we toured the James Hill (railroad $) mansion in St. Paul. I think I should have an organ in my house like his.
On Friday we brought Jean with us to Duluth and we toured another mansion and the Maritime Museum and had dinner at Grandma's Restaurant (sponsor of the marathon).  Russ drove up on his own after teaching.  On Saturday, the weather was awesome!  Lots of sunshine and a record high of 73!!
We drove up the North shore of Lake Superior and saw the Split Rock Lighthouse and hiked around Gooseberry Falls. And watched a carrier get loaded with taconite at Two Harbors.  It was so fun to have them here.

This is the organ and no one in his family knew how to play!

Minnesota State Capitol

Gooseberry Falls

In front of the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth

I padding

We have finished our first visit to inspect all the missionary apartments in our district.  That is 10 apartments.  We have taken 20 missionaries to lunch or breakfast.  It has been very enjoyable to get to know them all better.  We have finished visiting all the Seminary and Institute classes 2 times this semester.  That is a lot of visiting!  The teachers are all doing well but they like to have a break and most times I teach when we visit.

 In March,  Ron and I had an assignment to speak in Church about The Restoration.  My life is greatly effected by the Gospel being restored and the Church organized in the latter-days. (For instance, I am here on a mission instead of being on a cruise).  I am going to give you just a little of my talk:

There was a couple named Richard and Margaret Phillips who lived in Tom's River, NJ in the 1800's.  He was a sea captain and his route was from New York to New Orleans and back again. He was called "Captain Dickie" and was known for being honest and dependable. They had a lot of kids-12 total, although one baby died shortly after birth. One day when it had been raining, Captain Dickie sent his kids outside to flip over turtles  They came out after the rain-the turtles, I mean.  The kids would flip the turtles over onto their backs so they couldn't get away, then Captain Dickie and the big kids would come along and collect the turtles in bags.  Then he took the turtles down to New Orleans where they were used to make turtle soup.
In 1847 the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints found Captain Dickie and Margaret and their family joined the church.  They wanted to go to Utah and be with the Saints so in 1861 they started from Florence, Nebraska with 10 children, 2 wagons,  a carriage with 4 horses and several oxen and milk cows.  They settled in American Fork, UT where they built a small house and where they had one more child.  Captain Dickie fished on Utah Lake and sold his fish up in Salt Lake.  I would say that the restoration of the gospel effected their lives quite a lot.  It also effects my life because one of their children, Emeretta,  is my great grandmother. The church is a tradition in my life. All of my grandparents and also my parents are members of the Church, and all my aunts and all my uncles. This is so different from most of the members that I meet here in Minnesota. Almost all of them  have learned about and joined the church as adults.

I like this scripture in 2 Nephi 31, that tells about the message of the restoration and the doctrine of Christ. "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father; Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ."
When I read "press forward" I can picture Captain Dickie and his family crossing the plains with the pioneers with a "perfect brightness of hope." I am so grateful for my ancestors who joined the Church, and then passed the tradition and testimony on to me.  I really would rather be here than on a cruise.