Dear Family and Friends,
So we took the car into the shop Monday morning and walked home. An hour later we got a call and were told that the right part came in with a damaged box and the part had a hole in it, so they would not be able to fix the car until they could get another part on Tuesday. So we walked back and got the car and took it back at the end of the day after we rented a car to use on Tuesday to drive around and do our apartment inspections.
Tuesday we got away on time and all went well for our first inspection in Selma (except that we forgot to get all of our supplies that we normally take with us to replace lightbulbs, mop heads, batteries, etc.—to much fiasco with the car rental). Half way to our second inspection we were fifteen minutes ahead of schedule and came to the junction where we turn to go to Greenville and the road was closed to thru traffic. A detour sign was attached to the stop sign at the corner with an arrow that pointed to the left, so we turned to take the detour. After about thirty-five miles and no detour signs we turned around to ask a highway worker we passed on the way for directions. He wasn’t from around here and said the only other way he knew that we could get to Greenville was to go back to Highway 80 and go to Montgomery and then back to Greenville (would have taken the rest of the day). We went the rest of the way back to the original intersection where the road was closed. There were trucks and equipment there when we first arrived, so we planned to ask them which way to go for the detour. Not a soul anywhere. We went around the sign and headed down the road. We went several miles and started to think we were going to reach Greenville before we got to the road repair. Nope. We came to a pile of dirt across the entire road higher than the car. A culvert was washed out and of course there wasn’t anyone around. We had passed a car just a mile or two back that apparently had reached the same point and turned around. I watched him in the rear view mirror and saw him pull over in a driveway behind us. We turned around and went to the same driveway and were trying to get an alternate route on the cell phone but had no satellite coverage (of course). Then a mail delivery person drove by headed in the direction of the wash out. We turned around to chase him down and ask him how we could get to Greenville. We caught him just as he was coming back to the road from a driveway. He said that stop was as far as his route took him and then he goes back the other way and had been wondering why the road was closed. We told him he would know if he went a mile or two further. We asked him for an alternate route to Greenville. He also told us the only way he knew was to go back to Highway 80 and go to Montgomery and then back to Greenville. Since we still had two other inspections and had to be back to return the rental car by 4:30 we decided the Greenville inspection was not going to happen and called the sisters to let them know. Sister Sactomah was being transferred and had to go through all her bags to find a map and then guided us back along the county roads to a different route to Greenville. After we turned around at the closed intersection and headed back the way we came we saw detour signs at each junction where she told us we needed to turn but there was nothing at the intersection telling us to make a U-turn and go back the way we came. We got to Greenville about an hour late instead of fifteen minutes early. We did get to the rest of our inspections without further incident and got to the car rental office at 4:15 and then picked up our car at the shop and the repairs were actually done. Apartment inspections are one of the perks of being a senior couple we get to see the missionaries and buy things for them that they need (we are reimbursed) and they are really happy and appreciate us a lot (attachment #1).
Wednesday was transfers and we always stop at Costco on the way home from transfers. This time we had to make changes to our membership status and wouldn’t you know, this was the second time so far on our mission that we did not have to take one of the sisters to transfers. They are both staying in the area for at least another transfer. So we had to take a little more than half the day driving to Costco and back anyway. The sisters called and asked us to take them out to see Joe (the Dana Trucking dispatcher). We found out we were going to see him at his farm. It is on the way to Greensboro. Sister Weaver, our missionary from Chicago, who spent her entire life in south side Chicago has learned many new things since coming to Alabama. That day I think her knowledge about the animal kingdom increased exponentially. She now knows about cows and bulls, rams and ewes, lambs and kids, roosters and hens, etc., etc. Quite the eye opening experience for her (attachment #2). They were pretty excited to be up close and personal with the farm animals and to feed the goats chocolate chip cookies (attachment #3). Sister Owens even demonstrated the fine art of loosing your shoe in the mud (attachment #4). You might also notice the typical Alabama farm in the background in attachment #2.
Thursday the sisters said they were running out of miles and asked us to take them to Book of Mormon class. So we took them and Sister Jones to Greensboro and dropped off the sisters at class then drove back with Sister Jones (she likes to go with us wherever she can to ride in the car instead of sitting in her apartment) to pick up Sister Borden and go back to class. Then we made two trips afterword to get everybody home (our Alabama Taxi service is still going strong). Class was really good. Brother White was there for the first time in more than a month, I think. He was really tired though. He just listened instead of taking a turn to read. He had already had dialysis for six hours before class. On the way home from class we got a call that Ollie needed to get to the med-center and couldn’t find anyone to get her there. We drove into town just in time and took her over. We left her there and went home and just got sat down to rest when she called to say she was done and we could pick her up. Our appointment that evening cancelled and we were actually glad as we were quite tired and ready to retire for the day. It was rescheduled for Friday at 11:00 AM.
Friday we went to the discussion with James and the sisters. He can’t come to church with us because he has to teach Sunday School at his church. He is in Mosiah with his reading of the Book of Mormon. He actually listens to it every day on his phone. We can tell from the answers he gives us that he understands our message, and he says he has to decide if he wants to be baptized or not. He is typical of so many here. He just seems to like the churches that only expect you to come on Sunday and listen to the sermon and drop a donation in the plate instead of one where you are asked to actually serve and give of yourself. He tells us every time that he feels the Book of Mormon is true and understands that Joseph Smith has to be a prophet if the book is true. After our discussion we pretty much spent the rest of the day preparing food for the Potluck on Sunday. In the morning Sister Smith brought us a house guest, Gonzo. They needed someone to take care of their hedge hog while they are camping for spring break (attachment #5).
Saturday we did our P-day chores and cleaned the church and had a discussion scheduled with Joe Davis in the evening. He called the sisters and told them he was not feeling well and would rather not have a lesson. He said if we just wanted to stop by and say hi, that would be okay. We all went over and visited with him for about an hour. He said he was glad we came and that he was feeling a lot better. He said if he had a good night he would try to come to church. He told us he cooked up a great big batch of cornbread for the potluck but he didn’t put enough eggs in it and it was really dry so he fed it to the animals.
Sunday has been a good day. We were expecting a pretty good crowd at church because we were having the potluck. When I took the attendance count we only had 32 people there. That was actually not too bad with the Smith family out of town for spring break (all nine of them). We did think there would be a few more because of the potluck. We felt bad when the meeting started and Joe wasn’t there, but he walked in about ten minutes late and sat behind us. Yesterday Sister Owens and I were discussing the lesson for Priesthood and Relief Society which was based on Elder Holland’s conference talk about the ministry of reconciliation. We wondered if anyone in the branch other than the five leaders actually even had heard it or read it. We thought it would be good to just play the video of his talk and then discuss it. We were right. No one had heard it but the five active leaders of the branch. We really had a very good discussion after viewing the video. During the potluck Joe asked the sisters if we wanted to come over about 4:00 and teach him a lesson. We had a great lesson with him and discussed the possibility of baptism in about a month. I think he is thinking he just about has to be perfect before he feels like he should be baptized. Coffee is the only problem he really has to overcome and he has a plan to do that. As we were leaving I got the impression that next time we see him I need to tell him that you don’t get perfect to join the Lord’s kingdom, you join the Lord’s kingdom to get perfect. We are kind of feeling bad that he has put his home in Moundville up for sale and plans to move down to Mobile by about June.
Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon everyday.
We love y’all,
Elder and Sister Owens
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