Week 89: I guess things have changed now; We just had a rare thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends,

Sister James finally got back to us about a family we were helping for Thanksgiving.  It seems the mother doesn’t really share much with Sister Owens so Sister James was reaching out to her to find out what she and her family wanted for Thanksgiving.  Turns out they just wanted a small turkey to cook and some frozen mac and cheese and something to drink.  So that’s what we took over to them.  The sisters called us that evening and told us that they were both being transferred.  We were all pretty sure Sister Allen would stay one more transfer just so they could familiarize the new sister with the area.  She said she asked the Zone leader several times if it was a joke, but he assured her that she actually was leaving.  We were a little bummed and started wondering if they would send sisters or elders or would possibly not replace them at all.

Tuesday was P-day for the sisters because of transfers being on Wednesday.  Sister Snarr is going home and has never had catfish yet.  We decided to pick them up and take them to Greensboro (the catfish capital of Alabama) to have catfish before she went home (attachment 1).  On the way there we asked them what they thought would be done with the area as far as missionaries to replace them.  We talked awhile about it but of course nobody knows until they tell us at transfers.  We were a little concerned about how we would get luggage and bikes for two sisters to transfers and the same for two coming back.  We bought a little cartop carrier several months ago when they asked us to take luggage back for another sister in Tuscaloosa but ended up not needing to use it.  So we were going to find out if it would do the job.  On the way home the sisters received an email that said if they were receiving this email no missionaries will be replacing you in your area and you will need to do some additional things to the apartment before leaving for transfers.  That answered our question about who might replace them.  We are now without proselyting missionaries in Demopolis (things do change).  Neither of them had ever been to the Gaineswood Mansion (attachment 2), and neither have we, so we took them over and went on the tour of the home before we took them home to pack.

Our luggage problem was solved.  Since no missionaries were coming back to Demopolis the sisters had to drive their car to transfers.  Since there was no one to bring back, there really wasn’t any reason for us to go.  We have been planning to go since the beginning of the transfer because we knew Sister Snarr was going home and we intended to see some Elders and Sister that we have known who are going home so we decided we were going anyway.  We told the sisters they didn’t have to worry about fitting everything into their car because they could put some of their luggage in our car.  We took one suitcase for each of them in our car and Sister Snarr had a big bag of clothing she was not taking home that she left with us to take to the church or the second hand store along with a couple boxes and some shoes that a friend gave to them a few days ago. We just kept it in the car while we went to transfers. It was a good thing we went.  Sister Allen was transferred to Clanton to be in a trio before one of the sisters there goes home next week.  They did not come to transfers and there was no way for Sister Allen to get to Clanton.  They asked if we would be willing to take her to Clanton before we went home.  We were happy to do so but we did not bring our bike rack so they had to have some elders drop her bike off for her.

Thursday we were going to have the sisters over for Thanksgiving dinner so we just spent the morning preparing the meal for us and a Sister in the branch and her son who we were bringing plates to.  We cooked the turkey in our borrowed roaster for as long as the instructions said to for the weight of the turkey.  We got the plates ready for Sister Jones and her son about 1:30 and carved the turkey and were lucky enough to find enough of it that was actually cooked to take to Sister Jones.  Then we came home and microwaved some for us to eat for dinner and we will cook the rest of it some time in the next few days.

We left Friday for an overnight senior couple activity.  The Hursts that used to be in the same district with us invited us to go down to Pensacola, Florida to see the Naval Aviation Museum (attachment 3) and the ocean—of course (attachment 4).  Their son from Utah called them and said he was coming to see them for Thanksgiving but he wasn’t going to get there until 9:00 Thursday night. Hursts have a daughter that lives in Florida so we thought we were going to be kind of intruding on their family holiday and told them we didn’t need to go.  They weren’t going to see their daughter (she is actually in another city quite a ways away) and they assured us they wanted us to come.  So their son chauffeured the four of us for the whole trip.  It sure was a change of scenery for my walk on Saturday morning (attachment 5).

Sunday there were quite a few of our members out of town for the holiday and several that probably didn’t  get up after Alabama lost to Auburn yesterday.  The fourteen of us that were there had a very nice testimony meeting.  After President James stood up to close the meeting three more people excused themselves and said they wanted to bear their testimony.  Sister Morgan told Sister Owens that the spirit she felt today was the spirit she felt when her dad took her to the Mormon church the first time.  That was the reason she joined the church.

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon every day, every day, every day.

We love y’all,

Elder and Sister Owens

Week 35: Thanksgiving-Blessings all around

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday was my doctor appointment bright and early at 8:00 AM in Tuscaloosa.  Everybody said my blood pressure was awesome (118/68).  I guess everything else was okay as well.  Of course the doctor said a low cholesterol, low sodium, low sugar, low fat, low red meat diet is always good for everything.  But, hey, a guys got to eat, right?  After my appointment we went to the Fed Ex office in Tuscaloosa to check on the package that they tried to deliver twice to the branch building during the last week.  There was no indication on the tag they left who it was for or who it was from and nobody at the branch seemed to know what it might have been.  Since we go to Tuscaloosa at least once every week, we told them we would check on it.  Wouldn't you know, we had no reason to go to Tuscaloosa that week (they had transfers and we don't have District Council the week of transfers and neither of our sisters were transferred so we didn't have to go).  As I walked into the office the lady behind the counter was just explaining to the fellow ahead of me that his package had been processed back to the shipper because no one came to pick it up.  He had his phone in his hand and explained that he just received the notice that day that it had arrived.  She just told him they shipped it back and turned and asked me how she could help me.  I handed her the tags and said I hoped this one hasn't  been shipped back.  She went in the back room and hollered something to me which I didn't understand.  Then she came out and said it had been sent back to the shipper.  I asked her if I could find out who it was for and who it was from.  It was from a Bio Med company for the son of one of our branch members.  His dad was the first one that said he had no idea who it would have been for.  It was shipped back the Friday before we came to check on it.  We called the family and explained the situation and they asked us for a bunch of information that we couldn't give them because we didn't have it.  Later we found out that it was shirts that the Red Cross was having shipped directly for the blood drive we were having on Wednesday as an eagle project for the boy the package was addressed to.  Needless to say, there were no free shirts for the blood donors on Wednesday.  Things got way better after that.  We found the transmission specialist that was recommended to us by a mechanic in Greensboro who said that, from the symptoms I told him about, it sounded like we need a new transmission.  We found the shop and explained what the car has been doing.  The mechanic was going to drive it.  He went to the end of the lot and then came back and drove it into the  bay.  He checked the fluid level and came and asked us if we had any work done on it lately.  We told him we hadn't.  He said it was really low on fluid.  He told us it took three quarts of fluid but he could not find anywhere where it had been leaking and it was not wet anywhere.  He couldn't explain how it could be missing so much fluid.  We were totally puzzled because the day it starting having problems, I suspected it was low on fluid and took it to a shop to have it checked because we were driving to Zone Conference the next day.  They told us the fluid was good and it was not low.  That of course was news I didn't want to hear because I was sure the transmission was bad if the fluid wasn't low.  We were convinced we were going to be spending a lot of money either on transmission repairs or a new car and it ended up being $65 to add fluid and the car has been running like a charm ever since.  They said to bring it back again this week and they will check it out again.  We will stop by when we go for District council on Tuesday.  The Lord is certainly taking care of us.

Tithing settlement is coming so I spent Tuesday morning getting reports ready for President James while Sister Owens did some Relief Society stuff and Josh and his family were setting up for the blood drive the next day.  In the afternoon we took a bunch of chicken out to Deborah in Greensboro.  She is the non-member who comes to Book of Mormon class every week and her family won't let her be baptized.  We barbequed the chicken for the baptism that didn't happen last Sunday.  Then we went to see a recent convert that just got married.  We were invited to the wedding but couldn't go because we had other commitments.

Sister Owens says Wednesday was a truly beautiful Fall day (attachment #1).  If the leaves aren't all gone from the tree in front of the Funeral Chapel across the street from the branch building, we will have to get a picture this week to send.  They are all bright red.  We picked up a member in Linden and brought her to the blood drive early because she wanted to do some family history work on the computer at the church.  She used the wrong user name and password so many times she locked herself out of her account.  Then when enough time passed that she could try again, they were ready for her to give blood.  The nurse couldn't find a vein and she ended up not being able to give any.  Sister Owens donated but I didn't because I always faint.  Well I almost fainted last time I donated blood and I don't like it.  I gave at the doctor's office just a couple days before anyway.  So after the blood drive we took Beth home and went shopping for Thanksgiving.  The only turkey breasts they had were frozen and we didn't know if one would thaw in time to cook it the next day so we bought a couple Hungry Man Turkey dinners just in case.  We haven't had TV dinners for a long time.  The turkey thawed out pretty fast so we ate the TV dinners for supper.  Then we remembered why it has been so long since we ate TV dinners. Our family sent us leaves made from construction paper where they each wrote a note about why they are thankful for us.  We finally got a vase to put our cotton plant in and we put all the leaves on the plant with tiny clothes pins that Sara sent us with her family's leaves (attachment #2). It is a neat addition to our little apartment.

I guess we are not true southerners because we did not have ham and potato salad and sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving.  But we did have our turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn.  We made real cranberry sauce and we stopped in Linden the day before to buy some yams from a farmer.  Two of them filled a bread loaf pan after we baked them.  We doctored them up real good.  So we came pretty close to the sweet potato pie, we just didn't have the crust and whipped cream.  They even had some Vernor's Ginger Ale at the store so we had that to drink (the BEST Ginger Ale ever made).  In keeping with tradition we had a nice nap after dinner. 

Our Thanksgiving week ended with Zone Conference.  They had us attend with the Montgomery Zone so we only had to drive two hours instead of two hours and fifteen minutes.  It was special, too, because we got to see the missionaries for whom we do inspections.  Their areas are not in our zone.  Sister Snarr was transferred to that zone when she left Demopolis so it was neat to get to see her and hear how she is doing in her new area with her new companion.  Of course all the sisters just love everybody and they always tell them so.  After the conference I was holding the door for some people that were leaving while I was waiting for Sister Owens and our sisters.  Sister Snarr noticed me and came running over and shook my hand and said, "I love you."  I just looked at her for a very pregnant pause and then said, "I'm sorry, I just can't respond to that."  She realized what she had done and looked at all the elders that were looking at her and then said, "I shouldn't have said that." And went back over and stood by her companion.

The Montgomery Stake President was in the building while we were there for conference.  President Sainsbury went out and asked him if he would come in and speak to the missionaries for a few minutes.  He was reluctant because he wasn't in his "Stake President Uniform," but he came in anyway and shared some scriptures with us.  He talked about how blessings are attached to each of the commandments that are given to us and that promised blessings come to us when we are obedient to the council we receive from the Lord.  One of the sure blessings that I liked that he mentioned is in D&C 45: 57-59.  The council we are given is to be wise, receive the truth, and take the Holy Spirit for our guide.  If we do this we will abide the day when the Lord comes again.  In verse 58 an awesome promise is given to those who do those things faithfully:

58 And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.

What a promise!

Be wise, receive the truth, and take the Holy Spirit for your guide,

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon.

We hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving!

We love y'all,

Elder and Sister Owens

--

Rob and Suzie

Week 34: An early Thanksgiving and a foul weather pet

Dear Family and Friends,

 

We started the week with our last two apartment inspections.  After we inspected the Thomasville apartment we were invited to lunch with the Sisters at the home of an inactive member (she was the Relief Society President of the Greensboro Branch before it was closed).  She told the sisters she was going to make some soup for us.  We got there and she had a full Thanksgiving spread.  The menu included cold ham, sweet potatoes, potato salad, rice and broccoli casserole, green beans (great big flat ones), cornbread dressing and gravy, grape salad, and homemade rolls (see attachment #1).  She also made some of her famous homemade lemonade for us.  Everybody in the branch raves about it.  She told us it is just Country Time, Crystal Light, and pineapple juice.  She puts a little sugar in it since she doesn't even like lemonade and never drinks it.  The rolls aren't in the picture.  She put them in the oven to warm them up for us and we decided to get a picture of all the food.  After we got the picture she remembered the rolls which were a little darker on top than desired.  She took them out of the oven and set them on the counter and said, "Now see what you made me do!"  She was joking with us, we hope.  After the feast she made us and the sisters take all the leftovers home with us.  She said she wasn't going to eat any of it (she did keep about half of the ham for her husband). The sisters cashed in pretty good.  I got a couple pieces of ham for us to have for breakfast the next morning and by the time I went to get some more the sisters had all the rest of it in their bag.  We came back to Demopolis and went to the sisters to inspect their apartment.  Familiarity breeds slothfulness.  Their apartment wasn't in all that good of shape.  The bathroom was clean but everything else was really cluttered.  We had to give them a little talking to.

 

Tuesday was our day of miracles.  We had to go to Selma to pick up an Elder and his companion to get them to a dermatologist in Montgomery (yeah!! Uncharted territory)  When we got in the car the tire pressure light was on but the check engine light was off and we actually had cruise control which has been on the blink for about three weeks.  We got gas and air at Walmart and were on our way.  The whole trip I kept forgetting to use the cruise control because I was out of the habit after the last three weeks.  We got the elders to the doctor and learned that there was a Costco in Montgomery about a mile from the doctor's office.  We were about 60 miles overdue for our first tire rotation.  We left the elders at the doctor's office and went to Costco and saw three open bays in the tire shop.  We hurried in and got on the schedule and were told it would probably an hour and a half because there were only two of them there and the other guy was painting the shop.  We called the elders and they were still filling out paperwork.  We thought the way the doctors are here that we would probably be done in plenty of time.  They called us about twenty minutes later and said they were done way sooner than they expected. The car was done in about an hour and we went back to get the elders.  We went back to Costco for lunch and on the way were just about T-boned by a little blue car that we saw streaking past behind us.  We all acknowledged that we were protected.  The biggest miracle of the day was that the elders are so much less expensive than the sisters when it comes to lunch (although one of them did have to have two hotdogs).

 

Wednesday we had an appointment at the family history library with a couple of nice older non-member ladies who wanted some help with their research.  Both of them are lightyears ahead of either one of us as far as research abilities go.  We were able to set up an account for one of them who did not have an account on familysearch.  Unfortunately she didn't bring any of her four generation information with her so we didn't do so well getting her tree started.  We will probably be calling Sister Cragun some time this week for some guidance.   Wednesday night we noticed another member of the household.  A cute little lizard spent the night with us sleeping on our blinds (see attachment #2).  We have named him sleepy.  It is getting pretty cold outside at night now so he shows up now and then to sleep where it's warm and we see him sunning himself from time to time in the morning on the (inside) ledge of the windowpane.

 

We won't bore you with all the details, but the second of the two students the sisters were working with (the first said she is not going to be baptized at this time because her mother doesn't think it would be good and she wants to preserve her relationship with her mother) was going to be baptized this Saturday and then today after church and finally said she doesn't want to rush into this "baptism thing."  Her Mom was supporting her and wanted her to do what made her happy.  She came here to Demopolis from Livingston to stay with her God Mother.  Her God Mother pretty much talked her out of it and would not let the sisters see her when they came over.

 

We just got back from our Stake implementation meeting for the new Sunday schedule starting in January.  That was in Bessemer.  Tomorrow we have to be in Tuscaloosa for my doctor appointment at 8:20 AM.  We found out our zone conference is going to be Friday so we don't have to go back to Tuscaloosa Tuesday for District Council because we don't meet in the weeks when we have Zone Conference.  I love to drive and thought I would never get tired of driving, but this is really starting to ware me down.  We look forward to the days we don't have to drive out of town. Friday this week was just a short hop to Eutaw to pick up the lady whose car was repossessed to bring her back here to Demopolis to see her doctor and do her laundry and some shopping.  Since it gets dark here by 5:00 PM, we are doing a lot of driving at night.  Not so fun.

 

We hope y'all have a safe, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving.  We appreciate all your support and your prayers in our behalf.  We are very aware of it very often.

 

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon

 

We love y'all.

 

Elder and Sister Owens