December 28th Update

Dec. 21st marks 3months on our mission! We fed the missionaries breakfast! Elder Waite has been here since before we got here & we really have really gotten attached to him. Elder Renie went home last week having completed his mission & we will really miss him too. So we have a new missionary, Elder Walker.  Today we drove to McDonough to get our car serviced. Then I went shopping for another gift for the needy family & I also got gifts for the sister missionaries in our district. I've gotten close to one sister -- she doesn't seem to have a lot of support from home so we wanted to give her an anonymous gift & felt we should give the other sister one too. I got them 2 pair of earrings,a pretty scarf & $20 in a card. Turns out she didn't get many presents from home so I was really glad we did it. She told me her Mom & Dad divorced when she was 12 & after that there was never Christmas.

12/22 I baked cookies almost all day. We were asked to bring 7 dozen to zone conference & I made more to give out to your Dad's home teaching families. We visited four of those families this afternoon.

12/23 we went to Fayetteville to our Christmas Zone Conference. I helped the other senior sister missionaries bag all of the cookies while your Dad helped with the car inspections in the rain. He got soaked! President & Sister Foote spoke. They are so awesome & great speakers.

12/24 Today I made 10 loaves of banana bread & gave our to the neighbor's in our apartment complex that included the missionaries of course! We went to the nursing home to visit 3 ladies there-one is a member, one isn't but her family is & we also visit with her roommate who loves to join in on the conversation & seems lonely. We took them each a bag of candy except the 1 lady who isn't a member was with her family so we will have to give her the candy later.
Sister Gyyton & Katie came by & brought us some food including a bunch of tomatoes that were on sale. She also gave the missionaries some so I asked them if they wanted me to make them some tomato soup & they did. I had planned on making dressing this afternoon but instead worked on the tomatoes, pealing them & slicing them.

Our mission Christmas tree

12/25 I cooked the tomato soup this morning. Then I made some more banana bread. The soup was delicious! This was the first time I ever made some. The Stansell's had us over for Christmas dinner. It was delicious--she is a great cook. I love going over to their home, it is so pretty & comfortable & is on the lake. This was not the usual kind of Christmas & I was a little homesick, missing our family, our house, our Christmas decorations, etc. But how blessed we were to see all of y'all, except Chris & Maggie who was sick, on the 26th for Nathan's birthday! What a wonderful day it was & we loved every minute!

Opening Christmas presents with Kaitlyn's help

12/27 we went to church today. Our schedule is from 10 to 1--I love the 10 o'clock part but not the 1 o'clock part lol! Brother Price told us that there was a lady that wanted to talk to us & when we took him home she was sitting outside do we went & talked to her. Your Dad asked if we could give her a lesson & she said yes so we went back after eating & your Dad taught her a lesson--this was our first!!!! He taught the restoration lesson & she accepted it & said she would read it he pamphlet @ some in the Book of Mormon. We were excited!  We delivered a birthday candy bar & had supper with the Knight's and the missionaries. The Knight's are a great couple--I really hope y'all get to meet them. Busy week!

Lee Grayson's baptism

December 19, 2015
Today was Barry's cousin's funeral. It was held at First Baptist Church of Lilburn, Ga. Barry was asked to do the obituary and make a few comments. The service was conducted by a lady that serves as some type of relief minister there & she did a really good job. It was a very nice service.
On the way home we stopped at the Stockbridge ward to be at Lee Greyson's baptism (pictured above). This is the first baptism since we've been there. Elder Waite & Elder Compton & Elder Reni taught him. It was a nice service. Sister Knight & Brother Godwin spoke. Charlie Knoll, a friend of Lee's, did the baptism & he has only been a member for a few months himself.

12/15/15 District Meeting

L to r Elder Hansen; Elder Ericksen; Elder Waite; Elder Reni; Sister Jones; Sister Webb

December 14th Update

I am late with this but couldn't let last week go by without a report!

Monday, December 7th we fed the missionaries breakfast. Elder Reni told me he looked forward to breakfast all week long! That made me feel good. Afterward we went to Daucet Trails. It has beautiful trails & is kind of a mini zoo. We really enjoyed it. Baked cookies for the Christmas devotional that we watched as a ward for FHE.

Tuesday, December 8th we inspected missionary apartments.

Wednesday, December 9th we went to McDonough to rake leaves with the missionaries & later went caroling in the neighborhood to try to get some contacts for the missionaries there. It was a lot of fun.

Thursday, December 10th we made a visit & worked on 59 Christmas cards for ward members.

Friday, December 11th we visited with Bob & Sonya Crosby some friends of ours from the Tuscaloosa ward. Her mother is Sister Kirkland (where we got stuck in the ditch). When she told them they had missionaries named Sadler from Alabama they thought it might be us! We had such a nice visit with them. That afternoon I went to the dr & got antibiotics. Being in the night air Wednesday made me sick. )o:

Saturday, December 12th we went to a missionary meeting with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland! It was the Atlanta Mission & the Atlanta North Mission--about 400 missionaries & we all got to shake his hand! He was a great speaker. It was awesome! Then we got stuck in traffic for a long time! We heard that there was a 5 car pile up on the interstate. The Marchman's took us & the missionaries out to eat for supper. They are a great couple & we really enjoy being with them (they had us over Thanksgiving).  I called Garrett & wished him a happy birthday. He is 15 years old! Hard to believe.

Sunday, December 13th your Dad/Papa gave a talk in Sacrament meeting & taught the gospel principles class. After church we fed the missionaries & Elder Waite gave me the cd "The Forgotten Carols". His mom had sent it for us. I was touched! Your Dad/Papa & the missionaries went to An elderly sister's home to bless their house. Barry said he felt no problems there      ( this was the lady whose grandchildren had been playing with a wigi board). That was a relief. Later we delivered 2 birthday candy bars.

It was a great week! We love being around the missionaries! We've enjoyed them all in our district.

December 6th Update

We've had another busy week. Monday, November 30th we fed the missionaries breakfast & cleaned & shopped. One of the missionaries told me that he looks forward to breakfast on Monday all week. That made me feel good!

Tuesday, December 1st we had a district meeting & afterward we took our Elders out to eat. We delivered a birthday candy bar & had supper with the Knight's & they also invited the Elders.

Wednesday, December 2nd we delivered another birthday candy bar. We've been trying to catch this lady at home so we waited until 6 pm but she still wasn't there. We had supper with the Huddlestons. They are relatively new members & a nice family.

Thursday, December 3rd we delivered a candy bar to an inactive young guy. We have really tried to see this guy. We've left him notes & visited where he did work--girlfriend still works there--gave the girlfriend a note asking for him to call. Apparently he is one of those that does not want to be found! Your Dad & the Elders went to see An elderly sister to give her home a blessing but she wasn't there. She said her grandchildren were playing with a wigi board & they have had hoards of flies & other strange things going on at her son's house. So she wanted her home blessed.

Friday, December 4th we did apartment inspections. Afterward we took the sister missionaries out to eat. Then we went to see Sister Barringer who recently had a baby& gave her a baby gift.

Saturday, December 5th Barry took a couple, Lisa & Greg to the Bishops Storehouse for a food order. While they were filling the order one of the guys there took your Dad on a tour & he was very impressed! He said they also store supplies like tarps, chainsaws, etc.  This couple lives with other family members & when they got to the house one of the male family members said he wasn't going to help unload "that man's car" but Lisa said, "well I guess you won't eat the food either" so then he decided to help. Greg is in a wheelchair so he couldn't help much. President Carrin had given them a big food order.
The Sister that wanted her home blessed also wanted us to find a ride for her to church but she has MARSA. We talked to Pres. Carrin & he & your Dad will take the sacrament to her. It is contagious so she doesn't need to come to church with that. She has a weakened immune system. We've faced several problems that we've never encountered before which kind of surprises me since we've been in the church for 41 years & Barry has served 6 different times as a bishop or branch president.