May 10, 2016 - Tuesday and Josie's Birthday!

We celebrated another family birthday, today.  Our daughter, Josie, enjoyed her special day with Tommy and the family.  Probably the best highlight of her day was when Granny and I caught up with her on the phone, and sang our rendition of "Happy Birthday"....(Isn't that everyone's birthday highlight?)

I appreciate the comments on the question, "How has the restoration healed you".  This will be in my mind for a very long time, with its thought-provoking ramifications.  Here are some of the thoughts about this question that I have committed to paper;

"That's a fantastic story and I can feel you believe it, but how has
this 'Restoration' healed you?"

What a great question!!  In my case, the "healing" began as a close college friend invited me and my sister to her house for what she called a Family Home Evening.  When I asked what that was all about, she indicated that we would have a lesson and then refreshments.  She got me at the refreshments part.  The healing process is just that, a wonderfully detailed process where the principles of the Gospel, applied in generous and measure proportions, can begin making one whole again, after being separated from Heavenly parents, through a process we have come to know as "birth"....

In that Family Home Evening, the refreshments got me there, but the beautiful picture on their living-room wall with a man playing some kind of a trumpet on top of a spire, kept me coming back for more first aid treatments.... ie;  Families living together forever, a loving Father who gave His only begotton Son so that I/we could return to my/our heavenly home, learning to serve, discovering my body to be a temple, being led by Apostles and Prophets, having the authority of the Priesthood restored and learning and growing every day because I am a child of God and not an unknown or unloved human!  The Restoration came into a very sick world.  The principles taught about the Gospel through the Restoration help us as mortals learn who we are and who we can become.  Thus, the healing process begins and flourishes... 

Yes, the healing process is wonderful and is preparatory for some amazing things to come.  Literally, I stand all amazed......E. Lasher

Mom and I had a duel assignment today.  We were assigned the long summer shift "A" in the Family Living Center, with four of those hours at the Handcart site.  The "A" summer shift is from 8:45am until 3:00pm.  So we arrived at the Family Living Center long enough to have prayer with the other missionaries and drive about a half mile to the Handcart site to set up for our groups beginning at 9:00am.  Crazy.

We did start our day off with our morning devotional and prayers.  We then took our long walk around the Nauvoo flats, and I snapped this picture;

Family swim time

The geese family were just coming toward the water's edge as a got this picture.  These geese are very protective of their young!  It is fun to see them on our early morning walks just as they are up and moving around.

Then, as we worked at the Handcart site, we enjoyed the two family groups that came to experience this site today as families and as extended families.  They both took the one mile trek because of the rain last night made the other trails very muddy.

The ultimate family fun!

As the families finish their trek's, they all participate in the cleaning of the wagon.  This little creek is running pretty steady right now, but this summer it will all but dry up.  It is refreshing to see families working together!

Then we met these three girls who are living here in Nauvoo and are home schooled.  They were so fun to talk to!  When we asked them what their favorite subjects were in school, they did not say "lunch", or "recess", (my two personal favorites), but one said "math", and another one said "history".  The oldest one turns 13 on June 29th, very close to Cambry's age!...  

They wanted to pull the handcart around the grassy area so we set up a little game.  One of the girls would try to pull the cart by herself, and the other two would sneak up and be "angels" in helping her by pushing from the back of the cart... that way, the lesson of "pulling" and "pushing" together made for much easier work!  I got the pictures here;

Having friends jump in and help, is fun!

Pulling by yourself is no fun!

And finally, the other family that took the one mile trek was this family whom we later saw at the Family Living Center;

The Bingham Family - 3 generations!

This is a great family.  The grandparents work in Utah at one of the many Girls Camps.  They are serving a two year mission there which means they work two summer periods.  This year is their second year.  Their oldest granddaughter, in the red top, has received her mission call to McAllen, Texas, and reports to the MTC, in Mexico City, in July.  The lady second to the right is a Church photographer.  She works with several folks taking pictures for the Ensign and for the Church News.  She is Janae Bingham, and one of her pictures is from October Conference on page 95, in President Nelson's talk on, "A Plea to My Sisters"....  You meet some of the best people in the world while serving a senior mission!