Boy, the weeks really are flying by. And yet when I sit down to write, I find myself at a loss for what to share. The biggest news this week was transfers. 😢 This was so hard. Our district was decimated, but the worst thing was that we lost Elder Ellsworth! He was the first face that greeted us when we arrived in Vermont. He sort of taught us the ropes and was patient with our slow learning curve. He has been our zone leader, and basically our trainer (they don't give those to couple missionaries but believe me we would have been lost without Elder Ellsworth.) When they formed the YSA Branch, he and Elder Edstrom were assigned to that branch with us--so basically we have worked closely with them. It was so hard to say goodbye. I think he was having a hard time leaving too. He's back in Maine. He made it clear to us when we got here that this was the prime real estate of the New Hampshire mission and he wasn't too fond of his earlier time in Maine. So maybe the Lord is giving him another chance to love Maine.
We also lost Sister Smith who has been here from the beginning with us. And we lost two elders. Anyway, our first district meeting on Friday was a little, um, awkward maybe with a brand new (and previously unknown) district leader. Aww, the life of a missionary. I had no idea how attached I could become in a few months.
We've loved doing "Light the World" this week--looking for any acts of service that we could do. We even used it for our institute lesson this week. If you haven't watched the new film do so. And read the attached information about the film. It's great. On Tuesday I decided to give platelets or plasma at the blood bank. Ken can't donate blood anymore. But they always seem to want my AB+ blood for platelets and plasma.(I'm a universal recipient) I've never done that before. So, they hook you up to a machine that takes your blood out of one arm and filters it through a machine and runs it back into the other arm. I think Ken did this when they were collecting his own stem cells for the transplant. Anyway, I tried to talk them into using the veins in the back of my hand (which always work) rather than my arm--which sometimes don't work. But alas after trying to get my right arm to work for some 30 minutes they gave up. But I tried. My right arm is still black and blue😆. So I got a free bag and T-shirt just for trying.
This has been a week where many friends have joined the ranks of the angels on the other side. Red Blake died this week, just a couple of months after his wife, Pat. It was a real surprise. Our former neighbor Alice Jean Edwards passed away. Our friend Randy Cloward passed away. And a new friend here in Vermont died. Brother Fife. He and his wife have been some of our favorite people to spend time with out here. He was the very first stake president here in Vermont and is so very loved. We have been blessed to have know him and his beautiful wife.
The work is growing in this small branch of ours. Today there were 27 YSA's attending the branch and several regulars were out of town so that is awesome. The missionaries are teaching 4 new friends. We met one on Thursday at institute. Myra joined us and loved it. She said she wants to come every week! We are excited about that. I made homemade doughnuts and they were a hit. Our institute group is small and getting smaller in some ways. We are losing one in January to BYUI. And we are losing a few branch members who are leaving for school. But I'm excited for Summer because we get a bunch home and it will be great.
On Saturday night we got to attend the Burlington Ward Christmas Party, as we were needed to pick up the Curtis' (a couple we know who don't have transportation). They really know how to throw a party! The theme was Polar Express: Just Believe. And they weren't talking about Santa. They had a bunch of activities for kids, a full turkey dinner and a cookie and hot chocolate bar. It was amazing. I took pics:
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| He handed out tickets to everyone and then punched them . |
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| This was the front of the train/buffet table. |
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| Back of the train. |
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| Sister Hendricks and Sister Worthington |
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| This was the stage. At the end of the party they had a violin and soloist sing "I Believe in Christ" |
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| Brother and Sister Curtis with Ken |
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| Us in our Christmas clothes. Most members wore their PJ's. It was so fun. |
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| And they had these straws for the hot chocolate. It was awesome. The homemade cookie selection was amazing! |
Our testimonies are growing and our hearts are warm with the gospel of Jesus Christ even as the temperatures drop and the snow flies. We love what we are doing and are so grateful to be here. And we love hearing from all of you!
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