Trip back east--North Carolina--Sunday October 12

We went to church at the Mt. Zion branch.  They are still meeting from 9 am to 12 noon, using the "one true schedule" with sacrament meeting last.  Attendance appeared to have increased a little since we had been there last.  There have been some converts recently.  The full-time missionaries were present including Elder Wood from Spanish Fork.  (We had contact with his family prior to our trip.) One thing that was happening that I was impressed and excited about, was their relationship with the teenage boys in the branch.  There were 5 or 6 young men hanging around them constantly.  This day plans were being made for the elders to split off with AP boys to take the sacrament to home-bound members.  I sensed that if these elders accomplished nothing else, the examples they provided for the AP was worth their being in the branch.  One of the problems that Wendy and I had identified when were assigned to the branch was the there was no culture of mission preparation there.  These elders seemed to have changed this.  There are two young men with mission papers ready and others younger now seemingly with the same vision.

It was fast and testimony Sunday, and we bore our testimonies. 

After meeting, we made some visits.  We first saw Jeff and Dorothy F.  We lived with their son Daryl for awhile at the start of our mission.  Jeff used to keep us supplied with the best sausage.  She has been suffering from had cancer for a number of years but is still hanging on and positive.  Then we visited with Connie W, her daughter-in-law Maria and some of Maria’s kids.  Connie’s was the second place we live at Mt. Zion.  Connie’s husband died recently.  We heard about his death and his baptism shortly before he died.  Next we dropped in at Wade and Farrah N.  The missionaries were also there and interacting with their teenagers.  Finally we went to see Jeff and Debby P where we also saw Tabitha and Todd and their kids and also Tara and her kids.

In the evening, we had dinner at Theron and Shirley’s with Danny and Sherry H, Riley and Judy G, and Randall B also present.

It was such a joyful reunion and we felt so loved and so at home.