I love the 4th of July! I love fireworks. I love the United States of America!
In Arizona during this day it is way too hot to do anything outside unless it is be in the water. In Michigan it was warm and humid. There was a parade in Cheboygan at 10 AM and it stayed light until after 10 PM. We didn't go to the parade and by the time fireworks started, we were laying in bed listening to the noise outside. But during the day, we had our first BBQ with our District here at the home we live in.
We bought the last corn hole game that Walmart had and since there were no graphics on the boards, we decided to write "Michigan Lansing Mission," the date and have everyone here sign it and put the dates of their missionary service. We will leave the game here when we return home and invite all subsequent missionaries that live in this house to sign the board too.
Once in a lifetime experience...
who can say they have deer watching them play corn hole?!
The Sisters asked Elder Sines what were some of his 4th of July traditions at home. He said they cut open coconuts and drink the milk. So being the thoughtful young women they are, they brought him one. Elder Sines is currently our District Leader, but we have renamed him our "District Manager." Recently we gave him a different name as well. Let me explain. In a companionship, one of the missionaries is the "Designated Driver" as instructed by the Vehicle Coordinator in the Mission Office. Each vehicle has a device in it that tracks the driving habits in the car. It can indicate things like excessive speed or tailgating. This last transfer Elder Rogers became the Designated Driver, but not due to Elder Sines' driving. It was just time for a change I guess. But like everything else the missionaries have "names" for things and they decided to dub Elder Sines the "PP" meaning "Passenger Princess."
Since it's now "summer", we have three air conditioning units loaded into windows (in the office, dining room and bedroom.) You can drive by houses and see them in everyone's windows. Makes us wonder how secure homes are. It would seem easy to break into a home, but honestly we don't hear much about crime here. When the missionaries come and hang out, we turn all three on. They tease Elder Gibbons a lot about how he is always cold. He will even sit under a blanket when the air is on. On PDay, they came over to do their laundry as usual. He disappeared and when I went looking for him, this is what I encountered.
He was merely outside in the sun warming himself up.
That same day at about 7 pm we remembered that one of the less active men in our Branch was celebrating a birthday. We ran to the store to pick up his favorite flavor of ice cream. (We had secretly asked his daughter one day when drove past his house and saw her outside.) So hurrying out the door once we realized we needed ice cream I forgot that I was wearing my slippers until I walked into the store. Oops.
Saturday, July 6th
We had the opportunity to drive to Petoskey and witness the baptism of a man that the Sisters have been teaching. He lives in a home of recovering addicts. He has eaten up the Gospel knowledge and truths. He was so eager to be baptized as he was taught that through baptism, turning your life towards Heavenly Father, and only through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ he could be forgiven for all his past sins and have a fresh start. What a merciful and loving God we know.
Travis with Elder Nixon, the Petoskey Senior Missionary.
After his baptism the Sister presented him with his first set of all four books of scriptures that we call a Quad. This was a miracle. They tried to get him a set before he was baptized, but couldn't get it here in time. They settled by going to the library in the church building and finding a used set donated by a family whose loved one had passed away. But the Branch President asked about it and when he found out about the situation, he took the Sisters to his office and presented them with a brand new set that had been sitting on his desk for a couple of years! The former Branch President bought a few sets for people being baptized and this set had never been used. It made the Sisters cry to think of how the Lord had provided this tender mercy.
It was definitely a happy day!
No greater joy!
"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."
Doctrine and Covenants 18:10
"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"
Doctrine and Covenants 18:15
We now have a personal connection and testimony of these scriptures. We've read those words many times, but we feel it in our hearts and souls now. We are so grateful for what we are experiencing here and how it has deepened our love and closeness to our Father in Heaven. We see His hand in our lives and in the lives of all his children.
Sunday, July 7th
We had a first in our Branch on Sunday. President Kielizewski announced that we were to have a baby blessing. What we call a "child of record." We have been teaching Austin and Madison Troop for a few weeks now as often as we can the "Covenant Path" lessons. Madison grew up in the Church as a child in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where the Church is very small. Austin joined the church at about age 18, but both became inactive for a couple of years. When they moved into our Branch the RS heard about it and quickly helped them get moved into their little house. We love this little family. It was their 2 year old daughter, Amarah, who was go be blessed in Church, becoming the newest (and our only Primary aged member) of the Branch.
Amarah wasn't wanting to take a picture because she was being held by her grandma and didn't want to give her up. Austin has been blessing and passing the Sacrament for a couple of weeks, but blessing his little girl was the first ordinance he performed by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. They are about to get their Patriarchal Blessings and we have been teaching them Temple Preparation lessons as well. What a day that will be when they go to the Temple for the first time and have their little one sealed to them for all eternity. Madison is pregnant with a second child and due early October. The Detroit Temple is closing for maintenance and repairs until October 8th so they won't be able to go to the Temple until after the little one is born.
We had 70 people in Church. We doubled in numbers because of summer visitors. For the first time our Primary President and our Young Women President had children and youth to teach. It was pretty wonderful to hear Primary children singing.
One of the families visiting included a man who served in this area 50 years ago when the mission area was much larger and included parts of three other surrounding states. He came to show his family where he served.
We experienced another tender mercy. There are no coincidences where the Lord's hand is concerned. It turns out that the wife of this former missionary is best friends with the couple in Utah that were our "mentors" via Zoom meetings prior to beginning our mission. The Todd's. So we had to take a picture and send it to the Todd's.
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