A Special Baptism

Yesterday we were privileged to attend the baptisms of Holly Ostrander and her brother David Neils. We have been attending the investigator Sunday School class in the Avon Ward.  Although I had only sat by Holly once, she asked the missionaries if I would say the opening prayer at their baptism.  I felt so honored to participate in their special day.

Holly and I just hit it off. The lesson in Sunday School 2-weeks ago was about the Plan of Salvation and we talked about being truly washed clean of our sins through baptism. The Spirit was strong and both of us had tears.  It's exciting to see people like Holly and David be so eager to learn. It's times like this that make me glad I'm a missionary. 

After the baptism, Holly, David, Holly's 17-year-old daughter Autumn and 84-year-old Dad sang "How Great Thou Art".  It reminded me of Grandpa since that was his favorite hymn too.

Pictured left to right are David, Holly and Elder Rogers.  It was a very good day. I can honestly say, Holly and David were filled with joy. So were we.

Autumn Eye Candy

Can I just say, Autumn in New England is spectacular!  The hardwood foliage is turning fluorescent!  This is a picture of a tree in our apartment complex.  Everyday brings new colors. Don't blink though. They flash their colors and are gone in a few days.

Here's a picture of the view we have outside of our office window.  This picture was taken just before our walk on Saturday.

Saturday we hiked Penwood Park. We wanted to check out the overlook. The colors are just coming on from this vantage point.  Notice the haze.  That's humidity. The temperatures were in the 80s with a high dew point.

Sunset over Hartford

I believe every day the Lord gives us tender mercies.  Sometimes it's something that makes us smile or laugh, sometimes it's a quickening of the Spirit that tells us to do something or testify of truth, sometimes it's just the littliest of things that we see that makes us appreciate life. 

One early evening as we were leaving Elizabeth Park, we caught a glimpse of the sun reflecting off of a skycraper in Hartford.  The harvest moon was just starting to glow. I'm not sure if this photo does it justice but I couldn't help but think, "Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this little tender mercy."  

Rhode Island Lighthouse Tour

What's more New England than lighthouses? I got online and found a tour that sails from Rhode Island and takes in 11 lighthouses.  Sisters Pehrson and Worthington came along for the adventure. The boat is a high speed ferry.  It travels between 35-40 miles per hour.  The tour lasted 90-minutes. We situated ourselves by the bow and took in the "big air"--kind of like a puppy hanging out the car window.  Great fun!

Pictured left to right are Sister Worthington, Sister Pehrson, and yours truly.

Rhode Island lighthouses are not very tall.  The tour guide said that was because they don't need to project the light too far away.  Most are small but come in all shapes and sizes.

This one is being preserved or restored.  The state likes it so well it is being featured on their license plates like our Delicate Arch.

This one intrigued me because of the unusual shape.  You don't see square lighthouses very often.  All of the lighthouses are solar powered and most are closed to the public.

This lighthouse is part of the ritzy resort that you can see a sliver of in the left. People can explore it.

To get to Newport, RI you have to cross this suspension toll bridge.  It's over 2 miles in distance and cost $4 one-way.

The weather was gorgeous and part of the charm were the sailboats racing by.

This was one of the schooners loaded with sightseers.

The tour guide recognized this boat right off the bat due to the sandy red sails.  It's the Aurora. A grand time was had by all.

Tiffany and I did it all over again during her September visit but it was a bit colder and more windy but still way fun.  We laughed so hard at our wind blown hair, our smiles permanently blastered on our faces due to our gums drying out and sticking and the wind giving our sinuses a wind flush.  Way fun though!

Dahlias at Elizabeth Park

What a treasure Elizabeth Park is in Hartford.  In the spring we enjoyed the rose arches and now in September there are spectacular dahlias.  This one above is the dinner plate variety and is literally as big as a dinner plate. 

The colors are so vibrant. I thank Heavenly Father for mini miracles like fall dahlias to cheer us.  Here are a few more pictures of the flowers. Which is your favorite?

I Looked Out the Window and What Did I See

Our office looks out on a courtyard full of trees. The other morning I was surprised to see a redheaded woodpecker in the tree.  He was so close, it seemed as though I could open the window and touch him. The bird was quite large and nervously pecked at the bark until he had freed a significant chunk. I frightened him away when I stepped outside to get this picture.

We're accustomed to seeing Blue Jays, Cardinals, squirrels and chipmunks but this Woody Woodpecker was something new.

The Dungeon

I refer to the apartment's laundry room as the dungeon.  This is why.  First, you have to go down four flights of stairs.  This is Elder Mendenhall on the third floor landing. Notice the dingy, yellow painted walls.

Next you walk past all the mechanical parts of the building that's roped off. In this picture, the room is located in the center. You can see the door and a little sliver of light. One good thing is the lights to the laundry room are motion sensitive and turn on about when you get to where Doc is standing; but the lights in the stairwells and main mechanical room have to be turned on by a switch, which can get tricky when carrying a basket full of laundry.

What you're missing on this tour is the smell.  Imagine a musky, moldy, kind of old smell. 

Next are the lockers where each resident stores their detergent. What this picture doesn't show is the rust around the lockers and at the bottom of the shelf. We're fortunate to have a top locker.

Here's me inserting the payment card.  Each load costs $1.50 to wash and $1.50 to dry. Yup, it costs $6 to complete our laundry. That's why we only do laundry once a week and make sure we're doing a full load. The nice part is there are two washers and dryers so whites and darks are done at the same time unless another resident is using the laundry facilities and haven't moved their clothes.

I'm appreciative to have laundry facilities and not a rock in a stream like some missions but this has made me appreciate having a cost-free, easily accessible washer and dryer in our apartment in Chicago.

We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet

We had an especially rough week mid-August.  It just seemed everyday there were more problems than we could handle.  I longed for the people I love to be close by and the safety of Utah and a Ward assignment! On Saturday, August 21, Elder Mendenhall suggested we drive to Vermont to Joseph Smith's birthplace.  It's a three-hour drive and I wasn't to keen on the idea of the long drive but I knew we needed some diversion and didn't share my hesitation.  After exercising, cleaning our apartment and eating lunch, we headed to Royalton, Vermont. 

The drive had the usual New England roads, narrow and winding. Even the freeway was winding but the landscape of forest after forest was beautiful. We arrived around 4 p.m.

 

This is a photo of the front entrance. The road leading to the monument and visitor center is to the right of the photo. You drive down a lane of gorgeous trees on both sides.  When we arrived at the main campus, Mormon Tabernacle Choir music was playing and the Spirit was so strong.  I had trouble containing my emotions from the moment we stepped on the grounds.

The first thing we did is tour the visitors center.  The senior sister missionary tour guide was so knowledgeable and had such a sweet spirit about her. This is a picture of Elder Mendenhall and me by a bronze statue of Joseph done by Avard (sp?) Fairbanks. 

Our guide talked about Joseph's life.  Elder Mendenhall gave extra insight when they spoke of Joseph's unusual surgery.  Here is a rendition of the surgery.

After reviewing the Prophet's life, we got a chance to walk by the monument. Our guide explained the monument was erected and dedicated 100 years after Joseph's birth. They had considerable difficulty since the Vermont marble was heavy and needed to be transported.  The monument is 38.5 feet tall, one foot for every year of the prophet's life.  It is one of the largest solid pieces of polished granite in the world.  It took 33 days to move the granite 5.5 miles using oxen and 22 horses. The shaft weighs 40 tons. The base weighs 60 tons. Junius Wells was given the assignment from the First Presidency of  the Church to locate the site, procure the land and design a monument and oversee the dedicatory ceremony. It was started in the spring and dedicated in the fall of 1905.

One particular problem was recounted to have had divine intervention. There was a mud hole that the granite needed to cross.  Just a regular wagon would get weighed down in the mud. There was no way something with this weight was going to be able to cross it.  Some of the non-believers taunted Wells and asked now what are you going to do.  He told them he was going to pray for an answer.  That night, Brother Wells prayed fervently for help.  The next day the temperature dropped 30 or more degrees and froze the mud hole solid. The granite was able to be transported across the mud hole with no problem.  The next day temperatures rose to normal and stayed that way until the monument was completed.

This picture is of the actual site where the cabin was located. The town boundaries between Sharon and Royalton ran right down the middle of the cabin. They had to ask Lucy Mack Smith what room she was in when she delivered to determine the exact town of the Prophet's birth. The authentic hearthstone that was in the original cabin has a place in the visitors center.

It's hard to describe the peace I felt while walking on the grounds and sitting on the bench.  My mind reflected on Joseph's journey and the significant challenges he faced.  We were told President Joseph F. Smith gave the dedicatory prayer.  He said this site is one of the most sacred places on the earth and angels are near.  I could feel we were standing on sacred ground.

After walking around the monument, we were escorted back into the visitors center to see the film, "Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration." This life-sized bronze of Joseph Smith is located outside of the theater. I love this picture because it captures Joseph Smith, Thomas S. Monson, Joseph of Egypt and Elder Mendenhall.

Although I had seen the film before several years ago, while I was watching it, I felt as if I was seeing it with new eyes.  Tears flowed freely. One scene in particular was directed to me personally.  One of the Saints who had his home burned to the ground and his family terrorized by the mob said the Lord asks too much of us. I had been thinking the same about our situation and I felt ashamed at my attitude. Our sacrifice is minuscule compared to that of the early Saints and others. It caused me to repent and start fresh in rededicating myself to making the most of the mission and do what the Lord would have us do right here, right now. 

I think Elder Mendenhall was inspired to have us visit Joseph Smith's birthplace. President Joseph F. Smith in a blessing he gave as he closed the dedicatory service said, "Peace be with you, and unto this place, unto this monument and unto all who come to visit it . . . "