January Doings

Senior Gathering 1/16/14

We met at the mission home - about 11 companionships.  We have five military bases in Georgia and most have a Military Senior Couple assigned.  Then there are two others with our calling, plus the office personnel and the nurse.  It is always wonderful to be together.

This time the President had invited Brother Ridgeway from the Macon Stake to play the piano for us and talk to us about his experience in the Church.  His blindness came gradually until he was totally blind in his Young Adult years.

Brother  Ridgeway,  (Macon, GA) playing for us in the Mission Home

 He was so talented and amazing.  He taught at the school for the blind in younger years, but now he entertains at high end restaurants.  He could play every evening if he would, but he tries to limit his gigs.  He spoke of preparing for his Sunday school lesson before he came.  How can one do all the research that entails without being able to see?  He has a phenominal memory like our Aileen.  It was a special treat to hear the beautiful music - he could play anything we requested,  but especially to hear his story sprinkled liberally with humor, and to hear him share his testimony of the Church, and how coming to know the truthfulness of the Gospel had made such a difference in his life.

We also had some important sharing time, and the President had prepared a discussion on building relationships with our Eternal companions, and how important that is in the Mission field and always.

For lunch, we had a wonderful Southwestern Bar-B-Que Chicken Chop Salad with corn, beans, corn chips, tomatoes, barbeque chicken, cheese, lettuce, cabbage, jicama, and cilantro.  We loved it and have the recipe if any of you are not familiar with it

We should have a picture of all the couples one of these days, and I'll post it then.


Young Womens' New Beginnings Evening

We wish we had taken better pictures, but we thought all you working in YW would like to see our girls.  You see, we have a mix of backgrounds.  Two were missing.  We will have two baptisms in the next month - both girls who have been attending the Young Women Program and asked to be taught and baptized.  We will post their pictures when their special days come.  Dublin only had 4-6 YW so this seems big to us.

Oconee River Walk

On our P-Day, while the missionaries were using our computers to write their letters, we decided to check out the new trails being built down by the river.  It seems that the only time we take time for such pursuits is in the middle of the winter.  We will have to show you how beautiful it is down there when spring comes and everything is green again.  They will finish the walk on the other side of the bridge soon.  It is a beautiful park-like place with wooden footbridges and out-looks.

Visiting Dublin

Gradually, the older people we love, and who needed us so much, have been cared for more and more by the Ward, as we have always wanted.  Where before we were nearly their only visitors, one by one, their circumstances have changed.  We are thinking, we no longer need to visit as often, but for the few who still need it, and because we miss them, we still go on P-Day (with permission from out President of course.

Our sweet Carolyn (who has struggled so with memory problems), is now in Utah, where her son and Daughter-in-law are caring for her, and understanding what she needs, where others could not see it as she had retained many social skills.  We are grateful.  Her sister who has been so ill and felt that she had nowhere to go, as she has no family of her own, is now planning to a join a sister in Texas as she finishes her rehab here in a month or so.

Our 94 year old sister passed away in the fall, and her investigating daughter Betsy, has some contacts in the ward, and is becoming acquainted with our lovely young Missionary Sisters who are now assigned to Dublin.

We have two other nursing home people, but they do have family who visit them and take care of their needs, so when we have to leave, they will not be abandoned.  This is Hubert who has such a sense of humor.  He doesn't read at all and he keeps track of his visits with a mark on the calendar.  You can see that so far he has had one visit since Christmas besides us.

Our 91 year old Corinne and her daughter with cancer, will soon have another daughter, Sylvine coming to stay for the next few months, to help with tasks and appointments that are so difficult for them to take care of by themselves.

That leaves our lovely friend, 85 year old Mildred.  The Sisters have found her, and are in touch frequently.  We go out to dinner with her each week before we leave Dublin, so this week, we invited the Sisters to join us.  Besides teaching her the Gospel, they have a lunch date with her this week where they will make sandwiches together and teach her to play Scrabble.  We love Sister Missionaries!

From left:  Sister Snider (CA); Sister Porter (UT); Mildred (Dublin, GA)