August 5, 2017

We were on the road last weekend and didn't make a blog entry, but we made lots of memories!  I will blend Spencer's comments, my comments and photos so you will know what we did during the temple closure time.  Our break didn't really start until Tuesday, July 25th since the missionaries help with the cleaning on Monday.

Spencer:  During our break we had a great experience of traveling in this part of the country.  I owe it to Jeanine for master-minding the whole thing, including the rental car, the navigation and her ability to make things happen.

Jeanine: Our trip northward through Pennsylvania was amazing.  For some reason I do not understand, the GPS sent us on the byways and scenic roads for most of the trip.  We traveled on one lane roads, farm roads between corn fields and saw beautiful farmlands and scenery we would have never seen otherwise.  But it was a little nerve wracking--Spencer was asleep--I didn't really know where we were and the conditions just kept getting more primitive.  Here is a few views we encountered.

Our first stop was Susquehanna, PA (formerly known as Harmony during the time of Emma and Joseph Smith).  It is a cute little town.

Spencer: Our visit to the Susquehanna Visitors' Center was very meaningful for me.  I had recently given a talk in the Concourse Ward about the restoration of the two priesthoods and the importance of the priesthood keys.  To then have the privilege of going there and feeling the special spirit associated with that location is a highlight for our mission.  I wandered off in a grove of trees at the end of our visit and felt really moved about that event in our history.

Jeanine: We learned some new things--John the Baptist didn't visit on the banks of the river. It was in the Sugar Bush up on the hillside and the baptism occurred later that evening.

The next day we visited the Philadelphia Temple and were privileged to do a session before traveling on to Gettysburg, PA.

Spencer: Our visit to Gettysburg was a good experience.  It helped me to rekindle my understanding of the development of this great country..  It reminded me of the issues of slavery then, and now the growth of the church with the Blacks here and all over the earth.  We could have spent days there.

We associate with wonderful Blacks here in our ward whose ancestors came to the Caribbean or USA as slaves. The difference between those who have embraced the gospel and those who have not is striking (and that is not to say that most Blacks aren't good).

We had some good times at Jon and Marjon's with their family.  I guess the two events that stand out is our trip to the zoo (which is owned by a member of their ward) and the trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains where we took a hike.  It was like climbing Mt. Baldy near Big Lake in the White Mountains.  It was fun to see them.

Jeanine:  I didn't make it all the way to the top on the hike.  My knee was starting to give me problems.  I waited and had a beautiful place to meditate and pray.  I loved the pictures of those who did make it to the top.

Jeanine:  We celebrated Spencer's birthday there.  We went out to eat at a Mexican Restaurant and we had a birthday cake that honored both Spencer and Brynly.

Spencer:  The last leg of our trip was to see Cassie (Crawford) and John Kidd and their family.  They live in a beautiful place in North Carolina (Chapel Hill).  John is working on his doctorate degree.  They have a cute little family.  I was personally enamored with little David.  I'm so moved by being around him and feeling of his spirit.  I'm going to keep his name on the prayer roll at the temple for months to come.

Jeanine:  Rachel couldn't understand why we had to leave.  We assured her that we will visit her again.  We talked about working in the temple and helping people.  On the day before we left she told me "You are going to help the people get married in the temple and then you are going to come back here and live forever!"
We visited an Arboretum and another day we rode the city bus to visit a museum.  Rachel loved pulling the cord so the driver would know when we wanted to stop.

Spencer:  Somehow we made it back into this city and returned the car having new memories that will last for a long time.
I love our choice assignment here, and what we are learning about the temple, its patrons and the place called NYC.
I have had members from Utah quiz me at the front desk about the strategy of getting a mission assignment here.  They want to come here.  Sorry, its not likely to happen...

Jeanine:  Today we attended a ward BBQ in a park in the Bronx.  We rode a different train and we saw some interesting tenement housing apartments.  The subway came up out of the ground for awhile.  That was sort of interesting.

Jeanine: I agree with Spencer, this is a choice assignment.  The variety of people we see and languages we hear spoken is overwhelming--but fun.

We love you all and miss you.
Jeanine