Tuesday, October 13, 2015

OCTOBER 2015






OCTOBER IN  NEW ENGLAND

So blessed we get to experience two of them.


It's been another varied and busy week here as our mission winds down.
Four weeks left.

We are overjoyed with the messages we heard this past weekend in our October General Conference. 
Prayers were answered, inspiration given, counsel taken, challenges accepted. 
Three of our Apostles passed away since our April Conference and 3 new ones were called and sustained at this one.  What a wonderful proceeding to witness. The love expressed for those who had passed and the love shown to welcome the new ones was very touching and moving and a witness that these are very special men who have a bond found no where else on earth, a bond formed by their unique callings as Apostles of Jesus Christ. 
There were too many highlights to mention here.
But I do want to share my testimony that I know we have a Prophet of God leading and guiding His Church.  I am so grateful that revelation has not ceased.  That God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  That the gospel and church Christ established while He was on the earth has been restored in its fullness. The fact that we have 12 Apostles in this day just as they had in Christ's time thrills and comforts me. 
I love my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. 
I stand all amazed at the love that He offers me.
And you.
All.


Go here to learn more and to read or listen to any talks you'd like:







The last couple weeks we have been doing routine things as well as trying to get in as much of the New England fall as we can.  


Served our zone lunch again which felt wonderful.  They are so happy and appreciative (and so hungry!)
We served waffles with fresh peaches and blueberries and bacon on the side. 




Our new(ish) mission President, President Miller, was interviewing in our zone that day so we were happy he could join us. 







Monday was our last Family Home Evening and dinner with our Temple Presidency and temple workers.  The presidency is being released at the end of the month.  What a very special honor and blessing it has been to work with them all, side by side, in that Holy House. We are so grateful it has been part of our mission assignment.  Working within those walls and being so deeply enriched by the example of these wonderful, selfless,  people has strengthened us and mad us better.

A local member's rendering of the Boston Temple hanging in the Bowens home.


The Bowens and the Thompsons.


The Huntingtons


The couples above are the temple presidency.
The ones below are temple missionaries. 
 ( so sorry to all involved for the terrible photos.  I don't know what happened.( I didn't take them all, just sayin'....)     :D

The Petersons

 The Dennys 
Sister Denny is Dale's nurse here in the MBM.


 The Rex's

There were two more couples, the Dahles (our neighbors) and the Weights but didn't get a chance to get a pic of them.  A very special camaraderie here.  These folks are truly saints.




OCTOBER in Massachusetts means CRANBERRY HARVEST!

We've been trying to have as many authentic New England experiences as we can while we are here.  We learned how to make maple syrup, we've
 been on a lobster boat, we've been clamming, we've been leaf- peeping, we survived the worst winter in history, and...
now we've been knee deep in a cranberry bog and learned all about harvesting those tart little red berries!

StoneBridge Farm 
Acushnet, Massachusetts





The bog before it's flooded.


Our Cranberry Guru and farmer, Scott. 
He's been raising cranberries since he was a kid.  Grew up right here. Used to run over to the bog next door to help.  Has always loved it.  Gave us a wonderfully informative history of bogging .


After our 'history lesson', we put on our waders and got to get right in a bog and do a little harvesting ourselves! 


Scott's wife Joanne took over the hosting duties from here.
She asked us to pose (like the American Gothic painting below. )
But...she told us to stand sideways and look out straight without smiling.
Not quite like the painting. And Dale didn't get the memo about looking at the camera anyway.
Oh well!  :D 





At this point, Joanne said now we'll tell you the Ocean Spray Commercial secret...
they are kneeling down in the bog so it looks waist deep. No bogs are that deep.


I loved mucking about in a bog!
Quite an unusual sensation...the ground is squishy and mushy and sponge-y and you've got little hard berries all around you.  When you first step out into it, you tend to walk like you were on the moon. We did and Joanne said almost everyone does.  
 New England Bucket List: 
Cranberry Bogging
Check!
Thanks Scott and Joanne for sharing Stonebridge Farm with us.






NEW BEDFORD

New Bedford was 20 minutes away so we stopped by to check it out.
Another charming New England village overflowing with history.
I Love New England!


Anytime we go somewhere new we check our handy-dandy food apps to see if there are any 'can't miss' places nearby. This was Ted Allen's pick on the Best Thing I Ever Ate for best BBQ chicken.
It was a total dive and we never in a million years would have even looked at it twice never mind ventured inside if it weren't for this recommendation. It is a Portuguese Churrascaria and was completely different from the Brazilian ones.  No skewered endless meat choices. 
We passed on the Portuguese Boil... blood sausage, pig's ears, pig's feet, and plenty o' other unmentionable pig parts.
We chose the BBQ chicken.
It was indeed very good. 


Will never ever get tired of this in a million years.
Street lamps, cobblestone streets, wondrous tress and historical buildings. 



 Gotta have a whale door knocker if you live in New Bedford.
One of the major whaling centers of the world in its time, along with Nantucket.
Today it is still the top grossing fishing port in the U.S.
Biggest seller of scallops in the U.S.







Makes me smile  :)
Still haven't had a Johnny Cake.
On the list!




Remember how I said one of the things I love about New England is that you won't find many ugly strip malls.  Most restaurants and businesses are in old houses made over to accommodate the needs.
Good example here below. 


Adorable Tea Shop.







So sad.  So many who died at sea.  Such an incredibly hard and harsh life.
This poor fellow below had a different ending than most. 







FALL RIVER

We could have stayed all day in New Bedford, but when our cranberry boggers told Dale there was a battleship in Fall River which was just another 20 minutes from N.B., we just had to fit that in.





 Dale was in heaven.   Not only  was there a battleship, but a cruiser, a destroyer, a submarine, 2 PT boats, and a landing vessel from D-Day.  




 Big boys and their toys.


This radio and communication equipment brought me back to my childhood.  I have vivid memories of my brother working on models of battleships and I remember these pieces so clearly. They even moved!

Extremely cramped quarters.





A PT Boat.
Whew!
We can sure pack a lot into one day! 



BOSTON TEMPLE

Thursday was a VERY special day at the temple for us because we were blessed to 
work in a session with this adorable couple!
Justin and Julie Draeger from home!
So good to see these beautiful, familiar faces.
They were in Boston for a week to celebrate Justin's birthday.
They are calling this trip "On the Road to 40". So clever and fun -just like them!
The plan worked perfectly as they came at the end of our shift so we could leave with them.
They treated us to dinner at the Summer Shack and we took them to their T stop to catch a train back into town. 
The temple was the number one stop on their trip.
It warms my soul to see young couples with their priorities in the right places.
They are a light and a joy to all who know them.
 We love you, Julie and Justin!
So happy we were able to spend some time with you.







MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY

Later in the week a pretty day beaconed us to check one more thing off our bucket list. 
We rented bikes and rode 12 miles round trip on the MinuteMan Commuter Bikeway
from Bedford to Arlington.
It was perfection. The bike path.  The weather.  The trees.  The sights along the way. 
















I spy with my little eye...
someone sitting on a boulder reading.


A glorious pond along the way.




Locals are saying they are in for another bad winter.
One way to tell is the surplus of acorns. 
If there are a lot it means God is helping take care of his squirrels and chipmunks by giving them more food to store for the hard days ahead.



It's October.
My annual spooky trees. 




 We passed two meadows on this route.  The Great Arlington Meadow and this one- Miller's Meadow.  Dirt path and wooden boardwalk. Lovely. Walked past a cute couple who had just got engaged and were calling their parents to share the news. 


Such a perfect afternoon.
Minuteman Bikeway.
Check!




BAPTISMS!

While we have been away traveling around to visit other missions, our own mission back home and our own zone had been very busy.  Our zone alone had 16 baptisms while we were gone!
Here a photos of a few of them.


 (took photos of the photos on the bulletins board at church!)



So many reasons to rejoice!
So many right here.

We love our missionaries and miss the close association we had we them when we are not traveling.
They are inspiring. 
They are remarkable.
They are the Lord's servants on His errand. 
We  love them all.  

1 comment:

  1. I hope we can keep up with you guys next week! I can't believe how busy you are not to mention all the work you don't mention. Love you so much and can't wait to be there!!

    ReplyDelete