A Strange Weather Week

It has been the most interesting week for weather. It has been really warm, quite cool, really rainy, and we are coming to learn how quickly storms can move though this area. The week started with accompanying the Sisters to teach Demetrius Monday night. We had a good visit and they will be continuing to work with him. They gave him some commitments and he is going to try to follow through with them. Tuesday was slow so Gramma took the new music books she bought last week and practiced the songs in them that morning at the church.The weather was mostly nice so we were able to do our morning walk every day but Saturday.  It did rain a little off and on. Wednesday we had Bible study (really we are studying the Book of Mormon from the Come Follow Me lessons). They have been working on a new building and driveway down the street from us and the soil here is so red! Gramma made me stop and take a picture of the color. It is much more red than the soil in Cedar City or a lot of other places in Utah. I told her, it is "Tara" the soil of "Gone with the Wind". This picture doesn't show it very well but it is really, really, red. (Dark Maroon)  I didn't get any closer, because I think the workmen thought I was from Planning and Zoning.

Thursday we and met with a couple of Districts in the Stockbridge Building for interviews with President and Sister Clayton. You can always tell a missionary car because they have a bike rack on the back. While the missionaries were being interviewed we had a very good training meeting.

Gramma and I enjoyed our interview (ours is together), because we found out that there will be another Senior Missionary couple replacing us when we return at the end of March. We have been worried that there might not be the follow through and continuing connections that we have been trying be build here in Jonesboro. Now with another couple coming they can continue as we leave.

Speaking of connections, we have had a hard time finding and catching people home. It has been that if we visit ten addresses we are lucky to catch one home to visit. On Thursday we caught one person out of five stops and on Friday we had our best day ever, four out of six. We come to learn that two of the people we caught home had been diagnosed with cancer and were getting treatment.  One wanted her son to be blessed, and the other person had passed away in 2016. We passed this important information to the Ward leaders Sunday so these people can be ministered too. Friday we only had two Sisters and Grandpa to sing at the Golden Crest. It actual went very well. All of us got a chance to sing a solo, even Grandpa.

Saturday we all hunkered down for a storm that was on its way. President Clayton told all the missionaries to be in their apartments at 8:00 instead of the usual 9:00. Having a TV unlike the young missionaries, we got to see all kind of warnings and information flashing across the TV. (also Football)

It really did hit hard and there were areas with damage to homes and business. It rains hard like Samoa and keeps it up for several hours. This storm had moved here all the way from Texas and had killed 9 people in various tornadoes in the south. There was only one confirmed tornado in Georgia.The biggest excitement was later in the night when the storm had calmed down some about 8 or 9 police cars rushed into our apartment complex with lights flashing and sirens on. We don't know if it was a drug bust, car chase, or a domestic dispute.  Whatever it was come morning we had the most beautiful day you could imagine heading to Church. It was 70 degrees in the afternoon on Sunday.

Church was busy as usual. Gramma had to play the organ for The Spanish Branch as usual and they even needed her for Primary. So starting a little after 8:00 until the Spanish Branch is over it is about 6 hours before we get home. After the Ward meetings I went with the Elders to give a Priesthood blessing to a member who was very sick. He is a man who had his feelings hurt years ago and had quit coming to Church. The Elders started working with him 4 months ago and he has been active ever since and is so glad to be attending Church and partaking of the Sacrament again.  I took the Elders back to their apartment, came back to the Branch meetings, then Gramma and I went home where she fixed one of her wonderful Sunday dinners to share with the Sisters that did not have a dinner appointment. Gramma gets irritated that I don't take many pictures of me. I took this one by mistake so I thought I would add it so Gramma would feel better.

Sunday night it started to rain, and about 5:00 a.m. it was lightening and LOUD thunder. The thunder would nearly shake the bed it was so close. It lasted about 30 minutes raining hard all the time. When I went out about 8:00 it was still just pouring down.

We are a little bit bummed about the weather today on P-Day. We had hope to do something exciting, but it isn't fun fighting the heavy rains and driving is a real mess in this weather and traffic. If it clears up a little we will go walk. It is suppose to be storming all week, but still in the 60's. Well, we hope to have a good week with more days like last Friday. We love the opportunity to serve and know the Lord can direct us to where we are needed if we have a little faith. We love all of you and as we tell you each week, all of you are in our prayers individually and we hope you can be directed by the Lord's Spirit. Be good and do what is right. We miss y'all. Gramma and Grandpa Hammond