A Visit with Wic

It was EFY (Especially For Youth) week for Wic at Palmyra, New York last week.  We were able to pick him up and spend a few fun days with him before he flew back home.  Looking forwards to having a great weekend together, we started out by once again visiting the sacred grove, then driving along Lake Seneca and hiking through Watkins Glen.  Following this side trip we headed to back to Hamburg to take in the Erie County Fair.  In the Indian Village at the Fair we bought a Tshirt for Wic with the Wampum on it.  Sunday, Wic went to church with us as Grandpa Jeppesen confirmed Mike and Marlene Sternisha.  Following church we were all invited to join the Atkinsons and Grandpa Hugh Jones for dinner at the Campbell's.  It was a gorgeous Sunday and we enjoyed another scrumpdelicious  meal.  That evening Wic, Grandpa and I drove out to Sunset Beach on Lake Erie, just a few miles from where we live.  Monday morning we headed for Old Fort Niagara.  After enjoying the tour there we drove back to the airport and bid our goodbyes to Wic.  It was a great change of pace for us and so fun to spend time with our grandson.

Mike and Marlene Sternisha are Baptized and back home Ben is too!!

Our grandson Ben was baptized this year.  Even though we weren't able to be there, we know what an important event it was for him.  What made it even more special was that not long after his baptism, way out in New York our friends the Sternishas were also baptized.

In the MTC we were told, "The Lord is preparing the people you will teach.  The Holy Ghost will be the one who converts them.  Just make sure you are obediently doing what good missionaries do and you will have success."  This was made apparent early on in our experience with our friends the Sternishas.  Mike and Marlene had already been doing their own searching, studying and investigating.  We met them in church even! We sat down in back of them our second week at the Cattaraugus Branch, became acquainted, and the rest is history.  We connected with them so quickly and really have always enjoyed being together.  Not only were we praying for them, but some of our family members were fasting and praying for them too.  Last Friday night, August 10, they were baptized.  We had a nice program in the chapel:  Elder Jeppesen and I gave the talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost; Ira Jones conducted; President Jones, his father, and his three sons sang, in beautiful four part harmony, "Come Unto Jesus."  Following the baptism several bore their testimonies. With the help of some ladies in the Branch, a nice meal was provided afterward.  It was a special, memorable night for the Sternishas and for us.  Many prayers have been answered and continue to be.

Inspired

As we sat in Sacrament meeting last week I was overcome with gratitude and filled with a testimony of the truthfulness of this work we are engaged in.  We were sitting next to our dear friends, Mike and Marlene Sternisha, who had just recently set the Aug. 10th date for their baptism.  I looked over the congregation and, surprisingly, there was not one face I didn't recognize.  As the speakers addressed the topic of the Restoration I reflected once more on Joseph Smith and the events leading up to the restoration of the gospel.  We had just returned from Palmyra, having enjoyed the Pageant and stayed at the John Young home, and even done a session at the Palmyra Temple.  Serving here in the cradle of the restoration, and more recently, reflecting often upon the great things that transpired here has been a powerful boost for my personal testimony.  I am so grateful for my knowledge and for the Prophet Joseph.   We are so blessed to "be enlisted."  "Happy are we, Happy are We."

An amazing fact about Southwestern New York that we had not anticipated is that it is made up of countless small towns, each with their own antiquated town center. As an example, here is the town center of Cattaraugus.  Each rural town also has it's own cemetery.  I'm not used to seeing such big cemeteries in such small towns, but I have to remind myself these communities have been populated much longer than those I'm acquainted with in Utah.  As we drive through our branch district it seems the minute we leave one township we drive into another.  Our Branch area includes twenty of these small towns within a 50 by 50 mile area.  This mission requires a lot of driving.  Our first month we put 2500 miles on our car.  Thank goodness we can gas up on the reservation where they don't collect state taxes so we get our gas at quite a discount.

Wampum

Every morning as we leave our apartment at the old schoolhouse we see this wampum sign sitting in the lawn across the street.  The Wampum is important to the Iroquois people.  Hundreds of years ago, back before any Europeans even knew about the new world, five Iroquois tribes, the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk, agreed to stop warring amongst themselves.  They buried their weapons of war  (sound familiar?) under a great pine tree and covenanted never to fight amongst themselves again.  The original Wampum was a wide leather belt made of white and purple shells.  This belt reminded them of their promise.  Later, the Tuscarora tribe joined their confederacy, so later on it was called the six nation confederacy, but this symbol of the Wampum is found everywhere here on the reservation as a reminder of their past.  You can find it on their advertisements, their clothes, public buildings and even on their homes.

Amish Country

It's just a quick drive from where we live to Amish country.   For Pday a couple weeks ago we took a drive through the area they call "Little Valley."  With Judy Kennedy from our branch and her friend PR as our guides, we met several Amish families.  Every one seemed happy to see us and were anxious to share their skills and time.  They all seemed to have time for us. Everyone was so friendly and conversant.  We left feeling like they were good friends. Their shops are open to the public and found on almost every farmstead.   We visited a saddle shop where they were creating flawlessly beautiful leather work; a woodworking shop that sold wooden toys; a bakery with all sorts of yummy goodies; a cheese factory; a sawmill; an iron works shop that produced lawn decor and wind chimes;  on and on.  It was a full day of meeting good folks and growing in appreciation for their skill and dedication.

Cattaraugus Branch has been doing great things lately.  We now have 11 Branch Missionaries working under Elder Jeppesen who is serving as Branch Mission Leader.  Several of the missionaries are young people at or close to missionary age, and having them work at helping us find and teach inactive branch members is a great asset.  Our Young Men's and Young Women's organizations are small but the young people are great.  Here is a photo of them stuffing tithing envelopes for the Branch President.

We spent the 4th of July with the Hocas in Gowanda.  It was a hot, humid day but the barbecued chicken was yummy and the company great.

The Zone leaders were here last week so we had the four missionaries to our apartment for dinner before Branch Missionary meeting held on Tuesday nights.  The missionaries were:  Elder Kitt, Elder Hole, Elder Teichert, and Elder Richardson.