Service and A Baptism

Lots of blooming Sweet Clover this spring!

This week seemed to be the week of service. The Bishop is busy like most Bishops are. He spends most of the time at his ranch; which is 1 hour outside of town. He does have a house in town as well, so the kids can go to good schools. Like every husband, a “honey do” list gets made, and our Bishop has a hard time getting that list taken care of. Walt has offered several times to work on that list for him. We really like helping the Bishop in any way we can, and most times, he politely declines; saying so many others need help more than he does. He finally consented and this week was our first chance. The Bishop had ordered some pedestals for their washer and dryer (front loader) for Becky’s birthday several months ago. They were still in the box. They also needed the cabinet in the laundry room moved to accommodate the new height of the washer and dryer. We got the cabinet moved and started on the pedestals. With some ingenuity, Walt was able to get the washer on the pedestal, but the feet of the washer just weren’t lining up with the grooves on the pedestal. He was trying everything. I got to thinking about the box of the pedestal - it said “Samsung”, then I looked at the washer and it was an “LG”. That could be a problem. Yep!! We called Becky (Bishop’s wife) and explained. Walt could have jimmy rigged something, but it made more sense to return the pedestals and get the right ones. So, the Bishop took care of that. Now we’re just waiting for them to come in.

Since we were passing right by there the next day, we worked on putting up shutters. Becky gave me the lock code for the front door, so we don’t need them to be home to get things accomplished. Walt brought two bags of tools with him on our mission, so he is prepared for most anything. We only had time to put up two of the four shutter that day. Just previously, we went to Gary’s house to help with the garden. We ended up staying 3 hours putting up the fence around the garden. Bless Walt’s heart, he is very smart and can fix or put together most anything. Gary was all too eager to tell him step by step how to put together the fence. Walt was so patient and never complained. I have to give him a great deal of credit for that. So only two shutters on the Bishop’s house, but we went back the next day. We got the last two sets out of the boxes, and one of them didn’t have the hardware with it. So we put up the third one, called Becky, and she got another one. We will put the last one up tomorrow. Just to remind all of you, the closest place to get anything at a decent price, is at least an hour away. (Bill and Sue can really relate to this). Luckily, Becky was already going to Billings to pick up her daughter and could get the new shutter.

Putting up shutters at the Bishop's

The third service we had was on Saturday at the Smiths. Renee’s doctor really wants her to get outside more and get some sunshine. This requires her to use her motor chair. There is mostly dirt outside her door, so they need to put in a concrete patio. They would use a skid loader, but there is a sprinkler system in that area. So they needed some muscles to dip up 6 inches of dirt. The area was 4 cubic yards and a third had grass (harder to dig up). The Elders were there also, along with a couple of the Smith children, and her mom. They were done pretty fast, 2 1/2 hours, but it was some hard labor. I helped just a tad, but shoveling loosened dirt onto the side by side. Then Richard would drive the full side by side to the dumping spot to empty. They have one dog who loved to jump up as we would throw in shovels of dirt and try to catch the dirt in his mouth. Evidently, he does the same with snowballs. After shoveling, they helped move furniture off the patio so it could be washed and re-painted. The Smiths took great care of us by feeding us breakfast and lunch.

Service at the Smith's, Walt, Richard, Elder Glover and Elder Kerr

A good shot of the dog trying to catch dirt in his mouth.

A couple of other things this week:

1) Free milkshakes at Wayback burgers for the first day of summer. Kay and Abi knew about this and I had offered to take them. Kay’s two sisters were able to come along as well. It was pretty fun, and I enjoyed getting to know her family. The funniest part of that day was the weather. It had been very summer like and pleasant for the past week. That day - the first day of summer - it was chilly enough to wear pants and a sweater for me. It seems to be the thing here. On the first day of Spring - it snowed.

Free Milkshakes for the first day of Summer from Wayback Burgers

2) Ward picnic on Saturday. It’s the first ward activity since we have been here. It wasn’t a huge turnout, but it was fun. We had talked about this activity in Ward Council. There was concern about an after church lunch (Linger Longer) on the following Sunday, and that being too much for the ladies. I said something about - well, aren’t the guys going to cook the burgers and hotdogs? The Bishop looked at me, like I was crazy. I guess men make the living and the women cook here, even grilling. I teased him and said, it was only burgers and hotdogs. So, the Bishop and Elder’s quorum president grilled the meat! I was so impressed and even teased the Bishop by taking a picture - stating I had evidence!

Evidence of the Bishop grilling

3) We had our usual lunch at the Sr Center, Bingo at the Manor, District Council, and Missionary Correlation Meeting and a few lessons to plan and teach.

Bingo at the Manor!!

The high light of the week was Kay’s baptism. When dates are set for things, they always seem so far away. Now it was finally here. She had her baptism interview on Tuesday. Since the Elder interviewing was a stranger, she was back to her barely audible yes and no answers. I did warn the Elder to listen closely. Kay did great; even on the answers where she had to share her understanding of certain things.

Kay's Baptism! Elder Glover, Walt, Kay, Me, and Elder Kerr

The baptism was on Saturday. I had taken her and Abi to the church the day before, after our free milkshakes, to get the right size jumpsuit, and show her the font and what to expect. When you grow up in a church, you take for granted the things you experience, with someone who has never experienced such things. She had never been to or seen a baptism before. She had chosen Elder Glover to be the one to baptize her and he was thrilled. His mom had given him a Book of Mormon before he left for his mission with the testimonies of all the young women in their ward at home. She instructed him to give it to whomever he felt inspired to give it to. That lucky person was Kay. We were so glad he didn’t get transferred the last transfer. Although he is more than likely leaving with this one; which is on Wednesday. I found out that this was his very first time to baptize anyone! What a special one to be the first.

Everything went just fine. The water level was great, not too much leakage. Kay’s family came to the baptism! That was so awesome for them to come and show their support. They don’t know anything about our church, but were there for Kay. They were there a little early, so I gave them a tour of the building and explained how our Sacrament meeting goes. They are a really nice family. Of course, there were pictures - I warned Kay about that. Usually when a person is baptized, someone stands at the door of entry to the font and waits with a towel for the person getting baptized. I told Kay, her mom could do that if she wanted; and she did. It was nice for them to have that moment.

We are all so excited for Kay. It’s a big step to take on your own, and especially at 13 years old. She is now the only member of our church in her family. She has really impressed me with her desire to get baptized and come to church every week; most times by herself. She has really blossomed in the two months we have been teaching her. It’s wonderful to see. We are hoping she keeps in touch with us after we are finished with our mission.

Oh — we got gifts in the mail from two of our grand daughters this week - bracelets. It was great to get them and we’ve been wearing them. Thanks girls. The best part was the envelopes. They were simply addressed to “Grandmommy” with the address below. What more do you need?!

We are missing everyone, but really feeling the blessings of being here. This next week will be super great with two families going to the temple for the first time! Can’t wait! We love you all, and appreciate the love and support you guys give. Thanks for keeping up with our adventures and blessings.