Lake of the Osarks

By Debi:

Yesterday was a working P-day and we had a great time.

We left the apartment at 6:45 am all packed and ready for our adventure. We were assigned by our mission president to go to Sedalia, Missouri, and visit a companionship during their study hour.  Sedalia is two hours away so we had to leave early.

On our way to Sedalia we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen in my life.  We are from Utah and we see the sun come up over the mountains every morning which is quite a sight to behold.  But here in Missouri the sun comes up right at the horizon and it is beautiful.  The amazing thing about the whole experience was it just so happened that we were listening to Barbara Streisand singing “America” on a CD in her powerful voice right as the sun rose above the horizon.  The colors of orange and pink reflected off of a few clouds that looked like they were on fire.  Wow, what a morning.

Of course she is on the approved list of music for Senior Missionaries

After a wonderful hour with two great Elders we drove over to the Katy trail head.  We have talked about the Katy trail before but if you don’t know about it, it is a great biking/hiking trail that is 264 miles long and runs almost the entire width of the state of Missouri.  It is the old Railroad line for the Missouri/Kansas/Texas Railroad.  It is now known as the Katy trail. One of the trail heads is in Sedalia. 

We got on our bikes with our lunch packed and off we rode.  It was very cold but the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  It was a perfect day.  We have been riding a stationary bike in our apartment so we are in kind of in shape.  We were able to ride 20 miles along a beautiful trail out in the country side.  Missouri is very much a farming community.  As soon as you leave the city the farms stretch as far as the eye can see.

After our ride we took a little detour on our way back to Independence to see the Harry S. Truman Dam and reservoir which is part of the Ozark lakes. 

I had never seen the Ozark lakes and they are beautiful.  I am sure that when the world is so green again it will be even more spectacular.  These lakes cover hundreds of miles and they have thousands of miles of shore line.  The people love to fish in the lakes and enjoy all boating activities. They have great camp grounds around the lakes.

The Visitor Center is up on the edge of a cliff looking over the Dam.  It is a beautiful center with a spectacular view.  President Harry Truman was very proud of this project and the benefits it has for the people of Missouri.  It produces electricity, flood control and a water supply for the state.  Also one of the displays around the Visitor Center was the Hooper House.  We were excited to see anything named Hooper.  The man who owned the house was named John Hooper.

The cool thing is they say "Hooper" just like we do

On our way home we went through a little town named Tightwad. I thought that was so funny. The population is 69 people.  There is a little convenience store named the Tightwad Center!  We really had a great time seeing this little community of Tightwad!

The more we explore Missouri the more we are falling in love with this place.  Everywhere we travel we find something beautiful and fun.

By Greg:

At the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson sought to establish an organization that would exist that might allow countries to settle their differences before they lead to war.  You might remember WWI was supposed to be the “War to end all Wars”.  Well, he was not successful in getting the US Senate to ratify the treaty that would have established the League of Nations.

Woodrow Wilson, "Father" of the League of Nations

At the end of World War II, another Democratic president had the same vision. It fell to his successor, Harry S. Truman (of Independence, Missouri) to lead the charge to form the United Nations.  In this instance, Truman was more successful that Wilson had been.

This could have been the entrance to the UN instead of the RLDS complex

During the debates in the Senate, Senator Elbert Thomas of Utah, stood on the floor of the Senate and proposed that the headquarters of the UN be established in Independence, Missouri.  He stated two reasons (besides the cool name of “Independence”).  First, it was the home town of President Truman, and second, it was right in the middle of America.

This was a serious proposal!  The Chamber of Commerce sent a telegram to the “Big Three” who were meeting in the Potsdam conference urging adoption of the idea.  They also contacted the Churches (LDS and RLDS) about the possibility of obtaining their lands.

Well, it never happened, and the churches may not have given up their lands either, but I thought this was a cool thing when I came across it in the Mission History.  I wonder if anyone has ever heard this before.

We have said this before, but there are a lot of things around here named Truman.  He was very popular after he was president.  He really liked the Tennessee Valley Authority and pushed for one of his own.  Thus we have the Truman Dam and reservoir.  My dad never called him President Truman, or Harry Truman; I grew up knowing him as just “Harry S”.  Of course, men in the navy and their teen-aged sons had all kinds of fun with that.

Harry S Truman supporter of the United Nations

One of the sad things we keep seeing here is that the historic markers are taken and probably sold for scrap metal.  This is sad as the value of the bronze is nowhere worth the value of the historical recollection.  We went to Troost Park to see a monument that replaced the original one that was destroyed.  Here is what I found on the internet about this monument:

The new replacement monument

The marker at Troost Park was erected to commemorate the first log schoolhouse in Jackson County. On August 2, 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith and others assisted the Colesville Saints in placing the first log as a foundation for the establishment of Zion. It was done at the site of the building which was to be both a school and a church. A ten-inch oak was cut and carried to the designated location by 12 men representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel.¹

Among those who participated were Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Hezekiah Peck, Ezekiel Peck, Joseph Knight, Sr., Aaron Culver, Ezra Booth, Freeborn Demill, William Stringham, and Ira Willis. Oliver then laid a cornerstone and delivered an address.

The original marker read as follows:

 “School in Zion. On August 2, 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith was assisted by the members of the Colesville Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others in laying the log for the first house as a foundation of Zion in Kaw Township. The log was carried and placed by twelve men representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The house, a place of worship, was also used as a school and was the first school to be erected within the boundaries of Kansas City, Missouri, as they existed in 1832. Unveiling and Dedication September 14, 1963 by President David O. McKay The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

The original  marker was to be dedicated by David O. McKay, but was dedicated by Joseph Fielding Smith instead. 

In 2000, a restored marker was dedicated.

Here is the “restored” monument today.

What did the scrap metal dealer say? "Oh, are you sure you don't need this anymore?"

Oh, how sad!

When Joshua and the Children of Israel crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord told them to build a monument out of Twelve rocks, one for each tribe.  He said that when their children asked, "What is that monument for?" they would tell them the Lord led them across on dry ground.  

Well, when some one asks, what is this monument for?  They will have to call me, I guess.

What an incredible weekend!

By Debi:

This is at the Cemetery in Richmond near the David Whitmer grave

We have just spent the last three days with our son, J.B.  He came to Independence, Missouri to speak at an inter-faith conference with the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS), the Remnant Churches, and the Restoration Churches and others.  All of these Churches have something very much in common and that is the Book of Mormon.

We were privileged enough to attend the conference and listen to some amazing BYU professors and some of the other church pastors speak about the Book of Mormon.  It was an unforgettable two days.

J.B. was the closing speaker for the Friday night Session.  He talked about how the Book of Mormon is also a witness to the truthfulness of the Bible.  He did such a great job and bore such a beautiful testimony of both sacred scriptures.  We are so thankful we could be part of this special weekend.

But best of all for me was that we got to have J.B. stay with us and visit with him for the weekend.  We had a glorious time.  We visited many of the Church’s historical sites remembering the great history of the Church and the Prophet Joseph Smith in this area of Missouri.

We went to Richmond and saw the monument of the Three Witnesses.  We also saw the site that Joseph Smith rebuked the guards on that terrible night.

Greg, JB, and Alexander Doniphan

The Statue of Alexander Doniphan says he had "brilliant parts".  I think my men have them too!

We went to the site of the Haun’s Mill.  It is a very lonely, solemn site. We pondered on the events that happened there during the massacre of the Saints living there at this small community.

We visited a very fun little Amish town called Jamesport.  The Amish are wonderful people and their way of life seems so peaceful. We all mentioned that we are a little envious of their lives that are separate from the outside world.  We did eat at a wonderful all-you-can eat Amish restaurant that was so yummy. 

We visited the site of the Far West temple.  We pondered the suffering of the Saints and their terrible expulsion from Missouri when they came with such high hopes of finding a peaceful place to live and build the Church.

This is a Haun's Mill--you can not really see the mud on the truck--it was heavy

Of all of the sites that we visited my favorite was Adam-ondi-Ahman.  There isn't a Visitor Center there but there are about 8 missionary couples who live on the site and take care of the beautiful grounds and farms in the area. 

Sunset over Adam-ondi-ahman

We arrived a little before sunset and came upon a most beautiful scene.

Deer were running through the fields and into the surrounding woods.   Geese were flying overhead while honking their arrival.  We parked the truck and hiked down a trail that opens up into a grove of trees. 

This is a planted grove--very special place

The grove is in a beautiful little round valley with low hills surrounding the scene.  I stood on one edge of the grove and Greg and J.B. hiked the rest of the way to the floor of the grove. We discovered that the acoustics were amazing.  I could stand on the edge of the hill and speak in a normal tone and J.B. and Greg could hear me perfectly.

Greg then continued to the other side of the valley and up the hillside.  It was probably the distance of a football field.  Again, we tested the acoustics.  Again, we could hear each other perfectly.  We carried on a conversation without raising our voices.  We were completely amazed.

Debi is the black dot in the distance-yet we cold talk without shouting

JB teaching a fine lesson at Adan-ondi-ahman

After our little experiment Greg walked back and met J.B. in the grove of trees.  As they came out of the trees the sun was just setting and is was reflecting its last rays of daylight right behind these two great men.  As I stood there watching them walk side by side I had such an overwhelming feeling of love for my husband and my son.  I never want to forget this day or this moment in time.  Priceless!

 By Greg:

We went to an estate sale a couple of weeks ago.  A woman had died and they were selling all her stuff, her furniture, her treasures, all of her stuff.  We go to these often to buy furniture for missionary apartments. 

This one was very nice.  We learned that the woman had been a member of the RLDS Church, now known as the Community of Christ.  I found a complete 8 books set of the History of the Reorganized Church that I got for $10!  She also had two pictures that we bought.  One was a cool one of Chief Captain Moroni that says on the plaque “Alma 21”.  Well, I found out that although the words are the same, our Book of Mormon is divided into different chapters and verses than theirs.  Captain Moroni is in Chapters 40+ in our book.

She also had a cool framed map of Central America with Book of Mormon places on it.  Now, I know this is not necessarily correct, but it is cool and I only paid $10 for it as well.

I read a lot about the formation, or as they call it, The Reorganization.  I am particularly interested in this as our Haws family had some who went west with Brigham Young and others who stayed where they were in Illinois and later joined with The Reorganization.  I actually found many of their names listed as early members.  One, Albert Haws, was a lifelong missionary going to a lot of places, including the Hawaiian Islands as a missionary.

I am now doing some family history for these “cousins”.

So, I was really interested in this weekend’s conference.  Here we were with others who share the same historical background, but at some point took different paths.  There are actually identified 7 different churches all claiming Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon as their foundation.

One of the men who came from BYU is JB's mentor and friend, Dr. Robert Millet. He gave the final talk.  He too was amazing.

Dr. JB and Dr. Robert Millet, both of BYU

One of the speakers is a Baptist minister that has found the Book of Mormon and believes and teaches it.  His talk was to us: “Do you realize and know what you have? The glad tidings from the Book of Mormon.” His message was unexpected and amazing.  His goal is that there will never be another Mormon Bashing Sermon preached in a Christian Church again, ever. To his Christian brothers he says, “READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!”

This is Dr. JB and Dr. Lynn Ridenhour, a Baptist teacher of the Book of Mormon

Two of the Stake President’s in our mission are former members of the RLDS.  The host of this conference was President Cato, President of the Independence Missouri Stake.. His entire family converted several years ago after becoming separated from the church of their birth.  The family all got in a van and went to Utah to check it out.  Upon returning, they called the mission president and made arrangements for baptism of 17 people.

President Cato, Sisters Cato, and his parents, Brother and Sister Cato

We are so proud of our son JB.  He had a major role to play in the conference.  As Debi said, his part was how the Book of Mormon testifies of and supports the Bible.  He used as his text,

“For behold, this (the Book of Mormon) is written for the intent that ye might believe that (the Bible)…” Mormon 7:9-LDS.  Read the rest of the verse.

Today, many question the Bible, but the Book of Mormon is a second witness to so many things that are in the Bible such as Adam and Eve, Moses, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, the Exodus of the Children of Israel, prophecies of Christ by Isaiah and Jeremiah, teaching of Jesus, John the Baptist, John the Revelator, and on and on.

I hope I never forget the feeling I had this weekend.

Also, what a special treat to have JB with us.  We borrowed a mattress from the “Bat Cave” and he slept with us.  I thought Debi would have him sleep at the foot of our bed just like he was a little boy again.  She did tell him bed time stories, cooked special breakfasts, and hugged and kissed him a lot.  What a treat this was.

When he was a missionary we wanted so badly to go and visit him in North Carolina and see him and see what he was doing.  Well, of course we could not, but he could come here.  I think he got a glimpse of what we are doing, and I hope he was proud of his parents, at least a bit as much as we are proud of him.

This is outside the Conference Center of the Restoration Church

Seniors, Seniors, and more Seniors

By Greg:

The Missouri Independence Mission is unique in many ways.

First, we claim to be the first mission established in this dispensation.  In 1831 Joseph Smith sent missionaries here and they began to teach and establish what would later become known as "Zion" or the land of the future Zion, or the New Jerusalem.

Joseph Smith also taught that this was the location of the Garden of Eden, and the area known as Adam-ondi-ahman was the land that Adam and Eve were settled in after they were driven out of the Garden.  Thus, this was really the location of the first mission, as Adam and Even began to teach their children the gospel.

It is believed that Christ will come here and hold a very important meeting at Adam-ondi-ahman prior to his Second Coming when he will rule and reign upon the earth for 1,000 years.  This meeting will virtually end the missionary work, as the end of worldliness will usher in a period of peace and righteousness.  Thus, we will be the last mission, as well.

The Missouri Independence Mission is also known as the Alpha and Omega Mission, the first and the last.

We have other ways that we are unique.

We are the only mission in the Church that supports two visitor centers.  We have the Historic Liberty Jail and the Independence Visitor Center.  These two centers are run by Senior Missionaries and Sister Missionaries.

We also have other things here that draw Senior Missionaries.  We have a national archive that has seniors assigned to extract and copy genealogical records.

There are Senior Missionaries that preform physical facilities maintenance and repairs.

Of course, we have Senior Missionaries that are actual missionaries who have a MLS (Member/Leader/Support) assignments.

Then there are the office Senior Missionaries, which now includes us!

Thus, except for the Nauvoo Mission, and the Cove Fort Mission in the summer, we have more Senior Missionaries than any mission in the Church.

Every other month we join together with all of these Senior Missionaries and have a dinner/social/devotional at President Keyes' home.  We did that last night.  There were over 60 missionaries, plus the Mission Presidency.  We enjoy these gatherings.

Like many other places, in nice homes, and especially in the winter, guests remove their shoes and coats and leave them at the door.  This is just part of the stash.  When it was time to go last night, Debi got a new coat.  The one that was left for her was similar to hers, but a bit nicer.  Perhaps we will find who took hers and make the exchange, or maybe she will just have a new coat.  It really fits her well.  We all went home with our own shoes, I think.

Included in this group is Elder Keith and Sister Maureen Flint from Hooper.  Though they are not in the picture, we see them often, and last night Sister Flint brought one of her famous cakes, a banana cake with cream cheese frosting.  It was good to see them, and even better to eat her cake!

Sister Flint and I grew up together in Hooper, and we have lived a little over half a mile away from them all our lives.  For the first period, we were all in the same ward, but you know how that works out, right?  They are serving as FM (Facilities Management) missionaries and live in a home outside Liberty, Missouri.

We are proud of the fact that everywhere we go we are also with people from Hooper.

We had a great reunion last week with two of our dear friends that we served with in Africa.  Elder Mark and Sister Barbara Taylor (now of St. George) came into town for a conference.  We were able to spend some time with them, catching up on Africa, and cementing our friendship.  The Taylor's were among the first to greet and welcome us to Africa, and we so much appreciated what they did for us there.

This was on the beach in Accra, Ghana on our first weekend there.

We all decided that we needed to have a ceremonial feast as we had such a hard time finding meat that we could eat while in Africa.  So we went to the famous Jack Stack's BBQ and oh, did we eat!

We have been told that our allotment of Senior Missionaries will be going down because all missions are needing Seniors, and the supply is limited.  Each Senior Missionary has a different assignment and thus a different experience, but we all share the same love for the Lord and His children and we all want to do what we can to move this work along.

Included in this group are Senior Sisters that come on this mission alone.  They also have different assignments.  The sister on the right is Sister Jan Hipwell.  She is in the office and has many responsibilities.  She serves without a companion, but we see her everyday and enjoy working with her.

The sister in the red is Sister Elma Angel and her companion is holding a camera.  She is Sister Suzanne Billman.  Together they serve as WASS (Women/Auxiliary/Support/Sisters) in a branch in Albany, Missouri.  They are missionaries.  The Elder is Elder Atwood.  He and his wife are MLS missionaries in the Riverview Ward, which is an inner-city Kansas City Ward.

The hymn, Ye Elders of Israel, has a line that says "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few".  This is true and we need more Senior Missionaries, even here in the Alpha and Omega Mission where we have more than any other mission (except Nauvoo and Cove Fort).

Missionaries coming and going-a very busy week

By Debi:

Last week we had "Break the fast" after church.  Every month after Fast and Testimony Meeting the Branch has a potluck and we enjoy some great food and socializing.  This is the group we had to the Branch last week.  Our numbers are growing and everyone is getting very excited. We had over 50 YSA's to Sacrament meeting last week.

We also had some exciting things happen this last week in the Mission.  We sent 8 missionaries off to their foreign missions.  They all had been waiting for visas.  President Keyes was so happy for these Elders.  Elder Weatherford had been waiting for his visa to India for 17 months.  He was afraid he wouldn't get to go.  Everyone was so thrilled for him and he was so very excited. This was the largest group of Visa Waiters that the Mission has ever sent out at the same time.

                      This is the picture of the Sisters going home to their families that afternoon.

This week was also transfer week.  We had 28 new missionaries arrive Wednesday afternoon. It took two rented vans and 4 vehicles to pick up all the missionaries and their luggage.  It was pretty crazy here for two days getting everyone where they were suppose to be with their right luggage and their right companion.  The transfer involved 104 Elders and Sisters.  Everyone met at the Stake Center by the Mission Office and found their new companion and said goodbye to their old companion.  It is a pretty emotional time. In the midst of all of this commotion we had one of the worst storms of the year.  We received a foot of snow and sub-zero temperatures.  Somehow we all survived and nobody crashed!  We all prayed very hard for the missionaries safety.

We also had 8 sisters and 3 Elders go home on Friday.  These are fantastic missionaries (Sorry, I don't have a picture of the Elders).  They have all served so faithfully and have brought many people into the gospel.  The Sisters also have served at the Visitor Center and the Historic Liberty Jail.  They have worked hard and now they are home with their families.

New ones come and the seasoned homes go home.  The growth from being a new missionary to one who has served faithfully is amazing.  They change so much physically and spiritually.  They are much more confident in themselves and sure in their testimony.  It is such a blessing to be involved with the young people of the Church.  We are surrounded by the Young Single Adults and the young missionaries.  We are in awe of the strength of the Youth.  They are truly a mighty army for the Lord.

By Greg:

This week we were hit with a terrible snow storm that shut down the airport, stranding a lot of travelers, and closing most of the businesses and schools.  We have a couple of feet of snow on the ground.  It is also very cold--near zero or even below.  But it will warm up, and then the snow will melt and if it rains while the snow is melting we will see flooding.

The terrain here is up and down through little valleys.  This, it appears, is caused by all of this moisture and the flooding that follows.  We have seen some pretty cool bridges.  The big ones that cross the Mighty Mo are all different and magnificent, but the smaller ones are also very interesting.

This bridge is made of cement and carries the rail road over the traffic

This is a stone bridge--a road over a road

There are lots of levies around the cities that are near rivers.  Here this one in Ottawa also has a flood wall and flood gate that they can close if the river rises that far.  It is amazing that this little creek can rise high enough to need this flood wall, but it has several times over the years, even killing several people and destroying property and the city.

There are lots of signs on dips in the road warning us not to try to cross in high water.  We will keep an eye out in the next couple of months.

You’re not in Kansas anymore!

By Greg:

During the decade prior to the American Civil War, the Territory of Kansas was a bloody battlefield where bushwhackers from Missouri crossed the border to loot, pillage, ravage and kill, all in an attempt to intimidate the mostly pro-northern, anti-slavery and free-soil residents who would eventually vote to enter the Union as a free state.

Well, in the past several weeks, we have also been crossing the border into Kansas.  We have not killed anyone yet, or even ravaged anyone, and to be sure we have not stolen anything, but we have penetrated deep into the state as we have carried out our assignments to help build the Kingdom of God in this the Missouri Independence Mission.

We have 13 zones in our mission and 5 of them are in Kansas.  Prior to last July 1^st, most of Kansas was in this mission.  But the Brethren created the Kansas Wichita Mission by splitting off half of the mission and missionaries.  Actually, a bigger land mass was cutoff, as the population is more spread out in Kansas.

We have been in towns and cities such as Overland Park, Kaw River, Lenexa, Olathe, Ottawa, Iola, Chanute, Louisburg, Shawnee Mission, Indian Creek, Chapel Hill, Hickory Hills, Paola, Gardner, and the vast spaces in between these towns and cities.

We have been told that Johnson County Kansas, where Overland Park is located, is one of the richest counties in America.  It is the corporate headquarters of several companies, and there is a substantial new development of office buildings, shopping centers, and hospitals.  We have learned the traffic patterns, freeways and highways, but we are still highly dependent on our GPS system. Still most of the Kansas we see is rural farm country.

One of the things that is striking in these smaller towns, is the preservation efforts that have been made.  Yes, there are Walmarts, but still, the downtowns are remarkable intact. Most of the towns that are also county seats have a courthouse and square in the southern style.  Many of these courthouses are remarkable buildings.

We have also seen libraries.  When we were young we often went into Ogden to the library that used to be on the square where the municipal building stands.  This is also the location of the Christmas Village.  Our library, like so many we have seen here, was a Carnegie Library.  Mr. Carnegie was a rich steel tycoon who amassed a huge fortune but decided to give it all away.  His foundation helped build hundreds of libraries across America.  The one in Ogden was built by Carnegie, and so was this one in Ottawa, Kansas.

We went to Chanute, which was a 2 ½ hour drive one-way, and visited the Elders there.  We found a lovely little town.  We also found this was the home of two very large Portland cement plants.  We often get the terms cement and concrete mixed up.  Our sidewalks are actually made of concrete, not cement.  Cement is one of the ingredients of concrete.  When cement is added to sand and gravel, it becomes concrete.  Cement is made of crushed limestone, clay, and a couple of other ingredients.  These things are mined, crushed and “cooked” there in Chanute.

The downtown of Ottawa was a lovely example of preservation of the typical main streets Walt Disney tried to depict at Disneyland.

We found in nearly every town they have taken the old railroad station and made it into something.  Usually it is a museum.  In Chanute it is a “Safari Museum” which at first seemed strange.  We visited this and found that a young girl from Chanute married an adventurer named Martin Johnson.  Together they traveled the world, especially the South Pacific and Africa, and filmed the natives.  They then returned to America and toured the country showing their films.  At first the films were all silent, but later they had sound.  These were some of the earliest views of the “uncivilized world” on record.  The museum was pretty cool.

In each of these towns are at least two, sometimes four, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There are also many small chapels.  The missionaries are faithful servants of God.  It is our purpose “To invite others to come unto Christ and help them receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.” “In the Missouri Independence Mission we find, teach, baptize, confirm, retain and reactivate.” Our numbers are few.  Nephi wrote:

“And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few…nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon the face of the earth and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small…and it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”  (1 Nephi 14:12-14).

Nephi saw this, and so have we.  We have seen this, both here in Missouri, and in Kansas.  And we also saw it as well in Africa.  We too are witnesses.

So, in the words of the hymn, “Ye Elders of Israel” we sing and do:  “We’ll go to the poor, like our Captain of old, and visit the weary, the hungry and cold.  We’ll cheer up their hearts with the news that he bore, and point them to Zion, and life evermore.  Oh Babylon, Oh Babylon, we bid thee farewell, we’re going to the mountain of Ephraim to dwell!”—even if that means traveling hundreds of miles into Kansas.

By Debi:

Now, you are probably wondering why Greg and I are driving all over Kansas.  Even though it sounds like we are tourists we truly are missionaries.

Our mission president, President Keyes, has asked us to visit a missionary companionship study hour each morning.  At the first of the week we sit down with our list and pick out the Elders or Sisters that we would like to visit during the week.  Each morning at 9:00 we are in one of our missionaries' apartments observing and participating in their companionship study.  This is a great blessing to us and we really enjoy being involved with the missionaries. 

We take some homemade cookies and enjoy being taught by some of the brightest and most devoted young people in the world.  We consider this a great honor and we are excited about this assignment.

Here are some pictures that we have taken of the missionaries.  We try to take a picture each morning and include that with our report back to President Keyes. 

Because of Elder Haws’ love of history we have to read about some of the little towns we go to and take pictures of some pretty amazing places that most people don’t even know about.  We really have learned to love the people of Missouri and Kansas.  We have seen love and kindness and faith displayed where ever we have visited.