Mission Musings: FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

I have been gone for some time from the blog scene. That is because it seems I used up all of my free allotted memory in the system. I tried several things to try to free up more space, with no success. Then I tired multiple times to buy more space, but those attempts failed too. I was just about to the point of opening another blog on Elder Watts' email account when he took a look at things and was able to help me successfully purchase more memory. So . . . I'm back!!!

One of the most important principles of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ has to do with families. In a The Family A Proclamation to the World, the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints state, "The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave."

Because of these teachings we have hope for an eternal relationship with our families. We also have the blessings of an earthly relationship with them. Elder Watts and I are so thankful for the wonderful support we have received from our families as we have served our mission. Our parents, siblings, children and their spouses, and our grandchildren have shared support in so many ways. We have been blessed to have almost all of our children and grandchildren visit us here in New York. Recently, one of our daughters, Alisha, and two of her children, Cole, 5, and Violet, our newest granddaughter, came for a visit. Their entire family came for a visit in August, so this was a "bonus" visit for us. We so appreciate the sacrifice they made to make the trip. Here are some of the highlights:

We loved getting acquainted with our adorable granddaughter!

It was fun to watch how cute Cole played with his little sister.

Visiting the sites with our daughter Alisha, sharing our testimonies with her and hearing hers was a special experience.

On preparation day we headed for the National Museum of Play in Rochester.

Both of the grandchildren played and played and played until . . .

. . . our littlest one played herself out. They have a nice room at the museum for just such an occasion.

We spent a lot of time at the Hill Cumorah, since we had assignments to work there twice during their visit. Cole thrived on being outside in the snow, and was kind enough to shovel the sidewalks TWICE!

Violet, on the other hand, had her own idea of how a tour at the Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center should be given.

Cole soaked up all of the displays and video clips in the resource room. He became quite the little missionary, guiding other visitors to view some of his favorite video clips.

It was sunny, but very cold on Sunday. After having the blessing of listening to an Apostle of Jesus Christ, Elder Scott, speak to us in a special Sabbath Meeting, we decided to go for a walk in the Sacred Grove. We bundled the kids up and . . .